Category: New Album Review

The newest albums, EPs and singles on the air at WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1/HD-2

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New Album Review

Screaming Females “Desire Pathway” Album Review

Desire Pathway album cover for Screaming Females
"Desire Pathway" album cover for Screaming Females.

Screaming Females is one of my favorite rock bands hailing from the United States. They’ve been releasing consistent, good records since their first release, “Baby Teeth”,  in 2006. Screaming Females might not fit into the hardcore punk or punk genre all the time, but the band’s ability to stay true to what makes their sound unique and constantly entertaining is what keeps me listening.

The band is composed of Marissa Paternoster (vocals and guitar), Jarrett Doughtery (drums) and Mike Abbate (bass). They made their first appearance as a band in New Brunswick, NJ (according to Wikipedia). Screaming Females is currently releasing their records on the Don Giovann Record label. 

In terms of genre, they have floated around from album to album, but for the most part I’d say they stay true to the rock genre with heavy punk and indie influences. Paternoster’s lyrics and vocals are extremely punk that tend to talk about being displaced and having realistic perspectives on relationships and life. 

Some of their previous releases include “Baby Teeth”, self-released album in 2006, Ugly in 2012 and “Rose Mountain” in 2015. They have many more albums in their discography but these are the ones that keep me coming back and listening to their music. 

“Desire Pathway”

“Brass Bell”

The opening to this album is sublime. Paternoster’s infatuating guitar is backed up by heart-thumping bass and drums leading us to explosive riffs and vocals. 

“Ornament”

This track is a beauty because of how much Paternoster shreds her guitar. Doughtery’s drums create an awesome thump-thump-thump building us to another explosive chorus trying to get everything it can out of love. 

“Let Me Into Your Heart”

Opening drums and then Paternoster’s iconic vocals dive into the topic of trust and trying to win someone’s heart and soul. The lyric choices in this track make me love it because of the uniqueness in word choice and how descriptive and pleading the song becomes because of the lyrics. 

I absolutely love this band. The catchy lyrics and rhythms in this album are intoxicating, but also I can tell how much previous albums like “Ugly” and “Rose Mountain” success have positively influenced the sound. I find a lot of the choruses to be at the perfect repetitive level and all the lyrics (as always for Screaming Females) are full of double meanings and exactness.

If you’ve never taken time to listen to Screaming Females, I highly suggest you do because this band will be one of the greats, if it isn’t already.

Ben

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New Album Review

New Releases: Tears For the Dying, Modern Color and Buzz Kull

Photo by Evelyn Bertrand on Unsplash

Music-makers have been hard at work putting out new music, and I”ve been hard at work listening to it.

Here are some highlights from this month:

Tears For the Dying

Based in Athens, Georgia, Tears for the Dying produces music in the vein of deathrock, post-punk and dark punk.

With a corpse-cold sound and the richly plaintive vocals of Adria Stembridge at their disposal, Tears For the Dying puts out consistent bangers.

The band’s latest release, “Heterochromia,” is straight up arctic.

Cover for “Heterochromia” by Tears for the Dying

Compared to other releases, the band’s deathrock style appears restrained, creating a vacuous and frigid atmosphere. The song’s lyrics only compound this effect.

I’ll rip you apart from everything you love

Slithering from beneath black waters

The rotting carcass splits and sprouts

Fertile ground of rot and death

Efflorescence of drifting mist

Tears for the Dying, “Heterochromia”

What is the driving force behind such tortured and melancholic lyrics?

Adria Stembridge, frontwoman and founder of the band, draws inspiration from her experience growing up trans and autistic in the American south.

Subjugation, alienation and victimization — and the inner darkness stemming from these influences — contribute to the band’s vivid sound.

While this isn’t my favorite song by the band (that award belongs to “Go Die” from their 2021 album “Epitaph“), it’s a solid track.

Modern Color

Modern Color is a beloved band of mine.

Their sound ranges from nostalgic and idyllic shoegaze to vigorous post-hardcore, and I look forward to seeing them when they make their way to Cat’s Cradle next month.

Cover for “Fortress” by Modern Color

Modern Color’s newest single, “Fortress,” definitely embodies more of the band’s emo and shoegaze sound. It’s a warm and summery track with more upbeat energy than some of the band’s other releases, such as “Pale.”

I definitely prefer the band’s earlier music, especially their 2020 album “From The Leaves of Your Garden,” and hope they continue to experiment with the post-hardcore aspect of their style.

Buzz Kull

Buzz Kull is the musical project of Sydney-based artist Marc Dwyer.

I’ve played Buzz Kull on air several times before. His sprawling darkwave and EBM beats are transfixing.

Cover for “A Place (That’s Meant To Be)” by Buzz Kull

There’s an attractive bluntness to his work, a gothic apathy that commands focus to a more emotional and complex synth and drum machine arrangement.

Buzz Kull’s most recent single, “A Place (That’s Meant To Be),” is strongly electronic. Highly danceable, this EBM track is both fast-moving and languid, with staccato beats overlaid by ringing tones of brass.

It’s the kind of music you can lose yourself in on the dancefloor, best enjoyed amid the smoke-scented bustle of the goth club.

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New Album Review

Corker’s “Falser Truths” Album Review

Corker's album art for "Falser Truths"
Corker's album art for "Falser Truths".

Out of the abyss of the midwestern United States called Ohio comes Corker with their first full length release, “Falser Truths”. This new punk band has all the classic 80’s punk sounds you could feverishly desire. With sounds influenced by The Clash, The Cure, Wipers and more, Corker brings us fresh perspective with great ingenuity in this album. 

Cincinnati, Ohio natives, Corker, released “Falser Truths” on Sep 1, 2023, which was recorded through Future Shock Recordings, a Cincinnati based record company. Members of the band include: Luke Corvette (Lead Vocals, Guitar), Cole Gilfilen (Guitar, Synth, Vocals), Ryan Sennett (Bass, Synth) and Alex Easterday (Drums, Percussion).

“Falser Truths” is Corker’s first full-length release, but their second major release overall. They debuted with “A Bell That Seems to Mourn”, an EP, in 2021 (also on Future Shock Recordings). This EP was said to have met popularity (on their Bandcamp page). 

Sounds of “Falser Truths”:

“The Cold Air”

A breeze chills your lower back and opens up your senses to the incoming new experiences. This track opens “Falser Truths” beautifully. I think it does a great job of introducing us to the potential of Corker’s sounds and what we are to experience through their perspectives of punk-rock.

“Lice”

A little bit of an up tempo track compared to “The Cold Air” with a strong drum beat and jolty vocals with a speedy guitar. “Lice” isn’t what I’d call hardcore punk, but it’s a step in that direction. This track does feel like a good one to dance to at a concert though. 

“A Fitting Compensation”

Moodier tunes flow in from the West, East and all over. “A Fitting Compensation” brings us some of the darker, slower sounds through the intro instrumentals. Then, we are very lucky to experience some classic heart-stopping punk vocals and lyricism with a “brain eating” desire woven in. 

“Sour Candy”

With the air of a long good-bye, “Sour Candy” is the best final track I could hope for on a release like this. It is seven minutes long, making it the lengthiest track on the album. There’s a whole lot of diversity in sound on this album, and with this track, Corker is able to finish showing off their range. A little spoken word with catchy beats to back it up begins this track on a low-key note, but builds and builds into a rhythmic delight that I loved for every second.

Final Thoughts about “Falser Truths”

Hey, these are pretty fun. Corker is able to show off their talent range within the punk genre, and they show off a little bit of their history knowledge in punk with their sound variations too. “Falser Truths” takes us on a journey of beginnings and histories within the whole thirty-five minutes of the album. I enjoyed hearing this perspective of punk from Corker and I hope to be hearing more from them in the future.

check out the North Carolina State fair!

Ben

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Band/Artist Profile Local Music New Album Review

“The Magpie”: More of Raleigh’s Finest

The Magpie cover art for The Magpie
The Magpie cover art for their self-titled release "The Magpie".

Raleigh natives, The Magpie, released their first studio album this year through Firelight Records. We are taken on a ride through the band’s love of psychedelic rock, hardcore punk and everything hard rock n’ roll.

This album is yet another of Raleigh’s newest additions to the scene of heavy rock and metal (although a little on the lighter side of metal), so that’s why I’m taking a look at it today. 

The Magpie is composed of three band members: Erik Sugg (guitar and vocals), Brian Walsby (drums) and Mike Deloatch (bass and vocals). “The Magpie” (according to their Bandcamp page) was recorded and engineered by Mike Dean, a member of Corrosion of Conformity – another NC band, who is a metal staple with loads of influence.

Never judge a book by its cover or whatever that stupid cliche is supposed to signify, but I love the album art for this album. The art style clicked when I was looking for a local band to write about this week. The magpie perched a top the skull feels spooky and very autumn-y.

Let’s dive into The Magpie’s first album – “The Magpie”:

“Ceremony for a Fat Lip”

It’s the second track of the album and we already get Metallica-like vocals as emphasis behind Sugg’s warbling calls. “Ceremony for a Fat Lip” is a great blend of heavy rock guitar and drums with a more psychedelic rock vocal base reminiscent of Ween’s “The Mollusk” (to me at least).

“Just One Drop”

A slower start in this track, leads to classic rock n’ roll sounds emanating from The Magpie here. “Just One Drop” explores the mind in a fever dream state. After the first couple verses, Sugg begins repeating the chorus in a sickening repetitive pattern that leaves you questioning your senses for a minute. This track drips slowly into your system, filling you with hallucinogenic effects that don’t start infecting you until the last minute of the song. 

“Derailed”

The shortest song on the album starts off with a similar guitar intro to the rest of the tracks, but then blazes off course immediately. There are a few non FCC approved words in the song, but that’s because of its heavy punk influence. “Derailed” differs wildly from the rest of the album because of the vocal change-up into hardcore screams. I really enjoy The Magpie’s take on hardcore punk, and I’d love to hear a whole album like this from them soon. 

“Fix It”

A nice hint of vocal warbles and smooth guitar riffs bring forth sounds from The Magpie. It really shows their psychedelic rock sound spewing out. This track got more repeated lyrics than any on the rest of the track, but when Sugg belts out, “fix it”, I can’t help but rock my head forward to the beat.

Conclusions:

I thoroughly enjoyed this album. The Magpie did a wonderful job using their experiences from past bands and sounds to create a first album with such a wild ride like this. I hope to be able to catch a live show from them in the future. I know they frequent Pour House and other Raleigh venues, so if you’re from the area, be searching for The Magpie.

Drink crow’s milk — make ur bones strong,

Ben

Categories
New Album Review

Album Review: “Remote Echoes” by Duster

Cover art for "Remote Echoes" by Duster
Official cover art for "Remote Echoes" by Duster

I’m sure it was a pleasant surprise for many Duster fans waking up this past Friday morning to a new album on streaming services. “Remote Echoes” was more or less an unexpected release as the band made no announcement on any media platforms about its existence nor it’s release date being Sep. 29.

However, this album could be considered more of a compilation album as many of the tracks featured on this release are demos and come from past limited records such as “Christmas Dust” and “On the Dodge” as well as some unreleased tracks unheard of before until now.

So unfortunately, no new recordings were released on this album but I am still happy about its release and hold hope for new recordings in the near future.

I really feel that many avid listeners and especially longtime Duster fans will enjoy this release as many of the songs on this album were recorded during their earlier days and are now finally on streaming services.

The band’s label, The Numero Group, describes this release on their website as:

“Remote Echoes is a hissy, crumbly, and ungrounded expression of Clay Parton and Canaan Amber’s ongoing Duster project.”

-The Numero Group

Favorite tracks

Some of my personal favorite tracks from this release have got to be:

Final thoughts

As far as a rating goes, I personally don’t like to rate music on a number scale. Although, I heavily recommend a listen for this release if you’re into early Duster works such as “Contemporary Movement” and “1975” as well as a more fuzzy and muffled sound in general.

I, for one, am very pleased with this very early present from Duster and ever since going to one of their shows back in April at Cat’s Cradle, I’ve appreciated the fact that they still tour and have produced new music in recent years. I also hope that this release serves as an omen for future albums to come with new recordings.

-MJ :p

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New Album Review

Album Review: “Girls Love Jungle” by gum.mp3 & Dazegxd

The album cover to Girls Love Jungle by Dazegxd and gum.mp3.

Listen, I know. Every other electronic release has breaks and a Y2K aesthetic these days. I understand if you’re looking for something else. However, this is also why I need you to believe me when I say that this album is, in fact, really good. 

“Girls Love Jungle” is a collaborative album between North Carolina-based artist gum.mp3 and the New York City-based Dazegxd. Over its 31 minutes, the two fuse the style of both 90’s and modern electronic to create something that’s ultimately unique. 

The first three tracks best showcase this combination to me. Opener “Mania” leans more on the modern end, with the most obvious example being the prominent crash-police-siren sample that’s now irreparably linked to the very recent genre of hyperflip.

It’s then followed by “Bad 4 Us,” which has a higher focus on the smooth keyboards and vocal samples common to older jungle, but its production style is still unmistakably modern.

The last of this opening run is “Imitator,” which strips back the production to focus almost entirely on the breaks and a handful of sampled instruments, and the result feels timeless. 

The rest of the album continues playing with these ideas of new and old, and eventually ends on the duo each doing a solo track. Dazegxd’s, “Don’t You See,” is probably my favorite song on “Girls Love Jungle,” which is also a statement that makes me feel like I’m abandoning my local artists. The track focuses on its main vocal sample for most of its run, then turns into complex breaks that scratch an itch I didn’t realize I had for its last third.

gum.mp3’s solo track, “Mind Reader,” takes the opposite, moodier approach. It’s much steadier, and its vocals are front and center when compared to most of the other tracks on the album. It’s an interesting way to close out the album, but I’m ultimately glad for it.

Overall, “Girls Love Jungle” is a great addition to the ever-expanding list of modern albums influenced by the past, and especially another to the list of (in this case, partially) local electronic. Both Dazegxd and gum.mp3 have a lot of potential, and I’m excited for their futures.

-chalcopyrite

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Music News and Interviews New Album Review

9/15 – What’s New In Afterhours?

The album covers of Destiny, Ooh Rap I Ya, and MSGBOX merged.
Image edited by Spencer Grattan

There is just too much music on WKNC. This is especially true of electronic music. Luckily, I’m one of the people who are putting in the automated music queue for Afterhours, so I can tell you what I like to help you sort through it. Here are a few of those that are recent additions to the WKNC rotation.

Continue reading “9/15 – What’s New In Afterhours?”
Categories
New Album Review

“Only Constant” by GEL

"Only Constant" cover by GEL
"Only Constant" cover by GEL.

GEL is a band that has recently emerged onto the hxc and punk scenes within the past couple years. They’ve released two EPs and now, their first album, “Only Constant”, back in March of this year. This newest release has a runtime of sixteen minutes and twenty-nine seconds. It features a unique blend of hardcore punk and metal. 

The band is currently composed of Sami Kaiser (vocals), Anthony Webster (guitar), Bobko (bass), Madison Nave (guitar) and Zach Miller (drums). GEL’s previous EPs are “Shock Therapy” released in 2022 and “Violent Closure” released in 2021. 

As for their sound, I would consider them to have one foot in a pool of molten, hardcore punk and the other foot sinking in the sludge of metal. They are able to get the edgy lyrics and lighter vocals from punk, while drawing up the guitar and deeper sounds from metal very well.

“Only Constant” in Detail:

“Composure”

I have to say this track is by far my favorite from the album. It’s longer than the rest by at least a whole minute and features instrumentals that can induce some heart palpitations. The quick bursts from the guitar and drums jolt my head. It’s a great album closer and it feels like it has the most ties to metal in the album with coarse vocals. 

“The Way Out” 

Next on my list of likes from this album is “The Way Out”. It is short, but definitely not sweet. Fifty-three seconds of raw energy compelling me to headbang and mosh wherever I am. Also to note in this track are the lyrics:

“I’m tugging on the bone don’t want them to be known

Feelings come in quick – brace for your turn and hit

Still waters thickly sit, beneath the buoyant brink”

Lyrics from “The Way Out” by GEL

I love the consonance on the third line with ‘beneath the buoyant brink” and the extended use of water and pressure imagery. This lyricism is smart with tons of emotion and thought poured into it, so I love being able to appreciate the band’s ability to make it enthralling too. 

“Fortified”

This was not one of my favorite tracks. Unfortunately they can’t all be winners. Of course, it’s not bad, but it lacks the same appeal and attention grabbing that many of the other songs have on this release. “Fortified” blends into the background of this album being surrounded by “Honed Blade” and “Attainable”.

GEL-ing Up:

This is a great first full length release for GEL. I think they’ve got some unique flavors and sounds that will (hopefully) continue to grow in strength as they progress forward into their future. 

I don’t really know who reads these posts, but be sure to form your own opinions based on your listening experience. Don’t take my silly perspective on this genre as credible or incredulous. All this is my view on how this music makes me feel. If you like this music, cool. If you hate this music, cool. Just try your best to take in what these artists and bands are putting forth for us, the consumers, to enjoy.

Eat some GEL-lo.

Ben

Categories
New Album Review

New Releases: Aeon Sable, Ash Code and Soft Vein

Photo by Marko Blažević on Unsplash

Though September is still ripe in its infancy, the fall equinox is visible — a beacon of hope for alternative kids everywhere, perhaps — just on the horizon.

Photo by Tkhao Khoang on Unsplash

Alternative music artists are already hard at work to set the backdrop for the upcoming fall season, and I am already hard at work cultivating the perfect autumnal playlists.

Here are three artists who elected to kick off the month of September with new releases.

Aeon Sable with “From Witchcraft to Deviltry”

Aeon Sable is one of many beloved bands I’ve neglected to address in my time as a WKNC content creator.

There’s no better time to ameliorate that condition than with a short analysis of one of their most recent works.

The fourth track on the band’s newest album, “Aenigma,” “From Witchcraft to Deviltry” has already become one of the band’s top songs on Spotify.

Cover for “Aenigma” by Aeon Sable

“From Witchcraft to Deviltry” oscillates between airs of plaintive lovesickness and frigid rage.

A riveting arrangement of contemporary gothic rock and metal, the song is icy until a swell of guitars and vocals introduces a smokier, enflamed energy to the track.

The song stands as a testament to Aeon Sable’s affinity for the esoteric and arcane, making it perfect listening material for fans of heavy music with colder energies.

Ash Code with “Tear You Down”

Dark and sensual and tinged with autumnal gloom, this new release from darkwave group Ash Code is certain to mobilize the dancefloor at the next Goth Night.

Cover for “Tear You Down” by Ash Code

Breathy vocals emerge like smoke from an ethereal arrangement of synths, eventually becoming an instrument all of their own.

Released as a single on the first day of September, “Tear You Down,” while not particularly striking on its own, may soon accompany other tracks as part of a longer EP or album.

Overall, it’s a solid atmospheric track.

Soft Vein with “LEASH”

Burgeoning darkwave artist Soft Vein’s newest single, “LEASH,” further demonstrates his talent for cultivating phantasmal auditory experiences.

A two-track release, the single consists of “LEASH” and “BLOODLETTING,” sneak peeks of Soft Vein’s upcoming album “PRESSED IN GLASS“

“LEASH” is a hazy, gray-tinged track that sounds diffused through fog. The synth arrangement and vocal style reminds me of Harsh Symmetry’s new wave influence (which makes sense, as the artists toured together) though with a doomier twist.

Cover for “LEASH” by Soft Vein

“BLOODLETTING,” my favorite of the two tracks, captures the energy of Soft Vein’s March single “VIOLENTIA.”

While the song’s style also leans towards the new wave influences of the post-punk genre, the vocals take on a more romantic tone, which never fails to please the little bat-creature that lives in my temporal lobe.

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Band/Artist Profile New Album Review

Album Review: “Unreal Unearth” by Hozier

WKNC 88.1 blog

Andrew Hozier-Byrne, better known as Hozier, first captivated the world in 2013 with the international success of his debut track, “Take Me to Church” – a powerful, mid-tempo soul song that addresses difficult socio-political realities of the time.

Since then, the Irish native has achieved musical acclaim with a slew of inter-genre chart-topping hits in rock, blues, folk, pop and dance.

With the release of a third album, “Unreal Unearth”, Hozier caps a decade of stellar lyricism and expert musicianship with a deeply introspective love letter to the humanity of humanity where he seamlessly shape-shifts between familiar genres and dives into a distinctly new soundscape: soft and ethereal.

Continue reading “Album Review: “Unreal Unearth” by Hozier”