Category: Miscellaneous

Random sh*t we don’t know where else to put

Categories
Miscellaneous

The Black Keys Tier List

Hailing from Akron, Ohio, The Black Keys have had a career that spans almost two decades. In that time they have explored blues rock, garage rock and psych rock, and though some of their efforts have featured more expansive instrumentation, simplicity is a cornerstone of their sound. Their focus has always been on the groove between Dan Auerbach’s guitar and Patrick Carney’s drums, as well as Dan’s strong songwriting skills. For this reason, few artists have been in my rotation longer than The Black Keys. With nine studio albums under their belt, however, it is safe to say that some are better than others. I’ve put together a tier list of their discography from worst to best – here are my thoughts:

F Tier: Car Commercial Music (Let’s Rock)

Let’s Rock, The Black Key’s latest release, is their worst album to date. Maybe it’s because they set the bar so high with some of their other work, but in my opinion this is the boys at their most uninspired. This album marks a return to their roots after the sonic departure known as Turn Blue (more on that in a second), but when compared to their previous albums, this one just sounds watered down. It’s inoffensive, focus-grouped rock music that belongs in a car commercial.

D Tier: Is This Even Canon (Turn Blue)

Released in 2014, Turn Blue is the Black Key’s most adventurous album. Produced by Danger Mouse, this album is much more psych/pop than their other work. While I admire the risks they took with this record, I don’t think they always played out well. Turn Blue never scratched that Black Keys itch for me, but there are a few tracks that I enjoy.

C Tier: It’s OK I Guess (The Big Come Up and Magic Potion)

2002’s The Big Come Up was the Black Key’s debut album, and definitely their roughest. While there is a certain charm about its uncompromising grittiness, I think this approach translated much better on Thickfreakness and Rubber Factory. Meanwhile, 2006’s Magic Potion is The Black Key’s most forgettable effort. None of the material on it is necessarily bad, but the boys had already set the bar very high with 2004’s Rubber Factory. These two are the last of what I consider to be non-essential Black Keys records.

B Tier: Slightly Spicy (Attack & Release and El Camino)

This tier marks the beginning of what I consider to be the essential Black Keys canon. 2008’s Attack and Release and 2011’s El Camino are both classics in their own right, but I have a slight preference for the former. Attack and Release represents a musical risk that paid off for The Black Keys: the instrumental flourishes of flutes, synths, and even banjos sound right at home on the boy’s first album recorded in a professional studio. By comparison, 2011’s El Camino is The Black Keys’ most commercial album. You can tell songs like “Lonely Boy” and “Gold on the Ceiling” were written with the Top 40 in mind. El Camino is everything that Let’s Rock should’ve been – radio friendly, but still retaining that roughness that put the Black Keys on the map in the first place.

A Tier: Hey That’s Pretty Good (Rubber Factory and Thickfreakness)

2003’s Thickfreakness and 2004’s Rubber Factory represent the first Golden Age of Black Keys music. These albums proved that two guys in an Akron basement (or abandoned tire factory) could make compelling rock music with little more than a guitar and a drum set. When making this tier list, I seriously considered putting Rubber Factory in the number 1 spot. These two albums are definitely the Black Key’s most visceral projects.

S Tier: Chef’s Kiss (Brothers)

2010’s Brothers was the The Black Key’s commercial breakthrough and what made them a household name. Perhaps I am biased because it was my first exposure to the band, but I doubt I’m the only one who would say Brothers is the greatest Black Keys record. With it, Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney managed to craft an album that not only paid homage to their roots but also diversified their sound, making it appealing to people who aren’t even rock fans. Thanks to tracks like “Tighten Up”, “Ten Cent Pistol”, and “Sinister Kid”, Brothers could be mistaken for a greatest hits record. I am especially fond of Dan’s falsetto on “Everlasting Light” and “The Only One” because it beautifully contrasts his normally rough, bluesy voice. Simply put, there is not a bad song on the album, and that is why it stands as the pinnacle of The Black Key’s discography.

That’s the tier list! Are you a Black Keys fan? If so, how would you rank their albums?

– DJ Mango

Categories
Miscellaneous

Album Art Gems Pt. 3

Without further ado, here is this week’s installment of my favorite album covers of all time:

1.     Midnight Snack – HOMESHAKE

I think I’ve talked about this before in another blog post, but I love how this album art looks like the “Goodnight Moon” book cover, which was one of my favorite books growing up (fun fact: I would cry every time my mom read it to me because it made me so happy). It really fits in with the whole LP’s vibe, which feels very woozy and dreamy. The hand painted look in this piece feels delightfully playful and cozy.

2.     Pregnant With Success – Junglepussy

Junglepussy is honestly such a goddess, and this cover really captures her power. This portrait of her is composed so nicely, and I love how she simultaneously blends in with the elevator yet contrasts it with her gorgeous hair. The way the florescent lighting makes her face glow is exquisite. 

3.     BUSH – Snoop Dogg

This is another mm *chef’s kiss* cover. Produced by Pharrell, “BUSH” has a retro funk feel to it that complements Snoop’s smoothness perfectly. The simple surrealist-like feel this album cover gives off with the perfectly shaped bushes and bright bluedog is so great.

4.     Steve Lacy’s Demo – Steve Lacy

Steve Lacy consistently gives us amazing album covers, but this one is my personal favorite. The colors are fantastic and I love how the photo of him is juxtaposed on top of this bright pink mystery material. The way he stands between his bass and guitar is so casual yet speaks so powerfully to his talent on both.

5.     blkswn – Smino

Wow! Smino really overdid himself on “blkswn.” Not only is the actual content exquisite, but the cover art is too. The colors are divine and so is the composition. I love the way the album title is written on his comb, and the hands doing his hair seem to have personality and an air of movement to them. Keep it comin’ Smino.

– DJ butter

Categories
Miscellaneous

Album Art Gems: Part 2

This is a continuation of a series on my all-time favorite album art!

There’s so much really bad cover design out there, so when I find one that catches my eye it’s a great feeling. It’s hard to make a good album cover; to be able to capture the feel of an album and an artist through visuals is a real talent. There’s no doubt that music and design fit well together, but to find the sweet spot that encapsulates an artist’s vision while staying tasteful is difficult.

Here are this week’s albums that do just that:

1.     JACKBOYS – JACKBOYS & Travis Scott

The everlasting king Travis Scott has done it again. He is honestly one of my biggest guilty pleasures, but his stuff is always so fire, including the JACKBOYS cover. This short album, with Don Toliver, Sheck Wes, and other guests came out around Christmas in 2019 and has to be one of my favorites from Travis. The grainy film texture and colors on this cover are amazing.

2.     Still Striving – A$AP Ferg

I really adore the simplicity of this cover art. To me, the best covers are the ones that completely leave out all the information about the album and opt to provide a visual that speaks for the music itself. A$AP Ferg accomplished this beautifully with “Still Striving,” his 2017 release.

3.     Chinese Fountain – The Growlers

Not the biggest fan of the Growlers right now if I’m being honest with myself, but the “Chinese Fountain” cover is a really stand out piece. The colors of the neon sign, the fog, and how it all mimics a restaurant you’d find in China Town really complements the album nicely. 

4.     Thickfreakness – The Black Keys

I love how the all the album info is worked into this cover. This is from one of the Black Keys’ older albums, but it continues to be one of my favorites now. All around, I just love the colors and composition.

5.     Mint – Orions Belte

Recently, Orions Belte has been at the top of my listening cue. If you’re into any sort of psychedelic surf rock, you’d be into them too. The way the lines and figures all blend together is so fantastic and trippy.

Stay tuned for next week’s rendition of Album Art Gems!

– DJ butter

Categories
Miscellaneous

The Saw’s Favorite Album Covers

What’s going on Butcher Crew?! It’s your Master Butcher, The Saw and I have a very fun and exciting post for you today! I will be listing my top 10 favorite album covers! I think album covers can be a really cool way for bands to show off what ~~vibes~~ they want their record to give off. Depending on the genre (for metal in particular), album covers can show you what type of style a band is. I love it when bands put in a lot of time and effort on the album covers, because visual representation can be very beneficial! My dad, the “OG Metalhead,” told me that when was my age, he would go to the record store and he would find albums with the coolest album cover and band names and buy it. This is how he found new bands and I think that is a really cool way to find different artists to expand your own musical discography.

Let’s get into my top 10 favorite album covers!! This list is in no particular order, these are all equally, badass.

1.     Obituary – Inked in Blood (2014)


2. Cannibal Corpse – Eaten Back To Life (1990)


3. Whitechapel – A New Era Of Corruption (2010)


4. Pig Destroyer – Prowler in the Yard (2015)

5. Impaled – The Dead Still Remain Dead (2013)

6. Marilyn Manson – Holly Wood (2000)

7. Cattle Decapitation – The Anthropocene Extinction (2015)

8. Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath (1970)

9. KoRn – KoRn (1994)

10. Cryptopsy – None So Vile (1996)


What are some of your favorite album covers?

Stay Metal,

THE SAW

Categories
Miscellaneous

Album Art Gems: Part One

One of my greatest loves, that I really could talk about forever, is album cover designs. Get ready. This is going to be a weekly series of my favorite album covers of all time, simply because there’s too many to fit into only one blog post.

I am a graphic design major and designer for WKNC, so you can imagine that aesthetics is very important to me. They say not to judge a book by its cover, but I think this foolish. Who wants to read a book that’s title is in Comic Sans? Not I.

Album covers help to communicate a lot about an artist and the message behind their music. There is something so beautiful to me about having one type of art inform another, and album art does just that. One of my favorite things to do is peruse Nice Price Records on Hillsborough St. and find a record with the coolest cover I can find. Even if it’s in completely random genre section that I would normally never listen to, this has been a great way to find design inspiration and new music.

Both a mixture of classics and newbies, here’s my top five for this week’s installment of Album Art Gems:

1.     Freetown Sound – Blood Orange

If you’ve read any of my blogs, you know that I am a big Dev Hynes fan. His album covers are always so beautiful, but “Freetown Sound” is the most standout to me. The colors are divine, and it pairs wonderfully with his album’s message to highlight Black relationships and love.

2.     Axis: Bold as Love – Jimi Hendrix

I LOVE JIMI HENDRIX. He was a musical god and his genius on the guitar and as a poet is timeless. I had the “Axis” cover as a poster in my freshman dorm for an entire year. With Eastern philosophy and psychedelics gaining popularity in America right around the time “Axis” was released, the Jimi Hendrix Experience reflected this cultural revolution in this insane album art.

3.     DHL (Single) – Frank Ocean

Frank is known for his simplicity and anonymity. To be entirely honest, I have no idea what’s going on in this cover, but I like it a lot. The type design for DHL is really fun and interesting, along with the colors overall.

4.     Vacation in Hell – Flatbush Zombies

This album cover is mm *chef’s kiss*. FBZ are the dark, expressive rap group we all need right now, yet this cover really contrasts their normal undead vibes. During an interview, they said that this shoot was scheduled on a day when it was completely overcast and rainy. Just when they were about to call it quits as the day was ending, the sun burst through the clouds and they were able to take the perfect shot.

5.     Let it Bleed – The Rolling Stones

Finally, we have a great classic from the Rolling Stones. Like the “DHL” single, I really have no idea what’s happening, but whatever it is, it’s working. If you look closely, the bottom layers of the “cake” seem to be made up of a bike tire, a pancake, a clock, and a film reel canister. The colors and strange simplicity of this cover will always make it one of my favorites. 

Hope you guys enjoyed this as much as I did.

Tune in!

– DJ butter

Categories
Miscellaneous

‘To Live Woke’ by Dr. Nacoste

 

Dr. Rupert Nacoste, the Social Psychologist who created the concept of ‘Neo-diversity’ and teaches the one-of-a-kind ‘Psychology of Interdependence and Race’ course at NC State University, brings us his fourth novel ‘To Live Woke’. In this novel, much like his teachings, he shares stories of his past experiences to aid in his teaching. Having grown up in the Jim Crow legally segregated south, and serving in the Navy during a time that involved Race Riots, he uses stories from his past to give the reader a taste of his perspective. He uses this new understanding to demonstrate why people must learn to not simply ‘tolerate diversity’ but to fully respect and embrace neo-diversity. Dr. Nacoste says ‘We can save the soul of America’ and he uses this book as a way to show us how we can contribute to this effort and actually understand what it means to ‘live woke’, not just by saying we are woke, but by ‘knowing how to act on this awareness’.

Neo-diversity is ‘that interpersonal situation in which we all have to encounter and sometimes interact with people from different groups by way of race yes, but also sexual orientation, religion, bodily-condition, sex-of-person, mental-health condition, gender-identity, age and on and on.’ (Nacoste 2017). 

Dr. Nacoste uses Social Psychological principles and real life stories to make the lessons he shares resonate with the reader. He shares his nine tips to ‘help you live woke’ which include; ‘never trying to interact with a person as a representation of a group’, ‘ask open-ended questions’ (‘not stereotype based questions’), and ‘when the person you are interacting with uses the language of bigotry, do not be silent: speak into the moment: do not argue, yet speak into the moment and object.’ 

Dr. Nacoste introduces a wide variety of topics that demonstrate how this new ‘neo-diversity situation’ impacts our social lives in every way. These everyday encounters of neo-diversity can often cause people ‘neo-diversity anxiety’. This book teaches the readers how to handle those anxieties and keep it from causing us to ‘crash’ in our interpersonal situations.

An important point Dr. Nacoste makes sure we understand is that ‘prejudice isn’t bigotry isn’t racism’. He explains the importance of understanding this because, as he put it, ‘Something old and anti-american needs to be addressed and changed: leftover demeaning language of hate about (neo-diverse groups), and leftover anti-group prejudice and bigotry (that is) aimed at America’s neo-diversity’

‘What are you prepared to do?’ Dr. Nacoste asks.

He gives us everyday interpersonal-strategies we can use to combat these acts of bigotry. ‘Let the person know your standards for continuing to interact with you’ when someone uses bigotry in front of you ‘Speak into the moment using your inside voice to say ‘I’m sorry, I would prefer not to hear that kind of (neo-diversity) slur/stereotype. It hurts me.’’ This method has been proven effective.

There is far more important, and incredibly useful, information in this book than I could possibly fit in a blog post. You can find a link to the book below to learn more about how ‘To Live Woke’. 

My advice when you read is to take it nice and slow. Read each chapter and give time for the material to set in before continuing. These are concepts and lessons I have been learning for over two years, since I first took a course with Dr. Nacoste, and I still find them powerful and impactful each time I hear them. I think it is important to stop and reflect on how these concepts relate to your life. Allow them to resonate and make sure they stick. 

Until next time

Let’s stay psyched about social psychology,

DJ Psyched

‘To Live Woke’ Hardback

Paperback

Dr. Nacoste Psychology Today

Categories
Miscellaneous

Habit Change

 

A few weeks ago Dr. Nacoste sent out an email providing ‘Social Psychological Advice’ on living in this time of quarantine. He was asked by a student what he thinks of Social Distancing since, as we know from his teaching, humans are inherently social beings. ‘How will it affect us? Do you have any advice?’ the student asks. Dr. Nacoste responds with a simple but powerful message ‘Given the conditions, my advice is structure your days.’

Is it really that simple? Yes. I couldn’t agree more with Dr. Nacoste on the matter. Ever since he sent out the voice-essay I’ve been trying to follow this advice, and whenever I do I feel significantly better. On days that I don’t, well, let’s just say I agree with Dr. Nacoste that this can ‘get out of hand quick.’

What does this have to do with habits? This ‘habit change’ thing I’ve recently started is largely my attempt to keep my days both structured and exciting. The habits I am working into my days are giving my life structure and something to look forward to each day. ‘Structuring your days’ doesn’t mean you have to be doing overly demanding tasks all the time, it just means planning ahead of time so you can avoid boredom and the discomfort that comes with not knowing how to answer the question ‘what are you doing today?’ Weather it be setting time for reading, meals, movies, gaming, etc., as long as you know what you’re going to be doing you’ll feel the benefit of lessening some of that ‘free floating social anxiety’ that comes with a ‘vague situation’ like this.

This is why I encourage habit formation. If you aren’t sure what to do with your days, think of some things you might want to improve in yourself, things you want to learn, or any personal goals you have. Then think of little things you can do everyday to get closer to those ideals and use these new habits to structure your days. Habits make up over half of all of our time, having good habits provides a foundation that fosters structure.

I will link my habit video below if you’re interested in learning more about habits and the best ways to instill them, but the bottom line is, having good habits, such as taking the time every morning to structure your days with timely tasks you enjoy, can really help ease some discomfort in this time. I know social distancing is difficult, but as Dr. Nacoste has let us know, this kind of ‘focus and agenda’ is critical in ‘protect(ing) our vulnerable psychology.’

Until next time

Let’s Stay Psyched about Habit Change,

DJ Psyched

Video on Habits

To Live Woke by Dr. Nacoste 

Categories
Miscellaneous

Let’s Get Psyched About Reading: Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

 

Heartstopper is a graphic novel, written by Alice Oseman, that tells the story of two boys falling in love. The characters come from the author’s debut novel ‘Solitaire’. This previously online comic series serves as a way for the author to tell the backstory of the once minor characters. The story originated on tumblr and after the artist had a large amount of the story drawn out they were able to get it self-published right before it was picked up by a publisher. The story originated in Kent, UK but is now available in most places and on a website called Tapas.

This graphic novel is shaped largely around LGBTQ+ topics and currently consists of three book volumes, or 153 episodes (if you read it online). The author has published endless content around the story including Q and A’s, short stories, and even fan-fic like crossovers (including Harry Potter and Detroit Become Human). 

The story is centered around a boy in high school who was bullied a lot after accidentally being ‘outed’ to the school. He starts the story in a secret ‘relationship’ with a boy who is in the closet and openly dating a girl. The boy he is talking to treats him terribly so once Charlie meets Nick he decides he deserves better and cuts things off. Charlie and Nick met one day in class when they were assigned seats next to each other. Nick is a slightly older student and plays on the rugby team.They slowly become good friends and soon after they become best friends… until of course they catch feelings.

The art in this graphic novel is absolutely amazing. I find the simplistic nature beautiful and the artist’s unique ‘soft’ style really makes this story visually irresistible. The US edition comes in blue-green shades, but the artist’s work originated in gray-scale using only four tones. This story is full of variety including lots of LGBTQ+ representation and different experiences all of these characters have. There is love, support, hardships, communication and much more. We get the good sides of love and the harder sides: simpler experiences with coming out and harder ones. This story is one that a large and diverse audience is likely to find some aspect of relatable, this is why I find it the perfect story for anyone looking for a feelgood love tale.

Find the story online

Until next time,

Let’s Stay Psyched about Reading,

DJ Psyched

Categories
Miscellaneous

Get Psyched Podcast Episode Highlight: DIY Series ft. The Saw

Photo by Courtney Breen 

Erika aka ‘The Saw’ is a DJ at WKNC and has also been the Chainsaw music director for over three years now. She’s worked multiple other positions including Content Creator and Content Manager. As NACC’s DJ of the month for June 2019, The Saw has also emceed the State Fair and introduced Between the Buried and in 2018. Also in 2019, she taught 2 workshops at the CBI convention! The Saw’s work is endless also including interviewing bands, writing blog posts for WKNC and a personal website, hosting ‘The Saw’s Electric Chair Heavy Metal Podcast’, and so much more.

In this episode, The Saw gives us insight into how she got into metal and how it set her on her current path. Both her parents are metalheads who met in a mosh pit, “it’s in my roots” she said. The DJ was also exposed to metal through her older brothers and cousins who were in local bands and was involved with the scene since she was 8. At age 14 she went to her first Carolina Rebellion. “This is where I’m supposed to be, this is where I belong,” she said she knew this as soon as the show started “it filled a void in my heart,” after this she said “metal was always there for me.”

As far as getting into working at WKNC the DJ says her father told her about the station and suggested she try out DJing Chainsaw. She said she had no idea before and when she checked she saw that no one was currently in the genre. This is where she decided to fill the gap and started her mission to share metal with more people and make sure people see how special the genre is.

This is where Erika’s mission comes in. “There’s a stigma that metalheads are mean and you can’t talk to them” she says. “The music might sound one way but the people are very kind.” Erika wants to show people the truth behind the genre and that there’s no need to stigmatize or judge based on how the music might sound. Since metal got her out of a rut, she wants to do anything she can to give back to the music. She says metal is an underground genre right now, so she wants to do all she can to shine some light on the genre and the bands in it, “I wouldn’t be here without the local bands.” This is why The Saw started ‘The Bone Cruncher,’ her local metal segment at WKNC. This helped ‘The Butcher Shop,’ gain another segment and that is when The Saw took off. 

As I mentioned, The Saw has a website, attached below, this is where she showcases all of her work. She plans to use the site to continue her work after college, using it as a ground base. She soon realized “I can really do something with this website.” She considers all of these platforms a way to show off all the band’s hard work, and she enjoys her role in the community. Especially being able to support these bands. She said she loves “seeing the community come together” and that “the DIY scene in all genres, it’s all helping one another out.” She’s participated in many benefit shows (Crowdkill for Cancer and WKNC’s First Chainsaw Show where she emceed) and says seeing the people come together is really what makes it worth it and what keeps her going. She enjoys the friendship and commodity of the scene. “You can be happy, metal isn’t that sad to be honest.”

As The Saw says “I’ve been a metalhead my entire life, it’s a lifestyle for me,” “my blood type is type o-negative, (which is) a metal band… that’s not a coincidence.”

The Saw’s Butcher Shop Website 

– “You can’t get rid of DJ Psyched and The Saw”

DJ Psyched 

Categories
Miscellaneous

Get Psyched Podcast Episode Highlight: DIY Series ft. Pat Danger

 

Pat Danger is an Independent Musician from New Jersey who’s been making music for almost two years now. On describing his sound he says ‘I don’t want to box myself in but it’s definitely hip hop… lofi to houseparty, or anything in between’. A lot of his music can be found on his soundcloud, but he’s also recently been posting his newer tracks on Spotify. He is now on a personal mission of releasing a new track every Friday (a link to his first two tracks can be found below).

When I asked Pat about how he got into creating music he said he’s always been a big fan of music and was known to freestyle at parties around friends. It was just for fun and he never really saw it as anything else, until he decided he wanted to try making an EP. He went out to best buy and got a starter mic, some software and found some beats online to start recording over. This was around the time he moved out of Jersey and had a bit of free time, but when we recorded together he was back in the city and full time in school and work; all his free time still went to music.

We then talked about how he balances all of his commitments with his music making, and he told me that the way he sees it, it’s all about not allowing yourself to make excuses. ‘Anyone can do it, I’m not superman or anything’. He switched all of his classes online so he could be in control of his schedule, and said that making excuses is in the past. ‘There’s a lot of time in the day, the less time you spend on the phone or wasting away…  you do have a tone of time even if you are doing a bunch of things.’

After he started creating, he also started using reddit as a place to share his tracks with others and also find people to collaborate with. This is how he ended up meeting his first producer. He says he does not have any goals of being rich or famous, but just wants to put his words out there.

When we talked about ‘making it’ he said he feels like since he was able to put music out there he’s made it, but something cooler can always happen, and each new milestone feels even better then the last; and he’s always happy to see where things go.

What matters to him most is to just be genuine and get himself out there naturally. He’s not into networking or looking for clout, he just does what works for him. We talked about putting work out there and how scary it can be sometimes, especially being nervous for judgement. He says he wants to make sure he’s never too stubborn, and has been focusing on receiving criticism and feedback well ‘I try to take the mature mindset (with feedback)’.

His charismatic nature and love for freestyling led him to meet his most recent producer at a party. He said it felt kind of like fate since he was looking for some beats and his producer was looking for someone who can rap. The first track they put out together was ‘Tennessee’ and, on his most recent mission to release new tracks every Friday, Pat has put out ‘Dead by The Morning’ feat. downside and ‘Gritty Freestyle’ on Spotify.

On his recent releases he says ‘I’m trying to make something that I think is good’.

Pat’s Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2IV87opycYxofohk94ebaz?si=W_QK0PIQQBW0bdfdRs54Uw

Link to podcast episode: https://getpsyched.transistor.fm/episodes/diy-series-ft-pat-danger

– DJ Psyched