Category: Blog

Daytime Charts 2/1

Post author By WKNC Admin
Post date February 2, 2022

#	Artist	Album	Label
1	PARQUET COURTS	Sympathy For Life	Rough Trade
2	AEON STATION	Observatory	Sub Pop
3	BLACK MARBLE	Fast Idol	Sacred Bones
4	LITTLE SIMZ	Sometimes I Might Be Introvert	AGE 101
5	FLY ANAKIN	Pixote	Mutant Academy
6	HAVIAH MIGHTY	Stock Exchange	Self-Released
7	JIMMY EDGAR	Cheetah Bend	Innovative Leisure
8	JOESEF	Does It Make You Feel Good? [EP]	Bold Cut
9	LAVA LA RUE	Butter-fly [EP]	Marathon
10	LIILY	TV Or Not TV	Flush
11	PLANET GIZA	Don’t Throw Rocks At The Moon [EP]	Self-Released
12	REPTALIENS	Multiverse	Sinderlyn
13	YARD ACT	The Overload	Zen F.C.
14	BRADLEY COOMES	Communion	Deus Marginalia
15	CAKES DA KILLA, PROPER VILLAINS	Muvaland Vol. 2 [EP]	Warner
16	CIRCUIT DES YEUX	-io	Matador
17	GENESIS OWUSU	Smiling With No Teeth	House Anxiety/Ourness
18	INJURY RESERVE	By The Time I Get To Phoenix	Self-Released
19	MAGDALENA BAY	Mercurial World	Luminelle
20	MARKEE STEELE	Vet & A Rook [EP]	Thee Marquee
21	TYLER THE CREATOR	CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST	Columbia
22	ZEBRA KATZ	Less Is Moor	ZFK
23	3AMSOUND	It Gets Dark Sometimes	Self-Released
24	ANUSHKA	Yemaya	Tru Thoughts
25	BIG THIEF	“Simulation Swarm” [Single]	4AD/Beggars Group
26	BUTCHER BROWN	Encore [EP]	Concord Jazz
27	CLOAKROOM	Dissolution Wave	Relapse
28	FLYING LOTUS	Yasuke	Warp
29	HIATUS KAIYOTE	Mood Valiant	Brainfeeder/Ninja Tune
30	HOVVDY	True Love	Grand Jury

Daytime Adds

#	Artist	Album	Label
1	REPTALIENS	Multiverse	Sinderlyn
2	YARD ACT	The Overload	Zen F.C.
3	BIG THIEF	“Simulation Swarm” [Single]	4AD/Beggars Group
4	KILLS BIRDS	Married	KRO
5	CLOAKROOM	Dissolution Wave	Relapse
6	YARN	I Said Goodbye And Then… [EP]	Self-Released
7	SPOON	“Wild” [Single]	Matador
8	GUERILLA TOSS	“Cannibal Capital” [Single]	Sub Pop
9	LAMMPING	“Everlasting Moor” (Radio Edit) [Single]	We Are Busy Bodies
10	PALACE	Shoals	Avenue A/Fiction

Weekly Charts

Say a Little Prayer for Dionne Warwick

Post author By Delusional Melodrama
Post date February 2, 2022

Does anyone remember Dionne Warwick? This feels like a ridiculous question to ask about one of the 40 biggest hitmakers of the 20^th century, but I think it needs to be asked before we start. Nowadays, most discussions I can find online of Warwick are not about her music, but about her wonderful Twitter presence or appearance on The Masked Singer. I’ve never heard her music on oldies stations, seen it on a friends Spotify playlist, or seen the glowing retrospectives that surround her contemporaries. She was initially billed in a league with Aretha Franklin (a name that, for reasons that will become apparent, is going to come up a lot in this article), but comparing her fame with the queen herself seems absurd, as most people I’ve checked in with for this article have no idea who Warwick is. I think that’s a shame, as everyone’s life would be a little better with her music, so I’d like to introduce you: everyone, say hi to Dionne.

Warwick’s story is a typical major label career track from the 50s and 60s. She was discovered as a backup and group vocalist, noticed for her considerable talent, signed to a standard one-sided contract that would leave her bankrupt, and started pumping out hits at breakneck speed. Her style is more, let’s say, traditional, than the Motown and funk that fills our memories of late 60s R&B. Her instrumentals are urbane, orchestral, and of a time before the upheavals of her day. I could easily imagine my 99-year-old great-grandmother turning up to Dionne Warwick in the 30s. This was the type of music that actually dominated the charts in the 60s and 70s, as opposed to the hippie anthems and provocative funk and soul we remember. This rather uncontroversial sound is a big reason that Dionne Warwick has not been beaten into our heads like most boomer music of her day.

But that’s only one reason for our generation’s ignorance of this classic artist. The more obvious reason is her voice. She’s an incredible singer, but not in the way that takes up a lot of oxygen. Discussions of what it means to be a “good singer” bias towards belting into the stratosphere or singing pitches that would shatter glass. Warwick is hardly going to compete with memorable performances of that type like “Respect” or “Gimmie Shelter,” but her voice casts a mystical spell in a more subtle way. To demonstrate this, I’d like to show you a song you might remember from another artist “Say a Little Prayer for You.”

I’ve heard the Aretha Franklin version of this song a million times, but I would never rate it as one of my favorites. I didn’t realize or understand why that version didn’t work for me until I heard Dionne Warwick’s original recording. Some songs call for belting, but some call for agility and clever enunciations. Warwick’s skill is in how she pronounces words, her control over which syllables pop and which slur into the next note. Even when she pushes into a higher and louder voice she always sounds completely in control, never as much as breaking a sweat. This allows her to find new melodies and counter melodies in every line, making each realization of the chorus shine in a slightly different way.

If you have a little bit of patience and a nostalgia for traditional pop stylings, then give Warwick a chance. You won’t be disappointed. Also, if you have a strong tolerance for contemporary Jesus Hip-hop, check out her latest single I guess because it’s a trip.

Tags Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick

Playlists

A Season of Love, Alone: A Playlist

Post author By Caitlin
Post date February 1, 2022

Valentine’s Day can be a challenging time for those who aren’t coupled up. It’s sad to feel like everyone else is in love besides you. When I decided to blog a playlist for Valentine’s Day, I immediately knew I wanted to make one for those who are single too. Don’t worry, it’s not all songs about feeling sad and alone. I made sure to include angsty songs, lonely songs, tunes about self love and songs about loving the things and people around you.

I truly believe there’s something on this 15 song playlist for everyone. If you’re looking to wallow in those feelings, trying to avoid the annoying couples on social media or just want good music, this one’s for you. Without further ado, let’s get into it.

“Spring” – Angel Olsen
“Island Music” – Tennis
“Charlie Brown” – beabadoobee
“Queen” – Perfume Genius
“Call Me When You Want Me” – Love Apple
“Always See Your Face” – Love
“All My Time Is Wasted” – Hannah Jadagu
“The World Should Revolve Around Me” – Little Jackie
“I’m Not Part Of Me” – Cloud Nothings
“Teenage Talk” – St. Vincent
“Alaska” – Maggie Rogers
“Nobody” – Mitski
“feelings are fatal” – mxmtoon
“so sad so sexy” – Lykke Li
“I’ll Haunt You” – Tennis

As always, you can find this playlist on Spotify.

Happy Streaming,

Caitlin

Tags valentine's day, WKNC 88.1

Classic Album Review

Classic Album Review: “A Life of Crime” by Office Culture

Post author By Erie
Post date February 1, 2022

"A Life of Crime" by Office Culture Album cover

When making a story-focused album, especially a soft rock one where the instrumentals drop back to let the vocals take command, there are a lot of directions one can take to evoke emotion with listeners. There are many archetypes that songwriters will often fall back on, but a highly scheduled corporate life isn’t a typical one. Thankfully Office Culture proves there is a ghost in the machine with a beautiful album that sneaks up on you with its charm.

“Monkey Bone”, the closing track and my favorite on the album, exemplifies what I love about the project. There are explicit references to climbing the corporate ladder, the distrust and betrayal that comes in competitive settings, and a lot of the mundanity of the life within these structures, but the chorus is this cathartic release of emotion, the capturing of a single untainted moment “in the pale moonlight.” This juxtaposition of a very classic natural description to elicit emotion with the rest of the song heightens the effect, along with how it’s presented within the rest of the song, coming suddenly at the end of verses to feel that much more intertwined with the overall narrative.

Of course there are other highlights. “Hard Times in the City” is maybe the sweetest depiction of a stock market crash in music history, the falsetto and over-enunciation of “calculations” acting as a defense mechanism to conceal a quiet terror felt by everyone impacted. And “Diamonds” takes a different approach with relatively abrasive horns and emotional growls detailing how material goals affect relationships; the unsettling swirl of instruments fitting an angry yet resigned response to this phenomenon.

One unifying strength is the playful, understated instrumentals. The guitars pave a winding road for the lyrics to walk down, the little hi-hats and soft taps combined with a smooth piano on songs like “Too Many” present this very classy, elevator music ambiance for the stories being told, kind of like creating a corporate party atmosphere to talk about corporate life.

This album isn’t an instant, critically lauded classic, but it’s the kind of album that almost wouldn’t want to be. Along with the chill and lowkey instrumentals, the album’s relative obscurity almost adds to the experience, if this was a super popular project it wouldn’t achieve this underdog feeling it imparts. It’s a textbook hidden gem.

-Erie

Tags office culture, soft rock

DJ Highlights

2010s Indie-Pop: Set Highlight

Post author By Caitlin
Post date January 31, 2022

Remember 2013? Packaging yourselves into Tumblr aesthetics, extremely synthy indie-pop music and “The Fault In Our Stars” being the biggest novel. I long for that simpler time, and have been thinking about it recently. So, naturally, I decided to do a set revolving around the music of the early 2010s indie-pop including all of the usual suspects: MGMT, STRFKR, Passion Pit, Phoenix, HAIM and more.

Making and airing the set filled me with a warm nostalgia to the Nth degree, and I figured I would share it with the blog. Without further ado, here are the songs I chose to include in my 2010s indie-pop set. You can find this set on Spinitron or as a Spotify playlist.

“Intro” – M83
“Follow You (pangea version)” – Future Islands
“Honey & I” – HAIM
“Ready, Able” – Grizzly Bear
“Myke Ptyson” – STRFKR
“It’s Working” – MGMT
“It’s Not My Fault, I’m Happy” – Passion Pit
“Love Like A Sunset, Pt. 1” – Phoenix
“Obvious Bicycle” – Vampire Weekend
“Transpose” – Bad Suns
“Paris” – Geographer
“Atop A Cake” – Alvvays
“The World Is Watching” – Two Door Cinema Club, Valentina Pappalardo
“Lately” – Washed Out

Until next time,

Caitlin

Tags 2010s, indie pop, WKNC 88.1

Playlists

North Carolina Museums and the Songs They’d Be

Post author By museum maddie
Post date January 31, 2022

Credit: North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences; Flikr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

Howdy y’all! As you know by now, I formerly went by museum maddie here at WKNC. Although there was some revamping on my part, my love and adoration for museums has not faded in the least bit. As a wannabe anthropologist/museum-curator, I spend a large chunk of my free time wandering around museums. So, what better to do than to give you my museum recommendations with corresponding songs?! I hope you are able to check out a new spot!

North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (Raleigh)

The NC Museum of Natural Sciences will always have a soft spot in my heart. Beautifully modern, this museum is currently being renovated with a new dinosaur exhibit that should be done in 2023. Noticeable from the streets with a gigantic metal globe. My partner and I recently visited the Exquisite Creatures Exhibit, which showcases the amazing art of Christopher Marley. If you get the chance to go, I highly recommend it!

Masterpiece by Big Thief

Beyond the Sea by Bobby Darin

Ride or Die by Hippo Campus

North Carolina Museum of History (Raleigh)

The NC Museum of History is right across the walkway from the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. With rotating exhibits, there’s always something new. The main level exhibit about the history of North Carolina goes deeply in depth with artifacts galore. This museum is an absolute dream, and one of my favorites of all times.

Moon Song by Phoebe Bridgers

Cimmerian Shade by Sufjan Stevens and Angelo De Augustine

I Think I Like When It Rains by WILLIS

North Carolina Museum of Art (Raleigh)

The NCMA has two buildings as well as an entire outdoor Museum Park. New work is constantly being showcased, as well as a newer project which puts more modern works next to older works to compare and contrast themes that transcend through time.

Mystery of Love by Sufjan Stevens

April in Paris by Billie Holiday

Blame by Gabriels

Museum of Life and Science (Durham)

The Museum of Life and Science is interactive and features an expansive outdoor area. The butterfly house and weather machines are two of my favorite things there. Be on the lookout for the dinosaurs outside!

Not Dead Yet by Lord Huron

Where’d All the Time Go? by Dr. Dog

Souvenir by boygenius

North Carolina Zoo (Asheboro)

While I have mixed feelings on zoos (and while they aren’t museums), the NC Zoo works on research and conservation and offers 200 species of animals and 40 different plants. You can also hike around the zoo on trails. I really loved The Desert, a glass dome building housing desert plants and animals, and the Honey Bee Garden. Art is featured around the zoo as well.

Change by Big Thief

Wasted by Tomberlin

Sunblind by Fleet Foxes

Bechtler Museum of Modern Art (Charlotte)

A quaint little museum nestled next to the Mint Museum Uptown, the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art has a small and spectacularly curated collection. Notably is what I believe to be a bronze statue on an outside landing that overlooks the city.

I Fall In Love Too Easily by Chet Baker

Bookstore Girl by Charlie Burg

Once Upon a Dream by Emile Pandolfi

Mint Museum Uptown (Charlotte)

The Mint Museum (Uptown) is a newer visit for me, but it was love at first sight. My partner and I enjoy going to new museums, and The Mint offered an extensive amount of pieces in a beautiful building. We got to see an exhibit there based on borders which was so spectacular and moving.

The Most Beautiful Thing by Bryno Major

Painter On His Way To Work On The Road To Tarascon by Clint Mansell

Dog Years by Maggie Rogers

Discovery Place Museum (Charlotte)

The Discovery Place Museum was my favorite in high school. Although I have not been back in a few years, the memories of the fun interactives have stuck with me through all this time.

The Wave by Bedouine

A Mermaid in Lisbon by Patrick Watson and Teresa Salguiero

Fall, Fall, Fall by Caamp

<3 dj mozzie

Playlists

Valentine’s Day: A Playlist

Post author By Caitlin
Post date January 28, 2022

It’s nearly that time of year again, when roses and chocolate hearts are all the craze and every couple you know is just slightly more annoying than usual. I’ve loved Valentine’s Day for as long as I can remember because I’m a hopeless romantic who loves love. If you’re like me, or you’re in a relationship, or you just want a banger playlist about love… you’ve come to the right place.

This playlist contains songs you can slow dance to, songs to sing your heart out to and songs that are downright sappy. Without further ado, let’s get right into it.

“Hey Love!” – The Delfonics
“Midnight, The Stars and You” – Deerhoof
“First Flower” – Molly Burch
“Can I Call You Rose?” – Thee Sacred Souls
“Amandla’s Interlude” – Steve Lacy
“Hours Were The Birds” – Adrianne Lenker
“Center of Gravity” – Yo La Tengo
“Phone Battery / My Problems” – ADDIE
“Waiting For You (Bonus Track)” – Alex G
“January” – Loving
“In Your Arms” – Sunbeam Sound Machine
“So My Darling” – Rachel Chinouriri
“Lovesick” – Alice Phoebe Lou
“Cariño” – The Marías
“Summertime Love” – Luiz Bonfá

As usual, you can find this playlist on Spotify.

Happy (Early) Valentine’s Day,

Caitlin

Tags Love Songs, Valentine's Day, WKNC 88.1

#	Artist	Album	Label
1	FORTRESS	Don’t Spare The Wicked	Self-Released
2	RUNDGARD	Stronghold Of Majestic Ruins	Signal Rex
3	ANTI RITUAL	Expel The Leeches	Indisciplinarian
4	DHYANA	Bhaisajyaguru [EP]	Self-Released
5	CARCASS	Torn Arteries	Nuclear Blast
6	ANTICHRIST SIEGE MACHINE	Purifying Blade	Profound Lore
7	BLOODY KEEP	Bloody Horror [EP]	Grime Stone
8	PREDICTOR	…thus spoke death [EP]	Iron Bonehead
9	ZETAR	Devouring Darkness	Spirit Coffin
10	VENUS SYNDROME	Cannibal Sar	Rockshots

#	Artist	Album	Label
1	MAGDALENA BAY	Mercurial World	Luminelle
2	ARCA	KicK iii	XL
3	ROCHELLE JORDAN	Play With The Changes	Young Art
4	BRIJEAN	Feelings	Ghostly International
5	DJ Q	“It’s You” [Single]	Local Action
6	DOSS	4 New Hit Songs [EP]	LuckyMe
7	JULES	Delta Ajax [EP]	Happy Life
8	SMERZ	Believer	XL/Beggars Group
9	PARK HYE JIN	Before I Die	Ninja Tune
10	ERIKA DE CASIER	Sensational	4AD/Beggars Group