Categories
Weekly Charts

Daytime Charts 6/29

Here at WKNC, we heart Japanese Breakfast.

Top Played

#ArtistAlbumLabel
1JAPANESE BREAKFASTJubileeDead Oceans/Secretly Group
2SHYGIRLALIAS [EP]Because
3N0V3LNON-FICTIONFlemish Eye
4MINAXISialia [EP]Self-Released
5TORO Y MOI“Ordinary Guy” feat. Mattson 2 [Single]Company
6BLACK MIDICavalcadeRough Trade/Beggars
7BUTCHER BROWN#KingButchConcord Jazz
8RATBOYSHappy Birthday, RatboyTopshelf
9FAT TONYExoticaCarpark
10JOESEFDoes It Make You Feel Good [EP]AWAL
11FIDDLEHEADBetween The RichnessRun For Cover
12SQUIDBright Green FieldWarp
13STRICTLY ELIZABETHContemporary ConstructionData Water
14FLYING LOTUSYasukeWarp
15ZEBRA KATZLess Is MoorZFK
16ST VINCENTDaddy’s HomeLoma Vista/Concord
17GOAT GIRLOn All FoursRough Trade/Beggars
18MAN ON MANMan On ManPolyvinyl
19OKEY DOKEYOnce Upon One TimePark The Van
20JEWELERTiny CirclesSelf-Released
21PLANET GIZADon’t Throw Rocks At The Moon [EP]Self-Released
22AMERICAN AQUARIUMSlappers, Bangers & Certified Twangers, Vol. 1Thirty Tigers
23EX OLYMPICXOSelf-Released
24LIARS“Sekwar” [Single]Mute
25AVALANCHES, THEWe Will Always Love YouAstralwerks
26TOM MISCH AND YUSSEF DAYESWhat Kinda MusicBlue Note
27ORIELLES, THELa Vita OlisticaHeavenly/PIAS
28YOUNG RJ AND MEGA RAN2 Hands UpNa’Astra
29BACHELORDoomin’ SunPolyvinyl
30ICEAGESeek ShelterMexican Summer

Top Adds

#ArtistAlbumLabel
1SUPERBLOOMPollenSelf-Released
2LOUNGE SOCIETY, THESilk For The Starving [EP]Speedy Wunderground/PIAS
3KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARDButterfly 3000KGLW
4SILVER FIRSLake Hypoxia [EP]Oh, Sister
5LIARS“Big Appetite” [Single]Mute
6VEPSOpen The DoorKanine
7RED RIBBONPlanet XDanger Collective
8MAY RIOEasy BammerDPI
9LIGHTNING BUG“The Right Thing Is Hard To Do” [Single]Fat Possum
10COUNTRY WESTERNSCountry Westerns [EP]Fat Possum
Categories
Weekly Charts

Chainsaw Charts 6/29

Our top-played album this week is “The Monster In Me” by Carthagods.

Top Played

#ArtistAlbumLabel
1CARTHAGODSThe Monster In MeFDR
2MAYHEM“Black Glass Communion” [Single]Century Media
3VOIDWOMBAltars of Cosmic Devotion [EP]Iron Bonehead
4ALUSTRIUMA Monument To SilenceUnique Leader
5HELLOWEENHelloweenNuclear Blast
6BURNING WITCHESThe Witch Of The NorthNuclear Blast
7SCHISMOPATHICThe Human LegacySelfMadeGod
8ILLUSORYCrimson WreathRockshots
9MONSTER MAGNETA Better DystopiaNapalm
10SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL“Baba Yaga” [Single]Sumerian

Top Adds

#ArtistAlbumLabel
1AT THE GATESA Nightmare Of BeingCentury Media
2REBEL PRIESTLost in Tokyo [EP]Batcave
3JAMIE FONTAINE AND THE LEVEL“I Ain’t Breathin” [Single]Stryker
4HOSTAGE“Curtain Fall” [Single]Self-Released
5NANOWAR OF STEELItalian Folk MetalNapalm
6HOSTAGE“Don’t Let Me Down” [Single]Self-Released
Categories
Weekly Charts

Underground Charts 6/29

Butcher Brown’s “#KingButch” on Concord Jazz jumps to number one this week on our hip-hop charts.

#ArtistRecordLabel
1BUTCHER BROWN#KingButchConcord Jazz
2FAT TONYExoticaCarpark
3LAVA LA RUEButter-fly [EP]Marathon
4MARKEE STEELEVet & A Rook [EP]Thee Marquee
5MASEGOStudying Abroad [EP]Capitol
6PINK SIIFU AND FLY ANAKINFlySiifu’sLex
7SHYGIRLALIAS [EP]Because
8RICO NASTYNightmare VacationSugar Trap
9TOM MISCH AND YUSSEF DAYESWhat Kinda MusicBlue Note
10AJ TRACEYFlu GameWest 10
Categories
Weekly Charts

Afterhours Charts 6/29

Cecile Believe’s “Plucking A Cherry From The Void” is our new top album this week.

#ArtistRecordLabel
1CECILE BELIEVEPlucking A Cherry From The VoidSelf-Released
2BICEPIsles (Deluxe)Ninja Tune
3BLUE HAWAIIUnder 1 House [EP]Arbutus
4KELLY LEE OWENSInner SongSmalltown Supersound
5ROCHELLE JORDANPlay With The ChangesYoung Art
6THE AVALANCHESWe Will Always Love YouAstralwerks
7BELLA BOOOnce Upon A Passion RemixesStudio Barnhus
8CARIBOUSuddenly RemixesMerge
9DOSS4 New Hit Songs [EP]LuckyMe
10DREAMWEAVERCloud9MagicCrafters
Categories
DJ Highlights

Review of My First DJ Set

This post is inspired by DJ Psyched’s post “DJ Psyched’s First Set Review.”

As I’ve written about before, along with being a blog content creator, I am also a DJ for WKNC. I DJ during the “Daytime” genre, which is essentially indie and/or rock. The Indie Inbox (my show) is supposed to be “an eclectic mix of the best of indie pop, indie rock, math rock and more.” Since I started making my sets, I’ve definitely nailed down the process and familiarized myself with the genre enough so that I can create unique sets that flow together well.

With all of that being said, let’s dive into the pros and cons of my very first edition of The Indie Inbox, circa March 23, 2021. The set can be found on my Spotify and Spinitron.

PROS

The songs are all bangers. Of course, in every set, I try to put in songs that I enjoy, and that I think the audience will enjoy, but this first set really takes the cake for how many of my favorite songs are in it. My personal favorites that made the list include “Steamboat” by Adrianne Lenker, “The Execution of All Things” by Rilo Kiley and “Let’s Get Out” by Life Without Buildings.

I follow all of the rules. There are rules as to what is and isn’t acceptable on the radio in general and at WKNC. Again, I do this in every set, but it’s good to see that I had a handle on that from the get-go.

Everything more or less fits within the parameters of my show. This is important, and I try to always do this (are you sensing a theme?) but sometimes I do venture outside the lines. While that is okay to do on occasion, I like to keep things consistent for any recurrent listeners I might have. I did a great job of picking great songs by relatively small artists and touching on indie pop, indie rock, and math rock. 

CONS

It’s a little all over the place. Although everything fits into the genre and the set has an alright flow, it still feels like I’m going in a lot of different directions. 

I used too many good songs in my first set. Okay, I know I said that the songs all being bangers was a pro, but I used so many of my favorite songs in the first set. I know looking back that this is because I was still exploring the genre and didn’t have a great hold on what I wanted to do for my sets yet. I really try to keep my artists as diverse as possible and have only once ever repeated a song, so seeing that I used a lot of prime picks in just my first time around saddens me just a tad.

It’s just a bit too long. The set totals in at 59 minutes and 13 seconds, which would be great for an hour-long show if I didn’t have to do air-breaks. Every DJ is different with when and how they like to do theirs, but nowadays I like to reserve at least 2 minutes for my air breaks throughout the set. 

Overall, my first set is something I cringe at just a little, but am ultimately very proud of. I love learning and growing as a DJ.

Categories
New Album Review

Bathtub Cig – bed Review

Bathtub Cig, a project from singer-songwriter Hilary James, deals with quarantine feels and grief in their new EP “bed.” The Minneapolis project is strongly influenced by Frankie Cosmos. Bathtub Cig is the best kind of bedroom pop, soft and sweet with lyrics that hit you hard. This EP is mostly the frontwoman James with accompaniment from Adelyn Rose on wind instruments and bass. Still, the songs are simple with James shining with her vocals and electric guitar.    

My Favorite Tracks:

Sepia

The almost bluesy “Sepia” is a great start to the EP. James sings about the end of days and how everything is colored in sepia tones. The track is only a minute and a half long but is a sweet opener to the rest of the EP. The poetic lyrics “I’m floating forward as the flames unfurl” are my favorite.

Quarantine Dream

While this track is about the 2020 quarantine, there is something that resonates in 2021. The lonely lyrics complement the airy woodwinds and strumming guitar. The light synth enhances the depression-pop ambiance. “Quarantine Dream” is cozy and sleepy, a great track to drift off to bed with.      

My Friend – We are the Willows 

This song is dedicated to James’s bandmate Leah Ottman, who passed away suddenly in December 2020. Peter Miller, Leah’s friend and bandmate, harmonizes with James, crooning their love of their friend. The sentimental track focuses on channeling grief and letting go. I love the harmonies and gentle guitar.    

Each of the songs of this EP flows seamlessly together and tells an expansive story. I’m so excited for the full-length album coming out this fall.  

-DJ lil witch

Categories
Concert Preview

Concerts We’re Looking Forward To

I could not be more excited (though albeit a little anxious) to get back into concert season. Even though I think it’s going to take a hot minute for me personally to feel comfortable enough to be squeezed up against hundreds of sweaty strangers, it’s nice to know that live music is slowly creeping its way back. Here are some of the concerts I’m looking forward to most, all within the Triangle area:

1. Japanese Breakfast

Date: July 26

Venue: Cat’s Cradle

The Cat’s Cradle in Chapel Hill really has an incredible lineup of concerts for this summer and fall. If you’ve been paying attention to our weekly charts, Japanese Breakfast has been at number one for the past two weeks, and for good reason. Her new album, “Jubilee,” is a work of experimental, indie-pop magic. The intimacy of the Cradle will only enhance the beauty of her discography.

2. Dead and Company

Date: August 13

Venue: Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek

Even though Jerry Garcia isn’t around to bless us with his sweet turtle face and otherwordly guitar skills, it’s pretty incredible that the Grateful Dead (and guests) are still touring. You’ll find all kinds at a Dead & Co show: ageing hippies, dad rockers, new age yogis and pretty much everything in between. I consider myself to have a little bit of all those personalities, so you can bet I’ll be there.

3. Jack Harlow

Date: September 14

Venue: The Ritz

The Ritz is one of my favorite venues in Raleigh. Any place that’s just one giant pit is absolute gold to me. There’s no doubt that seeing Jack Harlow in a place like that will result in some moshing injuries, but it’ll definetely be worth it.

4. Crumb

Date: October 16

Venue: Cat’s Cradle

Another gem at the Cradle. Crumb, best known for their hit single “Locket,” is one of the mellowest, most psychotropic bands on the indie scene today. If you’re interested in hearing more about them, DJ Psyched just did an interview with them last month on their newest album, “Ice Melt.”

5. Khruangbin

Date: October 23

Venue: Red Hat Amphitheater

This has to be the show that I’m most excited about. Khruangbin has been one of my favorite bands for the past couple of years, and seeing the trio at Red Hat will be even better. That’s where I experienced my first concert (Cage the Elephant in 2013), and I still feel that good energy every time I go there. The combination of their lo-fi psychedelia and the spacious lawn at Red Hat will make for a perfect concert experience.

I know it’ll be a little scary at first to get back into seeing live music, and I truly encourage everyone to stick to their comfort level. Some have already jumped back in, but I think it’s important to engage in big group activities like that at your own pace. Even though North Carolina is starting to open up again, there’s no shame in waiting for some of those later concerts to roll around.

Happy listening,

DJ Butter

Categories
Band/Artist Profile

Ic3peak’s Not So Subtle Rebellion

Russian musicians live with one eye over their shoulder. Music has provided one of the few remaining outlets for anti-government dissidence, but protest is a dangerous career, as three members of Pussy Riot found out in January. However, while many dissident bands prefer to keep a low profile, or remain entirely anonymous, the same cannot be said of Ic3peak.

Ic3peak are an experimental electronica duo consisting of Anastasia Kreslina and Nikolay Kostylev. They did not ostensibly begin with the intention of involving themselves in Russian politics. Until 2017, they sang entirely in English and toured Europe and Latin America, keeping a fairly low profile in their homeland. Their early music reflects the overall gothic and depressive state of Russian popular music and youth culture, an aesthetic sense Kreslina ascribes to economic decay, an unresponsive government and little hope for change. This attitude should be well known to anyone familiar with the myriad Russian Doomer post-punk playlists that overtook YouTube a few years back, but the rest of Ic3peak’s image might be a little more surprising.

Unlike their post-punk contemporaries, Ic3peak’s sound is brash and aggressive, formed on industrial hip-hop beats adapted from Witch House. This association with Russian hip-hop is, according to the speculation of NPR, likely what first landed them in trouble with the government, as hip-hop is seen as especially subversive and degenerate in the eyes of the President. However, it would not be Ic3peak’s music that would catapult them to fame, but their response to government pressure, particularly in the form of their absolutely insane music videos.

Music videos are a little bit of a lost art form, but Ic3peak wields them more effectively than perhaps any other indie band working today. The muted but cohesive color palates, violently macabre imagery and darkly comic political satire combine into videos that feel deeply pointed despite never making a precise political stand. Their visual art complements the dark, yet not explicitly abrasive music, using images that are too over the top and ironic to be scary, while retaining a sense of grounded seriousness.

This is the kind of video that can get you killed, but Ic3peak’s overwhelming popularity has likely helped insulate them. As Kreslina said in the video for “Death No More,” “I fill my eyes with kerosene, let it burn, the whole of Russia is watching me, let it burn” [translation from their closed captioning]. As their profile and music video budget rises, the whole of the world has started to watch as well.

The authorities have been unable to definitively silence Ic3peak, but that hasn’t stopped them from making their lives as difficult as possible. They have been caught in a wave of cancellations by local security forces, with live shows either outright banned or prevented by temporary detention. Government backlash has grown to such an extent that from the talk page of their Wikipedia article, the government appears to be paying third parties to edit in more flattering appraisals of the government reaction. This, in addition to being extremely petty, shows just how serious the threat this duo of 20-somethings poses is.

Categories
Classic Album Review

Album Review: Twilight by bôa

ALBUM: Twilight

RELEASE YEAR: 2001

LABEL: Boa Recordings

RATING: 9/10

BEST TRACKS: “Duvet,” “Twilight,” “Fool” and “Deeply”

FCC: Clean

“Twilight” by bôa first entered my music realm after watching Serial Experiments Lain, a psychological mystery anime. Within the first few seconds of starting the anime, “Duvet” came on as the opening track and I was instantly hooked. Jasmine Rogers mesmerized me with her haunting vocals and ever since then, I have been bôa’s biggest fan.

The album itself is melodic, emotional, and perfectly captures the human struggles of identity and belongingness. The lyrics of every song are as deep as they are beautiful and each track makes for a meaningful listen.

“Duvet,” the first track on the album and also the most popular, has gained most of its attention from the anime, “Serial Experiments Lain.” It is about falling out of love with someone you once trusted. The lyrics are raw and the melody is entrancing. This song is hands down what made me fall in love with not only the album but the band.

“Twilight,” their second most popular song has an overall more upbeat sound to it. However, the lyrics are about unrequited love which makes for an interesting contrast. The vocals on this track are truly captivating and will have you coming back for more.

“Fool,” unlike the two tracks listed above, has a more aggressive sound to it. The lyrics are about feeling like you don’t belong which is an experience many people can relate to. This is one of my go-to songs for an evening drive.

“Deeply” was a track I didn’t give much attention to until about my third listen through. However, it has slowly but surely become one of my favorites. It has a more abrasive “rock” sound to it like “Fool” but it is equally as sensitive as “Duvet” and “Twilight.”

To summarize, this is an epic album that everyone should listen to at least once in their life.

Categories
Music Education

Lilith Fair Retrospective

So, 90s nostalgia is officially back in swing. Pop radio is playing non-stop 90s throwback sets, rock is getting grungier by the day, and, call it a premonition, but I smell a new boy band on the horizon. So, to celebrate the long-overdue death of synthpop revival, let’s take a look at one of the more low-key trends of the Clinton era: Lilith Fair.

Lilith Fair was a series of annual concerts from 1997 featuring entirely female solo artists and female-led bands. Founded by singer-songwriter Sarah McLaughlin (more on her later), the concerts were ostensibly open to woman from all genres and backgrounds, but the phrase “Lilith Fair” has come to be used as a neutral to negative descriptor for female acoustic alt-rock and folk. Artists like Fiona Apple, Jewel, the Indigo Girls, Lisa Loeb, Paula Cole, and several others had top 40 hits with styles that could conceivably be called Lilith Fair. However, the artists biggest stars, Ani DiFranco, Tori Amos, and Alanis Morrissette steered clear of any association with the phrase. How did such an influential series with such big names attached come by such a stigma?