Category: Blog

Categories
Band/Artist Profile

Janet Jackson Is Being Written Out of Pop Music

Janet Jackson dancing on a stage
CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

I had a small realization the other day. I didn’t know a single Janet Jackson song. She’s one of the bestselling musicians in history, she has ten number one hits, and I can’t name a single one. I checked with my friends, neither could they. Despite everything 80s being blasted ad nauseam for the last decade, Janet has been almost totally forgotten. How did this happen?

Well, we all know how. In 2004 Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake invented the concept of nipples live on stage at the Super Bowl. The sheer shock from millions of Americans discovering that nipples exist made her a social pariah and resulted in a very literal blacklisting in the industry that lasts through today. I would be far from the first to point out the double standard that allowed Timberlake to walk out of the Superbowl controversy virtually unscathed. I’m also not the first person to point out that Janet’s legacy has suffered. I might be more original in suggesting that the stigma surrounding Michael Jackson as of late has done more damage to her career than his, even though she’s more or less kept her mouth shut about him since the 90s. But I’m not really here to talk about that. I’m here to talk about Janet, because as someone born in 2001, I had no clue what type of artist she was. Who was she before the backlash? What would the history books have to say about Janet had CBS not ordered her name be struck clean from the record books? Well, here’s my brief attempt at explaining this well-documented, yet forgotten, career arc for the Zoomers out there, because Janet Jackson is worth revisiting.

Continue reading “Janet Jackson Is Being Written Out of Pop Music”
Categories
Miscellaneous

The Book Nook Pt. 1

If you look inside my closet right now, I have three full shelves dedicated to my collection of books, records and magazines. I know this doesn’t sound like a lot, but my closet only has four shelves total. Meanwhile, my clothes are haphazardly shoved into the remaining drawer and crammed onto coathangers.

I’ve invested a lot of time, energy and, to be frank, money into my little library. As I was reorganizing it last week, it seemed a shame that it was banished to the inside of my closet, never to reach the light of day. That’s why I decided to start this little series on my favorite books that I’ve collected over the years. Since most of them are music-related, I figured the WKNC blog would be the perfect place to do it. Without further ado, here’s this week’s installment of The Book Nook:

Book: Crossroads—The Experience Music Project Collection

Date Published: 2000

Rating: 9/10

Summary: Described as a “time capsule” by the Experience Music Project’s (now known as the Museum of Pop Culture) Director of Curatorial and Collections, Chris Bruce, this fantastic coffee table book is a glimpse into the history of modern pop music that defined cultural movements. The Experience Music Project was originally founded by Microsoft Co-Owner Paul Allen in 2000 as a tribute to Jimi Hendrix. His success at Microsoft along with his passion for classic rock allowed him to acquire an amazing collection of rock n’ roll memorabilia. This book is a compilation of essays written by the Experience team and photos of the most notable memorabilia the Experience has to offer. From the birth of rock in the 50s to the emergence of hip-hop in the 80s, “Crossroads” catalogs pop music in a fascinating way. Now, the Experience Music Project is known as the Museum of Pop Culture, and its exhibitions range from sci-fi movies to rare audio recordings of famous musicians throughout time.

Best Part: “Crossroads” first captured my attention when I saw Jimi Hendrix’s lyrics to “Belly Button Window” scrawled over the front cover in his signature messy handwriting. The third chapter, which is dedicated to Hendrix specifically, has to be the best part. After flipping through the pages, I was immediately hooked. I’m such a geek for anything Jimi Hendrix, and they dedicate a huge portion of the book to showcasing his many guitars, outfits and writing samples. Not only are the photos impeccably arranged, but also thoughtfully paired with informative essays.

Choice Photos:

From the chapter, “New Day Rising: Punk and the Birth of Alternative Rock”
From the chapter “Northwest Passage: All Roads Lead to the Mountains, All Driveways Lead to the Garage”
From the chapter “Experiencing Hendrix: Two Curators on the Meaning of Jimi to Experience Music Project, Rock ‘n’ Roll and Modern Culture”

Happy reading,

DJ Butter

Categories
Miscellaneous

The “Rosyln” Mystery

Twilight New Moon Soundtrack Picture

The “Twilight” movie series recently got put onto Netflix, and to celebrate, I decided to listen to some of my favorite tracks from the soundtracks. A fan-favorite track from the “Twilight: New Moon” soundtrack is a song called “Rosyln” by Bon Iver and St. Vincent. This song is often referred to (incorrectly) as “Roslyn” (with the letters “y” and “l” flipped around from the soundtrack’s spelling). I’ve always regarded the original spelling as strange, but figured there was some explanation behind it; some “Twilight” or Bon Iver lore that I hadn’t quite grasped.

When I looked into it last week, I quickly found out that there is no clear-cut explanation. Let me relay what I’ve found out to you.

When you search up the title of the song, Google immediately tries to correct you, because as far as I know, there is little else in this world named “Rosyln” and it thinks you’re making a spelling mistake.

Justin Vernon (the man behind Bon Iver), has referred to this song in live performances as “Roslyn, Washington.”

Video begins at 0:22, when Vernon announces the name of the song they will be performing. He clearly says “Roslyn” and not “Rosyln.”

Fans have pointed out that Vernon loves the show “Northern Exposure,” and that it has had a large influence on him (including commissioning a fan for a tattoo related to the show as well as naming his band and a record label after aspects of the show). The show, although set in Alaska, was primarily filmed in Roslyn, Washington. They think that the title is a nod to that.

So why is the track spelled “Rosyln”?

Some fans mistakenly thought that the song was merely misspelled on Spotify, and that the original soundtrack CD was spelled “Roslyn.” That thought, although the most convenient explanation, is incorrect. The original CD’s packaging spells the track as “Rosyln.”

Long story short, we don’t know for sure. My personal guess is that a typo was made at some point in the publishing process of the soundtrack, and once it was noticed it was too late to fix it. There is much debate between fans whether it should be referred to as “Rosyln” or “Roslyn,” and my personal stance is that it was published as “Rosyln” and should be referred to as such.

Categories
Playlists

Songs I Will NEVER Skip

Putting my Spotify Liked songs on shuffle is one of my favorite things to do on a long car ride. Typically, I have no direction for what I want to listen to but without fail, I skip at least 10 songs before listening to one all the way through. Why? I could not tell you, because I like all of the songs in my Liked list. However, while I follow this pattern most times, there are a select few which I let play every single time.

Here is my comprehensive list of songs (in no particular order) I refuse to ever skip. They are not necessarily my favorite songs but something about them keeps me hooked.

  1. “Linger” by The Cranberries – Everybody Else’s Doing It, So Why Can’t We? (1993)
  2. “Ginseng Strip 2002” by Yung Lean – Lavender (2013)
  3. “Meet Me Halfway” by Black Eyed Peas – THE E.N.Dd (THE ENERGY NEVER DIES) (2009)
  4. “Black Sheep” by Metric, Brie Larson – Black Sheep (2010)
  5. “Lemon Grass” by MF DOOM – Metal Fingers Presents: Special Herbs, The Box Set Vol. 0-9 (2006)
  6. “BB” by Shygirl – BB (2019)
  7. “That Girl” by Esthero – Breath From Another (1998)
  8. “Miss Camaraderie” by Azealia Banks – Broke With Expensive Taste (2014)
  9. “All The Things She Said” by t.A.T.u – 200 KM/H In The Wrong Lane (2002)
  10. “Pulsewidth” by Aphex Twin – Selected Ambient Works 85-92 (1992)
  11. “Duvet” by bôa – Twilight (2001)
  12. “So Real” by Jeff Buckley – Grace (1994)
  13. “Ceremony” by New Order – Substance (1987)
  14. “Laputa” by Panchiko – D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L (2000)
  15. “I Kiss Your Lips – Radio Edit” by Tokyo Ghetto Pussy – I Kiss Your Lips (1995)
  16. “Say It Ain’t So” by Weezer – Weezer (1994)
  17. “KOMM, SUSSER TOD – M-10 Director’s Edit Version” by Arianne – Evangelion Finally (2020)
  18. “Yikes” by Nicki Minaj – Yikes (2020)
  19. “I’m God” by Lil B – 6 Kiss (2009)
  20. “Prototype” by Outkast – Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003)
  21. “Hi High” by LOONA – [ + + ] (2018)

Click HERE to listen to my Spotify playlist!

Categories
Weekly Charts

Underground Charts 7/20

ArtistRecordLabel
1BUTCHER BROWN#KingButchConcord Jazz
2CAKES DA KILLA, PROPER VILLAINSMuvaland [EP]Classic Company
3MASEGOStudying Abroad [EP]Capitol
4PLANET GIZADon’t Throw Rocks At The Moon [EP]Self-Released
5RICO NASTYNightmare VacationSugar Trap
6AJ TRACEYFlu GameWest 10
7FAT TONYExoticaCarpark
8GREENTEA PENGMan MadeEMI
9SHYGIRLALIAS [EP]Because
10PINK SIIFU AND FLY ANAKINFlySiifu’sLex
Categories
Weekly Charts

Afterhours Charts 7/20

ArtistRecordLabel
1CARIBOUSuddenly RemixesMerge
2LEON VYNEHALLRare, ForeverNinja Tune
3MAGDALENA BAYMini Mix Vol. 2 [EP]Luminelle
4ROCHELLE JORDANPlay With The ChangesYoung Art
5BICEPIsles (Deluxe)Ninja Tune
6BLUE HAWAIIUnder 1 House [EP]Arbutus
7CECILE BELIEVEPlucking A Cherry From The VoidSelf-Released
8CFCFMemorylandSelf-Released
9DREAMWEAVERCloud9MagicCrafters
10FIT OF BODYPunks Unavailable [EP]2MR
Categories
Weekly Charts

Daytime Charts 7/20

Japanese Breakfast

TOP CHARTS

ArtistRecordLabel
1JAPANESE BREAKFASTJubileeDead Oceans/Secretly Group
2EX OLYMPICXOSelf-Released
3LOUNGE SOCIETY, THESilk For The Starving [EP]Speedy Wunderground/PIAS
4BACHELORDoomin’ SunPolyvinyl
5SHYGIRLALIAS [EP]Because
6MAN ON MANMan On ManPolyvinyl
7HIATUS KAIYOTEMood ValiantBrainfeeder/Ninja Tune
8BLACK MIDICavalcadeRough Trade/Beggars
9TOBIElements Vol. 1Same Plate/RCA
10FREDDIE GIBBS AND MADLIBPiñata (Deluxe Edition)Madlib Invazion
11ILLUMINATI HOTTIES“Pool Hopping” [Single]Snack Shack Tracks/Hopeless
12KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARDButterfly 3000KGLW
13FAT TONYExoticaCarpark
14JEWELERTiny CirclesSelf-Released
15L’RAINFatigueMexican Summer
16LAVA LA RUEButter-fly [EP]Marathon
17PLANET GIZADon’t Throw Rocks At The Moon [EP]Self-Released
18A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERSHologram [EP]Self-Released
19BUTCHER BROWN#KingButchConcord Jazz
20CHAD VANGAALENWorld’s Most Stressed Out GardenerSub Pop
21DAWN RICHARDSecond LineMerge
22SQUIDBright Green FieldWarp
23FLYING LOTUSYasukeWarp
24DRY CLEANINGNew Long Leg4AD/Beggars Group
25GOAT GIRLOn All FoursRough Trade/Beggars
26HELVETIAEssential AliensJoyful Noise
27POM POM SQUADDeath Of A CheerleaderCity Slang
28JULIEN BAKERLittle OblivionsMatador/Beggars Group
29ORMISTONHammer DownLisbon Lux
30RHYEHomeLoma Vista

TOP ADDS

ArtistRecordLabel
1SPELLLINGThe Turning WheelSacred Bones
2SNAPPED ANKLESForest Of Your ProblemsLeaf
3TASHAKI MIYAKICastawayMetropolis
4PEARLYMellon [EP]Eto Ano
5SEND MEDICINEBy Telepathy And ReputationVery Possible
6BABEHOVENNastavi, Calliope [EP]Self-Released
7TURNSTILETURNSTILE LOVE CONNECTION [EP]Roadrunner
8COMA CULTURECamouflageRepost Network/Gourmet
9DEUCEDEUCEDinosaur City
10SLEEPMAKESWAVESThese Are Not Your DreamsBird’s Robe
Categories
Weekly Charts

Chainsaw Charts 7/20

ArtistRecordLabel
1WINTER ETERNALLand Of DarknessHell’s Headbangers
2CRYPTAEchoes Of The SoulNapalm
3DISTANTAeons Of OblivionUnique Leader
4HAMMER KINGHammer KingNapalm
5GOATS OF DOOMShivaPurity Through Fire
6BURNING WITCHESThe Witch Of The NorthNuclear Blast
7SCHISMOPATHICThe Human LegacySelfMadeGod
8MONSTER MAGNETA Better DystopiaNapalm
9SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL“Baba Yaga” [Single]Sumerian
10BORN OF OSIRIS“White Nile” [Single]Sumerian
Categories
Music Education

Things Get Weird- Classical to Experimental Pt.3

John Cage stands in an old black and white photo
Experimental musician John Cage Credit: Wikimedia Commons

This is part three of a series on the birth of avant-garde music. You can read this article alone or view part one here.

Last time we covered some music that wasn’t very good, this week we’re going one further to discuss some music that isn’t very music. Yup, in the 1940s and 50s classical music lost its mind and the boundary between high art and experimental was all but erased. Hope you like four minutes of utter silence and naked people playing the cello with guitar picks, because it’s time to talk about John Cage and Fluxus.

So, my main criticism of modernism was that it didn’t untether itself fully from the classical tradition. This was a fairly common criticism, especially as early modernists like Schoenberg who retained some sense of harmony gave way to incredibly complex, mathematical composition methods like Stochastic Music and Markov Chains. Classical music was rapidly turning into a race to the bottom for who could create the most mathematically intricate yet aesthetically bankrupt composition method. A change was sorely needed.

Continue reading “Things Get Weird- Classical to Experimental Pt.3”
Categories
Classic Album Review

My Favorite Albums, 3 Years Ago

Favorite Albums, dated June 2018, 1. gone now by bleachers 2. melodrama by lorde

Long ago, my main interest in music heavily focused on pop music. While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, (stuff is usually popular for a reason) my music taste has really strayed away from that as I’ve gotten older. I recently found a picture of an old journal entry from when I was 16 that chronicled my favorite albums from the time, and I wanted to reminisce on them and share how I feel about them nowadays.

My journal entry from June of 2018.

“Gone Now” – Bleachers

I still deeply love this album, and revisit it annually, but it’s no longer in constant rotation like it used to be. Bleachers was a gateway into more of the “indie” music that I am into nowadays. This album will forever be my favorite thing that Jack Antonoff has put his magic touch on.

“Shawn Mendes” – Shawn Mendes

This journal entry is from June of 2018, and that album came out in late May 2018. I most likely last listened to that album in August of 2018. It was definitely a temporary love, but I remember it being good pop music.

“The Human Condition” – Jon Bellion

This album definitely is a product of its time. It just feels very 2016. It was one of the first albums I ever deeply fell in love with, and eventually even went on to see Jon Bellion in concert. It’s definitely not something I would still listen to nowadays, but it meant a lot to me back then.

“What Do You Think About The Car?” – Declan McKenna

This is still one of my favorite albums of all time. If you like “Brazil,” the most popular song off of this album, then you should definitely give the rest a listen.

“Death of a Bachelor” – Panic At the Disco

This isn’t even their best album (in my opinion their first album takes the cake). Again, definitely not something I currently listen to, but it was important to me back then.

“Oh Wonder” – Oh Wonder

This is an extremely underrated pop album. While I rarely ever revisit nowadays, I still love it dearly. Maybe the nostalgia I have associated with this album makes me see it through rose-colored glasses, but it was the first album I properly listened to from beginning to end all on my own. 

“Conscious” – Broods

This is another underrated pop album, and I don’t think nostalgia is fueling my views this time. Broods’ 2019 release “Don’t Feed The Pop Monster” is an album I revisit more often than this one, but both are amazing and in my opinion, stand the test of time.

“Melodrama” – Lorde

This is the best pop album of the 2010s. I felt that way then, and I still feel that way now.

“+” – Ed Sheeran

I remember wanting to make both sides of the list even, so I kind of added this one as a last-ditch effort. I loved this album in 2013, but I seldom revisited it when I wrote this entry 3 years ago and don’t now.

“Dream Your Life Away” – Vance Joy

What I said about “+” applies here, except I do revisit this one nowadays.

There isn’t anything wrong with the albums I don’t listen to anymore, they just belong in that period of my life. I can’t help but wonder what I’ll think of my current favorite albums three years from now. Only time will tell.

Until next time,

Caitlin