Category: Blog

Categories
Band/Artist Profile

Jack Antonoff: Pop Music Connoisseur

Jack Antonoff performing
Image courtesy of Tyler Garcia (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).

Jack Antonoff is a musician, writer and producer, who has been a part of many corners of the pop music industry. From being the guitarist and percussionist in Fun., to producing the soundtrack for the film “Love Simon”, to heading two of his own bands (Steel Train and Bleachers), to writing and producing for artists like Taylor Swift, Lorde, St. Vincent, The Chicks, Lana Del Rey: Jack Antonoff has done it all. He has done a great job of not only making a name for himself but also creating a sound for himself. So what makes his producing and writing so great? Grandiosity, honesty and a whole lot of synths.

As summed up in a review of Bleachers’ second album “Gone Now” by Pitchfork, Jack Antonoff doesn’t create the sleek and palatable pop music that is typical of the Top-40 Charts. His sound, especially in his solo projects, is chock-full of horns, bright piano, synths and samples. The grandiosity of his second album, “Gone Now,” was compared to Elton John in a Rolling Stone review. This same larger-than-life sound coupled with a good hook makes many of the songs he writes/produces addicting. Some examples of this being “Cruel Summer” and “Out of the Woods” by Taylor Swift, “Green Light” by Lorde and “Strawberries and Cigarettes.” Not everything he produces is as extravagant as those though, he also knows how to produce a down-to-earth ballad as can be seen in “Crowded Places” by Banks and much of “folklore,” Taylor Swift’s eighth album. 

There’s a certain honesty that comes with a song written by Antonoff. The best example of this radical honesty is, “I Wanna Get Better,” the hit single off of Bleachers’ first album, “Strange Desire.” Antonoff has been very open about losing his younger sister, Sarah, to cancer when he was 18. “I Wanna Get Better” is an autobiographical excerpt from that low period in his life. Many of the songs he writes and co-writes have themes of self-improvement and/or insecurity, “The Archer” by Taylor Swift and “Liability” by Lorde are great examples of this. Much of his work with Bleachers touches on themes of growing up in New Jersey, young love, childhood and heroes. It all feels very authentic, and, like the New York Times put it, sets him apart from the methodical and scientific approach to pop music others in the industry favor.

The mixture of extravagant instrumentals, authenticity in his songwriting and his love for synths is Antonoff’s signature, and his approach has been rewarded with critical acclaim. He’s won four Grammys for his work and is still actively creating. He recently released two singles at the end of last year, “45” and “chinatown (feat. Bruce Springsteen)” ahead of an album release that should be coming sometime in 2021. Until then, you can check out a playlist by Spotify user Nathaniel Cruel that has every song Antonoff has ever produced.

Until next time,

Caitlin

Image courtesy of Tyler Garcia (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).

Categories
Music News and Interviews

T-Time Interviews Tigers Jaw

What’s up, everyone? This is T-Time, host of In the Garage– the show that brings you the best of garage rock, DIY, and emo! Back in March, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ben Walsh of Scranton’s own Tigers Jaw. At the time, they were amping up the release of their 6th studio album, “I Won’t Care How You Remember Me.”

So what was the direction for this upcoming album?  I’ve listened to a couple of singles, and they seem a lot more synth-based…

Yeah. So for this, for this album, we really wanted to capture sort of like the live energy of when we play shows, which is kind of ironic, because there’s no live shows happening right now. But we really wanted to have sort of like a very punchy, sort of openly mixed album with not a whole lot of layering. So it’s pretty reminiscent of how many instruments are happening in a live setting for us. So we definitely experimented a lot with more, more keyboard tones on this record. Brianna was definitely, you know, in her creative element with that, so there’s definitely a couple different instrumental voices in there compared to some previous stuff.

Other than not being able to tour, how else has the pandemic affected recording and rehearsals?

So, we’re a little bit scattered, you know, our drummer lives in the Detroit area, and I live in the Philadelphia area, and then Colin and Brianna both live in northeastern PA. So sort of tighter restrictions about getting together and travel and everything. There’s only been a few, a few situations over the past year that we’ve even seen each other. So it definitely made it tough to get together. A few times we were able to get together and practice and do some music videos and things like that. But fortunately, this record was made prior to the pandemic.

I was wondering how you guys got all that done in such a weird time.

Yeah, we were getting the mixes of the record back, basically, in February 2020, when all the news was coming out, and everything was being pretty rapidly updated. We had the record almost ready to go. And then we were like, “Everything is different now. Like, we’re not going to be able to just put this record out, we will have to sort of rethink how we wanted to roll it out.” Yeah, so this has been a project a couple years in the making. It wasn’t intended to be that way. But it feels good to finally be able to release the record now.

Personally, I like it when artists take their time. I don’t care if it takes a year, I don’t care if it takes five years– if an album is good an album is good.

We try not to get any sort of schedule, like, “Okay, it’s been a couple of years, it’s been two years, we need to do a record.” We make music when we’re feeling inspired. So we’ve always kind of done things in a way that felt natural.

Who are your guys’ inspirations?

I think for me, personally, I was really just drawn to… I remember being a kid and hearing like Fleetwood Mac and Tom Petty songs on the radio driving around in the car with my parents, and just hearing like, the simplicity of those songs, but they’re incredible. So, you know, being sort of inspired by that. That style of songwriting where it’s like, a good song is a good song–there’s something about it that you can just feel. And then you know, a few years down the line just getting more so into punk music and starting to play guitar, play drums, and things like that. It was just there was a really cool music and art scene in Scranton, where I grew up, and it was just like this really supportive and creative environment. So it was really inspiring to get involved. One of my older cousins played in a band, and I went to go see him and was just like, I fell in love with that sort of lifestyle, and it inspired me to want to play in a band.

So what about other Philadelphia or Pennsylvania artists? The ones that come to mind are mewithoutYou, Modern Baseball, etcetera. Have you guys had any interaction with them?

Yeah. So we’ve actually been able to go on tour with mewithoutYou and we played with Modern Baseball many years ago. But, we’ve gone on tour with Jake’s project Slaughter Beach, Dog, so it’s a really small world you know? And we’ve been around for a while, we’ve been lucky to meet a lot of really incredible musicians from not just PA but from all over. But there’s something happening in PA where there’s just a lot of really great talented artists.

What genre would you guys consider yourself? I know a lot of people say that you’re emo or pop-punk or folk-rock, but I want to know what the band thinks.

Yeah, it’s a tough question. Because, you know, whatever, how people classify things, I think, can be a good thing. But sometimes it can limit people, like if they feel like, “Oh, I don’t like such and such type of music,” but we’ve always just really considered ourselves a rock band. But we pull from a wide array of influence. Not every song is gonna sound like it belongs in the same category. But right now, we just make guitar rock music, I guess, in the simplest sense.

Yeah, I’ve listened to you guys’ discography, it’s a pretty diverse sound. You listen to your debut record, and then you go and listen to your most recent singles. There’s a lot of similarities, it’s the same band, but it’s definitely a different sound.

Yeah, there’s, there’s common threads that are kind of hard to really describe. But you more so feel them than anything else.

A lot of DJs at the radio station really want to know the answer to this question, it’s kind of dumb. But the self-titled Tigers Jaw album… the album cover… the pizza… was it good?

Oh, it was incredible. So the pizza on the cover is from a place in Scranton, Buona Pizza, and it was right in downtown Scranton. Anytime we would be practicing or playing a show or going to a show, that would be our hangout spot either before or after. So when we were walking around shooting pictures for the Run For Cover release of that record, we naturally just went there, because we always went there. And Brianna took that picture and we ended up rolling with that. A lot of people do ask about it, but it’s great pizza. Just classic greasy mall pizza. If you’re ever in Scranton, check it out.

Thank you so much for speaking with us today, Ben!

We appreciate you having me!

Categories
Playlists

Top 10 Led Zeppelin Deep Cuts

tony morelli, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

I try not to write *too* much about Zeppelin, considering they’re the biggest, greatest rock band in history, and there are about 1,000,000 other blogs out there dedicated to them. Then again, they are the BIGGEST, GREATEST rock band in history. It would be shameful of me not to give my favorite group a little love every once in a while.

“Stairway to Heaven” is one of the most played songs of all time. To this day, it’s on constant repeat on nearly all commercial rock radio stations. You’re sure to have heard the screeching “Immigrant Song” (even just from “School of Rock”) or the thundering “Kashmir.” Tracks like “Whole Lotta Love” and “Black Dog” fall in the same category: wildly popular and played millions of times.

But what about the songs in between their hits? To me, these are the tracks that made Led Zeppelin so great. From their early bluesy rock to soft acoustics, there are tons of gems throughout their discography that receive little recognition today. Here are some of my favorite that I just can’t let fall through the cracks:

1. How Many More Times – Led Zeppelin

This is the last track on their first album and my all-time favorite song. Ever. It takes so many twists and turns that it keeps you on your toes throughout the entire eight minutes.

2. Out On The Tiles – Led Zeppelin III

You’d never guess this song is off their “acoustic” album. Featuring a heavy, upbeat riff, it’s some of Jimmy Page’s best guitar work. Something I love about this song is how you can hear him saying “Stop!” in the background (1:23), which was accidentally left in during one of their takes.

3. The Rover – Physical Grafitti

The riff in this song is INSANE. It was a favorite concert performance for the band but didn’t get much recognition beyond that. The last minute of the track takes a crazy turn as Jimmy Page switches rhythms.

4. When The Levee Breaks – Untitled (Led Zeppelin IV)

For most fans of Zeppelin, this isn’t so much of a “deep cut” per se, but it definitely wasn’t performed live very often due to its highly produced nature. Using layering and the natural acoustics of the old house it was recorded in, it’s one of the most atmospheric tracks they’ve ever produced.

5. Trampled Under Foot – Physical Grafitti

This is one of the funkiest songs on their discography. Pulling inspiration from Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition,” bassist and organist John Paul Jones really shows off his skills on the Clavinet.

6. Boogie With Stu – Physical Grafitti

This song was recorded as a jam session with Rolling Stones road manager, Ian Stewart, who happened to stop by the country home Zeppelin was staying at to record their album. There was an old piano in the house, which Page tuned his guitar to while Stewart played.

7. Tea For One – Presence

“Presence” was one of Led Zeppelin’s least celebrated albums, but released at a very difficult and harrowing time for the band. The emotional intensity of the album really speaks to this, especially in “Tea For One.”

8. I Can’t Quit You Baby – Led Zeppelin

Back from their bluesier days, this cover of Willie Dixon’s “I Can’t Quit You, Baby” was included on their original performance lineup. It’s a fantastic song that highlights their ability to take the blues to new levels.

9. I’m Gonna Crawl – In Through the Out Door

“I’m Gonna Crawl” is the last song on their last album (excluding “CODA,” which was a collection of archived tracks released after the band broke up). It’s a melancholy yet beautiful track.

10. Travelling Riverside Blues (29/6/69 Top Gear) – BBC Sessions (Live)

If only there were more live albums like this. Though it was recorded in 1969, this song didn’t make it onto any studio albums until “CODA.” It’s a great, romantic little blues track 100% worth taking a listen to.

Image courtesy of Tony Morelli, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Categories
Miscellaneous Short Stories

Summer Rewind: Spotify and Summers Past

One of my favorite things about Spotify is the curated playlists made just for you, especially the yearly rewinds; it’s so interesting and gratifying to see how my listening habits change over the years. There was one playlist that caught my eye recently called “Your Summer Rewind,” which features some of my most-played songs from past summers. As I scrolled through the playlist, memories flooded back of when, where, and who I was during those summers.

There are the classic upbeat summer songs about being happy and loving the sun, like “Shotgun” by George Ezra, “Sunflower,” by Rex Orange County, and “Sunshine” by Tom Misch. But most of the songs are all tied to a specific memory,  place, or person.

Summer 2019, the summer before my freshman year of college, I was very emotional about leaving home, I even made a whole playlist about it. That explains “Nobody” by Mitski, “A Little More” by Catie Turner, and “A World Alone” by Lorde. A few weeks into college, I couldn’t stop listening to “Halo” by Beyonce, so that too, wormed its way onto my playlist.

Summer 2018, I listened to “Blonde” by Frank Ocean all summer, so “Pink + White” and “Nights” made it on the list. I remember listening to “Nights” for the first time at the pool with my friends, looking up at the stars, feeling whole. That summer, my friends and I decided it would be fun to memorize the rap in “Determinate,” a song from “Lemonade Mouth,” a Disney Channel Original Movie. I listened to it dozens of times, trying to keep up with the fast-paced lyrics, so many times, that it too made it onto my Summer Rewind.

Summer 2016, I was still mostly listening to pop music, and Jon Bellion had just come out with “The Human Condition.” “Guillotine,” was my favorite song off of that album, and it used to be my most played song of all time. Other songs from that album found their way on the list: “Maybe IDK” and “Morning in America,” just to name a couple.

Summer 2015, I discovered my love for music, and became obsessed with Troye Sivan. His debut album “Blue Neighborhood” and preceding EP “WILD” had yet to come out, so I was listening to “Happy Little Pill” on repeat. I can’t listen to it anymore because of the strong nostalgia it gives me, transporting me back to when I was freshly fourteen years old and not even a freshman in high school. But Spotify doesn’t know that, so onto the playlist it went. 

The playlist is only fifty songs, but it felt like going through old photo albums, reading old texts, and opening a time capsule all at once. When I look through playlists from summers past that I made, I am reminded of the experiences I curated and fantasized, the summer I wish I had; that is not always representative of how things go, or what I end up listening to, it’s subjective. Spotify, a program made with code and algorithms, shows me the tracks I actually listened to most, a third party view of my past.

<3,

Caitlin

Categories
Weekly Charts

Afterhours Charts 5/11

ArtistRecordLabel
1OVERMONOEverything U Need [EP]XL
2INTERPLANETARY CRIMINALNobody [EP]Shall Not Fade
3PROSPA“The Thrill” [Single]Rave Science
4PLANET 1999Devotion (Deluxe)PC
5FIT OF BODYPunks Unavailable [EP]2MR
6NAMASENDA“Wanted” [Single]PC
7BLUE HAWAIIUnder 1 House [EP]Arbutus
8GILLIGAN MOSSGilligan MossForeign Family Collective
9ARCAMadre [EP]XL
10GEORGE CLANTON AND NICK HEXUMGeorge Clanton And Nick Hexum100% Electronica
Categories
Weekly Charts

Daytime Charts 5/11

Spirit of the Beehive - Entertainment Death Cover

TOP CHARTS

ArtistRecordLabel
1SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVEEntertainment, DeathSaddle Creek
2REMEMBER SPORTSLike A StoneFather/Daughter
3ELI SMARTBoonie Town [EP]Polydor
4BUTCHER BROWN#KingButchConcord Jazz
5FAT TONYExoticaCarpark
6HYPOLUXOHypoluxoTerrible
7SHYGIRLALIAS [EP]Because
8DRY CLEANINGNew Long Leg4AD/Beggars Group
9PINK SIIFU AND FLY ANAKINFlySiifu’sLex
10BLU AND EXILEMilesDirty Science
11LAVA LA RUEButter-fly [EP]Marathon
12ORIELLES, THELa Vita OlisticaHeavenly/PIAS
13CRUMBIce MeltSelf-Released
14REAL ESTATEHalf A Human [EP]Domino
15ANTONIONIAntonioniLauren
16MAASHO“Sad Machine” [Single]Self-Released
17BILLY DEAN THOMASFor Better Or WorseSelf-Released
18STATIK SELEKTAHThe Balancing ActMass Appeal
19MARKEE STEELEVet & A Rook [EP]Thee Marquee
20CAKES DA KILLA, PROPER VILLAINSMuvaland [EP]Classic Company
21PRINCESS NOKIAEverything is BeautifulSelf-Released
22ZEBRA KATZLess Is MoorZFK
23JIMMY EDGARCheetah BendInnovative Leisure
24BLACK MIDI“John L” b/w “Despair” [Single]Rough Trade/Beggars
25BICEPIsles (Deluxe)Ninja Tune
26JAPANESE BREAKFASTJubillee [Advance Tracks]Dead Oceans
27PLANET GIZADon’t Throw Rocks At The Moon [EP]Self-Released
28SPELLLING“Little Deer” [Single]Sacred Bones
29DREAMWEAVERCloud9MagicCrafters
30ARLO PARKSCollapsed In SunbeamsTransgressive/PIAS

TOP ADDS

ArtistRecordLabel
1SQUIDBright Green FieldWarp
2ICEAGESeek ShelterMexican Summer
3BLACK MIDI“Slow” [Single]Rough Trade
4SHELTER BOY“Absence” [Single]Cascine
5DOUGLASAshesJ’aime Trop
6KID LE CHATLuck Comes Too Late [EP]Self-Released
7PAUL JACOBSPink Dogs On The Green GrassBlow The Fuse
8WAVVESHideaway [Advance Tracks]Fat Possum
9ELECTRIC LOOKING GLASSSomewhere Flowers GrowWe Are Busy Bodies
10CHRISTINA WARDRent [EP]Mint 400
Categories
Weekly Charts

Underground Charts 5/11

Blue and Exile Miles
ArtistRecordLabel
1BLU AND EXILEMilesDirty Science
2BUTCHER BROWN#KingButchConcord Jazz
3ZEBRA KATZLess Is MoorZFK
4LAVA LA RUEButter-fly [EP]Marathon
5BILLY DEAN THOMASFor Better Or WorseSelf-Released
6COOKIEE KAWAIIClub Soda, Vol. 2The Cookiee Jar/EMPIRE
7FAT TONYExoticaCarpark
8SHYGIRLALIAS [EP]Because
9STATIK SELEKTAHThe Balancing ActMass Appeal
10MARKEE STEELEVet & A Rook [EP]Thee Marquee
Categories
Weekly Charts

Chainsaw Charts 5/11

Violence Unimagined Album Cover
ArtistRecordLabel
1CANNIBAL CORPSEViolence UnimaginedMetal Blade
2PATHFINDERAres VallisSelf-Released
3NEKROMANTHEONVisions Of TrismegistosHell’s Headbangers
4CADAVERIC INCUBATORNightmare NecropolisHell’s Headbangers
5DESTROYED IN SECONDSDivide and DevourSelf-Released
6DEAD CARNAGEFrom Hell For HateImmortal Souls
7SEILUNVIHOLLINENTeloituskäskySelf-Released
8PERVERSORPsicomoroHell’s Headbangers
9GASTRIC PHANTASMGastric Phantasm [EP]Self-Released
10DISAVOWEDRevocation Of The FallenBrutal Mind
Categories
Playlists

Local Coffeeshop Soundtrack: Sir Walter Coffee

This photograph was taken inside Sir Walter Coffee around 9:30pm. It depicts the vertical sign "COFFEE" in all caps from the inside, thus backwards. The image is dominated by a dark blue light and the "COFFEE" sign is red and blue.
Sir Walter Coffee at night by Lise Nox

I’ve recently started making playlists inspired by all the coffee shops I go to in Raleigh, NC. This one is dedicated to Sir Walter Coffee. Sir Walter Coffee is a coffee shop located in Downtown Raleigh that serves coffee, tea and cocktails offered with or without alcohol. I’m used to going there mostly in the late afternoon and at night. Before one of my friends asked me to hang out there and do homework one night, I had never heard of a coffee shop that closes at 12 a.m. It only applies to Fridays and Saturdays, but still. I usually go there with a friend on Friday nights to catch up on everything we’ve been up to during the week, and the oat latte we order at 5 p.m. turns into a glass of wine around 8:30 p.m.

The music that plays at Sir Walter Coffee is often…random. Not in a bad way, but in a way that makes you ask, “Wait, they’re playing rock ‘n roll now?” after they’ve played Soundcloud electronica music for an hour. It’s at best funny, at worst a little confusing, but if I genuinely didn’t like the music that plays there, I wouldn’t be making this playlist. I’ve decided to compile my own version of their late-night playlist, featuring neo-soul, chill electronica and French indietronica. Here are five songs that illustrate their electronic playlist (when they decide they’re in the mood for this genre) most accurately. You can listen to the full Sir Walter Coffee playlist I made here.

“Fatal Fantasies” by Gold Fir

The mysterious duo from London released their EP “Prelude” in 2019 and “Fatal Fantasies” is the first song on it. Its afrobeats percussions and dark neo-soul vibes make the erotic lyrics come to life flawlessly. This song has me completely hooked and I’ve been listening to it on repeat, to the point where I think it’s going to make it to my Spotify 2021 Wrapped. I just know it.

“PATTERNS” by NASAYA Feat. Sara Diamond

NASAYA is a young French producer from the Reunion Island and he takes inspiration from a vast spectrum of genres. “PATTERNS” is a rhythmic yet heartbreaking electronic collaboration with vocalist Sara Diamond. I still can’t tell if this song is more on the sad side or the chill side of things, but it reflects perfectly the kind of electronic music that plays in the late afternoon/early evening at Sir Walter. The drop is slow enough to fit the mood of the song, but dynamic enough to release perfectly all the tension built up in the first minute of the song.

“quand j’entends les gens” by Mélodie Lauret

I discovered Mélodie Lauret a while back at a live session of one of my favorite French podcasts, “À Bientôt de te Revoir” (a French neologism made up by the host’s grandma which means “see you soon”). Mélodie played this song live with just her synthesizer and her computer, and she was so good that I looked her up on Spotify the very same night. I would describe her style as typical French indietronica: addictive beat, mellow voice and obscure yet poetic lyrics. All you’d ever want to hear when you’re drinking wine at a coffee shop at 8 p.m.

“One Evening” by Blank & Jones Feat. Zoe Durrant

Another electronic beat, another collaboration with a female singer, another song with romantic lyrics. I know, not really surprising. The difference between Blank & Jones and the rest of the artists mentioned above is that 1) they’re German producers 2) their style is more Ambient and Lounge. Every single one of their songs has a powerful relaxing effect. This song in particular is about the first encounter between the narrator and a stranger one night, and I love the mysterious story hidden in the lyrics.

“Toi Et Moi” by Paradis

Paradis is a French music duo consisting of Simon Mény and Pierre Rousseau. Their album “Recto Verso” was released in 2016, but its sounds and lyrics are so cohesive with the current French indietronica scene that I can’t help but think that they’re literal visionaries. You guessed it, the lyrics are poetic, the melodic beat is on point and the overall vibe is sensual and romantic. As it should be.

Categories
Miscellaneous

National Clean Your Room Day

WKNC 88.1 blog

It’s officially May 10. For NC State students, that means the end of exams and the beginning of a much-needed summer break. Hallelujah! But today also marks something else: National Clean Your Room Day.

I know it seems silly to have a holiday commemorating something so seemingly mundane, but did you know that cleaning your room actually has incredible benefits for both your mental and physical wellbeing?

This year, a lot of us have been confined to our rooms more than usual. That being said, it’s so important to create a space for yourself that’s both comforting, clean and enjoyable to spend time in. For me, even just organizing my desk or picking up the clothes off my floor makes me feel 100000% better after a stressful day. But don’t just take my word for it. Immunologist and wellness expert Jaya Jaya Myrna has entire podcast episodes on the subject, as well as TEDx speeches.

In her own words, here are the best ways to start decluttering today to celebrate National Clean Your Room Day:

Tip #1: Start Small

Pick the room you spend the most time in. Commit to keeping your it clean and clutter-free. Once you do this it will become easier to tackle those other places that need more work.

Tip #2: Identify How Stuff Makes You Feel

Take time to feel how things in your space make you feel. If something you have doesn’t make you feel good, for any reason, get rid of it to make space for something that does. This could be a piece or art, furniture, clothes, dishes, or just about anything. The stuff we have becomes a trigger for different emotional states, so when you choose to only have things around that evoke happiness or contentment, you create that in your life.

Tip #3: Breathe

Even cleaning your space can be daunting, so take a moment to breathe deeply and focus on the space you want to create for yourself. Breathing is connected to good mental health and lowering stress levels, so take a deep breath or ten before you start. It will help you focus and get motivated.

Tip #4: Create Beauty

Committing to creating beauty in your space is a powerful way to ensure you focus on feeling good and keeping your mood up. Maybe this is a bouquet of flowers or potted plants, a beautiful piece of art, or something handmade. Whatever you find beautiful, add it to your space. This will help you create what you want and be willing to let go of things no longer serving you.