Category: Blog

Categories
Playlists

Underground Discoveries: 4 Songs to Add to Your Rotation

Hey Slim – Stro Elliot

A soulful single from musician and producer Stro Elliot that gives a late-evening drive feel. This song is a great listen for sunsets and warm skies. This song is also great for daydreamers who love a good instrumental.

Roaches Don’t Die – BbyMutha

The energy that is brought on this track packs a punch that made me stand up from my seat. Chattanooga, Tennessee artist, BbyMutha, will most definitely catch the attention of any new listener and is a great way to start her amazing album, “Muthaland.”

Sainte – Champagne Shots

Sainte brings his own personal touch from the U.K. to a track that will turns heads all over the world. This song is a wonderful soundtrack to a night in the city with some friends. The smooth basslines and dancing hats provide a feeling that can add a little bounce to your step.

Vet – Tony Shhnow

Tony Shhnow is bringing back a classic aspect of the trap sound with his own personal twist to it. Each of his songs are consistent and “Vet” is a perfect example of this sound. This song is great for a sunny day and getting active outside.

Categories
Miscellaneous

O Brother Where Art Thou Soundtrack Review

WKNC 88.1 blog
A movie poster depicts three convicts escaping a chain gang

A recent episode of a musical podcast reminded me of a movie I hadn’t seen in years. O Brother Where Art Thou played on repeat in my house growing up. A loose retelling of the Odysseus myth in turn of the century Mississippi, the soundtrack included some of the first music I ever heard as a child. It was a movie so beloved by my parents that I mentally assumed it was an artifact of Southern culture as old as they were, from the nebulous time of “the 1900’s” before I was born. I was shocked to realize the movie came out in 2000 and was made by two Midwestern Yankees. The movie has been so thoroughly co-opted by southerners that it simply felt like it had always existed, and while I may have been wrong about the movie, this impression certainly held true for the soundtrack.

The music from O Brother Where Art Thou was recorded by folk music heavyweights like Ralph Stanley and Allison Krauss, but the songs themselves are as old as dirt. They include traditional hymns like “I’ll Fly Away,” and “Down to the River to Pray,” “Angel Band,” staples of the Carter Family like “Keep on The Sunny Side” and “In the Highways,” as well as numerous traditional pieces.

However, it’s their use in the movie that makes this compendium of standards so memorable. A song like “Didn’t Leave Nobody but the Baby,” which my mother sang to me as a child is put to unconventional use when sung by the Sirens analog to seduce Odysseus and turn John Turturro into a frog. “O Death,” is sung in a similarly memorable (though admittedly problematic- see the podcast for details) scene where the Klan sings the song prior to an attempted lynching. These individual scenes and songs match the episodic nature of the Odyssey, and the attachment of images and narrative to folk songs has made some forgotten folk music rise from the ashes to be reincorporated into modern Southern culture.

The O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack is a meticulously researched and expertly performed work. If you haven’t seen the movie or heard these songs, I highly recommend them, and if you haven’t heard the music in a while, take another look, the album is rewarding time and time again.

Categories
Band/Artist Profile

Hippie Hippie Hourrah

album cover

In a dirty, crowded basement, there is a moment of silence. As the song playing pauses for a brief interlude, you can look around and faintly make out the drops of sweat rolling down the band members’ faces, dimly lit by red LED’s and subtle string lights that line the ceiling. The pause only lasts for a moment, and the song picks back up with a roaring guitar riff. The camera pans to the crowd, jumping and pushing each other in a frenzy as they roll with the music. This is how I was first introduced to The Wisconaut. 

I saw this in a video from last year before covid had hit and it reminded me just how much I missed basement shows. They allowed so many artists to shine in such a niche venue. When it comes down to it, those who will succeed off of house shows will be those who can be unique, get the crowd moving, and create a memory. And from what it seems, The Wisconaut were on a pretty straight path to this success. 

Their music is somewhat of a mix between modern punk and surf rock. Their beats flow with ease and fit perfectly with their songs’ sparse lyrics. Right now The Wisconaut only has one album out called “F**k The Wisconaut.” It is easily something that I could listen to all the way through, however my two favorites are “Fox Point Cove” and “M.I.A.” Besides those two, my number one song from this band is a single called “Hippie Hippie Hourrah.” It was originally recorded by Jacques Dutronc, then translated into English by The Black Lips, then covered by The Wisconaut, who definitely made a version that lives up to the name of the song. 

I hope you guys enjoy the tunes, 
-DJ Chippypants 

Categories
Playlists

Friday Favorites

Written by Miranda

do it right (ft. Aminé) – REI AMI 

A beachy easy listen with a beat I’m obsessed with. Aminé’s rap verses add the perfect complement to this gorgeous track. 

Maybe Chocolate Chips (ft. Ric Wilson) – CHAI 

This track from CHAI’s recent EP is playful and vibrant. The music video released along with this track features really beautiful, unique animation style by Callum-Scott Dyson. 

Japanese Word for Witch – of Montreal 

Pretty, esoteric instrumentals paired with chill vocals make this song an instant favorite, especially if you’re a fan of of Montreal. 

Seamstress – Little People

Vibrant and chill new track perfect for relaxing or listening while you get your work or studying done. Check out the newest Little People EP if you enjoy it, too. 

Sunblind (Acoustic Version) – Fleet Foxes

A lovely folk-style song from the most recent Fleet Foxes album. Their new album, “Shore”, brings me back to my roots in the North Carolina mountains. 

Listen to this week’s Friday Favorites, as well as my favorites from past weeks, on WKNC’s Spotify.

Categories
Weekly Charts

Afterhours Charts 3/23

The Avalanches - We Will Always Love You Cover
ArtistRecordLabel
1AVALANCHES, THEWe Will Always Love YouAstralwerks
2CARIBOUSuddenly RemixesMerge
3CRIJuvenileAnjunadeep
4OVERMONOEverything U Need [EP]XL
5ADRYIANO100% AUTHENTIC VIP LOUNGE TRAXX [EP]100% VIP APPROVED MATERIAL
6YAEJIWhat We DrewXL/Beggars Group
7BICEPIslesNinja Tune
8GALCHER LUSTWERKInformation (Redacted)Ghostly International
9FIT OF BODYPunks Unavailable [EP]2MR
10BELLA BOOOnce Upon A Passion RemixesStudio Barnhus
Categories
Weekly Charts

Chainsaw Charts 3/23

Rob Zombie - The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy Cover
ArtistRecordLabel
1ROB ZOMBIEThe Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse ConspiracyNuclear Blast
2BORN OF OSIRIS “White Nile” [Single]Sumerian 
3ABOMINABLE PUTRIDITY Parasitic Metamorphosis Manifestation Inherited Suffering 
4SUFFERING HOURThe Cyclic ReckoningProfound Lore
5ASPHYXNecrocerosCentury Media
6BEARTOOTH “Devastation” [Single]Red Bull
7CYTOTOXINNuklearthUnique Leader
8WARDRUNAKvitravnAISA
9THERIONLeviathanNuclear Blast
10BOUNDARIES Your Receding WarmthUnbeaten 
Categories
Weekly Charts

Daytime Charts 3/23

Julien Baker - Little Oblivions Cover
ArtistRecordLabel
1JULIEN BAKERLittle OblivionsMatador/Beggars Group
2MISS GRITImpostor [EP]Self-Released
3CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAHNew FragilityCYHSY/Secretly
4ADULT MOMDriverEpitaph
5BLACK COUNTRY NEW ROADFor The First TimeNinja Tune
6ARLO PARKSCollapsed In SunbeamsTransgressive/PIAS
7FRUIT BATSThe Pet ParadeMerge
8MOLLY BURMAN“Fool Me With Flattery” [Single]Prolifica/PIAS
9SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVEEntertainment, Death [Advance Tracks]Saddle Creek
10AVALANCHES, THEWe Will Always Love YouAstralwerks
11TIGERS JAWI Won’t Care How You Remember MeHopeless
12BLESSEDiii [EP]Flemish Eye
13BLU AND EXILEMilesDirty Science
14CASHINOVABig DragonStophouse
15CITRUS CLOUDSColliderLolipop
16FAT TONYExoticaCarpark
17LAVA LA RUEButter-fly [EP]Marathon
18STEVE LACYThe Lo-FisL-M
19ALICIA CLARAOutsider/UnusualHot Tramp
20ANTONIONIAntonioni [Advance Tracks]Lauren
21BRENT FAIYAZ“Gravity” feat. Tyler, The Creator [Single]Lost Kids
22DEZRON DOUGLAS AND BRANDEE YOUNGERForce MajeureInternational Anthem
23DON TOLIVERAfter PartyWMG Atlantic
24GALCHER LUSTWERKInformation (Redacted)Ghostly International
25KELLY LEE OWENSInner SongSmalltown Supersound
26MATT MARTIANSThe Last Party3qtr
27SERENA ISIOMASensitive [EP]AWAL
28SHYGIRLALIAS [EP]Because
29SMERZBelieverXL/Beggars Group
30SMINOShe Already DecidedSelf-Released

TOP ADDS

ArtistRecordLabel
1REALLY FROMReally FromTopshelf
2DOOHICKEY CUBICLEDon’t Fix Anything 😉Self-Released
3RON GALLOPEACEMEALNew West
4CHAD VANGAALENWorld’s Most Stressed Out GardenerSub Pop
5LO TALKERA Comedy Of ErrorsArts & Crafts
6ADULT BOOKSGrecian UrnTaxi Gauche
7CRUMB“Trophy” [Single]Self-Released
8SQUID“Paddling” [Single]Warp
9PACKS“Slivertongue” [Single]Fire Talk
10CONTROVERSIAL NEW SKINNY PILL, THE“No Path Forward” b/w “Welcome 2 Your Show” [Single]Guilt Ridden Pop
Categories
New Album Review

Chemtrails Over the Country Club

ALBUM: “Chemtrails Over The Country Club” by Lana Del Rey
RELEASE YEAR: 2021
LABEL: Interscope
RATING /10: 10 – a country-folk dream
BEST TRACKS: “Tulsa Jesus Freak”, “Chemtrails Over The Country Club”, “Breaking Up Slowly (Feat. Nikki Lane)”
FCC: (none)

The Goddess of sadcore’s long awaited album is here. To announce the release, Lana Del Rey posted an extract on Instagram  saying: “Until we meet again, I’ll be out there, running with the wolves.” If you listen to the album, her caption just makes sense: “Chemtrails Over The Country Club” is about Lana running away from California to the countryside and finding out she’s “Wild At Heart” in the process. She makes it very clear that she’s finally found her true self and that she’s not going to let stardom, the media or Los Angeles’ toxicity steal away her identity this time. It’s official: the dream pop queen has turned folk. This album is undoubtedly the result of her embracing both a wilderness and a vulnerability that only genres like 1960’s Americana and country-folk can reliably convey. The harmony between the guitar and the slow piano throughout the album makes for a very soothing record. Compared to the rest of her discography, which mostly depicts heartbreak and sorrow through a sad or glamorous prism, this album sounds like a timid ray of sunshine emerging from behind the clouds. 


Let’s talk about the cover first. Lana’s tendency to get inspiration from the 60’s and 70’s is never a surprise to anyone, so her choosing an old school aesthetic for this album isn’t either. The photograph on the cover depicts a group of women around a table inside a country club, all wearing summer dresses and a cheerful smile on their faces. Lana is standing among them, though barely noticeable at first glance, and she’s smiling like never before. The last time Lana chose to use a black and white picture as a cover was in 2014 for “Ultraviolence” where she was standing alone, staring into the camera with a dreadful look in her eyes. I love the idea that Lana went from glamorizing her loneliness and despair to celebrating her newly found happiness surrounded by equally happy women — as if the path home to herself took finding pieces of herself in other people. Speaking of being surrounded by women, all the featurings on the album are female artists: Nashville singer Nikki Lane on the slow and heart-shattering country ballad “Breaking Up Slowly”, and Zella Day and Weyes Blood on the cover of Joni Mitchell’s “For Free”.


Now for the actual content of the album. The very first song, “White Dress”, really intrigued me when I listened to it for the first time. Her trying of new high-pitched vocal techniques when she’s always relied on her deep voice was definitely unexpected, but still very pleasant. Each album she releases fits into a completely new era and universe in my eyes, so I’m always open to being surprised. In this song, she reminisces her past life when “[She] was a waitress / Wearing a white dress” in her teenage years, not yet burdened by the crushing weight of celebrity — a recurring theme on the album. “The best ones lost their mind / So I’m not gonna change / I’ll stay the same”: these lines from “Dark But Just A Game” are pretty self-explanatory. As far as I’m concerned, I’m mostly going to listen to this song for the sensual aura of its verses, which are hypnotic and even strangely addictive, but that’s just my take on it.

Lana is now claiming to be “Wild At Heart”, and indeed, the album unveils a side of her persona that’s wild, sensual, free and craving adventure. She’s no longer tied to the glamour of the City of Angels but rather to the recklessness of the countryside. Throughout her discography, the New York-born singer went from idolizing the “West Coast”, to questioning if she really belonged in Los Angeles in her poetry book with “LA Who Am I To Love You”, to eventually wanting to move away from California as far as possible. That being said, the allusions to country culture and the Midwest throughout the record are all pretty obvious: her sharing of religious faith with her lover in “Tulsa Jesus Freak”, her love for living on the road in “Not All Who Wander Are Lost” and her leisure time at the country club in “Chemtrails Over The Country Club” are good examples.


In an interview she gave for Mojo, Lana stated that her new album was  “more innocently emotional” than her previous records, and it would be hard to say otherwise. The fragile and bare emotions Lana had finally been comfortable writing about on both “Norman Fucking Rockwell!” — her last album — and “Violet Bent Backwards Over The Grass” — her poetry book — seem to have helped her transcend the desperation she’d been drowning in for years now. She’s no longer holding onto toxic lovers but rather finally owning her side of the story in “Breaking Up Slowly”, my favorite song off the album: “It’s hard to be lonely, but it’s the right thing to do”. I was also glad to find songs on the album that actually portray loving and healthy romantic relationships. Lana has always been heavily criticized for “glamorizing abuse” or only singing about toxic relationships. While I never minded her writing about her own experiences and actually found comfort in her portrayal of heartbreak, lyrics like “You make me feel I’m invincible / Just like I wanted / No more candle in the wind” in “Yosemite” are very relieving to hear. The last thing I’ve noticed about her lyrics is how playful and carefree Lana seems to have become: sunny afternoons spent by the swimming pool, road trips in her old sports car, drinking whiskey and coke at the bar or teasing her love interest about his astrological sign — her new ranch Americana and roots persona seems to be having fun.

I could honestly keep writing about Lana’s music for days, but I’ll end this review here. I’m glad she’s finally found her “own version of America”, by leaving Los Angeles behind and being one with the countryside. As someone who’s been listening to her music for 10 years now, I’m glad she’s finally welcoming warmth, happiness and playfulness into her songwriting — without the underlying fear that often comes with being that vulnerable.

-Lise Nox

Categories
Band/Artist Profile

The Saw’s Choice Cuts: Whitechapel

What’s going on Butcher Crew?! It’s your Master Butcher, The Saw, and I have the next band up on the slab in The Saw’s Choice Cuts! And you all will not be surprised by the band that we are talking about today. We will be talking about a band that has been one of my favorites for years now, a band that I have seen countless times, and the band that influenced my DJ name. If you guessed Whitechapel, then you guessed right!  
 
Today, I will be highlighting some of my favorite songs by my boys in Whitechapel. This was really difficult for me because I love so many of Whitechapel’s songs! But I had to narrow down my songs because if I didn’t this blog would just be a list of every single Whitechapel song. I think my favorite thing about this band is their evolution. Throughout each of their albums, you can hear the progression of the band throughout the years. If you were to listen to Whitechapel’s first album, “The Somatic Defilement,” and then listen to their most recent album, “The Valley,” the band sounds very different. Although they can still be picked out by Phil Bozeman’s powerful vocals and their chunky black metal/deathcore riffs, the overall structure and theme of their albums change. Although all of the albums are brutal and heavy in their own way, each album incorporates different musical components that help the sound of the band evolve. I think that is why I enjoy Whitechapel so much; not one album sounds the same, there is always something different going on. I think this evolution is important and beneficial not only for the listeners to hear the cabler of the musician’s musical talent, but also for the band. They are able to try things and fully embrace themselves into the music so it can continue to be fun and enjoyable for them. 
 
And without further ado, here is the list of my favorite Whitechapel songs! 
 
·      The Saw Is The Law
·      The Somatic Defilement
·      Ear to Ear
·      Vicer Exciser
·      This Is Exile 
·      Possession 
·      Breeding Violence 
·      Reprogrammed to Hate 
·      Make It Bleed
·      I, Dementia 
·      Let Me Burn 
·      Mark of the Blade
·      Elitist Ones 
·      Forgiveness is Weakness 
·      Brimstone 
·      When a Demon Defiles a Witch 
·      Hickory Creek (the original, and the acoustic version) 
 
 
Stay Metal, 
 
THE SAW 

Categories
Miscellaneous

Behind the Cover: “Vacation in Hell” by Flatbush Zombies

The members of FBZ stand between two girls covered in pink and green glitter

In my previous series “Album Art Gems,” I shared my favorite album art of all time. This time, I wanted to do a deep dive into the coolest stories behind how some of the most iconic covers were made. The creation of album art goes much farther than a designer or photographer’s concept. Oftentimes, there’s an incredible narrative at the root of the covers we know and love.

This week, we’ll be looking at Flatbush Zombies’ 2018 album, “Vacation in Hell.” It was shot by long-time musician photographer Jessica Lehrman (@jessierocks on Instagram). She was inspired by the classic 1968 photoshoot of the Jimi Hendrix Experience in Hawaii (pictured below).

The day of the shoot was miserable. It was a dreary, rainy day in California but it was the only time that the models, FBZ, and the photographer were available. It was their one shot. Meech, Juice, and Erik spent most of the day hiding under umbrellas, helping their fully-glittered models keep warm. Their photographer tried to get as many photos as she could under the cloudy skies, but they all knew the day was pretty much ruined. Suddenly, just as they were packing up their bags in defeat, the sun burst through the clouds, right at sunset. As they scrambled to get the shot before the light disappeared, a rainbow appeared overhead. The Zombies described the moment as “the final piece of the Vacation In Hell puzzle,” and “an image that will live forever as a piece of rap history.”

One members of FBZ walks with one of the models under an umbrella
One of the members from FBZ walks with a model in the rain. Photo via @flatbushzombies on Instagram.

You can read the full “Vacation in Hell” story here. Look out for more “Behind the Cover” blogs in the future!

– DJ Butter