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Miscellaneous

Top Choice: Indie Folk Album Covers

Written By Miranda Owen

Kiss Each Other Clean by Iron & Wine 

Every Iron & Wine album has unique art, but this one is probably my favorite as it has the most interesting detail and linework. The album art is vibrant and covers the full spectrum of the rainbow. I love how accurately the theme of the artworks reflects the theme of the album. 

The Flying Club Cup by Beirut  

I absolutely love the vintage and minimalistic album covers used by Beirut. This one is cute and vintage, perfectly encapsulating the timeless feel of the album. Truly a special album deserving of such a unique album cover. 

Hozier by Hozier 

This album cover is unique because it was painted as a portrait of the artist, by his mother, and the artist Hozier chose to have his face painted out of it to keep with the theme of his other album covers. 

Bon Iver by Bon Iver 

Bon Iver also utilized the work of an artist for his album covers. My personal favorite cover is his self-titled album, Bon Iver, created by artist Gregory Euclide. This work is a beautiful contemporary painting that’s perfectly suitable for the simple, pretty tones of the album. 

Fleet Foxes by Fleet Foxes 

This 2008 indie folk album utilizes the work of Pieter Bruegel the Elder, a famous piece of work created in 1559. Overall the painting appears beautiful, but as you look into it more closely, you’ll realize the intricate weirdness it contains.

Categories
Miscellaneous

Film Highlight: This Is Spinal Tap

Spinal Tap band members
Spinal Tap Movie Poster

I am not exaggerating when I say “This is Spinal Tap” is the most underrated movie ever. I was allowed to watch it at way too early of an age, but after revisiting it recently, I have found an incredible new appreciation for it.

If you’ve never heard of it, imagine Led Zeppelin’s “The Song Remains the Same” documentary but satirized and completely ridiculous. The film is a “mockumentary” that follows a (fictional) fading rock group on their tour across America, aka Spinal Tap. The band encounters one unfortunate situation after the next. Their drummers are always dying of strange, unexplainable circumstances, some of which including spontaneous combustion, being eaten by a pet python, and gardening accidents that the police said were “better left unsolved.” They can’t sell out a show to save their lives, the guitarist’s astrology-obsessed girlfriend slowly takes over the band’s livelihood, and their bassist somehow gets trapped in a giant egg on-stage.

The entire movie mimics the rise of rock groups in the 60s and 70s, like The Beatles, Aerosmith, and Led Zeppelin, whose successful beginnings often ended due to misfortune or division. Spinal Tap even mocks their evolution from psychedelic hippie groups to long-haired rockers. Though “This Is Spinal Tap” wasn’t an immediate success after its release in 1980, it has come to be a favorite cult classic.

All in all, it is absolutely hilarious, and I highly recommend giving it a watch if you’re into classic rock or just need a little comedy relief!

I’ll leave you with my two favorite scenes from “This Is Spinal Tap”:

The egg scene, as I described earlier. Their poor bassist doesn’t make it out until the end of the song.

“But this one goes to eleven” is one of the most quotable lines throughout the whole movie. Nigel, the lead vocalist and guitarist, gets really excited that his amp goes up to 11, while the others only go up to 10.

Take a watch, and let us know what you think!

– DJ Butter

Categories
Playlists

Horrorcore: A Chronology

With a global pandemic redefining life as we know it, an election that could determine the fate of our fragile democracy (click here for DJ Butter’s last minute NC voting resources), and Halloween just around the corner, it is safe to say that spooky season is in full effect. Given the circumstances, I thought it apt to take a brief look at hip-hop’s spookiest subgenre: horrorcore.

The ethos of horrorcore reflects that of the horror film, but it is presented in the context of hip-hop. As a result, rappers touch on macabre themes of death and the occult, and the depictions of violence and drugs normally found in hip-hop are turned up to extreme, sometimes campy, levels of exaggeration. Ironically, this is the least horrific kind of horrorcore – instead, some artists abandon the theatrics in favor of dark depictions of isolation, mental illness and drug abuse that make for a truly unsettling experience. It’s important to note that horrorcore does not exist in a vacuum, and shares similarities to other subgenres of music like emo rap, nu-metal, and hardcore hip-hop.

Music video for “Mind Playing Tricks on Me” by Geto Boyz, a group that laid the groundwork for many horrorcore artists to come

Though the origin of the sound can be traced back to the 80s, it didn’t gain popularity until the 90s. Released in 1991, “Mind Playing Tricks on Me” by Geto Boyz, with its lyrical themes of paranoia, can be considered foundational for the subgenre. Meanwhile, The Flatlinerz embraced satanic imagery on their 1994 album U.S.A (Under Satan’s Authority), and Gravediggaz burst onto the scene with their debut album 6 Feet Deep. Legendary groups Three 6 Mafia and Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony both broke through in 1995, with Mystic Stylez and E. 1999 Eternal respectively, bringing horrorcore’s aesthetics to an even wider audience. During this time, the Insane Clown Posse was amassing a cult following of Juggalos with their over-the-top depictions of violence, reflected in their 1997 song “Hokus Pokus”.

The iconic music video for Tyler, The Creator’s “Yonkers”

Like the rest of hip-hop, horrorcore has changed dramatically throughout the years. In the early 2010s, the edgy subject matter and dark production of Tyler, The Creator’s early work earned him the horrorcore designation – a label he readily rejected. With a new generation of rappers inspired by the heyday of horrorcore came a new sound: boom bap drum loops were traded in for woozy, brooding instrumentals inspired by cloud rap. In 2015, this shift was evident in the music of Lil Ugly Mane, whose album Oblivion Access brought the subgenre to new nihilistic heights, and Ghostemane, who adopted the triplet flow pioneered by Three 6 Mafia and Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony.

Music video for “Die Very Rough” by Mario Judah

Around the same time, another side of horrorcore was conceived in its intersection with rock music, specifically metal. Artists like XXXTentacion (though his sound would later veer into emo territory) and City Morgue pioneered this hyper distorted and aggressive style of hip-hop. Earlier in 2020, Mario Judah burst onto the scene with his own unique interpretation of the genre, complete with a melodramatic singing voice and trap production. Presently, the group clipping. offers one of the most exciting takes on horrorcore, with experimental production that includes field recordings and lyrical content that subverts common horror tropes.

There you have it: an autopsy of horrorcore – one hip-hop’s most idiosyncratic, dynamic, and controversial subgenres – and with it a Halloween soundtrack curated by yours truly. Happy haunting!

– DJ Mango

Categories
Miscellaneous

Top Horror Movie Slashers

You all know that I am a BIG horror fan and that I rate horror movies based on their gore factor (remake of Evil Dead is a 10/10 btw). This week I was talking to my roommate about the OG’s of horror. We started to compile a list and I thought it would be cool to share with you our OG’s of horror. I love all of these slashers because they helped me get the idea of the Butcher Shop and I use some of their lingo from time-to-time! 

Michael Myers – Halloween 

Y’all already know I had to put the legend on the list. The plot tells us about a mental patient who was committed to a sanitarium for murdering his sister on Halloween night when he was 6 years old. Fifteen years later, he escapes from the sanitarium and stalks his baby sister and her friends. This man has been after his sister for YEARS and no one can kill him. They have literally made so many movies about him trying to get to his sister. 

Freddy Krueger – Nightmare on Elm Street 

I just love Freddy’s humor; I think The Saw would vibe with Freddy the most. The plot for these movies is that the people who live on Elm Street, in a fictitious town of Springwood, Ohio, are invaded and killed in their dreams by a burnt killer with a bladed leather glove. Side note: I think Freddy has the best fashion taste. 

Jason Voorhees – Friday the 13th

We got a mama’s boy in the house!! Jason is silent but deadly, he is simple with the tools he uses to kill; he and Michael Myers would be the best of friends. The plot for these movies is that camp Crystal Lake is open for the summer and it’s history of murder does not stop people from wanting to attend. Unfortunately for them, they are stalked by a brutal killer.

Pinhead – Hellraiser 

Pinhead has some of the best one-liners, I use them all the time because they are so iconic!! For the first Hellraiser, Frank Cotton buys a puzzle box. Once solving the puzzle, he’s hooked to chains that emerge from nowhere, and tear him apart. Later the room is filled with swinging chains and remnants of his body. Frank is soon resurrected, and all hell breaks loose. These are some of my favorite movies. 

Leatherface – Texas Chainsaw Massacre 

FIRE UP THE CHAINSAW YEEHAW!!!! My two favorite things in one movie; Cannibal Corpse song references and crazy ass rednecks. The best duo. When Sally hears that her grandfather’s grave has been vandalized, she and her brother, Franklin, set out with their friends to investigate. As they are exploring the family’s old farmhouse, they discover a group of murderous people who live next door. They are attacked one by one with a chainsaw by a person who wears a mask of human skin. 

Pennywise – IT

Okay, clowns are hella scary. Yes, the remakes are good but you wanna know what’s scarier than an intentional scary clown? A REGULAR CLOWN. That is why the OG IT is the best! This movie follows along with kids who have incidents with a clown that feeds off their fears. They think they have defeated the clown but once they are all adults, the clown comes back for round two! I definitely recommend the book, iconic. 

Jigsaw – Saw 

Y’all already know that the saw is the law, and this is no exception. These movies are the ones that got me into gore horror and rating movies based on their gore factor. These movies have the craziest kill scenes. They are about individuals who do bad things; in other words, assholes, who are taken by Jigsaw because of their horrific acts and are put up in a device that they have to get out of, or they die. Do you think the people who make it out alive have changed their ways? 

Chucky – Child’s Play

Now, I am not a fan of dolls (they creep me out) and the Chucky movies are the OG scary doll movies. How Chucky came to be is that fictional murderer, Charles Lee Ray, used black magic to put his soul inside a doll named Chucky. A mother buys this doll for her son – we all know how this is going to end. Chucky kills the babysitter and when the boy tries to warn people about the doll, he is institutionalized. Typical. I find it interesting that in most of these movies, it is adults vs. the kids. They are always against one another and the parents never believe the kids when spooky things occur. Is this a common theme? What does that say about how we view society? 

Well, there you have it! My OG’s!!! Did I miss any? 

Who are some of your favorite horror movie thrashers? 

Stay Metal, 

THE SAW 

Categories
Classic Album Review

Album of the Week: Boundaries – Hartford County Misery (2017)

Hartford County Misery Album Cover

This album right here…. IS ICONIC!!! By far one of my favorite albums of all-time. I literally listen to this album every day. IT IS THAT GOOD. The riffs on this album are just so damn heavy and choppy. I can’t get enough of it. I love the way this band will start off on a dark, heavy, and chunky riff and then SLOW DOWN THE RIFF TO MAKE IT EVEN CHUNKIER AND HEAVIER. That right there is the sauce. I will never get tired of listening to this album. 

Hartford County Misery kicks off strong with the song Reign of Pain, that sets the overall theme and vibe for the album. I am so happy they started off this album with this song. It keeps you coming back for more. This record is filled with anger, passion, power, and punishment. It hits home with these themes because these are things we feel every single day, week after week, on repeat. Boundaries combined conventional, traditional metalcore with an infusion of heavy-hardcore intensity and beatdowns. I can already see the mosh pit getting violent when listening to this album. 

Hartford County Misery is a masterpiece that displays ignorant aggression. There is literally NO REASON for the band to pop off the way they did, but I am sure glad they did. It’s seven tracks are filled with storytelling, catchiness, and insanity. I am absolutely in love with this album. Boundaries combines several styles of -core and metallic influences to make something gritty and nostalgic sound and feel new. This album is a great for anyone who are fans of hardcore, metalcore, and deathcore. There is something for everybody on this record! 

Favorite Songs:

Felicia, Reign of Pain, Sour Mouth, and Seizin’ the Demon. 

I would put every song as my favorite, but that defeats the purpose. 

Rating:

10/10!!!! 

What is your favorite song off of Hartford County Misery? 

Stay Metal, 

THE SAW 

Categories
Non-Music News

NCSU Women’s Center: “The Colors of Healing”

The Colors of Healing, Designs for Survivors, by Survivors
Courtesy of NCSU Women's Center Instagram

The Women’s Center at NC State is hosting an incredible design project intended to bring healing and empowerment through the arts. Because artistic expression has proven to be a positive recovery strategy for many survivors, the Women’s Center is putting together a coloring book made up of affirmative designs created by survivors at NC State. If you’re a member of the NC State community and have experienced interpersonal violence, you are encouraged to participate. Here is some more information directly from the Women’s Center regarding the initiative:

Many survivors of interpersonal violence find healing and recovery through grounding practices of mindfulness and artistic expression. This opportunity is for any NC State student, faculty or staff who has experienced interpersonal violence to create an original “coloring-book” design. Designs should use words, phrases or imagery that have helped in your individual healing and recovery.

Submissions will be reviewed by Women’s Center staff to be included in the first-ever NC State Women’s Center Coloring book titled, “The Colors of Healing: Designs for Survivors by Survivors”. All submissions are anonymous.

Eligibility:

  • Any member of the NC State Community who has experienced or been impacted by any form of interpersonal violence (including but not limited to sexual assault, sexual harassment, domestic or dating violence, childhood sexual abuse, or stalking) are invited to contribute.
  • You do not have to identify with the label “survivor” to contribute.
  • Secondary survivors (often friends, family members or close loved ones of a survivor who experience secondary trauma) are welcome to submit designs.
  • Participants are encouraged to submit designs that represent your experience and/or identity, and designs should affirm and support all survivors inclusive of all gender identities, sexual orientations, racial identities, national origins, and lived experiences.

Submissions:

  • Submissions should include imagery that represents healing, growth, strength, empowerment.
  • Designs can include words, phrases, quotes, or affirmations that promote healing, growth, strength, or empowerment (If quotes or poems are used please identify the author).
  • Quotes or phrases can be submitted in any language (If text is not in English, please provide English translation in submission).
  • Designs should be black and white line drawings and able to be colored.
  • Submissions can be created on 8.5×11 paper or using the template at this link.
  • Designs can be created digitally, or hand-drawn and scanned.
  • If you need additional support to scan or submit your design, please contact cawrigh7@ncsu.edu
  • Designs will be printed vertically
  • Individuals may submit up to 3 designs

Submissions are due by October 31. In November, an entire coloring book will be available for the whole community!

Visit this link for more information and to submit your design.

– DJ Butter

(All information directly from the NC State Women’s Center website)

Categories
Playlists

Friday Favorites

Hello everyone! As Libra season comes to a close, I present to you the songs I’ve been rocking with for the past week:

  1. Die Very Rough by Mario Judah: Mario Judah’s theatrical, apocalyptic vocal delivery is something you’d expect from a Disney villain. It may be something of a meme, but it’s undeniably catchy.
  2. Yallwhadinthere by MFnMelo: Pivot Gang’s own MFnMelo showcases an ear-grabbing flow with “Yallwhadinthere”, found on his 2019 project Everybody Eats. Check it out!
  3. We Go a Long Way Back by Bloodstone: Originally released in 1982, this track definitely goes a long way back; however, the classy instrumentation and vocal performances make it just as fresh as it was the day it came out.
  4. Stormy Weather by The Magnolia: With its horn sections, guitar stabs, and pained vocal performance, “Stormy Weather” by The Magnolia is a true blues affair, and makes even the sunniest of days feel dismal in the best way possible.
  5. Bi Fren by Omar Apollo: Fresh off his debut project, Apolonio, Omar Apollo reflects on being the “bi friend” in a one-sided relationship. Review coming soon!
  6. Find Yourself by Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real: At the intersection of blues, soul, and country is “Find Yourself” by Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real. No matter the genre, this song is a genuine display of emotion.
  7. Pac-Man (feat. ScHoolboy Q) by Gorillaz: Through dozens of creative ventures like Blur and Gorillaz, Damon Albarn’s career has spanned more than 30 years. Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez is his latest endeavor, and its laundry list of collaborators, ranging from Elton John to ScHoolboy Q, illustrate his eclectic approach to songwriting.
  8. State Prisoner by Black Thought: Streams of Thought, Vol. 3: Cain & Able is the latest from Roots frontman and lyrical heavyweight Black Thought. “State Prisoner” finds him in top form as he spits over a Sean C instrumental.

– DJ Mango

Categories
Playlists

October 2020 Sample Platter

Back by popular demand, here is my sample platter for October 2020: a delicious spread of samples used in hip-hop and beyond!

  1. Amen Brother by The Winstons: The “Amen” break is one of the most heavily sampled drum breaks in the history of sampling, and not just in hip-hop. It appears frequently in drum and bass mixes as well.
  2. Footsteps in the Dark, Pts. 1 & 2 by The Isley Brothers: With a career spanning more than five decades, the Isley Brothers are no strangers to sampling. “Footsteps in the Dark” is perhaps their most popular sample, with Ice Cube flipping it on “It Was a Good Day” and Thundercat with “Them Changes”.
  3. Bound by The Ponderosa Twins Plus One: Kanye has a knack for finding loops, making minimal changes to them, and still making a great beat. This is exactly what he did with “Bound 2”, which samples “Bound”.
  4. Prison Song by Carlton Williams: A sample of this song reached the masses thanks to Metro Boomin, who flipped it for Future’s 2017 Mask Off.
  5. Mystic Brew by Ronnie Foster: This song was first sampled by A Tribe Called Quest on their track “Electric Relaxation”. In 2013, J. Cole sampled it in “Forbidden Fruit”, and then he reversed that track to create the beat for “Neighbors”.
  6. Outstanding by The Gap Band: An interpolation of this classic appeared on Tyler, the Creator’s 2017 album Flower Boy via the song “911”.
  7. Use Me by Bill Withers: Like the Amen break, the drum break on this song has been sampled dozens of times, by the likes of Kendrick, Logic, Nas, and Drake.
  8. As Long As I’ve Got You by The Charmels: The opening piano riff of this song is instantly recognizable if you’ve heard “C.R.E.A.M” by The Wu-Tang Clan, which loops it on repeat.

– DJ Mango

Categories
Band/Artist Profile

Artist Spotlight: Doja Cat

Written By Miranda Owen

Amala Dlamini, or Doga Cat, is a rapper and singer from Los Angeles. Doja Cat’s rise to fame is an interesting and inspiring story. In her childhood, Dlamini was influenced by musicians like Erykah Badu and Tupac, took dance lessons, and learned to skateboard and surf. Eventually Doja Cat dropped out of high school to pursue a career in music. She created her own beats using GarageBand and continued practicing dance. She released tracks on SoundCloud and YouTube but didn’t start creating on a large scale until she signed with RCA Records at age 17. With RCA Records, she was able to release her first EP, Purrr! which featured five mostly self-written unique tracks. Songs like “No Police” and “So High” were widely listened to and enjoyed by lovers of alternative R&B (I listened to the EP religiously during my high school years). After Purrr! Doja Cat went on to sign with OGG, and began collaborating with other artists on certain tracks, though she remained low-key until about 2018. 

In 2018, Doja Cat started to again release music, this time for a wider audience. “Go to Town” and its music video, and other promotional tracks (like “Candy”) were released on streaming platforms in early 2018 to tease the upcoming release of her first studio album, Amala. The promotional singles grabbed the attention of her fans, and expanded into a broader audience as some of her singles became popular on TikTok during 2019. What really brought the attention to Doja Cat’s music to the populous was her upload of “Mooo!”, a self-produced music video in which she sings about being a cow. This, of course, got the attention of the American music scene and popular demand led to Doja Cat releasing the song as a single. 

After the buzz about “Mooo!” died down, Doja Cat continued to write and produce hit singles like “Tia Tamera” and “Juicy,” which landed her Platinum status and gave Amala a debut on the Billboard top-200 album chart. She continued to generate hype following the release of singles “Bottom Bitch” and “Say So.” These tracks would eventually make it on her second album, Hot Pink. 

Doja Cat’s story is one that is unique: she found a balance of talent and luck that after nearly a decade of work allowed her to become famous and successful in the pop and rap genres. Part of her success can be attributed to the millions of fans who discovered her music through a newer social media platform, TikTok, which increased her name recognition and caused her to gain a huge influx of new listeners. Doja Cat is a unique personality in music today, truly one of a kind. 

Categories
Classic Album Review

Album Review: Fresh Air by HOMESHAKE

Crayon image of a mirror and stairs, "Fresh Air' Album cover
"Fresh Air" Album Cover

DJ Butter here with another classic album review from one of my all-time favorite artists, HOMESHAKE. “Fresh Air,” possibly his most renowned work, happens to be the first record I ever bought (along with a poorly functioning Crosley Cruiser, which I have since retired). This album wonderfully shows off HOMESHAKE’s woozy falsetto and light, techno beats.

While his voice isn’t what I would consider conventional, Peter Segar, the artist behind HOMESHAKE, makes music that is endearing nonetheless. When “Fresh Air” was released in 2017, Segar had already released two albums: “Midnight Snack” and “In the Shower.” Both spoke to his ability to produce music that is comforting, homey, and smooth. However, “Fresh Air” is a divine exploration into a more electronic side to HOMESHAKE’s work. I love the way he incorporates more of a funk vibe into this album.

I find it fascinating how much his style has evolved with “Fresh Air.” While “Midnight Snack” will always be my favorite out of his entire discography, I appreciate the way he branches out a bit with “Fresh Air” yet stays true to his original style.

Favorite Songs:

  • Hello Welcome: Even though it’s only one minute long, the first song on the album is a playful and relaxing introduction to the whole album.
  • Call Me Up: As possibly one of the most popular songs on the album, it’s also one of the more upbeat. It’s smooth and relaxing, yet very funky.
  • Timing: This is my absolute favorite song on the whole album. If you only listen to one song, let it be this one.
  • Khmlwugh: Standing for “kissing hugging making love waking up and getting high,” this song is a cozy, lovely song that makes me get the butterflies.

DJ Butter’s Rating: 8/10

Take a listen!

– DJ Butter