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New Album Review

ALBUM REVIEW: Khruangbin – Mordechai

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ALBUM REVIEW: Khruangbin – Mordechai

BEST TRACKS: Time (You and I), Pelota, Dearest Alfred, So We Won’t Forget

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I’ve been following Khruangbin since the release of their jaw-dropping first album in 2015, ‘The Universe Smiles Upon You’. Following this release, Khruangbin has been releasing rippers one after the other, from the ever-ambient, Latin-American-influenced album Con Todo El Mundo to the religious experience that is the Texas Sun EP, to their latest release, Mordechai.  The thing that separates Mordechai from Khruangbin’s previous albums is that most songs on this album surprisingly feature vocals, which is out of character for this customarily instrumental band. Adding vocals was a risk that paid off, in my opinion, especially on the 6th track, ‘Pelota’, where beautifully sung Spanish lyrics are delivered in a most surreal and completely nonchalant way.

Khruangbin is a multilingual band taking influences from many different cultural music styles such as Brazillian Bossa nova and Congolese Soukous. Vocals on this album never overstep their place in this predominantly instrumental band, always sharing the spotlight with the guitar and percussion, melding pleasantly to create an ample, well rounded sound. Underlying the seemingly brand new approach to music on Mordechai, the signature Khruangbin psychedelic influence still remains, but you won’t catch in unless you look for it. It comes out most prominently in the subtle ringing and eerie, choir-like vocals of the 10th track ‘Shida’ and in the fuzzy, low-key electric guitar of the 1st track ‘First Class’.

When I listen to this album I feel like just drifting. I feel so completely relaxed, without a care in the world, like I’m lying in a hammock on the beach under palm trees, sipping a raspberry margarita. Inexplicable, there is also a prominent aura of mystery that I get from listening to this album, and I somehow feel as if this album signifies the end of something.

-Safia

Categories
Weekly Charts

Underground Charts 7/14

Artist Record Label
1 EARTHGANG Mirrorland Dreamville/Interscope
2 ANDERSON.PAAK Ventura Aftermath
3 CASHINOVA Big Dragon Stophouse
4 MAXOLIL BIG MAN Def Jam
5 MC^2 Venus STYLiSM of Soul
6 ANGELA MUNOZ Introspection Linear Labs
7 CLOUDY NUEVE Cloudy With a Chance, Pt. 3 Self-Released
8 NIKITA DENISE KIMBLE AND JONATHAN DAVID FLUMER “Rider” [Single] Self-Released
9 BLACK SOPRANO FAMILY “Da Mob” [Single] Entertainment One
10 DOUG SHORTS Casual Encounter [EP] Daptone

Categories
Weekly Charts

Daytime Charts 7/14

Artist Record Label
1 DAKOTA THEIM Somewhere Under The Sun Self-Released
2 EX NORWEGIAN Hue Spotting Beyond Before
3 IGGY T AND THE CRAZYMAKERS Just Can’t Get Enough Underground Sun
4 JAUNTAll In One Self-Released
5 BECCA MANCARI The Greatest Part Captured Tracks
6 EVE OWEN Don’t Let The Ink Dry37d03d
7 SCHOOL OF X Armlock Tambourhinoceros
8 CIRCULATORY SYSTEM Circulatory System Elephant 6
9 BABA ALI This House [EP] 30th Century
10 STRFKR Future Past Life Polyvinyl
11 CLIFFFS Panic Attack State Fair/We Know Better
12 MAN MAN Dream Hunting In The Valley Of The In-BetweenSub Pop
13 RACOMA This Front Room Self-Released
14 VARSITY The Basement Takes Run For Cover
15 KHRUANGBIN Mordechai Dead Oceans/Secretly Group
16 TONNE Bridey Murphy [EP] Self-Released
17 LITTLE DRAGON New Me, Same Us Ninja Tune
18 JEFF ROSENSTOCK NO DREAM Polyvinyl
19 ROSE CITY BAND Summerlong Thrill Jockey
20 FLAT WORMS Antarctica God?
21 FRANCIS OF DELIRIUM All Change [EP] Dalliance
22 DIET CIG Do You Wonder About Me? Frenchkiss
23 HALA Red Herring Cinematic
24 JAH9 Note To Self VP
25 JR JR August And Everything Prior [EP] Love Is EZ
26 KEVIN KRAUTER Full Hand Bayonet
27 FANTASY NON FICTION Fantasy Non Fiction Self-Released
28 ROOKIE Rookie Bloodshot
29 MOMMA Two Of Me Danger Collective
30 CEREMONY In The Spirit World Now Relapse

TOP ADDS 

1 JUNIOR MESA Peace [EP] Nice Life
2 NANA ADJOA “She’s Strong” [Single] Wilder
3 GRAND PAXPWR [EP] Blue Flowers/PIAS
4 MAKANAA Hawai’i Interlude Self-Released
5 SOCCER MOMMY AND FRIENDS VARIOUS ARTISTS Loma Vista/Concord
6 GOLDEN DREGS, THE Hope Is For The Hopeless Nothing Fancy
7 BECCA MANCARI The Greatest Part Captured Tracks
8 EVE OWEN Don’t Let The Ink Dry37d03d
9 WE WERE PROMISED JET PACKSout of interest [EP] Big Scary Monsters
10 FANTASY NON FICTION Fantasy Non Fiction

Categories
Weekly Charts

Chainsaw Charts 7/14

Artist Record Label
1 JUSTICE FOR THE DAMNED Pain Is Power Self-Released
2 CARACH ANGREN Franckensteina Strataemontanus Season Of Mist
3 BURY TOMORROW Cannibal Sony
4 CURRENTS The Way It Ends SharpTone
5 SHED THE SKIN The Forbidden Arts Kyle Severn
6 UPON A BURNING BODY “Built from War” [Single] Seek & Strike
7 DAWN OF ASHES The Antinomian Artoffact
8 LAMB OF GOD Lamb Of God Epic
9 HOLLOW FRONT Loose Threads Self-Released
10 ENTERPRISE EARTH Foundation of Bones [EP]

Categories
Band/Artist Profile

Band of the Week: Debauchery

I first started listening to Debauchery probably about 2 years ago when I was looking for groovy death metal to listen to. As you all have probably guessed, and are not surprised, is that I love groovy death metal; it’s my all time favorite. The first song I heard by them was Murder Squad and I LOVED it!!! The riffs are groovy and smashing and the vocals are very deep with some raspy gutturals, it reminds me of Chris Barnes!

Debauchery is from Stuttgart, Germany and are a death metal and death ‘n’ roll band. I have never heard of death ‘n’ roll but it definitely suites Debauchery! They were founded in 2000 as Maggotc**t before changing their name to Debauchery in 2002. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Thomas Gurrath. Gurrath was a high school philosophy teacher until he was discovered to be a part of Debauchery in 2010. He was given the option to either keep his teaching job or his band. Obviously, he chose his band.

The band’s lyrical content involves themes such as war and death. They also involve the science fiction Warhammer 40,000 fictional god, Khorne. This band is hella groovy and is sure to make you bang your head and bounce around. If you want some groovy ass death metal, then Debauchery is for you!


Discography:

Kill Maim Burn (2003)

Rage of the Bloodbeast (2004)

Torture Pit (2005)

Back in Blood (2007)

Continue to Kill (2008)

Rockers & War (2009)

Germany’s Next Death Metal (2011)

Kings of Carnage (2013)

F**k Humanity (2015)

Thunderbeast (2016)

In der Hölle spricht man Deutsch (2018)

Blood for the Blood God (2016)


Current Members:

Thomas Gurrath (vocalist and guitarist)

Dennis Ward (bassist)

Oliver Zellmann (drummer)


Favorite Songs:

Murder Squad

King of the Killing Zone

Storm of Iron

Death Metal War Machine

What are your favorite songs by Debauchery?

Stay Metal,

THE SAW

Categories
Classic Album Review

Album of the Week: Upon A Burning Body – The World Is My Enemy Now (2014)

Upon A Burning Body (UABB) is one of my favorite bands of all time. They were one of the first heavier bands I first started listening to and I have been a fan ever since. Their album, The World Is My Enemy Now, is one of my favorite albums by them. The majority of my favorite UABB songs come from this album!

The World Is My Enemy Now is the third studio album from UABB, released in 2014. This album has received backlash and negative attention for a publicity stunt to promote the album. The stunt involved UABB’s lead vocalist, Danny Leal, and reports that he was missing. The band later posted the album cover which showed Leal tied up, revealing the reports of Leal being missing was a joke. Since the stunt, the band has not apologized. Regardless of the negative attention, this is a great album. There are so many smashing hits that come off of this record.

This album is aggressive, with lower-tuned guitars, a combination of the speed and the technicality of metalcore, and death metal style vocals while keeping a musical structure that derived from hardcore. There are some tracks on the album that have deeper and lower vocals that could be classified as more of a death metal style, even though it isn’t the traditional style of death metal vocals. The hooks and anthems that are on this album make it enjoyable to play over and over again; you won’t get tired of. The album is not that repetitive, so it never gets boring!

The opening track, Red Razor Wrists, kicks off the album on a high note, starting off with the screaming of violence and brutality that is yet to come from the album. Pledge Your Allegiance is very anathematic and will be sure to make you move around. The title track,The World Is My Enemy Now, has a more hardcore sound to it due to its riffs. There is a lot of variety on this album and there is a song for everyone to enjoy!


Favorite Songs:

Judgement

Bring The Rain

Scars

The World Is My Enemy Now

Fountain of Wishes

What are some of your favorite songs off of The World Is My Enemy Now?

Stay Metal,

THE SAW

Categories
Miscellaneous

‘To Live Woke’ by Dr. Nacoste

 

Dr. Rupert Nacoste, the Social Psychologist who created the concept of ‘Neo-diversity’ and teaches the one-of-a-kind ‘Psychology of Interdependence and Race’ course at NC State University, brings us his fourth novel ‘To Live Woke’. In this novel, much like his teachings, he shares stories of his past experiences to aid in his teaching. Having grown up in the Jim Crow legally segregated south, and serving in the Navy during a time that involved Race Riots, he uses stories from his past to give the reader a taste of his perspective. He uses this new understanding to demonstrate why people must learn to not simply ‘tolerate diversity’ but to fully respect and embrace neo-diversity. Dr. Nacoste says ‘We can save the soul of America’ and he uses this book as a way to show us how we can contribute to this effort and actually understand what it means to ‘live woke’, not just by saying we are woke, but by ‘knowing how to act on this awareness’.

Neo-diversity is ‘that interpersonal situation in which we all have to encounter and sometimes interact with people from different groups by way of race yes, but also sexual orientation, religion, bodily-condition, sex-of-person, mental-health condition, gender-identity, age and on and on.’ (Nacoste 2017). 

Dr. Nacoste uses Social Psychological principles and real life stories to make the lessons he shares resonate with the reader. He shares his nine tips to ‘help you live woke’ which include; ‘never trying to interact with a person as a representation of a group’, ‘ask open-ended questions’ (‘not stereotype based questions’), and ‘when the person you are interacting with uses the language of bigotry, do not be silent: speak into the moment: do not argue, yet speak into the moment and object.’ 

Dr. Nacoste introduces a wide variety of topics that demonstrate how this new ‘neo-diversity situation’ impacts our social lives in every way. These everyday encounters of neo-diversity can often cause people ‘neo-diversity anxiety’. This book teaches the readers how to handle those anxieties and keep it from causing us to ‘crash’ in our interpersonal situations.

An important point Dr. Nacoste makes sure we understand is that ‘prejudice isn’t bigotry isn’t racism’. He explains the importance of understanding this because, as he put it, ‘Something old and anti-american needs to be addressed and changed: leftover demeaning language of hate about (neo-diverse groups), and leftover anti-group prejudice and bigotry (that is) aimed at America’s neo-diversity’

‘What are you prepared to do?’ Dr. Nacoste asks.

He gives us everyday interpersonal-strategies we can use to combat these acts of bigotry. ‘Let the person know your standards for continuing to interact with you’ when someone uses bigotry in front of you ‘Speak into the moment using your inside voice to say ‘I’m sorry, I would prefer not to hear that kind of (neo-diversity) slur/stereotype. It hurts me.’’ This method has been proven effective.

There is far more important, and incredibly useful, information in this book than I could possibly fit in a blog post. You can find a link to the book below to learn more about how ‘To Live Woke’. 

My advice when you read is to take it nice and slow. Read each chapter and give time for the material to set in before continuing. These are concepts and lessons I have been learning for over two years, since I first took a course with Dr. Nacoste, and I still find them powerful and impactful each time I hear them. I think it is important to stop and reflect on how these concepts relate to your life. Allow them to resonate and make sure they stick. 

Until next time

Let’s stay psyched about social psychology,

DJ Psyched

‘To Live Woke’ Hardback

Paperback

Dr. Nacoste Psychology Today

Categories
Music Education

Beginner’s Guide to Electronic Genres

Electronic music is one of those genres where tracks can transcend many different genres or even create a whole new niche sound. One could say that electronic music is on a spectrum where one track may flow between certain classifications but is awesome nevertheless. 

Some of the biggest electronic genres include electro, house, techno, trance, drum & bass, and dubstep. All of which have subgenres typically associated with them. This beginner’s guide is designed to explain these six main genres and fuel your own research into the crazy world of electronic music.

Electro – Inspired by the funky era of music and the 808 drum machine, electro music takes hip-hop and funk and combines it with the tempo of the likes of house music to produce an electronically based funkiness with groovy rhythms. This genre of music has come back into the underground scene as of the early 2000’s and has grown since.

House – House music got its start in the late 70s in Chicago with a focus on 4/4 time (4 beats per measure) and the “untz” sound that many casual listeners may consider as most electronic music. It is one of the most changing genres in this guide and has more subgenres than I have fingers and toes to count. Some sub-genres include progressive house, deep house, and electro-house that all deliver a fresh take on the bass-focused genre.

Techno – A Detroit-born native in the late 80s, techno takes a dystopic approach to the up and coming house music by focusing on darker, faster beats. Some of the inspiration for techno music arises from the automotive industry that was in recession at the time. The term “techno” was coined by the media to describe the new, darker sensation of house music. Techno is another genre with difficult sub-genres to classify, but overall try to stick to a darker, almost mechanical sound focusing on grit and subtle rhythms.

Trance – Trance grew in popularity in the 1990s in the US but was inspired by UK house as well as techno music from the late 80s. Trance is typically described as a focus on melodic synths and builds that seem uplifting with drops that attempt the opposite effect. Most trance music is divided into two categories: uplifting and progressive trance. Uplifting trance focuses on the emotional side of music, creating happy atmospheres that help cheer up listeners. Progressive trance draws from futuristic sounds with long, aggressive builds and slower, milder drops.

Drum & Bass – As the name implies, drum & bass relies heavily on drum rhythms and basslines to deliver a quick and dirty experience. Drum & bass is the type of music that takes after dubstep and breakbeat to create a high octane experience. Most songs in the drum & bass category typically clock in around 175 BPM and will get anyone’s heart pumping at the conclusion of the track.

Dubstep – Dubstep’s birthplace comes from UK Garage and Drum & Bass in the 90s, featuring bass that can only truly be experienced from massive sound systems. Dubstep focuses on the low-end, trying to consume the listener in bass and aggressive rhythms. Across the pond, Americanized dubstep, hailed “Brostep,” focuses on the mid-range with distortion and robotic sounds being the key characteristic. Dubstep also has inspiration from hip-hop and metal.

This is a good starting point into understanding the electronic music world but there are tens, even hundreds of different genres and subgenres that fit into the umbrella term, electronic. Even today, people are creating new sounds and new niche groups that don’t quite fit the norm of conventional genres, but that’s what makes the electronic world of music so incredible; its versatility and ever evolving nature.

-Tegan 

Categories
Non-Music News

BLM and Police Reform Podcasts

During the social movement of the Black Lives Matter protests and arguments for law enforcement reform, it is important for everyone to examine and understand the history behind issues of racism and discrimination, and view these problems through different lenses. These podcasts will help you expand your knowledge about current issues and can impact how you think about them. 

Left POCket Project Podcast 

This podcast contains a wealth of information relating the history of leftists of color, with specific focus on Black historical figures such as W.E.B. Du Bois. I especially recommend episodes 29 and 31 which cover Angela Davis’s Abolition Democracy. The podcast delves into racial issues in society including mass incarceration, discrimination, and abolition democracy. 

Hoodrat to Headwrap: A Decolonized Past 

This podcast reflects on modern issues of police brutality, health care disparities, and discrimination against Black Americans. Its creators give insight to modern racial problems with historical background. It’s good for easy listening and is well-organized, providing relevant discussion about recent issues such as COVID-19 and the BLM protesting. 

Stuff You Missed in History Class

This is a great podcast that dives into historical information typically not taught through American public education. Their series about Audre Lorde is especially relevant, as Lorde was an important historical figure often overlooked who helped spearhead the feminist movement as a Black lesbian and poet. 

Revolutionary Left Radio

The Revolutionary Left Radio podcast gives a leftist perspective on current events, philosophy, and activism. Some of their best episodes include The Black Panther Party and Prison Abolitionism. A lot of their episodes reflect on issues relevant to the Black Lives Matter movement and police reform. 

Beyond Prisons 

This podcast discusses issues related to prisons, including mass incarceration, the school to prison pipeline, and prison abolition. It contains interviews with experts, discussions of related literature, and how current events impact prisons and prisoners. I especially recommend the episode: Are Prisons Obsolete? (YES!). 

All of these podcasts are available on Spotify and other platforms. I have been enjoying going through these and am always looking for more. Check them out and let me know what you think! 

– Miranda

Categories
Music News and Interviews

Música de Indie

 

As I said before, a part of the reason I started doing Musica de Indie was to get closer to the Spanish language since I’m trying to learn right now. So I just wanted to give another little tip that I found useful, find artists you like and follow them online. The more you read, write, and listen to the language the easier it gets~ And the music is amazing, so it’s a win win. This week on Música de Indie we’re talking about…

  • Yemayá by Mexican Institute Of Sound – This track has more of an ‘indie electronic’ vibe to it. There are more layers of background instruments including more electric guitars and synths. The vocals blend amazing with the music. This track became an instant favorite of mine. The hook ‘Ye-ma-yá carino’ really highlights the extremely catchy track and makes it irresistible.

  • Volcanes by Pilar Cabrera, Ceci Juno, Juliana Velasquez- Juliana and Ceci work the vocals on this track. The track uses volcanoes as a metaphor for understanding the strength of humans and our vulnerability. We learn to take breathes even through the ashes, but sometimes we explode. This track is a very slow and soothing one, with an acoustic guitar taking lead. The swap of vocals between the two women adds a ‘back and forth’ dialogue sound. The singing is carefully paced, and when it picks up in the chorus it’s hard not to sing along.

  • Entre Mis Venas by Ceci Juno – The title translates to ‘Between my veins’, and in the track the artist talks about ‘carrying songs for every flag’ and keeping ‘postcards for each moment’. The artist brings up themes of embracing her culture and that of others. She also talks about being a ‘non-conforming’ artist, and expresses her thoughts that not everyone has the same luck in life. She is one of the singers from the above track and her work is just as amazing as that collaborative piece.

Thanks for tuning in to Música de Indie today, what are your favorite songs from the last two weeks?

Until next time

Let’s Stay Psyched,

DJ Psyched