BEST TRACKS: Sept, Fruitcake & Cookies, International
FCC Violations: none
Recommended if you like: Shoegaze AND Electronica
There are many ways to define “experimental” music, but I think the most accurate description is something that does not fit any particular genre definition. This album certainly deserves the title of experimental. Before I get into the music though, Sweet Trip was a little known group from San Francisco, California that focused on mixing alternative rock and dream pop sounds with heavy electronica. Although it is worth checking out the rest of their discography (only 3 total albums) if you are into this kind of music, Velocity : Design : Comfort is essential.
On the surface, the music overall is purposely glitchy and difficult to follow at times, but the more one listens to this album, the more fun and intriguing it gets. I personally seem to find new ear candy every time I give the album a listen through. This album’s carefully crafted intricate soundscapes that juxtapose dream pop and electronic glitch music is a one of a kind experience. Songs like “Dsco” seem like they had influenced artists like Anamanaguchi, but then you have tracks like “Fruitcake & Cookies” which are arguably some of the most creative shoegaze songs you will come across. Furthermore, “International” is an epic 10 minute journey that will throw at you a cornucopia of emotions throughout it’s duration through it’s everchanging soundscape.
This album may not be accessible to people who do not listen to experimental music often, but it’s worth giving a shot for anyone interested in electronica and shoegaze, because I think you’ll find yourself listening to it nonstop once its grown on you because it is so unique.
On November 15, experimental producer Flying Lotus quietly released this EP as part of a series for Warp Records. Consisting of four tracks, the EP was recorded more than 9 years ago in London, around the time his Cosmogramma album was unveiled.
Over the last decade and a half, Flying Lotus has established himself as one of the boldest and most technically skilled producers in instrumental hip hop, pushing the genre to its outermost limits. Influenced by fellow beatmakers Madlib and J Dilla, as well as jazz musicians like Herbie Hancock and Alice Coltrane (who happens to be his great aunt), his output is among the most diverse in recent memory. His songs have an incredibly distinct feel, and yet none of them sound the same. He arguably became one of the defining figures in independent music over the first half of the 2010s, releasing four spectacular albums over the span of five years: Cosmogramma, Duality (under his rap alter ego Captain Murphy), Until the Quiet Comes and You’re Dead!. The latter is perhaps his densest and most complex to date, featuring a strange mix of uninhibited free jazz and glitchy electronic beats. It’s a spectacular album that includes the best song of the decade in this reviewer’s mind: “Never Catch Me”, a lightning fast two parter featuring a monumental Kendrick Lamar verse. In addition to all this, his record label Brainfeeder has put out some phenomenal work like Kamasi Washington’s modern jazz classic The Epic and Thundercat’s Drunk.
After the release of that record, Flying Lotus slowed down quite a bit. Aside from major producing roles on To Pimp a Butterfly and Drunk, he didn’t release any proper solo music for another two years. (Not counting his contribution to the baffling Star Wars: Headspace compilation album or his god awful remix of the Twin Peaks theme.) Part of this was because he was working on his debut film Kuso, a body horror that was labeled the grossest film to ever play on Sundance. His musical drought ended with the single “Post Requisite”, which many thought indicated an imminent full length release, but it wasn’t until early 2019 that he announced his next LP: Flamagra, billed as a concept album about fire.
Needless to say, the anticipation was high. The singles that released beforehand seemed like good signs: “More” featuring Anderson .Paak and “Black Balloons Reprise” featuring Denzel Curry featured some of his best straight forward rap production to date, and “Takashi” demonstrated his tremendous talent for creating groovy, jazz-heavy breakbeats. “Takashi” was in fact the longest song he had released up to that point, which seemed to calm the nerves of some who worried Flamagra’s 67-minute runtime would work against the album. Unfortunately, those worries came true. While Flamagra is not without its standouts, it was indeed overlong and bloated, and felt unfocused in a way that his previous tighter albums didn’t. There were few memorable songs, and the star power on display with the numerous features simply didn’t do enough. It all just felt like a big disappointment.
Which brings us to this EP’s release. Recorded for the BBC with a live band featuring the ever present Thundercat, Ravi Coltrane, and Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, it includes 4 tracks and runs a little over 20 minutes. The first track, a cover of “MmmHmm”, evokes the same dreamy atmosphere as the studio version, featuring Thundercat’s shaky yet comforting falsetto and a brilliant sax solo. The next, “Golden Axe”, is a previously unreleased, haunting instrumental that showcases the talents of the live band, especially Thundercat. It’s pretty, even if it doesn’t really go anywhere. “Tea Leaf Dancers” follows, jazzier and less bass heavy than the version on Flying Lotus’ debut EP, Reset. The EP closes with “Drips”, an all-out jam session on which Ravi Coltrane on sax steals the show.
Overall, the EP showcases a lighter, less heavy side of Flying Lotus, and serves as a suitable recovery from the disappointment of his earlier album.
HAN is a worthwhile R&B album that puts its listener is a sentimental yet dance-able atmosphere completed by Berhana’s soothing voice and funky bass guitar. The interesting chord progressions and bass lines are engaging. The album’s themes often touch on nostalgic reminiscences of past relationships or pursuit of current relationships of the singer. Each song is cleverly connected to the next track, allowing for smooth cross-fades. Another thing to mention is that some tracks in this album are not songs, but instead sound bites meant to sound like an airline instruction vehicle of a party-oriented airline, making for a unique and comical touch.
Songs to play: 5, 7
FCC violations: There are occasional expletives in this album, especially in tracks 9, 10, and 11.
2019 was a great year for music. To start off a series of ‘best of musical things 2019 edition’ I figured I’d look back at some of my favorite concerts I went to this year. Thanks to WKNC this year has been one of my best for concert attendance. These are my top three shows of the year.
Smallpools at Motorco Music Hall
This show blew me away. The band was so high energy and I had the best front row seat. I started listening to Smallpools when I first came to college and I doubled my listening when I got the tickets to this show, they’re currently my number one artist on Spotify. Needless to say the show left a great impression and has only made my love for the band and their music even stronger. Hearing ‘Dreaming’ and ‘Over & Over’ live were two of my musical highlights of the year. I was hit with a wave of nostalgia and overcome with a joy that I still have when I look back on this night.
Joy Again at Kings
I highly recommend everyone see a band they love alone at least once, it’s such an experience. Joy Again has a lot of amazing songs so I was very excited to see the band, especially because it was the first concert I ever went to on my own. Their vocals live were insanely good, everything they did was insanely good. Much like Smallpools I got a nice front row seat (something that I really love about these smaller venues), which gave the show a really intimate feeling. The outro was amazing and hearing ‘Winter Snakes’ and ‘Looking out For You’ Live was unforgettable.
Twenty One Pilots at PNC Arena
This show blew my mind, again. I’ve seen the band live before, with the same person, and this show just brought on a wave of nostalgia and happiness that I can hardly describe. My best friend and I saw Twenty One Pilots for the first time the summer before we started college (that’s a whole wild story in itself) and since this summer was the summer before our senior year of college it just felt poetic, somehow made everything feel even more magical. I am not exaggerating when I say that Twenty One Pilots has put on two of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. Everything always feels so authentic and their performance skills are A1. Going to one of their shows is truly an unforgettable experience. I’ve been listening to the band since Vessel was the newest album and I have to say, this band does not disappoint.
Thayer Sarrano is back with her third album, continuing her dark, ethereal style.
As you may expect from an album called “Wings Alleluia”, the lyrical content of the album’s tracks feature spiritual undertones. Backup vocals were performed by The Athens Cowboy Choir, which delves further into the religious theme. “Wings Alleluia” carries the sense that this music could be heard echoing through a cathedral. Sarrano’s sweet, dreamy vocals provide a soft juxtaposition against the heavy guitar and synth that are featured on most of the tracks.
The tracks themselves range in genre. “Totem” has a very americana feel, pairing the gentle twang of Sarrano’s voice with guitar licks of the same style. “Grace Goes On” opens with a chimeatron, which has a dark sound similar to that of a music box.
The album’s title track, “Wings Alleluia”, is nearly 10 minutes long, and is almost trance-like. Sarrano’s vocals are heavily filtered, melding with those of the cowboy choir. However, the lyrics remains clear, unlike fuzz-covered songs by other indie artists.
This album is really something special. Sarrano masterfully blends genres to create a sound that is all her own. Choral music is an important part of my life, and I appreciate how it is incorporated into this album. I believe that it is under-utilized in modern music, and has the potential to create great ambiance as well as to layer complex harmonies into a song. Sarrano uses this to full advantage, allowing it to mix perfectly with other unexpected musical choices. Overall, I really enjoyed this album and would rate it an 8 out of 10.
Favorite Tracks: These Arms, Totem, Wings Alleluia
Artist Record Label 1 PEACH PYRAMID Bright Blue Oscar St 2 BASEMENT REVOLVER Wax And Digital [EP] Sonic Unyon 3 DAYGLOW Fuzzybrain Self-Released 4 ARSON DAILY What’s on Your Mind? Self-Released 5 BARRIE Happy To Be Here (Ext) [EP] Winspear 6 NEW PORNOGRAPHERS In the Morse Code Of Brake Lights Concord 7 GEOWULF My Resignation PIAS 8 CHASTITY BELT Chastity Belt Hardly Art 9 PEAER A Healthy Earth Tiny Engines 10 METZ Automat Sub Pop 11 FLORAL PRINT Floral Print Tiny Engines 12 STRANGE RANGER Remembering The Rockets Tiny Engines 13 PURPLE MOUNTAINS Purple Mountains Drag City 14 LE BIG ZERO Ollie Oxen Free Self-Released 15 (SANDY) ALEX G House Of Sugar Domino 16 FRANKIE COSMOS Close It Quietly Sub Pop 17 MALLSEX Discreet Services Self-Released 18 MENZINGERS, THE Hello Exile Epitaph 19 CLAUD Sideline Star [EP] The Orchard 20 GREEN BUZZARD Amidst The Clutter And Mess I Oh You 21 GREAT GRANDPA Four Of Arrows Double Double Whammy 22 WILCO Ode To Joy dBpm 23 OH SEES Face Stabber Castle Face 24 BETHS, THE Future Me Hates Me Carpark 25 CEREMONY In The Spirit World Now Relapse 26 HANA VU Nicole Kidman/Anne Hathaway Luminelle 27 HARMALEIGHS, THE She Won’t Make Sense Nettwerk 28 MASS GOTHIC I’ve Tortured You Long Enough Sub Pop 29 SOCCER MOMMY “Yellow Is The Color Of Her Eyes” [Single] Loma Vista 30 RICHARD SHIRK Arcadia Self-Released
TOP ADDS
1 BEST SLEEP Hummingbird Self-Released 2 VARSITY The Basement Takes Run For Cover 3 TERRY DATSUN Fable of the Seas Self-Released 4 BLACK SURFER Black Surfer [EP] Self-Released 5 TIM AYRE Tim Ayre [EP] Kitsune 6 SOCCER MOMMY “Yellow Is The Color Of Her Eyes” [Single] Loma Vista 7 ARIEL VIEW Until My Lungs Are Cleared Epitaph 8 MILLY Our First Four Songs [EP] Dangerbird 9 GIRL RAY Girl Moshi Moshi 10 MACSEAL Super Enthusiast 6131
Artist Record Label 1 DENZEL CURRY Zuu Loma Vista/Concord 2 EARTHGANG Mirrorland Dreamville 3 TYLER THE CREATOR Igor Columbia 4 MALIBU KEN Malibu Ken Rhymesayers 5 AMINE “Places + Faces” [Single] Republic 6 BROCKHAMPTON Ginger Question Everything/RCA 7 BLACK MILK DiVE [EP] Computer Ugly 8 FRANK OCEAN “DHL” [Single] Def Jam 9 ROOTS, THE Phrenology MCA 10 LES THE GENIUS “Raleighwood Hills” [Single] Self-Released
BEST TRACKS: Picture Perfect, Always Hazy, Upside Down Again
FCC Clean
Recommended If You Like: Oso Oso, Slaughter Beach Dog, American Football, Remo Drive
Macseal has been teasing us ever since 2015, releasing EP after EP, giving us small morsels of delicious music but keeping us ravenously hungry for a proper full length album. Finally, earlier this month, our prayers were answered and Macseal released an exciting, vibrant album that I am gobbling up. From Long Island, NY, Macseal is a 4-piece American indie rock band with pop influences that have a unique talent for forging sunny melodies supported by relatable lyrical narratives. They have an impressive track record for putting on exhilarating live shows and are currently touring the eastern and southern United States and they are coming to Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle on February 4th!
This pop-infused punk album is bliss from start to finish, featuring elements of insane math rock rhythms, light, glittering guitar work, and crystal clear vocals. Super Enthusiast is a romantic, breezy listen, spotted with small emotional outcries that are easily accessible to anyone. With bittersweet tracks like Mystery Inc., which is about outgrowing people, and Graduating Steps, which is about revisiting your old school after many years, this album could easily soundtrack a rebellious teenage coming of age movie.
When I listen to this album, I can’t help from picturing the sun glistening on the surface of a lake. But don’t be fooled, because even though the music is upbeat, if you get into the lyrics, you’ll find that they’re pretty glum, confronting the rapid passage of time and the challenges of getting older in such a cold, unforgiving universe. I find that I can listen to this kind of happy-sad music through thick and thin and it always finds a way to resonate with me. If you like drawing on the sidewalk with chalk or taking bubble baths, you’re probably going to love this album.
Artist Record Label 1 LORNA SHORE “Death Portrait” [Single] Century Media 2 COUNTERPARTS Nothing Left To Love Pure Noise 3 DESPISED ICON Purgatory Nuclear Blast 4 LEFT BEHIND No One Goes to Heaven Pure Noise 5 KING DIAMOND “Masquerade Of Madness” [Single] Metal Blade 6 VATICAN “Ex Nihilo” [Single] 1126 7 MESHIAAK Mask Of All Misery Mascot 8 CREEPING DEATH Wretched Illusions eOne 9 SKYBLOOD Skyblood Napalm 10 THY ART IS MURDER Human Target Nuclear Blast
Just kidding, I won’t you hanging like that, but I did want to get my bottom line out there before anyone got bored of my rambling. I think supporting the local art scenes is very important; local markets, local businesses, etc., totally count to. You’re local scene can only thrive and grow with the support of… well… the locals. Which is you and me. It’s important to remember that as members of our community we should be trying to be apart of our community and helping it thrive.
So shop local, listen to a local band, go to a local show, attend local events, and get to know the people around you. Not to go on some weird tangent, but I think communities are important means of support for each other, if we aren’t looking out for our community who is? We’re a community here at NC State, at WKNC, and in Raleigh. Communities are everywhere and you need to give support in order to get it. Never forget that. So if you ever want to start a business someday, or make your own local living in some way, remember that’s only possible with community support, so as community members we should go out now and start supporting.
Even if you don’t plan to do something yourself through a lot of local businesses still have good visions and are benefiting our world (and community) by simply existing, so support them and let them carry out their missions. I’m not going to get political here but corporations shouldn’t run everything, local work is important and that is why we should all take part in supporting it.
