Chris Barnes (my favorite Death Metal vocalist) was still in Cannibal Corpse when his side project, Six Feet Under, debuted their first album, Haunted (Metal Blade Records; 1995). While with Cannibal Corpse (the first four albums – Eaten Back to Life, ’90; Butchered at Birth, ’91; Tomb of the Mutilated, ’92; and The Bleeding, ’94), Barnes wrote some of the most brutal subject matter in all of Metal. With hardly an understandable syllable on the first three records, Barnes changed his style on The Bleeding, his last with Cannibal Corpse. This slower, gravelly, rumbling, gutteral style is what he carried over to the first few Six Feet Under records.
With Six Feet Under, and particularly on Haunted, Barnes dials back the more offensive subject matter, while retaining the beatings, blood and guts, and torture of classic Death Metal material. What a record this is, still! Barnes sets the standard for Death Metal vocalists, and his form and style are recognizable anywhere. As “Hammer Smashed Face” (from his days with Cannibal Corpse) is forever a classic, so “Remains of You” stands beside it as premier Chris Barnes performances. To be honest, Chris Barnes IS Six Feet Under!
With that said, Barnes has quite a lineup on Haunted. On guitar he has Allen West (Obituary), the bass is played by Terry Butler (Obituary; Death), and on the drums is Greg Gall. While this record is void of typical Death Metal blast beats, there is a more classical style time-keeping and smooth double bass under West’s patented groovy riffs, with Butler’s powerful bass tracks. Obviously, with West and Butler present, this record reminds me of Obituary (another of my favorites).
Rating: 10/10! …Just a perfect Death Metal record!! Classic!!!
Favorite Song: Remains of You
But every song, here – The Enemy Inside, Silent Violence, Lycanthropy; Still Alive; Beneath a Black Sky, Human Target, Suffering in Ecstasy, Tomorrow’s Victim, Torn to the Bone, and Haunted – is Awesome!
ALBUM REVIEW: Hollywood Park – The Airborne Toxic Event
BEST TRACKS: All The Children, Everything I Love Is Broken, Come On Out
FCC violations: Brother, Everything I Love Is Broken, The Common Touch, Carry Me
Here’s something you don’t hear about every band: the lead singer of The Airborne Toxic Event, Mikel Jollett, was born into a cult. Along with this album, Jollett released a memoir of the same name in which he relates his experiences growing up in, and later escaping into poverty, the infamously dangerous cult Synanon. Jollett’s harsh life experiences, which taught him about family, loss, and resilience find their way into the lyrics of his songs to make for a truly grounding and profound listening experience. However, this Los Angeles band isn’t just notable for their frontman’s shocking history. I was enchanted by the sense of intimacy, jangly acoustic guitar, and superior melodies on Hollywood Park long before I ever found out about any of the cult stuff.
Hollywood Park exhibits several lively, electric and acoustic riffs and satisfying melodies. Songs on this album range from flourishingly cinematic to minimalistically acoustic. My favorite track on the album, ‘All The Children’ has an exciting buildup that erupts into a cathartic, folksy chorus. A sparking piano and a cinematic violin make an appearance on track 9, ‘The Place Where We Meet A Thousand Feet Beneath The Racetrack’. Jollett effectively uses a country-folk drawling vocal approach at times, coupled with garage rock shouting, to create a unique dynamic. These songs have the brutal honesty of an Iron & Wine song and the infectious rhythm of a Killers song.
This album feels like something you would hear sitting around the bonfire in the fleeting summer nights after highschool. It inhabits a world of sunsets, dusty roads, and big blue lakes. Hollywood Park truly captures the ever-tenacious all American spirit. Spin this record this upcoming Fourth of July. I highly recommend this album to fans of The Killers, Bruce Springsteen,The Wallflowers, The National, or My Morning Jacket.
BEST TRACKS: Some Nights I Feel Like Crying, RNR, New In Town, Meet Me in the Garden
FCC Violations: Meet Me in the Garden, RNR, LOVE-LETTER-FOR-YOU.TXT…
Kid Froopy is on the rise as a new artist and his newest release, Silver Silver, delivers his electronic style in an emotional package. Kid Froopy, an Iowa-based producer began releasing music in high school, but gained attention in 2015 with his remix of Robokid’s “Helix.” Now, Kid Froopy is known for his electronic-pop songs which typically delve into the woes of online communication and social media. Kid Froopy has this interesting alternative sound that is distinctly electronic with sweet sounding synth melodies and a certain glitchy aspect to it that does not overlap the high-pitched vocals. His chill, electronic-pop vibe is perfect for listening in the car or lounging around with friends.
Many of his tracks have a great contrast between the sorrowful lyrics of lost communication and his upbeat pop-y sound. There is even more contrast between tracks such as Hairy which are slow and somber while Meet Me in the Garden feels much more exciting.
Kid Froopy has a great all around sound that borders many different genres while done tastefully and I predict that he will get even popular as time goes on. I recommend Kid Froopy to fans of Jai Wolf, pluko and Ekali.
This Friday is a holiday known as Juneteenth. On this day in 1865, General Gordon Granger federally proclaimed that all enslaved people were now free in the state of Texas. Though the Emancipation Proclamation had been signed two years prior, its impacts were slow and varied within the South. Texas was the last state to officially recognize this decree, and thus Juneteenth became a community holiday.
In celebration of Juneteenth (from midnight to midnight), this year and every subsequent year, Bandcamp has committed to donating “100% of [their] share of sales to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.” They have further agreed to allocate $30,000 of their yearly budget to “partner with organizations that fight for racial justice and create opportunities for people of color.”
For the past few months during quarantine, Bandcamp has also been doing “Bandcamp Day” sales, in which they waive their portion of proceeds so that artists on their platform earn the entirety of the sale. WKNC reminded our audience to support local musicians on each previous Bandcamp Day, and for this Juneteenth edition we want to highlight specifically local Black musicians. The following list contains ten artists that WKNC has booked and promoted in the past who have music and/or merch available for purchase on Bandcamp.
Black Surfer was the second act of the second night of Double Barrel Benefit 17, and released their sophomore EP Run It Byke in the following month. Recently they raised $7,000 for Take Action Chapel Hill through merchandise sales on Instagram.
You can connect with Black Surfer on social media at @blacksurferband on both Instagram and Facebook, and check out their podcast done with DJ Beowvlf before Double Barrel Benefit.
King Gino performed on night one of Double Barrel Benefit 17 and brought the house down. He also spearheads an artist collective called Callisto Records, for which our very own Underground Music Director Nate Browning also works. King Gino also did a podcast before performing at Double Barrel Benefit.
Pat Junior is a jack of all trades who has his hands in every artistic medium that catches his eye or ear. He is another Double Barrel Benefit 17 performer and headlined night two. Much like his predecessors on this link, Pat Junior also did a podcast with WKNC, which you can listen to for more information about his artistic journey and his most recent album, I Thought I Knew.
GRRL rocked our world at Double Barrel Benefit 16, and really did us a huge favor hopping on that show at the last minute. This electronic maven is a staple of the Triangle house scene and a favorite of WKNC’s. Listen to GRRL’s interview with Afterhours Music Director, Liz and Social Media Director, Becca, here. Furthermore, GRRL’s next full-length album, Marathon, will be released on July 3, but you can already preorder it on Bandcamp now.
Switching it up from Double Barrel acts, Linanthem worked with WKNC in the fall of 2019 performing at our annual Concert on the Lawn series with future Double Barrel artist, DOTWAV Media. Linanthem is also a current NC State student and up-and-coming in the Triangle scene. His music is self-described as “chilled hip-hop beats and jazz vibes” which sounds like the ideal summer vibe.
Sonny Miles and WKNC have collaborated a handful of times, but most recently at a Concert on the Lawn in 2018. This prolific multi-instrumentalist seems to be constantly releasing music and for that we are grateful. His most recent single, Arbor Day, is available on Bandcamp along with the rest of his discography. Sonny has also been incredibly outspoken about current events on his social media, which we similarly urge you to check out.
What can we say except for the fact that the Muslims ROCK?! They performed at Double Barrel 15 but have also done a Local Beat session back in 2018, which you can stream on all podcasting platforms. Their most recent album, Gentrified Chicken, is brash in-your-face rage rock that never quits and does not leave a safe space.
Obviously, you can get connected with The Muslims on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, but to further get involved you can submit a clip to their crowd-sourced music video through Saturday. More details on that video can be found on their website.
Deniro Farrar has perhaps grown beyond the limited label of “local” and become an icon in his own right, but as he was a performer at Double Barrel Benefit 13 so we’ve still got a spot in WKNC history for him. Deniro’s fanbase has been called “cult like” based on its rapid growth and intense fan involvement.
If you’re unfamiliar with his work, check out his Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, as well as the music he has uploaded on Bandcamp.
Hailing from Carrboro, North Carolina, this local artist kicked off his expansive musical career while also being a Ph.D. student at UNC-Chapel Hill. WKNC is honored to have booked XOXOK for our Concert on the Lawn in Fall of 2017. It is fitting that XOXOK make it onto this list, not only for his musical prowess, but also for the content of his most recent single “Right On.” XOXOK explains this song’s purpose on his Bandcamp page, but an excerpt is written below. You can read the entire passage on his artist link above.
“On July 5, 2016, I defended my doctoral dissertation at the University of North Carolina. The next day, approximately 1100 miles away, Philando Castile was shot and killed in Minnesota. Each one of these shootings has taken a toll on me, but for some reason, this one leveled me… I wrote this song as a reminder – to myself and to others – that my education is not a shield, and that I could be next.”
Tim Mensa recently graduated from NC State University in the Class of 2020, but was able to connect with WKNC during his time as a student. He performed at one of our Concerts on the Lawn in 2018. Since that time Mensa has been rather active as a musician, though there is only one track available on his Bandcamp. Nonetheless, we encourage our audience to check it out for Bandcamp’s Juneteenth donation day. Here is Tim’s Instagram page.
Artist Record Label 1 BEHEMOTH A Forest [EP] Metal Blade 2 CURRENTS The Way It Ends SharpTone 3 BEFORE I TURN Lovelorn: Moon Self-Released 4 CHILD OF WASTE Hunger Made Man Self-Released 5 NECROT “Stench of Decay” [Single] Tankcrimes 6 TYPECASTE Between Life FlatSpot 7 SUNAMI Sunami [EP] Creator Destructor 8 THREE KNEE DEEP Three Knee Deep Triple B 9 MAGNITUDE To Whatever Faithful End Triple B 10 DIVISION OF MIND Division of Mind Triple B
Artist Record Label 1 COWGIRL CLUE Icebreaker Vada Vada 2 JAMES MASSIAH Natural Born Killers (Ride for Me) [EP] Levels 3 BESHKEN Aisle Of Palm Self-Released 4 BLOOD ORANGE Angel’s Pulse Domino 5 CARIBOU Suddenly Merge 6 SASSY 009 KILL SASSY 009 Luft 7 YEULE Serotonin II Bayonet 8 FOUR TET Anna Painting [EP] Text 9 FINN, INDIA JORDAN H.U.R.L/F.U.R.L [EP] Local Action 10 SONNIKU, LIZ, SOPHIE “Sweat (Sophie Remix)” [Single] Bella Union
1 ROSE CITY BAND Summerlong Thrill Jockey 2 DAKOTA THEIM Somewhere Under The Sun Self-Released 3 TAMBINO Summerlong Self-Released 4 SCHOOL OF X Destiny [EP] Tambourhinoceros 5 MOMMAT wo Of Me Danger Collective 6 EMILY ROCKARTS Little Flower Self-Released 7 MINI TREES Slip Away [EP] Self-Released 8 LADY LEGS Off Days Communicating Vessels 9 PEACH PIT You And Your Friends Columbia 10 JAUNT All In One Self-Released 11 STRFKR Future Past Life Polyvinyl 12 SIMEN LYNGROTH Muse Self-Released 13JR JR August And Everything Prior [EP] Love Is EZ 14 JERRY PAPER Abracadabra Stones Throw 15 CHRISTINE RENNER “Tonight” [EP] Self-Released 16 WHY BONNIE Voice Box [EP] Fat Possum 17 RELIANT TOM Play & Rewind Diversion 18 VARSITY The Basement Takes Run For Cover 19 GREEN BUZZARD Amidst The Clutter And Mess I Oh You 20 CLIFFFS Panic Attack State Fair/We Know Better 21 JEFF ROSENSTOCK NO DREAM Polyvinyl 22 REFLECTORS, THE First Impression Burger 23 2ND GRADE Hit To Hit Double Double Whammy 24 JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD Magick Songs Dine Alone 25 ALEXANDRA SAVIOR The Archer 30th Century 26 YELLOW DAYS “Love Is Everywhere” b/w “Treat You Right” [Single] RCA 27 BASEMENT REVOLVER Wax And Digital [EP] Sonic Unyon 28 PIP BLOM Boat Heavenly/PIAS 29 ROLLING BLACKOUTS COASTAL FEVER Sideways To New Italy Sub Pop 30 HEY CHELS Everything Goes Self-Released
TOP ADDS
1 ARLO PARKS “Black Dog” b/w “Eugene” [Single] Transgressive/PIAS 2 IGGY T AND THE CRAZYMAKERS Just Can’t Get Enough Underground Sun 3 BABA ALI This House [EP]3 0th Century 4 EX NORWEGIAN Hue Spotting Beyond Before 5 LISABEL Work of art Self-Released 6 PIKES Camp Self-Released 7 MUZZ Muzz Matador/Beggars 8 CAPE HENL OPEN “Bad Moves” [Single] Self-Released 9 HIGH WAISTED Sick Of Saying Sorry Self-Released 10 GHOSTLY KISSES Never Let Me Go [EP] Akira
‘Welcome back to Música de Indie, I’m DJ Psyched and in this show where we go over my favorite spanish indie tunes from the past couple of weeks. To start things off today we’re talking about Ángel, the song, not my leopard gecko. So be sure to keep it locked.’
Ángel by Angelica Garcia – I clicked on this song so fast when I saw the title, I am a sucker for anything with the name Ángel (because that is the name of my beautiful gecko), and I’m so glad I did because this track is absolutely beautiful. The singer’s voice is so smooth and soothing, and with the backing orchestra instruments and harmonies, this track is about mesmerizing. I couldn’t quite find the lyrics to translate this time, but the song is slow enough that someone in the learning phase of the language, such as myself, can really enjoy the track and sing along after a few listens. The singer does say a part of the hook in english ‘Even when you hide it I can always see the real you’ and based on how the music sounds it seems the singer is singing words of affirmation, or a confession, to someone they love. This song also apparently comes from the TV show ‘Vida’.
Muy Muy Chico by Juan Wauters – This track comes from the five track EP the artist recorded while traveling across South America. The artist said ‘some of these unreleased tracks are among my favorite ones from that time in my life’. I also could not find direct lyrics from this song, but thankfully someone on youtube explained that the track is a metaphor about height and how people complicate themselves when they focus on the fact that there are taller people around. He is really talking about worrying that others might be better than us. The guitar in this song is what hooked me in, the intro was very nostalgic feeling and the singing reminds me of folk style music. It’s a short but sweet track, reminding me vaguely of bedrooms’ song ‘nothing lasts’.
‘Thanks for tuning into 2k Indie online, I’m DJ Psyched and I ask that you keep it locked on the blog for all the sweet content to come. Thanks for reading, and until next time…’
‘I’m DJ Psyched and you’re reading 2k Indie online. In this show I highlight new Indie releases from the last few weeks or so. This week we’re starting the segment off with Black Dog by Arlo Parks. This track blew me away from first listen, so be sure to keep it locked as we explore some new Indie today.’
Black Dog by Arlo Parks – As I was saying, this track absolutely blew me away at first listen and it only got better and better upon each new listen. The artists mesmerizing vocals were definitely the first thing I noticed upon listening to the track, but upon further evaluation, I found that the meaning behind the track was also incredibly powerful. The track is about mental health and what it feels like to experience feelings of depression, and it’s done incredibly well. The lyrics seem to be reflecting both the person with these feelings thoughts and the thoughts of those close to them ‘I would do anything to get you out your room.’ The guitars are steady enough to keep the track softly flowing, and the drums’ upbeat mood contrasts in a way that makes this track one that’s easy to move along to, but also hold the mood of a more serious and mellow track. The artist’s track was named ‘tune of the week’ by BBCR1 and I couldn’t agree more. ‘This is an incredible moment for vulnerable music’ the artist said in a recent tweet ‘I’ve always put a piece of myself into songs which can be terrifying but to be given this platform and recognition is encouraging me to keep on doing so’. I for one can’t wait to hear more.
House by Baba Ali – This is another track that blew me away at first listen for its uniqueness. The song has a sound that is a bit hard to define. It’s genre bending roots feel like a cross between Pop, Funk, Dance and alternative/ indie. The bass is groovy and keeps the track feeling alive, fresh, and keeps my head bopping along. The track, from the EP ‘This House’, talks about what it feels like to be in a house that is not a home, because of how economic struggles can provide stressors and barriers to a smooth home life. This comes from the hands of ‘this rat race’, as the artist put it. ‘They keep cuttin’ the lights out, And everybody’s getting priced out, If it goes up anymore they won’t be anywhere where to go’. The track is easy to listen to because of it’s catchy chorus and instruments, but again, the meaning behind it digs deep in a very real and beautifully said way.
‘It’s funky with a hardened edge. It’s urgent and it’s fed up. I remember writing the lyrics on a roll of receipt paper at the end of a long bar shift staring out at a crowd of drunkards.” the artist said in an article by Elicit Magazine.
It is important to support black creators and let their voices be heard. Baba Ali’s Band Camp notes under the track ‘House’ that ‘100% of proceeds from sales will go to the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. Be sure to check it out, I highly recommend.
