While She Sleeps is one of the most underrated metalcore bands out there right now. Their carefully crafted melodies, pop hooks, and aggressive breakdowns give them a refreshing sound that perfectly combines styles from bands like Architects and Northlane. I saw these guys in February of this year and went into it without many expectations, and it turned out to be the best concert I had EVER been to. They entered the stage and immediately unleashed their aggression, excitement, and passion unlike anything I had ever seen with their new song FAKERS PLAGUE. The audience absorbed that energy and threw it right back, not hesitating to open the pit and sing along. People were hugging one another, sitting on shoulders, headbanging, screaming together, and becoming totally lost in the music. All of which is normal for a metalcore show, but the positive energy that flowed within the audience and between the audience and stage was undeniable. Each member of the band was smiling and laughing in the midst of the chaos the entire set. I followed the progression of their tour on social media and their shows just seemed to get more and more wild until the singer was hanging upside down from the rafters and the guitarist crowd surfed during his solos.
While She Sleeps formed in Sheffield, England in 2006 and includes vocalist Lawrence “Loz” Taylor, guitarists Sean Long and Mat Welsh, bassist Aaran McKenzie, and drummer Adam Savage. Loz Taylor came into the band as the lead vocalist for their third EP that was recorded in a home studio. The band grew in popularity as they toured extensively across the UK and Europe and eventually won the Kerrang! Awards 2012. When asked the origin of their band name, Taylor explained it was inspired by a story of a woman murdering her husband while he slept and changed it to “she” instead of “he”. Taylor also indicated that “she” can be used as a reference to a sunken ship or vehicle, as they are often referred to with a feminine pronoun. While She Sleeps has shared the stage with bands like Bring Me the Horizon, Bleed from Within, Betraying the Martyrs, Asking Alexandria, Motionless in White, and Thy Art Is Murder. They’ve gone back to their punk-rock, DIY roots and started their own label called Sleep Brothers in order to regain total control over their process. Their newest album So What? is proof that these guys know exactly how to bring their music to the next level. I highly recommend checking them out and seeing them live if you get the chance. This band is explosive.
As a longtime fan of Cavetown I was incredibly excited to give this new record, Sleepyhead, a spin, especially because I have already fallen in love with the first two singles that were released late last year and earlier this year. I also nearly LOST it when I saw that chloe moriondo and Drew Monson were featured in the record.
The first time I listened to this album I threw it on shuffle and had it on in the background while working, and when I heard ‘Wishing Well’ Ft. Drew Monson I loved it, but was kind of confused since it didn’t really sound like Cavetown. It was a pleasant surprise seeing as to why. This track is the beautiful blend I would expect in a collab between these two artists. It’s distorted vocals display Drew’s heavy input in the track and make it one I continue coming back to. The same can be said with the track ‘Snail’ Ft. Chloe Moriondo, it’s smooth Cavetown vibe with Chloe’s energy makes this track a perfect piece for the last portion of the record. Their vocals have the perfect contrast that make the track sound like a story being told back and forth, it’s almost fairytale like. The instrumentation choice also sets it apart from the rest of the works, there is a slight folk-like influence, but like much of this record it’s very string instrument centered.
While this record has an incredibly strong start, featuring the first two singles that were pre-released, the last half of this record ends it even stronger. Maybe I’m just overly emotional at songs about mum’s, but I absolutely adore the track ‘I Miss My Mum’. The lyrics in the track are incredibly strong, somehow making me deeply sad and happy at the same time, something Cavetown does best. In fact that’s sort of the theme I got from the whole record, it’s like a beautiful tragedy, seeing the beauty in things that might be painful as well.
After giving this record another few spins I have to say ‘For You’ has become one of my absolute favorite moments. The way it borrows from Sweet Tooth and emphasizes what was already one of my favorite hooks on the record really gets me hype, it’s also one of those tracks that makes the record feel like one solid unit. I can’t stop myself from singing alone every time I hear it. This new record was a heartwarming listen from start to finish. It’s authentic, raw, and stripped back. The perfect blend for its emotional impact. I give it five stars and definitely recommend it.
Artist Record Label 1 AVERSIONS CROWN “The Soil” [Single] Nuclear Blast 2 AUGUST BURNS RED “Paramount” [Single] Fearless 3 AS I LAY DYING “Destruction or Strength” [Single] Nuclear Blast 4 CATTLE DECAPITATION Death Atlas Metal Blade 5 MAKE THEM SUFFER “Erase Me” [Single] Self-Released 6 KING DIAMOND “Masquerade Of Madness” [Single] Metal Blade 7 UPON A BURNING BODY “Built from War” [Single] Seek & Strike 8 IN HEARTS WAKE “Worldwide Suicide” [Single] UNFD 9 METAL CHURCH “For No Reason” [Single] Rat Park 10 AFTER THE BURIAL Evergreen Sumerian
My favorite tracks: Hold On, Special Affair, Dontcha, They Say
Listen if you like: Phony Ppl, Steve Lacy, Noname
The Internet is an L.A.-based group which blends together a mixture of R&B soul, hip-hop, electronica, and funk to create the most inspired music out there. It all began in late 2011 when some of the members of Odd Future decided to create a side-project under Odd Future Records. Thus the album Purple Naked Ladies was birthed. Together, the members of The Internet masterfully create a sound unlike any other in the modern R&B scene. Although the band was founded primarily by Syd, along with Christopher Smith, Matt Martians, and Patrick Paige, they were joined by Steve Lacy in 2015. The Internet has a total of four albums, Purple Naked Ladies (2011), Feel Good (2013), Ego Death (2015), and Hive Mind (2018). Ego Death was nominated for a Grammy in 2015 and the band has received clout throughout the alternative hip-hop circles and beyond.
While I truly appreciate all of the albums The Internet has made, I especially adore Ego Death. I love Steve Lacy’s contributions to the production of the album and think highly of it, as one of the most smooth and well-made R&B-hip-hop albums of my lifetime. Syd’s vocals and the electronic-inspired melodies blend together perfectly. Ego Death is a unique experience of an album. Since high school, these songs have brought me comfort in times of struggle and have allowed me to embrace the weirdness and beauty of life. If you’re looking for some tracks to start out with, I highly recommend Just Sayin/I Tried and Palace/Curse, which are my go-tos to this day whenever I need a mood boost. All this said, I do enjoy the entirety of the band’s discography, which is extremely rare for me. Check the band out, and you’ll see why. I appreciate the emotional ties I have with each album and I continuously hope to see new projects from them soon.
So you’re spending a lot of time at home right now and you’re trying to find some way to spend the time productively, then you see that instrument in the corner and you have a brilliant idea, but you’re not sure how to start… You’re in luck! Cause my sister recently asked me to help her figure out the basics of piano (from this exact scenario) so I figure I can make a little post to get anyone in the same boat started.
First things first we have to learn the notes on the keyboard and how to read them.
I like to think of the notes as two clusters (separated by the black keys)
Cluster 1 is C D E, there are two black keys between these three white keys.
Cluster 2 is FGAB, there are three black keys between these four white keys.
This pattern repeats through the entire keyboard. The colors above match the pattern, so where the light blue C is, the following light blue is also a C but higher in octave. As we go to the right of the piano the octave gets higher (so the sound is higher). If we go to the left the octave lowers and the sound is deeper.
How to read the black keys:
This is where we get those sharp and flat notes.
A sharp is notated with a (#) symbol and a flat is more like a lowercase B (b).
A sharp is simply the black key to the right of a white key. So if we are at C and we go to the black key directly to its right we have C sharp. Right of D is D# and etc…
Flats work the opposite way. If we want to label a black key as flat we just have to take a white key and go to the black key on it’s left. So if we go from D to the black key on the left we have Db.
This means that a black key can have two names, C# and Db are the same note. Music theory is a lot lol, you don’t really have to worry about it right now but basically it depends on the key you are in which name you would use. But key signatures come later, first let’s just get comfy with the notes.
The last thing worth noting here is that two white keys appear next to each other between ‘clusters’. EF and BC. In these cases sharps and flats still work the same way. Fb is the same as saying E and E# is the same as saying F.
The best way to learn any instrument is to learn some simple tunes, now that you know the notes you’re ready to take on some youtube tutorials with confidence 😀
What’s going on Butcher Crew!? I hope this finds you safe and well! While chilling at the house, it gave me a chance to explore all the new metal that has come out recently and I thought it would be cool to talk about some of the new tunes I have up on the slab.
I enjoy finding new music and if you do, then I hope I can help you find your new favorite band! Let’s start chopping up some tunes!
The first time I heard Despised Icon was a few years ago and I loved their sound. When I was getting into deathcore, they were one of the main bands that would appear. I have never seen Despised Icon and I am hoping that one day I will be able to. I decided to take a look at their history since they released a killer album in late 2019. When I heard their new record, Purgatory, I fell in love with the band all over again.
Despised Icon is a Canadian deathcore band from Montreal, Quebec. They formed in 2002 and the band is known for Alex Pelletier’s (drummer) blasting technique, as well as dual vocals from Alex Erian and Steve Marois. Erian does the mid-range growls while Marois does the high-pitched shrieks. In 2010, the band disbanded, but reformed back in 2014.
Despised Icon was signed to Galy Records in 2002 and released their debut album Consumed by Your Poison in October of that year. They had a few changed within their lineup in 2004 and recorded a self-financed EP, Syndicated Murderers. In 2005, the group signed to Century Media and released their second album, The Healing Process. Fast forward to 2016, the band signed with Nuclear Blast and are currently on that label.
Current members:
Steve Marois (vocals), Alex Erian (vocals), Eric Jarrin (lead guitar), Alex Pelletier (drums), Bend Landreville (rhythm guitar), and Sebastien Piché (bass).
Discography:
Consumed By Your Poison (2002), The Healing Process (2005), The III’s of Modern Man (2007), Day of Mourning (2009), Beast (2016), and Purgatory (2019).
Favorite songs: Slow Burning, Day of Mourning, and Furtive Monologue.
Have you seen Despised Icon? What are some of your favorite songs?
Things are moving slowly. Some things feel like they’re not moving at all. However, despite the empty streets and closing businesses, people are coming together to support one another and sustain our community during the pandemic.
WKNC, as a community partner and participant, wants to use our platform to share some of these fundraisers and inform you about their creators to further their outreach. We appreciate and admire everyone doing the groundwork and heavy lifting that it takes to sustain a community, several industries and the emotional wellbeing of their beneficiaries.
First and foremost, is the Raleigh Music Venue Employee Fund. This fundraiser collectively supports Lincoln Theatre, Slim’s, Kings, the Wicked Witch and the Pour House. The campaign was created by Van Austin at Slim’s, Chris Malarkey at Lincoln, Paul Siler at Kings, and Adam Lindstaedt with the Pour House. The funds for this project are being collected through Venmo using the handle @Raleigh-Downtown-Music-Venues. Kings, via their Instagram page (@KingsRaleigh) described this fundraiser as “a fund to help out our employees during this time.” In the same post, they wrote they have received an “outpouring of offers to help [their] employees stay afloat during this crisis…” which we at WKNC are amazed to hear. Many of our current and former staff and students have gone on to work and be involved with at least one of these venues, and as an organization we work closely with them to promote, curate and attend events.
It is important to note that some of these venues are partner venues and co-owned by the same individual. For example, Timothy Lemuel runs the Wicked Witch, the Night Rider and Ruby Deluxe, but the latter two venues are not receiving funds from this campaign and have another process of their own to be discussed later on in this post.
Keep a lookout for more information on the Raleigh Venue Fund in an upcoming interview I’m working on with a few individuals involved in its creation. For now, you can see more information about the fund via the social media of each of the venues. The venues and their handles are listed below.
The next fundraiser is theRaleigh Queer Venue Initiative GoFundMe, which was organized by Janel Sheehan almost two weeks ago. As of this writing, they have surpassed half of their expected goal, thanks to the dedication and support of the Raleigh community. Pulling a quote from the GoFundMe description, “The Raleigh Queer Venue Initiative is made up of the sole queer music venues in Raleigh: Ruby Deluxe, Wicked Witch, and the Night Rider. Our purpose is to give LGBTQIA, as well as marginalized folx a safe space to dance, create, perform, and support one another.” The description goes on to express that these spaces are also locally owned and operated by queer individuals. Currently, as of a GoFundMe update posted on March 24, “[they] are looking at around 11K total a month to retain all of our spaces for Ruby Deluxe, Wicked Witch, and The Night Rider.” Of their $11,000 goal, the money raised will go towards paying rent on the venues and provide income to their staff members who can no longer work due to closures. The contributions from the Raleigh community are directly allowing for these safe spaces to remain open and in operation after the pandemic crisis alleviates.
We thank Janel, and all of the RQVI workers, for curating this GoFundMe and for creating safe spaces for the LGBTQIA community in Raleigh and the Triangle.
Next up is the Raleigh Tee. This fundraising campaign was created by Jonas Chisolm and his roommate Austin Chappell. The two of them started an online shop in which individuals could purchase a T-shirt and/or a sticker (in rainbow or black and white) through which all profits would go to the NC Restaurant Workers Relief Fund and the Raleigh Music Venue Fund (mentioned above). For those interested in purchasing any of this project’s merch, doing so can be processed via Facebook.com/TheRaleighTee. The logo for the shirts and stickers was made by a close friend of the two founders, Nicholas Rossitch, and after some creative work on Photoshop, the idea for the Raleigh Tee was born.
The project debuted on social media (Instagram @theRaleighTee) two days ago (03/25/2020) and is quoted with having 200 orders in the first 8 hours. Jonas has commented that he and Austin only expected to sell 50 shirts initially and have been amazed at the community engagement, reposting and purchasing of the products in their startup.
Thank you to Jonas and Austin for your work and contributions to the workers of North Carolina and Raleigh specifically.
I’d also like to take a moment to give credit where credit is due. Yvonne Chazal (right, above) and Phian Tran (left) have compiled a very expansiveWake County Resources for COVID-19 document. The incredibly well-organized document covers topics like health resources (including mental health), food resources, housing and shelter, utilities details and more. Truly if I were to list out all of the categories they discuss, you’d be both in awe and shocked at the mass amounts of information that they have. The document’s creation was open to public collaboration and both creators actively reached out to their social media connections to make sure that they were collecting all the necessary details and subjects that constituents would be interested in. Please view this free resource during your free time. It will certainly make you feel better about our situation knowing what options are available.
Yvonne and Phian are both dearly loved and appreciated as local influences, musicians and WKNC alums. Thank you, Yvonne and Phian.
The aforementioned resources are only a small portion of the ongoing efforts to protect ourselves and our community. There will be more installments and updates to come. Once again, keep your eyes and ears out for an interview with representatives from the Raleigh Music Venue Employee Fund.
Want to help out but can’t donate? Call your representative (via 202-224-3121) and ask them to #SaveRestaurants.
Stay safe, stay inside, flatten the curve, promote solidarity. WKNC loves you and is grateful to everyone involved in these projects.
My favorites: Stoned Again, Perfecto Miserable, Slinky
Listen if you like: Ariel Pink, Blood Orange, Toro y Moi
I really like King Krule’s (alias for Archy Marshall) music, specifically his lyricism, which is filled with wit and strangeness I haven’t found in any other indie artists. His voice stands out, a scratchy baritone with a thick English accent that is a delight to the ears. King Krule’s 6 Feet Beneath the Moon helped him accrue popularity in the indie/alternative scene. I particularly love this album; its melodies are relaxing and each song is shrouded in emotional depth.
I found Man Alive! to be an interesting contribution to King Krule’s discography. I loved that while listening, I could feel more emotion throughout this album than most of his previous works. There is a palpable anguish in the tracks Comet Face and Alone, Omen 3. Perfecto Miserable is a track where he expresses a deep love and longing, which specifically stuck out to me as less grim and more emotionally charged than his past works. The entirety of Man Alive! allows the listener to step into the mind of a grim, pessimistic Londoner, and I love any album that can show so clearly the perspective and storytelling of another person. Throughout all the darkness in sound and nightmarish lyricism, there are the lighthearted snippets “Please, complete me/ It must be the answer” and “You’re my everything/ You make me feel alright” which must be a reference to Marshall’s current relationship. Even the ending of the album with Please Complete Thee transforms from a dark, grungy melody to light uplifting notes in the last minute of the song. This album is filled with such contrasts. King Krule also played with a variety of new sounds compared to his previous work. Specifically, there is more electronic influence in tracks like Cellular and Comet Face. As a big fan of electronic music, I really appreciated this as a breakaway from some of his more guitar/piano based songs from older albums. Although 6 Feet Beneath the Moon will always be my favorite of Marshall’s discography, this album is a lovely look into the evolution of King Krule as a musician and makes me excited for what’s to come.
Something that I’ve realized while being under quarantine inside my house is the need for hours of self-care, including music that helps relax and comfort me. This blog posts includes some of my favorite comforting albums and songs as well as a playlist to help keep you well during times of concern and anxiety.
Oncle Jazz – Men I Trust (2019)
This album is the epitome of relaxation with soothing melodies and calmness that is perfect to keep you feeling light even when things are difficult. I particularly like this album because it remains upbeat and cheerful in its lyrics which is perfect when paired with the soothing beats found throughout the album.
Duke Ellington & John Coltrane – Duke Ellington, John Coltrane (1963)
I am not a fan of jazz, however, this album could put me to sleep with its relaxing saxophone and piano notes. My favorites from this album are In A Sentimental Mood and My Little Brown Book, two tracks I listen to quite often while focusing on work.
Carrie & Lowell – Sufjan Stevens (2015)
Most of Sufjan Stevens’ albums include relaxing tracks, but Carrie & Lowell is likely the most melancholic. Although this album is sad, its beauty overshadows the grimness of the topic (the loss of Stevens’ mother and his childhood as the focus of the album). Can’t recommend this album enough.
This Is All Yours – alt-J (2014)
I’m a big alt-J fan, especially since seeing them live and seeing how amazingly well their music transfers to an in-person experience. This album has some of the more relaxing, less tonal electronic and more instrument- and vocal-based tracks of their discography. All are beautifully made and have vocals which are sure to comfort you.
Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes (2008)
The vocals and soft guitar strumming on this album help it remain one of my favorite comforting albums. Something about it is so inspiring, like warmth in the middle of a cold winter.
You can find my favorites from all of these albums as well as other comforting tracks from artists like Keaton Henson, Beach House, and Elliot Smith on the Spotify playlist linked here. Hope you enjoyed this blog post!
