WKNC 88.1 FM - North Carolina State University Student Radio
WKNC RPM
1. JAMIE XX – In Colour – Young Turks
2. BRAIDS – Deep In The Iris – Arbutus
3. LAPALUX – Lustmore – Brainfeeder
4. GEORGE FITZGERALD – Fading Love – Domino
5. BEN WASH – Snob Rock – King’s Head
6. KODAK TO GRAPH – IAMANTHEM Remix [EP] – Family Artists
7. ICKY BLOSSOMS – Mask – Saddle Creek
8. PURITY RING – Another Eternity – 4AD
9. MIDIVAL PUNDITZ – Light – Six Degrees
10. FORT ROMEAU – Insides – Ghostly
WKNC TOP RPM ADD
Thundercat – The Beyond/Where The Giants Roam – Brainfeeder
The realm of electronic music tends to consist of much more than just audio when compared to other genres. Electronic artists and producers are increasingly including more and more visual substances to their work, tying together the very compatible worlds of electronically produced music and design. If anyone has come close to mastering this art, Nick James has.
It seems the deeper you dig on this enigmatic young electronic performer, currently residing in New York City, the less you know about him. 22-year-old James graduated from UNC-Asheville and moved to NYC after spending some time in Japan. He writes for Tiny Mix Tapes under the name SCVSCV and runs the experimental publication Asystems – a product of The Actual School. He describes his experimental music as creating an atmosphere for its audience, combining multimedia design with his haunting yet melodic tracks.
For each album released on Asystems – which he runs with two of his former roommates from UNCA – James creates a website perfectly matching the two aesthetics together, drawing the listener in closer and forcing them to absorb the piece more critically.
With his recent release of Drago on the 16th, Nick James put out satyri.co. This conceptual site sucks its visitors into an icy realm where they can explore the five tracks off Drago in addition to other exclusive visual and audio features. The actual tracks off Drago are upbeat and playful but have a complex structure to them, melodies orchestrated so meticulously only to be shattered perfectly with a violent mechanic. Captivating vocals, often not in English, add to the confusion and comfort of the arrangement. A few sentences give the website and tracks little justice, and the full experience can only be taken in by entering the site with a pair of headphones.
Nick James plays the first night of Hopscotch this year at Neptunes, opening for DJ Earl and Mumdance. With HD visuals at his live performances, his quiet presence is sure to fill the room.
Local Band Local Beer: Stonewall Vessels
Phian interviewed The Stonewall Vessels last Thursday before they played at Tir na nOg Irish Pub for Local Band Local Beer. The interview includes the Stonewall Vessels songs “Colors,” “Not Healthy,” “Sea Grass,” and “Potion.” If you like what you hear you can check out more from The Stonewall Vessels at their bandcamp.
Last week Ceremony played Kings Barcade with a solid set of opening bands. The first to play was Brother Beast, a Raleigh post-hardcore band that has opened for a lot of great nationally touring bands including Prawn, TWIABP, Old Gray, and Hop Along. Wildhoney is a Baltimore fast-tempo shoegaze band that will also be playing Hopscotch later this year. Last to play before Ceremony was Tony Molina. He gets a lot of comparisons to Weezer and Teenage Fanclub, but in the past Tony Molina and his bandmates have played in a lot of hardcore bands, which is strange considering the music they play now. There we a ton of dueling guitar solos and they even ended their set with a cover of Thin Lizzy’s “Soldier of Fortune.”
My introduction to Ceremony was through their 2010 album, Rohnert Park. Some fans of the band’s earliest material noticed a departure for the band on that record. The band’s sound was becoming less influenced by powerviolence. They were moving away from their hardcore roots, and five years after the release of Rohnert Park they released The L-Shaped Man which marked a full-departure from their old sound. Now, the material they’re putting out is pretty reminiscent of the source of the band’s name, a Joy Division song. They opened with two songs from their new album to an interested crowd, but the crowd really got rowdy in reaction to the next song they played. Ceremony introduced themselves as a band from Rohnert Park, California. Then, their drummer stared playing the unmistakable top hits of “Sick.” It was one of my favorites of the night, and I was glad that they played some of my other favorite songs from Rohnert Park, “M.C.D.F.” and “Open Head.” They played an old school cover of “Pressure’s On” by the Dischord Records band, Red C, along with a song from Ceremony’s 2006 album, Violence Violence. It was a bit strange hearing their new, post-punk songs in the mix with their older hardcore stuff, but it still worked well. Despite the more mellow sound of their new music, Ceremony still put on a very energetic show. Also, it was cool to see Ross Farrar end the show with a shout out to Brother Beast’s upcoming album, Pregnant God.
-DJ Nasty Nate
For the THIRD week in a row, Braids takes number 1 on RPM charts!
WKNC RPM
1. BRAIDS – Deep In The Iris – Arbutus
2. LAPALUX – Lustmore – Brainfeeder
3. GEORGE FITZGERALD – Fading Love – Domino
4. PURITY RING – Another Eternity – 4AD
5. KODAK TO GRAPH – IAMANTHEM Remix [EP] – Family Artists
6. BEN WASH – Snob Rock – King’s Head
7. SEVEN DAVIS JR. – Universes – Ninja Tune
8. SQUAREPUSHER – Damogen Furies – Warp
9. E1SBAR – Super Fantasy – Polar Vortex
10. SONOMAD – Sonomad – Prismtone
WKNC TOP 3 RPM ADDS
1. HUDSON MOHAWKE – Lantern – Warp
2. JAGA JAZZIST – Starfire – Ninja Tune
3. MARIBOU STATE – “The Clown” [Single] – Counter
Local Band Local Beer: Old Quarter
Phain interviewed Old Quarter last Thursday before they played at Tir na nOg Irish Pub for Local Band Local Beer. The interview includes the Old Quarter songs “Gone,” “Starlight,” and “Ashley Nicole.” During the interview, Old Quarter also performed their cover of “Worth Keeping” by the Everybodyfields live. If you like what you hear you can check out more from Old Quarter at their Bandcamp.
Local Band Local Beer: Debonzo Brothers
Phain interviewed with the Debonzo Brothers last Thursday before they played at Tir Na nOg Irish Pub for Local Band Local Beer. The interview includes the Debonzo Brothers tracks “Make My Way,” “Great Upstate,” and “More Than This” and a live performance of “Little White House”. You can check out more of the Debonzo Brothers at their website.
For the second week in a row, Girlpool takes number 1 on radio 200 charts!
WKNC RADIO 200
1. GIRLPOOL – Before The World Was Big – Wichita
2. UNKNOWN MORTAL – ORCHESTRA Multi-Love – Jagjaguwar
3. ESKIMEAUX – O.K. – Double Double Whammy
4. JOANNA GRUESOME – Peanut Butter – Slumberland
5. HOP ALONG – Painted Shut – Saddle Creek
6. MEWITHOUTYOU – Pale Horses – Run For Cover
7. ELVIS DEPRESSEDLY – New Alhambra – Run For Cover
8. NO JOY – More Faithful – Mexican Summer
9. THEE OH SEES – Mutilator Defeated At Last – Castle Face
10. BULLY – Feels Like – Startime
11. SPEEDY ORTIZ – Foil Deer – Carpark
12. TURNOVER – Peripheral Vision – Run For Cover
13. DAMAGED BUG – Cold Hot Plumbs – Castle Face
14. DESAPARECIDOS – Payola – Epitaph
15. TORRES – Sprinter – Partisan
16. PINS – Wild Nights – Bella Union
17. SURFER BLOOD – 1000 Palms – Joyful Noise
18. MY MORNING JACKET – The Waterfall – Capitol
19. J. FERNANDEZ – Many Levels Of Laughter – Joyful Noise
20. ETERNAL SUMMERS – Gold And Stone – Kanine
21. METZ – II – Sub Pop
22. VAADAT CHARIGIM – Sinking As A Stone – Burger
23. CAYUCAS – Dancing At The Blue Lagoon – Secretly Canadian
24. SHARON VAN ETTEN – I Don’t Want To Let You Down [EP] – Jagjaguwar
25. HEARTLESS BASTARDS – Restless Ones – Partisan
26. CREEPOID – Cemetery Highrise Slum – Collect
27. NICK DIAMONDS – City Of Quartz – Manque
28. KID WAVE – Wonderlust – Heavenly
29. JAMIE XX – In Colour – Young Turks
30. TRAILS AND WAYS – Pathology – Barsuk
WKNC TOP 5 ADDS
1. FIST CITY – Everything Is A Mess – Transgressive
2. JACK AND ELIZA – Gentle Warnings – Yebo
3. LA PRIEST – INJI – Domino
4. MOCKY – Key Change – Heavy Sheet
5. SILVER LAKE CHORUS – The Silver Lake Chorus – Six Degrees
One of the comments I hear most about the North Carolina music scene is its ‘incestuous’ nature, how bands gradually begin to feed off of one another to shape the overall sound of our music scene. But every now and then you’ll find folks who are running against the grain and doing so with wonderful results. Eno Mountain Boys have crafted a unique blend of classic country, contemporary Americana and punk rock sentiments to make for an authentic, genuine and passionate musical experience.
Throughout the hour we spoke with Eno Mountain Boys on how this sound came to fruition, discussed their musical histories, and delved into the work behind their debut full-length studio album Deer Velvet. Plus we were also treated to two live tracks from the band that showcases their excellent harmonies, jangly vocal lines, and nostalgia-soaked, heartfelt lyricism.
Local Band Local Beer: Happy Abandon
Phian interviewed with Happy Abandon on June 18th before their show at Tir Na nOg Irish Pub for Local Band Local Beer. During the interview, the Happy Abandon song’s “Heavy Lines,” “Deep Light,” and “No One Is” were played. If you like what you heard you can go check out more of Happy Abandon at their Facebook.