Categories
Weekly Charts

Top 30—WKNC’s Top Albums of the Week 4/10/12

1. The Men – Open Your Heart (Sacred Bones)

2. Little Barrie – King of the Waves (Tummy Touch)

3. Bahamas – Barchords (Brushfire)

4. Zammuto – Zammuto (Temporary Residence)

5. High Highs – High Highs (Rocket)

6. La Sera – Sees the Light (Hardly Art)

7. Andrew Bird – Break It Yourself (Mom and Pop)

8. Islands – A Sleep and A Forgetting (Anti)

9. Tanlines – Mixed Emotions (True Panther)

10. Oberhofer – Time Capsules II (Glassnote)

11. Sharon Van Etten – Tramp (Jagjaguwar)

12. Dr. Dog – Be The Void (Anti)

13. Yppah – Eighty One (Ninja Tune)

14. Daughter – The Wild Youth [EP] (Glassnote)

15. Bear in Heaven – I Love You, It’s Cool (Hometapes-Dead Oceans)

16. Tops – Tender Opposites (Arbutus)

17. Bowerbirds – The Clearing (Dead Oceans)

18. Air – Le Voyage Dans La Lune (EMI)

19. Porcelain Raft – Strange Weekend (Secretly Canadian)

20. Hunx – Hairdresser Blues (Hardly Art)

21. Grimes – Visions (4AD)

22. Nite Jewel – One Second of Love (Secretly Canadian)

23. Perfume Genius – Put Your Back N 2 It (Matador)

24. Trust – TRST (Arts and Crafts)

25. Delta Spirit – Delta Spirit (Rounder)

26. Daniel Rossen – Silent Hour/Golden Mile (Warp)

27. Yukon Blonde – Tiger Talk (dine alone)

28. Young Prisms – In Between (Kanine)

29. Chairlift – Something (Columbia)

30. School of Seven Bells – Ghostory (Vagrant)

Categories
Non-Music News

Classical Meets Electronic Dance Music in Durham

On Friday, April 6, Duke University Ph.D. candidate Alex Kotch presented his dissertation in music composition, a 30-minute instrumental-electronic dance work with a live, eight-piece ensemble and laptop DJ, embedded within a longer set of original dance music from the composer-DJ.

Starting off the night was a violinist who played a fascinatingly odd piece. The performer played a rather minimalist piece of music while a computer gradually sampled his performance and looped the samples in the background. This made the music increasingly dissonant and strange, but oddly intriguing.

After this performance came another avant garde piece performed by an ensemble. This ensemble consisted of an odd collection of instruments such as the previous violinist, a saxophone, flute, propane tanks, wood blocks, a soprano vocalist,  and an instrument that seemed to resemble a huge bassoon. They played possibly the most frightening piece I have ever heard live. The composer used this combination of instruments to their full potential to create a shocking blend of ups and downs of dissonance.

After this ensemble of beautiful horror, the floor was cleared of all chairs to be made into a dance floor. After a huge set change, Kotch took the stage to open with a thank-you speech before diving into an hour of Intelligent Dance Music, often referred to as IDM. Half-way through this set an ensemble took the stage, consisting of a couple members of the previous ensemble. The combination of samples and drum loops intertwined with live trumpets, french horns, and vocals amounted to a gorgeous blend of digital and acoustic. Most everyone in the audience found themselves moving to the syncopated drum beats while Alex live mixed on his laptop, probably using Abelton.

The atmosphere and sets created an intriguing and inspiring blend. Kotch did an excellent job bringing together the old and the new.

Categories
New Album Review

Andrew Bird’s “Break it Yourself”

While performing an incomplete version of what would become “Eyeoneye,” Andrew Bird remarked to the TED audience, “Songwriters can sort of get away with murder. You can throw out crazy theories and not have to back it up with data or graphs or research.” Although Bird only occasionally touches in the theories of the absurd, he would not need an alibi to get away with his sixth studio album Break it Yourself.

In the TED speech and in music as well Bird has become a master of addressing his audience.  Much of the power within Break it Yourself is based on how he speaks to the listener, and the message that he delivers is made all the more significant because he knows how to take the listener wherever he would like.

What makes Break it Yourself so powerful is the strength in making music that feels personal. This is not simply an interaction between the musician and some far off idea or some other individual; throughout the album, you feel as if you are the agent around which his songs revolve. Through making an album that feels to its very core personal, Bird can make the most relatable of human emotions more significant and engaging for the listener.

The agent of the nostalgia that Bird will reflect on in songs like “Danse Caribe” exemplifies how he can turn the metaphorical camera on the audience away from him. When singing, “You were a shameless child…” he clearly focuses on the listener as the agent, not himself. In doing this early in the album there is always this feeling of intimacy in the songs. Although he does not intend to tell the story of the listener, it is hard to come away from the song without having recalled your own childhood.

This is accompanied by the fact that Bird has become an expert at the craft of conveying emotion through instrumentals. Controlling tones, pace, and precise layers of construction, Bird is able to guide the song exactly where he always intended. This on top of his prowess as a personal yet fictional storyteller makes the message of the songs take on more meaning.

It is the realm of relationships where this craft of making songs feel personal and sincere shines the brightest. In “Eyeoneye” Bird says that when we try to get back to the realm of fixation on oneself we become the agents of our own destruction. And although this does seem a bit hokey in many respects, Bird makes it feel natural. He takes the listener through this journey that describes “you” as someone who has become intensely fixated on attempting to fix “yourself” that it took “you” way too long to eventually recognize that “you” need help. It is the most personal of relationships: the relationship we have with ourselves.

Bird moves this focus onto the relationships people have with one another, onto the “you and I” aspect. This makes you feel as if you are the agent in the song with Bird and reemphasizes the personal nature of the entire album.

In “Lazy Projector” Bird shows how this feeling can be grounded in the reality of relationships, particularly their sometimes-ugly aftermath. The theme of the song revolving around how we become the editors of our own stories, especially in hindsight of what happened. As a coping mechanism we skew the sense of what actually happened with our own story, and in frustration Bird sings, “I can’t see the sense in us breaking up at all.”

“Sifters” provides one of the most powerful moments in the entire album when Bird takes this personal interaction between two individuals and speculates, “What if?” Bird sings, “What if we hadn’t been born at the same time? Would you tell me all the stories from when you were young and in your prime?” This scratches the surface of what becomes a beautiful and touching moment in the record and certainly not one to be forgotten.

The album finishes with that feeling left over. This is simply not an album that will be forgotten. Its personal and relatable nature, masterful instruments, paces, and imagery makes Break it Yourself one of the best albums of the year.

Categories
Non-Music News

EOT88 Impact Awards 4/3/12

This week’s Eye on the Triangle features the N.C. State Impact awards and poet’s corner.

Listen to episode 88.

Categories
Music News and Interviews

This Week’s Giveaways

We have some awesome tickets to give away to start of the month of April.

Tuesday, April 3 – Kimya Dawson with Paleface and Your Heart Breaks

Tuesday, April 3 – Delta Spirit with Waters

Wednesday, April 4 – Of Montreal with Loney Dear and Kishi Bashi

Wednesday, April 4 – Hadwynn with Lion in Winter

Thursday, April 5 – Breathe Carolina, Ready Set with Ashland High, Matt Toka, Romance on a Rocketship

Thursday, April 5 – Band of Heathens with Clay Pigeons

Friday, April 6 – DE’SEAN JONES with The Black Experience, The Real Laww & Toon

Saturday, April 7 – Cannibal Corpse with Exhumed, Abysmal Dawn, Arkaik

Saturday, April 7 – APACHE DROPOUT with Last Year’s MenFlesh Wounds

Sunday, April 8 – PATHOLOGYROSE FUNERAL, PRIAPUSENGULFED IN AFTERBIRTH, SURGICAL

 

We have been doing giveaways on our Twitter and Facebook so be sure to keep up with those pages for more goodies!

 

Categories
Festival Coverage

Danny Brown, Sunn O))) to play Hopscotch

Although the full lineup has yet to be revealed, the fine folks at Hopscotch Music Festival have announced two artists that will play in September. Danny Brown, coming off of the successful release of his 2011 album XXX was announced to play the festival March 29.

Two days earlier Sunn O))) were put on the bill. This will mark the first show for the doom metal rockers in North America since 2010. They will play Saturday, Sept. 8, in the Memorial Auditorium, showing how one of the festival’s latest venues will be put to work.

The full lineup will be announced April 18.

Categories
Non-Music News

EOT87 Student Government Elections 3/27/12

Student Body Presidents – Joining us in the studio we had the three candidates running for Student Body President of NC State University.  Jonathon Smith, Andy Walsh, and Caroline Yopp all agreed to meet with us to discuss some of the issues facing the university and what they would do if elected.

Herman Cain – Herman Cain made a lot of noise last fall during his bid for president.  From his infamous quoting of a Pokemon movie to his nine nine nine tax plan, Mr. Cain sure knows how to make himself heard.  Mark Herring was at the fair grounds to hear him speak at the twenty twelve Wake County GOP Republican Convention.

Cow Milking Contest – In case you missed it, last week was Ag week, an NC State tradition that celebrates this university’s close history with the agriculture community of North Carolina.  The celebrations included games, food, and contests, and Jake was right there in the middle of it all.

The People’s Crisis Screening – The humanitarian crisis in North Korea is no secret to the international community. Although Kim Jong Il is gone, it seems the situation is not getting any better.  Last week, the activist group Liberty in North Korea paid a visit to our campus, screening their film “The People’s Crisis” in the Witherspoon Student Cinema.  Deondre’ Jones has more.

Listen to episode 87.

Categories
Non-Music News

A Very Special Eye On The Triangle!

This week, we have some very special guests here on Eye on the Triangle. We are excited to welcome Jonathan Smith, Andy Walsh, and Caroline Yopp to our studio to discuss the issues that matter to you, the N.C. State community. Polls close tonight at midnight, so if you haven’t voted yet, be sure to do so. In addition, we bring you stories from Ag Awareness Week, the group Liberty in North Korea’s visit, the imPACKt awards, and a visit by Herman Cain to Wake County. It’s going to be a great show, be sure to tune in!

Categories
Non-Music News

EOT86 Spring Break Service 3/19/12

Spring Break Soundbytes – For some, Spring Break is a time to relax, party, or have fun.  For others, it’s a time to work hard and make a little extra money, and for some it’s just extra study time.  No matter what you did over your Spring Break, here’s how some of our fellow students spent theirs.

Guatemala and Chicago Service Work – Two of our contributors spent their Spring Breaks doing something a little different than most college students.  And although their missions took them to completely different parts of the world, their missions were very similar: helping those less fortunate than themselves.

Holi Color Festival – Mark’s uncanny ability to be anywhere anything interesting happens led him to Harris Field, the site of this year’s on-campus Holi celebration, otherwise known as the Hindu Festival of Color.

Military Budget – The United States has the biggets military budget of any developed nation in the world.  It has often been called runaway, and recently politicians have begun to speak of cutting military spending.  Deondre’ Jones offers his thoughts on our country’s military budget.

Birdemic – Could this be the worst movie in existence?  Jake reviews a move of epidemically bad proportions.

Listen to episode 86.

Categories
Festival Coverage Local Music

That Shakori Hills Time of Year

One of my favorite events of last fall was Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival, located in Pittsboro, N.C. Camping out with your friends, seeing incredible live music, and living off campfire food and veggie things for the weekend is a cure for anything that’s been getting you down. And it’s back again for its 10th spring installment, April 19-22.

This spring’s lineup is exciting: Leftover Salmon, Donna the Buffalo, Blitz the Ambassador, The Red Clay Ramblers, BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet, Rubblebucket, Suénalo, Preston Frank, The Sim Redmond Band, Elephant Revival, David Wax Museum, Driftwood, and Lydia Loveless…

Local acts like Diali Cissokho & Kairaba, Holy Ghost Tent Revival, Bombadil, The Beast, Mandolin Orange, Dark Water Rising, Justin Robinson & The Mary Annettes, Greg Humphreys & The Hobex All Stars, Lizzy Ross Band, Music Maker Revue, Midtown Dickens, Rey Norteño, Big Fat Gap, Randy Dean Whitt, New Town Drunks, Sarah Shook & The Devil, Shirlette & The Dynamite Brothers, Apple Chill Cloggers, Onyx Club Boys, Deep Chatham, Curtis Eller, Jeanne Jolly, The Ayr Mountaineers, and Justin Johnson…

And other bands, such as Revelation Mizik, Equanimous Minds, Richie Stearns & Rosie Newton, Jim Avett, Raffa & Rainer, Dirty Bourbon River Show, Harper & Midwest Kind, Old Man Luedecke, The South Carolina Broadcasters, Dutch Bucket System, Galactic Cowboy Orchestra, Farmer Jason, Mad Tea, Bareknuckle Betties, Roxanna & The Rusty Bucket Band, Elkland Art Center Puppets, Town Hall, Kin Ship, and more.

WKNC will be helping you and your friends go this year, with day-passes to giveaway on the Local Lunch, Americana,  Blues & Company, The Church of Bluegrass and the Truer Sounds, Both Kinds Radio and our Facebook page. If you impress the DJ, you may even get the newest Bombadil CD All the Rain Promises as part of your prize! Make sure to tune in and have your phones ready so when the DJ asks for it, you’ll be all set to win!