Category: Blog

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Concert Review

Show Review – Pinback

Pinback’s recent performance at the Cat’s Cradle on Tuesday, September 17th was one that I was looking forward to.  I was excited to see a band that I had followed for a few years, and I was especially curious as to how they would perform live.  On their records, Pinback tends to create a unique, layered, mesmerizing sound that’s got consistent rhythm and tons of reverb, the latter two being especially true on their album, Autumn of the Seraphs (2007).  I’ll admit that their albums can be somewhat fatiguing with the similar repetition of sounds in many of their songs, along with bold and (after a while) brash vocals.  However, I didn’t expect their live performance to be as exhausting as it was.  Most songs were extremely rushed, including some of my favorites such as “Microtonic Wave,” “Barnes,” and “Good to Sea.”  The reason for this change in tempo is unclear, because it certainly did not make them sound better.  Perhaps they were tired of playing them or felt they needed to bring more energy to their set, but I really felt this wasn’t the best decision on their part.

There were some highlights to this performance, however.  I enjoyed the pulp sci-fi, somewhat campy collection of videos that played throughout their set; it really created a sense of surreal, other-worldliness that matched well with their sound.  Rob Crow, the lead singer of the band, came into the audience and all the way back to the venue with his wired microphone, causing the entire audience to quickly step over the extension cord as he continued to walk around singing the song.  This was funny and entertaining, but overall the stage performance the musicians gave was fairly stagnant. Overall, I wished the songs could’ve been played at the pace that’s on the albums.

Categories
Concert Review

Show Review: Washed Out

For a band who helped define a genre referred to as “chillwave”, Washed Out brought a lot of energy to their live set last night at Cat’s Cradle. The stage was set in cheesy but endearing floral decor that, in combination with the band’s dreamy tunes, created a nice halcyon effect inside the window-less venue.

Although the group relies heavily on electronic effects in recording, their sound transferred seamlessly to a live show, thanks in part to a great stage presence by Ernest Greene. The set included a nice mix of songs from both full-length albums and even a performance of “Despicable Dogs”, the band’s remix of a Small Black single. Even the most awkward of hipsters felt a tugging at their hips as the group jammed through their indie hits, eventually ending the night with “Eyes Be Closed.” Any show that can make people lose themselves to groove on a Monday night deserves some recognition, and these guys killed it.

Set List:
It All Feels Right
Belong
New Theory
Get Up
Far Away
Despicable Dogs
All I Know
Don’t Give Up
Feel It All Around
Amor Fati

Hold Out
Eyes Be Closed

Categories
Non-Music News

EOT126 Red4EdNC 9/17/13

This week’s topics include an interview about the Red4EdNC movement, the creators of Jar with a Twist, and the first in a series about forest fires.

Listen to episode 126.

Categories
Weekly Charts

Top Ten Afterhours Albums for 9/23

1 VARIOUS ARTISTS    ”Verve Remixed: The First Ladies”    (Verve)

2  GOLD PANDA    ”Half Of Where You Live”    (Ghostly)

3 HERMITUDE    ”HyperParadise”    (Elefant Traks)

4 MODERAT    ”II”    (Mute)

5 Pretty Lights    ”Color Map of the Sun”    (8 Minutes 20 Seconds)

6 JON HOPKINS    ”Immunity”    (Domino)

7 MINDELIXIR    ”Lunology”    (Outside)    

8 Dameron    ”Bronx Showdown”    (Self-Release)    

9 MACHINEDRUM    "Eyesdontlie" [Single]    (Ninja Tune)

10 JONO MCCLEERY    ”Ballade”    (Ninja Tune)

Categories
Music News and Interviews

Krill Interview

Krill is a Boston trio comprised of three friends Jonah Furman (bass/vocals), Luke Pyenson (drums), and Aaron Ratoff (guitar). They just recently released their second full-length Lucky Leaves in June of this year.

The trio was born out of the same DIY scene that spawned bands such as Speedy Ortiz and Pile. Like their counterparts, they have an innovative take on the world of indie music that has begun to garner national attention from the likes of Pitchfork and Consequence of Sound. Their frenetic brand of emotive experimental indie rock brings to mind the early days of Modest Mouse and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. The heavy weight of the dark music paired with the emotional, self-deprecating lyrics are carried across by Luke’s spastic drums, Jonah’s flooring bass, and Aaron’s driving, piercing guitar. The play between musicians coupled with the interesting time signatures and syncopated rhythms set this band apart from the rest.

Krill just recently set out on their month long east coast tour and hit up The Mattress Fort here in Raleigh for a Post Hopscotch Show. I caught up with Krill the next morning and you can check out their interview below as well as on iTunes on our podcast.

http://wheretheresakrilltheresaway.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/krillforever
https://twitter.com/krilliamhmacy

Listen here.

Categories
New Album Review

New Local Music

Loamlands – Some Kind of Light

Loamlands is the new project from Will and Kym of Midtown Dickens and it retains a lot of the Southern aesthetics of their previous project. However, Loamlands leans more towards a country/blues orientation than Midtown, resulting in some subdued rustic goodness.

(LOCAL ARTIST OF THE MONTH)

Jonathan Scales Fourchestra – Jonathan Scales Fourchestra

Jonathan Scales is a steel pan drummer from Asheville and the Fourchestra creates exhilarating jazz music. Brilliantly combining technique and flare, the Fourchestra produces easily accessible music that’s as entertaining as it is impressive.

Blanko Basnet – Blanko Basnet

The new project from Joe Hall of Hammer No More The Fingers, Blanko Basnet retains a lot of Hammer’s bouncy indie rock sounds while containing enough originality to feel like an exciting new project. Hall’s songs have a bit more expansive properties and tend to stray away from formulaic melodies, making for an always enjoyable listen.

Mandolin Orange – This Side of Jordan

Mandolin Orange have taken on a much more somber sound for their latest release. While most releases from the band have featured a few catchy, upbeat tracks, This Side of Jordan displays the band’s sense of restraint. There’s still a few gems that feature Andrew’s bluegrassy mandolin intros and jangly strumming, but most tracks lean more towards the heartfelt folk category that propelled the band to local fame. Still jam-packed with gorgeous harmonies, which is quite frankly the most important part of this brilliant duo.

Ghostt Bllonde – TrashPop//DoomWop

Ghostt Bllonde’s debut full-length marks a heightened fidelity for the band, trading in some of their trademark hisses for a more defined sound that does them well. Kuzio’s angst-ridden vocals still contain the same ferocity as before, but the melodies no longer hide behind a super lo-fi veil.

Jackson Scott – Melbourne

This guy came out of nowhere and has already gotten signed to Fat Possum, all from a Pitchfork piece. It’s kind of bonkers how swiftly he developed a buzz, but this Asheville based songwriter produces catchy albeit bleak songs with an early 90s indie rock aesthetic. Definitely worth a listen.

Shannon Whitworth – High Tide

Fantastic blend of Americana stylings with indie-rock instrumentation. Whitworth has an enchanting voice that nestles itself firmly within the intricate confines of Seth Kaufman’s stellar instrumental work.

 

Morning Brigade – Above Our Heads

An excellent young act from Chapel Hill that produces a self-described brand of “autumnal indie-folk.” They feel very reminiscent of Lost in the Trees, they’ve got a promising sound that’s deeply rooted in their surroundings and innermost thoughts. Good stuff!

 

Manna Frost Trio – As For Martinton

Excellent stuff from a relatively new band out of Chapel Hill. This album is filled with rich vocal harmonies and an expansive sound that feels a lot like early My Morning Jacket. They maintain their folky foundation while exploring the outer-reaches of the genre’s limits.

Sylvan Esso -“Hey Mami”/“Play It Right”

Oh my god, if you haven’t listened to this band yet you should just go ahead and do so. Sylvan Esso consists of Nick Sanborn of Megafaun and Amelia Meath of Mountain Man, together they produce a mesmerizing blend of hip-hop based beat music that’s filled with Meath’s twee-folk vocal stylings. Great stuff.

Gross Ghost – “Version of Love”/“You Will”

Gross Ghost is prepping for their full-length debut on Odessa Records and they’ve released two new singles thusfar. “Version of Love” isn’t going to be featured on the album but it accurately highlights the difficult break-up that Mike Dillon has gone through between the release of Brer Rabbit and their upcoming Public Housing. “You Will” is the album’s first single and boasts an infectious chorus with Gross Ghost’s typical fuzzed out instrumentation. Great stuff!

Categories
Non-Music News

Gregg Museum “Measure of Earth” Opening

This Thursday, September 19th, the Gregg Museum opens the first of its fall exhibitions, Measure of Earth: Textiles and Territory in West Africa. There will be a reception from 6-8 pm at the African American Cultural Center Gallery, 2nd floor of Witherspoon Student Center.

Drawing primarily from the rich holdings of African materials in the Gregg Museum’s permanent collections, MEASURE OF EARTH explores the intricate relationships and meanings behind the patterns and imagery of West African textiles. The exhibition title refers to how African art not only serves to form visual links between local traditions and specific features and places in the landscape, but also to the geometric patterning that yields vivid visual energy to the textiles, artifacts and clothing that people wear. The word “geometry” derives from Latin words for “earth” and “measuring.”

This exhibition will last from September 19-December 18, 2013.

Categories
Weekly Charts

Top Ten Afterhours Albums for 9/16

1 Pretty Lights    ”Color Map of the Sun”    (8 Minutes 20 Seconds)

2 VARIOUS ARTISTS    ”Verve Remixed: The First Ladies”    (Verve)

3 ETIENNE DE CRECY    ”Beats N Cubes Vol 2″    (Win)

4 RUXPIN    ”This Time We All Go Together”    (n5MD)

5  GOLD PANDA    ”Half Of Where You Live”    (Ghostly)

6 JONO MCCLEERY    ”Ballade”    (Ninja Tune)

7 MODERAT    ”II”    (Mute)

8 MINDELIXIR    ”Lunology”    (Outside)           

9 JON HOPKINS    ”Immunity”    (Domino)

10 PALENKE SOULTRIBE    ”Mar”    (Self-Released)

 

Categories
Music News and Interviews

Ticket Giveaways for Sigur Rós and Nine Inch Nails!

 

This week, WKNC will be giving away a number of tickets for two upcoming Raleigh concerts presented by Live Nation: Sigur Rós at the Red Hat Amphitheater on September 21 and Nine Inch Nails with special guest Godspeed You! Black Emperor at the PNC Arena is a month later on October 21.  All you have to do is listen attentively to WKNC, be the correct caller when the DJ on-air asks for calls, and you can win a pair of tickets for yourself and a friend to have some sweet fun at an awesome concert!  The more you listen, the more likely you’ll hear a DJ ask for calls!

Categories
Festival Coverage

Post-Scotch: Mainstream Noise By David

If Merzbow plays a set in a forest, and no one is around to hear it, did the noise actually happen? If I could sum up my takeaway from Hopscotch 2k13 in one sentence, it would be with this simple thought: What other festival could bring a Merzbow or a Wolf Eyes to North Carolina and play him to packed crowds? A Pharmakon show well attended in Raleigh? The band Sleep being a major topic of conversation? To me, these all seem like nerdy music pipe dreams for kids who tweet too much. Yet this is the diversity and breadth of the people that Hopscotch brings together from all over the country. People from all walks of life come together at this festival because they love music, and it’s truly a remarkable thing to see. So with these warm fuzzies in mind, here are some memorable highlights from my experience this year!

First, yes. Yes it happened. I finally got to see Grouper live. The clouds parted over Raleigh and I saw the entire universe in a perfect light. Or something. My fanboy dial turned down slightly here though, the numinous atmosphere of Fletcher Opera Theatre and the subtle visuals complementing Liz Harris’ spare drone made for a hypnotizing performance that Thursday. I was in heaven. Completely on the opposite spectrum, but equally sonically pleasing was the ever-manic Marnie Stern, who I saw shred faces at Lincoln Theatre that same night. Her ridiculously energetic set guaranteed I’ll be humming “Year Of The Glad” for the rest of the fall.

Saturday, I caught The Beets, who are a garage band signed to Hardly Art that I had never heard of, and who ended up being one of my favorite sets of the festival. As you can see from the photo I snapped above, their set was dark and grungy and intimate in the best kind of way. I also saw Swearin, who I really enjoyed, and who are perhaps one of the most underrated indie pop bands (spoke too soon?) touring right now. My soul to be a Crutchfield.

Did things get weird? It’s Hopscotch, of course they did. I watched Thurston Moore play a blistering improv noise set with Merzbow for a packed crowd at Kings. I ended up onstage with Mykki Blanco and about 20 other people while she played “Wavvy.” I met the mysterious DJ Paypal. I saw Holly Herndon perform at CAM behind weird CGI visuals of Japanese Amazon boxes as they floated through panoramic photos of Asian families. Yes, read that last sentence twice. I saw Pissed Jeans’ frontman, semi-clothed, as he taunted the audience and stacked his band’s amps in a pyramid in the middle of Pour House’s stage. I absolutely saw Ryan Hemsworth drop a remix of a song from the Rugrats movie, and we all danced, because it was phenomenal.

I don’t want to be too sentimental or corny about it, but I really loved this year. I love how much I learn about music from this festival every year, and I love the fascinating people it allows me to meet. Pere Ubu and Earl Sweatshirt played 5 minutes from my apartment because of this festival. Viva La Hopscotch.