Category: Blog

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Music News and Interviews

The Post-Rock Block

Be sure to check out our new speciality show, the Post-Rock Block. As you can probably guess our speciality will be Post Rock, we’ll also play related genres like Krautrock and Shoegaze, the direct descendents of post rock. Many of you probably have no idea just what “post-rock” is exactly. According to the all-knowing Wikipedia, post-rock is:

Do Make Say Think

…a genre of alternative rock characterized by the use of musical instruments commonly associated with rock music, but using rhythms, harmonies, melodies, timbre, and chord progressions that are not found in rock tradition. It is the use of ‘rock instrumentation’ for non-rock purposes.

On the Post-Rock Block you can expect to hear more of the longer, stranger, more experimental tracks that you won’t hear during regular rock programming.

The Post-Rock Block will on Sunday from 6-8PM and will be hosted by myself as well as Bridges, Cabbage, May Day, and Matticus Rex.

Listen, it’s gonna be great!

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New Album Review

Ladyhawke = Official Back to School Jam

Ladyhawke’s self titled debut album is the cure for rainy day and/or back-to-school depression. Her sound is like something straight out of the eighties: spunky, upbeat pop that I highly recommend putting on your Ipod for the walk to class. It will put some dance in your step.

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Music News and Interviews

Zooey Deschanel and Ben Gibbard Set to Tie the Knot

Death%20Cab%20for%20Cutie

Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard and actress/She&Him singer Zooey Deschanel ended 2008 by confirming their engagement.  Several sources(including Pitchfork) have publicized the new indie duo.
Deschanel is featured in the movie Yes Man, which is in theaters now. As for the groom, Gibbard’s latest studio effort with Death Cab for Cutie, Narrow Stairs, was released in May 2008. How adorable.

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DJ Highlights

Noobhammer’s Top 10 Metal Albums of 2008

Greetings metal community, the Noobhammer here with my top ten albums which smashed the gates with a hammer full of steel.

10. Trenches-The Tide Will Swallow Us Whole

This album was a complete shocker for me. Yet from the instant I popped in the cd, I knew I had something special. This cd combines the heaviness of Isis with the melody and intensity of Haste The Day.  This cd mixes these two elements perfectly into an album that doesn’t disappoint and will continually surprise you and have you listening to it again.

9. Arsis-We Are The Nightmare

This album blew me away with its sheer technicality and intensity. Arsis have always been one of those bands that just shock you with their skills on their respective instruments. This cd is no exception. With a step above United In Regret production wise, Arsis shows us what they can do when they flex their muscles and release that Virginian Death Metal machine.

Battlelore-The Last Alliance

8. Battlelore-The Last Alliance

Can you go wrong with Lord of the Rings? The answer is no, no you cannot. Battlelore has proven this by releasing their 5th full length album based off the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. They seem to gain their stride back with this release after releasing the much softer Evernight album previous to this one.

7. The Sword-Gods of the Earth

The Sword have quickly become one of the best stoner bands to ever come out. This cd is no exception. Their best work to date showcases what The Sword do best: Black Sabbathesque riffs that hook you and lyrics that just make no sense but will have you singing along nevertheless. That is what makes this album so great, their simplicity.

6. Sabaton-The Art of War

Sabaton has made a name for themselves as a power metal band that sings about wars. This album though is a album about the art of war. It has Sun Tzu’s teachings throughout it as we hear about Rommel’s Tank Division, the deaths in the trenches during WWI. This cd is just epic with its material and depth. It also has some very catchy songs that will have you banging your head.

5. Into Eternity-The Incurable Tragedy

The opening lines of this album, “The story is over”, paint the bleak outlook this album has with its concept about a patient who has cancer. This emotionally driven cd is some of the best work Into Eternity has done to date. Stu’s voice really shines on this album as well as Tim’s guitar playing. The mature growth that this band has shown over their last few albums is amazing and makes me impatient for the next album.

4. Avantasia-The Scarecrow

Tobias Sammet’s brainchild guest musician band is one of the best things to hit the metal world with it’s rock opera story and guest singers. I kept coming back to this album alot over the year due to it’s catchy songwriting and “can’t help but make you smile” lyrics. Michael Kiske, Alice Kooper, Jorn Lande, and kai Hansen all appear on this album making it a true masterpiece and hit album.

3. Pyramaze-Immortal

Pyramaze rose from ashes with the great Matt Barlow on vocals bringing out Pyramaze’s true potential and showing us what we all missed when Matt Barlow left the metal world. This cd just wakes you up and smacks you in the face with powerful lyrics and music. This is truly the year of the phoenix for most bands as they rose from the ashes into the spotlight of greatness.

2. Iced Earth-The Crucible of Man: Something Wicked Part 2

This was almost my album of the year just for its sheer genius and beauty that is contained within its walls. This album showed us what Iced Earth truly is, that no matter how many members they go through they can always release a great album. This album though brought back the prodigal son, Matt Barlow back to the folds of Iced Earth. His voice just fits so natural with John Schaffer’s guitars. This showed us the true power of Iced Earth and left us wanting more.

THIS IS IT!!! MY ALBUM OF THE YEAR!!! IT IS……

1. Cynic-Traced In Air

This is it. The big enchilada. Did you really not see this coming? I mean come on I even said that it was the year of the phoenix for most bands, and Cynic is truly a phoenix. They died in ‘93 with Focus and were recently reborn with Traced In Air. They have truly made a masterpiece that many will be talking about for the next fifteen years. This album can be listened to so many times, and yet you wish that there was more. That’s how good it is. It wants you to have more and just shows what a truly masterful beauty this album is that many bands could only dream of attaining. These guys deserve the album of the year for writing a true masterpiece that goes along with A Piece of Time.

-Noobhammer

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DJ Highlights

WKNC’s Top 10 Daytime Albums of ’08

WKNC’s daytime music directors spent their first week of the new year locked in a room with nothing but a typewriter and 4 cartons of Lucky Strikes.  The result is the list published below of our picks for top albums of ‘08.

1. Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago

2. Fleet Foxes – Fleet Foxes

3. French Kicks – Swimming

4. Helio Sequence – Keep Your Eyes Ahead

5. TV on the Radio – Dear Science

6. Why? – Alopecia

7. Mr. Gnome – Deliver This Creature

8. Hot Chip – Made in the Dark

9. A Faulty Chromosome -as an ex-anorexic’s six sicks exit,…

10. Lost in the Trees – All Alone in an Empty House

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Music News and Interviews

After 22 years Yo La Tengo has changed thier name.

To the Condo Fucks. That’s right, one of indie rock’s oldest and most respected bands is now called the Condo Fucks. It’s hardly surprising from the band that called thier last album “I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass.” The change is not permanent, at least I hope not. Their forthcoming LP ‘Fuckbook’ will apparently consist mostly of covers.

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Band/Artist Profile

Bo Burnham, The Best Rapping Since Holiday Gifts Were Wrapped

YouTube is notorious for taking a typical person with a weird talent and transforming him or her into a celebrity. That wasn’t what I was thinking when I ventured onto the website one cold evening, however, I ended up stumbling upon one YouTube celebrity. His name is Bo Burnham. 

Bo Burnham is a young, northern, white lyrical genius. He has written 8 songs and created several short skits. 

Bo has been compared to comedians like Adam Sandler and Steve Martin, with sexual references and crazy puns! His best line, in my humble opinion is,

“You know im a gangsta, you know I do coke, But I had to go to diet, cause it burnt my throat.”

The best part of his whole act, though, are the intros and exits. He creates such an awkward pre-pubescent persona for himself… and it works. The introduction to his rap, “Bo Fo’ Sho’,” suggests that a hot woman was just in his bed doing sexual things… like, word-for-word.

“See you later incredibly hot chick. Come back anytime and do sexual things, like how we were just doing…" 

So, what does this mean for you? It means that Bo Burnham is becoming so popular that he has become slang. His name is synonyms with "cool” and “awesome.” For example, WKNC is not just Bo. WKNC is BO BURNHAM! Okay, so maybe his name is only slang among friends, loved ones, colleagues… but I feel that it has potential to be great. I encourage you to use it.

But first, Listen to him, it will blow your mind.

Categories
Music News and Interviews

I Was Totally Destroying It makes the Onion AV Club’s year end list.

Of worst and funniest band names. That’s right WKNC favorites I Was Totally Destroying It, now officially have one of either the worst or the funniest band names in the country.

My personal favorite is “3 Piston Ass Hammer”.

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DJ Highlights

Top 10 Hip Hop Albums of 2008

Below is a list of what the WKNC Hip Hop DJs have come to an agreement to be the ten best hip hop albums of 2008. They are not ranked in anyway just listed. If you haven’t listened to one of these albums I strongly urge you to give them a listen.

Paper Trail by T.I.
Leave It All Behind by Foreign Exchange
The Carter 3 by Lil Wayne
Universal Mind Control by Common
Theater of Mind by Ludacris
The Renaissance by Q Tip
Emeritus by Scarface
Untitled by Nas
Rising Down by The Roots
Million Dollar Back Pack by Skillz

Categories
DJ Highlights

NEW WKNC Shedule is Up

Happy New Year to all.  As is necessary every semester here at NC State, WKNC must alter its schedule to fit the available times of all of our volunteers and DJs.

This spring semester is exciting in that we have established a new Weekend Program, the Post Rock Block.  Every Sunday from 6-8pm you can hear your favorite 35 minute long, noise filled, post rock tunes, hosted by DJs Gray Matter, Bridges, Cabbage, Matticus Rex and May Day.

Also, our weekly sports show, Call of The Wolf, has been changed from Thursday evenings to Tuesday evenings from 7-8pm, and is now hosted by a couple new members.

Local Lunch introduces one new DJ, DJ Ray on Tuesdays, and welcomes back DJ Caid on Mondays.  DJ Cabbage has switched to Wednesday, Murdoc to Thursdays, and Chelsey stays put for her normal Friday show.

Chainsaw has also moved up 2 hours to Thursday night starting at 10pm.  This change may not be permanent, but we are happy to give our dedicated Chainsaw listeners some extra time to get their rock on.

For more shows and times visit our Schedule Page.