Category: Blog

Archers of Loaf – “Vee Vee (Remastered)”

Post author By Ben
Post date October 1, 2023

Original "Vee Vee" cover art by Archers of Loaf.

More North Carolina. More! Archers of Loaf is one of my personal favorite bands that have stemmed from the Raleigh-Durham area. This is a band that is compared to Pavement, Sonic-Youth, and the Replacements (all on their Spotify bio).

Archers of Loaf formed in 1991 at UNC with Eric Bachmann (guitar and vocals), Eric Johnson (guitar), Matt Gentling (bass) and Mark Price (drums). All members are from the Asheville area, so they’re all born and bred North Carolinians.

Their first studio album, “Icky Mettle” was released in 1993. It features a few of their most popular tracks, “Web in Front”, “Fat” and “Plumb Line”, and this album is great but I’ll be focused on “Vee Vee”, the Archers’ third studio album, released in 1995.

“Vee Vee”

In “Vee Vee”, Archers of Loaf introduce us to their album through discordant guitar instrumental set as a pathway to backyard, grunge-y hang-out vibes. The first track, “Step into the Light” absorbs your consciousness and releases you ‘into the light’. It trickles down my spine and leaves me shivering and smiling in preparation for the rest of the album.

Second up is “Harnessed in Slums”. I mean, this whole album’s sound is a tribute by misfits and outcasts for misfits and outcasts: the musically un-inclined, the thrown away, the disowned folks that are trying to find their own way. The harsher vocals in this track make it like a punk, tailor trash theme song. If you’re feeling dejected, come and get some vengeful vibes from this track.

“Let the Loser Melt”: the lyrics, vocals and all aspects of this song combine to create a jarring scene of getting stuck, unstuck, then stuck again. I love the sensations Archers are able to pull off within this song. We don’t know where we’re gonna get halted until it happens again and again.

In their final track from “Vee Vee”, the “Underachievers March and Fight Song”, is an ode to frustration and freedom from stupid values hanging over all our heads. “Underachievers” calls all of us folks trying to get by with little friction to stand up and fight. The track might be a seven and a half minute t, but there’s a nice long four to five minute gap of silence then a chaotic clanging to finish the track and album. It does the most with very little effort, a true underachiever.

Yee Yee

I love this album. It’s my favorite from Archers of Loaf’s suite of releases because of its discordant punk and indie rock fusions. The band is a North Carolina staple in the indie rock world where I hope Wednesday and younger bands can soon (or maybe they already have) replace them as this generation’s finest from North Carolina.

If you haven’t spun this record or anything from Archers of Loaf already, definitely take some time to check them out. And, if you already love them like myself, then revisit and enjoy the wonderful sounds stemming from this wonderfully mediocre state.

Eat trash because it will clean our city streets.

Ben

Tags Archers of Loaf, chef, north carolina, WKNC

New Album Review

Album Review: “Girls Love Jungle” by gum.mp3 & Dazegxd

Post author By chalcopyrite
Post date October 1, 2023

Listen, I know. Every other electronic release has breaks and a Y2K aesthetic these days. I understand if you’re looking for something else. However, this is also why I need you to believe me when I say that this album is, in fact, really good.

“Girls Love Jungle” is a collaborative album between North Carolina-based artist gum.mp3 and the New York City-based Dazegxd. Over its 31 minutes, the two fuse the style of both 90’s and modern electronic to create something that’s ultimately unique.

The first three tracks best showcase this combination to me. Opener “Mania” leans more on the modern end, with the most obvious example being the prominent crash-police-siren sample that’s now irreparably linked to the very recent genre of hyperflip.

It’s then followed by “Bad 4 Us,” which has a higher focus on the smooth keyboards and vocal samples common to older jungle, but its production style is still unmistakably modern.

The last of this opening run is “Imitator,” which strips back the production to focus almost entirely on the breaks and a handful of sampled instruments, and the result feels timeless.

The rest of the album continues playing with these ideas of new and old, and eventually ends on the duo each doing a solo track. Dazegxd’s, “Don’t You See,” is probably my favorite song on “Girls Love Jungle,” which is also a statement that makes me feel like I’m abandoning my local artists. The track focuses on its main vocal sample for most of its run, then turns into complex breaks that scratch an itch I didn’t realize I had for its last third.

gum.mp3’s solo track, “Mind Reader,” takes the opposite, moodier approach. It’s much steadier, and its vocals are front and center when compared to most of the other tracks on the album. It’s an interesting way to close out the album, but I’m ultimately glad for it.

Overall, “Girls Love Jungle” is a great addition to the ever-expanding list of modern albums influenced by the past, and especially another to the list of (in this case, partially) local electronic. Both Dazegxd and gum.mp3 have a lot of potential, and I’m excited for their futures.

-chalcopyrite

Tags Afterhours, WKNC, WKNC 88.1

Band/Artist Profile Concert Preview

Concert Preview: Deeper/Godcaster

Post author By J
Post date September 30, 2023

As we near the halfway point of the fall semester, — some of us walking, some of us lumbering like wounded animals — the necessity for distraction and/or stimulation abounds.

For me personally, the monotony of the daily grind (waking up at 7 a.m., riding the Wolfline, walking to class, rinse and repeat) compounds in a strong desire to Go To Shows.

Photo by Evgeniy Smersh on Unsplash

The biggest challenge for the average show-goer (aside from a litany of counfounding variables surrounding money, transportation and our ongoing(?) public health crisis) is knowing when and where shows are happening.

As somebody who has missed several shows already this year, I’m choosing to use my platform for the public good.

This upcoming Saturday (September 30), rock bands Godcaster and Deeper are playing live at Durham’s Pinhook at 7:00 p.m.

Where will you find yourself this weekend?

Godcaster

Godcaster is an art rock sextet based in Brooklyn, New York.

As part of their ongoing “Like a Heartache in Your Head” American tour, they’ll be making a stop in Durham this Saturday.

How can one best describe the sound of Godcaster? The band has breadth, spanning a wide range of sounds and sensations across their discography.

Cover for “Long Haired Locusts” by Godcaster

Comparable to Black Midi, Godcaster delivers tracks ranging from saccharine sweetness to guttural fervor, pivoting between energies with dizzying abruptness.

While some Godcaster songs inspire visions of sprawling meadows and fawns drinking from babbling brooks, others pass by in a whirlwind of dionysian frenzy.

Deeper

Hailing from Chicago, Illinois, Deeper is an idyllic post-punk band sounding straight out of the garage.

My first encounter with the band came back in 2020 with their album “Auto-Pain.”

Cover for “Auto-Pain” by Deeper

Oscillating between the realms of indie rock and post-punk, “Auto-Pain” is a great place to start exploring the band’s discography.

Charmingly youthful and upbeat, Deeper’s music paints a vast mural of pleasing rhythms and beats that fill the chest like bees in a hive.

Final Thoughts

I’ll be dragging my baby brother to this gig on Saturday (so expect a concert review in these next few weeks) as part of my plan to help him speed run his “pretentious music boy” phase.

Whether or not this is possible remains to be seen.

But I’m excited for the opportunity to share this experience with him and to, for just a couple hours, fill my brain with jilting guitar instead of academic journals.

Keep an eye out for more concert previews, which I will be hopefully releasing in a more timely manner than this one.

Tags college radio, deeper, garage rock, godcaster, local, local shows, NC State, post punk, WKNC, WKNC 88.1

Classic Album Review

The Connells- “Ring”

Post author By Ben
Post date September 30, 2023

The Connells', "Ring", studio album cover.

The Connells, a North Carolina band that originated in 1984, didn’t achieve overwhelming success in the United States. Their primary fanbase came from Europe following the release of their hit single, “‘74-’75”, off their fifth studio album, “Ring” (History of the Connells).

The band is made up of Mike Ayers (guitar), David Connell (bass), brother Mike Connell (guitar and vocals), Robb Ladd (drums), Doug MacMillan (vocals) and Steve Potak (keys).

The Connells’ sound is a great blend of pop-y rock, cheesy lyrics, fun melodies and good vibes. In their album, “Ring”, released in 1993 under TVT Records, this album was their breakout album with songs like “‘74-’75” and “Slackjawed”.

“Ring”

Let’s get into a few of the tracks on this album. First up, “Slackjawed”, it opens the whole album with Mike Connells’ vocals and a slow, cheer-y guitar melody. The vocals are reminiscent of someone longing for a better experience in love. There’s a lot of yearning in the guitar riffs too, which adds to the catchy nature of this track. It’s a simple love ballad but The Connells do a good job of crafting a distinct sound with their vocals and lyrics.

“Doin’ You” is another of my favorites from this album. George Huntley, a guest on this album, is on the vocals for this track. It has some funky lyrics and more over-the-top cliches like “doin’ you is like doin’ time” but it’s really attractive and fun to admire.

Next up in my list of favorites is “New Boy”, which I think is the most unique lyrically on the whole album. This is another Mike Connell vocal track, so his soft voice carries us through emotions like regret and confusion. The two feelings meddle and mix with each other, creating a weird submission to invisible guilts.

NC Is Home:

The Connells started releasing more music recently in the past couple years after a long hiatus with their newest album “Steadman’s Wake”. I have yet to experience this album, but after my dive into the sounds that made The Connells who they are today, I will be checking it out very soon.

It’s great to see bands that started in this state, continue making music their way without giving into ideals that are already prevalent everywhere. The Connells could have made their music conform to usual pop-rock ideals of the 80’s and 90’s, but they kept to their sound and found their audiences through brute force and great perseverance.

Take a dive to ’74-’75,

Ben

Tags chef, north carolina, The Connells, WKNC

Weekly Charts

Top Charts 9/26/23

Post author By WKNC Admin
Post date September 27, 2023

Top Charts

#	Artist	Record	Label
1	BEN FOLDS	What Matters Most	New West
2	YVES TUMOR	Praise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)	Warp
3	12 RODS	If We Stayed Alive	American Dreams/Husky Pants
4	BEING DEAD	When Horses Would Run	Bayonet
5	PALEHOUND	Eye On The Bat	Polyvinyl
6	MANNEQUIN PUSSY	“I Got Heaven” [Single]	Epitaph
7	PARIS TEXAS	Mid Air	Paris Texas/The Orchard
8	SUDAN ARCHIVES	“Selfish Soul” (ODESZA Remix) [Single]	Stones Throw/Foreign Family Collective/Ninja Tune
9	YES YES A THOUSAND TIMES YES	Supertinyinfinitedans	Really Rad
10	BIG THIEF	“Vampire Empire” [Single]	4AD
11	HAVIAH MIGHTY	Crying Crystals	Mighty Gang
12	KARI FAUX	REAL B*TCHES DON’T DIE	Drink Sum Wtr
13	MICK JENKINS	The Patience	BMG
14	PANCHIKO	Failed At Math(s)	Self-Released
15	WOMBO	Slab [EP]	Fire Talk
16	ALTERNATE LIFE FORCE	A.L.F. – The Initial Transmissions [EP]	Self-Released
17	ARIESMARICA	Everything After The Debut Is Gay [EP]	Self-Released
18	BILLY WOODS AND KENNY SEGAL	Maps	Backwoodz Studioz/Fat Possum
19	BRITTAN ASHFORD	Trotter	Misra
20	CASTLE CHAMP	No We Go	Self-Released
21	CORVAIR	Bound To Be	Paper Walls
22	DEAR DERRICK	“Love” [Single]	Only Popcorn/9 To 5
23	FLAMINGOSIS, EHIOROBO	Bliss Station	Self-Released
24	FLOATING POINTS	“Someone Close” [Single]	Ninja Tune
25	FLY ANAKIN	Skinemaxxx (Side B)	Lex
26	JEFF ROSENSTOCK	HELLMODE	Polyvinyl
27	JIMMY EDGAR	LIQUIDS HEAVEN	Innovative Leisure
28	K-RIZ	One Way Ticket	Birthday Cake
29	KAMAUU	Lacuna & The House Of Mirrors	Atlantic
30	KILL BILL: THE RAPPER	Fullmetal Kaiju	EXOCIETY

Top Charts

#	Artist	Record	Label
1	RATBOYS	The Window	Topshelf
2	CHERRY GLAZERR	“Sugar” [Single]	Secretly Canadian
3	CITIZEN	“When I Let You Down” [Single]	Run For Cover
4	ANGEL DUST	Brand New Soul	Pop Wig
5	CAT VALLEY	Bingo Queen [EP]	Self-Released
6	UCHE YARA	“www she hot” [Single]	Goldendays FM
7	BAR ITALIA	“My Little Tony” [Single]	Matador
8	SLAUGHTER BEACH DOG	Crying, Laughing, Waving, Smiling	Lame-O
9	TRUTH CLUB	“Uh Oh” [Single]	Double Double Whammy
10	FROST CHILDREN	“Lethal” [Single]	True Panther

Tags NACC Weekly Charts

DJ Highlights

WKNC Named Finalist for Multiple National Awards

Post author By Jamie Lynn Gilbert
Post date September 27, 2023

WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1/HD-2 has earned three nominations in College Broadcasters, Inc.’s National Student Production Awards, which were announced Aug. 22.

Rosie Rose, who graduated in August 2022 with a degree in communication media, is a finalist for Best DJ. Rose hosted “The Riot Hours” as Rainbow Riot. Rose was previously honored in the DJ personality category of the College Media Association Film and Audio Festival, earning first place in 2021 and second place in 2022.

Rose Kelley, a third-year student studying political science and the station’s content manager, is a finalist for Best Podcast for the “Lincoln and Liberty Too!” episode of the U.S. political history podcast “In the West Wing.” The episode explores the chaotic presidential election of 1860 in which Republican Abraham Lincoln defeated Southern Democrat John C. Breckinridge, Democrat Stephen A. Douglas and Constitutional Union candidate John Bell.

The third nomination is for Video Promo for Katie Quesinberry, a third-year student studying chemical engineering who worked as one of WKNC’s video content creators. The “WKNC Presents Double Barrel Benefit 19” promo was filmed using stop-monition animation, a package of cut-out stars from Target and a Scrabble tile set.

Winners will be announced at College Broadcasters, Inc.’s National Student Electronic Media Convention in Orlando on Oct. 21.

WKNC is also a finalist in the video/audio category of College Media Association’s Pinnacle awards, announced Sept. 6.

Carter Norfleet, a third-year student studying English-creative writing and one of WKNC’s video content creators, is a finalist for Best Short (sub-3 minute) Video for Entertainment, for “A Day with Art.” All finalists are in the Division I category for schools with an undergraduate enrollment of 10,000 or more.

KONDE Brown, a fourth-year student studying communication and the station’s 2022-2023 production manager, is a finalist for Best Audio Promo/PSA with Maddy Moore, a fourth-year student in textile technology. The promo is for Moore’s “The Doghouse” DJ shift, which currently airs Fridays at 11 a.m. on WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1.

The third Pinnacle nomination is for Best Audio Talk/Entertainment Program for the “On Island.” episode of “On Black.” The program, which airs every other Saturday at 11 a.m. on WKNC 88.1 FM HD-1 and is available as a podcast, is hosted by Alexis Grant, a third-year student studying material science engineering, Jeanine Ikekhua, a fourth-year student studying communication and international studies, and Hamsata Mazou, a third-year student studying business administration. In the “On Island” episode the hosts discuss how they would structure their own island, including who would be allowed in and what rules would be established.

WKNC was previously named a finalist for best radio station by College Media Association in this year’s Pinnacle awards.

Student newspaper Technician was also named a finalist for best editorial in the reporting category, for the Oct. 22 editorial “NC State’s lack of transparency surrounding campus tragedies harms us all.”

Winners will be announced at the College Media Association’s National College Media Convention in Atlanta on Oct. 31.

Along with the National Student Production Awards and Pinnacle Awards, NC State is a finalist for at least one award in the College Media Business and Advertising Managers annual contest. While no specifics were given, the award(s) will be presented Oct. 14 at the organization’s annual convention in Minneapolis.

Tags awards, College Broadcasters Inc, college media association, WKNC

Weekly Charts

Underground Charts 9/26/23

Post author By WKNC Admin
Post date September 27, 2023

Underground Charts

#	Artist	Record	Label
1	DANGER MOUSE AND JEMINI	Born Again	Lex
2	MICK JENKINS	The Patience	BMG
3	DJ UNKNOWN	Prisoners Of Gravity	Urbnet
4	FLY ANAKIN	Skinemaxxx (Side B)	Lex
5	TEEZO TOUCHDOWN	How Do You Sleep At Night?	RCA
6	TOMMY RICHMAN	The Rush [EP]	Pulse/Concord
7	MOKA ONLY	In And Of Itself	Urbnet
8	K-RIZ	One Way Ticket	Birthday Cake
9	MCKINLEY DIXON	Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!?	City Slang
10	EARL HONDO	Southernplayalistic [EP]	Self-Released

Underground Adds

#	Artist	Record	Label
1	K-RIZ	One Way Ticket	Birthday Cake
2	KIPP STONE	66689 BLVD	Closed Sessions
3	ILLA J	No Traffic	BBE
4	MOKA ONLY	In And Of Itself (Instrumentals)	Urbnet
5	AESOP ROCK	“Mindful Solutionism” [Single]	Rhymesayers
6	HEADKRACK (FT. METHOD MAN, KOOL KEITH AMD FLY DEFF)	Buck Wild	Co-sign
7	THE STRANGERS	The Strangers	Co-Sign

Tags NACC Weekly Charts

Weekly Charts

Chainsaw Charts 9/26/23

Post author By WKNC Admin
Post date September 26, 2023

Chainsaw Charts

#	Artist	Record	Label
1	CRYPTOPSY	As Gomorrah Burns	Nuclear Blast
2	RINGWORM	Seeing Through Fire	Nuclear Blast
3	XORCIST	“Coterie Of The Depraved” [Single]	Prosthetic
4	CREAK	Depth Perception	Prosthetic
5	TILL THE DIRT	Outside The Sprial	Nuclear Blast
6	ENTIERRO	The Gates Of Hell	Self-Released
7	OWDWYR	“Lagos” [Single]	Self-Released
8	ASTRALBORNE	Across The Aeons	Prosthetic
9	SUBSUN	“Doomsday Clock” [Single]	Self-Released
10	TERROR GARDEN	“The Party’s Over” [Single]	Self-Released

Chainsaw Adds

#	Artist	Record	Label
1	OUTERGODS	The Kingdom Built Upon The Wreckage Of Heaven	Prosthetic
2	WAYFARER	“To Enter My House Justified” [Single]	Century Media
3	VITRIOLIC RESPONSE	The Dissidents/Vitriolic Response [EP]	Self-Released
4	BARONESS	Stone	Abraxan Hymns

Tags NACC Weekly Charts

Weekly Charts

Afterhours Charts 9/26/23

Post author By WKNC Admin
Post date September 26, 2023

Afterhours Charts

#	Artist	Record	Label
1	GALACTIC HOLE	Piracies Menu	Self-Released
2	DJ SABRINA THE TEENAGE DJ	Destiny	Self-Released
3	HARDCORE WILL NEVER DIE AND NEITHER WILL YOU	VARIOUS ARTISTS	909 Worldwide
4	TRSHCKDBL	Eve’s Delight	Self-Released
5	CASINO	Moonside	Angel
6	APOLLO BITRATE	you in amethyst spheres	Retrac
7	ALEPH	Sepulchre	Vision
8	THE BOBFATHER	Dance Into The RevolutionX3: CIA Galaxy Raid Operations	Self-Released
9	FPELV	VARIOUS ARTISTS	FPE
10	BLANK BANSHEE	4D	Self-Released

Afterhours Charts

#	Artist	Record	Label
1	TRSHCKDBL	Eve’s Delight	Self-Released

Tags NACC Weekly Charts

Concert Review

Sunny Day Real Estate Concert Review

Post author By WKNC Admin
Post date September 24, 2023

Picture of Sunny Day Real Estate liscenced under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic

Out of all the days of Hopscotch, Day Three was shaping up to be my personal favorite. As a huge emo fan, I couldn’t believe that I was about to see one of my favorite emo bands of all time, Sunny Day Real Estate.

Sunny Day, for those who aren’t in the know, is one of the 90’s premier midwest emo – post hardcore – indie rock acts, and they’re absolutely incredible. Records such as “Diary”, “The Rising Tide”, “LP2”, and my personal favorite, “How To Be Something On”, have been etched into my subconscious, an inevitable result of years and years of enjoyment.

I was ready to see this band I loved so dearly, fully prepared to be shouting the lyrics of every song you know and love dearly right at the faces of the band. As I walked down to Moore Square, only one thing soured me – the dour weather.

The grey skies loomed over the stage, and I was worried. Would the band I was so ecstatic to see delay, or even worse, cancel their set over this inclement weather? Luckily, as the band took the stage amid a slight drizzle, my fears were assuaged. Come rain or shine, they would play.

Eventually, the light drizzle developed into a full blown downpour, but I didn’t mind one bit. The band, to my surprise, chose not to open with a track from their most popular album, “Diary”, but instead chose to open with the opening track from “How To Be Something On”, which made me beyond overjoyed. The fact that raindrops were constantly obscuring my vision meant nothing to me, as I was in the throes of geeking out over the songs they played, like “48” and “Song About an Angel”.

The apex point for me, however, was in the middle of the set. The downpour was now almost like a monsoon, and every inch of my body was soaked. However, every part of me wasn’t focused on this, and was focused on the music. When the band announced that they were to play my favorite song of theirs, and one of my favorite emo songs of all time, “Guitar and Video Games”, I jumped up and down in pure joy. Nothing could take this moment away from me.

This year’s Hopscotch was my first large-scale outdoor concert experience, and I think it was probably one of the best experiences I could have had. Even though these types of concerts are exposed, and as such vulnerable to the elements, it really doesn’t matter at all when you get to see bands you love so much live. This was just one show out of a myriad of many, but it’s safe to say it was my favorite of the three days.

– Written By DJ Fives

Tags hopscotch, hopscotch 2023, midwest emo, Sunny Day Real Estate