Categories
Weekly Charts

Underground Charts 3/28

#ArtistRecordLabel
1AKAI SOLOSpirit RoamingBackwoodz
2RA TAKHARBLACK GODSKYMVDE
3SZASOSTop Dawg/RCA
4SIDESHOW2mm Don’t Just Stand There10k
5070 SHAKEYou Can’t Kill MeG.O.O.D./Def Jam
6PERRRY MAYSUNTheater 14BeYourOwnBestFriend
7REDVEILlearn 2 swimSelf-Released
8DIZThe way forward is not the way homeall in due time
9JEAN DAWSONCHAOS NOWHandwritten
10BLACKHEARTS, THEHorn Of The LambUboy

Underground Adds

#ArtistRecordLabel
1DEEM SPENCERAdultSw!mdrink sum wtr
2RA TAKHARBLACK GODSKYMVDE
3THERAVADAStrange Voices2000
4YUNGMORPHEUSFigure-Four Leg Lock [EP]Lex
5LUCKIAlternative TrapSelf-Released
Categories
Weekly Charts

Chainsaw Charts 3/28

#ArtistRecordLabel
1JUDICIARYFlesh + BloodClosed Casket Activities
2MYTHRAEUMHalls Of Mythras [EP]M-Theory
3BLINDFOLDED AND LED TO THE WOODSRejecting ObliterationProsthetic
4SQUIDHAMMER“Drowning In Flames (Ft. Kyle Fawley of Digital Remains)” [Single]Self-Released
5SHORES OF NULLThe Loss of BeautySpikerot
6LORNA SHOREPain RemainsCentury Media
7BATTLE BORN“Blood, Fire, Magic, and Steel” [Single]Prosthetic
8DISTANTHeritageCentury Media
9BOUNDARIESBurying Brightness3DOT
10JESUS PIECE“An Offering To The Night” [Single]Century Media
Categories
Weekly Charts

Top Charts 3/28

#ArtistRecordLabel
1TANUKICHANGizmoCarpark
2AKAI SOLOSpirit RoamingBackwoodz
3YVES TUMORPraise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)Warp
4DENZEL CURRYMelt My Eyez See Your FutureLoma Vista/Concord
5DIZUltra.VioletSelf-Released
6ERNESTO BIRMINGHAM“MOST TODAY/cold world” [Single]A LONG LIL’ WHILE
7JEAN DAWSONCHAOS NOWHandwritten
8KENNY MASONRuffsRCA
9PERRY MAYSUNPainting Naked [EP]Self-Released
10SIDESHOWWEGAHTA TAPES VOL. 110k
11TENNISPollenMutually Detrimental/Thirty Tigers
12THEY HATE CHANGEFinally, NewJagjaguwar/Secretly Group
13YOUNG WABOMirage [EP]New College
14ARMAND HAMMERHaramBackwoodz Studioz
15MIKEDisco!10k
16QUELLE CHRISDEATHFAMEMello
17RA TAKHARMythical [EP]SKYMVDE
18REDVEILlearn 2 swimSelf-Released
19SCUBADIVERGodspeed ToSelf-Released
20TALEN MILLERBedroom SymphonySelf-Released
21TOMMY RICHMANAlligatorBoom
22070 SHAKEYou Can’t Kill MeG.O.O.D./Def Jam
23ACTION BRONSONCocodrillo TurboLoma Vista/Concord
24EMPEROR XSuggested Improvements To Transportation Infrastructure In The Northeast Corridor [EP]Self-Released
25LAVA LA RUEHi-Fidelity [EP]Marathon
26MAMALARKYPocket FantasyFire Talk
27ROBERT GLASPERBlack Radio III: Supreme EditionLoma Vista/Concord
28SHY HIGHGoodbye Delicious [EP]Self-Released
29BLACKHEARTS, THEHorn Of The LambUboy
30ARTXUCKDuring Hard TimesSelf-Released

Top Adds

#ArtistRecordLabel
1YVES TUMORPraise A Lord Who Chews But Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)Warp
2MMMARKOS!Live In My Head [EP]Paska
3YES MAN JR.Dream EndBandeira
4MITSUBISHI SUICIDE“Song For Ciara H” [Single]Self-Released
5SQUID“Swing (In A Dream)” [Single]Warp
Categories
Weekly Charts

Afterhours Charts

#ArtistRecordLabel
1KY VOSSThe AfterPlay Alone
2VTSSCirculus Vitiosus [EP]Ninja Tune
3FREE99OUT FOR BLOOD [EP]x99
4PENDANTHarpSaddle Creek
5MAGDALENA BAYMercurial World DeluxeLuminelle
6DIVINO NINOLast Spa On EarthWinspear
7SHYGIRLNymphBecause
8AIRFLOWAIRFLOW [EP]Hype Pretension
9LYZZAMosquitoBig Dada
10CONFIDENCE MANTILTHeavenly/PIAS

Afterhours Adds

#ArtistRecordLabel
1XAEVberdlycore chapter 3Team Closure
2100 GECS10,000 gecsDog Show/Atlantic
3KHOTINRelease SpiritGhostly International
Categories
Classic Album Review

“WASTEISOLATION” – Black Dresses: A Review

Have you been looking for some angsty electronic noise pop to pass your days? Black Dresses have got you covered. Their 2018 album “WASTEISOLATION” takes listeners on a sexually-charged trip through the duo’s past abuses. Along the way, they create an unnerving soundscape that bashes in listeners’ heads in the best way. The result is a fantastic listening experience to release the frustration of a rough day at work or a nasty breakup.

Categories
Music Education

“Twin Fantasy (Mirror to Mirror)”: A Lesson in Production

I’ve been listening back to Will Toledo’s original release of “Twin Fantasy” from 2011 as of late. I wanted to try to figure out why I keep coming back to this amateurish, messy project as opposed to its more polished re-release.

Where 2018’s “Twin Fantasy” (subtitled “Face to Face” for distinction) flows between its softer and more aggressive moments cleanly, there is often very little distinction between these tones on “Mirror to Mirror”. Toledo’s guitar work here is often frantic and uncertain. His backup guitar on tracks like “Beach Life-In-Death” plays like static noise for most of the song. His drumming is almost imperceptible under that static, and his voice often sinks into all the other instrumentation.

A Case Study

And yet, the older recording of “Beach Life-In-Death” is often the one I come back to. As a song that largely grapples with Toledo’s experiences as a young gay man (while homophobic rhetoric was still commonplace in the U.S.), that blurring of sounds seems to capture his anxieties on the matter better than the newer recording. In the last portion of the song, for instance, fragmented vocal clips attack listeners from all sides like they’re being yelled at. Even though the language becomes indecipherable, the stress from being attacked like that again and again accumulates through the song’s cutoff.

That portion of the song is replaced in the “Face to Face” version with a shorter, less human-sounding stutter. The replacement seems to reflect that Toledo has lost some of those fears from 2011. He’s dampened those voices attacking him as he’s matured.

When I listen to 2011’s “Beach Life-In-Death”, I can feel myself in the same position as Toledo was. As someone facing the onslaught of transphobic rhetoric throughout the U.S. now, I feel a stronger connection to his younger self dealing with people who despise him for a harmless part of his identity. Despite the song remaining mostly the same over 7 years, the message relayed to audiences changes with small tweaks in production.

Concluding Thoughts

Even though songs on “Mirror to Mirror” sound more shallow and low-quality, that essence also creates a better impression of what it’s like to be young, queer, and full of both anxieties and hope. The album feels like it was created purely out of self-expression and a need to put his voice out into the world.

“Face to Face”, meanwhile, reflects Toledo’s growth over the ears. He’s reinterpreting what his music used to be into something more confident. He’s no longer singing until his voice cracks, resulting in a lesser sense of urgency to get this music out into the world.

Just because you don’t have access to a studio or the best equipment in the world doesn’t mean you can’t make good music. That lower quality, though, will impact how your music is received. It might be childish, or it could have a youthful innocence and hope. It might sound cheap, or it could sound honest and unscathed by the need to profit off of your music.

Categories
Weekly Charts

Top Charts 3/21

#ArtistRecordLabel
1AKAI SOLOSpirit RoamingBackwoodz
2PARANNOULAfter The MagicTopshelf
3TENNISPollenMutually Detrimental/Thirty Tigers
4REDVEILlearn 2 swimSelf-Released
5TANUKICHANGizmoCarpark
6070 SHAKEYou Can’t Kill MeG.O.O.D./Def Jam
7ACTION BRONSONCocodrillo TurboLoma Vista/Concord
8DIZUltra.VioletSelf-Released
9EMPEROR XThe Lakes Of Zones B And CSelf-Released
10KENNY MASONRuffsRCA
11SUMMER ARACHNIDWho Will I Be This Time Next Year?3 Friends
12YOUNG WABOMirage [EP]New College
13ARMAND HAMMERHaramBackwoodz Studioz
14ASIAN GLOWCoverglow pt.1Self-Released
15JEAN DAWSONCHAOS NOWHandwritten
16LAVA LA RUEHi-Fidelity [EP]Marathon
17MAVILaughing So Hard, It HurtsMavi 4 Mayor
18PERRY MAYSUNPainting Naked [EP]Self-Released
19PRETTY SICKMakes Me Sick Makes Me SmileDirty Hit
20QUELLE CHRISDEATHFAMEMello
21SCUBADIVERGodspeed ToSelf-Released
22ERNESTO BIRMINGHAM“MOST TODAY/cold world” [Single]A LONG LIL’ WHILE
23MAMALARKYPocket FantasyFire Talk
24PILEAll FictionExploding In Sound
25RA TAKHARMythical [EP]SKYMVDE
26ROBERT GLASPERBlack Radio III: Supreme EditionLoma Vista/Concord
27SHY HIGHGoodbye Delicious [EP]Self-Released
28THEY HATE CHANGEFinally, NewJagjaguwar/Secretly Group
29TOMMY RICHMANAlligatorBoom
30AVIADBelieve [EP]Self-Released
Categories
Weekly Charts

Chainsaw Charts 3/21

#ArtistRecordLabel
1MAMMOTH CARAVANIce Cold OblivionSelf-Released
2MYTHRAEUMHalls Of Mythras [EP]M-Theory
3BLINDFOLDED AND LED TO THE WOODSRejecting ObliterationProsthetic
4SQUIDHAMMER“Drowning In Flames (Ft. Kyle Fawley of Digital Remains)” [Single]Self-Released
5SHORES OF NULLThe Loss of BeautySpikerot
6LORNA SHOREPain RemainsCentury Media
7BATTLE BORN“Blood, Fire, Magic, and Steel” [Single]Prosthetic
8DISTANTHeritageCentury Media
9JUDICIARY“Engulfed” [Single]Closed Casket Activities
10COMBATWOUNDEDVETERANThis Is Not An All Erect, All-Red Neon BodyNo Idea
Categories
Weekly Charts

Afterhours Charts 3/21

#ArtistRecordLabel
1HALISCAElseware OR: Eating The Snack FantasticPLEASE AND THANK YOU
2KY VOSSThe AfterPlay Alone
3MATVEITALES_FOR_NIGHTCLUBS_II [EP]Kitsune
4LYZZAMosquitoBig Dada
5HVOBTOODifferent/PIAS
6DEATHS DYNAMIC SHROUDDarklifeSelf-Released
7WHATEVER THE WEATHERWhatever The WeatherGhostly International
8ULTRAFLEXInfinite WellnessStreet Pulse
9JIMMY EDGARLIQUIDS HEAVENInnovative Leisure
10FREE99OUT FOR BLOOD [EP]x99
Categories
Weekly Charts

WKNC — LIVE@Lake Raleigh Series

WKNC is sponsoring the 2023 LIVE@Lake Raleigh series.

Starting in 2018, NC State LIVE and Visit Centennial have presented this series of free concerts at Centennial campus’ Lake Raleigh. This April and May, four shows will take place starting Thursday, April 6.

The concerts are on the shore of Lake Raleigh, at the corner of Main Campus Drive & Campus Shore Drive. There will be food trucks at these shows and free parking. Each show starts at 6 p.m. and gates and food trucks open at 5 p.m.

April

Thursday, April 6: Orquesta GarDel

  • Genre: Latin big band

Thursday, April 20: Hank, Pattie & the Current

  • Genre: Bluegrass

May

Thursday, May 4: Laurelyn Dossett

  • Genre: Singer/songwriter

Thursday, May 18: Caique Vidal & Batuque

  • Genre: Afro-Brazilian

For more information on the bands, frequently asked questions, and additional information about the events visit the LIVE@Lake Raleigh website.