Category: Playlists

Great tunes to add to your own playlists

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Friday Favorites 6/12

As the Black Lives Matter movement continues to rally support across the world, I have aimed to shift my content focus onto the movement. Thus, for this week’s installment of my Friday Favorites segment, I have chosen songs by black artists that reflect the spirit of the movement and remind us what we’re fighting for. 

Sandra’s Smile – Blood Orange 

A really powerful, haunting ode to victims of police violence, specifically in reference to Sandra Bland and Trayvon Martin, and their families. Blood Orange vocalist Dev Hynes reflected on being “inconsolable” after Bland’s death and the track reflects this. 

Alright – Kendrick Lamar 

This song is one of the most memorable from the iconic album To Pimp A Butterfly. Beyond the surface of the track as a catchy rap song is Lamar’s reflection on the treatment of black Americans including police brutality and identity conflicts caused by mistreatment. The hook to the song repeats “We gon’ be alright,” asserting that despite suffering, we will survive through solidarity. 

Mad (ft. Lil Wayne) – Solange 

Solange has created a breadth of music relating to the experiences of a black woman in America, especially highlighted in this track. It reflects the injustices of the system combined with the inability of non-black individuals to understand these issues and the frustration felt by the black community. 

Be Free – J. Cole 

This song addresses the continued discrimination of black Americans, beginning with slavery and continuing with mass incarceration, police brutality, and oppression. Cole includes a chilling testimony by Dorian Johnson, who witnessed his friend being shot multiple times by police. 

Freedom (ft. Kendrick Lamar) – Beyoncé 

Beyoncé’s Lemonade was focused around the struggles and emotions of the black woman. This song specifically focuses on liberation. Even within the current movement, the struggles of black women are largely underrepresented. Beyoncé calls us to action in rallying behind the Black Lives Matter and actively working against oppression and injustice. 

I hope you all were informed by this list. As usual, you can find all of my Friday Favorites at WKNC’s Spotify page, including this week’s new additions. 

– Miranda

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2k Indie Online

 

‘You’re on the WKNC blog, I’m DJ Psyched and this is 2k Indie Online’. I really miss doing that on air, anyhow, here’s some new indie music for this week:

  • Rain by J.P. Plains: This artist has a very unique sound that is difficult to describe. He blends themes of electronic music, maybe slight folk(?), and indie. The artists’ vocals have always been a big standout for me, it’s easy to tell J.P. Plains voice from any other. This track’s lyrics are a reflection of the artist contemplating why they exist and why life is as it is. It’s served as a perfect late night ‘laying in bed and staring at the sky’ track. It’s relaxing and has those perfect subtle sad boy hour vibes.

  • Dream Boy by Beach Bunny: This song is such a bop, the chorus is incredibly catchy and the pre-chorus is hard not to scream along with. I love the electric guitars in this track, and the drums are also pretty standout here. It’s a wonderful indie rock track and the whole album ‘Honeymoon’ is worth a listen. The vocals are smooth, and the power in the vocals during the pre-chorus and chorus really make this track one that sticks in my mind long after a listen. A power love-track demanding proper love, gotta love it.

  • Double Dare by Momma: Another wonderful female-vocal track. This track is also led by electric guitar and has a very Indie-rock sound. However, this song has more relaxed vocals and a much more chill sound overall. I find myself humming along to the ‘double dare double dare’ one liner. The outro to this track definitely took me by surprise, it’s an interesting contrast from the rest of the track. The guitars fade gradually into what sounds like carnival music, quickly taking me out of the music and making me feel like I’m in some kind of story book. I’m pretty excited for the full album, as this is one of three tracks that’s been released for the upcoming record coming June 6th.

‘Those were the top tracks of 2k Indie Online for the week, if you have any requests for next week please do let me know. Keep it locked because there’s sure more to come’

Until Next Time,

Let’s Stay Psyched about Music

DJ Psyched

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Playlists

Friday Favorites (5/29)

This week in Friday Favorites I’m focusing on indie tracks that remind me of summertime, in lieu of it getting closer and closer to the summer solstice. Hope you all enjoy and definitely check out these tracks – they are some of my favorites that I’ve listened to for years. 

Among Dreams – Ariel Pink 

Ariel pink is an excellent musician, and this song from his album The Doldrums is really summery. The instrumentals remind me of some of the Grateful Dead songs I listened to growing up so overall the song has a nostalgic feel. Very much picnic/laying in the grass vibes, 10/10. 

Have Fun – Bleeding Knees Club 

This song is super energetic and is descriptive of a young love or teenage friendship. It describes growing older together and reflections of growth over the summer. I love it, it’s a great upbeat song for summer. 

Sweet Thing – Twin Peaks 

This song portrays to me a picture of lovers singing to each other in a field of flowers. I like how the vocals sound rough though the lyricism is playful and light; the guitar strumming also really adds to this. I love it a lot. 

Offer – together PANGEA

This song has a really catchy melody and has that almost-punk sound that so many indie Californian bands have; this band is pretty unique. This song is simple but good and is perfect for a summer drive. 

I Think it Is Beautiful That You Are 256 Colors Too – Black Moth Super Rainbow 

This is one of my favorite indie songs. It has really gorgeous instrumentals and compelling drum beats, and the lyrics are melancholy but intriguing. It’s very much an end-of-summer reflection type of song, which is why I adore it. 

As usual, you can find this week’s tracks as well as all of my Friday Favorites from past weeks at this link on WKNC’s Spotify. Check it out! 

– Miranda

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The Saw’s Summer Invasion

What’s going on Butcher Crew? It’s ya girl, your Master Butcher, The Saw and school is out so that means summer is in!! Summer brings some happy vibes for me and summer is a great time to listen to music with your car windows down and soaking up the sun!

This playlist will be something different. These are some of my favorite songs to listen to in the summertime! The majority of these songs will not be metal BUT that does not mean that they do not slap!! I like to listen to a wide variety of songs, and this is the playlist I use when hanging out with my friends by a bonfire during the summer. This playlist will give you a taste of the other sides of The Saw.

This playlist consists of rap, rock, and psychedelic music that always puts me in the summer mood. I hope this playlist provides you with some good times, good laughs, and fun during your summer break!

Summer Invasion Playlist (some of my favorite songs)

·      Rockstar – Dababy

·      Savage – Megan Thee Stallion

·      Juicy – Doja Cat

·      Special Affair – The Internet

·      Diamonds & Gold – Mac Miller

·      Versace – Migos

·      South Beach – Ty Dolla $ign

·      Distraction – Kehlani

·      I’m Different – 2 Chainz

·      Steamroller – Domo Genesis

·      Act Up – City Girls

·      My Type – Saweetie

·      Bootsy Bellows – Wiz Khalifa

·      Amphetamine – Smino

·      Nights Like This – Kehlani

·      Runnin’ Thru The 7th With My Woadies – $uicideBoy$

·      1800 – Snoop Dogg

·      Murder To The Mind – Tash Sultana

·      Overflow – Bootleg Rascal

·      Drive – Incubus

·      Savin’ Me – Nickelback

·      The Red – Chevelle

·      Babe I’m Gonna Leave You – Led Zepplin

Click here to open up the playlist in Spotify! 

What are some of your favorite summer songs?

Stay Metal,

THE SAW

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Playlists

Música De Indie

 

Learning a new language can be hard and frustrating sometimes, but it can also be incredibly rewarding. I’ve found a hack to get the best of both worlds, not frustrating and rewarding: listening to music in the language. Music is a universal language and this method of learning is both enjoyable and effective. I’m learning spanish right now and I recently started listening to the language more for practice. At first I stuck to the music I knew and grew up on, but then I decided to checkout Indie music in spanish, since I love indie and spanish, and I absolutely love it. Música De Indie will serve the same purpose as 2k Indie, just with Spanish music. I’ll be giving you some of the new spanish indie of the week starting with:

  • Secuestro Al Corazón by Katzu Oso : Roughly translating to ‘A Kidnapping to the heart’. This track uses crime to describe what love feels like. The singer is conflicted as to whether their love is a mistake or not, but doesn’t want to admit it, they feel as if the love they feel is out of their control and they’re being held in this love unwillingly. The synths provide a very smooth and groovy vibe, and the mix of electronic noises, and other unique sounds used in the instrumentation, really make the music stand out in this one.

  • Epitafio by Caloncho : Epitafio translates to Epitaph, something similar to a eulogy. This song is about a man who wishes not to hurt those he loves when he passes. He wants them to know that he will move on to better things and leave the world happy. This song also instrumentally sounds as cute as its lyrics are. The soft vocals are accompanied by beautifully simplistic music full of acoustic guitar, some soft steady drums, and a slow but sweet electric guitar solo.

  • Todo tiene un precio by Niños Mutantes : This song has been incredibly helpful for practicing pronunciation. Being able to pull up the lyrics and sing along is really nice because I absolutely love this track and it’s repetitive enough not to be too difficult. The title translates to ‘Everything has a price’  and just as its title implies it’s a warning that everything comes with a price, and it’s not always money. The catchy and repetitive nature has made this my absolute favorite recently, and one I’d definitely recommend to anyone wanting to practice some singing in Spanish.

Vamos a emocionarnos con la música

DJ Psyched

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Playlists

2k Indie Online

2k indie is the name of the radio show I started two years ago. The premise of the show is playing some of the newest releases in ‘underground’ Indie music. The purpose is to highlight some releases from local and smaller artists, since there is an endless amount of Indie tunes being released all the time. On this online version of the series, I will highlight a few new tracks every week, and a full playlist of these new tracks can be found on WKNC’s Spotify!


‘Language’ by Mindchatter

I’ve been listening to this artist since they released their first single in mid 2019. They’ve been steadily releasing tracks ever since. Although they are not released in the form of an album or ep, they do hold a central theme much like an album would. This artist has stood out to me for their unique use of electronics and synths. The tracks unique blend of indie and ambiance makes for a genre bending experience that makes all the artists tracks feel distinct and recognizable. This track lives up to the style of the artist and the vocals make it the perfect track to relax to.


‘Second Hand’ by STRFKR

STRFKR just released a full length record titled Future Past Life.  The track second hand instantly stood out to me during my first listen. It’s incredibly chill vocals and soft synths make it something that’s easy to listen to in the background, while the catchy chorus and verses also make it a track I can’t resist singing along to. It’s a fun and groovy vibe, and this whole record is worth a spin.


‘Portland’ by Rat Kid Cool

This track has a pretty interesting intro, and its whole sound is rather unique, but that’s what makes this release stand out. Rat Kid Cool has some interesting vocals, often reminding me of the Front Bottoms, which definitely feel like a potential influence on the group. This track features some interesting stringed instruments, distorted vocals, and an insanely catchy hook. The vocals sound incredibly relaxed but the music makes me want to dance, a conflicting, but entertaining, mix.

As I’d say on air, ‘I’m DJ Psyched and 2k Indie is coming to an end this week, thank you for reading and make sure you keep it locked for more content from the WKNC Content team. See you next week.’

– DJ Psyched

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Friday Favorites (5/15)

Hey everyone, it’s that time of the week again! Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of old hiphop. I wanted to share some of the best tracks I’ve found to get you through the week, especially because I know that I (and many others) have just started summer classes, internships, and work. There’s nothing like chill, old-style rap artists to give you some inspiration! 

One Beer – MF Doom 

The flow on this song is so smooth, paired with the high-pitched background vocals and beat makes for such a funky and cool song. I really recommend MF Doom as an artist in general but especially their 2004 album MM…FOOD, which has so many instant classics. 

Fancy Clown (ft. Viktor Vaughn) – Madvillain 

This song comes from one of my favorite-ever hiphop albums, Madvillainy. This project is a collaboration between two of my favorite artists, previously mentioned MF Doom and Madlib. This is my absolute favorite song from Madvillainy and I definitely recommend the album as a whole. 

Life is Better (ft. Norah Jones) – Q-Tip 

This duo has created one of my favorite songs in the world. This combination of Q-Tip’s unique flow and Norah Jones’ soft voice creates a beautiful love song with smooth vocals and a catchy beat. The music video is also really cool, check it out.  

Wavey (ft. Spooky Black) – Allan Kingdom 

I really love Allan Kingdom as an artist because his voice is interesting and he plays around so much with his pitch and changes his flows up seamlessly. This song has been a favorite of mine since high school, but I could honestly recommend anything he’s worked on. 

Hope you all enjoyed, let me know your favorite hiphop artists! 

– Miranda 

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Playlists

Psyched’s Ultimate Indie

 

I’ve talked about this on the blog before, but I’ll say it again, I have an obsession with making playlists (I guess that’s a good thing considering i’m a DJ). Anyhow, the first playlist I ever made for WKNC was a playlist titled ‘Psyched’s Ultimate Indie’. I listened to Indie a lot before I started DJing, but I figured that since I would be running a show that focused on new released Indie music, my Indie library was going to get much bigger. 

In order to keep track of all the new music I found during my time with WKNC, I decided to make this ultimate playlist. The reason I’m writing about it today is because the playlist hit a big milestone last month, we’re now officially at 500+ songs (530 at the time of writing this), so I figured now would be a good time to reflect on the playlist and see what it has become…

30 hours of music ranging from artists like Cigarettes After Sex to Modern Diet, and just about anything in between. The first thing I thought of upon listening to this playlist was ‘how can this all be one ‘theme’ yet has so much diversity in sound?’ I won’t answer the question ‘what is Indie’ again, because I think we can all agree that it’s hard to define and I have a whole other blog post about it, but we all kind of know what it is when we hear it. I’m sure some of the songs and artists I’ve put in this playlist could be debated as not really fitting in here, but the criteria I went with was ‘if it feels indie, it can be indie for this playlist’. Some artists I can think of who might stand out a bit in this playlist are ROLE MODEL, grimes, Young the Giant and halfalive. This playlist really doesn’t have any other rules and it’s evident when it’s on shuffle. There’s everything from rock, psychedelic, to pop sounding Indie (and genres I can’t even put a name to).

I wanted to go through and choose some favorites/ react to some music but upon further review I’m seeing that 500 songs is a bit overwhelming and hard to fairly narrow down. So I think I’ll have to save that for another day… because in the making of this post I decide I’d narrow down the Ultimate Indie playlist into ‘Psyched’s Favorite Indie’ (I told you I was a bit addicted to making playlists…)

If you’re interested in checking out the playlist I’m curious if there are any artists or songs you think don’t really fit the theme, or would fit better in a different playlist. What are some artists you think are a must in an ultimate indie playlist?

– DJ Psyched

Playlist link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4uhiwdTwdvRDzIgo6EXmWf?si=1-8XnoaoRjmnhRyEmi3tuQ

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Final Exam Hype Songs

Happy finals season everyone! I totally believe in you all, but, as I suspect most people feel, I just can’t wait for this time to be over. I’ve tried countless methods in an attempt to make this time better: study breaks at the bistro, going to those end of year events, and procrastinating with people who are also procrastinating so I feel less bad about it… Anyhow, I know finals are a bit different this year, but there is one tradition I have that I’ve been able to continue. I’s pretty reliable and always makes me feel good so I figured I’d share: hype music.

We all have those songs that make us feel like total hype beasts, so I made a short, but sweet, playlist of my favorite hype songs. I always listen to at least two or three of them before I go into an exam. I believe we’re self-fulfilling prophecies, so I think if we go into an exam feeling confident and strong we’re setting ourselves up for success. 

I’m going to share my hype tracks with you, but I’m curious, what are your hype songs? What would you listen to to get yourself in the ‘I’m totally going to pass this thing’ mood?

  • Freaking Out by The Wrecks – Don’t let the title fool you, this track is definitely more uplifting to me then nerve wrecking. It makes me feel way better when I am freaking out, like the chorus says ‘I’m freaking out, but I feel fineeeee’.

  • What You’re Made Of by Arrested Youth – ‘Show me what you’re made of’ being shouted at me before an exam always makes me feel oddly empowered, makes me want to point out that mama ain’t raise no… coward. If you think that would work for you too, I highly recommend this track.

  • Ballin by Logic – This song is where this tradition came from. One year during finals the track came on and I just felt my mood go up about 100% and well after that, for like two weeks straight, it was all I listened too. Favorite line ‘I made a promise to my mama Ima turn these zeros into tens and commas’. If you can’t tell I’m very motivated to make my mother proud.

  • Baby You Got This  by Cecil Frena – My absolute favorite hype song right now. The title says it all really, it’s a big part of the chorus, and hearing Cecil yell it at me, sounding like my hype man in the corner, really lifts my mood up every time.

  • Nothing Personal by Night Riots – This one’s kind of aggressive, but sometimes I find getting a little angry and arrogant before an exam is nice, it really forces all the nervous energy away. How can someone be nervous while also claiming their the best thing? It’s not energy I carry all the time, but we must do what we need to get through these exams.

  • You’re The Best by Joe ‘Bean’ Espositio – This track doesn’t need an introduction, if you’ve ever seen a Rocky movie you know that this is like the most hype song of all time, and a total must for any hype playlist (in my opinion of course).

I call this playlist ‘Exam time bb (Let’s get this A). Do you have a hype song playlist? If so, what’s it called and what’s on it? If not you should definitely give it a try and let me know!

– DJ Psyched

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Friday Favorites (5/1)

Hi everyone, hope you’re all doing well despite everything going on these days! Here are some of the songs that have been inspiring for me 

Nightrider (ft. Yussef Dayes & Freddie Gibbs) – Tom Misch 

I love the jazziness of this song paired with verses of two artists I really like. Both Yussef Dayes and Freddie Gibbs have some of the most unique voices in hip-hop right now. I love this track and find it such a good one to drive around to. 

Can’t Take My Eyes Off You – (I Love You Baby) – Ms. Lauryn Hill 

This is one of my favorite songs of all time and also one of the best versions of this song there is. It’s a sweet, mushy love song but Lauryn brings a cool beat and gorgeous vocals to really set it over the top. 

Hngover – AG Club 

This new album from AG Club is really interesting, but this song in particular stood out to me. This song reminds me of a Chance song, but has a little more of an indie influence. I really liked it and recommend the album if you haven’t heard it yet. 

Poison (ft. Take A Daytrip, Obongjayar, Santi) – Octavian 

I’ve previously reviewed an Obongjayar for the blog, and I think was one of the best up-and-coming British rappers. This song reminds me of an EDM track and easily got stuck in my head. I really like it and think it’s a unique mix of British rap, electronic, and pop music. 

Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games – of Montreal 

This was the song that first introduced me to of Montreal and I’ve gotten back into listening to their older music lately. I highly recommend it. This song and album really reminds me of something by Talking Heads and I just love the chill vibe it gives off. 

Hope you guys are having another great week while social distancing, and I’m wishing everyone good luck on their finals! Check out these songs and more on my Friday Favorites playlist on the WKNC Spotify account! 

– Miranda