1 CULTS – Static
2 TENNIS – Small Sound
3 WOODEN SHJIPS – Back To Land
4 DUCKTAILS – Wish Hotel
5 OF MONTREAL – Lousy With Sylvianbriar
6 LOS CAMPESINOS! – No Blues
7 ANTHONY GREEN – Young Legs
8 DARKSIDE – Psychic
9 YUCK – Glow And Behold
10 BLOOD ORANGE – Cupid Deluxe
11 PHANTOGRAM – Phantogram
12 RADICAL FACE – The Family Tree: The Branches
13 CUT COPY – Free Your Mind
14 POLICA – Shulamith
15 HEAD AND THE HEART – Let’s Be Still
16 KRAAK AND SMAAK – Chrome Waves
17 GRISWOLDS – Heart Of A Lion
18 ST. LUCIA – When The Night
19 NO JOY – Pastel And Pass Out
20 FUZZ – Fuzz
21 NOBUNNY – Secret Songs: Reflections From The Ear Mirror
22 DESTROYER – Five Spanish Songs
23 GRIZZLY BEAR – Shields: Expanded
24 DANNY BROWN – Old
25 HIGH HIGHS – Open Season
26 BLACK BOOKS – Black Books
27 DIANE COFFEE – My Friend Fish
28 WHITE DENIM – Corsicana Lemonade
29 GRINGO STAR – Floating Out To See
30 DR. DOG – B-Room
Top 50 Albums of 2013 (according to Liquid Courage Media)
Our lovely Assistant Editor-in-Chief, Shannen Gaffney, also writes for Liquid Courage Media. This is their list of the top albums of 2013, co-written with Isabel Imperatore (in alphabetical order).
Allison Weiss – Say What You Mean
Allison Weiss’ No Sleep Records release, Say What You Mean, was an uplifting take on the more depressing moments of being a teenager-to-twenty-something. The first track, “Making It Up,” outlined the uncertainties of defining a relationship. Our favorite is the breakup pop tune “How to Be Alone”.
Beyoncé – BEYONCÉ
BEYONCE released a self-titled “exclusive visual album” on iTunes in the middle of the night without any previous announcement or promotion. Do I need to say anything else? Videos/tracks to check out: ”XO” and “Blue” (and the entire album).
Blood Orange – Cupid Deluxe
If we can use the word ‘groovy,’ Blood Orange released one of the grooviest records this year. “You’re Not Good Enough” encompasses everything you’ve ever wanted to say to your ex, and has been stuck in our heads ever since its recent release.
Brick + Mortar – Bangs
It’s hard to categorize and describe Brick + Mortar, which is a duo comprised of Brandon Asraf and John Tacon. They combine elements of alternative, electronic, indie, drum and bass, noise-pop, hip-hop, and punk. It’s aggressive, anthemic and catchy. The intense drum and bass parts are overlapped with Brandon’s distinct vocals and instrumentation like synths and guitar. Listen to “Bangs” and “Locked In A Cage” and you’ll understand.
Charli XCX – True Romance
Charli XCX was definitely a breakout artist of 2013, and True Romance was one of the best dance pop albums of the year. Her obvious best track was “You – Ha Ha Ha,” but “Take My Hand” and “What I Like” were also equally addictive pop gems.
Continue reading “Top 50 Albums of 2013 (according to Liquid Courage Media)”
Resurrecting the Art of the Mixtape
Check out this article the Drexel News Blog wrote about our new live comp mixtape!
Concert Review: Phantogram at Union Transfer 12/6/13
by Kirsten Becker
Phantogram’s sold out stop at the Union Transfer on December 6th was part of their highly anticipated tour in support of their latest album, Voices, which is also their first album in four years.
I was pleasantly surprised by opener Until the Ribbon Breaks, the relatively new project of Welshman Pete Lawrie. The act blends electronic elements seen in recent dance music as well as plain old rock influences. At various points during the set Lawrie showed off his talents on the trumpet as well as other instruments, and displayed his versatility in his unique style of music. Welsh’s distorted vocals also added an interesting addition to his somber lyrics. Songs like “2025,” “Romeo,” and “Pressure” won the crowd over. Until the Ribbon Breaks is definitely a band to look out for in 2014, and you should expect to see more news from Lawrie’s project in the future.
Phantogram came on around 11:00 p.m. to an ecstatic crowd. Singer Sarah Barthel’s powerful voice cut through the band’s shoegaze vibes. A chilling rendition of “Mouthful of Diamonds” captivated the audience as well as fanfavorite “When I’m Small”. The quirky “Running From the Cops” featured guitarist Josh Carter taking over vocal duties.
Their latest single, “Black Out Days” showed a different side of the band. The high energy song accompanied by an incredible light show brought the performance up another notch. Barthel took the time between songs to thank the crowd and Philadelphia for consistently being a great place to play. It was visible she and Carter were feeding off the crowd’s energy and were having a great time on stage.
Phantogram played a couple more new songs from Voices including “Never Going Home” and “The Day You Died” before finally ending the set just around midnight.
Last Official Chart of 2013, 12/2 – 12/9
1 LOS CAMPESINOS! – No Blues
2 DUCKTAILS – Wish Hotel [EP]
3 TENNIS – Small Sound [EP]
4 CULTS – Static
5 ANTHONY GREEN – Young Legs
6 YUCK – Glow And Behold
7 OF MONTREAL – Lousy With Sylvianbriar
8 KING KRULE – 6 Feet Beneath The Moon
9 WOODEN SHJIPS – Back To Land
10 BLOOD ORANGE – Cupid Deluxe
11 DR. DOG – B-Room
12 GRINGO STAR – Floating Out To See
13 POLICA – Shulamith
14 WHITE DENIM – Corsicana Lemonade
15 DIANE COFFEE – My Friend Fish
16 HEAD AND THE HEART – Let’s Be Still
17 MARIJUANA DEATHSQUADS – Oh My Sexy Lord
18 MINOR ALPS – Get There
19 PHANTOGRAM – Phantogram [EP]
20 NOBUNNY – Secret Songs: Reflections From The Ear Mirror
21 CASS MCCOMBS – Big Wheel And Others
22 FUZZ – Live In San Francisco
23 SLEIGH BELLS – Bitter Rivals
24 COURTNEY BARNETT – The Double EP: A Sea Of Split Peas
25 KEVIN DEVINE – Bubblegum
26 NOAH AND THE WHALE – Heart Of Nowhere
27 DALE EARNHARDT JR. JR. – The Speed Of Things
28 MOONFACE – Julia With Blue Jeans On
29 HAIM – Days Are Gone
30 RED FANG – Whales And Leeches
Concert Review: Bombino with Here We Go Magic 12/5/13
by Kirsten Becker
After hearing Here We Go Magic and Bombino would be touring together this winter, I knew the December 5th show at The Blockley was not one to miss. Though both bands have different sounds, they incorporate a very rhythmic aspect in each of their songs.
Here We Go Magic is a group I only recently got into following their 2012 release A Different Ship. The Brooklyn-based band has received a lot of hype for their sets at Glastonbury and Bonnaroo. What peaked my interest in the band was that the album was produced by longtime Radiohead producer/collaborator Nigel Godrich. The album definitely has his influence clearly rooted in it.
They opened with the first single from A Different Ship, “Make Up Your Mind.” This high energy song featured pulsating guitar riffs and glimmering synth accents. Other cuts from the album like “Hard to Be Close” and “Alone But Moving” also were heard in the set. Towards the end, the band broke out one of their older songs, “Collector,” which got the crowd moving. They went into an extended jam session where each member got to show off with virtuosic solos. It was clear that the members of Here We Go Magic are extremely talented and very encapsulated in their entire performance. The subdued lights on stage added to the very intimate feeling they were going for. Their set ended with “How Do I Know,” a crowd favorite and left the stage with loud applause.
Up next was headliner Bombino in support of his latest album Nomad. Nigerian-born Omara Moctar came onstage dressed in blue robes and an electric green scarf. For the first half, he and his band played in a line at the front of the stage for an acoustic set. Traditional drums were present while Bombino played an acoustic guitar and another member played bass. Bombino does not speak English but he still managed to connect with the crowd through his music.
For the second half, the band switched over to electric instruments where the music switched formats to a more bluesheavy feel. “Amidinine” was a particular favorite of mine as well as “Azamane Tiliade.” The variety in Bombino’s music is what’s most captivating about him. Each song has its own feel while still remaining very true to his sound.
You can listen to Bombino tracks here.
The Idle Noise Velvet Underground A-Z show this Wednesday!
by Mr. Noyes
I found out about the Velvet Underground in 1985, at some point after PolyGram issued the VU LP of outtakes. I was a teenager in rural Berks County, partying weekends in a backwoods spot my friends called Alaska. “Stephanie Says” made a lot of sense, but it was White Light/White Heat that made my mind split open. The guitars were insane, beyond what I’d thought possible. I’d only recently heard Sonic Youth’s Bad Moon Rising and couldn’t really explain unconventional tunings. I’d only recently read Howl and had a vague inkling of a beat New York that had been. I knew just enough to hear something remarkable in “Sister Ray.” The junkie sailors and the fellatio were interesting, but it was the industrial groan and squeal of the electronic instruments, like some hellish vacuum cleaner sucking at a soul, and the hollowed snap and tumble of the primitivist drums—those were really interesting. And ecstatic.
Everyone always says that everyone who heard the Velvets went on to start their own band. I didn’t. I kept listening to the Velvets. I bought a cheap cassette reissue of their live 1969 double album. That version of “What Goes On” keeps on going on and going on. Lou Reed’s guitar hit a sweet spot among punk rock snarl, avant-garde repetition (a la Steve Reich), and a zoned-out effect I could feel inside my skull. It’s an anti-aesthetic, full of the sort of cultural collisions that fueled Black Arts poetry in Newark that year and the working class anger of the Detroit rock scene—see the Stooges and the MC5. But the Velvets got there first. “Heroin” came out on Verve, most famous as a jazz label, alongside records by Count Basie and Odetta. Lou scored more than junk in Harlem. Those first three Velvets records — I don’t think there’s any better soundtrack to the violence and weirdness of American life, c. 1966 to 1969. Maybe Coltrane or the Mothers of Invention. But the Velvets could do pop and devotional music and gentle balladry and face-melting noise, often on the same LP side. The Velvets made important music. They deserve an A-Z.
Idle Noise with Mike Eidle and Trixie Noyes plays on WKDU every Wednesday from 7-9a.m. This week they will have a Velvet Underground A-Z exploration of artists, covers, and songs related to the band. You can listen on 91.7 fm or at wkdu.org.