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Concert Review: King Krule at Johnny Brenda’s 12/7/13

by Kirsten Becker

I could be the biggest King Krule fan I know. Since discovering him in 2011 I have been completely obsessed with his completely unique brand of music. King Krule is largely a “love it or hate it” kind of artist, but there’s no denying his incredible talent. Archy Marshall, the 19-year old mastermind behind the project has created a sound all his own. His thick South East London accent doused in heavy reverb combined with hip hop beats and minimalist guitar riffs creates an almost dream-like kind of music. For someone so young, it’s almost astounding how intricately crafted each song on his debut LP 6 Feet Beneath the Moon really is.

Marshall’s December 7th stop in Philadelphia at Johnny Brenda’s was part of his first headlining tour in America, so it was obviously something I had been looking forward to for sometime. To add to the excitement, the show sold out months beforehand.

TOPS opened the show with their 60s-inspired indie rock sound. The Montreal band features ethereal and breathy vocals from Jane Penny over punchy pop guitars and drums. They played songs off of their first full length album, Tender Opposites, which came out last year.

Entering the stage at a little past 11 PM, King Krule took control with their moody brand of indie rock. The band played most of their songs from 6 Feet Beneath the Moon as well as some tracks from their 2011 self-titled EP, most notably the single “The Noose of Jah City.” The dim lighting added to the band’s dark aesthetic and Marshall’s frantic dance moves were a sight to see.

What really shone through was the talent of the band overall. Each member had fine tuned each riff and melody, everything just seemed to click. The show was definitely one of my favorites that I have yet to see. It is looking like things can only get better for King Krule, the wild success of his first album has catapulted him into the spotlight for sure.

Top Played Artists 1/7-1/13

1 DUCKTAILS – Wish Hotel
2 TENNIS – Small Sound
3 CULTS – Static
4 WOODEN SHJIPS – Back To Land
5 LOS CAMPESINOS! – No Blues
6 YUCK – Glow And Behold
7 GRIZZLY BEAR – Shields: Expanded
8 GRINGO STAR – Floating Out To See
9 PARQUET COURTS – Tally All The Things That You Broke
10 OF MONTREAL – Lousy With Sylvianbriar
11 DALE EARNHARDT JR. JR. – The Speed Of Things
12 MARIJUANA DEATHSQUADS – Oh My Sexy Lord
13 WHITE FENCE – Live In San Francisco
14 BLOOD ORANGE – Cupid Deluxe
15 HEAD AND THE HEART – Let’s Be Still
16 GRISWOLDS – Heart Of A Lion
17 ANTHONY GREEN – Young Legs
18 WHITE DENIM – Corsicana Lemonade
19 CUT COPY – Free Your Mind
20 TITLE FIGHT – Spring Songs
21 DARKSIDE – Psychic
22 THEE OH SEES – Singles Collection, Volume 3
23 SHY GIRLS – Timeshare
24 SALLIE FORD AND THE SOUND OUTSIDE – Summer
25 GROSS GHOST – Public Housing
26 PIXIES – EP-1
27 ALBERT HAMMOND JR. – AHJ
28 POLICA – Shulamith
29 LA LUZ – It’s Alive
30 CHEAP TIME – Exit Smiles

Top Played Artists 12/31-1/6

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.