Top Played Artists 6/25/2013 – 7/2/2013

1   CAMERA OBSCURA   Desire Lines  (4AD)
2   OBLIVIANS   Desperation   (In The Red)
3   SHANNON & THE CLAMS   Dreams in The Rathouse   (Hardly Art)
4   PORTUGAL. THE MAN   Evil Friends   (Atlantic)
5   CAPITAL CITIES   In a Tidal Wave of Mystery   (Lazy Hooks)
6   KING TUFF   Was Dead   (Burger)
7   PRIMAL SCREAM   More Light   (Ignition)
8   SONNY AND THE SUNSETS   Antenna to the Afterworld   (Polyvinyl)
9   GRANDCHILDREN   Golden Age   (Earnest Jenning)
10 THE NATIONAL   Trouble Will Find Me   (4AD)
11 WILD NOTHING   Empty Estate   (Captured)
12 ROGUE WAVE   Nightingale Floors   (Vagrant)
13 SIGUR ROS   Kveikur   (XL)
14 CITY AND COLOUR   The Hurry and the Harm   (Dine Alone)
15 SMITH WESTERNS   Soft Will   (Mom + Pop)
16 GRMLN   Empire   (Carpark)
17 MELORMAN   Waves   (Sun Sea Sky)
18 SURFER BLOOD   Pythons   (Sire)
19 SHMNS   Somewhere Between Here and There   (Self-Released)
20 MIKAL CRONIN  MCII   (Merge)
21 ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER  Personal Record   (Merge)
22 SAVAGES   Silence Yourself   (Matador)
23 BIBIO   Silver Wilkinson   (Warp)
24 EMILY WELLS   Mama Acoustic Recordings   (Partisan)
25 MOUNT KIMBIE   Cold Spring Fault Less Youth   (Warp)
26 POKEY LAFARGE   S/T   (Third Man)
27 THE PASTELS   Slow Summits  (Domino)
28 THE WOOLEN MEN   The Dog Years   (Woodsist)
29 WAMPIRE   Curiosity   (Polyvinyl)
30 LAURA MARLING   Once I Was An Eagle   (Virgin)

The Music Tapes Live @ WKDU (January 6, 2011)

[bandcamp width=350 height=626 album=3640151683 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5]

By Nick Stropko

This in-studio actually happens to be one of my favorite memories from my time at Drexel so far. One of my freshman year floormates heartily recommended The Music Tapes (along with several other Elephant 6 groups) earlier that year, so when I caught wind of the performance happening, I knew I had to be down in the station for it. Julian Koster (the man behind The Music Tapes), who has been remarkably nice in every interaction I have ever had with him , allowed me to sit in the performance room and observe from a few feet away. In all earnestness, it was a magical experience. I have since taken every opportunity possible to see The Music Tapes (including their stellar performance as part of the Traveling Imaginary tour earlier this year), but this is what got me hooked. Listen and enjoy.

Concert Review: Tigers Jaw @ First Unitarian Church (June 21, 2013)

Image courtesy of Run For Cover Records
Image courtesy of Run For Cover Records

By Nick Sukiennik

At this point, I can’t even remember how many times I’ve seen Tigers Jaw (maybe five?). Back in high school, I’d venture into the city to catch them at small venues like The Fire and Ava House. They would frequently play with another group of my favorite local emo-punks, Algernon Cadwallader. It was those shows that foreshadowed, and perhaps even sparked the fuse that led to my current musical tastes.

At first, I wasn’t sure if I’d still be able to appreciate Tigers Jaw as I used to, and was concerned that I’d feel nostalgic at best. However, it turned out that their music resonated with me just as much, if not even more, than it did before.

Continue reading “Concert Review: Tigers Jaw @ First Unitarian Church (June 21, 2013)”

Top Played Artists 6/18/2013 – 6/25/2013

1   OBLIVIANS   Desperation   (In The Red)
2   MIKAL CRONIN  MCII   (Merge)
3   DEERHUNTER   Monomania  (4AD)
4   CAMERA OBSCURA   Desire Lines  (4AD)
5   WILD NOTHING   Empty Estate  (Captured Tracks)
6   FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS   More Than Just a Dream   (Elektra)
7   KING TUFF   Was Dead   (Burger)
8   THEE OH SEES   Floating Coffin   (Castle Face)
9   FRONT BOTTOMS   Talon of the Hawk   (Bar/None)
10  LAURA STEVENSON   Wheel   (Don Giovanni)
11  CAPITAL CITIES   In a Tidal Wave of Mystery   (Lazy Hooks)
12  GRANDCHILDREN   Golden Age  (Earnest Jenning)
13  ROGUE WAVE   Nightingale Floors   (Vagrant)
14  PORTUGAL. THE MAN   Evil Friends  (Atlantic)
15  MOUNT KIMBIE   Cold Spring Fault Less Youth   (Warp)
16  SAVAGES   Silence Yourself   (Matador)
17  MAL BLUM  Tempest in A Teacup  (Betterweather)
18  THERMALS  Desperate Ground  (Saddle Creek)
19  MELORMAN  Waves   (Sun Sea Sky)
20  PRIMAL SCREAM  More Light   (Ignition)
21  MINDLESS ATTACK  S/T  (Cephia’s Treat)
22  FLAMING LIPS  The Terror  (Warner Brothers)
23  ALPINE  A is For Alpine  (Votive)
24  SIGUR ROS   Kveikur   (XL)
25  SHMNS  Somewhere Between Here and There   (Self-Released)
26  ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER  Personal Record   (Merge)
27  BOMBINO   Nomad  (Nonesuch)
28  SCOUT NIBLETT   It’s Up To Emma   (Drag City)
29  SONNY AND THE SUNSETS   Antenna To The Afterworld   (Polyvinyl)
30  BROTHERS IN LAW   Hard Time For Dreamers   (WWNBB)

From The Archive: Good Old War Live @ WKDU (3/1/2010)

With air-tight harmonies that feel like a strange but beautiful cross between Fleet Foxes and The Grateful Dead, this Philly trio truly is deserving of the national recognition they’ve been getting recently. Just before the release of their self-titled sophomore album, Good Old War stopped by WKDU to play a handful of songs off their first album, Only Way To Be Alone.

[bandcamp width=350 height=626 album=4012424749 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 notracklist=false]

Song Review: “April and the Phantom” by Animal Collective

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR6dngRhr5Q&w=640&h=360]

By Nick Stropko

Animal Collective may be a household name at this point (well, among WKDU DJs anyway), but they’ve been releasing their warped freak-folk in different incarnations since 2000. Their excellent first album, Sprit They’re Gone, Spirit They’ve Vanished, is unfortunately a lesser-known entry in their catalog. While it is credited to Animal Collective, their debut is largely an Avey Tare affair—Panda Bear provides “perfect percussion” (according to the album credits), but everything else is handled by Tare. Knowing Animal Collective, it’s not surprising that the album sounds nothing like the rest of their catalog.

“April and the Phantom,” the album’s second track (and my personal favorite) is fairly representative of Sprit as a whole. It’s a study in dichotomy—almost every element rubs against another to great effect. The song opens with a high-pitched, sugar coated synth line before running headfirst into loud, jarring white noise. The clatter cuts away to reveal Panda Bear’s distinctive percussion—it’s aggressive in the frequency of his hits, but is tempered by his use of brushes. Meanwhile, chirpy, cheap sounding synthesizers sing over the track’s high end while Avey Tare relentlessly strums his acoustic guitar. Tare’s singing ranges from timid, sweet falsetto to outright screaming, with everything in between present. The lyrics are very much up for interpretation, but seem to be a schizophrenic love story, with lyrics split between a narrator, April, and the Phantom—with each voice being sung in a distinct style from the last (I particularly like the phaser [I think?]-laden harmonies during the Phantom’s part).

“April and the Phantom” is entirely bizarre, extremely captivating, and absolutely worth a listen. Stream it above.