The last day of Pitchfork Fest, I’d assert, was the day that had the highest concentration of crowd-pleasing favorites: in just sheer numbers, today’s lineup was the highest up in terms of hitting on almost every conceivable niche of possible audience interest all across the obscurity-to-popularity spectrum. And with Solange—Solange!—headlining, there was nothing to possibly complain about.
After an eventful day one, Pitchfork Fest day two promised an even more saturated schedule. And it certainly delivered on that promise: first of all, with A Tribe Called Quest headlining, all the other bands could have tanked and this day still would have been certifiably historical. Fortunately, however, we were lucky enough that not a single one of the other acts disappointed.
Friday’s lineup promised an electric start to an action-packed festival weekend. Nashville’s own William Tyler played at 4 PM on Friday, followed immediately by Frankie Cosmos and Thurston Moore. The three of these provided a perfectly well-rounded, balanced trio of acts to precede the contrastingly high-energy Danny Brown, who flawlessly delivered intensity and famously rapid rap. Dirty Projectors’ intimidating, otherworldly sounds set a new kind of mood, one that held the audience rapt for a night that culminated in an impossibly fantastic performance by LCD Soundsystem.
Pitchfork Music Festival boasts an impressive lineup that is as eclectic and genre-spanning a collection as it is all-encompassing. Just as it has in past years, Pitchfork delivered a list that truly has something for everyone without relying on superfluous bill-filling bands or kitsch or campiness. Here’s what to look forward to…
Emerging from a seven-year musical coma, Nana Grizol is back and better than ever with Ursa Minor, another chill indie-folk album offering songs that serve as disillusioned social commentary with compact narratives discussing various personal and societal issues. As their first two albums have demonstrated, Nana Grizol is all about making the world a place more full of love and appreciation; with a message so wholesome, chords so wistful, and lyrics so earnest, this band is damn near impossible to dislike.
The artistic narrative surrounding Frank Ocean often frames him as an enigmatic, reclusive musician whose notoriously secretive (and infamously long) recording processes result in fully-formed projects being dropped seemingly out of the ether. What does this approach to making music produce? For Ocean, the answer seems to be an oeuvre that is limited but critically unimpeachable.
Formal weekend is upon on us! Frats are descending on beaches, drinks are being poured (and spilled), and everyone wants #bangers. So I’m gonna get the party going with a few of those. Each song is linked to the next through the features or producer to ensure a truly cohesive playlist experience.
(via “Legend Has It” music video by Run the Jewels)
Politics! We all love (or love to hate) talking about it. Undeniably, we are living in a time where almost everyone is paying attention to our political climate. Which, in turn, also brings out a lot of opinions. Run the Jewels are no stranger to politics. Killer Mike was a strong endorser of Senator Bernie Sanders in the presidential primaries, even speaking at rallies. Tracks like “Talk to Me” are laden with political talk (“went to war with the Devil and Shaytan/He wore a bad toupee and a spray tan”). Their music videos have even embraced this talk wholeheartedly.
Two momentous things occurred on Friday, March 24: the first was that Paul Ryan’s dream of repealing Obamacare likely died forever; the second, almost equally exciting event, was the birth of #RoachGate, an Internet rumor alleging that Paul Ryan is secretly an angsty emo kid who still listens to Papa Roach.
So perhaps you’ve seen the pink guitar album, or at the very least seen praise heaped upon Bullet For My Valentine and thought it odd that not only have they been a band since the late ’80s but that they’ve also done anything worth mentioning in the same sentence as the words “critical acclaim.”
2007: a great year for heavy eyeliner, lip piercings, Myspace, and alternative music that nowadays we pretend to be embarrassed of ever liking. Just to make everyone’s hearts feel a nostalgic pang, I’ve decided to compile a list of albums that will be turning 10 this year.
When you think of Rock ‘n Roll, you think of an American phenomenon exemplified in its prime by jukeboxes and American Bandstand and later by Woodstock and Ziggy Stardust. Yet, before it was a way of life, it was an experiment in a little studio in Memphis, Tennessee.
This song is VALID, and there’s really not much else to say. I threw it on, and suddenly I was wearing Aldo shoes (you know, like, the loafers) and I was two stepping with a truly unfathomable degree of proficiency.
The passing of a new year for most signifies a time of change– well-intentioned resolutions are made as we wave goodbye to the previous 365 days and undergo the ritualistic purging of meticulously catalogued year-end movie, music, and video game lists for a fresh start with a blank slate come January 1st
Little Richard quit rock ‘n roll for Gospel in October 1957. Elvis was drafted in March 1958. Jerry Lee Lewis married his 13 year old cousin and was blacklisted from radio in March of 1958. Buddy Holly died in a plane crash in February 1959. Chuck Berry was arrested in December 1959 for soliciting a prostitute. Thus, rock ‘n roll died, and a vacuum was created in American music in the early 1960’s. The youth simply lost their sound. However, rock ‘n roll and the blues were abroad, being marketed to a foreign audience and growing outside the American musical garden.
A while back, WRVU had the opportunity to interview Wet, the effervescent indie pop sensation that had eager Nashvillians lining up out the door to Exit/In in hopes of a ticket to the sold-out show. We talked before their Exit/In show about touring, new music, their writing process, being on the road and in the South, pre-concert rituals…to read it all, and watch for the first time/relive their show, check out the interview and concert footage below. (We also photographed the band backstage before the show, which you can check out below as well.)
Released in the after-hours of the Grammys on February 12th, DJ Khaled’s “Shining” is definitely one of the best songs in its genre of this very young year, and just about everything about it works. It’s Khaled’s trademark pop production firing on all cylinders, and its arrival after last year’s “For Free” is evidence of Khaled’s sustained return to form as a hit-maker.
WRVU hosted Boyscott, Spirit Week, The Pills, Born Animal, and Wax Mistress at The End around Thanksgiving for our first annual Turkey Jerky Jam! Now you can relive (or experience for the first time, if you missed it) the thrilling experience all up close and personal right here on the internet from the comfort of your screen.
Have you taken the time to write your “Dear Santa…” letter? Did you desperately beg for Tha Carter V, Detox, or the Chance the Rapper/Childish Gambino mixtape to drop in 2017? Unfortunately, even Santa’s elves won’t pull through for those. While you check out the pre-Christmas Cole Santa has left for you, check out the albums Santa will manage to bring for next year.
You sit down at your desk after a long, hard day of work. Unraveling your headphones, you anticipate the transcendent melodies of your favorite artists. Today, it’s Elliot Smith, and nothing could stop you from drifting off to the sound of his cherubic voice. Just as you lift a steamy cup of herbal tea to your lips and click play, you jerk back in agony, your headphones flying off your head and crashing to the linoleum floor.
So since we find ourselves in November and I’m feeling somewhat reflective, I think that this is a perfect opportunity to look back over the year and take some time to consider how great some of these 2016 tracks have been. Honestly It’s been a pretty nice year in terms of music (and a pretty terrible year in terms of other things) and there’s a ton of quality out there. So we’re gonna keep it light and fun and just look at some stunners that have been released in the calendar year of 2016. No specific order.