WRVU Nashville – Page 25 – Vanderbilt’s #1 Music Resource, est. 1953

Local Music Spotlight: Julien Baker

November 16, 2015 Katie Linek

Julien Baker will play Exit/In on December 16 (photo credit: soundcloud.com)

At just 19, Julien Baker exudes a maturity beyond her years. This singer-songwriter has created a unique debut album, with tracks that are not quite sad nor joyful but something in between – accurately portraying the ups and downs of life itself. Above all else, Sprained Ankle is raw. The album is essentially nothing more Baker and her guitar. This simplicity is refreshing; it allows each lyric and tremor of Baker’s voice to be heard. Her musical style can be described as a quiet introspection scattered with bursts of emotion. These songs are so revealing, so confessional, that listening feels almost like an intrusion. It’s as if the lyrics have come straight out of private diary.

Top 10 Blur Songs

November 12, 2015 Sara Keller

Such British, very 90’s. Courtesy of the Brooklyn Reader

Before Damon Albarn’s solo career, even before Gorillaz, there was Blur, the popular English band that helped to revolutionize the “Britpop” movement. They gained notoriety in the 90’s through a feud with fellow Britpop band Oasis (but Liam and Noel Gallagher are jerks, #teamblur is the way to go). As a lover of all things British, it was only natural that I got really really into Blur during high school. (I have been known to say that my one regret in life was that I wasn’t born earlier to be able to experience Blur in their 90’s prime). While Blur never really gained the popularity in America that they had in the UK (and that they so rightfully deserved!), they were still large contributors to the indie rock movement both within Britain and around the world. Thus, here is my personal (biased) opinion of the 10 best Blur songs…

From No-Wave to Indie Rock: A Sonic Youth Primer

November 9, 2015 Brandon Bout

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been coincidentally talking to several different people about some of my favorite bands. Whenever I bring up the name “Sonic Youth” as one of those bands, people usually know the name, but have reduced their knowledge of the group to “oh yeah, aren’t they the weird band that had a song on Guitar Hero?” I’ve even talked to a few people at WRVU about Sonic Youth, and, surprisingly, some of their reactions have been similar.

Omelette du Fromage?

November 9, 2015 Katie Linek

Now that I have your attention, let’s talk about France. For those of you who do not know, I studied abroad there last year, so naturally I adore all things French. Though I am a bit biased, I believe the French music scene is undervalued outside of Europe. While everyone has heard of Edith Piaf, few Americans know any modern French artists. It’s true that most of them do not get a lot of air time in the U.S., so I thought I would show you all a few of my favorites.

Without further ado, here’s a list of French songs you need to listen to right away:

Tous Les Mêmes – Stromae

Stromae is not actually French; he is Belgian. However, he is really popular artist in France and Europe in general. No francophone artist list would be complete without him. On a personal note, I cannot emphasize how much I love his music. His album Racine Carrée (translation: Square Root) is one of my favorite albums ever. Stromae’s songs are easy to dance to, yet his lyrics are quite serious. Each song tackles a social issue. Tous Les Mêmes, for example, describes the expectations of men and women regarding relationships. One lyric “les hommes sont tous les mêmes” translates to “men are all the same”. This is an especially cool video because Stromae plays both a man and woman. How many American rappers have you seen dress in drag?

Something’s Not Quite Right on EL VY’s Debut

November 8, 2015 Jamie Stoike

http://www.radioutd.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/elvyreturnmoonLP.jpg — Photo courtesy of radioutd.com

It’s hard to put my finger on it, but something’s just not quite right with EL VY’s debut, Return to the Moon. A side project of Brent Knopf of Menomena and Matt Berninger of the National, EL VY carries quite a heavy set of expectations. While I’m not familiar with the work of Knopf, The National has long been one of my favorite bands, in large part thanks to Berninger’s dry, imagist lyrics and dolorous vocal delivery. And while it’s perhaps unfair to compare the two bands, it is nonetheless telling that the moments where this collaboration works best are when EL VY sounds the most like The National.

WRVU’s Top 10 Mom&Dad Music

November 6, 2015 Roshan Poudel

Many of us owe our first musical experiences to good ol’ mom and dad. Every generation has its musical highs and lows, but sometimes there comes along an artist that seems to transcend time. This list is dedicated to those universally appreciated artists. Here we have the top ten most popular artists that our parents taught us to love.

10. The Grateful Dead

Nest, Alex G, and Title Fight’s Chaotic, Sold-Out Show at The End

November 3, 2015 Meredith Mattlin

Nest—a local Nashville favorite—Alex G, and Title Fight make for quite the trifecta. It’s no wonder the show sold out rather quickly with a venue as intimate as The End. It’s just as well for those who managed to snag tickets: there wasn’t a dull moment in the small space throughout the show, culminating in Title Fight’s all-out chaotic performance that garnered some of the most intense and committed crowd-surfing I’ve ever witnessed.

Will Taylor Swift “Shake Off” New Lawsuit?

November 2, 2015 Laura Hillsman

Credit: Taylor Swift and VEVO

The haters really are going to hate.

Taylor Swift has now found herself in a legal battle over her hit song of off her album 1989, “Shake It Off”. According to the BBC, Swift is being sued by American R&B singer Jesse Graham to the tune of $42 million. Additionally, Graham is suing for his name to be added as a co-writer on the song. He claims that the phrases “haters gone hate” and “playas gone play” are both copyrighted by him.

10 Reasons to Love Eddie Vedder

November 1, 2015 Katie Linek

Anyone who knows me well is aware of my reverence for Eddie Vedder. The above picture has been the focal point of my dorm room decor since my sophomore year. More often than not, people who visit my room ask me “who is that dude holding the ukulele?” Even worse, some of them have never heard of Eddie Vedder and I am forced to condense his brilliance to a mere sentence or two. If you are unfamiliar with Eddie Vedder and still want to be my friend, this post is for you.

Here are 10 reasons you should love Eddie as much as I do:

Lead singer/guitarist of Pearl Jam since 1990. A quarter of a century later and Pearl Jam is still performing and producing great music. Check out this awesome footage of them playing at the Pinkpop festival in the Netherlands back in 1992
(note the extreme 90s hair).
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGO-L0–BkA

15 Songs by Jason Mraz You Have “Absolutely Zero” Reasons Not to Know

November 1, 2015 Madeline Goetz

You’ve heard “I’m Yours” and “I Won’t Give Up,” and maybe you even remember “The Remedy,” but my guess is most of you reading this haven’t truly come to appreciate the musical prowess of Jason Mraz—and trust me, you need it in your life. Exploring Mraz’s lesser-known tracks is the best way to hone an understanding and admiration for his touching, idiosyncratic lyrics and tremendous vocal range.

The gaping hole in your soul shall be no more—I’ve compiled a playlist of 15 songs that will fill the void you didn’t know was there and change the way you think of Jason Mraz, the world, and perhaps even yourself. Most of the featured tracks are recordings of live performances, because Jason Mraz’s music is best experienced live. Since I can’t give you all tickets to his show tonight in Australia, I’m giving you the next best thing. Enjoy!

CHVRCHES gives impressive second Nashville performance

October 29, 2015 Sara Keller

Courtesy of Lance Conzett, Nashville Scene

I feel like I seem to always go to concerts when I’ve gotten minimal to no sleep the night before. This past Tuesday, was no different; when I had finally wrapped up my (incredibly poorly written) lab report at 6 AM after working through the night, I was pretty hesitant about seeing Scottish band CHVRCHES at Marathon Music Works that rainy evening. After a brief hour and a half nap and more cups of coffee than I would like to admit, I decided to forego another couple hours of sleep and make my way to Marathon around 9 PM.

I Just Love Earth / Flood Out Your Wrist: Playboi Carti & 21 Savage

October 28, 2015 Linzy Scott

Listen to “Peepin,” Atlanta icon Gucci Mane’s commemorative track for THEBURRPRINT.COM, and you’ll hear two of the city’s youngest and brightest rising talents. Playboi Carti and 21 Savage represent some of the best of the “New Atlanta” wave, a sorta shaky label that seems to get more and more nebulous. A better descriptor would probably just be “underground rap” but even this conjures up images of dusty cyphers and grimy dudes with backpacks and NYC golden-age obsessions. It’s best to just say that this versatile group is solely doing their own thing on their own time, which is fine because they’ve kept the city laced with talent for a while now. I’m gonna name names now: Key!, Rich The Kid, Two-9, Peewee Longway, Tk N Cash, K Camp, Bankroll Fresh, and Hoodrich Pablo Juan have been making hits for a minute now and frankly, it’s glorious. Add them to Father and the rest of Awful Records and you start to realize how bountiful good rap is in the city (same city that has Young Thug btw). These artists may not be running the radio game as well as the gawds Future, Migos and Rae Sremmurd (yet) but their presences are definitely felt.

Interview with Maps & Atlases

October 27, 2015 Jordan Nunnelee

I had the opportunity to watch my favorite band, Chicago-based Maps & Atlases, for the fourth time on Saturday, October 24^th at the Basement East in East Nashville. For the first time, however, I had the honor of interviewing the band after they opened for Bobby Bare Jr.

Maps & Atlases played for almost an hour, revisiting old songs from their second EP “You And Me And the Mountain” to their most recent LP, “Beware And Be Grateful.” Only months after former band member Erin Elders left to pursue other opportunities, this was one of the few shows the former quartet has played as a trio.

Mono/The Ocean Mesh Post-Rock and Metal on Their New Split EP, Transcendental

October 26, 2015 Brandon Bout

Japanese post-rock band Mono (photo courtesy of Wikipedia)

As a way of celebrating the fact that Japanese post-rock band, Mono, have recently signed to Pelagic Records, the record label owned by The Ocean brainchild Robin Staps, the two groups released a split EP. The EP, entitled Transcendental, was released on October 23rd, and it features one extended track from each band.

of Montreal Gives Intense, Impressive Mercy Lounge Performance

October 26, 2015 Meredith Mattlin

of Montreal's Kevin Barnes at the Mercy Lounge — of Montreal’s Kevin Barnes at the Mercy Lounge

Of Montreal has solidified a well-deserved reputation for being a band best enjoyed live—not just for their intense light effects and dancing characters, but also because of Kevin Barnes’ engaging onstage presence and captivating antics. And the Athens-based group’s latest Nashville appearance did not disappoint, with dog costumes, crowd-kissing, and one ephemeral image of Donald Trump.

The 90s called…

October 25, 2015 Katie Linek

Nashville-based indie band Bully is bringing back grunge and I couldn’t be more thrilled.

It’s so so so refreshing to have a band that kicks it old school. Do you see the irony there? Don’t get me wrong, I love the new, alternative electro-genres of alt-J, Glass Animals, Purity Ring and many others. But, I’m getting a little tired of experimental music. All you really need in this world is an angry singer and a killer guitarist, amirite? We are in the era of live mixing and technobeats. Garage bands, who have nothing but instruments and mics, are what this generation needs. Without being derivative, Bully is reinstating this old style of music (yes, 1990 was 25 years ago so I can call it old). They take their personal stories and express them with the frustration and rebellion of the 90s grunge era.

If you’re not sure what I mean, check out this in studio:

In-Studio With Linear Downfall

October 24, 2015 Roshan Poudel

Last week WRVU’s Travis Weaver sat down with Nashville’s very own, Linear Downfall. Listen to the full interview below, and check out their experimental tunes right here! [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/229510111″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true”…

How To Lose Fans and Alienate People By Janet Jackson

October 23, 2015 Alex Justice

Recent concert goers expected to have a fun night out at Janet Jackson’s “Unbreakable” tour when their memories were stolen from them as Instagram deleted not only content, but also whole user accounts for copyright violation. Although Jackson issued an apology and revised the policy, she made it clear she had full intentions of protecting her intellectual property in the future asking fans to forgo the use of long clips.

Beach House Serves Dessert

October 21, 2015 Meredith Mattlin

Beach House is one of those bands that has a “brand.” Not in the consumerist sense, per se, but in an artistic one. In other words, if there’s one thing you can expect from Beach House, it’s good-old-friend reliability.

“Perfect”: The “Style”-ish Single That Has Fans Swiftly Crafting Conspiracy Theories

October 20, 2015 Madeline Goetz

“And if you’re looking for someone to write your break-up songs about / Baby I’m perfect,” sings Niall Horan of One Direction, all but confirming that “Perfect,” 1D’s latest single in which the not-so-subtle lyrics appear, was written in regard to Harry Styles’s and Taylor Swift’s 2012 relationship.

Hank Williams Biopic Presented at the Belcourt

October 19, 2015 Laura Hillsman

Photo courtesy of Carolyn Sloss

Just this past Saturday, the biopic I Saw the Light was presented at the Belcourt Theatre. The movie follows the life of famed country music star Hank Williams from his marriage to his first wife Audrey through his untimely death in the back of his car on his way to perform in Canton, OH. Given the iconic status Hank Williams occupies in the realm of country music it is no surprise that I Saw the Light was screened here, in the home of country.

10. The Grateful Dead

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