Deerhunter Tops 2010’s “Halcyon Digest” with “Fading Frontier”

October 17, 2015
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/55/Deerhunter_-_Fading_Frontier_album_artwork.jpg
Cover art courtesy of Wikipedia

I’ll start by saying that I like Deerhunter. And while Monomania may have felt a bit overlong and undercooked, I’m reasonably convinced that their 2010 album Halcyon Digest is one of the best albums of the 2000s. I say this to give some context to lavish praise I’m about to heap onto their new album, Fading Frontier.

To start: Fading Frontier is better than Halcyon Digest, which is saying quite a lot. Fading Frontier a carefully crafted 36-minute masterpiece, filled with inventive songwriting, melodies that surprise you at every turn, and the best, most striking set of lyrics Bradford Cox has ever written.

WRVU Unplugged: But Why?

October 16, 2015
At the airport - photo provided by Ben Fensterheim
At the airport 

It’s taken a while for this post to come to fruition but it’s finally here. After struggling to find Ben’s email address and then communicating online from different sides of the Pacific Ocean, I’ve ultimately compiled sufficient information to write this article.  Keep reading to find out more about Ben Fensterheim’s show “But Why?”

Alex G’s Beach Music Is Perfect for Anywhere But the Beach

October 14, 2015

Alex G Beach Music

Alex Giannascoli—Alex G, as he is known—has been particularly prolific this year, releasing Rules earlier this year, and then, satisfying the anticipation of his small but loyal fan base, Beach Music last Friday. Beach Music does far more than just satisfy, though: in typical Alex G fashion, it will take you on an introspective journey that is far from kitschy and saccharine, and yet remains surprisingly accessible.

Ben Sollee and Mother Falcon at City Winery – Exclusive Interview

October 14, 2015

Ben Sollee at City Winery October 12th

On Monday evening, City Winery Nashville was graced with the presence of Ben Sollee and Mother Falcon, who performed the second show of their collaborative tour The Fall Migration. Ben Sollee, cellist, singer, composer extraordinaire, took the stage with a “super-band” of 14 (ish) musicians: himself, drummer Jordan Ellis, and the members of Austin-based orchestral band Mother Falcon. Together, they opened the show with “Something, Somewhere, Sometime” a track off Sollee’s 2010 album Dear Companion. In addition to being a talented musician, Sollee is a passionate environmentalist. The aforementioned album, Dear Companion, is entirely dedicated to the problem of Mountaintop Removal coal mining.

Ben Sollee and Mother Falcon performed their 90 minute set with a conversational fluidity. It seemed as if these acts had been playing together for years; it was incredible how such a large group of musicians could be so perfectly in sync. The “super band” lived up to the name, producing a full sound which filled the cavernous room.

Though a large portion of the show had both acts on stage, each took their turn in spotlight. A highlight was when Sollee played a few songs solo, accompanied by a drummer using a wooden box as an instrument. Even on a seemingly empty stage, Ben Sollee is a captivating performer – his charismatic personality translates to his music. He kept the crowd engaged by telling stories between songs. From following a redhead to California to crashing a karaoke bar with his bandmates, he created a personal connection with his audience. The crowd even convinced Sollee to reenact the night in the karaoke bar by playing their reggae cover of Prince’s “When Doves Cry”.

Lake Street Dive Goes Down Smooth At Ascend Amphitheater

October 13, 2015
Courtesy of musicfog.com
Courtesy of musicfog.com

Lake Street Dive graced Nashville with their presence yet again this past Saturday at the beautiful Ascend Amphitheater. Unfortunately for the Lake Street Dive fan, however, they were only opening for Grace Potter. Luckily the group drove a large and enthusiastic crowd that showed up early. Despite their position in the set, Lake Street Dive owned the stage and played a fantastic hour of music.

WRVU Presents: WBBQ

October 10, 2015

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WRVU is hosting its first ever “WBBQ” event today from 1-4pm. Come down to Highland Quad to hear some nostalgic hits from rock n’ roll as you feast on some bbq! To get you all started, we have a playlist of some of the jams you will be hearing. Tell your parents!

Good Country People: Elvis Depressedly’s Quiet Growth

October 7, 2015

Elvis-Depressedly-Promo

The south is strange and everyone’s always known it. Maybe that’s why some of the best music has always bubbled up from it. People have their own ways of dealing with things, which isn’t exclusive to the south of course, but southern people don’t like change, as the cliché goes. As music generally does, southern music takes on a lot of the characteristics of the environment it’s created in. Think of the twang of old country, the sparse emptiness that can stand in for anything from countryside desolation to sheer heartbreak. Screwed and chopped rap, pitched to the point where every lazy bass rattle thumps with its own measured certainty. The unabashed euphoria of D4L, of New Orleans bounce music, of Soulja Boy and the great tradition of the barbecue. There’s a reason NYC rappers shunned melody in rap for so long while Future and Young Thug practically warbled their way into other dimensions. The south is aware of its strangeness, and it doesn’t make amends of concessions for it.

Aaron Carter to Anchor Down at Vanderbilt University

October 6, 2015

IMG_2094Only 90’s kids will remember: “hip-hop” heartthrob Aaron Carter was the coolest kid on the block circa 2000, and now he’s going to rock Block Party during homecoming week at Vanderbilt University. That’s right—twenty-seven-year old pop-prince Aaron Charles Carter is making a grand appearance on our campus on October 22 at 7:00pm, and I couldn’t be more excited.

Carter first started performing when he was just seven years old, and he opened for iconic boy-band The Backstreet Boys when he was only ten. Ever since his big musical beginning, he’s been busy making albums, touring, and performing. While we’re all familiar with his famous hits, such as “I Want Candy” and “That’s How I Beat Shaq,” here’s a list of things you might not know Aaron Carter has done:

Kid Freud and Good Graeff Take on The End

October 5, 2015

For those of you who made it out to the show at The End last Thursday night- wasn’t it awesome? For those of you who weren’t there (and I know there were a lot of you), you missed one hell of a show. Three bands were scheduled to play that night: Kid Freud, Good Graeff, and Gunther Doug. While I had to head out before I caught Gunther Doug’s set, the other two bands really blew me away.

 

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WRVU’s Top 10 Most Anticipated Concerts

October 5, 2015
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Photo courtesy of Kaldari

Living in Nashville can be hard. With so many tempting concerts, at times it is difficult choosing between that $40 ticket to the Ryman or food for the next week. However, every once in a while a can’t-miss show comes up on the calendar and nothing else seems to matter. We asked our DJs which concerts they have been anticipating the most since the start of the semester, and these are the top ten.

Concert of the Week: Glass Animals

October 5, 2015

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O32PTGgRQDo

This Thursday, October 8th, you have the opportunity to see an incredible live performance. Glass Animals will be playing at Marathon Music Works. I can assure you this is a show you don’t want to miss.

I saw Glass Animals this summer, back home in DC at the 9:30 club. It was the night before my 21st birthday and I look back fondly, knowing that was the last time I ever had to wear unsightly X-es on the back of my hands. Glass Animals really brought their A-game that night. I often use the term “high-energy” to describe exciting concerts, but that doesn’t even begin to cover it. This British band relies heavily on synthesizers, creating a dream-like atmosphere at their shows. Dave Bayley, the lead singer, is the stand-out member of the group. He gets so into the music, the intensity and passion are just infectious.

Pilgrimage Festival Sets High Bar in its Inaugural Year

October 2, 2015
Cage the Elephant's Matt Shultz showing off his acrobatics at Pilgrimage
Cage the Elephant’s Matt Shultz showing off his acrobatics at Pilgrimage

The forecast for Saturday in Franklin was rainy and bleak, hardly the weather thousands of eager Tennesseans wanted for the inaugural Pilgrimage Festival in Franklin. Big names like Cage the Elephant, Iron & Wine, and Wilco dominated Saturday.

The two-day event likely seemed quite cozy to seasoned veterans of the summer festival circuit, with only two main stages (and two smaller ones) and a schedule that frustratingly overlapped nearly every performer with another. Yet, the lineup itself made up for it.

Celebrating an R.I.P. 2 My Youth at the Ryman

October 1, 2015
The Neighbourhood's black and white color scheme and beachy light display
The Neighbourhood’s black and white color scheme worked well with the beachy light display

Last Friday, September 25, while most of my fellow Nashville concertgoers were headed to the first night of Taylor Swift’s 1989 stop at Bridgestone Arena, a friend and I were on our way to the Ryman to see West Coast indie pop/rock group, The Neighbourhood. My friend had never been to the Ryman, so this summer when tickets went on sale at a fairly low price we decided to just go for it (little did we know that Sufjan Stevens would be announcing a show there merely 2 months later…sigh). The Neighbourhood seemed like a strange choice for the Ryman, as they had certainly lost a good deal of relevance (and not to mention, airplay) since the release of their first album in 2013. Despite that, I was excited mostly to see if they could pull off their unique experimental tracks live.

The Best Album You May Not Have Heard Of

September 29, 2015

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Every semester on the WRVU DJ application we are asked, “What’s your favorite album that no one knows about?” For the last four semesters I have declared that The Samuel Jackson Five’s Easily Misunderstood is, in fact, that album. I realize that there are probably some of you who have heard it, but I hope after reading this that some of you will scroll down to the embedded Spotify link and experience the post-rock mastery.

Solidifying Their Signature Sound: Deafheaven’s New Bermuda

September 28, 2015

In 2013, Deafheaven rose to the top of many “best album” lists with their sophomore album, Sunbather, and much of that success came from their ability to connect in an emotional way with their audience in a way similar to that of post-rock.  From brilliant major-key peaks in distorted guitar bliss to ambient, shoegaze-influenced segments, Sunbather kind of made metal cool again.  Many people who never imagined themselves being into metal loved that album.  And now, after a few years, Deafheaven are releasing their third full-length, New Bermuda, with much anticipation.  You can listen to the stream of the album on NPR here.  The album is officially released on October 2nd.

 

Grace Potter Can’t Pick a Genre and That’s Okay

September 27, 2015

If you haven’t heard of Grace Potter, you must be living under a rock. This Vermont native has been the frontwoman of Grace Potter and the Nocturnals since 2002. Together they’ve released four successful studio albums, most recently The Lion The Beast The Beat (2012). Potter is particularly praised for her powerhouse vocals and high-energy performances (which I experienced myself two summers ago – it was a blast).

Grace Potter is also recognized for her diverse solo projects. Disney fans may know her from “Something That I Want”, the song from the closing credits of Tangled. She has collaborated with big name country singers such as Kenny Chesney, rock legends like The Rolling Stones and Grammy award-winning producer T Bone Burnett. In addition to singing, Potter plays guitar, piano, keyboards, organ and the tambourine. Thirteen years in the music business and this multi-instrumentalist shows no signs of slowing down.

*Check out this video of “Empty Heart” (posted just last August)

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPEE33a8ufA

Oh Pep! In-Studio

September 27, 2015
Sammy Spencer and Julia Anderson with Oh Pep!
Sammy Spencer and Julia Anderson with Oh Pep!

On Thursday afternoon we were graced by a lovely in-studio performance with Australian folk duo, Oh Pep! Bringing a sweet Aussie attitude and an affinity for fried avocado tacos to the WRVU airwaves, Olivia Hally and Pepita Emmerichs talked their upcoming album, adventures touring and their three, foot-stomping shows at Nashville’s Americana Festival. They broke down their carefully woven tracks and instead used just a guitar and fiddle/violin.

When I Discovered My Favorite Songs Aren’t My Favorite Songs…

September 26, 2015

While I was on a road trip with my girlfriend this summer, I bravely ceded control of my iPod. Flipping through my playlists to find one she liked, she asked me if I wanted to listen to my Top 25 Most Played playlist–a playlist automatically assembled by iTunes and which I had no idea existed. What followed was a surprising series of mini-revelations as to what my favorite songs actually were.

I think that sometimes one gets so caught up in popular and critical opinion that it’s easy to fall in love with the idea of a song more than the song itself, or that you may love one song on an album so much you forget the songs around it that you listen to just as much. So color me surprised when, looking at my music library sorted by plays, The Decemberists didn’t crack the top ten. Nor did The National, or Arcade Fire, or many other bands that I love more than Rufus Wainwright, whose “Poses” is the 6th most played track on my iPod. And my two “favorite” Modest Mouse songs, “3rd Planet” and “Night on the Sun”? They weren’t there either. Looking at “Gravity Rides Everything” sitting atop the list, I realized that “Wow, that actually might be my favorite song.” It’s a strange bit of cognitive dissonance that results from this, triggering the realization that beliefs don’t always match actions. I may claim that “PDA” is my favorite Interpol song, but the facts disagree–and such was my experience with other bands.

With perhaps one exception, I didn’t anticipate any of these songs to be here–and yet they are. They’re the favorite songs that hide in plain sight; the unsung heroes; the crushes that you never notice until someone points it out. The end result is that the next time I’m asked what my favorite songs are, I may have to see if perception matches reality.

Next time you need a playlist to listen to, peruse your Top 25; maybe you’ll be just as surprised as I was.

In the meantime, here’s what I was surprised about: my top 10 most played songs.

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