The first day of Pitchfork Festival brought a whole host of heavy hitters. We were grateful for Pitchfork’s urban park setting, making for small walking distance between stages–it would have been hard to see our favorites without that. Despite the ominous weather forecast, there was a vibrant and energetic feel to the festival–we prayed for the rain to hold off, and ventured in to start off with Julien Baker.
Gleams of sunlight patterned the back patio of The Basement East as WRVU chatted with Clay Frankel of Chicago-based rock band, Twin Peaks, the evening before their sold-out show. In between wisps of a cigarette, Clay shared his insights on tour life, the writing process, musical influences, his album artwork drawings, along with answers to various questions from WRVU’s DJ-created Question Bucket Hat.
Boy do we have news for you! WRVU and Rhythm N’ Blooms have teemed up to give YOU a free full, 3-day festival pass. Held in beautiful Knoxville, TN from April 6-8, these are tickets you won’t want to miss!
Join WRVU Podcasts as (part one) DJ’s Cole Jackson and Ayden Eilmus break down some of the music out there that’s just, well, bad; join us also for (part two)…
Recently, I’ve been trying to open my eyes to the way we interact with, and are influenced by, the man-made environment. Whether it’s a public park, a door handle, or an album cover, I believe every detail of objects and spaces can act as an important tool for shaping our perception, whether or not it was the intention of the creator of that object to do so.
When one considers the implications of art as an interaction, we can see the power of this tool. The real beauty of art, in my opinion, is that the artist only has so much control over how the work is perceived, while the viewer/user/audience must do much of the heavy lifting. I believe modern art provides many great examples of this interaction.
Subtlety has never been Courtney Barnett’s thing. So far, that’s been to her advantage. Native to Melbourne and on the rapid rise to fame since the 2015 release of her debut LP Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, Barnett has made a name for herself through witty, avant-garde lyricism and garagey guitar riffs. Her previous work resonates with a sort of comfortable honesty, regardless of the first-glance mundanity of the everyday occurrences she so often addresses. This past October’s Kurt Vile collab album Lotta Sea Lice saw the further development of this knack, and quietly allowed Barnett to temporarily side step the anxieties of following up Sometimes I Sit and Think’s success. Now ready to tackle those fears head on, her second full length solo project, Tell Me How You Really Feel, will be released May 18th on Mom+Pop, Marathon Artists, and Barnett’s own Milk! Records. In tandem with this announcement, first single “Nameless, Faceless,” as well as an accompanying music video, were put out ahead of the upcoming album.
Last weekend I was able to fulfill a year-long dream of mine when I saw BROCKHAMPTON in concert in Indianapolis. If you listened to music in 2017, you probably heard about this group at least once. The 15-member “boyband” took the nation by storm at the tail end of what already was a fantastic year for music. Driven by outstanding production that’s somehow simultaneously progressive and nostalgic and verses from off-kilter personalities such as the unapologetically gay frontman Kevin Abstract, the charmingly sluggish Matt Champion, and electrifying Merlyn Wood, BROCKHAMPTON truly stands out among the hordes of hip-hop projects released each year. In this list, I will attempt to rank every song BROCKHAMPTON released in their SATURATION series, from worst to best. (Note: This includes songs only, not Skits, Scenes, Cinemas, or any of the bonus tracks included in the box set.)
On their third full-length LP, the Montreal post-punk revivalists have produced their most nuanced and melodically inclined album to date.
WRVU is excited to announce that we’re giving away tickets to the upcoming Weaves show! Weaves broke into the Toronto scene after lead singer Jasmyn Burke and guitarist Morgan Waters met in 2013 at one of Burke’s solo shows in which she was relying on a looping sampler to accompany herself. Burke and Waters immediately began writing music, and brought on bassist Zach Bines and drummer Spencer Cole to propel Weaves, newly minted, into the heart of the Toronto indie music scene.
This piece is about SATURATION III, the album released on December 15th from Brockhampton (stylized BROCKHAMPTON). For more on the boy band and their rise to prominence, please see WRVU’s In-Depth Look: Who is BROCKHAMPTON?
You listened and voted and now it’s time to announce the 2017 WRVU Nashville Album of the Year!!
And the winner is……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
“The best boy band since One Direction.” An artistic collective. The internet’s first boy band. Kevin Abstract’s newest group venture.
The time has come! Vote for your top album of 2017 now! Winner announced Friday, January 12th! VOTE HERE
2017 Album of the Year ROUND TWO is here!! The TOP 4 will be sent out January 5th to determine a winner! Vote Now! Choose your Top 4 albums of…
WRVU has voted to create a list of the top 16 albums of 2017 and from here you can vote to narrow it down to 8. (The next round will…
On Tuesday (Nov. 28), Allan Rayman began the final leg of his Hotel Tour with a sold out show at The High Watt. Within the past two years, the Toronto-based…
Next up for Cranberry Jam we have Nashville’s own Arlie! Formed in 2016 around singer-songwriter Nathaniel Banks and featuring WRVU’s Carson Lystad, Arlie specializes in creating a smooth blend of…
The boys of Snake Cheney are from right here in Nashville, Tennessee. After meeting and starting to play together at MTSU, they’ve quickly found a sound that dubs them the kings of keeping it dreamy.
Hey all you Nash-villains, if you haven’t heard already WRVU is hosting a show at Drkmtter on November 30th at 8pm (Doors at 7pm) and you are all invited! In keeping with tradition, we’re going to countdown the days to the show with some highlights of these local, WRVU favorites playing the show, and first up is: CHICO.
You’re invited to WRVU Nashville’s 2nd Annual Cranberry Jam!! Come on out to Drkmttr on November 30th to this COMPLETELY FREE SHOW to see four of our favorite Nashville bands:…
Despite some wonderful hedonic highlight tracks, Super Slimey runs into the same issue many projects by prolific trap rappers suffer from: a lack of time and effort. It’s still enjoyable.