WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE

September 22, 2015

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In a twitter blur, the world became aware of an approaching collaborative album between Future and Drake, two rappers who have been collectively running this year. Now, it’s important to note the considerable difference in each rapper’s dominance this year. Future has put in a decidedly inhuman season of being literally the best rapper today whose not named Jeffrey Williams. Seriously if you don’t know by now, you need to listen to the canon (56 Nights, DS2, Beast Mode, Monster). Drake has also been doing well in his own lane, releasing an album (IYRTITL), questionably silencing ghostwriter allegations, and a few songs and remixes here and there. I’m going to come clean though, I haven’t paid much attention to Drake of late, simply because Future and Young Thug exist. But, regardless, Drake, well he’s out here.

Taylor Swift Covers Come Just In Time For Fall

September 21, 2015

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Just kidding,  technically it’s not fall until Wednesday. It’s pretty darn close though.

So here’s the deal: in October of last year Taylor Swift released her most recent album, 1989. It was a runaway success, selling the greatest number of albums in its first week since The Eminem Show released in 2002 according to MTV. Swift has since gone on an incredibly successful tour which will be swinging by Nashville on the 25th. I’d remind all Taylor Swift fans to buy tickets, but let’s face it-at this point they’re over $200 and you probably should have picked them up months ago. However, I’m not here to write about Swift’s upcoming show. Instead, I want to talk about the recent 1989 cover craze.

Helen’s The Original Faces

September 20, 2015

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Just released earlier this month on Chicago-based indie stalwart Kranky, The Original Faces by the three-piece (4-piece?) Helen has quietly and self-assuredly proven itself on multiple listens as a high quality full-length relatively out of nowhere. Attention to the band was primarily due to its inclusion of Liz Harris in the roster, whose folk project Grouper has attracted considerable critical acclaim and admiration for its sparse intimacy and thrilling experimentation. This was certainly the case for me; when I heard that she had a “pop” band putting out an album I was immediately all in.

RTJ Let the Cat out of the Bag

September 20, 2015
Photo by Timothy Saccenti
Photo by Timothy Saccenti

Winners of WRVU’s 2014 Album of the Year Contest, rap duo Run the Jewels has been no stranger to critical acclaim since the release of Run the Jewels 2 last year. Killer Mike and El-P have not dropped any new material since then, but are set to release a remix album sometime in September. Meow the Jewels, the idiosyncratic remix of Run the Jewels 2 fans have been waiting months to listen to, will feature the duo rapping their lyrics over cat noises. Just this week, Run the Jewels gave a little sneak-peak into the album with “Oh My Darling Don’t Meow”, a play on “Oh My Darling Don’t Cry”.

WRVU Unplugged: Without Vocals

September 18, 2015

     Maybe you’ve had the pleasure of knowing Bradley Wheaton. You might be aware that he’s a junior in Arts & Sciences, studying Sociology.  What you may not know is that Bradley is the creator and host of WRVU’s show Without Vocals. If you haven’t tuned in yet, get yourself in the mood by imagining this:

You’re driving alone through west Texas, heating lightning in the distance. 300 miles of nothing…somewhere between despair and unseen beauty, an epic expression of soul.

Now, Bradley’s job is to provide a soundtrack for your lonely voyage – and he knows exactly how.

Best Coast Brings California Vibes to Exit/In

September 17, 2015
Bethany Consentino, Bobb Bruno (far right) and band members
Bethany Cosentino (center), Bobb Bruno (far right) and band members bringing California to Nashville

Although I had heard of Best Coast prior to coming to college, ironically, it wasn’t until I left the west coast that I started to listen to them. Whether it was an actual appreciation for their music or just the nostalgia I felt about my Southern California hometown that piqued my interest, I do not know. Best Coast is technically a duo between lead singer/guitarist Bethany Cosentino and guitarist Bobb Bruno with a few other band members brought in seemingly just for touring. Formed in Los Angeles in 2009, almost every other song they make is an ode to the stereotypical Southern California lifestyle.

In Loving Memory: Summer 2015

September 15, 2015

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Fall is almost here and we have nearly been in school for a month. As we come to terms with all this change, the staff writers here at WRVU have decided to give one last ode to the albums we were jamming to on those bygone summer nights. In case you missed it, here are some albums we had our turn to enjoy and would now like to share with you.

ZZ Ward Brings Love and War to Marathon

September 9, 2015
ZZ Ward perfromance on September 4th

My appreciation for ZZ is something that has flourished for a couple years now.

During the winter of my junior year of high school, I had the unique opportunity to meet and be mentored by Isaac Slade, the lead singer of The Fray. After talking with Slade about music production and the beautiful madness of it all, I was given tickets to his show that same evening. I was stoked to see The Fray perform and to sing-scream along to “How to Save a Life”, but later found that it wasn’t Slade who would be the most memorable performer of the night but instead ZZ Ward. I’d never seen or heard of her before then but ZZ was opening for the Fray and had a set of about 45 minutes. During that time, she sang the soulful and fiery songs on her then newly released album, Til the Casket Drops. It could’ve been her jazzy style or her actual mink coat and gold chain that appealed to me – of which I’m not sure I loved more – but I was a fan immediately.

Celebrating the End of Classes with Smallpools, Grizfolk, and Vinyl Theatre at Exit/In

April 22, 2015
Last night Smallpools played Exit/In for the second time in the past six months, this time promoting their new album LOVETAP!
Last night Smallpools played Exit/In for the second time in the past six months, this time promoting their new album LOVETAP!

At 3pm yesterday, I turned in the final assignment of my college career. Partially to celebrate and partially to distract myself from the terror of facing the adult world, I headed over to Exit/In with my friend Sparling to see Smallpools rock the joint. My sister loves the band and had turned me on to their music, so making her jealous was another great reason to go to the show.

We arrived at 7:30 to find the half-full floor dominated by people without the over-21 hand stamps. Any illusion I had of being able to escape feeling old vanished immediately. Pitying the venue for what promised to be a slow night of alcohol sales, I grabbed a Shiner Bock and snagged a spot in the crowd just behind a couple of girls taking selfies. Naturally, Sparling and I photobombed as many as we could.

Lady Lamb’s Honest Musings Make a Strong Impression on her Carefully Crafted “After”

April 20, 2015

Lady Lamb, also known by the name Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, is a singer-songwriter from Maine who has been hard at work for several years as an independent artist. Her first record on major label Mom + Pop Music is a testament to her genuine songwriting talent. Mom + Pop, the label that backs acts such as Wavves, Sleigh Bells, and Fidlar, is no stranger to scuzzy, fuzz-pedal-driven punk rock. This production trademark rings through much of the music, but the production brilliantly focuses on the warm, pure voice of Lady Lamb.

The Perfect Sounds of Main Attrakionz & Friendzone

April 20, 2015

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If you’re up for seemingly no reason at all at 3AM or any approximate time, you probably should be listening to Oakland rap duo Main Attrakionz. If it’s 3AM (or around that time) and you’ve already made the necessary and vital steps of queuing up some Main Attrakionz tracks, you should especially give attention to the Main Attrakionz tracks that feature them rapping over looped-out masterpiece beats from Bay Area production duo Friendzone. If you’ve made all these steps then why not make the easy effort and commit to listening to only Main Attrakionz and Friendzone for the rest of your natural life?

The Festival(s) of Your Dreams

April 17, 2015

Spring has sprung and that means Rites of Spring is upon us here at Vanderbilt. This two-day festival is the most anticipated music event of the school year. The hype got me thinking, while this may be one of the most exciting occasions in the Nashville area: what are the most interesting and unique festivals around the world? I began the search for the festivals that sounded too good to be true, exceeded expectations, and attracted people from all the around the world. While I am sure I missed many worthy names, the following list are a few of the events that really caught my eye.

The Decemberists Nail their Set at the Ryman

April 16, 2015
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The Decemberists tear into opening song “A Singer Addresses His Audience”

 

Let it be known that when I last saw the Decemberists back in 2011, I successfully predicted that their first song would be “Apology Song” off their debut EP 5 Songs. Thus, when I predicted that they’d begin this show with the very appropriate “A Singer Addresses His Audience,” the Decemberists didn’t let me down and I am now two-for-two on my predictions. The Decemberists have never let me down: they’ve pumped out quality album after quality album, excellent live show after excellent live show. And Monday night, led by charismatic frontman Colin Meloy, was no different, even if Meloy and Co. had to struggle against an at times apathetic crowd at Ryman Auditorium.

Rites of Spring Preview: Key Tracks

April 16, 2015

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At the end of every Vanderbilt academic year, on the verge of finals, anticipation starts to boil over for the annual Rites of Spring music festival. Recent years have seen EDM juggernauts, hip hop stars, and stadium rock bands alike take their shot at Alumni Lawn glory. So what has The Music Group brought us this year? We asked WRVU DJs for their favorite tracks from this year’s Rites artists, and here’s what they had to say.

Artist: Young the Giant
Set-time: Saturday 11pm-Midnight
Key Track: “Apartment”

Four Months of Music: A Retrospective

April 14, 2015

As the school years comes to an end and finals begin to ramp up, it’s natural to think about everything other than academic responsibilities at hand. Naturally, it’s a time to dwell on memories, friendships, and, of course, our time here at WRVU. For me, this last blog post has got me thinking. While it’s incredibly sad I’ll be missing all my WRVU goings on for the next eight months, I’m beyond amazed at all the new stuff that’s been released in 2015.

As an ode to WRVU and this semester, I’ll be highlighting my ten favorite tunes of the semester, starting from the bottom (because Drake). If you happen to like electronica, check out some of the dopest of beats from early 2015 below.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s “Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress” Is Sweet Indeed

April 13, 2015

On March 31st, Godspeed You! Black Emperor finally released their much-awaited followup to 2012’s ‘Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!, and, after having a few weeks to digest the band’s first album of completely new material since their reforming in 2010, I’ve made up my mind about Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress: it is sweet indeed.

Cover for "Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress"
Cover for “Asunder, Sweet and Other Distress”

Music to Match Your Stress Level

April 13, 2015

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With summer rapidly approaching and the semester nearing its end, we are all being confronted with the fruits of our labor. Some of us have already lined up jobs and internships, and have been working on that final paper all semester long. Some of us have procrastinated on all of those things and are currently freaking out. And above it all we have those second semester seniors with jobs lined up who honestly could not care less about their remaining educational obligations. No matter which category you fall into, however, we have a song to match your mood.

This is Neat

April 11, 2015

Last Sunday I hosted a phone interview with Neat—a lo-fi, punk band from Southern Louisiana. Neat’s unrelenting fuzzy sound and rich guitar harmonies bring us back to a time when…

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