In regards to emo and pop-punk, 2018 has not been off to a particularly bangin’ start. I imagine you’re probably thinking something along the lines of: that’s because those genres died, like, ten years ago. But that’s where you’re wrong. Whatever wave of emo is currently happening is still sputtering on, asphyxiating slowly resultant of its cultural irrelevancy. Despite the poor state of the scene at present, however, there are still a few upcoming releases everyone can look forward to, both in and out of the genre.
Here are a few of my favorite tracks this year with a bit of info on each of them. Enjoy! “King Cobra” – Yung Lean ft. Thaiboy Digital Prod. Hurtboyag,…
Lord Huron recently announced the release of his new album Vide Noir in January. To increase anticipation, the band came out with three new singles to hint at the forthcoming changes in sound. They include “Ancient Names (Part I),” “Ancient Names (Part II)” and “Wait by the River.”
Mt. Joy’s self titled debut album is a wonderful adventure in self-reflection, situational awareness, and emotional consideration.
Atop the dark stage in the large ballroom of Nashville’s The Basement East sit six vintage television sets, arranged in a cultish semicircle. I’m here to see Joywave, the glitchy indie-pop group from Rochester, New York. They’re 10 minutes late. I begin to look at my watch when I hear a dull murmur emerge around the room. As I lift my gaze, I see a single man emerge from the darkness. A dim light illuminates his body from below. I can’t make out his face, but I can see his shirt strikingly clear. On it reads one succinct sentence: “I don’t like corn dogs, but I do like Korn, dawg.”
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.
On April 27th, musician, actor, and activist Janelle Monáe returns with her 3rd studio album, Dirty Computer, after a 5 year long hiatus. In an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Monáe introduces the album, saying:
“I actually had this title and concept before my first album, The ArchAndroid. It scared me because I knew that a lot of the things I needed to say were very deep, very personal, from the heart. This is an album that will give you the opportunity to get a closer glimpse into my mind.”
With another month, comes another wave of new singles and album announcements. Explore some of February’s highlights and preview upcoming LPs with this selected list of new songs, courtesy of evolving artistic landscapes.
Simply put: the Snarky Puppy show was very sold out. With a packed venue, I thought I was facing a rowdy night, and every trip to the bathroom would be like a salmon swimming upstream. But instead of parting the waves, walking around was like crossing a pond—the fans were so enthralled with the musicians on stage that they didn’t move. Normally there are a good number of people walking back and forth in the pass-through to several of the bars surrounding the periphery of the floor, but the bars were nearly empty. Every patron was squeezed as close to the front as possible, eyes glued to the stage.
Southern Florida may not have much going for it, but its local music scene is nearly unparalleled. Breeding some of the most quintessential emo/pop punk/hardcore bands of all time (read: New Found Glory, Yellowcard, Underoath, Mayday Parade, Anberlin, A Day to Remember, and the like), no one really feels ~the pain~ as much as this slowly sinking state. Sarasota-based emo/punk band Worst Party Ever is no different. Worst Party Ever have been progressively banging out some exceptionally depressing tunes since 2014. In 2016, they put out Anthology, a compilation (or, dare I say, an anthology) of all 21 of their recorded songs. And they’re all amazing.
Rites of Spring began in the 1960’s with the goal to connect students to the greater Nashville community. The festival is put on by Music Group, a branch of Vanderbilt Programming Board. While many universities hold on-campus music festivals, Rites of Spring is unique due to the major acts that have graced the stage as well as the festival being open to the Nashville community. Some of these acts include Red Hot Chili Peppers (1989), Phoenix (2005), Spoon (2008), Drake (2010), and many more you can see here. This year Rites will be held April 20th and 21st and tickets are available at Sarratt Cinema or online. While there is still one more act to be announced (hopefully an alternative act since that genre is still lacking), the line-up already features a variety of acts from all different corners of the music scene.
Lana Del Rey is brilliant. She is the queen of rootless melancholy, an emotion many people seem unable to access fully — except through her. She’s a master of her own persona, and she’s constructed it with such consistency across all platforms that it’s baffling. She remains accessible enough to still convince us of her humanity, but remains removed enough that it’s still a question asked: is she real?
Join WRVU Nashville for a podcast that explores Carson Lystad’s radio show “Playists for Friends,” (Mondays at 5pm), a look at the Rap/Hip-Hop Releases of 2018 so far, and, finally,…
The hype around the Marvel movie Black Panther has been ridiculous. So, it’s no surprise that when the undisputed king of rap, Kendrick Lamar, dropped a collaborative album with various artists with tracks from and inspired by the movie, almost everyone with an inkling of interest in contemporary hip hop lost it. But, amidst all the big names and music stars, from SZA to The Weeknd, there was one song, “Paramedic!” by an artist not nearly as well known, SOB x RBE.
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.)
With BUKU fast approaching, we at WRVU would like to highlight some of our favorite acts performing in New Orleans.
The lineup this year is as strong as it is diverse. It’s a deep lineup, but the headliners are no scrubs.
Today we’ve got the spotlight on Youtube series COLORS- a series of live performances recorded at a Berlin studio with new videos uploaded weekly. COLORS first grabbed my attention during my semester abroad last spring in Chile. Inspired to understand the novel beats and lyrics of Spanish speaking artists, I found myself in different nooks and crannies of Youtube than ever before. Already a lover of music videos produced by the likes of Young Thug or the US Soundcloud rap scene, I enjoyed getting to know the rappers and trappers out of Spain who credit these US artists as their inspiration. Two brothers from Barcelona, Pimp Flaco and Kinder Malo, performed their song “Chemtrails” in the first COLORS video I ever saw, bopping Spanish verses back and forth over an antagonistic and droning chorus. This is currently the most viewed session on the COLORS channel, sitting at about 21 and a half million views.
On their fourth LP, MGMT joins in the revivalist trend.
Car Seat Headrest started in 2010 as the DIY project of Will Toledo, named for his habit of recording in his car. Over the next three and a half years, Toledo would self-release 8 LPs, including Twin Fantasy (2011), which quickly gained a cult following. In 2015, Will Toledo expanded his lineup upon signing to Matador Records and the following year released Teens of Denial, his first album of new music since signing. Teens of Denial was met with widespread critical acclaim, and, as a result, Car Seat Headrest’s audience expanded greatly beyond the cult of Bandcamp fans Toledo had already amassed. After the immense success of Teens of Denial, Toledo’s choice to do a complete re-record of Twin Fantasy rather than release new music may be unexpected, but it’s completely welcome to those who love Twin Fantasy.
Alejandro Rose-Garcia, better known by stage name Shakey Graves, has long since been an Austin icon. A self-proclaimed ‘Texas gentleman,’ his prophetic lyrics and unapologetic DIY sound have earned his catalog regard as one of folk-rock’s greats. His signature suitcase kick drum, perfectly homemade and casual, epitomizes the distinctive one-man band style of his past recordings and live performances. Undeniably, Rose-Garcia has come a long way from those early days of Bandcamp releases and solo shows. The 2014 drop of album And the War Came marked the beginning of his transition to a more polished sound and filled out live set, of which he shared his thoughts on while opening for City and Colour in June of 2016. “There’s nothing wrong with needing a little help from your friends,” he explained. Although the recent re-release of The Donor Blues and Nobody’s Fool EPs one summer later seemed to indicate a potential return to his earlier bedroom style, upcoming record Can’t Wake Up suggests the contrary.