Turnover Leaves Nashville Dizzy on the Comedown

On October 18th, Turnover, the hallmark of Indie-Emo bands, played Exit/In, celebrating the release of their most recent album, Good Nature. Iconic for their sophomore album, Peripheral Vision, they drastically altered their sound in Good Nature, shifting away from emo-esque influences and focusing solely on optimistic dream rock indie vibes. Since this is their first tour with the new album, the anticipation to see how they would sound was insurmountably high.   

Primitive Man Delivers the Most Aptly Titled Album of 2017 with Caustic

(From Primitive Man’s Bandcamp)

Primitive Man is a band that’s always specialized in creating dense, incredibly harsh textures. 2013’s Scorn, the band’s debut full length, is about as sonically oppressive and ugly of an album as you’re likely to find in modern metal, and it introduced the heavy music world to Primitive Man’s unique blend of noise, sludge, death metal, and blackened doom. But believe it or not, Primitive Man just came through with an even uglier and more oppressive release with Caustic.

The Front Bottoms Succeed—But Also Fail Miserably—With Going Grey

Going Grey, released October 13th on Fueled by Ramen

I guess I missed the day in class when we learned that “Going Grey” was synonymous with “Selling Out,” but thankfully The Front Bottoms (TFB) caught me up on that lesson with their album release earlier this month.  Gone is the TFB known for their trademark gritty sound, lyrical depth, and endearing awkwardness.  The new era of TFB is under strict dictatorship by their label, Fueled by Ramen, and it definitely shows in their catchy, over-produced pop-punk album, Going Grey.

WRVU Featured Concert: LCD Soundsystem shows Nashville their american dream

LCD Soundsystem performing “oh baby” (photo courtesy of the author)

LCD Soundsystem’s show at Nashville Municipal Auditorium on October 20th for their american dream tour was one for the books. They’ve played the festival circuit last year and several shows in Webster Hall and Brooklyn Steel in New York, but haven’t had a formal tour to themselves since their 2016 reunion. The band announced their breakup in 2011 and proceeded to play a legendary string of shows in Madison Square Garden documented by the film “Shut Up and Play the Hits”. Their triumphant return last year was fully brought to full realization with the release of the album american dream on September 1st, put out by DFA Records, the label of LCD’s frontman James Murphy.

Eminem’s BET Freestyle: Some Thoughts on His Beard

(Photo via Twitter)

First and foremost, it would be downright irresponsible of me to make any substantive claim, analytical, theoretical, or otherwise, about Eminem’s BET freestyle without first addressing the obvious. Like the pristine river that guides an untamed eye across the canvas, through dark mountain valleys and up into the great blue unknown—that archetype of the transcendental, that ineffable sublime—Eminem’s beard is nothing. And yet it is everything.

Despite releasing “Teenage Fantasy,” Jorja Smith showcases Old Soul Sound

Courtesy of Atwood Magazine (http://atwoodmagazine.com/jorja-smith-project-11/)

At only 20-years-old, Jorja Smith has gone from a high school student and part-time Starbucks barista to releasing tracks on Spotify that garner millions of listens in only a couple of days.  Smith hails from Walsall, West Midlands, UK where she met her manager at the age of 15.   Despite her youth, she has already worked with some of the most prominent names in the R&B/Hip-Hop such as producer Black Coffee.  She was even featured on two tracks (“Get it Together” and “Jorja Interlude”) off Drake’s recent mixtape, More Life. Let’s take a look at her past and present.

King Krule Triumphantly Returns with ‘The Ooz’

King Krule’s The Ooz will be released October 13th.

King Krule’s The Ooz starts out modestly with “Biscuit Town,” leaning more towards the jazzy, hip-hoppy, slow-talking side of his elusive persona than the urban stoner aesthetic he embodies on, say, “Bleak Bake” from his 2011 self-titled album. Its quiet and enticing first track is a good palette cleanser for the rest of the album: The Ooz meanders through a staggering hour and six minutes of pleasantly cohesive yet disparate directions, taking us from peaceful piano to ethereal cacophony and back again. It’s, in fewer words, nothing short of beautiful.

Whitney Shines a Light Upon the The Basement East

from Secretly Canadian

Chicago-based Whitney kicked off their fall tour with a show in Nashville on September 29. The band, built upon the core singer/drummer and guitarist duo, Julien Ehrlich and Max Kakacek, blew up in the independent rock world after their 2016 freshman album, Light Upon the Lake. Combining mellow indie pop with modern jazz undertones for a unique, chill, and groovy blend, Whitney has become a favorite in the indie rock scene.

BROCKHAMPTON Soars with SATURATION II

Members of Brockhampton (Photo by Ashlan Grey)

BROCKHAMPTON returned with a bang on their third release, Saturation II, off their own label Question Everything, Inc this past August 25th . The group has a sound as unorthodox as their origin story, the majority of the members having met on a popular Kanye West forum before ever meeting in real life. Coalescing under leader Kevin Abstract and taking up the all-caps moniker BROCKHAMPTON, the group of 15 moved to South Central Los Angeles in 2015 to be the next great American boyband. Following their two previous releases, Saturation II creeps, crawls, and roars its way into your sonic sphere with the youthful energy of a group of 19-23 year old men that have something(s) to say.

The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Listen to ‘Always Foreign’ on Repeat for the Next Month

From Epitaph Records

The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die (TWIABP) has been a powerful presence in the ’emo’ community since the release of their debut full-length album Whenever, If Ever (2013).  Last week, the band released their third album, Always Foreign, a phenomenally composed album overflowing with cynicism, chaos, and an unadulterated sense of vulnerability.  

Knox Fortune Offers Us a Mildly Pleasant Paradise

Kevin Rhomberg, the Grammy winning singer/songwriter/producer known as Knox Fortune. Photo courtesy of Bryan Allen Lamb.

In the midst of chaos, Knox Fortune offers us a refuge in Paradise with his debut album. The Chicago singer/songwriter/producer is perhaps best well known for his hook on Chance the Rapper’s “All Night,” but on Paradise, he shows he can stand alone in authentic style, production and lyrics.

Moses Sumney’s Aromanticism Leaves Little Room For Longing

Image result for aromanticism moses sumney
(Courtesy of the artist’s Bandcamp page)

Moses Sumney’s debut full-length Aromanticism, released Sept 22nd on Jagjagwar, is a shimmery showcase of Sumney’s smooth-as-butter voice that marks an artistic departure from his 2016 EP Lamentations. While the EP revolves around layers of Sumney’s vocals and guitar, his latest release incorporates a much wider color palate, replete with beautiful orchestration and swirling synths. There’s a higher production value, which in turn sacrifices some of the intimacy of his earlier releases which made his music so powerful.

Let’s Not Act Like Lil Pump Doesn’t Know What He’s Doing

Courtesy of Lil Pump via Twitter

There’s no denying that Soundcloud has become the birthing ground for new hiphop artists. Some of the biggest names today, Chance the Rapper and Lil Uzi Vert to name two, began their record-breaking careers on the platform. Soundcloud’s accessibility has made it easier than ever to enter the game, but just as easy to be buried under a million other users (talented or not). How do you set yourself apart? Lil Pump’s Answer:

‘ESSKEETIT’