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(03/06/18 7:52am)
This week, WTSR’s Music Director Nelson Kelly highlights some of the best new albums that the College’s own radio station, 91.3 FM WTSR, puts into its weekly rotation.
Band Name: Hurry
Album: “Every Little Thought”
Release Number: Fourth
Hailing From: Philadelphia
Genre: Dreamy power pop
Label: Lame-O Records
Hurry’s fourth effort is similar to most of its already established Philly pop repertoire. Right off the bat, the listener is greeted with familiar guitar jangles, smooth buttery vocals and a rhythm section that will not quit. The lyrics on this album are light and cheery and address subjects such as interpersonal relationships, healthy mindsets and being content in general. It is a very solid album from a WTSR station favorite.
Must Hear: “Waiting for You,” “Every Little Thought” and “Jamie”
Band Name: Ride
Album: “Tomorrow’s Shore”
Release Number: 15th
Hailing From: Oxford, England
Genre: Classic shoegazing dream pop
Label: Wichita Recordings
Ride is a classic shoegaze band from the
U.K. that was huge in the ’90s alongside its contemporaries, My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive and the Jesus and Mary Chain. Dream pop has made a resurgence over the past several years, and Ride has been right there at the forefront with “Weather Diaries,” released in 2017. This four-song EP features cuts that didn’t make it onto the aforementioned album, but do not be fooled — these songs are just as good, if not better. In fact, the brevity of this release makes it a more concise and cohesive listen. The album features the usual hallmarks of shoegaze, ethereal vocals, pop-dripping melodies, swelling guitars and that signature wall of sound that washes over the listener.
Must Hear: “Cold Water People,” “Keep it Surreal” and “Pulsar”
(02/27/18 10:01am)
This week, WTSR’s Nelson Kelly and Brian Marino highlight some of the best new albums that the College’s own radio station, 91.3 FM WTSR, puts into its weekly rotation.
Band Name: Porches
Album Name: “The House”
Release Number: 3rd
Hailing From: Pleasantville, New York
Genre: Minimalist Sad Indie Electropop
Label: Domino
“The House” follows the release of Porches’ breakthrough album in 2016, “Pool,” an album just as minimalist as it is packed with gloomy synths. Porches return to its prior utilization of gloomy synths and spacey beats to create an album darker and more interesting than its previous album, “Pool.” Though it is still minimalist, Porches use more exciting instrumentation on this record. Many songs featured pounding drum beats and vocal effects. There were better vocals from Aaron Maine on this album than on “Pool.” Though dry at times, the album picks up as soon as it seems too empty. It becomes a captivating, dark, experimental and exciting listen, and the album is definitely worth one.
Must Hear: “Find Me” and “Goodbye”
Band Name: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
Album Name: “Gumboot Soup”
Release Number: 13th
Hailing From: Melbourne
Genre: Psychedelic Garage Prog Rock
Label: ATO Records
Last year, King Gizzard promised five new records by the end of 2017. The second half of 2017 saw three surprise album releases courtesy of the bad boys from Melbourne, and the overall quality of each of these albums is staggering. As the title implies, “Gumboot Soup” features a wonderful of mix of genres. It features proggy ballads like “Superposition,” rip-roarin’ ragers like “All is Known,” blues-y musical journeys like “Barefoot Desert” to microtonal experiments like “Greenhouse Heat Death.” It is an excellent album from a prolific bamd.
Must Hear: “All is Known,” “Beginner’s Luck” and “Muddy Water”
(02/20/18 7:57am)
This week, WTSR’s Nelson Kelly and Brian Marino highlights some of the best new albums that the College’s own radio station, 91.3 FM WTSR, puts into its weekly rotation.
Band Name: tUnE-yArDs
Album Name: “I Can Feel You Creep Into My Personal Life”
Release Number: 4th
Hailing From: New England
Genre: Indie Art-Pop
Label: 4AD
On this fourth release by Merrill Garbus, we are treated with a work that is far more electronic and ambitious than any of Garbus’s previous albums. The album has very strong lyricism and attempts to tackle political and personal issues such as white guilt in the U.S. Garbus does a good job of creating some songs with powerful lyrics, while still making some beats that people can dance to, though the album does get a bit too eclectic at times. While it is not the most accessible album, it is certainly a beautiful work and deserves a listen.
Must Hear: “Coast to Coast,” “Heart Attack” and “Hammer”
Band Name: Bell’s Roar
Album Name: “We Carry Us”
Release Number: Debut
Hailing From: The Bronx
Genre: Lush Synthy Post-Rock Pop
Label: Self-released
Bell’s Roar is making a big splash on the indie music scene with their debut LP “We Carry Us.” The album is full of catchy synth hooks, beautiful vocal melodies and crescendos galore. The bandcamp biography gives the audience more background, “The name bell’s roar symbolizes the focus and attitude held in Sean Desiree’s solo project. This is a reference to feminist writer, Bell Hooks, who speaks of intersectionality and solidarity in their work. Being a queer, gender nonconforming person of color, Sean cannot isolate forms of oppression. The roar represents the fight to not be silent and to use their creative voice to stop ongoing domination.”
Must Hear: “Celebrate,” “Echoes from Below” and “You Call Me Cold”
(05/02/17 4:19am)
This week, WTSR Assistant Music Director EJ Paras highlights some of the best new music that the College’s own radio station, 91.3 FM WTSR, puts into its weekly rotation.
Name: Father John Misty
Album Name: “Pure Comedy”
Release Number: 3rd
Hailing From: Rockville, Md.
Genre: Indie Folk Rock
Label: Sub Pop (US) / Bella Union (UK/EU)
Musically, “Pure Comedy” consists primarily of simple folk melodies and piano ballads; at times, it feels derivative of his past releases, it does offer periods of musical grandeur, namely in “Things it would Have Been…” and “Pure Comedy.” Throughout the album, Misty contemplates a range of topics with a level of adroitness not before achieved on his prior albums. He navigates issues like politics and religion in a manner that makes you question his role in today’s society.
Must Hear: “Total Entertainment Forever,” “Things it Would Have Been Helpful to Know Before the Revolution” and “Ballad of the Dying Man”
Band Name: Vallis Alps
Album Name: “Fable EP”
Release Number: 2nd
Hailing From: Sydney, Australia
Genre: Creamy Smooth Electronic Pop
Label: Vallis Alps
Vallis Alps is an electronic pop duo that hails from Australia. In 2015, Seattle-based producer David Ansari and Canberra-bred Parissa Tosif rose through the ranks of Australian public radio and eventually were included in the 2015 and 2016 Triple J Hottest 100. With silky smooth production and incredibly pleasant vocals, this is one group that you’ll want to listen to all the time. The CD inside the case may look like something you’d get at Johnny’s ninth birthday party, but these guys have over 1.5 million monthly Spotify listeners so they’re pretty legit.
Must hear: “East” and “Run”
(03/29/17 2:24am)
This week, WTSR Assistant Music Director Nelson Kelly highlights some of the best new albums that the College’s own radio station, 91.3 FM WTSR, puts into its weekly rotation.
Name: Ty Richards
Album Name: “Zillion”
Release Number: 1st
Hailing From: Austin, Texas
Genre: “Psychedelic Dance Rock”
Label: Tremolo Records
Ty Richards, born in Austin, Texas, quit his ad agency job to write psychedelic garage rock. “Zillion” is his first complete solo project. His fans call him “Beck Zeppelin,” Beck being his biggest and most obvious influence on the record. The album consists of steady drum grooves, thumping bass lines, sharp lead guitars and synths that pierce through the mix. While Ty toys with strange, futuristic effects and synths, most of the songs are basic feel good garage rock. The opening track, “Spaceman,” is a great track full of catchy melodies and a solid groove. It sounds like something from the ’70s. Unfortunately, none of the other songs are nearly as good.
Must Hear: “Spaceman” and “Going Out for a Cigarette”
Band Name: The Feelies
Album Name: “In Between”
Release Number: 6th
Hailing From: Haledon, N.J.
Genre: Jangly Post Punk Pop
Label: Bar/None
The Feelies are an old-school jangly rock band from the 1980s that came back in 2011 with the lackluster “Here Before.” 2017’s “In Between” shows the band in a much more honest, heartfelt light. Chorus-ed out acoustic guitars with a nice twangy bass and Violent Femmes-esque brush drumming showcase the twangy rock that the Feelies are most known for, though, more laid back and mature songwriting shows what they are capable of in the future. The Feelies are no longer a band trying to recapture what they once were, but one that embraces the past while focusing on the future.
Must Hear: “Turn Back Time,” “Stay the Course,” “Been Replaced” and “Gone Gone Gone”
(03/21/17 1:59am)
This week, WTSR assistant music director Nelson Kelly highlights some of the best new albums that the College’s own radio station, 91.3 FM WTSR, puts into its weekly rotation.
Band Name: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
Album Name: "Flying Microtonal Banana"
Release Number: 9th
Hailing From: Melbourne, Australia
Genre: Psychadelic Experimental Rock
Label: ATO Records
"Flying Microtonal Banana" is the first of five albums that Melbourne’s King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard claim to have in store for us in 2017. If that was not enough ambition for you, the bad boys from down under recorded this album using decked out microtonal instruments on this album to play in keys that do not exist on standard instruments. This impressive harmonic feat not only solidifies King Gizzard as one of the most creative bands in rock music right now, but also serves to follow up their 2016 magnum opus "Nonagon Infinity" quite well. "Flying Microtonal Banana" fills the void that "Nonagon" leaves by taking a more precise, slowed down, in-the-pocket approach for an overall more laid back feel. Signature guitar noodles and harmonies, syncopated drums (they have two drummers!), and thumpin’ bass are joined by the wailing shrieks of a zurna, a traditional Turkish horn. "Flying Microtonal Banana" is a perfect entry point into Gizzard’s intimidating discography, and is a welcome sign of a great band pushing to expand their musical pallet.
Must Hear: “Sleep Drifter,” “Bilabong Valley,” “Anoxia,” “Doom City” and “Nuclear Fusion”
Band Name: Pissed Jeans
Album Name: "Why Love Now"
Release Number: 5th
Hailing From: Allentown, PA
Genre: Noise Punk
Label: Sub Pop
Punk veterans Pissed Jeans are back with their most socially conscious effort yet. Crusty, noisy, and almost obnoxiously loud, "Why Love Now" is the soundtrack to your 40 minute riot about social justice. The album is chock full of angry anthems. Simple song structures with repetitive, shouted choruses harkens back to essential Black Flag albums, while feminist and socially conscious themes keep the record fresh. Try not to trash the station/your mom’s basement when you spin this because it’s rowdy.
Must Hear:
“The Bar is Low,” “Ignorecam,” “Love Without Emotion” and “Have You Ever Been Furniture”
(02/28/17 9:32pm)
This week, WTSR Assistant Music Director Nelson Kelly highlights some of the best new albums that the College’s own radio station, 91.3 FM WTSR, puts into its weekly rotation.
Band Name: Active Bird Community
Album Name: "Stick Around"
Release Number: 2nd
Hailing From: Brooklyn, NY
Genre: Lo-Fi Indie Rock
Label: Self-released
The boys in Active Bird Community formed their band in 2005 when
they were all just 11 years old. Twelve years later, they’ve released their
second full length albm which is making a splash in the indie
community. "Stick Around" contains the sensibilities of lo-fi indie punk
filtered through clean, crisp production, for a product that is equal parts
interesting song writing and sonic pleasure. With catchy hooks and jangly riffs,
this is indie rock executed flawlessly.
Must Hear:
2. Rest Stop
4. Out From Under
5. Drank the Water
7. Melancholy Paper Drum
Band Name: The Molochs
Album Name: "America’s Velvet Glory"
Release Number: Debut
Hailing From: Los Angeles, CA
Genre: Jangly Retro Garage Rock
Label: Innovative Leisure
If the Animals jammed with the Violent Femmes, it would probably
sound like the Molochs, and it would most likely be called “House of the
Rising Blister in the Sun,” but that is neither here nor there. What is both
here and there, however, is "America’s Velvet Glory," the debut LP from
The Molochs, a garage rock band that combines 60s organ rock with
haunting minor key melodies to form an upbeat yet somber record.
Overall, a very interesting listen.
Must Hear:
3. Ten Thousand
4. No Control
5. Charlie’s Lips
6. That’s the Trouble with You
7. No More Cryin’
9. New York
(04/19/16 3:41pm)
This week, WTSR Assistant Music Director Nelson Kelly highlights some of the best new albums that the College’s own radio station, 91.3 FM WTSR, puts into its weekly rotation.
Band Name: Marco With Love
Album Name: “Smothered and Covered”
Hailing From: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Genre: Modern Rock
Label: Outright Rock Records
When you see a band that describes its genre as “cosmic, American country-fried boogie-woogie rock ‘n’ roll,” you know you’re in for a real treat. Marco With Love is the solo project of musician Marco Argiro, who has quickly made a name for himself since starting the band in 2013. This album looks both to the future and the past, as the first six songs are original, upbeat,
twangy rock anthems that make you reminisce about the classic rock you weren’t alive to see in its heyday, while making you appreciate the modern twist it takes. The second half of the album looks back on some deep classic rock cuts, including covers of The Doors, Tom Petty, the Dave Clark Five and Townes Van Zandt. “Smothered and Covered” is now more than just a delicious recipe for ribs and wings — indeed, it is a solid effort to capture the sound of the ’60s and ’70s and modernize it, and the album does a pretty good job.
Must Hear: “The Promised Land (See You Dance),” “Tidal Wave,” “Big Black Dog,” “Love” and “Crystal Ship”
Band Name: Into It. Over It.
Album Name: “Standards”
Hailing From: Chicago, Ill.
Genre: Emo Indie Rock
Label: Triple Crown Records
“Standards” is the third full-length album from Into It. Over It., the one-man project of Chicago musician Evan Thomas. “Standards” is a combination of emo-inspired acoustic jams and full-bodied energetic arrangements. Drawing inspiration from the band Sunny Day Real Estate, this album is sonically spontaneous with a massive dynamic range that will keep you listening throughout. Thomas manages to pull off both acoustic and full-band songs flawlessly and the dynamic between the two works quite nicely. For acoustic sadness, check out “Open Casket” or “Your Lasting Image.” The songs “Closing Argument,” “No EQ” and “Vis Major,” on the other hand, are much heavier emo jams.
Must Hear: “Open Casket,” “Closing Argument” and “No EQ”