Eric's Recs: Albums I've Been Digging a Lot Lately

By: Eric Perzanowski, Programming Director

I’m the type of music listener who obsessively listens to an album over a short period of time and then moves on to something new. It’s not that I get bored, but rather that I find something else that takes my attention away from the other album. Nevertheless, here are some albums that have stood the relative test of time.

1. Iced Earth – Plagues Of Babylon

This album has grown a ton on me. I’m pretty sure every single song on this album has had at least a few-day span of being constantly stuck in my head. In addition, I think that if I were to ever compile a list of favorite modern metal vocalists, Stu Block solidified his spot on said list with his performance on this album.

2. The Acacia Strain – Wormwood

I feel as though this album can be considered a musical incarnation of “pissed off.” Every track is just angry as hell and I love that.

 

3. Mastodon – The Hunter

Mastodon will always hold a special place in my heart because they were essentially the first metal band I discovered without the aid of “introduction to metal” type lists. I can understand why some don’t like this album in comparison to other Mastodon albums. This probably isn’t my favorite Mastodon album, but it’s certainly one I’ve been listening to a lot lately.

4. Battlecross – War of Will

My #1 album of 2013. Ever since discovering this band in the summer between junior and senior year of high school, Battlecross has been one of my favorite bands (in fact, there’s a good chance that if I hadn’t decided on this theme for this post, I would have done a top five Battlecross songs list). After listening to a couple of Battlecross songs, I usually end up spending the next half hour listening to the entire album. I can’t complain, though. It’s a fantastic album.

5. Cattle Decapitation – Monolith of Inhumanity

This album is just insanity from start to finish. Monolith of Inhumanity was my introduction to Cattle Decapitation and there’s no better way to be introduced to this band than with this album. Travis Ryan is an inhuman vocalist with a huge variety of vocal approaches, which he demonstrates on this album.

6. Within The Ruins – Elite

The first time I heard this album I was instantly hooked. The guitar work on Elite (as well as every other Within The Ruins album) is so infectious. Overall, this band has a unique approach on a stale metalcore genre.

7. Pathogenic – The Solipsist Dream

Unlike my other selections in this post, this is an EP. Pathogenic has really become one of my favorite local bands back home in Massachusetts. This five-track EP showcases the best of the band’s abilities.

8. Allegaeon - Formshifter

Ever since catching this band at 2013’s New England Metal and Hardcore Fest, I’ve been hooked. While I enjoy this band’s first album more, I’ve been really getting into Formshifter lately. It’s a nice mix of technicality and melody.

9. Nails – Abandon All Life

I didn’t really get a good look at this until this year, but man, this band just put so much heaviness and ferocity into this 17-minute, 10-track album.

10. Exodus – Tempo of the Damned

This album always seems to be in the mix of whatever I’m listening to, and for good reason. In addition to just being all around good thrash metal, Tempo of the Damned has so many enjoyable puns both in the lyrics as well as the song titles (ex. “Scar Spangled Banner,” and “Shroud of Urine”).

Megan's Recs: Songs I'm Listening to a Lot Lately That You Should Be, Too

By: Megan Fair, General Manager

1. "Water Fountain" - tUnE-yArDs

This politically-charged track from tUnE-yArDs' new record is undeniably catchy and the bridge is perfect parts dissonant and bizarre and palatable and jam-worthy. "Water Fountain" makes me want to light big businesses and the government on fire and perform a wild abstract dance around my fiery work. 

2. "Dance Yrself Clean" - LCD Soundsystem 

Maybe it's just nostalgia from early ACRN shindigs, but "Dance Yrself Clean" is a song that is guaranteed to put a huge smile on my face. James Murphy is a musical genius, and I'm honestly considering dropping whatever outrageous amount of money to purchase the Record Store Day release of The Long Goodbye, five LPs of the live audio recordings of LCD Soundsystem's final show at Madison Square Garden. 

3. "Forgiven/Forgotten" - Angel Olsen

Angel Olsen is an artist to watch in general, but this track has currently snatched my heart and refuses to let go. Her haunting and unforgettable voice paired with distorted guitars and rich bass is too good not to listen to several (hundred) times a day.

4. "Play" - iamamiwhoami

This isn't just music--it's an audiovisual project. This ethereal and danceable electronic track is sonically immense, and I recommend listening to all of iamamiwhoami's tracks with over the ear headphones for the full experience. This is an oldie, but it's still one of my favorites. I try to sing this song in the shower, but to be honest, I don't know the words and I can't sing that high. Still an absurd tune. 

5. "Nakamarra" - Hiatus Kaiyote

Hiatus Kaiyote was up for a Grammy for its live performance of this track for good reason. The bluesy number is perfect for a walk through College Green and the rest of Athens while daydreaming of your bae.

6. "Rattlesnake" - St. Vincent

I'm seeing St.Vincent very soon, and I am SO excited that it actually hurts. Just watch this live video and try not to fall in love. 

7. "I" - Perfect Pussy

I have dreams of seeing this incredible track live and thrashing around with my heart swelling as I feel myself full of light and joy and peace, so much so my heart almost bursts. I think letting go to this song may actually be the most alive I could ever feel. 

8. "Work" - Iggy Azalea 

Hey, Iggy! I too have been up all night (at Chipotle) tryna get that rich, so I identify with this song. It's my guilty pleasure, so I put it last.

While you're at it, check out the Clueless-inspired video for "Fancy."

Julia's Recs: Top 5 (Somewhat Forgotten) Early 2000s Party Jams

By: Julia Leiby, Music Director

1. "Where The Party At" - Jagged Edge feat. Nelly 

I really hope y’all have heard this song before. The combination of Jagged Edge, a now-mostly inactive R&B group with four members (two of whom are twin brothers), and Nelly is so sweet and extremely easy to bob your head to while drinking. The repeating guitar loop is catchy and fiery--it will be stuck in your head for days. If you watch the music video, it’s ridiculous and excessive and all a rap video should be. Within the first 20 seconds, a member of Jagged Edge parachutes down onto a beach to talk to some hot girls, of which the video has an abundance. Then a guy parachutes into a pool, which is also (surprise) full of more girls. It also has a surprisingly relevant repeated line in the chorus: “If the party’s where you’re at, just let me know.” And honestly, who doesn’t want to be at the party with the person they like.

2. "Me & U" - Cassie 

You might have heard this song at a dance when you were in middle school. Cassie was 20 when this song came out, but the vibe of the song is much younger and almost more innocent in a way. The cold and deceptively simple beat in the background kind of transports you back to being in those sweaty gyms (or wherever you had dances) but in a good, eerie way. I can’t imagine anyone being nostalgic for that time but when you hear Cassie singing, “I know them other guys, they been talking bout the way I do what I do / They heard I was good, they wanna see if it's true.” One can think about being confident and trying to talk to boys for the first time.

3. "Leave (Get Out)" - JoJo

This is honestly the first breakup song I ever heard. I was 10 and found it through AOL music. JoJo was only 13 when this song came out, which is pretty incredible because she sings like a mature woman tired of getting her heart broken and literally yelling (belting) at a guy to get out of her life. The buildup to the chorus and the slightly '90s guitars make what would otherwise be a throwaway pop song more intriguing. The music video is pretty essential, too, with JoJo wearing her "boys stink" tank top and faux-crying in the girls bathroom and by her locker while alternately dancing with her friends. Put this song on at a party and see how many people are into it--those are the ones you should hang around with because they understand adolescent heartbreak.

4. "Dilemma" - Nelly feat. Kelly Rowland 

This is about Nelly wooing Kelly Rowland, who has a son and a kid, and of course she wants him. It’s honestly kind of tender love song, with Kelly saying over and over, “You don’t know you mean to me,” and she “thinks about him even when she’s with her boo” and the “ohs” in the background and the twinkly-sounding beat make it danceable, too. The music video is sweet and definitely for people who want to see Nelly when he was in the phase of wearing a Band-Aid on his face for fashion, Nelly and Kelly dancing in the street and the unforgettable shot of Kelly getting mad when someone texts her using Microsoft Excel. It’s a sweet song and overall kind of makes you feel like 2002 was not a bad time to be a young rapper in the summer with someone he cared about.

5. "The Jump Off" - Lil Kim feat. Mr. Cheeks

This is probably the smoothest jam of 2003, and I believe it still deserves to be heard in 2014. Before Nicki Minaj, there was Lil Kim, one of the first influential and successful female rappers in the public eye. She has bravado and a strong attitude in this song (as always), and mainly raps about cars and partying and calls herself “the black Barbie” and “the wicked bitch of the East." This song is full of lines like that, and you can really get a sense of Lil Kim’s aggression and assertiveness. A downside of this song as something to play at a party is that (unfortunately) some people may not remember it, but the trumpets and Lil Kim’s rapid-fire lines will draw them in.

Xavier's Recs: Best Kanye Songs

By: Xavier Veccia, PR Director

In honor of the ten year and two week anniversary of College Dropout, I think it's only fair to rank Kanye's ten most terrific songs.

1. "Never Let Me Down (ft. Jay-Z & J. Ivy)" - The College Dropout

There's something about the beat poetry verse from J. Ivy and the surprise second verse from Jay-Z that really make this track stand out. It's one of the songs that proves both Jay-Z's and Kanye's impact on the genre as a whole and that's something to respect for sure.

2. "Stronger" - Graduation

Yes, this is by far the most mainstream Kanye song there is, but there's a reason for that. The Daft Punk sample mixed with Kanye's hard-hitting pop culture referencing verses prove that when Kanye wants to make a smash hit, he's going to make a smash hit.

3. "Hey Mama" - Late Registration

Anyone who says that Kanye is "Heartless" (ha...get it?) has never heard "Hey Mama." Kanye's just a big softy who loves his mommy. Plus, ever since his mother actually passed away in 2007, this song has taken on a whole new meaning to not just Kanye himself, but his fanbase, too.

4. "Blame Game" - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Kanye took his game to "another motherfucking level," as Chris Rock would describe in the outro for the song on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. One of the reasons this writer in particular felt this way is because of how grand he treats the entire album. Along with "All of the Lights," this song best exemplifies that. When you have Chris Rock to deliver a hilarious outro for a song after John Legend sang one of the best hooks of his life, you know you're doing big things.

5. "Jesus Walks" - The College Dropout

Sure, there's "Gold Digger." And just about any song from Yeezus could probably take this slot. But there's no way a top Kanye songs list could be compiled without mentioning "Jesus Walks." It's one of Kanye's deepest, yet catchiest songs of all time. Plus, this writer knows all the lyrics.

Zack's Recs: Bands Pitchfork Was Surprisingly Spot-On About in 2013

By: Zack Baker, Editorial Director

Pitchfork may be rapidly spinning into a self-righteous hype-machine, but every once in a while they give props to bands who really deserve it. Most of the albums that manage to snag the site's "Best New Music" title are exactly the type of music you'd expect Pitchfork to shower with accolades (Vampire Weekend, Daft Punk, The National, etc.), but occasionally they slap an under-the-radar album with the tag and give huge press to bands that really deserve to be heard by more ears. These are a handful of the albums Pitchfork really nailed last year.

1. Deafheaven - Sunbather

This album is absolutely incredible from start to finish, and without Pitchfork's endorsement I doubt it would have found its way into quite as many ears as it did. The concept itself is nothing new (black metal mixed with shoegaze), but Deafheaven perfected it on this release. Emotional, exciting and completely enrapturing.

2. Mutual Benefit - Love's Crushing Diamond

This album just makes you feel things. Light-hearted and gentle, but the content Jordan Lee discusses on these tracks is incredibly personal. Definitely one of the most interesting albums I listened to in 2013, and if you haven't, you're missing out.

3. Waxahatchee - Cerulean Salt

I've said it before and I'll say it again: 2013 was the Year of The Crutchfields. This release from one-half of the two-sibling powerhouse, Katie, was much less aggressive than her sister Alison's release with Swearin', but just as engaging. Intensely personal and constantly compelling, Cerulean Salt definitely pulls the listener into its world and refuses to let go.

4. Jon Hopkins - Immunity

I don't listen to all that much electronic music, but most of what I do find myself latching onto tends to be ambient, ethereal stuff that thrives on vibe rather than the amount of people on the dance floor. This spot almost went to Darkside's incredible Psychic, but in the end, Immunity's swings between sunny ambient waves and more bass-centric dance tracks kept me going back throughout the year.

5. Iceage - You're Nothing

This album is all out punk in the most aggressive sense of the word. It took a few listens to warm up to the vocals, but once I did I was hooked. Intense, carefully-crafted bangers are all over You're Nothing, and they made me remember a side of punk that I had mostly forgotten about: actually enjoying music that sounds like it wants to rip me to shreds.

Shane's Recs: Top Ohio Releases in Recent Memory

By: Shane Riley, Promotions Director

Ohio is a silly state filled with silly bands that play for millions of dollars every night. Every once in a while, they cut records, too. Here are the best and most famous records from our great state in recent memory, as can be confirmed by the charts, on which all of the following are absolutely skyrocketing.

1. MURDEREDMAN - MURDEREDMAN 7’’

This is really nuts, this stuff. It really is. I wholly recommend it, as the title of this blog would state. The band's from Cleveland and it's somewhere between some heavy, shirtless spitting Jesus Lizard or Pissed Jeans or Shellac and a little wackier Flying Luttenbachers-type shindig.

2. Giant Claw - Max Mutant

This guy is a whacko, I can tell ya that much. He releases about 37 albums every couple weeks and all of them are mostly dope. This is his latest. It moves away a bit from his other work--a little less repetitive synth arpeggios a la Tangerine Dream (or whoever else has played synth in the past 400 years) and a little more emphasis on jazz drums samples and overall confusion. Sounds kinda like Squarepusher but a bit more nutso, ya know?

3. GAZER - Phone Commercial

Yeah, yeah, it’s kinda noise rock, it’s kinda punk or whatever. Sounds like Fugazi or someone else that sounds like that. I do know that it’s all very well done and one could not possibly resist listening to such a feat. I’m losing steam here but hey, it’s great. Check it out, live it up.

4. Mike Shiflet – Llanos

This was released a little bit ago, but hey, it’s quite good and everyone who has ever listened to it thinks it’s kinda pretty and it really is. Some good ol' field recordings blend in perfectly with some mellow harsh-out noise vibes and they all sound just jolly.

5. Fertile the Drip - Fertile the Drip

Whoa, this is actually a pretty great thing. Even though some dumb blues rock riffs take over every once in a while, it just makes sense in the worst way possible. Kinda like Naked City or some meta postmodern start/stop intentional campiness-type act. Genuinely weird, wet and wild, and who could want something more than that?

6. Moth Cock - Bremmy

Just listen to this little windbag play the clarinet with another nice guy doing nothing at all except hey, he’s really twiddling some knobs there and holy hell it sounds just dandy. This is live and it should be that way.

7. Zack Kouns - The Peasant Girl's Crotch Full of Stars

This guy’s a hack but his music is nice enough to make a little list, so.

There’s a lot more but eh, that’s enough for now.

Ben's Recs: Concert Hangovers

By: Ben Haager, General Manager

Concert hangovers are very real. Much like an alcohol-induced hangover, the physical symptoms (ringing ears, bruises, inability to move your legs, broken glasses from overweight crowd surfers) are rather easy to overcome given time and proper tools. The tougher symptoms are those which begin to consume your everyday life (listening to entire discographies on repeat, watching every music video the band has to offer, scouring the internet for set lists, deciding which photos are worth showing the world). 

The following are a few bands that have induced some of my most inhibiting (yet delightful) concert hangovers of recent memory:

1. Frightened Rabbit 

This band currently consumes me. Frightened Rabbit absolutely one of the tightest sounding bands I have ever seen. Somehow I managed to resist the urge to buy all of the band's LPs at the show (I still bought Sing the Greys there), but that resistance didn't last much longer as I purchased its 2013 effort Pedestrian Verse two days later. These guys must be from some other world, as their lyrical honesty is unprecedented to my ears. Although that world is no fairy tale, it's a world where everyone's lives and relationships are just as shitty (and occasionally wonderful) as the rest of ours.  

2. Nico Vega 

The stage presence of lead singer Aja Volkman is astounding. Seeing that beautiful lady completely lose herself onstage while belting the lyrics to the band's tunes rendered every artist not named Nico Vega useless on my iPod for weeks. She rules. 

3. The Cave Singers

Holy hell, these Washingtonian indie folk rockers are good. Peter Quirk sure knows how to work a stage with his killer dance moves and howling vocals as the band (which now features former Fleet Foxes multi-instrumentalist Morgan Henderson on bass and flute) backs him up with rolling licks and some groovy beats. I certainly can't help but mouth lyrics, bob my head and throw in the occasional hip shake when walking around town with The Cave Singers blaring through my headphones. 

4. Apocalyptica

Four classically trained electric cellists playing Metallica covers and original compositions. 'Nuff said.

5. Buddy Guy 

Buddy is the best guitar player out there. He is 77 years old and still pumping out killer blues albums. When he's on stage, he is ageless as he struts his absurd guitar and vocal abilities. Plainly put, the man has swagger. And I've had the blues everyday since seeing him.