Exec Files: Vol. I
by WRMC Middlebury College on September 22, 2014
Posted in: Album Review, Eclectic, Electronic, Hip Hop, Music, Pop, Rap, Rock, World
The WRMC executive board presents their favorite tracks, albums, artists, and/or music videos of the week, old and new, but mostly new.
TRACK: Mr. Twin Sister – “Blush”
The Long Island dream-pop band Mr Twin Sister (formerly known as Twin Sister, androgyny win) just released an eponymous full length LP. The music is equal parts lovely, dancey, and weird, so it is naturally on high rotation in my music library. Check out “Blush,” a sleepy-sensual jazz song perfect for slow dances on summer nights. –Julia Welsh, Programming Director
TRACKS: Peaking Lights – “Everyone and Us” / “Breakdown”
RIYL: YACHT, Tom Tom Club, Sun Rah, Dunes, Young Galaxy, Numbers, Poolside
Husband-wife psychedelic pop duo Peaking Lights last made a splash when they remixed Young Galaxy‘s winter/spring 2013 gem, “Pretty Boy“. The most recent single from Peaking Lights’ forthcoming album Cosmic Logic is titled “Everyone and Us” and is structured around a more downtempo version of the same signature bongo-based percussion that made the “Pretty Boy” remix so undeniably catchy and fresh. The track also features Indra Dunis’ airy croon, soulful synths and tightly wound string arrangements all laid atop one groovy baseline, and the result makes you want to boogie reeeaal slow.
Cosmic Logic‘s lead single,”Breakdown”, is equal parts late night cram jam and bubbly party track. The song’s hilarious music video follows a day in the life of a girl and her giant, arm-waving, attention-grabbing device who bears an uncanny resemblance to Blur‘s playful and tragic animated milk carton from 1999’s “Coffee & TV” video. The “Breakdown” video provides a clunky yet lovable commentary on our obsession with smartphones, constant newsfeeds, and meticulously constructed online personas as well as our tendency seek validation by vigorously swiping right on tinder. Like the internet, “Breakdown” is both indoctrinatingly fun and dangerously addictive. -Kate Leib, Creative Director / Social Media Manager
ALBUM: Ty Segall – Manipulator (2014)
Label: Drag City // Genres: Garage Rock, Hi-Q Lo-Fi // RIYL: Mikal Cronin, Girls, King Tuff, 1970s guitar solos // Best Tracks: 1, 2, 3, 7, 9, 11, 13, 16 // Grade: A-
Manipulator is the culmination of over five-years’-worth of scuzzy psychedelia, jangly garage punk and furious DIY productivity from Ty Segall, indie rock’s poster child for prolificacy and glam. On this record he shows off his increasingly polished and savvy production skills while retaining his effortless lo-fi aesthetic, sculpting his jagged riffs into tightly-crafted pop cuts. While he shifts between woozy Brian Wilson/Elephant 6 homages (“Manipulator”), croony 70s rock ballads (“The Singer”) and bursts of sludgy Albini-esq intensity (“The Crawler”), his Orange County and San Francisco Bay roots shine through each track. At times, Manipulator plays like a compilation record, but make no mistake: this is Ty Segall’s treatise on rock & roll, and he proves to know more than just about anyone else around. –Chad Clemens, Music Director
TRACK: Tweedy – “I’ll Never Know”
Time and time again, the oft-forgotten credo of “keeping it in the family” has proved profitable amongst musicians: Jackson 5, Hanson, HAIM, etc., and Tweedy is no exception. Of the alleged ninety tracks Jeff Tweedy (of Wilco fame) and son, Spencer (of Rookie Mag fame) penned in the last year, only twenty of them made it onto Sukierae, enticing listeners with high hopes for the duo’s first foray. The album’s closing track, “I’ll Never Know”, does not disappoint, offering both the cutting wit of a seasoned singer-songwriter, and the tenderness of an earnest teenage boy. –Dylan Otterbein, Music Director
Listen to Sukierae for a limited time only over at NPR first listen.
TRACK: Karen O – “Rapt”
“Rapt” is one of the finest gems from Karen O’s September 2014 album Crush Songs. O’s soft but powerful voice carries the song along as she slowly strums her guitar. Her lyrics are poetic yet tangible, menacing yet placid, and seriously angsty. If you like “Rapt” check out “Body” and “Comes the Night”. -Aaron Slater, Concerts Committee
TRACK: Lil Durk – “Dis Ain’t What You Want”
With all the talk this summer about Bobby Shmurda being New York’s answer to drill music, I decided to revisit drill’s best projects to decide for myself if the movements stand on equal ground. The verdict: songs like “Dis Ain’t What You Want,” in which Lil Durk takes issue with the two-dimensional thug stereotype he is portrayed as by the media and police, but at the same time owns that image and asserts that if you cross him he will take you out, is still leagues ahead of Shmurda and his GS9 brethren. Anthemic, poetically contradictory and just a little bit menacing, this track is a good reminder that drill is still king. -Charlie Dulik, Concerts Committee
https://soundcloud.com/defjam/lil-durk-dis-aint-what-u-want
TRACK: Guided By Voices – “Ester’s Day”
This Guided By Voices song–off their 1994 album Bee Thousand–is relatively short at just under 2 mins long. BUT don’t be deceived, for its length it’s got a lot going on, including an intro tune that has an extremely different mood than the rest of the song and evocative lyrics. What do they evoke? You tell me. Bonus points if you can break the lyrics down (except not really, because I like that they remain a mystery. That’s why I keep listening, so if you figure them out 100% plz keep that discovery to yourself). -Halley Lamberson, General Manager
TRACK: Neeti Mohan, Sunidhi Chauhan, Arijit Singh – “Kashmir Main Tu Kanyakumari”
A song from the hit movie, Chennai Express, this fun number is sure to get you grooving. If you don’t like it at first, don’t lose hope, I hated it too. But it grows on you and before you know it, it’s playing on repeat. The video features the actors driving (and dancing, duh) so do watch to see a little of India. -Aashna Aggarwal, Business Director
Translated lyrics for those who don’t speak Hindi here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaHZXzqXuSA
TRACK: Jesse – “Amazon Queen feat. Teemu Markkula”
RIYL: Classic Rock
This song is basically the perfect soundtrack for any sort of slow motion. I listen to it when I’m driving through southern Vermont and fantasize about making espressos, walking into the public pool with a towel over my shoulders, or playing softball. One of the best rock songs and an homage to one of Jesse‘s favorite people, who I’m dying to meet. -Eric Hass, Tech Director
- Halley Lamberson rules WRMC with an iron fist and hosts a show called Punk n’ Funk 9-11 PM on Wednesday nights.
- Eric Hass pushes buttons and makes noise Tuesday nights 10-11:30 PM on Kicks and Snares: The Reckoning.
- Dylan Otterbein thinks Paul Westerberg is god.
- Kate Leib has several unintentional dreadlocks right now.
- Chad Clemens has a drug rug smooth as silk and co-hosts Perfect From Then On with Kate Leib 8-10 pm on Thursdays.
- Aashna Aggarwal is not sari and she never will be.
- Yung Charlie Dulik does NOT have a mustache anymore and hosts a show called “Built to Trill” Monday nights 11-1 am.
- Julia Welsh loves lanyards.
- Aaron Slater is the frontman of an all-male Sleater-Kinney cover band called Slater-Kinney. They perform live on WRMC every Wednesday night from 11 PM-1 AM.
You can find these people plus the rest of the WRMC general board in the station lounge every Monday at 5 pm.
