A Little Late, but...

...Here's an informative New York Times article about the changing shape of college radio in our increasingly digital era. (Thanks, Mom!) It includes a little college radio history, some bleak prospects, and the definition of shoegaze. A worthwhile read to catch up on the state of things and understand the pressures that we're up against.

Music Videos Recap: 11/15/11

There were some dope music videos released today.  First, WU LYF (World Unite Lucifer Youth Foundation) dropped a video for the standout track "We Bros" off of their stellar LP, Go Tell Fire to the Mountain.  It features teens running away from a decrepit cityscape, through a forbidden forest, eventually making their way to an ocean.  Additionally, The Black Lips released their video for "Raw Meat" off of their latest, Arabia Mountain.  They pay corrupt NYC cops riding around, causing havoc.  Both videos are embedded below:




Black Lips - "Raw Meat" from Urban Outfitters on Vimeo.

Interview: The Milkman's Union

A couple weeks ago two great bands came to Middlebury for a fun show in the Hepburn Zoo. One of these bands, The Milkman's Union, spent some time with yours truly shooting the breeze about their awesome name, Maine lobsters, east vs. west side, and how to skin a cat. Ok, not that last one. They also played an acoustic version of their song "The Dog with the One Red Ear," which includes Jeff drumming on a piece of styrofoam. No joke, it's amazing.

The interview will air in it's entirety

Thursday 11.10 @ 4pm
during BedRock with Peter DiPrinzio.

Don't miss it - but we may post it here after it airs! In the meantime, check out their new single: Texas Hold Me ft. Lady Lamb the Beekeper

Stream Los Campesinos! "Hello Sadness"

Right now you can head over to NPR's webpage to stream Los Campesinos! latest LP, entitled Hello Sadness, in its entirety.  The 40 minute album finds the band in the same snarky mindset of their previous three efforts.  While it may lack the more abrasive, harsh sounds of 2008's Hold On Now, Youngster, this decisively more polished effort finds the band maturing and graduating from their LiveJournal-esque rants to a more melodic, catchy effect.  Head over to NPR's site HERE to stream Hello Sadness.

Photos: Caroline Smith & The Goodnight Sleeps

In case you missed it last Friday, here are some pictures from the set in the Hepburn Zoo.  Shout out to all the bands that played: Caroline Smith & The Goodnight Sleeps, The Milkman's Union, and Middlebury's very own Alpenglow.  It was a fantastic show filled to the brim with great folk music.

Check out the rest of the pitures at WRMC's Flickr: HERE.

Music Video: Beyoncé - Party feat. J. Cole

What does Beyoncé like to do at a party?  Apparently mow the lawn, wear yellow fur coats, and change her hairstyle about a dozen times.  Solid.  Check out the embedded music video below:

Show Profile: Second Hand Groove Machine

DJs: Erik Benepe 13.5, Jebb Norton 13.5

Time: Monday 1:30-3:00am

Semesters on air: Three

Discussed: Mysterious text messages, Abraham Lincoln, Orc blood, Parlament Funkadelic’s influence on De La Soul.

WRMC: Your show is on late at night, what’s the strangest call you have received while on the air?

Jebb Norton: Erik’s brother’s really weird.  He’s done some weird stuff.

Eric Benepe: Once, a long time ago, I was with my brother and I got a text from a number I didn’t recognize.  There were no words; it was just a picture of somebody’s eye.  Then, last year, he called me when I was at the station and used one of those online voice modifiers and was like, “Hello, I sent you a picture of my eye a few years ago.”  I was pretty freaked out.

WRMC: Are you guys proud of any certain segments in your show’s history?

JN: We were covering your show (“Nixxon.OK”—Fall 2010) at eight o’clock on a Friday night and we decided to download a bunch of speeches from various people and eras, and then we did an all instrumental set with a lot of hip-hop beats, and then we played the speeches over it.  And that’s kind of, since then, become a staple.  Something that we’ve done a decent amount is, like, speeches or movie quotes and clips—all played over beats.  And a lot of times it’s cool because you can play contrasting music.  For example, you could do, uh, Abraham Lincoln’s speech over Bob Marley.  And then it seems like the speech and the music are synced up a lot of the time.

EB: I think it works well because speeches already have a certain rhythm to them, and they have a lot of space and clear diction, which works really well.

WRMC: Like, on Kanye’s latest album he has Gil Scott-Heron speaking over a bunch of his beats, so I guess that’s kind of a thing now.

JN: Yeah, he consulted us on that… He called up and asked if we would help him.

EB: I forgot to mention he’s one of the random callers we get.

WRMC: Can you give me five nouns that accurately describe your show?

JN: Cactus and grapefruit.

EB: Yeah, and Pyramid, The Joy of Cooking, and Orc Blood, for sure.

WRMC: What has been your favorite album of the past year?

JN: The Wild Hunt by The Tallest Man on Earth

EB: LCD Soundsystem’s This Is Happening

WRMC: Do you guys have a favorite older record?

EB: Electric Ladyland is up there, Jimi Hendrix.

JN: I got Paul Simon’s Graceland.

WRMC: And you guys, on your show, play a mixture of older stuff and newer stuff, right?

JN: Yeah, it’s cool when you can play someone that was active in the ‘60s and ‘70s then right after that someone modern.

EB: It’s nice to see a connection like that.  You can, for example, that this song by Parliament Funkadelic then follow it up with De La Soul or, like, some rapper who samples them, you know?

WRMC: Do you remember the first record you ever owned?

EB: Americana by The Offspring

JN: Hell yeah, that was one of mine too.  That and Take Off Your Pants and Jacket by Blink-182.

EB: Also, White Blood Cells by the White Stripes, that was great in middle school.

JN: Shaggy, for sure.

WRMC: Do you guys have a favorite song of all time?

EB: I’m gonna go with “Little Wing” by Jimi Hendrix.

JN: I’ll say “Fireworks” by Animal Collective.

WRMC: What’s one band every WRMC DJ should know and play?

EB: Television. Word, they’re dope.

WRMC: Dubstep: friend or foe?

JN: Um, friend.  I don’t think we’ve every played it on the show, though.

EB: Friend for the first five minutes, then it’s dubious.

Radio on Radio: Virgin Mobile Live

Who wants a radio station that plays new music, doesn’t repeat songs all day, and has personality and character – that, in short, doesn’t SUCK? Well, WRMC, duh, but what about when we’re on break, like this upcoming long weekend?

Here at WRMC have some recommendations of other radio stations that we like almost as much as our own, and that’s why we’re going to be posting these live aural gems once by one in a series we like to call: Radio on Radio. Check back before each break this fall (Fall Break, Thanksgiving Break, and Winter Break) for tips on where to tune your ears while WRMC dj’s are too busy stuffing themselves with grandma’s Turducken to play any jams. First up: Virgin Mobile Live

Virgin Mobile Live

Honestly, I have no idea where Virgin Mobile Live came from, who listens to it, or why it exists. My best guess is that it is the world’s best airline radio station. It would be reason enough for me to fly Virgin for my next weekend in Paree.

Regardless, the music selection on VML speaks for itself. Here’s a random sample: Vetiver, Dirty Hands, The Drums, Reptar, Ludacris, Mayer Hawthorne, Florence and the Machine, Twin Shadow, Clubfeet, Kid Savant, Two Door Cinema Club, New Young Pony Club, Body Language, Jet.

It’s an incredible and sometimes eclectic mix of genres that trends towards upbeat and new music. They’re not afraid to play bands nobody’s heard of and sprinkle in classics to keep it interesting. If you can’t deal with jumps from rock classics, to the newest indie band, to a sweet hip-hop remix, it may not be for you. What you will get is a non-stop stream of quality tracks that keep you guessing and up-to date in new, non-top 40 music.

Then there’s Abby. The first time I listened to Abby Braden’s show between 12pm and 2pm weekdays, I thought it was a WRMC dj. Compared to bland top-40 djs that say the same crap err’ day, Abby keeps it fresh and picks her own set every day and posts it on her blog. She is smart, fun, and does great live in-studio interviews with bands almost every day. For the twitter-inclined, she also live-tweets the show, asks for requests, and responds to fans (like me, once!).  There’s also an encore broadcast of her show every night from 9pm-1am.

It’s too bad this isn’t broadcast over the airwaves, only online here: http://www.virginmobilelive.com/ I’ll tune in while WRMC is run by the robots this weekend, and you should too.

Show Spotlight: Something to Talk About

Every Saturday morning I scramble out of bed at 11 and have a fantastic day.  This is, obviously, due to the fact that "Something to Talk About" is the best start to a Saturday morning I could ask for.  Hilarious banter, poignant cultural observations, and general tom-foolery is the status quo.  Peep the promo video, embedded below, to see for yourself.  "Something to Talk About" airs every Saturday from 11am to 12:30pm.

 

New Releases: 10/5/2011

Feist's fifth LP, Metals, was released on Tuesday.  After her fourth album, The Reminder, brought her mainstream media attention, Leslie Feist took a four year hiatus from writing music.  Now, she is back with a collection of songs that is not as pop-driven or immediately accessible at the now-infamous "1234," but instead a grittier, more hard-hitting sound that Pitchfork describes as [LINK] "a refreshing and slyly badass statement of artistic integrity."  KCRW recently recorded a live session with Feist featuring some of these new songs.  It will be released in its entirety on October 28, but for now check out the stripped down version of her single "The Circle Married the Line."

In other news, Zola Jesus also released a new album on Tuesday entitled "Conatus."  The best way to listen to this CD, which I have done many times since getting my hands on it approximately 36 hours ago, is to listen from start to finish without interruptions.  The raw emotion of the vocals set with the backdrop of intense synths and drums just isn't something that can be turned off halfway through.  Highlights include "Vessel," "Seekir," and "In Your Nature," but again...just listen to the LP in its entirety.  You won't regret it.  The official video for "Vessel" was also revealed on Tuesday and is being featured on the New York Times Style Magazine blog along with an interview.  Click here to check it out.

-Diane Martin