Make it to The Deadwood early to see a free show with Skye Carrasco, a much-loved local violinist and songwriter. Carrasco has visited the KRUI studios a few times in the past and always manages to bewitch us with her beautiful and haunting songs. Check out an in-studio she did last fall with American Dust here. Joining her will be Cuticle, Alex Body, and Golden Dust.

Recommended Track: “Dew Drops” by Skye Carrasco

SHOW DETAILS

• What: Skye Carrasco with Cuticle, Alex Body, and Golden Dust
• Where: The Deadwood
• Time: 5 PM
• Cost: FREE!

Seun Kuti is the son of Fela Kuti, the internationally-acclaimed afrobeat innovator. After Fela’s death in 1997, Seun started touring with his father’s band, Egypt 80, as the lead vocalist and saxophonist. The result is a soulful live show that speaks to Fela’s huge influence (Seun often performs his father’s songs) and mixes it with modern touches in order to connect with today’s young generation.

Recommended Track: “Many Things” by Seun Kuti & Egypt 80

SHOW DETAILS

• What: Seun Kuti & Egypt 80
• Where: The Englert
• Time: 8 PM
• Cost: $22 advance, $25 doors

At 9 PM there are four shows to choose from, starting off with Billy Howke & The Hoax at Gabe’s. Before Mission Creek I knew absolutely nothing about Billy Howke and still don’t after trying to research the band for a half hour. I’ll tell you what I did find out: it’s hard-edged blues/rock that makes you want to smash stuff. Their Myspace bio calls them “one part troll under the bridge to nowhere” and their show at Gabe’s is supposed to feature Feats of Stupidity and some sort of raffle. Bring your own TV to smash.

Recommended Track: “Bobbin for Apples” by Billy Howke & The Hoax

SHOW DETAILS

• What: Billy Howke & The Hoax with The Sueves, MichaelSarah, and Good Habits
• Where: Gabe’s
• Time: 9 PM
• Cost: $6

Also at 9 PM is Mission Beat, Mission Creek’s dance party, at Old Brick. Complicit, ACG3 aka The Goat, bTsunami, Mango, and Ivy are a group of DJs that are well-known in the Iowa City scene (and beyond). These guys are going to throw down some serious techno beats—this is a dance party not to miss.

SHOW DETAILS

• What: Mission Beat Dance Party
• Where: Old Brick
• Time: 9 PM
• Cost: $8-$10

Headlining at the Blue Moose at 9 is The Antlers. The Antlers first burst onto the indie rock scene in 2009 with their third LP Hospice and have continued to grow since then. Their most recent album, Burst Apart, is a heartbreakingly beautiful collection of songs that showcases their ability to emotionally connect with their listeners through breathtaking musical soundscapes—a fantastic feat for a three-piece band. Their music is hypnotic and soaring, and with lyrics like “prove to me/that I’m not gonna die alone,” it’ll get you right where it hurts.

Recommended Track: “Putting the Dog to Sleep” by The Antlers

SHOW DETAILS

• What: The Antlers with Emperors Club and Tires
• Where: The Blue Moose
• Time: 9 PM
• Cost: $12 advance, $15 doors

Tallgrass, an Iowa City band, will finish off the night at The Yacht Club. Their music sounds a lot like their name—bluegrass and roots, with a lot of soul. Look for insane finger picking and a loud rhythm section, though these guys also have a way with words: their bio says they were “raised by wolves, taught by squirrels, enemy of the owl.” Joining them will be Zeta June and Skinny Chef.

Recommended Track: “God, Sin, Whiskey, and Women” by Tallgrass

SHOW DETAILS

• What: Tallgrass with Zeta June and Skinny Chef
• Where: Yacht Club
• Time: 9 PM
• Cost: $6

There is only one Mission Creek show on Sunday: Little Scream at The Mill with The Daredevil Christopher Wright, Brooks Strause & the Gory Details, and North English. Little Scream is Laurel Sprengelmeyer, an Iowa-born guitarist, violinist, keyboardist, and singer that has found fame nationwide on the indie music scene, performing with Atlas Sound, Stars, and Handsome Furs. Her vocals are clear and beautiful and her songs range from understated and quiet to fast-paced and frenzied—perfectly matching her name.

Recommended Track: “The Lamb” by Little Scream

SHOW DETAILS

• What: Little Scream with The Daredevil Christopher Wright, Brooks Strause & the Gory Details, and North English
• Where: The Mill
• Time: 8 PM
• Cost: $8 advance, $10 doors

The post Mission Creek Daily Preview: Saturday and Sunday appeared first on KRUI Radio.

At 6PM on Thursday you already have a choice to make between American Dust at Public Space 1 and Kimya Dawson at the Blue Moose.
American Dust is dark garage rock straight out of Davenport featuring the former members of Iowa bands Mondo Drag and Quiet Bears along with some current members of White Zephyr and Idpyramid. Their debut EP was released as a cassette, so you know these guys are legit, or at least hipster. What’s more, it’s a free show! Joining them will be Ed Gray.

Recommended Track: “Protector” by American Dust

SHOW DETAILS

• What: American Dust, Ed Gray
• Where: Public Space One
• Time: 6 PM
• Cost: FREE

Battling for your attention during the same time slot is Kimya Dawson at the Blue Moose. You probably have heard of Kimya as part of The Moldy Peaches, the band that did that adorable song (“Anyone Else But You”) on the Juno soundtrack, but she also has had a prolific solo career. Her most recent album “Thunder Thighs” pairs her beautiful light and poignant music with artists like Aesop Rock, the Strokes, and the Mountain Goats.

Joining her at the Blue Moose will be Leslie & the Ly’s (crazy glam pop diva with gem sweaters from Ames), Christopher the Conquered (epic upbeat piano pop that often features a full horn section), and Weed Wolf (the band, not the famous graffiti artist).

Recommended Track: “Walk Like Thunder” by Kimya Dawson

SHOW DETAILS

• What: Kimya Dawson with Leslie & the Ly’s, Christopher the Conquered, and Weed Wolf
• Where: The Blue Moose
• Time: 6 PM
• Cost: $12 advance, $15 doors

Tim Hecker‘s unique brand of ambient electronic music has been described as “cathedral electronic music,” which makes him a fitting musician to headline at First United Methodist Church. He seems to approach his music as one would approach a piece of art, playing with songcraft, installation, and color. His most recent album, “Ravedeath, 1972” uses a set of recordings done at a church in Iceland, so Hecker is going to recreate the album experience on Thursday. Also at First United will be fellow electro artists Nathan Wheeler and Ex-Action Model.

Recommended Track: “The Piano Drop” by Tim Hecker

SHOW DETAILS

• What: Tim Hecker with Nathan Wheeler and Ex-Action Model
• Where: First United Methodist Church
• Time: 8 Pm
• Cost: $10 advance, $12 doors

If ambient electro isn’t quite your thing, check out Oberhofer at The Yacht Club with Mumford’s, Sudden & Subtle, and The Olympics. Oberhofer is Brad Oberhofer, a lo-fi pop musician who went from recording his own stuff to being a big name on music blogs with his single “Away Frm U” in 2010. His first full-length album just released on Tuesday, and I’m looking forward to hearing the glittery, joyful, and youthful stuff he comes up with. The kid isn’t even 21!

Recommended Track: “HEART” by Oberhofer

SHOW DETAILS

• What: Oberhofer with Mumford’s, Sudden & Subtle, and The Olympics
• Where: The Yacht Club
• When: 8 PM
• Cost: $8

Overlapping with Oberhofer and Tim Hecker is Mike Doughty at The Mill. Doughty is the former frontman of Soul Coughing. He left the band in 2000 and has since been a solo indie rock singer-songwriter. Fun fact: he used a capsule of duloxetine as a percussion instrument on some of the tracks on Yes And Also Yes by holding it close to the mic and shaking it.
Opening for Doughty at The Mill will be Death Ships, an indie folk band with roots in Iowa City, and my personal favorite, Caroline Smith & the Goodnight Sleeps. Which I guess makes me a wine-swilling-whooo-girl according to Max Johnson.

Recommended Track: “Looking At The World From The Bottom of a Well” by Mike Doughty

SHOW DETAILS

• What: Mike Doughty with Caroline Smith & the Goodnight Sleeps and Death Ships
• Where: The Mill
• When: 9 PM
• Cost: $12 advance, $15 doors

Capping off this magnificent Thursday night will be Black Milk at Gabe’s. Black Milk is one of the most well-known indie rap and hip hop producers whose solo career has recently taken off with the formation of his live band (drummer Daru Jones and vocalist/keyboardist AB). His most recent album—cheekily titled “Album of the Year”—mixes influences of reggae and afrobeat into his successful hip hop beats. Opening for Black Milk will be Rich Rok and Ion.

Recommended Track: “Welcome (Gotta Go)” by Black Milk

SHOW DETAILS

• What: Black Milk with Rich Rok and Ion
• Where: Gabe’s
• When: 10 PM
• Cost: $10 advance, $12 doors

The post Mission Creek Daily Preview: Thursday appeared first on KRUI Radio.

By Shari Jaffri

After many hiatuses, members leaving, calling it quits several times, several triumphant albums, solo explorations (or at least for frontman Tim Kasher, a.k.a.The Good Life) and the likes, it can’t be denied that Cursive has been through a harrowing journey since their first debut in 1995.

With their managing to stay intact as a band definitely deserving of a solid thumbs up, Cursive once again takes the concept album route, a familiar road which they have taken many times after winning critics over with past concept album releases, The Ugly Organ (2003) and Happy Hollow (2006).

The basic concept of I Am Gemini tells the story of two twins, Cassius and Pollock. Cassius is the protagonist of this story and Pollock, the clear antagonist. Now, with the purchase of the album comes the liner notes, a narrative that may prove to be a handy and essential companion in order to follow the streamline of this album accordingly. Fans have reported on seeing the album in a whole new different light with the accompaniment of the liner notes as it adds more meat and weight to the whole of the album. If you, like me, can’t have the patience to follow through as you own an attention span akin to a 6 year-old’s, a problem might persist.

Kasher is well known for his writing, having recently even forayed into the art of screenwriting. However, the problem with the album is not so much that it is utterly awful, but it fails to show any signs of effective progress or maturity from this band. After performing for more than a decade, this is disappointing. All in all, many of the tracks here blend together into one emo-sounding whine about a story which fails to intrigue the listener enough to tempt them to stay throughout the entire 45+ minute span of the album to see the end of Kasher’s tale.

Unlike the cathartic release of The Ugly Organ which boasted the stellar single ‘The Recluse’, there are no obvious standouts or winners here. ‘The Recluse’ told a story in a hushed yet critically revealing tone inasmuch as that any embarrassingly corny lines (eg. ‘my ego’s like my stomach / keeps shitting what I feed it’) could be excused. The Ugly Organ really did sound that good, especially through the ears of as a hormonal adolescent then. However, with ‘I Am Gemini’, the presence of real emotion you can really empathize with is difficult to follow. Drawing in line that in essence, Cursive is an emo band after all, the lack of ability to really connect with the emotions involved might prove to likely be a fault for the band.

Truth is, this album is really a hit or miss; it’s either you like it, or you don’t. And when you don’t, the knack to be more forgiving towards it is very unlikely. Having said this, many fans of Cursive themselves are divided over the release of this album, with many thinking that this is Cursive at their best and many being greatly underwhelmed over it. Hopefully, you are part of the former group as I sadly enough belong to the latter in this case. For what it’s worth, the first track from the album titled ‘The Sun and Moon’ is engaging enough though possibly one of few decent tracks on the album. Opinions may differ and many still might derive much comfort.

Stream the album at Rolling Stone. 

The post Review: Cursive – I Am Gemini appeared first on KRUI Radio.

By Shari Jaffri

Mauro Remiddi, or better known as his moniker Porcelain Raft, is a multi-talented man. With an impressive repertoire right down his belt having traveled to many lurks of the world (the dashing Italian lad has worked off Broadway, joined part of a traveling circus in Germany and was part of a choir in Korea — imagine that), Mauro unremittingly stuns with his first full-length album, Strange Weekend.

Released by the label Secretly Canadian, Strange Weekend is a wonderful and magical collection of songs. It begins with the woozy track, ‘Drifting in and Out’. With an opener like ‘Take me away / Directionless / It doesn’t have to make any sense,’ you get a pretty accurate feel of the dream imbued trip ahead that Porcelain Raft rightfully takes you on.

A dream-pop/shoegaze album filled with loops, soft strums, noise and delay, a lot of the lyrics contained are constructed inasmuch to fit and meld beautifully together with the hazy music. The transition from one track to another, oftentimes, is seamless. Throw in several rhetorical questions Remiddi poses and the substances required for a melancholic album is complete. ‘Tell me if it’s true? / Just tell me if it’s true?’ he repeatedly ponders in the track ‘The End of Silence’, a track reminiscent of finding the face of a long-forgotten first love in the blur of a dream.

The mood of this highly atmospheric album is one filled with a sense of longing and nostalgia for lost things but it also has a slight optimistic feel to it. The return to many familiar emotions of a past time is prominent here but Remiddi manages to unite this sense of loss and yearning so seamlessly with his songs that it comes off as a beautiful picture.

What Porcelain Raft has managed to deliver here is that there is no sense of corniness in the music. It may take several listens to make the songs really stick to the depths of your consciousness; for what it’s worth, I always judge the integrity of an album based on the number of tracks and songs I can correctly pair it to without taking a peek at my playlist, and Strange Weekend succeeds in just this. After several listens, I found myself craving for the depth and gauze found in certain tracks and most of the tracks proved memorable enough to retain in my memory.

My favorite off the album, a track titled ‘Picture’, is a track with a consistent beat to it that sounds almost like the beat of handclaps. The words to the song are plain enough, but there is a beauty in the melancholic assurances of Remiddi that is hypnotizing and somewhat transfixing. Similar bands that come to mind would be Youth Lagoon, M83 and Beach House.

I foresee this one being played on loop for a very long time.

Porcelain Raft – Picture from Rui Pedro on Vimeo.

The post Review: Porcelain Raft – Strange Weekend appeared first on KRUI Radio.

By Michael Kadziulis

Chicago natives Kids These Days are taking the nation by storm. After a huge year where KTD performed at Lollapalooza, Summerfest and South by Southwest, the band is continuing to rock the nation touring the rest of the U.S. Don’t let the age of the band fool you, these kids know how to jam. KTD use elements of hip-hop, jazz, blues, funk, and rock to form a unique sound that has been compared to that of The Roots. The band will soon be releasing their LP “Trap House Rock”, which was produced by Wilco’s very own Jeff Tweedy.

Kids These Days
February 24th, 2012
The Mill | Doors at 8 PM, Show at 9 PM | $8 adv/$10 day of | 19+ after 10 PM
Tickets at University Box Office

Kids These Days – My Days

Kids These Days – Darling

The post Preview: Kids These Days appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Leslie & the LY’s, perhaps the most enigmatic band out of the bunch, features frontwoman Leslie Hall and backup girls Dr. Laura and Classy K. Leslie & the LY’s is theatric and poppy hip hop that skirts the line between obnoxious and fantastic. Her live shows are not to be missed.  Otherwise known as “Mother Gem,” Leslie is always decked out in fantastic shiny leggings and ostentatious blinged-out Goodwill sweaters at her shows, and spends time on stage christening the new sweaters that fans give her. She is, after all, the self-proclaimed “founding father” of gem sweater history.

Pennyhawk was started by singer/songwriter/mulch-instrumentalist Kate Kennedy but has grown to include as many as seven other Ames musicians. Pennyhawk has a quirky, gypsy-folk feel that sounds homegrown and smart, and their latest EP, Another Layer, is a must-listen.

Jordan Mayland has been active in the Ames music scene for years as part of Keepers of the Carpet, Nuclear Rodeo, Electronidoll, Tires, Mantis Pincers, Volcano Boys, and The Thermal Detonators.  Though some of those bands are taking a break, his solo debut, Jordan Mayland and the Thermal Detonators, released a low-key, melodic, and emotional EP in 2009 and played at Maximum Ames Music Festival. Nuclear Rodeo recently released a Christmas EP and the Volcano Boys have been playing shows in central Iowa this winter.

Mumford’s is a crazy folk/punk/dance/rock band that was formed in 2008 after the death of Don Mumford, a jazz musician that helped to revive the Ames music scene. The band is known for their songs that feature elaborate storytelling as well as their shows that feature equally as awesome dancing. Their most recent release, Triple Trinities, is religiously-themed and creates an intriguingly dark drama for the listener to follow. The band occasionally tours with Fairfield’s Utopia Park and always reps their home state—as their blog says, “Seriously, what is life? What isn’t life? Where are we? Oh yeah, I remember now: IOWA.”

The post KRUI’s Hometown Holiday Series: Ames, Iowa appeared first on KRUI Radio.

By Nick Lovelace

Bradford Cox is one of the most prolific artists in recent memory, having released a total of 14 full-length albums as the front-man of Deerhunter and as Atlas Sound, the moniker of his solo project, since 2005. This isn’t to mention the vast amount of music he’s recorded and shared on his blog. This guy has so many ideas when it comes to music, and it’s amazing that he’s consistently able to sift through his vast body of work to construct a cohesive and thoughtful album. Whether we’re talking about Atlas Sound or Deerhunter, not one of either project’s albums is even remotely a random selection of tracks thrown together from Cox’s enormous archive of original, already recorded material. In fact, almost none of the songs featured on any of Deerhunter or Atlas Sound’s albums were previously recorded or based on previously recorded material. When Bradford Cox writes an album, he’s devoted to making it the best he can possibly make it. Parallax, his most recent album as Atlas Sound, is no exception.

For Atlas Sound fans, Parallax sounds like it couldn’t have been written by anyone but Atlas Sound. Each album has such a signature Atlas Sound… sound. His knack for pop melodies, his affinity for dreamy, ambient textures and his 90’s-shoegaze-inspired sound, which serves as the back-bone for his creative process, presents the listener with a truly unique experience.   Parallax not only strengthens his identity as Atlas Sound, but also further shapes his image as one of the most creative and talented musicians of the past decade.

Atlas Sound’s calling cards are all here, but his ambient sound makes way for a more guitar-driven pop sound that more resembles his band, Deerhunter, than either of his past albums. The first track, “The Shakes,” may be Atlas Sound’s most straight-forward song yet. Its driving rhythm and catchy guitar make for a very inviting opener to the album.  Its sloppy, jagged guitar competing with Cox’s timid-yet-arresting voice wouldn’t sound out of place had Deerhunter released it, which can’t really be said about any of of the songs from his prior albums. The same goes for album closer and highlight, “Lightworks,” an unabashedly bitter-sweet pop gem that sounds at once both old and new, taking cues from his pop idols of the past while making it his own, which is something that Cox can do just as well as anyone nowadays. The confidence he portrays in these songs is a new thing for Atlas Sound. As the front-man of Deerhunter, Cox is bold and charismatic, though his solo work paints a portrait of a self-conscious introvert. The confidence Cox shows on his new album seems to fade the line between the duality of his two projects.

Each album has progressively strayed from his primarily ambient/electronic beginnings to a more straight-forward pop sound. This is a welcome change, though. Each of his albums has gotten less cluttered with ambient fuzz to give his brilliant pop melodies and song structures more room to breathe. The gorgeous, other-worldly sounds he’s able to achieve from his bedroom are still here, but they’re just understated or condensed and are used when necessary to give certain moments of the album more of an impact. “Terra Incognita,” a standout from the album, starts off slow and soft with Cox’s somber, yet playful voice over-top acoustic guitar, piano, and a clever, octave-jumping base line. About halfway through, the song speaks up and is revealed to be something larger than life as it becomes engulfed by a lush, vibrant soundscape.

I think it’s safe to assume that Bradford Cox devotes the vast majority of his time to his music. The amount of work he’s produced in the last few years is astonishing, though what’s even more astonishing is how effortlessly he’s able to consistently produce thoughtful, worthwhile material. When asked about his personal life, Cox, a self proclaimed asexual, doesn’t seem to have much to say. “I sit at home and play gui­tar, making demos. I do our (Deerhunter’s) graphic design and typog­raphy for our releases. I devote my life to all of these little details, so there’s not really any room for me to develop a social life,” He confessed in a recent interview. “I don’t have a private life to speak of, really. Everything is out there in the music.” Bradford Cox is one of the most talented and creative musicians out there today. Parallax, the brilliantly gorgeous and triumphant third album of Cox’s solo project, Atlas Sound, is the definitive product of a devoted musician who’s madly in love with his music.

Atlas Sound – Lightworks by DCH101

The post Review: Atlas Sound – Parallax appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Fool’s Gold – Wild Window by iamsoundrecords

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By Riley Ubben

Whenever anyone in the music blogosphere talks about Wild Flag, the band’s riot grrrl credentials almost always seem to be the primary focus. Sure, everyone loves to throw around the “supergroup” tag, but the success of these ladies’ past projects (Sleater-Kinney, Helium, The Minders) certainly isn’t the only reason for their success now. Plenty of supergroups make headlines every year, but rarely do these projects deliver. I mean, have you heard Loutallica?

The reason Wild Flag’s debut is still relevant is because it’s one of the few releases of the year that rocks. And I mean really rocks—the kind of rocking that the indie scene forgot about around the time the laptop became an acceptable substitute for a band. It’s incredibly refreshing, and it’s why even those who never listened to The Woods are paying attention.

While their synth-toting nostalgia junkie peers are busy trying to out-chill one another, Wild Flag aren’t afraid to get riled up. Nobody’s hiding behind any reverb here—Carrie Brownstein and Mary Timony belt out their vocals with a raw, unfiltered energy that matches the combative nature of the lyrics perfectly. Even in the mellow, psychedelic aura of “Glass Tambourine,” the words hit hard with a biting sarcasm that criticizes the frail temperament of today’s trendsetters.

In addition to being able to write a mean chorus, Brownstein and Timony also know their way around a fretboard. There’s a solo around every corner, with “Glass Tambourine,” “Short Version,” and “Black Tiles” showcasing some of their best shredding.

Of course the guitar-centered rock album isn’t a new idea by any means–more than anything, it’s a return to form. But it’s what so many of us were hungry for, and somehow Wild Flag make it feel downright revolutionary.

Wild Flag – Romance by Wichita Recordings

The post Review: Wild Flag – Wild Flag appeared first on KRUI Radio.

By Blake Carlson-Joshua

Frontman Peter Pisano and drummer Brian Moen, Peter Wolf Crier, take the power of two musicians to a whole new level in their highly-anticipated second album, Garden of Arms. In a music scene riddled with alternative folk duos, Peter Wolf Crier have perfected one crucial element that sets them apart from others: the ability to sound complex.

After the success of their debut album, Inter-Be, the Minneapolis based duo had a lot to live up to. They played 100 different shows around the country in a short six month time period. When they were done they sat down and recorded Garden of Arms.

In this album you get the feeling that the group has obtained a new confidence in musical experimentation, producing a sound that is much more intense and polished then their debut. You feel this newfound confidence right from the get-go when you hear Pisano belt out the lead track “Right Away” which brings to mind a kaleidoscope of different emotions. This is one of those albums that gets better with more listens, each song capable of being your favorite at different times and different moods. With their soft melodies and heartfelt lyrics the two final tracks, “Never Meant to Love you” and “Wheel”, leave you with an assured confidence in the band’s new direction.

The post Review: Peter Wolf Crier – Garden of Arms appeared first on KRUI Radio.