Underscores’ last studio album “Wallsocket” leaned in a folk, indietronica direction, with heavy worldbuilding elements and a lot of social commentary. This time, underscores combined her hyper-pop sound from the first album “Fishmonger” with a new energetic and electropop one, making her latest album “U” a “good thesis statement of who I am as an artist”, as stated by Grey in an interview with Vogue.

In that same interview, the musician also talked about her longtime fascination with hotels, airports, and malls from her childhood, especially the way people listen to music while moving through those spaces. This heavily inspired the album and you can certainly notice: from the mall in the cover art to the visuals where she hauls around luggage while dancing with her headphones in. It’s a short, cohesive, and focused record that offers some of the best pop songs this year.

“U” starts off strong with “Tell Me (U Want It),” a beautiful song where underscores first showcases the usage of her breath as an instrument. From the breathy and rhythmic intro we move to soft verses and an exciting chorus. One of the most interesting parts of the song is the outro where she adopts these harsh, robotic whispers as the song fizzles out. It’s an instant classic in her discography and it flows well into the following track “Music,” which had everyone obsessed when it dropped as a single. It was my first underscores song, and I was totally blown away. This beautiful track compares the company of a special someone to the feeling of listening to/making music, incorporating mesmerizing beats and harmonies. The song feels like underscores’ love letter to music and her passion for it really shines through, especially with the breakdown in the bridge where she mentions multiple genres of music that are meaningful to her.

We then move into the first new song for me (since I already knew the singles) called “Hollywood Forever.” The brilliance in this one comes from the switch ups, which make it feel like three songs in one. Following that we have “The Peace,” a song different from everything I’ve heard from the musician. Vocal inflections are chopped up in the beginning and she uses her breath as percussion for the second time. This is actually maintained throughout the whole track, making for a consistent, electronic-heavy song that offers a nice break from the previous three explosive ones.

Next is my personal song of the year (and no, I don’t care that it’s too early to call): “Innuendo (I Get U).” She does get me! Demonstrated by her inclusion of everything I think sounds cool in a song: quick switch ups, intense kicks, well-placed talk singing, a powerful beat drop, and playful lyrics. Underscores uses her whispers and soft register once more, combining them with loud, layered vocals, proving her versatility. 

“Lovefield” is another one of my favorites. Spacious and atmospheric, the track starts off soft and laid back, eventually dissolving into a gorgeous display of underscores’ vocal range as she belts the chorus one last time. “Do It” is a wonderfully produced, quintessential underscores track released as one of the three singles. It’s upbeat and fun, and probably the first song I’d recommend to someone wanting to get into her music. Though there was also a remix of the track featuring Yves before the album dropped, I like this version better (but by a close margin).

“Bodyfeeling” is my least favorite on the record, but still a very good song that became quite popular with the fanbase. This one is more interesting lyrically, with touching verses about ignoring your body and your reality in favor of existing in a fantasy with the person you love. However, the chorus beat felt a little clunky.

The final track “Wish U Well” follows a similar pattern to “Lovefield” in the sense that it’s also laid back, albeit without an explosive bridge or chorus. Again, the lyrics hit me pretty hard and it made for such an emotional and dreamy song that easily slipped into my top 3 (alongside “Innuendo (I Get U)” and “Do It”). Overall, this underscores project is a progressive, hyper-pop, and electronica masterpiece that everyone should check out. Just put on some headphones, find a good mall to wander around in, and lose yourself in the glitchy, maximalist world of “U.”

The post Feeling the BPM with underscores’ third studio album “U” appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Halo will be performing twice in Iowa City, her first act being on Thursday night at the Yacht Club starting at 10:30 PM.  She’ll be performing her tracks live, which will make for an exhilarating experience seeing how Halo transitions from the studio where she does the bulk of her work to the stage.        

On Friday night, she’ll get to showcase her music as its intended as the songs will be pre-recorded on a DJ set list. This performance begins at 11 PM in the Yacht Club.

Halo’s journey is an interesting one.  She grew up in Michigan, a state full of musical history as it introduced the world to Motown in the 1960’s and brought back rock n’ roll in the early 2000’s with the garage rock of the White Stripes.  

Hailing from Ann Arbor, MI, Halo learned how to play instruments such as the piano, guitar, and violin.  From there at age, 19 Halo began composing music on her own. She drew inspiration from Detroit dance parties she attended, her experience in jazz ensembles, and her time as a free-form DJ at the University of Michigan’s radio station WCBN.

Halo’s musical taste is also influenced by classical theory and the writing of acclaimed science fiction writer Phillip K. Dick who’s known for themes of altered states of consciousness and authoritative governments.  Halo’s latest album, Dust, sounds like a sheet of music straight out of a science fiction film.  

Once Halo established herself as a young composer, she decided to put her work out for public consumption by releasing several EP’s from 2006 to 2009, but really got the ball rolling with her 2010 EP, King Felix, which was released by the New York experimental pop label, Hippos in Tanks.  

Coincidence that the Hippos in Tanks label itself was heavily influenced by Dick’s 1981 novel VALIS?  I think not.  

After working for the record label, Halo was able to collaborate with more musicians similar to her taste, and in doing so recorded an electronica album with four other musicians titled FRKWYS 7.

Halo learned from peers in the New York avant pop music scene, and as a result, she released her breakthrough album for a different, more prestigious label in London, Hyperdub, titled Quarantine.  

Her first album for Hyperdub garnered critical success with the Wire naming it the No. 1 album of 2012, saying “Halo’s confidence with melody and her deftly written and direct, often harshly vulnerable vocal lines raised Quarantine above the vague techno-dystopian mood that permeated much of 2012’s electronic music.”

After the success Halo took her talent and focus to Berlin hoping to take in the city’s rich musical history as an inspiration for future music.  This isn’t the first time a critically acclaimed musician moved from the States to Berlin, as David Bowie ventured to West Berlin in 1976 and there the rock star ignited a paradigm shift on his style by exploring electronic and ambient music; Halo was looking to do the same.

From there, Halo went on to collaborate with more artists, many being musicians outside of her bubble of electronic pop.  She then recorded two more albums with Hyperdub, her latest being the moody, disorienting Halo released in 2017.  

The post Mission Creek Festival Promo: Laurel Halo @ The Yacht Club appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Ian Macmillan at his station of sound and Brendan Spengler with his organ and synthesizers delivered strange electronic sounds strung together to form a mood of odd journey while trippy black and white animations and visuals played behind them. I had no earthly idea where their set would go next from B movie science fiction sound effects to bass heavy rattlers up until the drippy end. Blue and red and orange lights danced about the stage to add another dimension to the performance. It was clear after the first five minutes that grooving was not in the agenda for Macmillan and Spengler, but rather something deep and moving. And when the lights dimmed and the bumper music came back on, I felt like I could finally relax.

While I waited for the next set, I wondered if this rabbit hole of electronic weird went deeper. And my question was answered in the form of Lawrence English. He started in the midst of the crowd and prefaced by explaining his performance would be about the problems we all face will be solved by unity. He also invited us to all lay down on the floor to experience his music. So I, along with the other curious members of the crowd, took our positions on the cool floor.

The performance that ensued was loud and abrasive, thunderous and overbearing. The sheer volume and level of bass rattled the whole floor, and I could feel the shockwave in my back and bones. I looked to the stage and saw English, at his table, illuminated by pulsing red light before it faded, shrouding him in darkness, before slowly returning to brightness. It was a totally unforgettable sight. As the performance went on my ears grew weary of the onslaught of noise, but luckily before it outlived its welcome, English brought his set to a close with a minute of soothing ambiance before the lights went out and the bumper music played.

I picked myself up and carried myself back to a table, where I waited for the third act to begin. At that point I had become totally frazzled and resigned to the unpredictability of the show, and any dream of predicting where it could go would be foolish.

And last, but certainly not least, Elysia Crampton took the stage with a big key-tar and a tiny synth set. Right off the bat she establishes her deviance from the first two acts by playing a rhythm and beat to her music that I even found myself toe-tapping along to.  These familiar sounds were punctuated and often interrupted by electronic booms and recording rips of laughter, strange noise, and garbled speaking. Her music morphed from something ancient and primal to stormlike, and even to the loud rattling of what sounded like gunfire until she settled down her act to end the show. It was a knockout performance of odd creativity.

I left Gabe’s that night with my ears ringing and my mind stunned. I had never seen anything like that before, nor had I listened to anything like it. With Macmillan and Spengler I was along for their ride, and with English and Crampton I felt their themes and messages resonate in me. It was a mood I totally did not expect. These types of shows are not for everyone, and require a deal of patience and open mindedness to appreciate. But I can say that these artists are remarkably unique, creative, and well worth your time.

The post Mission Creek: MacMillan and Spengler @ Gabe’s 4/5/17 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Memorable Tracks

Dancing on Glass definitely takes the cake for catchiest track. It’s the perfect mix of groovy synth and modern pop beats. A cheerful song with a more serious concept, Dancing on Glass is the perfect mix of summer fun and stoned existentialism.

With its driving synth bass and structured harmonies, Rescue Me has a more futuristic vibe to it. While the lyrics may not be the most creative or original (he says “rescue me” 22 times in a row. Yeah, I counted), turn it on and try not to bop along. I dare you.

You know that song that makes you want to drive into the sunset with your friends? Always is that song. It’s feel-good and happy-go-lucky to the core – until you look up the lyrics. Suddenly, you’re car ride looks like it’s heading towards a cliff instead of a beautiful sunset. St. Lucia has a real talent for taking serious thoughts and ideas and lightening them up with some cool synthesizer and even cooler harmonies. Damn you and your deceptions, St. Lucia. Damn you.

More Memorable Tracks (but memorable for being disappointing)

Remember Rescue Me? I liked that song. Apparently, so did Jean-Philip – so much, that he copy-and-pasted it and made Physical. The lyrics are mad different, I’ll give you that, but on an album that has such a consistent sound, you’ve got to be able to distinguish your tracks. Physical was not a great example of successful distinction.

Help Me Run Away is actually not a bad track. It’s just too 80’s for me. St. Lucia borders pretty hard on 80’s funk throughout the album, but Help Me Run Away really went all the way. Once again, the concept of running from your demons and needing to escape your own head is great. However, there was nothing outstanding about the actual music. In concert it might be more impressive, but over Spotify it sounds more like an overenthusiastic final number of some cheesy rom-com.

Tracks that were “meh”

So the range I was talking about earlier? Stay actually took the music to a very different place. However, I wasn’t totally sold on that new place. I had Imagine Dragons running through my head the whole time, which isn’t necessarily bad, but I’d like to think St. Lucia tries a bit more for originality than was expressed in Stay. Would I dance to it? Hell yeah. Am I impressed? Not really.

The Winds of Change. Oh, god. The fact that the title is the cliche to end all cliches puts it at the bottom of my list. The lyrics are really poorly constructed in the song. It’s a perfect example of writing some lyrics, getting way too attached, and then throwing them on the first generic riff you can think of. I’ve written that song, believe me, I know the struggle.

Game 4 U is pretty hip and happening. Not a horrible song, but not totally spectacular either. Same thing with Home, although Home was kind of like Help Me Run Away. I’m really not digging the full-on 80’s funk. As an artist, you show so much more skill when you take a certain style of music and put a modern twist on it than if you just recreate something we’ve all heard time and time again.

General takeaway? St. Lucia’s definitely got talent. Is the album a home run? No way. It is a good place to start, and I’m interested to see what the group pulls out in the future. If any of the songs intrigued you, you can find the whole album on Spotify or check out a few tracks below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jhk9Rhd53o

The post Album Review: Matter by St. Lucia appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Ryan Gary Raddon, better known as Kaskade, began his DJ career in his dorm room at Brigham Young University in 1989. It’s safe to say that Kaskade’s record as a musician has advanced enormously since then. His ninth studio album, entitled Automatic, was dropped on September 25, 2015, and is an excellent look into the electronic dance music scene.

Automatic is a joint project– Kaskade utilizes the assistance of numerous vocal artists throughout the album. The record as a whole is less of a DJ debut and more of a sustained collaboration. The up-and-coming DJ focuses mainly on working to provide a solid beat base for other artists to build upon, though he does come through vocally on the opening track, “We Don’t Stop.”

“We Don’t Stop” is a stereotypical Kaskade song, formed by a slow build and gentle layering into an intense dance piece. The easy addition of different instrumentals gives this track a cool feel as it crescendoes. This is a song that should be played towards the end of a drunken house party. Definitely don’t play it at the beginning of your kegger– the track is too mellow overall– but go ahead and play it towards the end.

The second piece on this record is titled “Us” and is a joint track between Kaskade and CID. The song begins with laid-back female vocals and quickly launches into a synthesized chorus with strong electronic elements. This piece is nice, but it lacks the exciting spark of some on the album.

“Mercy” is the third track on Automatic and collaborates with the talent of Galantis. This track doesn’t particularly stand out– it holds all of the standard EDM devices but can’t be called revolutionary or inventive.

“Tear Down These Walls” strongly features Tamra Keenan straight from the get go. Kaskade’s sick mixes back up Keenan’s cries for us to “tear down these walls,” and honestly, this juxtaposition of slight soul and electronic beats could probably convince the average person to tear down just about anything.

“Phoenix” is the slow jam of this album. At least, as slow as you can get on an EDM album. This track demonstrates the vocal prowess of Sasha Sloan. Kaskade provides a substantial base for Sloan to work her vocal magic upon, using a lot of base in the beginning. The backgrounds build, until a stunning moment when all instrumentals fade to mere finger snaps. This moment is pretty ethereal as light vocals are combined with the simple flicking of hand extremities.

Kaskade really excels in “Disarm You,” the sixth track of the record, with the help of Ilsey. The slow build to an exciting peak is prevalent in this piece. Ilsey’s vocals are simple and easy, yet have a certain intensity. This song is something to play at the beginning of your drunken house party.

“Never Sleep Alone” is a track made possible by Tess Comrie. Comrie’s vocals are what hold the song together, and while she gives an interesting vibe to the track, “Never Sleep Alone” comes off as too repetitive. The same three words are repeated throughout the piece, followed by the same continuing electronic riff. Repetition of an idea is usually very useful in EDM, but in this instance it is simply too much.

Estelle is featured in the eighth track, “Day Trippin’.” You heard it– ESTELLE. “Day Trippin'” flips back and forth between some cool piano vibes and Kaskade’s signature electronic beat. The instrumentals are solid, of course the vocals are solid (its ESTELLE), and this track is a winner.

“Promise” is the musical combination of Kaskade and K.Flay. The track begins with a vocal performance by K.Flay, and continues to feature the artist as well as purely electronic instrumental interludes. This makes for an interesting combination of Kaskade’s mixes and K.Flay’s sultry voice.

Scott Shepard sings his heart out in “Breaking Up,” a pretty sad EDM jam, and the tenth track on Automatic. The starting style of the song is extremely contrasting to typical electronic music. It’s a little too slow and mellow to be considered for your house party playlist. “Breaking Up” is a decent song in itself, but as one-fourteenth of Automatic, it doesn’t mesh with the rest of the album.

“A Little More” is a tri-collab with Swedish DJ John Dahlbäck and vocalist Sansa. The work of these two contributing artists obviously improves the track. The melodies leading up to the drop are exciting, the drop is great, and Sansa’s vocals in the lower intensity portions are spot on.

“Papercuts” (a joint project with Two Nations) lies on the foundation of a really solid baseline. The vocals are nice, and the mixes are fine, but the baseline is really the only striking feature of this track. “Papercuts” comes off as lackluster in comparison to other songs on the album.

Tamra Keenan makes a reappearance in “Where Are You Now,” the thirteenth track of the record. Once again, Keenan doesn’t disappoint. It seems that Keenan and Kaskade could be the perfect mix. Keenan’s stunning and soulful voice directly contrast with the electronic beats that Kaskade brings to the table, providing an intriguing blend of genuine and synthetic sound. While this track is a bit slower, Keenan’s vocals make up for it.

“Whatever” is the final track on Automatic and features KOLAJ. This song is an excellent choice for the summation of the album. It combines all of the elements that we’ve previously been exposed to– strong vocal components, a solid mix of electronic melodies, and an impenetrable foundation of base. “Whatever” is another clear winner on Automatic, and the best decision for the conclusion of the record.

As a cohesive whole, Automatic is a collection of tracks that are very similar in nature. Each song is a collection of the same elements, and while all of the individual songs have interesting qualities, they do not differ enough to call this album inventive. If it were not for the additions that Kaskade’s featured artists make to each track, the fourteen tracks would blend together almost completely.

While Automatic isn’t particularly artful or innovative, it is fun to listen to (and probably play at your kegger). Kaskade’s continued passion for electronic dance music is something to be attested to.

Grade: A-

Check out Kaskade’s Facebook page and Soundcloud profile.

The post Album Review: “Automatic” by Kaskade appeared first on KRUI Radio.

On Tuesday night, Gabe’s played host to a trio of electronic and experimental musicians for the first night of Mission Creek shows. Countless beards were present.

Local musician Brendan Hanks kept the show’s first hour light with a string of bass-heavy, danceable tracks. An initial scattering of neck-bearded, middle aged men quickly diversified as the infectious beats lured in a larger crowd, with Hanks and his laptop pulsating at the center.

Hanks, a 31-year-old sporting neatly-trimmed stubble, has been playing with digital noise for well over five years.

“My music grew out of a failure of trying to start a band,” Hanks said before the show. “I was okay at guitar but I could never find a drummer. I started looking into electronic drums, and I really got into Nine Inch Nails…it kind of spiraled from there.”

He describes the Mission Creek gig as a comeback.

“I used to do stuff as Ex-Action Model. A few years ago I was more active than I am now, but I’ve got some ideas for a release later this year.”

John Bohannon took the floor as Ancient Ocean shortly after 9:00 pm.

The moderately-bearded Brooklyn musician’s extensive lineup of effects pedals showcased his talent at creating droning, spine-tingling soundscapes, bringing to mind strange creatures and primitive waters when coupled with his stage name. The crowd coasted along on shimmering guitar crescendos and otherworldly, but relatively-peaceful, vibes.

Then Ben Frost and his wild Australian beard took the stage.

Frost’s opening salvo sounded something like an electric guitar being thrown into a herd of angry elephants. The second floor of Gabe’s became a digital cradle, riding shockwaves of destructive bass and clanging scrap metal (metaphors hyperbolic, yet perfectly accurate).

Lighter gasps of electronic noise provided the occasional breath of fresh air, but dark vibrations ruled the night. Animalistic growls burst out unexpectedly toward the end of the set, causing many fans to recoil visibly before regaining position (direct description from my notebook: “audience shredded by tigers. Fused back together like Frankenstein’s monster”).

This show, like all others on Ben Frost’s current tour, was a complete performance of his 2014 album Aurora.

The music may conjure any number of mental images or themes, but after the show, Frost insisted that “there is no correct answer. I don’t want to dictate what people hear.”

“When you put something out, it’s not really yours anymore,” he said. “But that’s the beauty of it. Creating music is a job like anything else, and letting your listeners decide what they’re hearing is a beautiful thing.”

Frost has toured the United States before, but Mission Creek was his first show in Iowa City.

“Your bookstores are incredible,” he said. “You often hear things about certain cities that are greatly exaggerated, but not this city. It’s a very literary place and I’ll definitely be taking some extra cargo home with me.”

One last, unexpected artistic connection surfaced as Frost packed up his gear.

“The highlight of my career is when Eric Wareheim came to one of my shows in LA and we hung out together,” he said. “By far one of the largest influences on my work is the art of Tim and Eric.”

Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim are a comedy duo known for their Adult Swim productions and nightmarishly off-kilter video aesthetic. Wareheim, often seen with a shapely beard, has become an acclaimed music video director in recent years, having worked with artists including MGMT, Major Lazer, Charlie XCX, and Beach House.

“Eric told me he’s going to do a video for my next album,” Frost said. And perhaps with tongue slightly in cheek: “It’s a certainty. He has no choice.”

You heard it here first.

Check out Brendan Hanks and Ancient Ocean on Soundcloud. You can grab Ben Frost’s Aurora on iTunes. Here’s “Venter,” the sixth track on the album.

Keep it on KRUI 89.7FM for all of your Mission Creek coverage this week!

The post Mission Creek: Ben Frost @ Gabe’s 3/31/15 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

 This Is All Yours is the sophomore studio album from English alternative rock band alt-j. It is the follow up to their 2012 release Awesome Waves, which put the band on the map as one of the UK’s top indie artists.Many critics and journalists have labeled them as the “next Radiohead”, with their subtle blend electronic, post-rock, and alternative elements.

The album begins with “Intro“, a slowly-building song that reaches its epic peak with thunderous bass and harmonizing vocals that would sound at home in a monastery or cathedral.

Strangely, the album takes a soft turn after the introduction, with the songs “Arrival in Nara” and “Nara”. Both of the slow moving songs are some of the most guitar-centered tracks on the album, featuring spacy and reverb filled riffs. The low end sounds of the guitars and bass are perfectly contrasted by the light and airy vocal deliveries.

Things begin to pick up with “Every Other Freckle“, a song about sexual frustration bordering on obsession. The gritty and distorted bass riffs, along with the rough and jagged acoustic guitar parts, give the song an almost country-rock vibe, and make it one of the stand out tracks of the record.

This more intense energy is followed up by “Left Hand Free“, a blusy jam with lyrics mentioning guns and a stand-off. For me, these two tracks, which are the heaviest and most up-tempo songs, are the shining moments of the album.

“Garden of England”, an instrumental track of nature sounds and light-hearted flute playing, serves as a sort of interlude of the album. It is perfectly juxtaposed with “Choice Kingdom”, a slow moving and subdued song that explores the topic of imperialism in Britain.

From here, things begin to take a turn for the more bizarre, and in my opinion, the worse. “Hunger of the Pine” is almost completely devoid of the interesting guitar work seen earlier in the record, and features a hook from Miley Cyrus’ “4×4”.

The ballad “Warm Foothills” features singers trading words and phrases in the middle of lines, a gimmick that comes across as jarring instead of unique or particularly creative.

“The Gospel of St. John” (a song about the infamous and extremely graphic chest bursting scene in the Ridley Scott film Alien), briefly revs up the energy, but the album again slumps into slow-plodding and generally uninteresting ballads.

“Pusher” is stripped down acoustic ballad, which seems awkward and out of place compared to the electronic rock feel of the rest of the record. “Bloodflow pt. II” features violent and sexual imagery, but beyond the lyrics there was not much to keep me interested. “Leaving Nara” closes out the album, and returns to the vibe felt in some of the earlier songs.

Overall, the album felt disjointed and unsure of itself at times. The lyrics were insightful at their best, but occasionally came off as strange, pretentious, and at their worst, a little silly. The electronic rock and guitar-centered sound of the first half of the album gets completely lost later on, and is replaced by more synthesized and unnatural sounds. The later songs seem disconnected and unrelated to the feeling and atmosphere of the record. While alt-J really hit their stride in the middle of This Is All Yours, the record as a whole just can’t stand up to the same standard.

Standout Tracks: “Left Hand Free”, “Every Other Freckle”, and “The Gospel of St. John”

This Is All Yours is available for streaming at Spotify and is available for download on iTunes

The post Album Review: This is All Yours by Alt J appeared first on KRUI Radio.