Assisting him on drums was Jack Chaffer from full body 2, the band he’d been touring with. Rows and rows of bright lights were flickering faster, making letters and shapes. Somewhere a machine spurted out smoke, before the bell like synths of “Livin’ Loose”, off his album Slide, started the show. It all felt immense. Enormous now, the sound was all around us and everyone was moving as the beat pulsed. Clanton wailed out “If you don’t hurt me I won’t hurt you back/Don’t want to lose you.”

We had then entered into timelessness, a wild feeling that happens when a show becomes more than a show and becomes everything, all that’s important is in the moment. No outside world, only the here-and-now in the crowd. You can’t process thought. An overwrought emotion akin to ecstasy as you’re squeezed against some raving fan screaming in your ear, skin against skin, sweat from shoving and jumping. Lasers.

A new song, I don’t remember which one, maybe the title track off his latest album, Ooh Rap I Ya, moved us into a more trance like atmosphere with its juvenile enthusiasm. 3D models of abstract blobs of color, yellow, orange, neon greens and wobbling blues, were on the TV sets while Clanton was throwing himself upon the towers before descending into the audience. Some people were standing still and hitting a vape in a small circle. Clanton grabbed water bottles, opened and flung them at the crowd. It was all so wet. Lots of sensation. I think I hugged him at one point. 

“Justify Your Life”, “Make It Forever”, “Punching Down”, all bangers. Absolute anthems. Clanton’s discography contains a clear eyed understanding of nostalgia, the misty undercurrents of memory and how it can layer and change, even in the span of a song. Nostalgia itself should be true. An intimate remembrance hyper-specific to one’s sense of self and lived experience. Recalling childish terrors, diving in the deep of what comes at night before the onslaught of sleep and dream. What a life can hold. We all exist in specific contexts.

Nostalgia currently in the cultural landscape is more a means to capitalize on itself for the sake of escapism, profit, and product rather than a pure memory that can sometimes come to you. Nostalgia now is a constant regurgitation of defunct memory until nothing means anything anymore and you find yourself existing in a present already bogged down with the past. We are consistently told to remember when. To wallow in it when times were better and more free, and when we weren’t burdened by the world. 

Nostalgia. It’s all artifice, but that’s what makes it alluring. The genre where Clanton first established himself, vaporwave, is essentially predicated upon creating false nostalgia. There, accelerated hyper-capitalist renderings of modern life are meshed with contemporary internet aesthetics, all while reworking ’80s and ’90s music for a total tranced out experience. It’s a genre filled with ghosts. Clanton’s image isn’t pure. The flashing lights became emojis, old PlayStation logos, you might have seen some scatterings of Neon Genesis Evangelion and other anime flash briefly on the many TVs. Clanton has crafted his stage persona to encapsulate the terminally online, future sound of music, combining Internet aesthetics and production with glittering pop-hooks reminiscent of the Backstreet Boys and Seal. However, it’s his sheer earnestness and sincerity that cuts through all the artifice to get at real vulnerable emotion. 

It’s easy to grow disillusioned on the Internet. Like Sisyphus, we’re bound to doom scrolling: you will hit the wall and you will hit the vape. Most of his music is focused on looking back on the past. Ooh Rap I Ya’s lead single, which served as the show closer, is literally called “I Been Young”. With this though, both Clanton’s musical talent and ferocity for live stage shows can only ground you in an unadulterated present. Yeah I raved, and it felt good. Writing this now, I can’t shake a small frustration with not being able to fully articulate how alive a show can make you feel, the physicality and passion provided by the spectacle. I took two low quality photos of the show. Looking back, mean nothing to me now. I have similar photos from when I saw Clanton months ago in Madison.

The post Mission Creek: George Clanton and When You Have a Déjà Vu of a Déjà Vu of a Déjà Vu… appeared first on KRUI Radio.

thousand eyes

MAGDALENE’s first track, thousand eyes, begins with a haunting acapella chant made up of several layers of Barnett’s voice. For the first few minutes, the vocals repeat while drum beats build in the background; Near the middle of the song, a main line of loud, somewhat ear-splitting vocals appears atop the chant. Judging by the last half of the song – a compilation of sinister vocal effects and distorted sounds, the album should be… interesting.

home with you

Track two, home with you – one of the album’s singles – spiked my interest in FKA Twigs. Its ability to change from segment to completely-different sounding segment throughout the song is incredible. The opening lines of eerie whispering, in which she again uses robotic vocal effects, lead into a chorus that sounds both angry and deeply sad. Immediately after, the song transitions into a contrasting bridge that features beautifully melancholic vocals accompanied by a simple piano . Next, the whispering returns, but with excessive distortion. Before finally, the bridge repeats, building upon its tone with more grandiose vocals and added instruments. I am left hoping to hear aspects of this masterpiece, rather than elements of thousand eyes, throughout the rest of MAGDALENE.

sad day

Presenting vocals similar to those of thousand eyes, without the heavy distortion, sad day lacks the creepy aspect of the first two. It makes the song somewhat underwhelming. She sings softly over a simple beat about ‘making wishes,’ making sad day reminiscent of many typical pop songs. This is surely the least interesting song yet.

holy terrain

The fourth track, holy terrain, was another of MAGDALENE’s singles. Featuring rapper Future, it is more of a crowd-pleaser. Its emphasis is on a loud bass line, rather than FKA Twigs’ vocals, which are pretty bland themselves. Holy terrain could easily play in an Iowa City bar without sounding out of place. Frankly, it is quite boring.

mary magdalene

Right off the bat, it is clear that mary magdalene discusses female empowerment; Its first line reads, “A woman’s prerogative, a woman’s time to embrace, she must put herself first.“ Dreamy instrumentals accompany FKA Twigs’ vocals, giving it a lullaby-like feel. This makes up almost the entirety of the song until it switches to a louder electronic segment near the end, which is more gripping than what came before. Over halfway through the album, MAGDALENE is incredibly underwhelming; After being pretty entranced when I first stumbled upon home with you, I am disappointed in what the album has to offer. 

fallen alien

In fact, I was so disinterested at this point, that I couldn’t find it within myself to finish, or so I thought. As the beginning of track six began, I was intrigued by its creepy (and less chaotic) intro, filled with dissonant piano and violin parts. When the vocals enter, about thirty seconds in, a striking bass line enters, eventually disappearing as FKA Twigs sings with strength not yet heard on MAGDALENE. Finally, fallen alien offers a track comparable to home with you, full of creativity and mastery.

Of MAGDALENE’s remaining three tracks – mirrored heart, daybed, and cellophane – mirrored heart is the only one worth listening to in my opinion. Little to no effects or distortion alter FKA Twigs’ voice, fitting the sad tone of the song, which makes it quite pretty. On the other hand, daybed and cellophane are incredibly bland, like much of the album. For the most part, MAGDALENE was disappointing, but its standout tracks – home with you and fallen alien – are stunning enough to make up for its faults.

The post Album Review: MAGDALENE by FKA Twigs appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Never heard of Sky Ferreira? Not sure what synth pop is? Have you ever wanted to know who styled Michael Jackson’s hair? Well you came to the right place.

In anticipation of Ferreira’s show this Sunday, I, your trusty student journalist, will break down all the information you will need to impress your friends at the show this weekend. Here’s some Sky Ferreira trivia you probably never knew and most likely never wanted to know.

Fact: Troy Carter, Ferreira’s manager, worked as a promoter for Notorious B.I.G. before he made it big time as chairman and CEO of Coalition Media Group.

Another fact: In 2010, Ferreira starred in an independent drama called Putty Hill, where her character Jenny must cope with the untimely death of a young man named Cory.

Aside from her brief acting career, Sky has had a pretty successful music career thus far. Karolina Ramos from The GW Hatchet compared her to indie pop artist Lorde for her ability to “tackle contemporary love, desire and insecurity with depth, composure and frankness.”

She has also been placed amongst the ranks of Lana Del Rey and MGMT in both style and prowess. Her synth pop roots, comprised of drum machines, heavy bass guitars, and of course synthesizers, create an alluring canvas for her rebellious, teenage romance lyrics.

Sky first became interested in music through her friendship with Michael Jackson at a young age, one of many artist her grandmother worked for as a personal hairstylist. Since then she has released three EPs and one full length album entitled Night Time, My Time.

In promotion of her album she recently toured as the opening act on the Bangerz tour. Her most recent accolade however is her performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last Friday, April 4th, where she performed her song “I Blame Myself,” accompanied by a plethora of lasers.

However, if you take anything away from this Sky Ferreira crash course it’s that few come close to her wit when it comes to captioning Instagram photos.

Sky Ferreira’s show has been rescheduled due to illness, she will perform at the IMU Ballroom this Thursday, May 8th. Doors open at 7pm. The show starts at 8. You can purchase tickets at The Hub in the IMU or on Ticketmaster.

The post Show Preview: All you need to know about Sky Ferreira (Show 5/8/14) appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Never heard of Sky Ferreira? Not sure what synth pop is? Have you ever wanted to know who styled Michael Jackson’s hair? Well you came to the right place.

In anticipation of Ferreira’s show this Sunday, I, your trusty student journalist, will break down all the information you will need to impress your friends at the show this weekend. Here’s some Sky Ferreira trivia you probably never knew and most likely never wanted to know.

Fact: Troy Carter, Ferreira’s manager, worked as a promoter for Notorious B.I.G. before he made it big time as chairman and CEO of Coalition Media Group.

Another fact: In 2010, Ferreira starred in an independent drama called Putty Hill, where her character Jenny must cope with the untimely death of a young man named Cory.

Aside from her brief acting career, Sky has had a pretty successful music career thus far. Karolina Ramos from The GW Hatchet compared her to indie pop artist Lorde for her ability to “tackle contemporary love, desire and insecurity with depth, composure and frankness.” She has also been placed amongst the ranks of Lana Del Rey and MGMT in both style and prowess. Her synth pop roots, comprised of drum machines, heavy bass guitars, and of course synthesizers, create an alluring canvas for her rebellious, teenage romance lyrics.

Sky first became interested in music through her friendship with Michael Jackson at a young age, one of many artist her grandmother worked for as a personal hairstylist. Since then she has released three EPs and one full length album entitled Night Time, My Time. In promotion of her album she recently toured as the opening act on Miley Cyrus’ Bangerz tour. Her most recent accolade however is her performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last Friday, April 4th, where she performed her song “I Blame Myself,” accompanied by a plethora of lasers.

However, if you take anything away from this Sky Ferreira crash course it’s that few come close to her wit when it comes to captioning Instagram photos.

Sky Ferreira performs at the IMU Ballroom this Sunday, April 13th. Doors open at 7pm. The show starts at 8. You can purchase tickets at The Hub in the IMU or on Ticketmaster.

The post Show Preview: All you need to know about Sky Ferreira appeared first on KRUI Radio.