Liverpool local band, Circa Waves swam their way to the surface in 2015 with their debut album Young Chasers. Known as the indie-rock/alternative boy band in the UK, Circa Waves quickly made their upstream in their first United States performance on Conan.

Setting sail in beachy tunes, the album comes off with those “summer” and “feel good” vibes making it hard to resist it being the track you blast in your car with your friends driving down to the beach.

“Get Away” starts off the record with its upbeat jingle. Kicking off their album with a strong guitar and drum background sets this song up to be a definite hit for the summer.

Second on the track and my personal favorite is “T-Shirt Weather.” This was the first song I heard of Circa Waves. The chorus: “I remember t-shirt weather/I remember some days/We were singing our lungs out in the backseat together/And the seatbelts were burning our fingers/In the T-shirt weather/I remember sleeping til the early afternoon” reminds me literally of the moments I’ve made with my friends in my car singing our lungs out and the future memories I still have yet to make.

“Fossils,” “Lost It,” and “My Love” all carry the same guitar tune that you can’t help but nod your head to. Because of this familiar sound in almost every number on the album, critics may say what the band is lacking in identity they make up in live performances. However, some may beg to differ that this is what makes the UK band so easy to relate with: their sound. It’s easy to pick out any song of theirs because it carries the same tune throughout the album. Like the ocean (sound), each current (song) moves in unison to perfect the perfect wave (album).

As track number six rolls around, “Deserve This,” the buoyancy takes a downward spin into a more slow and some may say elegant approach. With a quick turn around to number seven, “Young Chasers” we have the granddaddy of them all. Although the shortest song on their track, it is also what the album is named after.

“Good For Me” is your classic ‘it’s not you it’s me’ break up song. Lead vocalist Kieran Shudall sings “You’ll see, you’ll see I’m just no good for me.” The first few lyrics expresses how she was the only one that really knew him and how the roads felt like home but as cliché as any relationship, it ended with the “I’m no good for me.”

Another one of my personal favorites is “Stuck in My Teeth.” It relays the message that along your journey you will meet people that will want you to change and you can but it can’t be for them, it has to be for yourself. “And though you take me for a fool/I’ve got better things to do/Than to prove myself to you” are just some of the verses that showcase this message.

“Best Years” is a song every college student can relate to. College opens so many doors, some good and some bad. This track takes a more rural route by demonstrating how “we are flying through our best years” but getting lost along the way and sometimes we just need a friend “to take me out tonight.”

“The Luck Has Gone,” one of their not-so-popular songs, carries that distinguishable guitar note throughout. Maybe one of their saddest yet most applicable songs, “Lost It” tells

the story how the heart can be easily captivated by love but you have to “give up on her, again/And I see you think about her/Your soul’s been took/And you wish you never seen her/You wish you never looked” because you know you can never have her.

Wrapping up their debut album are “Talking Out Loud” and “100 Strangers.” While both songs compliment each other, they also contradict the main character in the two stories. In the first one, the character is asking her to speak her mind out because I wear my heart on my cheek; whereas, in the follow up, the father has to ask Spit your words out son They cling to your lips like they’re trying to hold on.

I really didn’t want to hate this band but at the same time I can’t say they gifted me with a new summer playlist. Looking forward, I am excited to see if they will be a one-hit wonder or produce more songs. Either way, I’m sure we will be able to spot any of their songs with their repetitive sound and contagious charisma.

The post Album Review: “Young Chasers” by Circa Waves appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Perhaps my dislike could be explained by my aversion to the whole genre of psychedelic rock and electronic music. I enjoy listening to songs that have an arc, follow a plot line, tell a story. Tame Impala‘s music remains pretty static to me.

The album begins with “Let it Happen,” a song that lasts eight painful minutes with the same, upbeat musical phrase that repeats for most of the song. The unchanging melody, repetitive background sounds, and intense nature of the trippy vocals combine to create an exhausting song. I’m left winded as the music fades out. In an interview with Kevin Parker, the primary member of the band, describes the meaning of this first song: “For me, [the song is about] finding yourself always in this world of chaos and all this stuff going on around you and always shutting it out because you don’t want to be part of it. But at some point, you realise it takes more energy to shut it out than it does to let it happen and be a part of it.” I’m not sure I agree with Parker, since letting this song “happen” to me ended in a serious loss of energy.

The second song, “Nangs” is starkly different from the previous. It lasts less than two minutes and features mostly musical effects. The vocals take a backseat to the eerie, distorted tone of the notes.

“The Moment” closely resembles “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley. The words, however, seem to describe an anticipated orgasm with the repetition of the phrase “it’s getting closer” for the last 90 seconds of the song.

“Yes I’m Changing” is probably meant as a profound ballad regarding the various life experiences people have and their effects on individuals, but I could not stop thinking about puberty and “the talk” we had at school.

I actually liked the fifth song on the album until I listened to its lyrics. “Eventually” has a catchy repeated musical phrase, but once I heard the words, “I know I always said that I could never hurt you/Well this is the very very last time I’m ever going to/But I know that I’ll be happier/And I know you will to.” Talk about an abusive, unhealthy, dysfunctional relationship.

“Gossip,” a 55-second long song that has no words reminds me of the sound track used in That 70’s Show to indicate a dream sequence.

“The Less I Know The Better” also reveals some problems in a relationship. As suggested by the title, the two people have some issues with communication. The abrupt ending of the song and the creepy lyrics didn’t leave a positive impression on me.

The next song is definitely the weirdest, creepiest song I’ve heard. I can’t even begin to talk about the actual music in “Past Life” because the voice used throughout the song was so distracting and disconcerting. I felt like I was watching a documentary and the person speaking was testifying against a huge pharmaceutical company and wanted to keep their identity hidden. So. Weird.

“Disciples,” like “The Moment” had an old-timey vibe, partly due to the intentional altering of the sound quality and partly because of the happy, upbeat melody. Sadly, the song only lasts about two minutes, and I could actually stand to listen to more of it.

In regards to “Cause I’m a Man,” Kevin Parker who wrote, recorded, and produced “Currents,” said this in an interview:

“The song is about how weak men are, basically, and how we make all these excuses but really we’re just these odorous male members of the animal kingdom. We don’t have any self-control and are pathetic, basically.”

I completely agree.

“Reality In Motion” sounds like every other song on this album. At this point, at the end of the CD, they all begin to mesh together. Except “Past Life.” That song was unlike any other, but in a bad way.

The penultimate song in the album is unique in the sense that there are three verses and no chorus. However, “Love/Paranoia” resembles many others since the lyrics reflect the classic anthem of a confused boyfriend whose girlfriend gives him mixed signals.

The album concludes with a six-minute song, close to the length of the first song. The song’s title, “New Person, Same Old Mistakes” could refer to the band’s hope that after listening to “Currents,” listeners have undergone a profound transformation. That’s cute.

I understand that my opinions are unpopular and the album has received mostly praise. Critics celebrate “Currents” as revolutionary and genius. My dissuasion towards the album is probably due to my dislike towards the whole genre of psychedelic rock, but the record was boring with very strange moments peppered throughout.

The post Album Review: “Currents” by Tame Impala appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Manchester Orchestra managed to do something remarkable with their music.  They offered the same song on two different albums—one in full velocity with loud, energizing instrumentals, and one striped down version handled with delicacy.

Lyrically, the song is about a failing marriage.  However, in each version of the song, the audience experiences a different emotion.

In the Cope version, “Girl Harbor” is sung with an angry and accusing fervor.

In the Hope version, “Girl Harbor” is almost bereaving, the lyrics dealt with more tenderly accompanied with a kind of woe.

Both versions have their merits, even if they produce different effects on their listeners.  Which one do YOU prefer?  Take a look at the two opposing versions below, and keep up with Manchester Orchestra on Facebook here.

http://youtu.be/GIdK6HSQOkM

The post Track of the Week: “Girl Harbor” by Manchester Orchestra appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Musically, all the instruments in the album play as if they represent a state or feeling in their songs. The acoustic is gentle, the strings are sorrowful, and the percussion is angry.  They complement the core of the album, which is undoubtedly the lyrics.

Damien Rice proves his powerful skills as a songwriter through his depiction of the failures of love.  The album seems to be caught in the moment after a lover wakes up from a dream and into a harsher reality while not being sure which one he’d rather be in.

Here are some of my favorite lyrics with their corresponding songs:

From the song, which titles the album, “My Favourite Faded Fantasy.”

“You could be my favourite faded fantasy
I’ve hung my happiness upon what it all could be”

Painful lyrics from the song “Colour Me In.” 

“So I tried to erase it

But the ink bled right through

Almost drove myself crazy

When these words led to you”

From one of my personal favorite songs, “The Box,” presumably about feeling trapped in a situation or relationship and contemplating the consequences of leaving.

“I have tried but I don’t fit

Into this box you call a gift

When I could be wild and free

But god forbid, then you might envy me…”

Lyrics pinpointing the failure of love in the song “Long Long Way.”

“’Cause love is tough

When enough is not enough”

From the song, “The Greatest Bastard,” which explores delusions, dreams, and facing reality.

“Or am I just dreaming once again?

Some dreams are better when they end”

If you want to know more about Damien Rice or follow his music, like him on Facebook or visit his website. Listen to the album in it’s entirety below:

The post Album Review: My Favourite Faded Fantasy by Damien Rice appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Since 2012, Run The Jewels has been hip-hop’s surprise powerhouse. Constantly exceeding expectations, Killer Mike and El-P have proven time and time again that they are indeed dope, and only getting better. With the release of their uncompromising spit-in-your face follow-up album Run The Jewels 2, they have solidified themselves as a force to be reckoned in the rap game.

Run The Jewels consists of two emcees. Company Flow alumni EL-P, who’s steady skills have earned him the titles of rapper, producer, and CEO throughout his solo career since the early 2000s. His partner, ATAlein Killer Mike  has been holding it down ever since his start with a free-styled feature on Outkast’s classic album Stankonia.

First collaborating in 2012 on Mike’s R.A.P Music record, the two wasted no time announcing the release of a joint-project together entitled Run The Jewels for free digital download. The release gained a lot more attention than either of them had initially thought, flinging them both into a whirl-wind of touring and press, leading to the creation of their follow-up release, Run The Jewels 2.

Darker and more confrontational than their previous release, this album expands on what’s expected of RTJ while giving us more jewels to explore. Tracks like “All Due Respect,” featuring Travis Barker, and “Blockbuster Night Part 1” still deliver the oh-so-fun, absurdist, braggadocio verses that keep the sensors reeling. Tracks “All My Life,” “Early,” featuring BOOTS, and “Crown,” featuring Diane Coffee explore topics of violence, regret, and frustration with the status quo–presenting a more intimate and urgent perspective than their previous release. Through their time together, Killer Mike and El-P have learned to embrace one another’s strengths while staying true to their own styles.

This chemistry is emboldened by El-P’s fantastic reactionary build-up/knock-down production. Provoking each emcee until the track mushrooms into a dangerous amount of sound. The best example of this is on the single “Oh My Darling Don’t Cry”. A trap-fruit salad that escapes from underneath the deep bass blanket just in time for Killer Mike’s second verse to smack it back into submission. EL-P’s choice to not only step up the intensity, but also the responsiveness within these tracks, keeps the album interesting, giving the rappers more freedom to switch up their styles within each track.

Mastering their voice as a group,  RTJ to choose the perfect features to compliment each track. The most surprising being “Close Your Eyes (And Count To F***)” features a hook and verse from Zack De La Rocha of Rage Against the Machine. Merciless and compulsive, this track leaves you incapable to believe that such a wonderful collaboration did not happen sooner.

With this successful release, the unlikely partnership of Killer Mike and El-P has continued to give the music world nothing but good things. With another tour started, the promise of a Run the Jewels 3, and the internet’s wet dream, Meow the Jewels, is actually happening next year. Run the Jewels 2 is just the beginning of what is sure to be the year of the Jewels.

RATING: 9/10

TOP TRACKS:

“OH MY DARLING DON’T CRY”

“LIE, CHEAT, STEAL”

The post Album Review: Run The Jewels 2 by Run The Jewels appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Sunday November 2, Atmosphere brought their “North of Hell Tour” to Blue Moose Tap House.

Emcee Slug’s highflying rhymes more than pleased the eager Iowa City crowd—one that felt like home for the Minneapolis bred tandem. DJ Plain Ole Bill joined the group on stage, trading off tweaks & scratches with DJ/producer Ant.

The Rhymesayers extravaganza bill included Dem Atlas and Prof, both Minneapolis born, as openers for the legendary hip hop act.

Dem Atlas was the first to hit the stage. Positivity, screaming, and flailing dread locks created an electric energy on stage. The 22 year old emcee’s material consisted mostly of his Charlie Brown EP, culminating in a passionate performance of “All We Got”—a call to arms to today’s youth to stand up and fight for all that’s good and just in the world.

Rhymesayers Entertainment’s second act of the night was Prof who made sure to bring the party. Dressed in a honey badger t-shirt, his tenacious demeanor reflected that of the vicious mammal. Playing his energetic tracks “Farout” and “Me Boi,” his passionate storytelling meshed with DJ Fundo’s mixing were nothing short of hype. 

Wasting no time at all, Ant and Plain Ole Bill spun the crowd right onto Lake Street, literally. The house lights went black and a piano-driven beat dropped. Slug emerged from the corner of the eerie lit stage–stepping into Hell possibly? Or maybe a little North of it? You be the judge:

Atmosphere didn’t pause to chat it up with the crowd as Slug jumped quickly into their lyrical history. Covering everything from their days before Rhymesayers Entertainment with “God’s Bathroom Floor,” to their latest single “Kanye West,” Slug’s poetic lyricism meshed with the cohesion of Ants classic mixes created an exciting evening. 

Rooted in northwest hip hop culture, Atmopshere’s music consists of heavy lyrical content over alternatively influenced beats. No better example would be the track “Flicker,” from their eighth studio album Southsiders. Written in memory of label mate, fellow rapper, and close friend Eyedea, Slug’s emotional performance was met with a see of flickering lighters and cell phone screens. While the rest of the show Slug is backed by Ant and Plain Ole Bill on the 1s and 2s, Slug is left alone for this one with just the background track playing. This choreographed move makes for a meaningful tribute to their lost Minneapolis brother.

Closing the night, Dem Atlas joined Slug center stage to trade off freestyles–A signature move that is the mark of this true hip hop legend.

Checkout some photos from the show below.

The post Show Review: Atmosphere @ Blue Moose 11/2/14 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Making their second stop on the North of Hell Tour, Atmosphere will be playing at Blue Moose Tap House on Sunday, November 2.

Rhymesayers Entertainment’s poster boys, Ant & Slug are bringing their soulful production and provocative storytelling to Iowa City. Arguably the most influential independent Hip Hop label in the business, Rhymesayers’ second offering ever was Atmosphere’s Overcast in 1997. Now considered a classic of the genre, the duo has released a combined eight studio albums and nine EPs. Most recently the duo released their album Southsiders in May of 2014.

On Southsiders, rapper Slug and producer Ant speak to the monotonous and dejected society they trudge through daily. Their hallmarked northwest hip hop sound is consistent throughout the record, utilizing soft rock and electronic sounds, with heavy jazz influences—most noticeably on the track “Arthur’s Song.” Expect much of the same Sunday night.

Watch the official music video for the title track, “Southsiders” off Atmosphere’s latest album:

Dem Atlas, Prof, & DJ Fundo are touring as support acts on the North of Hell Tour.

Tickets are on sale now at Blue Moose Tap House or on Ticketfly.

The post Show Preview: Atmosphere @ Blue Moose Tap House (11/2/14) appeared first on KRUI Radio.

A Walk Through Wondrous Bughouse

This lo-fi, noise-pop album created by Idaho native Trevor Powers is a note-packed compilation of eerie ambiguity and luminous nostalgia. Within its oscillating intonations, it creates a confusingly pleasant atmosphere of sound. Its atonal note pattern is matched with seemingly perfect psychedelic reverbs, which elevate its songs to a powerful euphoric experience.

The first track, “Through Mind and Back,” settles you deep into a world of unknowns. Powers alludes to a foreign, parallel realm where all previously held notions of modern sonic revelations are completely obsolete. He has created his own universe within this album, and this piece slowly gestures you into its grandiose landscape.

After being thrown into “Mute,” the listener begins to understand the vast phenomenal field Powers has built from the ground up. His echoic voice, nasally and child-like in nature, battles an evil construct, and his dualist mindset has nowhere to go but deeper into its own self-referential conscience. The album seems to open hidden doors and bring the listener somewhere completely new. “Attic Door” coincides with this idea as its waltz beat lulls the listener farther into Wondrous Bughouse. “You can trust me like you would trust your own brother. Maybe even better,” claims Powers.

“The Bath” opens with the sound of a microphone going underwater, continuing on with various sonar sounds. His words are lost in a sea of sound and you gently float to the unheard maniacal lyrics until smooth guitar riffs wash over the naturalistic soundscape and resolve into a dizzying tone, where the more audible, “Pelican Man” comes to light. This song, the most uplifting and progressive on the album, builds on itself until it erupts into an audacious statement of existence. It continues on in a downward spiral of repeating tones prior to the solidified structure of “Dropla.”

“You’ll never die,” repeats Powers, ingraining the nonsensical mantra until you believe him. His surrealist parables seem like fairy-tales, but they emit a sense of nostalgia and simultaneously break new ground. The dreamland continues through the scary mansion-horror sound of “Sleep Paralysis.” It eventually blends into a semi-sadistic lullaby- something of nightmares or drug-induced psychosis.

“Third Dystopia” sheds some light and allows you to climb back into the comfortable cradle of his harmonic melodies- something more reminiscent of his debut album Year of Hibernation. It aesthetically decays into the track “Raspberry Cake,” a sullen realization of the frailty within us all, but instead of whining, it celebrates the conceptual oneness and breaks down into an emotional triage of piano and live drums. The awesome melodies fade into the final track, “Daisyphobia,” an auditory experimental of grand illusion. The illusion seems endless until the recognition of Powers’s final melody rests with us in his infallible piano waltz.

Wondrous Bughouse holds your brain captive as it transforms highs into lows and recognizable sounds into sonic dissonance, while tackling stories of mortality and happiness. It takes the mind on a journey through the introspective experience of our own consciousness. The music is said to stem from the drawing on the cover and inside the album (they were taken from a psychiatric hospital), and translated into the beautifully convoluted sound heard on this dense, yet tranquilly congruent album.

Buy the full album here.

Check out Dropla here.

The post Album Review: Wondrous Bughouse by Youth Lagoon appeared first on KRUI Radio.

“Babe City”, the first single off of their forthcoming album Tomboys on Parade, is an energetic track that perfectly encapsulates the tone of the album.  That band channels their inner Costello with powerful yet bright guitars that let up (only slightly) for the song’s chorus.  “Do you know her name?” the band croons together, creating a harmony reminiscent of the Beach Boys but with a bit more attitude.

Twins’ new album Tomboys on Parade is out on April 1st via Maximum Ames Records.  You can learn more about the band and pre-order the album here, and like them on Facebook.  And while you’re waiting to hear the full album, check out the music video to “Babe City” below.

The post Track of the Week: “Babe City” by Twins appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Check out my interview of the iconic Yoni Wolf of WHY?, where I ask questions about his newest EP, his story about gypsies from his track “The Hollows,” his daily routines, and his views on lyricism.

Listen to and download the KRUI.fm exclusive interview below via KRUI’s SoundCloud:

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