This will be my final article as I am going to be transitioning into the position of Head of Marketing for KRUI! I have loved my time as a journalist and having the opportunity to review all of the great music I have, but all things must come to an end. This last column will be a review of NE-HI’s debut album, which is titled -*drum roll*- “NE-HI”! I am so glad this happened to be my final review, because I’ll definitely be going out with a bang! Let’s get the bean rolling!

What is your favorite genre of music to listen to?

“I guess I would say rock and roll or indie rock…my favorite bands are Twin Peaks and NE-HI, which is a band from Chicago and I’m super stoked about them. I like The Rolling Stones and a lot of classic rock, like The Beatles…not like Def Leppard or ACDC, I’m not into that, but for example, The Rolling Stones, they’re really mellow and I like that. The Velvet Underground is really cool too!”

How long would you say you’ve been listening to this genre?

“Kind of…forever, really. My dad is super into The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, and this band called The Band, which was Bob Dylan’s backing band way back when, in the 60s, I guess. That’s probably what got me into the genre. I used to like rap a lot. My favorite rapper used to be 50 Cent, like ‘The Massacre’ was the first album that I ever bought with my own money, in third grade. I found out about Twin Peaks in high school, probably during my junior year, so around six years!”

How would you describe your music taste?

“I listen to a lot of everything. I’ve been listening to Frank Ocean a lot recently. I also like a lot of modern R&B like SZA, she’s really cool. I still like rap a lot! I work at a liquor store and while I’m there, they always play rap because that’s what’s popular, so I hear a lot of Migos. It’s not really my ‘thing’, like I don’t listen to it for enjoyment outside of work, but it’s kind of fun. Gucci Mane, Wiz Khalifa, that kind of stuff is outside my realm, but I can dig it.”

What are you recommending that I review?

“What I had in mind was NE-HI’s debut. It came out a few years ago and it’s just self-titled. It’s super good. I don’t know if you’ll necessarily like it, but I’m a big fan of their sound.”

How long have you been listening to this band specifically?

“In October, it’ll be four years. I actually saw them open for Twin Peaks here at some venue and I was kind of blown away. I just felt like it was really relaxing and like I was on a beach. It kind of feels like good summery music to me. It’s really laid-back, structured, and the guitars are really buzzy, kind of giving it a crunchy sound. The vocals for it…they’re not good singers per se, but I don’t think that really matters. I think the music really matters and it just sounds really fun to me when I’m listening to it. They also have their ‘tender’ moments on the album. It’s good and short, it’s only a half hour.”

Shoutout to my ~bro~ for letting me interview him during his final finals week, and congrats on graduating! I hope you do more than sit in a dumpster and eat garbage…

So, as he mentioned, NE-HI is a group from Chitown, made up of four people; Mikey Wells, James Weir, Jason Balla, and Alex Otake. The band formed in 2013 after coming together to score a mutual friend’s film and just decided to stick it out. It seems to be working for them, based on what I’ve heard!

NE-HI has released two EPS, one of which I will be reviewing right here in just a few moments, and four singles. If you want to check out their site, here’s the link!

I listened to this album while studying for finals because frankly, I knew I would have no other time to get through it. I think it’s partly the reason for me passing financial accounting, so shout out to these dudes for getting me through it! Per usual, I’m going to review my favorite song, my least favorite song, and then the album overall. Let’s start off on the right foot.

My favorite song in “NE-HI” was “Since I’ve Been Thinking”. It’s the first track and really kicked my experience off in the right direction. I absolutely love the guitar in the intro and the background throughout the song. There isn’t a lot of lyrics in this song, just a chorus that’s repeated here and there, but otherwise, a fairly vocal-less song. I think I like its’ simplicity. It kind of made me feel like it’d be in the background of a Lindsay Lohan movie circa 2006. I’ve posted the lyrics below, along with the link to the song. Seriously. Think about Lindsay Lohan and it’ll come to you.

“It’s been awhile
Since I’ve been thinking
At all
It’s been awhile
Since I’ve been thinking
At all
It’s been awhile
Since I’ve been thinking
At all
It’s been awhile
Since I’ve been thinking
Of you”

(and repeat)

My least favorite song on this LP was the third track, “Time Wanna”. I don’t know why, I just wasn’t feeling it. There’s literally no other explanation. It still has that summer-chick-flick-background-feel to it, but I gave it a 6.5/10 and every other song had an average of a 7.5/10, so…this one was the least favorite! There isn’t a music video or lyrics posted anywhere, so if you’re desperate to listen to it, get to digging!

Overall, I really, really enjoyed this album. It has a laid-back feel to it and I cannot shake the dramatic film scenes that it would work perfectly in from my head. If you’re interested in listening to the entire album, here’s the link. I really recommend that you do. It’s a short one, it goes by fast, and you won’t regret it!

Final notes from my interviewee:

“Whaddup? My name is Liam, follow me on Instagram @liambrekke. Deuces.”

(Here’s the link to his Instagram. Go like his “meatball” picture. If you know, you know.)

Side-note from myself:

If you or any of your friends want to join my marketing team for KRUI during this upcoming semester, do not be afraid to reach out! My e-mail is bvolfson@krui.fm :) I look forward to hearing from you!

HAGS (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ ✧ﾟ･: *ヽ(◕ヮ◕ヽ)

The post The Rolling Bean: NE-HI appeared first on KRUI Radio.

When Faithfull first stepped her foot in the music industry, she played folk shows in coffee shops. As she began entering London’s social scene, she began meeting important producers and agents. Then she was discovered by Andrew Loog Oldham at a Rolling Stones release party. In 1964 she found herself writing her first big hit with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards titled “As Years Go By”.

After Faithfull ended her first marriage to John Dunbar shortly after giving birth to their child, she moved in with Mick Jagger. The two began a heavily publicized relationship, and Faithfull started using a variety of drugs once the couple became a large part of the London Swinging scene.

She was found wearing only a rug while the London police were conducting a drug raid at Keith Richards home. Faithfull says the incident destroyed her, and pointed out that when men were openly drug addicts it was commendable to act in this kind of way. “A woman in that situation becomes a slut and a bad mother”.

The Rolling Stones had previously written songs concerning Faithfull, specifically “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” and “Sympathy for the Devil”. Their song “Sister Morphine” sparked a legal battle, with Richards and Jagger releasing the song in their own name despite Faithfull being listed as a co-writer. This eliminated her chance of getting royalties or any form of payment for the song.

By 1970, Faithfull was homeless and battling a heroin addiction and anorexia despite having been one of the most famous singers in the UK and previously releasing 5 studio albums. She stopped making public appearances and attempted to take control of her addiction several times throughout these years. After losing custody of her son she attempted suicide but thankfully survived.

She got back on her feet enough to release another country album, “Dreamin’ My Dreams” (also titled “Faithless”), in 1976. Three years later “Broken English” skyrocketed her career once more. Faithfull calls it her masterpiece.

Since Faithfull was previously a country/folk musician, hearing an album so based on hard rock was a sharp stylistic turn.

Her voice also changed very much throughout her time living on the streets due to untreated illness such as bronchitis and laryngitis as well as smoking heavily. Her voice in “North Country Maid”, her fourth folk album released in 1966, is much higher and not raspy in the slightest. It lilts, and uses vibrato in her high notes.

However, in “Broken English”, her voice is very deep and extremely raspy. Since the album delves deeply into Faithfull’s drinking habits, drug addiction, and homelessness, this voice is the most emotional part of the album. It is a tangible way to see how this period in her life changed her. It shows us what Faithfull is really singing about.

The first couple of songs don’t get into Faithfull’s difficult experiences, but are still exemplary of her musical changes. The album starts out with the title track, “Broken English”, which was inspired by the terrorist group called Baader-Meinhof Gang. After Faithfull read and watched a documentary about a co-founder of the group, she was inclined to write this song to question their motives.

“Witches’ Song” has a much more uplifting meaning. The lyrics tell the story of a group of witches that find solace in one another. There is a definite feeling of hopefulness. The song ends with the lyric “remember death is far away and life is sweet”. This is a comforting sentiment from someone who once thought that their life wasn’t worth living anymore.

The next song, “Brain Drain”, begins to touch on Faithful’s drug addiction. Tim Hardin, one of the most popular American folk singers at the time, co-wrote the song. It was one of the last songs he wrote before he died of a heroin overdose in 1980 and is uncredited on the album.

The bridge of the song, “Got so much to offer, but I can’t pay the rent/I can’t buy you flowers ‘cause the money’s all spent”, speaks to me the most. Since an addict is no less of a person than anybody else, of course they have much to offer even if they can’t always act on it. This line seems like a foreshadow to the rest of Faithfull’s life. Even though she was still an addict when “Broken English” came out, it was a catalyst to her eventual sobriety.

“Guilt” is a confusing song for me, and probably my least favorite on the album. Faithfull repeats the kinds of crimes or wrongdoings she hasn’t committed, but would embrace if she had. She still feels like she’s done these things, however, which is causing her to feel guilty. I can see how, given her past, she would have a lot of experience with these mixed emotions. People often tell addicts that they are doing everything wrong, but it’s not always something that can be helped.

“The Ballad of Lucy Jordan” is a song written by Shel Silverstein, a famous poet and children’s book writer from Chicago. The song was originally written for and recorded by Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show and deals with the declining mental health of a housewife.

Lucy Jordan is looking back on her life at all the things she could have done but didn’t, since her life was devoted to her husband and children. “At the age of thirty-seven/she realised she’d never ride/through Paris in a sports car/with the warm wind in her hair”. The song ends with Jordan going to the roof of her building and supposedly committing suicide, but Faithfull says she prefers to interpret the ending as an ambulance ride to a mental hospital instead.

“What’s the Hurry” is one of my favorite songs on “Broken English”. I like the driving rhythm that persists throughout the majority of the song though I usually can’t stand repetition. There’s also a classic 80’s rockish vibe that was often in the music I listened to growing up that I love hearing. Guitar is also highlighted much more in this song which hasn’t been done much so far. Faithfull’s vocals are also slightly more impressive here.

Faithfull covers John Lennon’s “Working Class Hero” as her second to last track. The song is recognizable as Lennon’s since both Faithfull and Lennon’s vocals push to the forefront of their respective songs. Lennon’s acoustic delivery is lost on her album however. Her raspy voice and rockier musical accompaniment create an angrier mood from the song. This fits in with the rest of “Broken English” very well as Faithfull sings the story of her downfall.

The lyrical content in the final song, “Why’d Ya Do It?”, is the most different from all other songs on the album. The song vaguely samples Jimi Hendrix’s “All Along the Watchtower”. By my interpretation, the tune tells the obscure tale of a bird asking Faithfull why she let so many different people hurt her enough to put her on the streets. I’m not sure what the exact meaning of this song is, but it sees to be angry for the sake of being angry.

This week’s Woman Who Didn’t Get a List is Lizzo. A pioneer in the indie hip hop genre, Lizzo has founded several groups such as the Chalice, Grrrl, The Clerb, Absynthe and more. She has released one solo album, “Lizzobangers”, followed by an EP “Coconut Oil”. She was also featured on “BOYTROUBLE” from Prince and 3RDEYEGIRL’s album “PLECTRUMELECTRUM”.

Listen to “Broken English” by Marianne Faithfull and “Coconut Oil” by Lizzo below!

Stella is a column surrounding analysis and appreciation of the 150 albums chosen by NPR as the best created by women thus far. Each week I choose an album from this list I’ve been wanting to listen to, that peaks my interest, or that seems like essential listening to write about. The column’s goal is to provide female identifying readers with the empowerment that can only be obtained through a badass woman and her amazing music.

The post Stella: “Broken English” by Marianne Faithfull appeared first on KRUI Radio.

Just one song into the album at hand, it would be hard to believe that this English rock band from Derbyshire was formed a mere six years ago. After a previous shuffle of members, The Struts’ current lineup consists of Adam Slack on guitar, Jed Elliot on bass, Gethin Davis on drums, and Luke Spiller tracking authentically raw rock vocals. Nothing about this band’s sound says anything like “formed in 2010”. That being said, their 80’s glamour influence (including Queen, the Rolling Stones and Def Leppard) is a prominent contribution to the 2016 US reissuing of their debut album, “Everybody Wants.”

We begin the album in an appropriately introductory manner, with the narrator’s literal “wake-up at one”. The vocals are ominously intriguing to lead the listener in: an immediate rock feature. But, potentially the most popular song by the band is the second track, Could Have Been Me. It’s grippingly anthem-ic in nature and certainly a stand-out track for those who appreciate relatable lyrics worthy of screaming from the soul. It reaches out to those who feel internal agony for wanting “to taste love and pain… feel pride and shame”. A song both quote-ably lyrical and catchy beyond fairness? Count me in.

It only gets better with Kiss This, the third track and a middle finger in song form. This, along with Put Your Money On Me, is yet another classic rock-reminiscent addictive hit. Slack’s ability to capture classic rock reverberates through his prominent guitar presence. It isn’t until Mary Go Round that we get a taste of what this band sounds like slightly mellowed out, acoustic guitar leading us into a heartfelt break-up song. This track showcases The Struts’ ability to evoke emotion differently, while still maintaining a high energy.

Dirty Sexy Money continues the well-paved path of catchy choruses and intensely impressive vocal range on Spiller’s part. Not a stranger to the tuneful upbeat theme is She Makes Me Feel Like. As far as the raw vocals, they’re certainly an element you just can’t get enough of on tracks including The Ol’ Switcheroo, These Times Are Changing and Black Swan. There’s something nostalgic about Young Stars, whether it may be the heavy essence of Queen or the way it addresses youth culture. Either way, it proves itself a strong contender for my personal favorite track.

Drummer Davis makes himself the star of the bridge and final chorus of Only Just A Call Away, a deep drum backbeat resonating powerfully with the song’s lyrics of promise. Not to my surprise, the album ends on a high note with Where Did She Go. Somehow, this track effortlessly manages to both wrap up and encapsulate the album’s entirety. The way this final song highlights every strong point of their instrumentation puts an emphasis on what The Struts are capable of composing: classically familiar glam rock in a modern music repertoire.

Presently, it would be difficult to tell me that there is a band six years young that possesses such a rejuvenated authenticity to as beloved a genre as classic glam rock. But it’s impossible not to recognize that The Struts are accomplishing more than they probably even imagined with this album. Their in-studio goal is to channel “something big, fun, unapologetic, rock and roll” and it’s a goal they’ve easily surpassed.

The post Album Review: “Everybody Wants” by The Struts appeared first on KRUI Radio.