frequency

WMREs Music & Culture Zine

Localsfest presents

Killer Mike
CHVRCHES ON The RIse KANYe: ArTIsT, AHoLe,

NeW MUsIc From DrAke, NIN ANd ALUNAGeorGe ATLANTAs ToP FIve LATe-NIGhT JoINTs

Or BoTh?

Issue 32 Fall 2013 wmre.fm/zine

WMRE EXEC
ProGrAmmING | BobbY WeIsbLATT

GeNerAL MANAGer | WILmA QIU

Wilma Qiu is a senior from Screwston, Texas majoring in Business and Visual Arts/ Art History. Her spirit pizza topping is pepperoni (because shes crucial to every party), and her tombstone will read, Here Lies Wilma, Whose Name Woefully Doesnt Rhyme With Anything. Her favorite artist to sing karaoke to is Taylor Swift, un-ironically.

ZINE STAFF
EdITor-IN-ChIef
Sonam Vashi

Bobby Weisblatt is a junior from Belle Mead, N.J. majoring in English and Film Studies. His spirit pizza topping is portobello mushrooms, and his tombstone will read, Sunt Lacrimae Rerum. His favorite artist to sing karaoke to is Girugamesh.

AssIsTANT EdITors
Alexa Cucopulos Brigid Choi

SPecIAL EveNTs | JordAN FrANcIs

Jordan Francis is a senior from Los Angeles, Calif. majoring in Finance and Film Studies. His spirit pizza topping is the olives, and his tombstone will read, Unfortunately, #YOLO. His favorite artist to sing karaoke to is Sixpence None the Richer.

STAff WrITers
Nick Bradley Ben Cheng Brigid Choi Ben Crais Alexa Cucopulos Jacob Eckert Stephanie Fang Laura Flint Max Goodley Rhett Henry Julia Howard Zachary Issenberg Alex Jalandra Ellie Kahn Harmeet Kaur Sloan Krakovsky Priyanka Krishnamurthy Maddie Lampert Logan Lockner Sanai Meles Matt Nawara Jerry Schusterman Neil Sethi Sara Stavile Wilma Qiu Sonam Vashi Bobby Weisblatt Denton Williams

Tech | NeIL SeThI

Neil Sethi is a senior from Alpharetta, Ga. majoring in Computer Science. His spirit pizza topping is the Ghostface Killapepper, and his tombstone will read, That Dude Was Dope. His favorite artist to sing karaoke to is Linkin Park.

ZINe | SoNAm VAshI

Sonam Vashi is a junior from Atlanta, Ga. majoring in Journalism and Political Science. Her spirit pizza topping is black olives, and her tombstone will read, \_()_/. Her favorite artist to sing karaoke to is Queen, with the Freddy Mercury stache on.

TreAsUrer | RAcheL Leff

Rachel Leff is a senior from Atlanta, Ga. majoring in IDS with an English minor. Her spirit pizza topping is salami, and her tombstone will read #ChoicesWereMade. Her favorite artist to sing karaoke to is Grimes.

MUsIc | RheTT HeNrY

Rhett Henry is a junior from Lawrenceville, Ga. majoring in Creative Writing and Philosophy. His spirit pizza topping is Papa John (himself), and his tombstone will read, Bodies Die but Dadpunk Lives On. His favorite artist to sing karaoke to is ABBA.

PromoTIoNs | JULIA HoWArd

Julia Howard is a sophomore from Poolesville (aka Bumsville), Md. majoring in Marketing and Art History. Her spirit pizza topping is pineapple, and her tombstone will read See, I Told You I Was Sick. Her favorite artist to sing karaoke to is Minor Threat.

MedIA MANAGer | CAroLINe STokes

Caroline Stokes is a senior from Bryant, Ark. majoring in Economics and History. Her spirit pizza topping is spinach, and her tombstone will read BRB. Her favorite artist to sing karaoke to is Destinys Child.

Sonam Vashi

DesIGN

PersoNNeL | BeN CrAIs

Ben Crais is a sophomore from Atlanta, Ga. majoring in Film Studies. His spirit pizza topping is cilantro, and his tombstone will have a .gif of a skeleton dancing on it. His favorite artist to sing karaoke to is Throbbing Gristle.

BUsINess | BeN CheNG

Ben Cheng is a junior from Dayton, Ohio. majoring in Math. His spirit pizza topping is andouille sausage, and his tombstone will read, Life Is Chill. His favorite artist to sing karaoke to is Backstreet Boys.

SocIAL ChAIrs | ALeXA CUcoPULos ANd MATT NAWArA

Alexa Cucopulos is a sophomore from Franklin Lakes, N.J. majoring in Philosophy and Creative Writing. Her spirit pizza topping is jalapenos, and her tombstone will be blank, divested of truth or meaning. Her favorite artist to sing karaoke to is NSYNC because JT is the greatest philosopher of the late 20th and early 21st century. Matt Nawara is a junior from Naperville, Ill. majoring in White Mans Lies at Coca-College. His spirit pizza topping is anchovies, and his tombstone will read, Pronounced Dead on April 20, 2069. His favorite artist to sing karaoke to is Rick James, B---h.

[Table of Contents]

Artists on the Rise ... p. 7 Concert Reviews ... p. 21 Features ... p. 26 Arts ... p. 33 Top Fives ... p. 39 Album Reviews ... p. 47
3

Monday

Tuesday
The Phat Hour with Tubz

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday
Kira Jazzys Awesome Show

Saturday

Sunday
Fuad and Aqua in the Morning Study Music

wmre programming

11AM

12PM Cammie Wagner and Lauren Levitt

Fever Dreams

The G-Spot

1PM

Random Moment

Highz n Lowz

Off the Charts

International Superhits Katie Stout and Ilene Tsao Electro Boosh Electro Boosh Disturbing the Peace

Queen Kittens Hip Speaks & 2PM Aural Fixation Pink Jukebox Hot Beats 3PM

The Dare of the Hog 93 til INfinity

Liner Notes

Kinetic.

4PM

Hey Girl Hey

Daydream GIRLS NITE OUT Elite Tribe Radio

Words with Friends Mo Music Mo Problems

Cartoon Network

Off the 5PM Ladies Love Country Boys Beaten Track 6PM First and Goldblum Trip B and Lil G The Dinner Party RMXs w/ the AZNs

EPSN

Lulus Jams

Dino and the Doctor Study Songz

7PM

Whats This?

Folk, Etc.

Feminist Hits Ratchet Radio Baselines and Jives of 2013 The Secret MF Doom and Friends Stache Music in the Movies Bearded, Not Stirred

8PM

Beyonce Power Hour

Hump Day Happy Hour Now for Something Completely Different Random Moment

Nat^2

9PM

Wabi-Sabi

10PM Jazz Jukebox Night School

R&B with B

11PM Good Vibes

The Blaine and Sunglasses Macintosh and Advil Show

Audio Vista

~DJ spotlights~ Words With Friends

Names: Mansi Upadhyay and Jessica Jordon Description: Based off the app, Words with Friends, we pick a word each week (sometimes we use a random word generator, other times people send us words through our Facebook page). Our playlist is then based off of this word! We usually play more alternative and chillwave music. Our show is Thursdays from 4-5 p.m. Years: Seniors Majors: Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology; Psychology Hometowns: Uganda, India; Colombia, Hong Kong, Brazil, Argentina Top Five Albums of 2013 1. Random Access Memories Daft Punk This album is super upbeat and fun! We absolutely love the collaborations with Nile Rodgers and Pharrell! 2. True Romance Charli XCX We can listen to this album endlessly on repeat! Besides being totally catchy her songs are definitely original. 3. Long. Live. A$AP A$AP Rocky What else can we say but fresh and real? Haha. We love his beats and his verses. He's just the realest dude in the game right now. 4. Trouble Will Find Me The National There is a lot of depth to this album, and its a great listen for any mood youre in. Definitely a goto. 5. Hummingbird The Local Natives This album has very thoughtful lyrics to each track. It's hard not to hum along or to have your foot tapping while you're listening to this album. 5

d he g

ut e

ng e

~DJ spotlights~

Sunday Study Sesh

Names: Andrea Molino and Camilla Worsfold Description: Starting at noon, DJ Milla and DJ Drea play fresh, current, eclectic and completely lyric-free music so everyone can get their study on. In the last 15 minutes, we play whatever we want. Years: Sophomore Majors: Biology Hometowns: Wheaton, Ill.; Wenham, Mass.

Bearded, Not Stirred

Names: Michelle Peretz and Sarah Chew Description: Every Thursday at 10 p.m., we feature music by bearded men or those with bearded spirits (but really, we just play music by men who happen to have beards and those who don't). Years: Seniors Majors: Psychology; Psychology and Womens, Gender and Sexuality Studies Hometowns: Portland, Ore.; Washington, D.C.

[Artists

on the

Rise]

From FKA Twigs Water Me Video

By Alexa Cucopulos
Im a quiet person, FKA Twigs said in an interview with Pitchfork. During the week, Im quite simple. I wake up in the morning, I go to ballet, I come back, I maybe make a beat. Twigs soft-spoken yet powerful demeanor shines through in her recently released EP, an ethereal and understated artistic musical collection. The 25-year-old Englander works as a bartender on the side to continue raising money for her musical endeavors and also trains as a ballet dancer, the fluidity and airiness of a ballerinas movements transuding their way into her musical sensibilities. The rising artists newly-released EP, entitled EP2, unfolds like a fever dream, each song seamlessly dissolving into the next. Like a delicate spool of thread, Twigs vocals loosely unravel and entwine the listener, gently luring her audience further and further into a celestial dimension as the album progresses. In the EPs first track Hows That, Twigs queries, Hows that, hows that feel? and then goes on to assert, You feel right. Thats so amazing. She lifts the audience with her spiritual presence. Her voice is ghostly; it often verges on a whisper, like an ethereal being beckoning the listener into a benevolent realm. Her intentionally vague lyrics allow the instrumentals to speak for themselves and encapsulate a universal notion of euphoria. The following song, Papi Pacify, literally feels like a pacification; Twigs delicate voice overlaps with pure background pitches, distilling music down to its most lucid form. For many of her EP tracks, Twigs has accompanying music videos. For instance, her video for Water Me is hypnotic in its tableau imagery, focusing mainly on a singular image of the artists face with slight variations. We see a close-up of Twigs face against a tranquil mint-green backdrop, her right side bathed in light, her left side shadowed with icy bluish hues. Her red lips pop against the videos otherwise cool colors. But most striking are her abysmal eyes. They embody a trancelike quali8

ty: half closed lids, a sleepy, glazed-over appearance through which she entices the viewers into inhabiting her same liminal state between sleep and wakefulness. Her head bobs back and forth, rapidly at first and then more subtly, like a magicians pocket watch swinging to and fro until it comes to a hypnotizing halt. The images nuanced repetition entrances the viewer and coaxes her into a dreamlike stupor through minimalistic imagery and echoing vocals. The ambience of the track is reminiscent of rippling water dispersing outward and plants growing upward toward a tranquil sun. Ultimately, the track is the quintessence of Zen. The artist superimposes her angelic voice over higher-pitched vocals that sing the same lyrics: a phantasm of Twigs herself. The EPs Brooklyn-based producer Arca (also a co-producer for Kanye Wests Yeezus) is a clear influence on Twigs laid back yet sordid beats. Arca has helped Twigs establish her growing position within the trip-hop genre. (Her beats have only gotten more refined since her first EP). His own synergy of disquieting percussion and sedative vocals has permeated many of Twigs own works. However, thats not dismissing the young artist as a mere product of her producer. EP2 showcases her originality in both musicality and lyricism. Twigs is a mastermind in splicing seemingly opposing tones: graceful melodies over foreboding beats, calm ambience over frenzied cadence. Not to mention, shes just an overall talented musician. Ultimately, EP2 is a metamorphosis for both the listener and Twigs herself. One begins as human but ends as a mere essence of oneself. Its a purification, a sordid rebirth of music and the individual. The album thrusts the audience into temporal moratorium in its use of staccato and legato, synthesized notes and raw tonalities, slowing down and speeding up. Its vexing beats and gaseous vocals dig to the core and mentally cleanse the listener.

FKA Twigs

From FKA Twigs Papi Pacify Video

LUcIUs

By Stephanie Fang

The only part of music-making that Lucius enjoys more than producing new records is connecting with the audiences that follow them, an experience that the Brooklyn band eagerly anticipates before each show they perform. Recently launching a tour to promote their forthcoming debut record Wildewoman, (Mom + Pop Records), Lucius finds that the most invigorating prospect about this series of shows is connecting with a new audience each night especially those who attend shows in smaller

towns. Thats what excites us: playing for people who are music listeners and music lovers who go out and support large music, singer Jess Wolfe enthused in an interview with Frequency. I think thats really the best thing. Lucius formed after Wolfe and Holly Laessig who share the spotlight as frontwomen and the bands primary songwriters met during their time at the Berklee College of Music. Like a storyline ripped from the pages of a indie-pop fairytale,

Wolfe and Laessig began to jam together after they discovered an extensive collection of mutually-beloved musical inspirations. After forming their automatic kinship over a shared love of artists like David Bowie, Sam Cook and Little Richard, the then college-aged Wolfe and Laessig decided to collaborate on a Beatles-inspired project. They rearranged and planned to rerecord all the tracks on the Beatles White Album but only managed to get through Happiness is a Warm Gun

10

before calling it quits and choosing to write their own music. The rest is history. Now, 11 years after they first met (at arguably the most fortuitous college house party they ever attended) and nine years after they began to play together, Wolfe and Laessig are gearing to release Lucius first album. The creative process took a total of three years to complete as the friends and band-mates grappled to find a definitive sound. We were looking to explore our sound further in the studio trying

to experiment and throw spaghetti at the walls and see what stuck, Wolfe said. We had no true intention. We had no refined goal in mind. It was just to play with sound. However, the two were in no hurry to finish the record believing instead that the quality of their music trumped all else. Weve never tried to rush anything, she commented. Weve never tried to put the cart before the horse. [We wanted to] nurture the craft and write beautiful songs and when they were ready, make sure they were documented in some way. Wolfe and Laessig wrote many of the songs for Wildewoman while living in Flatbushs Ditmas Park neighborhood in Brooklyn in what they called the Brahman House, an old, Victorian-style home they chanced upon while browsing Craigslist. As their work on the forthcoming record progressed, Wolfe and Lasseig began to meet and recruit new bandmembers, adding Danny Molad, Peter Lalish and Andrew Burri to the line-up. Wolfe remarked that the rest of the band, which she referred to as one [complete] family has become integral to the sound that she and Laessig have cultivated. These days, Wolfe and Laessig have moved past their early affinity for soul music and glam rock, and the tracks on Wildewoman reflect the bands light-hearted, doe-eyed flirtation with twee-pop and art-house rock stylings. The sweet, vibrant vocals create a sound similar to Zooey Deschanels bubble-gum-and-rainbows crooning for She & Him. However, each songs content and electronically charged buzz makes the record reminiscent of Grimes 2012 Visions appropriate given that the Canadian artist is one with whom Wolfe is particularly in love right at the moment. Consequently, Wildewoman possesses more of a girl-power quality though underneath all the layers of

edginess is a certain self-consciousness that pulses poignantly on each track, perhaps because Wolfe and Laessig wrote their songs while focusing on similar experiences of loneliness theyd faced in the past. It was also this similarity in these struggles that Wolfe and Laessig encountered that added not only to the cohesiveness of their friendship but also to the songs that each wrote for Wildewoman. I think we both grew up very lonely and thats something that has connected our songwriting, Wolfe noted. Even though we come from very different backgrounds, weve had so many parallels in our life challenges and our relationships. So, weve had an easy time sort of speaking for one another and relating to one another because of that. However, Wolfe is reluctant to pigeonhole Lucius sound into any particular category of music due to the bands neverending, constantly changing stream of musical influences and favorites. Were all so strongly influenced by so many different genres and different bands. It would be hard to discount anyone, she cautioned. The list is really endless, and I think you hear so many different influences in the music that its really just not one or two. Wolfe did mention that she thought the record was bold and melodic and that it possessed a strong element of preciousness. These qualities, she claimed, make it nearly impossible to place Lucius into a specific genre, despite critics mischaracterization of their music as indie rock. With the weariness of an artist who likely must repeat this opinion more often than shed like, Wolfe added, I think everything is everything these days and to say indie rock is, in my personal opinion, a waste of words because you could say anything is indie rock.

Photo By Peter Larson

11

Folk bands seem almost commonplace these days, with imitators of popular acts like Mumford & Sons and the Lumineers popping up everywhere you look. But Half Moon Run manages to stay ahead of the pack by blending familiar elements with their own unique approach to create a sound that is both instantly recognizable and completely singular. Half Moon Run was formed in 2010 in Montreal and is comprised of lead singer Devon Portielje on guitar and percussion; Conner Molander on guitar and keyboard; Dylan Phillips on drums and keyboard; and multi-instrumentalist Isaac Symonds on percussion, mandolin, keyboard and guitar. Half Moon Run released their debut album Dark Eyes in Canada through Indica Records in 2012. They were soon signed by Glassnote Records, who released their album internationally in 2013 with

the addition of a new song, titled Unofferable. The songs on Dark Eyes are anchored by Portieljes rich vocals, but the other band members arent relegated to their instruments. Half Moon Runs songs are defined by the combination of intensely beautiful harmonies and oftentimes subtle yet richly layered instrumental tracks. The album opens with Full Circle, a rousing anthem featuring a pounding drumbeat underneath delicate guitar lines and vocals that speak poignantly of pain and addiction. Call Me in the Afternoon moves things along nicely with hopeful-sounding instrumentals punctuated intermittently by searing harmonies, and Need It adds a slow, romantic touch to the album as Portielje and his bandmates croon over a lover in the

Half Moon Run

12

night. Dark Eyes is rounded out by 21 Gun Salute, a track that skillfully displays some surprising electronic components. The members of Half Moon Run have said that they didnt know each other well prior to forming the band and that they arent particularly close even now, but that distance doesnt stop them from crafting intricatelydetailed music, where every band member plays a precisely-defined part but still manages to sound totally in sync with everyone else. This especially comes across in the bands live shows. Half Moon Run performances are typically intimate affairs, with setups ideal for showcasing the delicate arrangements which they play so well. You can feel a real musical

connection between Portielje, Molander, Philips and Symonds as they build off of and support each other both vocally and instrumentally. Despite the complex beauty of much of Half Moon Runs instrumentation, its their crystal clear voices that really take center stage at their shows, leaving no doubt about their raw technical skill. Half Moon Run has toured with acts like Of Monsters and Men, Mumford & Sons and Metric, played music festivals across the globe to great critical acclaim, and the bands currently touring internationally in support of their debut album. Hailed by Ben Lovett of Mumford & Sons as one of the most important bands debuting an album this year and progressive without being pretentious, Half Moon Run is truly a delight for the ears. Dont be surprised if you see them dominating

By Jerry Schusterman

Photo Credit: Valeria Cherchi

Hip-hOPs most honest player steps forward By Ben Crais

After a string of mixtapes, culminating in this years fantastic In Dark Denim, San Jose rapper Antwon has emerged as one of the more eclectic voices working in hip-hop today. A former punk rocker and outspoken fan of Kid Rock, Antwons mixtapes are often diverse affairs, shifting from apocalyptic noise-rap to bouncy love anthems in the blink of an eye. On the mixtape End of Earth, he raps about crop circles and death over a threatening, distorted Wounderaeser beat only to create a fun-loving summer anthem two tracks later. This versatility is a testament both to Antwons talent (hes equally comfortable performing with metal band Deafhaven and rapping over a Sigur Ros sample) and his wide-ranging appeal.

While Antwon occasionally engages in the typical rap braggadocio, its far more common to find him expressing romantic and sexual anxiety.
One subject remains consistent across his freewheeling musical sensibilities: women. His breakout release, 2011s Fantasy Beds Mixtape is dedicated to all womyn, mothers and daughters, and his music since then, especially In Dark Denim, reflects this. While Antwon occasionally engages in the typical rap braggadocio, its far more common to find him expressing romantic and sexual anxiety. While his songs are always from his own perspective, he generally portrays the women of his life as free agents, independent of his own desires. Unlike many heterosexual male rappers, who often make a point of not caring about the women they sleep with, Antwon 14

does exactly the opposite. In Dark Denims closing track finds him lamenting how the woman he loves doesnt reciprocate his feelings and only wants him for sex. Over Cities Avivs glitchy, left-field production he booms, Rose petals touch my lips, feel like glass shards. This is not the immature passive-aggression of Drake, who temporarily admits wounded feelings before reasserting his dominance, but

rather a recognition that the woman he loves has ambitions and desires that do not necessarily include him. Antwons honesty and lack of pretension plays a large part in his allure. Whether bitter and lonely, as in the Fantasy Beds Mixtape closer Darby Crash, or affable and ready to love, Antwon always appears to the listener as a likeable everyman. Listening to his music can often feel like convers-

ing with a friend as he shares stories of unloyal friends and romantic pursuits with either surprising candor or winking hyperbole (as in his most recent song, the neogoth Dying in the Pussy). Antwon is the ideal Internet rapper: a relatable, funny guy who, rather than tying himself down to any particular style of music, makes use of the variety of sounds and collaborators available at the tip of his fingers. 15

Photo Credit: Jonathan Weiner

Photo Credit: Kelsie McNair

16

Suburban Living
By Ellie Kahn
I first heard Suburban Livings sound Video Love off the bands Always Eyes EP, to be precise, in the background of a video interview with Kat Dennings for Nylon magazine. The sound was fresh and far-away, and one that I often look for in todays music scene, and I knew it would be all that would come out of my headphones for the next week. And the week after. The problem is, the bands repertoire is composed only of an EP, a mini-EP, and a single which is around nine songs so its like a television show thats only released part of a season, leaving you shaking and suffering a withdrawal that can only be cured with more (or a double shot of espresso). Mr. Wesley Bunch of Virginia Beach is the lone man behind the sound, one that hes played around with since he was 14 but didnt officially call Suburban Living until 2010. He does everything the writing, the vocals, the mixing, the drum machine-operating. Bunch admitted in an interview with Prefix Magazine that hes no good at drumming, so he used a machine to lay down the tracks for his EP. But it doesnt matter. Instead of sophisticated riffs and verses and bridges, he offers stuff thats expertly synthy and distant, just how we like it. Suburban Livings music has been categorized by bloggers and critics as dream pop, which I see as synonymous with music thats easy to drown out your surroundings with when studying. Listen to the Always Eyes EP a few times through, and Starbucks will become a grassy pasture with expansive willow trees. Spin the EP Coopers Dream for an evening, and the library stacks will become a rooftop overlooking a metropolitan city. Its trance music, reminiscent of pros like Beach House and the xx, that seems more like overlapping sounds buried under layers and layers of each other than just songs. We get about 26 percent of the lyrics most of the time, and the rest is just there, floating around in Wesley Bunchs personal stratosphere. However, Bunch knows how to write a melody. The unsigned bands top hit (if you could call it that) I Dont Fit In delivers a chorus that has chant-at-a-concert potential and boasts a pop format we can all recognize. Bunch isnt doing anything alarming or stinging with his music, but with winning songs like Give Up that feel modern yet also reminiscent of another era, he gets us to close our eyes and take a break from all things college. Whats great about Suburban Livings collection of tracks is that its musicallyaccessible to the most devout of hipsters and also to the most suburban of suburbanites. And thats the point of this stuff. Bunchs intent is to express through his music what its like to live in the suburbs, but also give you a means through which to escape it. So take it, if you need it. 17

Into the Stratosphere With

By Sanai Meles
Initially, the members of Glasgow-based synthpop group Chvrches may appear to be an odd combination. Lead vocalist Lauren Mayberry, the lone female in the group, is the youngest at 25 years old and holds a plethora of educational degrees, while bandmates Iain Cook (synthesizer, guitar, bass, vocals) and Martin Doherty (synthesizer, samplers, vocals) were musical journeymen that found themselves involved in a few rock bands before forming Chvrches. Mayberry was previously involved in a few bands, including performing as a singer for indie band Blue Sky Archives. It was in this setting that she would meet Cook, who was producing an EP for the group. The band became fully realized when Cook, looking to put together an electronic-based group, asked Mayberry to sing on a couple of demos for him and Doherty. The demos proved to be successful, and Chvrches came into fruition.

Opening with bursting synths, Mayberrys sweet, powerful vocals soar and sweep across the track in an electronic whirlwind.
The groups arrival on the scene would be marked by the release with the release of their song Lies (which is included on debut album The Bones of What You Believe) in May 2012. The song garnered widespread attention in the blogosphere and social media, and how could it not? Opening with bursting synths, Mayberrys sweet, powerful vocals soar and sweep across the track in an electronic whirlwind. Chvrches has drawn comparisons to other acts like Purity Ring, a pretty reasonable comparison with the 18 similar female lead vocals and synth based. But, as Cook puts it in an interview with Pitchfork Media, Purity Ring are a lot more obscure in terms of their melodies they try to bury their hooks a lot deeper, whereas we want our melodies to be up-front and immediate. The Bones of What You Believe, released via Virgin Records, finds the band further embracing the formula of Lies: hook-filled, precise and favoring a big sound. Chvrches performs like a traditional rock band that solely utilizes

electronic sounds not a far-fetched statement considering their previous musical backgrounds. Some critics describe Chvrches music as soulless, and that the synth base lacks a certain expressivity. Its a leveled criticism thats understandable. In the contemporary soundscape where electronic music is hitting its peak in popularity and has become accessible to just about anyone and everyone, production can falter. However, Chvrches doesnt falter in our modern culture.

As group that seems to fully understand the potential of their setup, Chvrches looks to make pop music that, as Kitty Empire of The Observer noted, is accessible and only just short of truly brilliant. If you want to check out Chvrches, theyll be playing in Atlanta on Tuesday, Nov. 26 at the Variety Playhouse. $20-$22. 8 p.m. Nov. 26, 2013. Variety Playhouse. 1099 Euclid Ave. 404-524-7354. 19

Photo Credit: Eliot Hazel

~DJ spotlights~
Hump Day Happy Hour
Name: Kellie Vinal Description: Bringing local jamz, upand-coming artists, and sometimes nonsensically-themed playlists directly to your ears. Year: Fourth-year Program: Microbiology and Molecular Genetics in the Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences Hometown: Raleigh, N.C.

Liner Notes
Name: Bennett Kane Description: Investigating the industry figures (producers, engineers, labels and studio musicians) who make important contributions to successful recordings. Year: Sophomore Major: Philosophy Hometown: Marietta, Ga.

Hip Speaks & Hot Beats

Name: Ben Crais Description: I play a variety of hip-hop and electronic music, especially acts in which the two genres intersect. Year: Sophomore Major: Film Hometown: Atlanta, Ga.
20

Ph

[concert reviews]
Photo by Michael Schmelling

21

Localsfest
Atlanta-based artists Killer Mike and Carnivores came to absolutely rock WMRE's Localsfest on Oct. 26 in the tiered outdoor setting of Emory's Business School Amphitheater. Localsfest is an annual fall concert put on by WMRE, Emory's student-run radio station. Featuring up-and-coming artists from the Atlanta area, Localsfest acts as a great opportunity to acquaint the Emory community, many of whom come to the school from outside Atlanta, with the local music scene. Past Localsfests have featured artists like Atlas Sound, Washed Out, the Booze, Mood Rings, and the Coathangers. To start off the chilly Saturday evening, Astigmatic, aka College junior (and WMRE Co-Social Chair) Mateusz Nawara, played a killer electronic DJ set with moody beats and atmospheric glitches. Nawara has been producing since he was 16, and during his performance, he broke out tracks like Videodrome, as well as others from artists like C.Z., Submerse and H20$port$. After Astigmatic, local opener Carnivores brought their brand of surf punk to the stage. Formed in 2009, Carnivores is comprised of Philip Frobos (bass/vocals), Caitlin Lang (keyboard/vocals), Ross Politi (guitar), Nathaniel Higgins (guitar/vocals) and Billy Mitchell (drums), and they've played countless shows in and out of Atlanta, including a tour opening for Franz Ferdinand last summer. Incorporating coastal sounds similar to Best Coast and Tame Impala, the band uses discordant melodies soaked in reverb to create rhythmic, lofi music, delivering a live performance possessed with an unmistakable, danceable joy. Songs like Spells and Sinking in Your Automobile, off of their newly-released third full-length Second Impulse (Army of Bad Luck), ended with cheers and applause from the small crowd. Based on the headbobbing and foot-tapping among a crowd largely

22

Carnivores/Ross Politi Localsfest/Wilma Qiu

Fall 2013
unfamiliar with the group, Carnivores certainly made a few new fans. As Carnivores concluded their set, more and more of Emory's dedicated rap heads and general music enthusiasts began to arrive in anticipation for Atlanta rap heavyweight Killer Mike, who eventually came on stage to a resounding ovation. The critically-acclaimed hip-hop artist released his last full-length R.A.P. Music in 2012 and released the groundbreaking collaborative album Run the Jewels this summer with New York rapper El-P. An Atlanta native who holds a deep sense of pride in his city, Killer Mike holds close ties and friendships with legendary Atlanta hip-hop duo OutKast, who featured him on Stankonia (2000) tracks like "Snappin' & Trappin'" and "The Whole World," and was part of renowned rap supergroup Purple Ribbon All-Stars, responsible for the hit "Kryptonite." At Localsfest, Killer Mike started off the night on a thunderous note with the track Big Beast off of R.A.P. Music, and his enthusiastic, spiritual performance continued from there. Even though technical difficulties interrupted the performance at one point, Killer Mike was a consummate professional and rapped a cappella instead of complaining about the circumstances. His performance would go on without missing a beat, as he gave onlookers more Southern hip-hop. Killer Mike seemed well versed in knowing how to work an intimate crowd and gave onlookers a window into his down-to-earth persona, full of love for his family and hometown. Songs like Kryptonite had the audience jumping and chanting every word, and the harshly poignant Reagan gave rhythmic life to political dissent. Killer Mikes personality and stage presence made for an interactive, fun performance, and by the shows end, you forgot how cold it was outside.

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Fall Festivals

One

t s e F c i s u M
By Ben Cheng
performance. With his appearance at ONE being rela-

In its fourth year, ONE MusicFest blessed Atlanta with another incredible lineup. With headliners Snoop Dogg (aka Snoop Lion), classic hip-hop supergroup Goodie Mob, Joey Bada$$ and many more, the music festival did not disappoint. Conveniently located at the Masquerade Music Park and Historic Fourth Ward Park, the festival drew a sizable crowd. The combination of artists and clear, sunny weather really created the perfect environment. Early on in the afternoon, Joey Bada$$ tore up the stage by bringing out fellow Pro Era member Kirk Knight to rap favorite songs such as Hardknock. Following the song, Joey B proceeded to spit off the dome in a flawless freestyle. The star ended his performance with one of the original songs that catapulted him onto the big rap scene Survival Tactics. By paying tribute to his fallen member and close friend Capital Steez, Joey Bada$$ finished his show on a very strong note. Arguably the face of the new young generation of hip hop, Joey Bada$$ gave one of the best performances of the day. Later on in the evening, Atlanta-based hip-hop quartet, Goodie Mob began their performance on the Do the Right Thing stage. Drawing a large crowd, Cee Lo Green and the other members performed several fan favorites. One of the most memorable moments of Goodie Mobs show was when the group brought out R&B icon Erykah Badu. They proceeded to perform the classic song Liberation by Atlantas legendary rap duo OutKast, which energized the crowd. While Erykah Badus presence during Goodie Mobs performance might have been unexpected, she actually had a set of her own under the alter-ego DJ Low Down Loretta Brown. A very well-respected artist, Badu kept the crowd very entertained with her music. However, during the show, Ms. Badus sound equipment unexpectedly failed. While this might have appeared to be a big obstacle, Erykah Badu smoothly continued her show by singing a couple of her hits. The night ended with Snoop Doggs long-awaited 24

tively close to the drop of his new reggae single, La La La, I was unsure whether the famous rapper would perform rap or include some of his newer reggae music. As it turned out, Snoop Dogg not only performed both styles of his music, but he also paid homage to two of hip-hops most iconic figures, Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G. Rapping both Tupacs hit Americas Most Wanted and Biggies Hypnotize, Snoop Dogg got the crowd incredibly hyped. I could not think of a better way to end the music festival. The combination of the crowds, artists and weather really made for a fun way to spend your Saturday. Overall, ONE MusicFest was a great event a perfect way to not only see your favorite up-andcoming artists like Joey Bada$$ but also experience the performances of musical legends like Snoop Dogg.

Bo

Music Mid t o wn By Laura Flint

This years Music Midtown will not only be remembered for its diverse and talented lineup, but also for the drenching rain that persisted from the noon opening of the concert on Saturday until 5 p.m. that night. Spectators were immediately soaked (ponchos or not) and the once green, grassy hills of Piedmont Park turned into sludge and mudslides. But these poor weather conditions failed to deter the 50,000 spectators who attended the second day of the concert from getting their moneys worth. Music Midtown began in 1994 as a three-day event that quickly became one of the biggest festivals in the country, with over 300,000 concert-goers. But after 2005, the festival took a five-year hiatus due to declining attendance and increasing costs and wasnt restarted until 2011. The success of the concert at its new location at Piedmont Park has owners optimistic about future expansion. The festival opened Friday with gordiction, with classic rock band Journey headlining. Of the afternoon acts, Phoenix stood out the most this alternative French band, on tour with its newest album Bankrupt!, pumped up the hot, sweaty crowd with hits like 1901 and Lisztomania. Phoenix frontman Thomas Mars displayed stunning tenacity by walking into the center of the crowd and surfing back to the stage. Cake put on an interesting, disconnected show under a spinning disco ball, as lead singer John McCrea punctuated his set list with his own somewhat eccentric thoughts. Even with a 100 percent chance of rain, festival-goers swarmed to Piedmont Park early Saturday to catch acts like the Neighborhood, Capital Cities and Weezer. Sadly, many of these bands overlapped, and attendees were forced to decide whether they favored the newer electronic sound of Capital Cities or the classic alternative tunes of Weezer. Capital Cities, who released their debut album In a Tidal Wave of Mystery in June, put on an amazing set through the pouring rain, ending with their pop anthem Safe and Sound and an encore dubstep remix. Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo ventured to the edge of the stage and braved the downpour during classics like The Sweater Song. Artists such as boisterous English alt-rock band Arctic Monkeys and Atlanta punks the Black Lips powered through the deluge as well, but Las Vegas-based Imagine Dragons stood out as one of the best shows of the afternoon. Just as the clouds lifted, the alternative pop band put on an amazing performance that let the audience escape the discomfort of their soaked clothes and mud-caked shoes. The band was followed by the eclectic tunes of Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who performed their raucous brand of garage rock until 8:00. At that point, attendees had to choose between Queens of the Stone Age and Compton, Calif.-born rapper (and 2013 Emory Spring Band Party performer) Kendrick Lamar. The night ended with a three-hour performance by funky headliners the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who looked much older than geous weather but a less well-known setlist that includ- their 50 years but played their old and new hits in shirted 2 Chainz, the Mowglis, Phoenix, Cake and Janes Ad- less, rock-n-roll glory.
Top Photo: By Bridger Clements Bottom photo: By Ellen Von Unwerth

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[features]
FEATURES Kanye

26

Kanye, The Artist

Six Reasons Why Hes More
BY WILmA QIU
anye West. The certified asshole. The number-one fan of leather jogging pants. The gay fish. Despite being the brunt of a fair share of jokes and having the media paint a less-than-positive image of his character, Kanye West is undoubtedly an extremely significant innovator in the music industry. Im writing this, as a lover of music and hip-hop, to take a look beyond the image of Kanye created by his outbursts and buoyed by TMZ and Us Weekly. His unapologetic sound, in combination with his outspoken personality, create art that has laid the groundwork for important advances that may not be apparent at first glance. To understand this, its useful to trace Kanye from his humble (fun fact: this very line is the first time humble and Kanye were used in the same sentence) beginnings to the current era. Without further ado, I present to you The Artist Formally Known as Kanye West: Yeezy to Yeezus.

Than Just An Asshole

The CoLLeGe

Impressionism: DroPoUT; LATe ReGIsTrATIoN

2003 was an interesting year for music. The top 10 songs on the Billboard 100 at the time included 50 Cents In Da Club, Chingys Right Thurr and R.Kellys Ignition (Im imagining my fifth-grade self singing every word of the chorus without knowing what any of it meant ... *shivers*). In other words, rap was dominated by a gangsta image that trended more toward homogeneity than creativity. But then, Kanyes first album The College Dropout was released and broke the traditional rap formula. The collection of songs bridged the gap between sounds of underground rap (think De La Soul or A Tribe Called Quest) with mainstream popularity. Most importantly, it introduced and popularized a new element of hip-hop: the soul sample, prevalent in the songs All Falls Down and Through the Wire. Jesus Walks also got me admitted into high school, but thats another story*. *See page 29 Late Registration, released a year later, represented a continuation of the innovative impact of Kanyes music. The album solidified the platform for alternative-leaning rap and used orchestral and booming sound (think Touch the Sky) to disrupt the then-sturdy platform of hip hop built on hoes, bling and do-rags. Both albums set the stage for rap that had a more emotionally-aware, socially-conscious flair that could still appeal to a diverse audience, ranging from hip-hop fanatics to hard-to-please hipsters. They also built a foundation for popular alt rappers like Lupe Fiasco and B.o.B.

Photo Courtesy of Kanye West

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GrAdUATIoN
After two albums, it was time to re-invent. Graduation fused electronic music with hip-hop (Stronger and Flashing Lights). While it seems commonplace now, in 2007, EDM music hadnt quite taken over the airwaves yet. Kanyes album pushed electronic music to the masses with an already-established genre. In doing so, he seeded the elements of mainstream success that support the full-blown powerhouses that create electronic music today. Its hard to think that Kanye was a predecessor to artists such as Zedd and Avicii, but only six years ago, there werent many electronic-influenced genres on the radio.

Cubism:

The Blue Period: 808s & Heartbreak

This is an interesting anomaly in his musical line. innovative it heavily utilized the overpopular trend despite its common medium, the albums different apKanye lays it all out there sadness, heartbreak ... music but was uncommon. The album opened the pealed to our angsty sides, like the music of Kid 808s & Heartbreak at first seems to be the opposite of of Auto-Tune on the entirety of the album. However, proach to content had a deep impact. This is where more sadness. Before 808s, emotion existed in rap doorway for alternative hip-hop and R&B that apCudi, Drake and Frank Ocean.

From Kanye Wests Blkkk Skkkn Head Video

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The Mona Lisa: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Kanyes masterpiece. Its difficult to give this album due justice in a paragraph, but Ill try. Released after his infamous incident with a certain blonde pop songstress, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was an incredibly impressive exercise in music. Kanye brings the threads of all his previous compositions together: the soulfulness of The College Dropout and Late Registration, the electronic elements of Graduation and the emotional vulnerability of 808s and Heartbreak. All complemented by amazing production. The result was music that was unlike anything else in the industry. It was a new concept in its music and yet had a profoundly widespread appeal. The drama, maximalist beats and grand atmosphere all culminated in this album.

* Jesus

Walks

Postmodern Art: Yeezus

Released just over the summer, Yeezus is Kanyes attempted entry into god-status (almost literally). I wont talk about this much since its impact on the industry is still at large. However, it definitely is a more experimental, artistic exercise and moves away from convention. Will we have a postmodern rap scene? Stay tuned.

Conclusion
At the end of the day, Kanye is an unapologetic, abrasive man. But its exactly his shamelessness that holds the key to his musical success. The relationship between his ego and his rhymes combine to produce albums that move away from the static equilibrium that so entices the music industry. The end result is that Kanye is an Artist. The College Dropout and Late Registration were similar to Impressionism in completely rejecting the norm in an audacious and colorful way. Graduation, like Cubism, incorporated industrial elements to reevaluate what was commonplace. 808s as the Blue Period is self-explanatory. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is Mona Lisa because of its near universal appeal and beauty. And finally, Yeezus is the postmodern art we hope to one day understand. So, Imma let you finish but KANYE WEST, THE BEST INNOVATOR IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY OF ALL TIME! ALL TIME!!

In order to get into one of the best public high schools in our district, students had to write an essay about a piece of art that had inspired him or her. To impress admissions counselors, I (with my middle school brain) originally wrote about Einsteins E = mc2. Satisfied with my deep knowledge of nuclear physics, I turned my essay into my English teacher to be reviewed. It was the worst essay I had ever written. According to her, at least. She called a private meeting to politely ask me what the hell I was thinking when I wrote the piece. To put it simply, I just had no idea what I was talking about. And did E = mc2 really affect my life? Probably not. She encouraged me to be honest with myself what had really inspired me? I turned inward to think. At home, I opened up Napster (yes, I was pretty cool) and started playing my favorite song at the time: Jesus Walks by Kanye West. Now I wasnt religious in the least, but its message of breaking away from the norm, highlighting a social message and encouraging its audience to think differently really struck a chord with 12 year-old me. So I decided, partially out of rebellion, to write a new essay about Jesus Walks. And I turned the piece into my English teacher, an elder woman who probably had not heard a rap song in her life. She called on me after class to say the essay was a great piece of writing, a very significant improvement and that I should turn it into the high school. I got in. And thats how Mrs. Crowley and Kanye West taught me how to stay true. 29

26

RUN THE TRAP

A Look at the Dirty Souths Take on EDM
By Nick Bradley
Atlanta has long been one of the Souths primary musical hotspots. From the blues to hip-hop, this southern metropolis has fostered a broad range of some of musics most influential genres. Now, the recent boom of electronic dance music (EDM) in the United States has given rise to the Souths dirty new sound: real trap shit. Trap music is a hybrid genre, a volatile mix of European house synthesizers, dubsteps wobbly subbass and Dirty South hip-hops hard edge. Its hiphops new face for the electronic era, and it sounds a lot like you might expect. Low-down bass booms under the rattle of triplet snare drum patterns and rolling hi-hats, while punchy synth lines and gunshot/cash register/hawk scream sound effects deck out the upper end of traps sound. And although much of traps vanguard prefers well-designed synths to lyrics, its not uncommon for a witty wordsmith to lay down his rhymes over a hard-hitting trap beat. The trap is a place, but its not one you could find on a map. The term describes the snare-like nature of inner-city communities, where hip-hop and now trap music were born. The sound is a product of a rough life on the street, dealing drugs and trying to get by. I think the trap term came from Atlanta, said DJ Scream, a prolific trap producer, in an interview with LiveMixtapes TV. The old heads will tell you, you in the trap, man, you hustling. You might make 30 some money, but you in the trap. You gonna get shot at, killed. Your partner gonna come get you, your enemy gonna come get you, the po-po gonna come get you. Its just that you trapped. Early influences in the trap game are names the average listener will most likely remember from their middle school years: Three 6 Mafia, T.I., Gucci Mane and Waka Flocka Flame. Trap music takes much of its sound and attitude from Dirty South hip-hop. It incorporates similar rhythmic elements and, most notably, samples from the Roland TR-808 drum machine. The 808 sound was developed mostly out of necessity, as the TR-808 was one of the least expensive drum machines available at the birth of hip-hop. The 808 was also popular for its ability to produce exceptionally low bass drum frequencies. Although the term trap first referred to Dirty South hip-hop, it has come to embrace a broader spectrum of music one that has derived significant influence from the growing EDM scene. Trap music embraces the heavy, oscillated subbass that DJs like Skream and Rusko developed in the United Kingdom in the early 2000s. In much the same way that dubstep utilizes sub-bass rhythms to create a half-time rhythmic feel, trap DJs such as Ta-ku often supplement 808 drum lines with bass counter-rhythms. But where hip-hop mixtapes might stop at rela-

tively simple instrumentals, trap music embraces European electro-house and trances penchant for well-crafted synthesizers. The variety of synth sound in trap music is immense and depends entirely on the styling of the producer. Computer technology has opened the floodgates to an almost infinite number of sounds a DJ can make, and producers are taking the opportunity to create their own unique brand of trap music. While trap music began as a Dirty South phenomenon, it has begun to spread across the country and even the globe. Everywhere it goes, the trap sound blends with the dominant style of electronic or hip-hop music and develops just a little more. In San Francisco, trap picked up a touch of the Bay Areas hyphy sound, which was popularized by Tyga on his track Rack City. In Tokyo, DJ duo Watapachi has added elements of Japanese house music to give their trap music an international flair.

The most important ingredient in the double cup that is trap music isnt musical at all its the Internet. Websites such as SoundCloud and LiveMixtapes.com have given up-and-coming producers the ability to share their work with a world of listeners without landing a record deal or having their work played on the radio. More importantly, the Internet has given producers the chance to interact and collaborate with producers of all styles. This, of course, suits traps blended style perfectly. If trap music sounds like something you might get down to, heres some required listening thatll give you a cross-section of the trap spectrum: Original Don (Flosstradamus Remix) Major Lazer Scaley gLAdiator SPEND IT MAYHEM x ANTISERUM Dont Stop Iamsu! Trap Shit V16 UZ

Courtesy of DJ HadjiBeats

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Musical Chairs of the Music Industry

By Sanai Meles
On an otherwise uneventful Saturday, I found myself in a Best Buy store looking to purchase an external hard drive, but, like the kid drifting to the candy section of the grocery store, I found myself drifting the aisles laden with CDs. As my eyes scanned across the vast array of albums, spanning numerous genres, I settled on buying two discs (Daft Punks Random Access Memories and OutKasts 1996 classic album, ATLiens). Feeling satisfied and content with the days purchase (despite not actually buying the external hard drive), I showed my younger brother my haul for the day. His response was to simply shrug and say, You still buy CDs? The landscape of the music industry has been drastically altered in the past decade or so. One needs to look no further than the total revenue from music sales, which have been on steady decline from $11.8 billion in 2003 to $7.1 billion in 2012, according to the Recording Industry Association of America. There are many reasons to which pundits attribute this steep decline. New means of obtaining music have allowed the listener a variety of options in satisfying their music fix. Streaming and purchasing services like iTunes, Spotify, Soundcloud and Bandcamp have become more popular than ever. The biggest and earliest giant-killer of them all, iTunes, has given listeners the option of purchasing individual songs without buying the whole album. With the exception of die-hard music lovers, the average listener only cares about a few tracks off an album. Other services like Spotify and Soundcloud have tapped into the service of free music streaming and premium versions for customers who want to avoid ads and more features. All of these services have been popping up in recent years and have been testing the music industrys will to adapt. As well-known music industry executive L.A. Reid put it in a 2011 interview with the Hollywood Reporter, I learned to stay in business. People are still buying music, dancing to it and dressing like it. Theyre using it to sell cars and CoverGirl makeup, so we sell product lines with our artists. The popularity of music is at an all-time high. How we monetize it is sometimes a moving target. In the end this begs the question, what does it mean for the artists and their listeners, the two most visible pieces in the exchange of music? In many cases, artists seem to be more creative in adapting to changing circumstances than many of their music industry counterparts. As NPD analyst Russ Crupnick put it in the same CNNMoney report, He believes that musicians will have to increasingly rely on touring, merchandise sales, and endorsement deals to make up for lost album sales. It is a revelation that they seemed to have taken note of. Artists like Washed Out, A$AP Rocky and Chvrches have previously mentioned in interviews that blogs, social media presence and general word-of-mouth on the Internet surrounding their music played a huge role in their burgeoning success. Artists have become especially creative in reaching out to fans in order to cultivate a well-connected fan base. Rapper Curren$y is known to drop monthly videos on YouTube as part of his Jet Life Chronicles series. He gives viewers a window into his world by shedding light on his down-toearth personality. It allows him to connect with fans on a more intimate level while solidifying his brand. Other artists like Lady Gaga and Rihanna have a large presence on social media cornerstones Twitter and Instagram. It has allowed artists to interact with fans and provide information at a moments notice. Another rapper with a devoted fan base, Compton-based Nipsey Hussle made a jarring move recently when he decided to sell 100 copies of his new mixtape Crenshaw for $100 at a small pop-up shop in his neighborhood. While the mixtapes were hand signed on sight, the price tag seemed ridiculous. To everyones surprise the mixtapes sold out in 24 hours. The realization seems to be that there are now many avenues for delivering the music we all love instead of the traditional singular model we have all known for years. Its a diverse world marketplace now, one where the relationship between the artist and his music has taken on new forms of accessibility. As I reflected on my brothers words regarding my recent purchases, I took a long look the CDs I had just bought, reflecting on my purchases. I had already downloaded both albums on my computer, both in better audio quality as well. As I open the both albums and my eyes take in the intricacies and minute details of the album artworks and booklets, I notice the small messages of thanks to those involved in making this album and the fans who supported them. In the end, I feel more satisfied; for me, purchasing these albums is my way of interacting and supporting the artists and music I love. As I place them on the shelf alongside other albums I deemed purchase-worthy, a smile forms on my face as I survey my collection. In the end, music is music. There will always be artists to produce it and fans to enjoy it in whatever fashion they see fit.

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[Arts]
Arguing Against Choosing a Winner
By Logan Lockner
The Pulitzer Prize jury shocked readers in 2012 by refusing to name a winner for the annual prize for distinguished American fiction. From the outcry this event caused, it would appear that the passage of seasons had been denied, as if withholding a prize were nothing short of unnatural. Given the shortlist for this years Mercury Prize, the jury for that award given to the best album produced in a given year in the United Kingdom or Ireland might do well to follow the precedent set by last years Pulitzer refusal. Instead of being unsettled by the refusal of annual prizes, we should question why we are so attached, as consumers or critics or artists ourselves, to the process. Despite what nuanced qualifications are offered or assured, the larger cultural project behind prize-giving is one of canon-building. This notion, already problematic enough on its face, is made even more so by the nature of the Mercury Prize, which was devised in 1992 by the British Phonographic Industry and the British Association of Record Dealers to reward artists and albums that would be overlooked by the Brit Awards, the Anglo counterpart of the Grammys. The intended connotations are obvious: this is an award meant to recognize the sort of music described with the battery of ill-conceived adjectives like alternative, underground or the current favorite indie. Its too easily neglected that these categories have almost nothing to do with the music itself; they describe systems of production and patterns of consumption. What, then, is the aim of the Mercury Prize? To construct an alternative canon, to challenge the establishment by pursuing procedures parallel to its own? Every artist on the 2013 Mercury shortlist who did not release their first album this year five of the 12 nominated albums are debuts has been nominated for the Mercury Prize before, and the Arctic Monkeys, who received their third nomination for this years AM, won for their debut Whatever People Say I Am, Thats What Im Not in 2006. David Bowie was acknowledged for The Next Day, a tribute likely deserved but somehow appearing as deference to an elder statesman, someone whose career helped define what it means to be alternative. James Blakes Overgrown, perfectly competent but hardly canonical, might be on some listeners lists of favorite albums of the year, but is it really the best? PJ Harvey, whose sublime Let England Shake triumphed over Blakes debut album in 2011, is the only artist to have won the Mercury twice. (She also won for Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea 10 years earlier.) Consequently its nearly impossible to think about the prize without considering Polly Jean, reigning queen of the Mercury. Its laughable to imagine any album this year is as prophetic or as deserving of a place in cultural history as either of these. Canon-building is a suspicious project, but we must believe that Eliot and Woolf belong in the canon of English literature, just as Harvey belongs in the canon of contemporary music. These are artists whose work speaks of its time and yet transcends it, who challenge tradition and earn their place in its annals. Its not only that none of the repeat nominees deserve to challenge Harveys distinction of being the Mercurys only multiple honoree this years debuts actually surpass their more seasoned competition. Nineteen-year-old Jake Bugg sings more like a young McCartney than anyone Ive heard in years, and fans of Corinne Bailey Rae and Lianne La Havas (both of whom are also past nominees) will be delighted by Laura Mvula. Electronic duo Disclosure deserves a degree certain recognition for producing the most eminently danceable track of any nominee, Latch. I doubt that the Mercury jury will refrain from awarding a prize this year, and despite my reservations, I can say without any hesitation that it is one of these newcomers who most deserves it. These artists are at the beginning of their careers, however, and a more exciting year will be the one where one of them with luck and skill and vision joins PJ Harvey on the short roster of multiple Mercury winners.

The Mercury Prize

33

The 2013 Richard Ellman Lectures in Modern Literature

34

Photo by Mark Seliger

On Sept. 22-24, 2013. acclaimed singer-songwriter Paul Simon visited Emory to present the 2013 Richard Ellman Lectures in Modern Literature. With four events taking place in Glenn Memorial Auditorium, he spoke of his songwriting process, his history as a musician, his relationship to poetry and his opinion on popular music today. To conclude his visit, Simon performed some of his most well-known songs in the Schwartz Center for Performing Arts with special guests Zachary Issenberg and Sara Stavile were able to attend all four of these oncein-a-lifetime events and provide brief synopses for fans who did not win the ticket lottery. Compiled by Brigid Choi

Sailing on an Endless Sea: My Life as a the world. With experience as part of a musical duo and singular songwriter, he spoke with experience that any Songwriter
What struck me most in this lecture was Paul Simons focus on the sound of the song first, with lyrics serving to further carry out the sound. For a musician so highly regarded for his lyrics, the lyrics really do seem like a final touch to his songs. Does this mean that the stories found in Graceland would be as touching as any story fulfilling the sound? It seems odd to think of any other words going with The Boy in the Bubble, but after listening to Simon explain his songwriting process, we can believe that the words touch us because they ring true to their supporting sound. Zachary Issenberg meaningful work must have a solid creative voice. Simon also questioned the current view of music and art by the world today, calling out a focus on pop-culture appeal over honest expression. He questioned the validity of a world where music sells everything except music. His words ring true although aged and reminiscent of every critic of art in a new direction. Simon was unable to give any substantial advice during questioning to someone looking to make art for themselves. For someone who has loved Paul Simon since I could walk, this took off the rose-tinted glasses. Zachary Issenberg

Conversation with Paul Simon and Billy Collins

The second Richard Ellman lecture, a conversation between Simon and former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins, explored the fine art of musical mechanics. The songwriter said he wanted his pieces to be complex yet sincere, a quality that he called Zen simplicity. The speakers drew similarities between the construction of songs and poems, focusing not just on the significance of words, chords and flow but also space. Simon explained how he would record air to fill in the silence between notes, in order to create a natural breath in his songs. As Simons long list of hits can attest, his songwriting methods are successful ones. Billy Collins remarked that The words seem to be enjoying the company of the words around them. Sara Stavile

Music Performance with Paul Simon and guitarist Mark Stewart

The series ended with the much anticipated concert in Schwartz. Simon and guitarist Mark Stewart opened with The Sound of Silence, appropriate for an audience awed by the presence of a musical giant, followed by Slip Slidin Away and Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard. Then came a cover of Here Comes the Sun, a musical choice that made several in the audience gasp in surprise. From then on, the concerts tone shifted from intimate performance to open jam session. Billy Collins and composer Andy Teirstein were invited onstage to play tambourine and harmonica for Mystery Train. Event manager Becky Herring accompanied Simon for a flirtatious version of Mrs. Robinson. The performance ended with The Boxer, a haunting ballad that also included a performance by Professor Joseph Skibell on guitar. The lesson from the View from Cloud: The Solitary Artist in day before seemed to color my viewing of the concert. I found myself appreciating the Zen simplicity of a Collaborative Culture Simons works. It was as if the songs that I had listened In his conversation with Collins, Simon pondered to so many times before had come to life again. I could the validity of fame for his artistry. In this lecture, Si- feel the breath within them. Sara Stavile mon explored the identity of the artist and their roles in 35

The Low Museum: 4x6 Photography as Everyday Art

By Logan Lockner
We take photographs every day. In the past seven hours I have taken at least 25 and received almost as many, and this has been an entirely unremarkable day remarkable only, perhaps, in how uninteresting and pedestrian it was. As any reader with an iPhone can likely guess, the majority of these photos were taken, sent or received and then ostensibly deleted (if not already insidiously captured in a screenshot) by Snapchat. In The New Inquiry earlier this year, social media theorist Nathan Jurgenson celebrated Snapchat as an inaugural manifestation of temporary photography, which he suggests is in part a response to social-media users feeling saddled with the distraction of documentary vision. It rejects the burden of creating durable proof that you are here and you did that ... By leaving the present where you found it, temporary photographs feel more like life and less like its collection. In this sense Snapchat and the genre of temporary photography it represents would seemingly refute or at least a resist Susan Sontags indictment of the medium in her 1977 book On Photography. She writes, Life is not about significant details, illuminated in a flash fixed forever, and then insists, Photographs are. In our current moment, however, as many of us are equipped with Snapchat and Instagram and HDR cameras that we carry within a single device in our pockets, questions about the significance of a photograph are more difficult to answer than ever before. A primary issue is the sheer volume of photographs one encounters on a daily basis, the inundating visual presence of the archive we are all collectively constructing. When he wrote Camera Lucida in 1980, Roland Barthes was primarily reacting to photographs as received cultural objects: I see photographs everywhere, like everyone else, nowadays; they come from the world to me, without my asking. Over 30 years later, this is still the case; unbidden images erupt without interruption on the multitude of screens we encounter, usually from the first moment we wake until beside the faded screens of our iPhones we drift back to slumber. Sontag claims that a photograph turns people into objects that can be symbolically possessed and goes as far as to call photography the most irresistible form of mental pollution. Today these comments can easily be dismissed as the needless worries of a 20th-century Luddite, but in some ways our present technological moment goes beyond any apocalyptic future Sontag and Barthes could have foreseen. The tyrannical impulse to photograph, to fossilize particular moments of life, to separate significant images from insignificant ones, has enlisted us all in its service. It is effectively impossible to not be self-conscious about photography in the 21st century. Our best available defense against the omnipresent gaze of others some of whom we know, others of whom may be entirely foreign individuals or institutions is to return, or at least threaten to return, our own photographic gaze. On a Monday night earlier this year, the Low Museum in Atlantas Old Fourth Ward hosted a 4x6 photo swap. The events description on Facebook read: There is no requirement for the photographs other than the standard 4x6 size. Everyone's prints will be placed on a large platform together. Bring as many as you want View as many as you want Take as many as you want FREE

I printed four photos of my own to bring to the swap, all of which were originally taken on my iPhone. Upon arriving at the Low Museum, I joined the small circle of people gathered around the square platform in the center of the space. I sheepishly removed the four photographs from the brown paper bag I carried them in and shuffled them into the pile of 4x6s littered across the platform. Almost instantly another one of the participants snatched up a photo I had deposited, a snapshot of a sleeping friend of mine awash in cool blue light and entirely hidden save for a foot protruding from underneath a blanket. This stranger had never met my friend, had no idea of the emotional or even physical context in which the photo was taken, and yet he crooned, Oooh, I love this one, and greedily claimed it for himself. Naturally I knew this is how the event would proceed, but I couldnt help but feel as Sontag says in On Photography violated, as if I had offered to a complete stranger some secret knowledge of that earlymorning moment I had surreptitiously shared with my friend. Despite this initial revulsion, I also suddenly felt an irresistible sense of kinship with this stranger. He too had seen that this moment I captured was special and worth saving. Of course, I also gathered photos: one of a glamorous old woman on Madison Avenue in the early 1990s, one I was told was the exterior of a Pakistani temple, one of the Majestic Diner on Ponce. When I held a photo of another old woman, this one framed in a close-up with platinum hair, dangling earrings, and beetle-like sunglasses, a girl standing beside

m e said casually, Thats my grandmother. It was comment offered in passing, not particularly possessive, and yet I couldnt help but wonder what minute transgression or affirmation I had committed by selecting this particular photo. Was it that this old woman reminded me of my own grandmother, that the backyard landscape behind her could have been that of my childhood? I would never know this woman or her name, and yet I felt entitled to the spirit of voyeurism that allowed me to slip the photo of her into my brown paper bag. Exchanging personal snapshots with strangers around a square platform is a surreal transaction of intimate impulses and unspoken memories. It seems egregiously rude but also completely natural. Exchanging photographs with strangers is, after all, what we do every day.

~DJ spotlight~

Audio Vista
Name: Grayson Ball Description: Discovering new music, playing a lot of unsigned bands and artists I find on Bandcamp and Soundcloud. Year: Freshman Major: Undecided; maybe Chinese and Creative Writing Hometown: Decatur, Ala. Top Five Albums of 2013: 1. Endless Fantasy - Anamanaguchi As always, Anamanaguchi delivers all the fun and nostalgia of chiptunes and takes them above and beyond what anyone could have predicted for the genre. 2. Afraid of Heights - Wavves This album feels like a fun weekend out with your best friends, and dont we all need that?

3. Bravocat - PengoSolvent This album is chaotic, overwhelming and absolutely fabulous. 4. Tales of a Grass Widow - CocoRosie Tales brings all the eerie majesty of CocoRosie and adds an intensity and accessibility that I have not found in previous albums. 5. Rarities, Unreleased Stuff, and Cool Things - Teen Suicide Rarities is a melancholy and beautiful last hurrah for a great band.

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[Top Fives]
Top Five Late-Night Joints
By Alexa Cucopulos

1. Majestic Diner
Have a midnight craving for some blueberry pancakes and bacon? Just feel like enjoying a milkshake frothing with whipped cream and topped off with a candied cherry? Majestic Diner is the place for you. This 24hour diner has a vintage 1950s atmosphere and serves diner staples like burgers and shakes, as well as menu originals like the scrumptious baklava sundae soaked in honey and piled high with vanilla ice cream. Its situated right next to the Plaza Theatre, making it ideal to take a date for a late-night dinner and movie. 1031 Ponce De Leon Ave. (404) 8750276. majesticdiner.com

2. Waffle House (Cheshire Bridge location)

A great southern staple, Waffle Houses fat-drenched food, dubious health conditions and cross-section of inebriated people from all over Atlanta just add to its endearing charm. But theres one particular Waffle House thats a must-visit when you start feeling those 2 a.m. cravings for defrosted hash browns and trans fat soaked waffles: the one on Cheshire Bridge Road in uptown Atlanta. The employees here are extremely friendly and even memorize your order if you frequent Waffle House nightly (like myself). Not to mention, the strip clubs and sex stores nearby lure in some interesting characters, making this House not only a great place for late-night dining but a perfect site for people-watching. Hit up this establishment to make some sketchy friends and enjoy some questionable (yet undeniably delicious) food. Pro Tip: Order the hash browns extra crispy. 2264 Cheshire Bridge Rd. (404) 634-9414. wafflehouse.com.

3. El Rey del Taco

It is my firm belief that everyone should have access to tacos at all hours of the day. This is where El Rey del Taco steps in and provides delicious (and cheap!) tacos all night long. The service may be a little slow, and it may be a bit of a drive, but the food is worth the wait. Every taco comes with sauted vegetables and an assortment of titillating sauces. Also, two words: free salsa. 5288 Buford Hwy, Doraville. (770) 986-0032. taqueriaelreydeltaco.com.

4. Pho 24
Like El Rey del Taco, this is also a bit of a drive. However, this joint is great for some cheap but delicious Vietnamese food. Open 24 hours, you can get your fill at any time. They serve everything from pho soup to Vietnamese sub sandwiches. Pho 24 is the ideal late night joint for broke college students looking for a cheap but filling meal. (Their avocado smoothie with tapioca is a must have.) 4646 Buford Hwy. (770) 710-0178. pho24nowopen.com.

5. Murder Kroger
By day its just another Kroger, but by night its the infamous Murder Kroger. This is the only known Kroger in all of Atlanta that keeps a police officer out front at all hours of the night. That might be a bit of an exaggeration, but really, if you feel like witnessing some drug deals, knife fights or teenagers having sex in a car, this is the place to go. Located on Ponce de Leon, this is the perfect spot to adventure to after your hip concert at the Masquerade (located just behind the supermarket) or if you just feel like having a brush with death. No one is actually sure if anyone has been murdered there, but its ambiguous past and poor lighting add to its enigmatic aura. Disclaimer: Murder Kroger is best experienced between the hours of 2 and 4 a.m. 725 Ponce De Leon Ave. (404) 875-2701. kroger.com. 39

Top Five Songs for Freshman Year

By Sloan Krakovsky 1. Missed the Boat Modest Mouse
We all hear about the amazing party side of college, but the aspect we seem to miss is that loneliness we feel when one of our old friends texts us. Modest Mouse taps into some feelings we might not want to admit about college, with: looking towards the future / we were begging for the past (we all know were a little homesick).

2. Life Is Hard Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Once weve admitted our homesickness and, yes, even the difficulty of college, weve got to think about what were going to do with that knowledge. Edward Sharpe advises, yes, life is hard. Come celebrate! College can be hard, but we can channel that by trying to smile from [our] heart.

3. I Found You Alabama Shakes

You know that feeling when you make a new, genuine friend? You and your roommate click, you have a genuine laugh with someone in your Orientation group and the heavens open up and rainbows shine down on you? This is that song. It took a long time to find you but I finally found you. Finally.

(From the Shrek 2 Soundtrack) Changes are taking the pace Im going through... As freshmen, our surroundings have changed considerably, but also our own lives are changing. Just as Shrek discovers his true prince self on the outside, were all discovering our real selves on the inside. Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

4. Changes David Bowie

5. Live Like A Warrior Matisyahu

Need a little encouragement? Youve realized youre lonely, celebrated that fact, found a friend, and discovered youre changing. Now you need a little encouragement. Put behind the bad days youve had and Today today, live like you wanna / Let yesterday burn and throw it in a fire, in a fire, in a fire / Live like a Warrior.

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Top Five Girl Power Tunes

By Brigid Choi 1. Run The World (Girls) - Beyonce
While a lot of the songs on this list are underground, banned from radios or rare tracks, this one was one of the hottest dance songs ever. The beat is insanely catchy, even if it isnt an entirely original beat (heavily sampling Pon de Floor by Major Lazer), and the dance to go with it is just as difficult and impressive as Beyonces usual. The most powerful lyrics on the track are: Boy, you know you love it, how were smart enough to make these millions / Strong enough to bear the children / Then get back to business.

2. Woman Is the N----r of the World - John Lennon and Yoko Ono
As you can guess, the use of the N-word was controversial, not to mention the lyrics, Woman is the slave of the slaves and We make her paint her face and dance. The song was Lennons lowest-charting US single in his lifetime, and it most definitely increased fans antagonism toward his wife. Besides the lyrics, the track is beautiful, with a smooth saxophone and Lennons usual post-Beatles vocal reverb.

3. Rebel Girl - Bikini Kill

Even if the song lacks an original melody and chord structure, it still packs a punk-rock, riot grrrl punch. That crazy, screamy singer Kathleen Hanna incorporates into her lyrics the sisterhood that so tightly binds the feminist community when she says, Love you like a sister always / Soul sister, rebel

girl / Come and be my best friend.

4. Women Is Losers - Janis Joplin

Out of all the female classic rock singers, its strange to realize that only Janis Joplin has a song thats explicitly feminist, and even then, its a rare track that sounds like it was born out of a jam session. In a groovy 12-bar blues, Joplin chants, Women is losers women is losers

5. Kropotkin Vodka - Pussy Riot

I felt obligated to include a Pussy Riot song, considering all the hype surrounding them. Even though their songs mostly attack Russian President Vladimir Putin, this song makes sure to label his supporters sexist Putinists, opening with, Occupy the city with a kitchen frying pan / Go out with a vacuum, get off on it. 41

~DJ spotlight~
First and Goldblum
Name: Ryan Goldblum Description: Talking to various guests about sports, movies, music and anything in between. Year: Junior Major: Film Studies Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio

Top Five Albums of 2013: 1. Yeezus Kanye West Kanye West makes albums reflecting where he is in life, and this album is a journey through his anger, a reflection of his troubled road to the top and finally, the peace he has found through his new life. The result is unequivocally the best album of 2013. 2. The Civil Wars The Civil Wars The Civil Wars album comes after the band itself was plagued by fights and differences, and the result is a soulful folk album, that shows us the frustration and eventual positivity that came from the partnership's own turmoil. 3. The Bones of What You Believe CHVRCHES The Scottish natives are now unquestionably a known entity here in the US, thanks to this album from one of the most popular electronic groups in the world. 4. Trouble Will Find Me The National The National continues to build on their indie rock and folk foundations, and the band hits their stride on this album. 5. Born Sinner J. Cole J. Cole's second studio album is incredible not only for the strides J has taken as a rapper but also for launching into deeply personal subject matter and making it relatable, all behind some incredible beats.

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Top Five Songs to Remind You of Home

By Denton Williams
1. Holy City - Sequoyah Prep School
Maybe its the slight country fused with the alternative genre that makes Holy City a nostalgic hit. Maybe its the references to running away and starting over, saying goodbye to your friends and always having that one person to help you pick up the pieces that trigger the images of the summer sun. No matter what the ingredients are, Holy City definitely sends your mind driving your car back home.

2. Light Outside - Wakey!Wakey!

Short but sweet, this track is all about finding comfort in someone special. Whether youre snuggling the whole day away with that one person as they wear your oversized button-down or exchanging some of your deepest, darkest secrets, seeking them out when youre most vulnerable, Light Outside embodies all of the days indoors with your favorite person in your house or theirs.

3. Good Life - OneRepublic

Its certain that this song has incredible meaning to anyone who hears it. In the entire world of roughly seven billion people, no matter where you, your family, and your friends are located, youre all still connected. Your heart is your home, life is good and OneRepublic proves it with this drunken-night-in-London-inspired song. At Emory, we all come from places across the country and even the world, so stop to think about dispersing in the future but still being close. That is good.

4. Counting The Ways - Kate Voegele

Take a walk by the river, through the woods or down the street while listening to Counting The Ways, and I dare you to try not to think of home. Homesickness will catch up to you, and youll find yourself wanting to be surrounded by everyone you care about most. Dont worry, its okay to cry. Just be sure to do Kate justice by belting out her song while you sob.

5. The House That Built Me - Miranda Lambert

Miranda, Miranda, Miranda, what on Earth have you done? Why did you create possibly the saddest and most nostalgic song the music world has ever seen? Knowing from experience, this song is perfect for listening in your dorm room or study lounge mid-semester when the stress of school is peaking. And for any of the proud, nocountry-music-ever individuals out there, The House That Built Me might as well be a picture book of your own lives, and youll surely end up imagining your kitchen smells and sofa cushions if you listen. Please do.

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Top Five Epic Guitar Solos

By Brigid Choi 1. The Star Spangled Banner at Woodstock 1969 Jimi Hendrix
Halfway through the song, Hendrix terrorizes the familiar tune with his trademark use of feedback and whammy before slipping right back into a clean melody, pulling away every once in a while to tune his guitar when he plays an open string. This raucous rendition of the national anthem began as a symbol of the Vietnam War; now, it can represent any disillusions of the American government, the American dream or the destruction that American forces can bring to other countries, even if it is highly doubtful that there will be another Woodstock at which to play this.

2. Stairway to Heaven Led Zeppelin; Guitarist: Jimmy Page

Yes, its tiring to hear beginning guitarists play the opening riff to this song, but I dont think Ill get tired of listening to the solo that appears halfway through it. Pages balance between melody, catchy riffs and shredding has gone down in history, not to mention the fact that the double-necked guitar was invented specifically so that Page could shift between the opening and the solo.

3. Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd Guitarists: Allen Collins, Steve Gaines

Of course, I had to include the most requested song on the radio, and the song yelled out by fans when a band asks for requests. With two guitars battling it out, the ridiculously epic solo takes up half of the nine-minute song.

4. While My Guitar Gently Weeps The Beatles Guitarist: Eric Clapton

Claptons inclusion on this Beatles record momentarily united the quickly-disintegrating band during their White Album years. With sleepy slides and vibratos, Clapton shows listeners and guitarists that not all guitar solos have to be fast in order to be great.

5. Cliffs of Dover by Eric Johnson

Ive placed this in fifth place for those who argue that the lack of vocals means that theres no solo, even if there is a repeated refrain. Because of Johnsons high gain and reverb, the tone of his guitar sounds light rather than a guitars typical scratchy whine. That effect along with the bouncing bass line gives the song a uniquely cheerful atmosphere. 44

Top Five Antique Shops

By Alexa Cucopulos

1. Paris on Ponce
While you may not be able to afford much in this store, I highly recommend visiting just for the experience. Paris on Ponces huge venue is filled with a myriad of different rooms, each one thrusting you into a different vintage realm. Theyve got everything from Victorian-era clothing to 60s mod furniture, taxidermy raccoons to headless mannequins. They even provide a party venue that looks like it came straight from a David Lynch film: an entirely red room furnished with burlesque mannequins, fauteuil chairs and grand pianos. This place is great if you feel like investing a bit of cash into an artful antique or simply if you feel like walking around and having a surreal experience. Bring someone with you who you want to get to know better! There are some great conversation starters in here. 716 Ponce De Leon Place. (404) 249-9965. parisonponce.com.

4. Highland Row Antiques

With its multifarious collection of knickknacks both big and small, Highland has any desultory object one could ever need: $5 wigs, old china dolls and light-up bar signs. This place has such a cross-section of items ideal for movie directors and set designers. It is the WalMart of the antique world, if you will. 628 North Highland Ave. (404) 815-8830. highlandrowantiques.com.

2. Kudzu Antiques

Industrial, retro, funky you name it, Kudzus got it! This is a great 5. 14th Street shop to pick up some original artwork for reasonable prices, as well as Antiques Market unique furniture pieces for decorating an apartment or dorm room. The Zu is conducive to browsing, especially with their endless selection of old Although this particular market books, vintage records and niche collectables. Come here to find the physimay be rather inaccessible to colcal embodiment of the eccentric: everything from cow cheeseboards to gilege students in its high prices and ant domino lights. (And Bradford Cox is rumored to be a big fan!) museum-like atmosphere, its still 2928 E Ponce De Leon Ave., Decatur. (404) 373-6498. kudzuantiques.com. worth taking a gander. 14th Street has some of the most refined and 3. Last Chance Thrift Store elegant antiques in all of Atlanta, provided by some of the best dealers Although its known as a thrift store, Last Chance has some useful and in the area. The woodwork, detailaffordable antiques, especially from the 90s. If youre looking for some ing and custom finishes on many of kitschy items to use as embellishments to your apartment, this market has these pieces are truly awe-inspiring. a huge selection of old television sets, record players and other outdated I would recommend dressing in technology. The seemingly mundane thrift shop also gets unintentionally your finest khakis and visiting with surreal with its weirder antique selection for the more daring shoppers: family to get some interior design dismembered mannequin parts, mutilated figurines and unsettling animal ideas and examine a myriad of rare sculptures to name a few. Go on a day when you have some time to kill be- European collectables. cause you may have to do some digging! 530 14th St. 2935 N Decatur Rd., Decatur. (404) 296-1711. (404) 325-4600. lastchancethriftstore.com. 14thstreetantiques.com. 45

~DJ spotlight~
Highz N Lows
Name: Irene Byun Description: Taking over the frequency every Wednesday 1-2 p.m. to play an hour of tunes in sync with the beat of my week in the form of indie/alt, electro-pop, EDM and disco. Year: Junior Major: Biology Hometown: Dublin, Ohio Top Five Albums of 2013: 1. Settle Disclosure This is my favorite album of the year, or maybe of all time. Disclosure is the perfect duo of funky beats and smooth vocals to keep you boppin your head. Every single song is phenomenal and it would be a mistake if you dont buy their album now (shameless advertisement). 2. Needs Giraffage Hes Asian, hes brilliant and he created this album that makes you feel like youre dreaming while youre awake ... in the best way possible. 3. Body Music AlunaGeorge Aluna Francis is an electro-pop goddess. This album has so much variety and keeps you mesmerized with accented vocals and interesting rhythms. 4. True AVICII I know, I know, its AVICII, but shush because instead of smacking us in the face with some drops, he made this beautiful, steady, bumping album that almost convinced me that I could start listening to country music. And dont even lie youll always belt out Wake Me Up with your friends no matter how many times you hear it cause its just that good. 5. Phantogram Phantogram Phantogram comes back with a couple songs to sample their new highly-anticipated album. Not only are all the songs catchy after the first listen, but the lyrics just kill me.
46

[Album Reviews]

Washed Out Paracosm

Sub Pop

The aptly-titled second album from Perry, Ga.s Washed Out, aka Ernest Greene, presents us with a world filled with chillwave grooves and dream pop journeys, accompanied by the best production the artist has worked with thus far. Paracosm marks a slight deviation from the purely electronic sounds Washed Out has used in the past with the addition of new instruments like violins (It All Feels Right) and pedal steel guitar (Paracosm), which lend themselves well to his more organic sound while still keeping his trademark trippy electronica. The best example of his new sound is standout track All I Know, where an acoustic guitar serves as background for the synthesizer and a beautiful piano-cello duet delights during the instrumental breakdown. Paracosm is a concept album about Greenes envisioned fantasy world. To fully appreciate the album, listen to it in its entirety as the songs transition seamlessly into each other. Washed Out has come a long way since his first cassette-only High Times EP in 2009, making this his best album to date. Max Goodley

The Knife Shaking the Habitual

Rabid Best termed as a surrealist rendering of an apocalyptic wasteland, Shaking the Habitual thrusts its listeners into desolation, mimetic of Dantes Inferno as it lures us deeper and deeper into its sordid and cryptic universe. Tracks such as A Cherry on Top and band funk sound. One of the Monkeys new tracks, One For The Road, has an echo-sound throughout that resembles fellow English alt band Muse, clearly incorporating all elements of (an AM tracks) mad sounds in your ears that the bands fans have anticipated. The Monkeys even wow audiences live, after having just played at Atlantas Music Midtown, with an ultimate stage presence, as the band dressed to the nines in suits. Whether on a track or on stage, Alex Turners vocals are undeniably contagious. Maddie Lampert

Oryx, elicit a sense of claustrophobia through purposeful cacophonies and persistent background dissonance that drone like a swarm of lethal insects. The album oscillates between long, relentless tracks (upwards of 19 minutes), and short yet poignant snippets of noise. The work is irascible, moody and antagonistic in its capricious temporality. Lead singer Karin Andersson is a muse for different demons; her vocals range from raw undulations to venomous shrills as she casts spells upon the audience in Full of Fire and Raging Lung. The album dissociates us from our psyches and alienates us from the familiar in its chilling creation of a depraved hell. Ultimately, Shaking the Habitual taunts the audience and coerces them into delirium not just embodying madness but inducing it. Alexa Cucopulos to the same pattern. However, its the softest of their albums, illustrating a more somber sound than usual. According to the band, this is because of the recent death of a friend, which is apparent from much of the subject material and even the song Death. You wont find the beautifully built, punchy moments of their earlier albums, which makes Carrier slightly less interesting to the ear, but the folksy-experimental sound that made fans fall in love with them still stands strong. Julia Howard

Arctic Monkeys AM
Domino

The Dodos Carrier

Polyvinyl

Thee Oh Sees Floating Coffin

Castle Face

Not all British indie-rock bands age gracefully, but Arctic Monkeys fifth album defies the odds. With an infectious and upbeat sound, this album perfectly mirrors the band, explicitly stated with its initialed album title, AM. Coming out of the post-punk revival in their hometown, these band members have evolved into a new, distinctive garage-

One of the best things about the Dodos is their showcasing of Logan Kroeber and Meric Longs obvious technical talent. The music is dense with intricate guitars and pounding rim-shot drums, and Carrier, released this August, holds

The album cover offers a quite accurate description of the sounds contained within Floating Coffin. Its a hodgepodge mixture of sweeter, mellower tracks reminiscent of the strawberries on the cover, but its not without its fangs, which are shown in full force on

48

the albums punk tracks. The San Francisco-based band seems to be bridging a gap between the all-out punk sound of their early records and perhaps a more overtly psychedelic, subdued future to come. The record has tracks that are guaranteed to melt your face (Toe Cutter Thumb Buster), space you out (No Spell) and finally bring you back home calmly and softly (Minotaur). Thee Oh Sees are without a doubt a very exciting band, and itll be interesting to see where they go after releasing such a fantastic, original record this year. Jacob Eckert

of Montreal Lousy with Sylvianbriar

Polyvinyl

garage rock and country-tinged folk that constituted the sunny San Francisco sound. The album's heavier and livelier cuts ("She Ain't Speakin' Now," "Hegira Emigr") are consistently delightful, while its folksier tracks are decent but unimpressive, with the one exception being "Raindrop in My Skull," sung wonderfully by new collaborator Rebecca Cash. After spending the last five years cultivating a sound that mixes funk, glam and prog-rock, Lousy With Sylvianbriar feels like a real change, but it suffers the fate of so many "transition albums:" it's not quite enough of anything. But of Montreal maintains their creativity and shows that if you can't quite sound new, you can at least stay interesting. Rhett Henry Franz Ferdinand Red Room
Vanguard

focuses on the oldies style of French electronic music. With Alex Kapranos drawl of a voice, the tracks sound like they were produced by David Bowie. The retro atmosphere of the record, eliciting images of girls roller-skating down neighborhood streets, doesnt distract from Franz Ferdinands characteristic songwriting style of eerie, almost dissonant harmonies. Kapranos takes a step back from his creativity in lyrics (the lead single Right Action is arguably meaningless) and instead directs his energy toward the short, catchy riffs that scatter across all 10 tracks. With its fun, pop feel, Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action may be Franz Ferdinands most accessible album yet. Brigid Choi

The new album by the Athens, Ga. band poses a curious question: can you make a 60s-style rock album that actually sounds new? Sylvianbriar is a gushing love letter to the Summer of Love, eschewing stereotypical notions of late 60s music as freaked-out psychedelic and instead focusing on the heavier In his first album since 2011s XXX, Danny Brown has crafted one of the most harrowing, personal statements likely to be heard in 2013, rap or otherwise. At its core, Old is a record about drug abuse, beginning with stories of the junkies he encountered as a child to his own history as a drug dealer and, finally, as a rapper famous for his Molly usage. The drug-fueled party tracks of the albums Side B are immediately exhilarating but take a darker turn upon closer inspection: Brown throws up in hotel bathrooms, gets too fucked up to speak to his daughter and constantly glances over his shoulder at the problems hes running from. Like XXX, the threat of overdosing looms over the album, culminating in his wish to live long enough to see his influence on this genre of music. Vividly detailed and

Kanye West Yeezus

Roc-A-Fella/ Def Jam

Funk is back in style. While Franz Ferdinands previous album Tonight: Franz Ferdinand was heavy on synthesizers and production, this latest record

Danny Brown Old

Fools Gold sonically diverse, with everything from traditional boom-bap to UK grime, Old may very well be this years best rap album. Ben Crais

The album is an experiment for Kanye West in the fusion of beauty with profane, utilizing industrial rock and avant-rap. But does it work? The album succeeds sonically with its fast-pace and incredible hooks but fails lyrically through and through. Tracks like On Sight have the most immature and cringe-worthy lyrics for what seems like shock value: Black dick in your spouse again / She got more n---as off than Cochran. West spends so much time trying to prove to the world hes an artist, but you cant take someone seriously for lyrics we expect from Odd Future circa-Goblin. And the album is rushed, so rushed to meet the deadline. When you listen, count the number of uhs that West uses to fill up space in each song. This album has the potential to be a more accessible Death Grips and Clipping, but due to its hastiness and West's desire to shock with more than abrasive sounds, the album fails to ascend to the godhood that West aims for. Zachary Issenberg

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The Shadowboxers Red Room

Vanguard

While the Shadowboxers got their start performing right outside my window on Emorys McDonough field, theyve surmounted their black jumpsuit talents with debut album Red Room. This album is 14 songs of smooth-talking boys that you cant help but bounce to. When you get down to it, all the songs are about being in love, out of love or between the sheets, and they want everyone to know it. The band draws from Maroon 5 musically, and, as theyve said, theyd like to open for Maroon 5 (even though the Shadowboxers would completely steal the show, especially with Hes on the Move). Whether youre zooming down the highway at night with streaks of street lamps in your rearview mirror or youre sweating through a shirt on a too-hot summer day, this album is the soundtrack you want to be living. Sloan Krakovsky King Khan and the Shrines Idle No More
Merge

Columbia After a five-year hiatus, Trent Reznor has finally returned to work on his main project Nine Inch Nails, which has been well-anticipated by fans and non-fans alike. Reznor wasnt sitting around though; in the interim, he and his friend Atticus Ross scored two original soundtracks, including The Social Network (which won an Oscar for Best Soundtrack). Marking alternative rock, likely as an attempt to leech off of the success of King Khans other ventures. Regardless of its lack of innovation, the album still has its strong points. The music is tremendous fun, like all King Khan and the Shrines albums, and great to dance to. If youre already a fan of any King Khan projects, this new album will likely impress. But if you were expecting this band to do something new, sadly, they still havent. Robert Weisblatt

Nine Inch Nails Hesitation Marks

Reznors return to Nine Inch Nails and industrial rock, Hesitation Marks is intensely reflective, fast-paced, strippeddown and characteristically dark. The familiar elements of self-deprecation still persist, but in a more mature, nostalgic tone than his previous angstladen projects. Came Back Haunted sounds like a track off of Year Zero (2007), while Everything sounds like the closest to thing to a radio single Reznors ever written. The standout track, Copy of a, reflects the things Nine Inch Nails does best in a new way steady-paced, slow-built electronic (and heavily percussive) beats with vocals intensifying every minute. The album closes subtly, with the instrumental Black Noise in a manner almost diametrically opposed to the instrumental opening track The Eater of Dreams. Ultimately, Hesitation Marks is a fortunate sign of more (great) things to come from Reznor. Neil Sethi up until the end of electro-influenced Zero. While a shift from their accustomed style, the album serves as both the best of Melt Bananas work in terms of quality and accessibility for new fans. If youve no idea what noise punk is, this is as great a start for you as youre going to get. Zachary Issenberg

King Khan and the Shrines have been around for well over a decade, but theyve never really gotten the credit that they deserve. The bands unique blend of funk, alternative rock and big band never seemed to catch on, and the band became overshadowed by King Khans other projects. Now, with their eighth studio album (and the first in five years), King Khan and the Shrines have made yet another attempt to promote the musical niche theyve gladly filled. Idle No More doesnt introduce anything too new for the Shrines. The albums style is more geared towards

Earl Sweatshirt Doris

Columbia

Melt-Banana fetch
A-Zap

While review sites are calling this the end of a hiatus, Japanese band MeltBananas new noise/dance punk hit makes leaps and bounds in production that seem to be made with years of practice. The album explodes with the violent Candy Gum and doesnt let

In his first significant release since 2010s Earl, an electrifying, precocious tape revolving almost entirely around rape and murder, Doris finds Earl Sweatshirt returning to the spotlight matured, but with mixed results. This time around, Earl oscillates between depressive confessionals about relationships and unsolicited fame (Chum, Sunday), and nocturnal, menace-laden tracks remi-

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niscent of earlier work (Hive, Centurion, Guild). Earl is best on his own or with partner in crime Vince Staples, but too often are his songs weakened by cronyism, whether it be a feature from the non-starter SK La Flare, an uninspired Tyler, the Creator, or the lazily imitative Mac Miller. Earl remains an immensely talented lyricist, stringing together internal rhymes with ease, but the presence of stunning concept songs like Hive, and Chum leave his many skill-for-skills-sake verses disappointing in comparison. Doris presents an artist in mid-evolution, preternaturally thoughtful, but frequently unfocused and adolescent. Ben Crais Diarrhea Planet Im Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams
Infinity Cat

after song of insanely high-energy, frantic punk classics. In all reality, the record is just a teaser of what you could get by going to one of their live shows and seeing these renegades party harder than you ever could in your wildest dreams. But despite the euphoria and excitement of their live experience, this record comes closer than any of their previous efforts to matching that standard. If you like disorganized, energetic punk and have yet to hear this record, then that needs to change ASAP. Jacob Eckert

to where we lose sense whether the voices are real or generated, and the driving polyrhythms and harmonic sensibilities sound like a circa-4000 AD Steve Reich. Lopatins first record out on legendary label Warp Records, R Plus Seven is process music wrapped within the moment, the tones elegantly traversing frequencies and dynamics. But its not without bite the computers next step is never predictable. R Plus Seven is truly symphonic; once we immerse in the mainframes soundscape, were hooked until the end. Mateusz Nawara The Mountain Goats All Hail West Texas (reissue)
Merge

Oneohtrix Point Never R Plus Seven

Warp

This band is so skilled at what they do that theyve been able to make a phrase as revolting as Diarrhea Planet become synonymous with unabashed fun. Im Rich... shows the Nashvillebased punk group at their highest level of accomplishment, churning out song With EDM hitting a critical mass in the past few years, originators like Daft Punk have been left out of the recent mix. After taking an eight-year hiatus, theyre finally back, and they havent lost their touch. Interestingly enough, Random Access Memories finds the group distinguishing themselves from their contemporaries by incorporating disco, prog-pop and soft-rock. Tracks like summer hit Get Lucky or the electro pop-based Doin It Right find the group in familiar dance territory, and the sevenminute long Touch takes listeners on a vast sonic journey. Die-hard fans may find the tempo of Random Access Memories too low for their liking, but the album is intentionally a personal one. The influences of this legendary

New Yorker Daniel Lopatin, aka Oneohtrix Point Never, has pioneered his own brand of ambient electronic music vastly different than the usual fare that presents underwater jet engine sounds, uninspired meditative drones and boredom. Instead, we have the beautiful song of a sole computer in a post-human world. Massive Gregorianesque choral arrangements are warped

Daft Punk Random Access Memories

Daft Life/Columbia duo become apparent in this album, and listeners can explore another side of Daft Punk that we may have otherwise not cared to listen to. Sanai Meles

Some things are meant to be on repeat. All Hail West Texas (2002) was the last album recorded on an old, fragile Panasonic boombox, the same boombox that created the Mountain Goats lo-fi feel. Newly remastered in 2013, the album includes seven never-released bonus tracks. Listening to John Darnielle's lyrics is like ripping your heart out and watching it beat in front of you, the rawest emotions you will ever experience. His alternative version of Jenny and additions of tracks like Tape Travel is Lonely and Answering the Phone provide more staples for the Mountain Goats, returning to common themes of blind infatuation, frivolous spending and existential crises. Darnielle tells multiple stories of seven people in the dry Texas heat, worshipping Satan, metal music, falling in and out of love and reconciling boredom through substance abuse. I thought a reissue would negatively impact me, reminding me of what I felt about love as a sad, lonely teenager. The emotions that boiled inside me when I first listened to these songs for the first time are indescribable, but there's a sense of closure when you revisit the best and worst times of your past. All Hail John Darnielle. Priyanka Krishnamurthy

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Jack Johnson From Here to Now to You

Brushfire/ Republic

The release of Jack Johnsons sixth solo album marks a reversion in his music to the acoustical tunes that characterized his debut. Although in the past Johnson changed the pace of his music through electric guitars and quicker riffs, in this new work, he returns to his surfer roots. Hailing from Oahu, Johnson began making music after suffering a head injury that ended his surfing career. Today, hes an environmental activist and family man, the father of three children who serve as lyrical inspiration. From the upbeat Tape Deck about the antics of his teenage band to the slower ballad for his wife I Got You, Johnson creates a relaxed album that transports the listener to Hawaiian shores. Theres nothing unexpected about From Here to Now to You, but for some artists, the expected is just right. Laura Flint

Janelle Monae The Electric Lady

Bad Boy Janelle Mone is a living human treasure. Her sophomore album is a sweeping R&B space opera overflowing with matchless talent and imagination. Whereas her debut album The ArchAndroid was impressive in its scope of represented genres, Mone here hews closer to a triad of funk, soul and R&B. his music often succeeds only off the strength of frequent collaborator Noah 40 Shebibs production. Nothing Was the Same feels like a victory lap for someone who doesnt yet deserve one, an album guaranteed to sell because its that new Drizzy Drake another tired concoction of petty bragging and tired nice-guy tropes. Ben Crais

Don't mistake this as meaning she's limited her sound; in fact, Mone has deepened her mastery of these genres while still managing to draw on influences that make ridiculous descriptors like "spaghetti western sci-fi jazz" and "doo-wop punk" totally comprehensible. The Electric Ladys list of featured artists is a who's who of R&B greats and rising stars, from Prince to Solange, Erykah Badu to Miguel. Mone's own talents as a singer have improved over her already beautiful debut skills, and the few times she raps show that she's better than most out-and-out rappers in the game today. The Electric Lady is an album of the highest caliber, rich with uplifting messages of liberation and love and featuring performances that are roundly excellent. Every human being should listen to this album. Rhett Henry play love and hate, the challenge of getting over someone and the release of telling somebody, finally, to hit the road. Its something to be listened to by yourself or, maybe, with a significant other. Dont mistake emotional for depressing, though Body Music is anything but. Its groovy and a little ambient, and youll find yourself inadvertently nodding along. As Francis coos on the albums second track, you know you like it. Nick Bradley
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Little Moments EP
Self-Released

Drake Nothing Was the Same

Cash Money

For someone known for emotional honesty, Drakes songs are surprisingly generic. Aside from album highlights like From Time and Too Much, much of Nothing Was the Same revolves around nondescript brags and whines that find Drake spouting such cringeworthy lines as Next time we fuck, I dont wanna fuck, I wanna make love. In this vagueness lies Drakes wide appeal his nondescript lyrics about lost love and overcoming adversity are so banal that almost anyone can find something to relate to. All this might be excusable if he were a great rapper or singer, but he is neither of these;

AlunaGeorge Body Music

Island

On the surface, London-based AlunaGeorges debut album is sexy. Producer George Reids beats are seductively subtle and complex, and Aluna Francis lyrics explore complex themes in the guise of songs directed at lovers past, present and future. For example, the album opens on a close with Outlines, the singers look at a fading relationship. This isnt an album youd listen to with your friends. There are too many conflicted, romantic emotions at

Clap Your Hands Say Yeahs fourth album, Little Moments, is a two-song/ two B-sides EP, not too dissimilar from the bands 2005 debut album. One of its new songs, Only Run, has the same mash-up styled, multi-tracking introduction as its early popular track, Satan Said Dance. While typically criticized as whiny (and still in that

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category) Alec Ounsworths vocals are consistent and blend well in this progressive album. All four tracks in this work have an inventive succession of melodic sound, significantly less harsh than previous albums. While the band may have lost two members in the last year, CYHSY continues to garner the spotlight of music blogs and indie fans. This album creates the perfect unity of mellow, unpolished and futuristic sound for American indie rock. Maddie Lampert

Boards of Canada Tomorrows Harvest

Warp

into brand new territory, an area thats very shadowed and even frightening at points. The record sounds like the soundtrack to a post-apocalyptic world, with its bleak atmospheres and alien noises absolutely begging the listener to experience the album in the dark, alienated from any signs of humanity. Its hard to pick single songs as standouts on the record since its such a cohesive album experience, but Boards of Canadas newest effort forces the listener to pray that the band doesnt enter another period of hibernation anytime soon. Jacob Eckert

their infectious charm with satisfying substance the albums strong melodic guitar choruses and clever hooks consistently draw in the listener throughout its 34 minutes. Despite a lingering sense of a repetitive feel, Crimes of Passion manages to maintain a healthy enough level of variation to remain interesting and engaging. From the fuzzy saxophone interludes of "Heavy Metal Clouds" to the beautiful ballad "She Splits Me Up," the album does not fail to deliver dependable enjoyment. Alex Jalandra

Crocodiles Crimes of Passion

French Kiss

Belle and Sebastian The Third Eye Centre

Matador

It came as quite a surprise that, after eight years of inactivity, Boards of Canada suddenly announced that they were dropping a new record in 2013. Perhaps its even more surprising that despite this window of inactivity, their new release is just as astounding as anything they put out in their heyday. Fortunately, Tomorrows Harvest doesnt simply feel like a recycling of BoCs old material. Rather, it pushes the group After a rough year stuck in bed, Will Wiesenfeld (aka Anticon pop star Baths) releases his third album with a sharp turn towards the morbid. Cycled samples of his falsetto provide a heavenly chorus that juxtaposes the often dark nature of the lyricism. Loss of faith in self and the world, dissolution of relationships, suicide, absolution of the self into self-servicing; the album is about human nature in the real world and gives us the comfort that were not the only ones feeling down about it. The depravity marked in the lyrics of Miasma Sky and Worsening are all the more realized by how light and refined the music surrounding it is. Its an album that brings to the part of our consciousness we loathe and hide away, and

If Crimes of Passion could be described in a single word, the choice would undeniably be "vibrant." Whether or not you're a noise pop enthusiast, it's clear that this catchy album is full of lighthearted, genuine energy. Its catchiness is far from the bubblegum pop variety, however. Crocodiles manage to back

Baths Obsidian
Anticon it does so entirely without cynical reproach. Zachary Issenberg

Does the new Belle and Sebastian album The Third Eye Centre represent a change in direction for the Glaswegian darlings, arguably the most charmingor, to some listeners callous ears, obnoxious and predictablechampions of British melancholia since Morrissey and Marr? Is it likely that Stuart Murdoch and company have managed to convert skeptics to their book club for art school dropouts? Would a single Belle and Sebastian fan want either of these previous inquiries to be answered in the affirmative? Assuredly the response to all three of these questions is a resounding no. For all their remixing and rarity, the tracks on The Third Eye Centre undeniably bear the trademark gestures of Belle and Sebastian. Suicide Girl, originally featured as a bonus track on the bands most recent studio album, Belle and Sebastian Write About Love, jauntily recounts a melancholy case unrequited love. Love on the March channels baroque pop by way of bossa nova, and Richard Xs remix of I Didnt See It Coming pays more explicit tribute than usual to Belle and Sebastians New Order-ish new wave influences. Logan Lockner

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Pusha T My Name Is My Name

Def Jam

At its best moments, My Name Is My Name is a potent vision of dystopian coke rap with Pusha rapping with measured intensity over electronic-tinged tracks that evoke sleek clubs and hellish nights of crime. Unfortunately, these moments are few and far between. The bulk of the albums midsection is a bewildering mess in which Pusha trades the uncompromising tone of the first few tracks for a strange turn towards R&B (courtesy of a Kelly Rowland feature and production by The-Dream). Hold On arouses further bafflement as executive producer Kanye West moans in auto-tune throughout the songs duration, pushing himself past the point of self-parody. Pusha T is no longer the rapper he once was in the days of Clipse, but over forward-thinking production like Numbers on the Boards, he succeeds on atmosphere alone. Everywhere else, he sounds hackneyed and out of place. Ben Crais

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Vagrant/Rough Trade

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros used to remind me a little of the Manson Family, which is to say that it always looked and sounded (endearingly) like they had just crawled out beauty and accessibility to the record. Gunns gifted musicianship and composition skills illuminate the truly flawless work, from the intricate artistry of opening track Water Wheel to the mystical-sounding, long-winded closer of Trailways Ramble. To put it bluntly: buy this record. You will not regret it, and this artist seems to have nowhere to go but up. Jacob Eckert

of the Mojave Desert. On their first two albums, their sound was jangly and full of gospel soul. But the bands latest release lacks the foot-stomping feel that set Alex Ebert and his band of minstrels apart, leaving them sounding more like the Brady Bunch. The music isnt bad, per se. It just feels uninspired like it was written to sell vinyl records at Urban Outfitters. The too-simple instrumentation is unimaginative, and the inauthentic hippie lyrical tropes on tracks like Lets Get High are played out, leaving Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros feeling downright long-winded. A creative title mightve distracted the listener from the albums lackluster content. On the other hand, the album cover will look great on your wall. Nick Bradley and sound somewhat dull (Love in the Sky) compared to his worthier songs Wicked Games and High for This from the House of Balloons mixtape. The melodies feel safe, and the lyrics arent on the same level as his mixtapes, with the exception of a few songs that are definitely among some of his best work, like single Belong to the World and the title track. Kiss Land is a disappointing album overall but only because The Weeknd has written better material and has sung with more gusto on his mixtapes than he does here. Max Goodley ASAP Ferg Trap Lord
RCA/ASAP Worldwide/ Polo Grounds

Steve Gunn Time Off

Paradise of Bachelors

The Weeknd Kiss Land

XO/Republic

For my money, Steve Gunns latest effort is the best thing to come out of 2013. Although hes currently a very under-the-radar name, hes on the rise, being an off-and-on guitarist in Kurt Viles band, the Violators. Time Off is a collection of six phenomenal folk songs, drawing inspiration from the avant-garde instrumental works of John Fahey and Jim ORourke. Though the guitar is certainly Time Offs most prominently-featured instrument, the vocals add a necessary element of

After releasing three critically-acclaimed mixtapes (House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence) in 2011 and later remastering them in 2012, Ontarios The Weeknd has released his debut album Kiss Land. The albums production includes orchestration, which adds positively to the sound by giving it an epic feel and an added layer of depth. Too bad the quality of the songs do not match the production value; most of the tracks are uninspired

With the release of ASAP Mobs Lords Never Worry mixtape last summer, ASAP Ferg distinguished himself from the rest of the crew with his jagged flow and distinctive vocals on tracks like Work and Persian Wine. Now, his debut album Trap Lord finds the Harlem native establishing himself as an

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artist in his own right. Fergs menacing presence and varying flow on Fergivicious, Shabba and Work (Remix) provide for a compelling listen, as well as songs like Hood Pope and Cocaine Castle, where he takes a more harmonious approach while describing the harsh realities of ghetto life. In each case, the dark, tense production compliments him well. While not a game changer like that of ASAP Rockys Live. Love.A$AP, Trap Lord similarly pushes the sonic boundaries of rap and leaves listeners hopeful for what the Fergenstein has in store for the future. Sanai Meles

ute to Bolan in entirely new way. Rather than transforming Bolans glam-folk style into his own, Segall infuses the approach into a new set of tracks that are written with emotion and care. The titular opening track marks a major transition for Segall from heavy thrashing to more traditionally melodic folk rock. The entire album is a sign of maturity. An angry, wild, off-the-rails sound initially propelled Segall to the height of the alternative rock scene, but, as this new album confirms, he takes great strides towards creating a new sound by rethinking his old influences. Robert Weisblatt

the mediocre mixture of these two opposing forces that is Slow Focus. Tarot Sport seemed to indicate that Fuck Buttons would continue with a more distorted, turbulent sound for their future, so its a shame to see them adding an unnecessary element of accessibility to their sound. Slow Focus is by no means a bad record, and its still undeniably the work of the very skilled Fuck Buttons, but its ultimately a disappointment to see where the band has taken the sound. Hopefully they will continue to develop the very focused blasts of noise displayed in their earlier records. Jacob Eckert

Ty Segall Sleepers
Drag City

Fuck Buttons Slow Focus

ATP

Mount Kimbie Cold Spring Fault Less Youth

Warp

In 2011, garage-rock guitarist Ty Segall confirmed that T. Rexs Marc Bolan was one of his primary influences by releasing a fantastic EP of Bolan covers entitled Ty Rex. The EP paid tribute to Bolans legacy by giving lo-fi garage rock incarnations of his classic songs. However, with Segalls Sleepers, he pays tribWhirr's latest EP succeeds in capturing the essence of traditional, melancholic shoegaze, but Arounds excessive homogeneity leaves a little something to be desired. With the exception of the coarse transition from the slow, wistful opener "Drain" to the (rather out of place) energetic intro of "Swoon," the seamless progression of the songs does an excellent job at immersing the listener in a depressive wall of sound. This is the virtue of Around's repetitive nature its steady flow allows listeners to melt into its gloomy soundscape and bask in the melancholy for nearly half an hour. However, Whirr seems to be playing it a little too safe with their strict adherence to the structural formula of a classical shoegaze song (albeit a tried-and-true formula). With that being said, Around provides a

Fuck Buttons have made their name through the outstanding noise soundscapes constructed on previous efforts like Tarot Sport (2009) and Street Horrrsing (2008). Unfortunately, their new album seeks to bridge the gap between these noisy atmospheres and a more commercial sound, leading to

Graveface consistently beautiful and haunting atmosphere the kind thats perfect for laying in bed late at night and reflecting on life. Alex Jalandra

Whirr Around

In Mount Kimbie's sophomore album, the London duo of Dominic Maker and Kai Campos breaks through conventional themes of electronic music. Though the album was entirely produced on a computer, you're still able to feel the rhythm and beats of the drum and bass. Theres a kind of intensity to the beats as they sporadically follow an organized rhythm, each intricacy tied to the next. The album contains two notable collaborations with British musician King Krule, a homage to James Blake's collaboration with RZA (Take A Fall For Me) on his recent album Overgrown. Its minimalism coupled with somewhat unintelligible lyrics creates an ambient/post-dubstep vibe (another James Blake shout-out). Mount Kimbie is finally taking more risks, attempting to really define the sound they represent. Tracks such as Home Recording and Break Well contain built-up drops and a variety of instrumentation. Mount Kimbie is changing the direction of modernist music, and I can't wait to see where they end up. It may have been a Cold Spring, but Mount Kimbie's sound is hot, hot, hot. Priyanka Krishnamurthy

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