Monthly Archives: October 2011

Debuting with their self-titled album, The Barr Brothers have brought with them songs that not only mesh old sounds with new, but also include stimulating lyrics that, unlike some Top 40 hits, are deep and meaningful. A four-member group from Montreal, Quebec, the Barr Brothers only just released their first full album even though they have been together since 2006.

The opening track, “Beggar in the Morning,” gives a solid introduction to the album as well as to the band itself, capturing the essence of their style and of the tracks to come. With its distinct yet organic sounds, the track simply refreshes you for the first minute and then eases you into a wonderful melody. Read More »

I knew there was something odd about this Lewis Black standup special when the first thing he started talking about was the hole in the ozone layer. I started thinking, “Hmmm. I didn’t know the hole in the ozone was still a problem.” Then I looked at the track listing and saw his bits were titled “Dan Quayle” and “President Reagan.” It’s after that that you realize that this probably isn’t a new set. Read More »

So the previous week I decided to spend my time convincing you to stop what you were doing, sit down, and enjoy a nice relaxing night of (mostly) gentle music to pull at your heartstrings. This week is a little different. Honestly the best thing you could do with this week’s album is put it in your car, turn the engine on, and speed off (and by “speed” I mean the speed limit, of course) into the sunset blasting the music. With Love and Squalor by We Are Scientists is what happens when you take the heavy production out alternative music; there are only three guys in the band, so you hear three instruments. The guitar is not overdubbed into fifteen parts, the bass is not thrown into the background, existing simply because it is assumed that there should be a bassist in a rock band, and the hi-hat is the only thing panned hard left, so you don’t have to listen past production value to hear what the drummer is playing. What is the result? An album that is as enjoyable to listen to quietly with headphones as blasted through 15 inch speakers. Read More »

On September 27^th the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced the list of nominees for the 2012 Induction ceremony. The twelve nominees are: Guns N’ Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Heart, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Rufus with Chaka Khan, Beastie Boys, The Cure, Donovan, Erik B. & Rakim, The Small Faces/The Faces, Laura Nyro, Freddie King, The Spinners, Donna Summer, and War. This year’s nominees show the Rock Hall’s continued move towards musical diversity, with more hip-hop groups added to the list of nominees than in previous years. One of the big surprises for me on this list was the fact that Heart was not already in the Rock Hall, perhaps in my study of the inductions I simply assumed that they had already been inducted in some year. No doubt that the pushes for the number of female artists come from the Rock Hall’s current feature exhibit: “Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power.” Read More »

On his latest full-length album Oh Fortune, Canadian singer-songwriter Dan Mangan shows that he’s no indie one trick pony, as he grows out of his days of folk ballads and evolves into a fuller, more pop-y sound. That is not to say he ignores his past — rather, he builds on it for an effect that is both thought provoking and fun to listen to. Read More »

Listening to Savaging Spires’ debut album was an experience akin to picking up a secret radio signal that no one knows about. The music is plenty eerie and atmospheric enough, and when I googled their name to find out more about them, not much came up. Not only does Savaging Spires’ not have a Wikipedia entry, but I also read somewhere that they are intentionally keeping a low profile perhaps to propagate their mysterious image. According to their Facebook page, Savaging Spires is a band “originally from the Midlands – but now scattered around the country.” Midlands is a traditional name for England’s central area.

Read More »

After the Homecoming tailgate on Saturday, a very special event took place in Bulldog Alley– AlumLive, the first reunion of WGTB DJs from throughout the station’s history. DJs from the 1960s to the present took the stage to share powerful stories of their time at WGTB and what it meant to them. Along the back wall, an exhibit displayed our huge collection of archives, including original FCC licenses, internal memos regarding the station shut-down, and playlists from different decades. I think I speak for everyone that attended when I say it was a very meaningful and moving atmosphere, bringing our WGTB community closer even across generations, celebrating our common experience. In case you missed it, here is a video recap of the stories they shared and a slideshow of pictures to catch you up.

Read More »

“A man broke his jaw trying to say what I / say on the microphone, you shoulda left it alone / just for the record, let it be known / that my ego’s only partially grown / and never will I ever condone / biting, in any form”

-Masta Ace, “The Symphony,” 1988.

 Nothing can inspire indignant hip-hop purists and classicists quite like Justin Bieber’s flirtations with rap music. When Raekwon featured on the 2010 remix of Bieber’s hit “Runaway Love,” many “real hip-hop heads” were up in arms, disturbed by how their favorite gritty street rapper would sell his soul to the marshmallow-soft teen pop star. Read More »