Editor-in-Chief: Umar Khan (Music Director) rotation@georgetownradio.com
Managing Editor: Samantha Kosarzycki
Copy Editor: Jackson Sinnenberg
Associate Editors: Katrina Zheleznyak, Kristen Trivelli, Sean Stempler
Writers: Adam Dorko, Allie Prescott (WGTB General Manager), Allison Heymann, Benjamin Perotin, Darnell Bland, Elizabeth Coscia, Elizabeth Fink, Emily Min, Gabe Schuman (Music Director) James Wolfe, Johan Clarke, Joey Goodman, Julian Sena, Leslie Bergmann, Mary Ellen Funke, Matthew Fried, Michelle Zhou, Peter Kelly, Samantha Lin, Sam Wolter, Sarah Butler, Tess O'Connor, Tim Tsai
Even if you’re not a fan of The Black Keys, it’s likely their sound is a lot more familiar than you would think. Their music is prevalent in soundtracks for film, television, and even video games. It is in this area where their music really shines, their distinctive brand of lo-fi and affected blued rock lends a certain cool-factor to almost anything, even the paramount importance of american express to a certain ketchupy olympian. Read More »
Finally, an indie-folk band that is just accepting that half of their image comes from the beard and nothing else. Pearl and Beard, the Brooklyn based trio, aren’t quite as soft as their pidgeon-holed genre might suggest, though. Their sound is uncharacteristically soulful and powerful; they don’t shy away from a shout here and there (see: picture). Head down to H street Friday night and maybe he’ll let you rub his beard for good luck! Check them out in this subway!
I generally like to call myself a music enthusiast of sorts; someone up-to-date on a wide variety of artists, genres and random happenings in the world of music. Well, my mind has been blown away; I’ve been put into check by a single album and I’ve been forced to realize that I actually know very little. Yes, I originally learnedofJanelle Monae about a year ago but I didn’t take any time to listen to her work before now. Big Mistake. Her sophomore album, The ArchAndroid, was released last week under Wondaland Arts Society and Bad Boy Records. It’s been quite a while now since I’ve listened to an album and loved every bit of it. Yeah, there have been random songs or artists that have caught my attention over the years but Janelle Monae’s originality definitely sets her apart from the average artist. I’m trying to think of the last time I’ve been completely at a lost for words describing what I think of an album in its entirety. The only phrase that might even come close to portraying what I think of The ArchAndroid is that it’s “freaking amazing” but even that doesn’t fully describe how much I love this album. Read More »
Together has been lauded as the triumphant return of the New Pornographers after the lull of 2007’s Challengers, but after a few listens, I couldn’t help but feel a little bit underwhelmed. Maybe it’s easy to expect too much of The New Pornographers, a band that has churned out several critically acclaimed albums in the past ten years and stars four very talented and individually successful musicians like A.C. Newman, Dan Bejard of Destroyer, Neko Case and Kathryn Calder. We expect chugging guitar riffs and infectious pop hooks sung in perfect male/female harmonies, so sugary that we can easily swallow down those abstruse lyrics. Most of all, we expect them to sound as fresh and energetic as they did when we first blasted Mass Romantic over our speakers ten years ago. Not that I should be projecting all my expectations on to you—maybe it’s just me holding on to the sounds of “Letter From An Occupant,” “Electric Vision” and “Sing Me Spanish Techno” a little too tightly. But it’s difficult to say exactly what’s missing on the new album. It’s more mid-tempo than earlier albums, but no more so than 2005’s Twin Cinemas. There are the high-energy numbers of old like “Crash Years,” “Up In The Dark” and “Your Hands (Together).” There are breezy hook-filled tracks like “Silver Jenny Dollar” and “Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk.” So what’s the problem?
Welcome to ‘The District Dialect,’ a column about the distinctive sounds of Washington, DC. Our writers are going out into the District and capturing the sounds that make our city unique, and showing us where music exists in ways subtler than we often notice. All audio pieces are recorded, edited, and produced by the authors’. This week Catherine Degennaro went to Ben’s Chili Bowl:
If you live in DC, you may know the famous Ben’s Chili Bowl as a great place to grab a late bite after a night out at the Black Cat or the 9:30 Club. If you don’t, you may know it as that place where Bill Cosby and the Obamas eat free. But beyond being a hotspot for hungry college students and DC royalty alike, the restaurant is steeped in U Street and Washington history. Catherine DeGennaro and Christina Crisostomo, resident connoisseur of all things chili, stopped by to explore Ben’s storied history, food and atmosphere over a blasting jukebox and the sound of halfsmokes sizzling on the grill.
Note: Delta Spirit will be performing at the 9:30 Club on July 3rd. You should totally go.
by Jared Iversen
Rating: A
I know what you’re thinking, “Another A album? WGTB has more grade inflation than a high school English class.” Maybe, but Delta Spirit’s sophomore album History From Below is a wonderfully crafted portrait of Americana that is deserving of such praise. The five-piece San Diego band delivers a mature and intelligent album that aims to say something meaningful about life with genuine emotion and conviction. Read More »
Have you ever seen a Liquid Crystal Display Soundsystem in a store?
Of course not. That’s because such a device doesn’t exist in the real world. In reality the name LCD Soundsystemis the unreal product of two very different concepts fused together into one being, a sort of chimera between sight and sound. Like all mythical beings and things that are sort of grounded in things we know, the image we have of an LCD Soundsystem lives somewhere on the fringe of our imagination, operating in the seemingly gray area between reality and fiction. Read More »
I’ve been on an Elliott Smith kick a mile wide lately, showing perhaps not much progress since last week’s somber and loveliest ballad, but if there’s anyone that can most adeptly balance so-sad-you-smile with a structured and appealing sound, it’s Smith. He’s also a master of the live cover (check out the complete set here), though this one was studio recorded for the film Thumbsucker and has a high quality hazy, dreamy sound. Read More »
