General Interest Meeting–Sunday 7pm

We will be having a General Interest Meeting for prospective DJs this Sunday at 7pm in Pearson Hall 104. The meeting will last less than an hour. We will be covering all of the basic information for training and being a DJ and staff member at WMFO. For more information email training@wmfo.org

MAP TO PEARSON CHEMICAL LAB 

KEEP IT FREEFORM Y’ALL

Los Campesinos! at the Paradise 0

Midway through their set, one of Los Campesinos!’s (not sure to punctuate that) keyboards died. It didn’t break; it ran out of batteries. The batteries they had been using were given them at a previous show by a fan who took them out of his camera so that the show could go on. Gareth, Los Campesinos!’s frontman, apologized to the crowd: “We were going to play a popular song, I guess we can’t play it now.” He then quipped, “Here’s where you go home and write on your blog one of two things- either we were sloppy and unprofessional, or, you got to sit in on a band practice!” A few songs later, batteries procured, the band ripped through the previously skipped “We are Beautiful, We are Doomed.”

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The Mashup Episode 12! 0

The Mashup, your only college comedy radio source, IS BACK! This Sunday, we will welcome Matt Nazarian and DJ Kyle!

Coming back for the second time is Mashup favorite, Matt Nazarian. Matt is the founder and self-proclaimed dictator of The Tufts Stand-Up Comedy Collective. He also enjoys sunsets (or so we assume. Seriously, who doesn’t like sunsets?!)

DJ Kyle will also be stopping by. As his name suggests, he is a DJ, but what people may not know is that DJ Kyle is quite the lothario. Join us to learn some of his impressive tips.

Check them out from 3-4pm on Sunday afternoon! You can also listen to past episodes of The Mashup here:http://www.mixcloud.com/themashup/

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Classic Rock Mine, But Were Afraid To Ask. 0

Classic Rock Mine is dedicated to bringing you the best in classic rock music. I go beyond the traditional playlist of commercial classic rock stations to bring you a better variety of classic rock music. B sides by artists you know; A sides by artists you don’t know, including top acts from around the world. You’ll hear great classic rock that rocks from places like Japan, Norway and Argentina, as well as the US and UK. If you love classic rock, I mean really love classic rock, then you will dig my show.

US and UK bands in regular rotation include Mott the Hoople, Uriah Heep, Eric Burdon, Nazareth, Grand Funk Railroad, Black Oak Arkansas, Mountain, Johnny Winter, and of course, Foghat. International artists you can discover on the show include Lucifer’s Friend (Germany), Pappo’s Blues (Argentina), The Human Instinct (New Zealand), Flower Travellin’ Band (Japan), and November (Norway). Upbeat and rocking, and chock full of great classic rock that hasn’t been overplayed to death, Classic Rock Mine is sure to satisfy. Saturday nights from 9pm-11pm right here on WMFO! 

The B’s Knees – Best of 2011 0

2011 surprisingly made this B’s knees weak on any number of occasions.

And the music was pretty good, too.

Here’s the rundown of our faves with a smattering of the running commentary from the staff and listeners over at the Bubbles in the Think Tank Facebook Fan Page.

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Music of 2011: Tracks 10-1 0

A continued list, just in time for the New Year, of my favorite tracks from 2011. If you haven’t checked out part one, where I count down 20-11, check it out here.

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Music of 2011: Top Ten Albums 0

As I mentioned last year in my flagship post, the practice of making/searching for year-end music lists is a pastime in which all serious music fans take an unhealthy amount of pleasure. It’s exciting—validating, almost—to see an artist you’ve invested in for the entire year wind up at the top of a publication’s queue. Besides the selfish pleasure gained from seeing your favorite bands make a top spot, these lists can be equally rewarding if you can find an act you might’ve otherwise let slip through the cracks. It’s in that spirit that I again impart my mediocre knowledge of music unto you who seek out the albums that I thought were the best of 2011.

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Five 2011 Albums I Actually Liked 0

I know the usual bit is to rank the 2011 albums, from best to worst, because everyone likes a list.  The fact that no one can really dissect why #9 is better than #10, (number of songs in b minor?  cameos by rappers?  vocoders and accordians?) is besides the point.  If, in five years, someone wants to stock up on their 2011 albums that they missed then the list is the preferred reference point.  So here’s my list.  I didn’t rank a thing … but I couldn’t resist alphabetizing them.

The Blue Van “Love Shot”:  Originally released in 2010 but imported in 2011, these Danes have come a long way.  How this record hasn’t been included in some sort of top 100 list is beyond me.  It’s an excellent bluesy garage rock record that Black Keys fans could appreciate.

Dum Dum Girls “Only In Dreams”:  These ladies still showcase their excellent garage rock ability with summer tinges.  I am still getting used to the lead singer’s latest penchant for sounding like Chrissie Hynde, but it’s a fun record overall.

M83 “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming”:  A double dose from M83 was wonderful to hear, especially given that I can’t seem to get enough of the chill out and adrenaline burst music that Gonzalez lays forth every time.  It may not be the group’s best, but the record certainly has earned multiple listens from me.

Mastodon “The Hunter”:  I like my metal once in awhile, but I like it especially if the band tries to hide it with creativity.  The diversity of sound and approach on this record made it a really interesting listen throughout.

Stephen Merritt “Obscurities”:  I wrote about it here.  Not for everyone, but for Magnetic Fields fanatics, it could be the release they have been waiting for!

There’s a list for you 2011 list lovers!  Have a nice New Year…

Music of 2011: Tracks 20-11 1

Since a collegiate winter break is accompanied by so many 4:15 p.m. sunsets and lack of productive work, I thought it’d be appropriate to include my top 20 tracks of the year in addition to my top 10 albums. This list is for tracks 20-11, look for 10-1 in the coming days.

#20.  “Lord Knows Best” – Dirty Beaches

Perhaps it makes sense that the creator of this overwhelmingly unique track is a man with an overwhelmingly unique life. Alex Zhang Hungtai was born in Taiwan, but spent a great deal of his childhood and adult life traveling Canada and the rest of Asia. Keeping that in mind, try to listen to this song and not feel like you’re in a saloon from the 1940’s American Midwest. Hungtai exceeds the 80’s nostalgia so popular in music today, and goes back almost half a century more for the source of his inspiration: a poorly recorded, droopy piano line repeats back and forth as Hungtai croons in his deep tenor, as if at any moment John Wayne will bust in with a pair of pistols.

#19.  “Get Some” – Lykke Li

Swedish star Lykke Li released the beautifully haunted pop album Wounded Rhymes early in the year, and the clear highlight is the up-tempo anthem “Get Some.” Heavy toms pound out the beat as Li teases, “Like a shotgun, I can’t be outdone. I’m your prostitute, you gon’ get some.” It’s a song that asserts her power by flaunting her erotic charm, all behind a classically catchy chorus that wraps up the track in a neat and perfectly dark bundle.

#18.  “Need You Now” – Cut Copy

Maybe it’s a testament to Cut Copy’s greatness that although their third album—released in February of this year—was the weakest in their discography, it still produced what was easily one of the best dance tracks of the year. The first song on Zonoscope crescendos quickly from the wavy keyboards that mark the first sounds out of the gate; Dan Whitford starts slow, much like the instrumentation, but by the four-minute mark shimmering guitars and synths explode and Whitford wails the chorus over and over again—just enough until he’s made it perfectly clear that a party has begun.

#17. “Believer” – John Maus

Although virtually all of John Maus’ We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves sounds unsettlingly similar to Ariel Pink’s Before Today of last year (it would make sense since they’ve worked together in the past), the best track on the so-so album is the definitively unique closer “Believer.” Maus’ vocals are heavily reverbed and are almost completely drowned out by the ground bass and dense keyboards, but everything swirls together to create a wistful maelstrom of sounds that’s perfectly evocative of the album’s dark and ghostly artwork.

#16. “Ice Cream” – Battles ft. Matias Aguayo

I always feel like it’s risky for a band to choose a song featuring a non-member to be the lead single off an album; if it ends up gaining popularity, it’ll be a disappointment to play live if that featured musician isn’t there to perform it with the band. Nevertheless, the almost exclusively instrumental Battles selected “Ice Cream” to be the single off of this year’s Gloss Drop. The hyper-excited keyboard riff created by Ian Williams fits in perfectly with the goofy, unintelligible singing of Aguayo and seamlessly encapsulates the fun and brightness that Battles have a built a reputation for over their career.

#15. “MindKilla” – Gang Gang Dance

Although most of the praise from GGD’s Eye Contact has been directed towards the eleven-minute “Glass Jar,” “MindKilla” is really the track that deserves the most hype for succinctly hitting all of the aspects of what makes the band great in a slim 5:29. The track begins tentatively, with a thumping bass drum, a glittering but conservative keyboard, and Lizzi Bougastos seemingly invocating her muse. Soon after synths swell, Bougastos recites nursery rhymes, and the song crescendos two times—once to a filthy breakdown at the midpoint, and again at the track’s end when everything jumps off a cliff with 32 seconds remaining, leaving only the murmuring instrumental remnants of before. There’s so much oddness being thrown into the song at once that it transcends analysis; it’s something that should only be enjoyed jumping back and forth in your room.

#14. “Lindisfarne” – James Blake

Much like the previous track, critical acclaim has been mostly misguided in donning James Blake’s “The Wilhelm Scream” as the standout track, when in fact it’s really an exact cover of his dad’s band’s “Where to Turn.” Blake is being touted as a pioneering figure for the future of pop music, and “Lindisfarne” is at once original and indicative of that statement. The first part of the two-movement suite begins only with Blake’s transformed voice woefully serenading, “Beacon don’t fly too high.” By the second part of the track, Blake adds sparse accompaniment—a warbly guitar and lightly used drum machine add grace notes to the melody established in the track’s first movement, but create a brilliant new texture that makes the listener appreciate the same phrase in entirely new way. Blake’s innovation will be an incredibly exciting thing to observe as he reaches his mid 20’s.

#13.  “Otis” – Kanye West and Jay-Z

“Otis” is probably not even the best track on mega-collab of the year Watch the Throne, but the audacity behind the lyrics and the artists who wrote them make it one of the most culturally significant tracks this decade. In a time where the economy is so bad that Time’s Person of the Year is “the protester,” Yeezy and Jigga began selling “Occupy All Streets” t-shirts that in no way benefited the Occupy Movement, dropped an unthinkable amount of money to sample “Try a Little Tenderness,” and shot the video for the song consisting of driving around in a modified Maybach with four girls in the back seat. The verses only contain incessant rhymes about their wealth and un-touchability, and it makes for what is maybe the most simultaneously sleazy and enjoyable track of this century.

#12. “Holocene” – Bon Iver

If a song can be both Grammy-nominated for “Record of the year” and number two on Pitchfork’s songs of the year (two of the most separate spheres of music criticism today), there must be something special going on. Bon Iver creates what actually might be the most beautifully poignant track of the year; oscillating arpeggios and slide guitars shift in dynamics as Justin Vernon dejectedly declares “And at once I knew, I was not magnificent.” Saxophones pop up intermittently, but they’re too defeated to make a sizeable impression in the song’s vastness, a clever metaphor for the singer’s insignificance in the context of the song’s narrative. Through all this melancholy, hope sprouts in the subtle drum rolls and Vernon’s restrained delight in repeating “And I could see for miles, miles, miles.”

#11. “Bizness” – tUnE-yArds

“What’s the Bizness, Yeah!” Merrill Garbus shrieks, completely unaccompanied, near the end the end of the first single off of this year’s w h o k i l l. Immediately, saxophones burst in, cymbals crash, snares are smacked, and Garbus continues to wail up a chromatic scale. The song was building to this moment—not to say the previous 3:40 wasn’t an altogether joyous experience. From the opening seconds of Garbus’ brilliantly looped/layered vocals to the ukulele-dominant choruses, the songstress knows how to manufacture a track with non-stop fun. “Bizness” never stays stagnant and develops back-breakingly for the duration of the of the record—the perfect centerpiece to the delightfully eccentric album that should launch Garbus to stardom.

J Dilla “Last Donut of the Night” Contest Video 0

As I was digging around for MF Doom and Madvillain videos (love me some Doom), I guess Stones Throw Records had a contest for the best fan-made video a few months back.  There are some great ones, including a couple versions of Madvillain’s “Fancy Clown” and a claymation wonder of “Strange Ways”.  But the number one video is excellent.  Check it out … and check out some J Dilla while you’re at it.

J Dilla “Last Donut of the Night”

Knocking Me Out: Lana Del Rey 0

Guh guh guh guh …

The oldest tricks in the books still work.  Take a drop-dead gorgeous woman, with a drop-dead gorgeous voice, and hype it up to the max.  Lana Del Rey’s debut album hasn’t even been released yet (January 2012) but has gotten all sorts of recognition due to previous singles and videos.  One could also argue that Adele has a lot to do with the increased anticipation of Del Rey; the sultry vocals of one of the more (pleasantly?) over-played artists on mainstream radio has set up all sorts of aspiring, powerful singers to succeed in the modern day.

Doesn’t hurt that Del Rey poses half naked early on in her “Born to Die” video.  Or that every time she looks in the camera I think she’s looking at me.  Or maybe she’s looking at you?  Er, yes, she has a nice voice…

Lana Del Rey – Born to Die video