WRUV Reviews

Mellow, minimalist, indie pop. Makes nice use of vocal harmonies, a broad range of percussion, and string instruments. 

Play: 3,4,5,6,9

Raw, upbeat, indie mixed with classic rock influences. Pretty “big” sounding, straight beats with grooving distorted guitar riffs. 

Play: 1,3,4,8

A Brooklyn duo with synths and guitar. Really upbeat, catchy, summer surf-pop. 

Play: 2,4,5 

FCC: 1

Zuu’s latest, Everywhere, is pretty standard alt rock/rock.  They do though have some intersting hooks and lead singer Emvy’s voice adds a nice harmony to the music. Unfortunatley,the best songs seem to be the shortest “interlude” songs.   Not a stand out album but it has a few gems worth checking out.

LOCAL BAND!!! Slow, meandering post/indie rock vibes.  Processed, breathy vocals float above slow, reflective guitar riffs giving some songs dream-like qualities.  A minimalist approach as the drums, bass, and guitar seem to float around in separate spaces.   This album allows for great headphone ventures.

RIYL Do Make Say Think

Sugg# 1, 5, 3

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Adam’s opera score about Oppenheimer’s development of the nuclear bomb. This is harrowing music and evokes quite well the terrors and tension of destruction. Also “Guide to Strange Places”, a soldier’s perspective and experience of war, expressed musically.

Nonesuch has released a retrospective of this avant-garde composers works. Operas, concertos, chamber pieces. Very interesting! Try tracks 7-9 on CD 1, ,4, & 9  on CD 2

Timothy Buzbee and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra perform classical and avant-garde works by North American composers, Broughton, Grant, Winteregg and York. Broughton and York’s pieces are more in the classical sentiment, whereas Grant and Winteregg seem more avant-garde. All are interesting works, and give the tuba room to be expressive.

Rachmaninoff performs his own arrangements of other composer’s works (Bach, Kreisler, Mendelssohn) as well as some of his own works through a re-performance process developed by Zenph. Rachmaninoff’s recordings were analyzed with software to determine how he actually played. This information was then used by a robotically outfitted Steinway piano to re-play the pieces. The first set of tracks have a typical microphone position in front of the piano. The second set has a different microphone set-up, which mimics hearing low notes from the left side of the piano, and high notes from the right side.  All tracks were originally performed between 1921 and 1942.  Exquisite original performances!

This composer has written all kinds of pieces–orchestral, ballet, theater, opera. These chamber pieces are for the most part impressionistic (tracks 1-4 & 8;). Other tracks have an eerie, but appealing quality. Play any! Liner notes give explanations as to the music theory and influences of the works. Interesting.