WRUV Reviews

Fuses indie-pop with neo-psych, dance and retro-futuristic soul. 70’s Blaxploitation-esque horns, edgy female vocals and a nostalgic atmosphere.
PLAY:2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 12

RIYL: CULTS

High-velocity, scuzzy garage-punk with loud, crunchy guitars, pummeling rhythm section and corroded glam.

PLAY: 1, 3, 4, 6, 7

RIYL: SONIC YOUTH, THE HIVES

We all know The Big Pink, kinda like the poor indie boy’s Blink-182. Well “Future This” is classic Big Pink, peaking male vocals over synth and guitar riffs, catchy lyrics (via “These Girls Fall like Dominoes) and infectious beats. I’d like to hear an acoustic version of “Future This.” So awkward. All joking aside, the album is good. Not album of the year, but not a total flub after 2009’s “A Brief History of Love.” The first track “Stay Gold” is an epic pep talk, as you can probably guess from the title. And remains to do the same throughout. As 4AD puts it, “Each song has its own message, mostly positive to help highlight Robbie’s (?) progress as both a lyricist and a singer…” Check it out.

RIYL: Blink-182, Power pop

Check out: 1,2,6, 7

FCC: Definitely Clean

Hospitality is an indie-pop band from Brooklyn that fuses the smokey sentimentality of Camera Obscura with the infectious strangeness of Belle and Sebastien. Their lead-singer, the alluring Amber Papini, dominates every track with her lovely vocals. Though that it not to say that the instrumentals on the track don’t lend fabulously to the entire sunshine-y aesthetic that the album provides. Off of Merge records, the album stands on its own as a testament to the nearly lost genre of sunshine pop. The opening track, “Eighth Avenue” fills the listener with a sense of deliberate narrative behind Papini’s vocals. Unfortunately, I have absolutely no idea what she is saying. Sounds kind of like a Sigur-Ros kind of language, yet I am pretty sure it’s English. “Sleepover” is an entirely sexy and smokey tribute to those immediately before her like Tracy Ann Campbell and Binki Shapiro.

Check out: 1,2,3,6,8

FCC: Clean

RIYL: Camera Obscura, Little Joy

I can remember listening to Ani Difranco in eighth grade in the locker room, pretending I was as emotional as she was. Though I suppose that story is neither here nor there, back then I was listening to Knuckle Down. Three albums later we have “Which Side Are You On?” If you are an avid fan like I am, you know that when “Red Letter Year” came out, Ani started to sound more like a parent because for the first time she was one. I personally thought it sounded good on her but was it the same “Little Plastic Castle” Ani? Not really. Now with “Which Side Are You On?” this is a good mixture of the lady we heard on Dilate, full of raw angst and the one we got on “Red Letter Year” with a mature and produced sound. The opening track, “Life Boat” is a lovely and authentically serious lament of a homeless mother. In “If Yr Not,” she boats, “If you’re not getting happier as you get older, then you’re fuckin’ up.” If one thing is true about Ani Difranco, you never feel guilty for listening to this jazz-fused lady rock. Not to mention, she is from Buffalo. Great town.

RIYL: Jessica Lea Mayfield, Lucinda Williams

Check out: 1, 8, 9

FCC: 8

The Life and Times’ album, “No One Loves You Like I Do” consists of dark indie space rock with vocals.  It could also be described as moody shoegazing.  Interesting music with unfortunate track names.

RIYL: The Appleseed Cast, Nirvana

PLAY: 1,3,5,8,9

FCC: 2

The soundtrack for upcoming buzzed-about movie, Chronicle, is a balance between energetic rock with a Killers’ vibe,  crazy electronic dance music, and uplifting electronic music.  The soundtrack includes contributions from artists: M83, STRFKR, Simian Mobile Disco, Congorock, and more.  Overall it’s an interesting combination of songs that increases my intrigue about the movie.

RIYL: The Killers, Justice, + more

PLAY: (Rock) - 3,4,12  (RPM) - 6,7,8,10,11

FCC: n/a

The Black Belles are an all-female garage-goth band.  This is their first LP, and it comes off of Jack White’s label.  They have pleasingly dark lyrics, a very charismatic vocalist, and quality production value.

RIYL: The White Stripes, The Cuts

PLAY: 2,3,6,7, but all are good

FCC: n/a

Bare Wires’ album, “Cheap Perfume” is very good upbeat post-punk from San Fransisco.

RIYL: The Ramones, The Kinks, Jay Reatard

PLAY: 5, 7, all good though

FCC: n/a

Isidore is a collaboration between two older fellows, Jeffrey Cain, and Steve Kilbey.  I would best describe their album, Life Somewhere Else, as what the Velvet Underground would sound like if they heavily relied on synth pads.  Despite the producer, Jeffrey Cain, being an older fellow, he is adept at producing modern electronic music.  The production and lyrics combine to create a dreamlike atmosphere that could be described by some as ‘epic’.  Kilbey’s vocals are very intriguing, it sort of sounds like he’s making up the lyrics on the spot during a lucid hallucination experience.

RIYL: Velvet Underground, Sparklehorse

PLAY: 2,6,8,14 but all are good

FCC: n/a