WUTK Music Musings

Ben T O Interviews Paul Collins of Beirut

2012-01-08T20:30:00.000-08:00

Ben T O - host of the Indie Aisle (on Monday nights from 8-10pm) - interviews Paul Collins, the bassist of Beirut, before their show at the Bijou Theatre, Sunday, December 4th, 2011.

Listen below!

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Michael S' Best of 2011

2011-12-09T16:58:00.000-08:00

Yes, its that time again. It's cooling down but only with cold rains, grey days and the tease that maybe there will be snow to only be left more cold water on the ground

But beyond what most consider the woes of mid-December weather come the woes or gratification of the constant "Best of.." list that (sarcastically) you must take seriously because i know some much and my opinion is reliable. But maybe You'll see something on here and check it out and it will make your end of year.

So here is Knoxville's own Michael Smith, host of "The 80's Rockoff" on Fridays from 10pm-Midnight and co-host of "Local's Only" on Tuesday's from 8pm-10pm, "Top 15 Albums of 2011" I choose 15 because my memory is not great and i could remember 25 in one sitting. There are no summaries either because i didn't want to write 15 of them, but instead of summaries i gave you likely my favorite track from the album. this is in revese order because it's more fun. Please feel free to comment, they can be fun as well.

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15. Twin Sister - In Heaven

Kimmi In a Rice Field by Twin Sister on Grooveshark

14. Electric Six - Heartbeats and Brainwaves

French Bacon by Electric Six on Grooveshark

13. Bass Drum Of Death - GB Citys

Get Found by Bass Drum of Death on Grooveshark

12. The Black Belle - The Black Belles

Honky Tonk Horror by The Black Belles on Grooveshark

11. Dum Dum Girls - Only In Dreams

Coming Down by Dum Dum Girls on Grooveshark

10. Cold Cave - Cherish the Light Years

Burning Sage by Cold Cave on Grooveshark

9. The Antlers - Burst Apart

No Widows by The Antlers on Grooveshark

8. David Lynch - Crazy Clown Time

So Glad by David Lynch on Grooveshark

7. The Kills - Blood Pressure

Satellite by The Kills on Grooveshark

6. Handsome Furs - Sound Kapital

Cheap Music by Handsome Furs on Grooveshark

5. Cults - Cults

Abducted by Cults on Grooveshark

4. Zola Jesus - Conatus

Lick the palm of the burning handshake by Zola Jesus on Grooveshark

3. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

The Glorious Land by PJ Harvey on Grooveshark

2. Still Corners - Creature of an Hour

Cuckoo by Still Corners on Grooveshark

1. The Raveonettes - Raven In the Grave

Recharge & Revolt by The Raveonettes on Grooveshark

The Gold Standard Hip Hop Show Gets Childish

2011-10-07T15:07:00.000-07:00

Last night, Gold Standard Hip Hop Show hosts El Blanco Nine and White Lightning (me) packed up and hit the road to Nashville to see rapper/comedian/life connoisseur Childish Gambino. Childish, known by some as Troy from Community, and others as stand-up comedian and writer for 30 Rock Donald Glover, and others still as that dude in Bro-Rape, raps with an intensity equal to Wu-Tang and as sexual as Prince. His rhymes are intricate and getting better with every release, his beats are original (using samples from the likes of Grizzly Bear, Adele, and Sleigh Bells), and his vocal talent is starting to be a bigger part of the music he makes. While he is a bit new the The Rock, he is a favorite of GSHH's head honchos.

After rocking out to R. Kelly, Fred Durst, and Outkast on the ride up, we pulled into the Cannery Ballroom, grabbed our passes, and waited for Childish to start up while his opener, DJ SiiK, threw down some nice tracks featuring samples of 90's classics and current hits. When the lights went down and the words "SIGN UP. FOR. CAMP" (Camp being the name of Childish's third album (but his label debut), the crowd went wild and Gambino opened up with a killer rendition of "Hero" off of his second LP, Culdesac. Following up Childish ran through hits like "Freaks and Geeks", "I Be On That", and "Let Me Dope You". Halfway through the set, Gambino and his talented live band led the audience in the jamie xx remix of Adele's "Rolling In The Deep" before ripping into his verse nearly twice as fast as the recording. Throughout the night Childish ran through his verses at lightning speed, showcasing his quick skills especially in the new track "UCLA". "I'm on my Polynesian everyday. Asian girls everywhere; UCLA" rang through while he spit three solid verses with moments as quick as Busta Rhymes. Childish also ran through a sick version of the single off Camp, "Bonfire", afterwards admitting that it was the first time he had run through the whole thing live. Gambino wrapped up his regular set about 12 songs in and came out for a freestyle encore over his track "F**k it All". The whole show was a blast, and Childish Gambino rocked the house.

After the show, me and El Blanco headed backstage where we got to meet the man himself. He was a really nice guy, despite sounding like he was about to collapse, and we will be doing an interview for the show sometime this week. Stay tuned to Gold Standard for more info on this. In the mean time, sit back and enjoy this video of Childish in LA. The concert was a blast. We'll be talking about it on the show this week, so stay tuned Sunday Night from 10-12 for more on his set. White out.

Neon Indian on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

2011-09-19T07:21:00.000-07:00

Check out this sweet clip of Neon Indian playing on Jimmy Fallon this week.

1. We'd really love to get our hands on one of those modules.
2. We just got Era Extraña in the mail and we're all kinds of excited to hear it.

Stay tuned for sure to be awesome tracks from the sure to be awesome album.

Charts for 9/12/11

2011-09-15T20:34:00.000-07:00

Radio 200 Chart

1              MALE BONDING               Endless Now      Sub Pop
2              STEPHEN MALKMUS AND THE JICKS        Mirror Traffic     Matador
3              BEIRUT The Rip Tide       Pompeii
4              PORTUGAL. THE MAN    In The Mountain In The Cloud    Approaching AIRballoons-Atlantic
5              DOM     Family Of Love Astral Werks
6              PEPPER RABBIT Red Velvet Snowball      Kanine
7              HUSH NOW        Memos                Self-Released
8              CSS         La Liberacion      V2-Downtown-Cooperative
9              FRUIT BATS         Tripper Sub Pop
10           REAL ESTATE      Days      Domino
11           MISTER HEAVENLY          Out Of Love        Sub Pop
12           HORRORS            Skying   XL
13           WAR ON DRUGS               Slave Ambient   Secretly Canadian
14           DRUMS                Portamento       Frenchkiss
15           ETTES    Wicked Will         Krian
16           BLOOD ORANGE               Coastal Grooves               Domino
17           LOTUS   Lotus (2011)       SCI Fidelity
18           RICHARD BUCKNER         Our Blood            Merge
19           WILD FLAG          Wild Flag              Merge
20           MIKE DOUGHTY                Yes And Also Yes              Megaforce-Snack Bar
21           THIEVERY CORPORATION             Culture Of Fear ESL
22           TORO Y MOI       Freaking Out [EP]             Carpark
23           MOGWAI            Earth Division     Sub Pop
24           CYMBALS EAT GUITARS Lenses Alien       Barsuk
25           WU LYF Go Tell Fire To The Mountain      L Y F
26           ARMY NAVY       The Last Place    Self-Released
27           YELLOW OSTRICH             The Mistress      Barsuk
28           PETER WOLF CRIER          Garden Of Arms               Jagjaguwar
29           LITTLE DRAGON                Ritual Union       Peacefrog
30           J NATURAL          Love Is On Hiatus             Ante Vorta

Top 5 Adds

1              FEATURES           Wilderness         M2
2              BLITZEN TRAPPER            American Goldwing        Sub Pop
3              CANT     Dreams Come True         Terrible
4              WILD FLAG          Wild Flag              Merge
5              VHS OR BETA     Diamonds And Death     Krian

Gold Standard Hip Hop Show Revamped!

2011-09-13T10:21:00.000-07:00

What's going on fine people of the internet. We've got an earth shaking monumental announcement to make. Recently, the Gold Standard Hip Hop show has gone through a stage of changes. Unfortunately, one of these changes is that MC Culpepper and DJ Wigs have stepped down from their post as Senior Hip Hop Aficionado Vinyl Scratching Masterminds. However, this does not mean that the show is dead. As a matter of fact, the Gold Standard is pretty high right now, under new management from El Blanco Niño and DJ White Lightning. You can expect the same quality cutting edge underground, indie, alternative, and old school hip hop that the show has been throwing down in the past, just with a new pair of voices behind the mic. We've got some big things in store for the show in terms of interviews and features, so stay tuned EVERY Sunday night from 10-12 to hear the newly renovated Gold Standard Hip Hop Show on 90.3 The Rock; UT's college of Hip Hop.

New Releases + Previews!

2011-09-13T09:48:00.000-07:00

Here's what's been released today plus a track from the album!

Big Harp - White Hat
"Everybody Pays"

CANT - Dreams Come True
"Too Late, Too Far"

Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost
"Vomit"

Ladytron - Gravity the Seducer
Ladytron - Gravity The Seducer by nettwerkmusicgroup

Mates of State - Mountaintop
"Maracas"

Neon Indian - Era Extraña
"Polish Girl"

The Pack A.D. - Unpersons
"Crazy"

St. Vincent - Strange Mercy
"Cruel"

Wild Flag - Wild Flag
"Romance"

Charts for 9/6/11

2011-09-13T09:47:00.001-07:00

:: WUTK Charts for Week of 9/6/11 ::

Top 30
1 PORTUGAL. THE MAN In The Mountain In The Cloud Approaching AIRballoons-Atlantic
2 MISTER HEAVENLY Out Of Love Sub Pop
3 MALE BONDING Endless Now Sub Pop
4 ETTES Wicked Will Krian
5 HORRORS Skying XL
6 WAR ON DRUGS Slave Ambient Secretly Canadian
7 STEPHEN MALKMUS AND THE JICKS Mirror Traffic Matador
8 DOM Family Of Love Astral Werks
9 FRUIT BATS Tripper Sub Pop
10 RELEASE THE SUNBIRD Come Back To Us Brushfire
11 THEOPHILUS LONDON Timez Are Weird These Days Reprise
12 DECEMBERISTS Itunes Session Capitol
13 RICHARD BUCKNER Our Blood Merge
14 HUSH NOW Memos Self-Released
15 LITTLE DRAGON Ritual Union Peacefrog
16 BEIRUT The Rip Tide Pompeii
17 YELLOW OSTRICH The Mistress Barsuk
18 GRACE JONES Hurricane Pias
19 THIEVERY CORPORATION Culture Of Fear ESL
20 J NATURAL Love Is On Hiatus Ante Vorta
21 SHABAZZ PALACES Black Up Sub Pop
22 PIMPS OF JOYTIME Janxta Funk! Wonderwheel
23 THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS Join Us Rounder-Idlewild
24 VARIOUS ARTISTS Live From Nowhere Near You: Vol II Greyday
25 COLLECTIONS OF COLONIES OF BEES Giving Hometapes
26 ARMY NAVY The Last Place Self-Released
27 BON IVER Bon Iver Jagjaguwar
28 AM AND SHAWN LEE Celestial Electric ESL
29 TINARIWEN Tassili Anti
30 CSS La Liberacion V2-Downtown-Cooperative

Top New Adds
1 DRUMS Portamento Frenchkiss
2 TORO Y MOI Freaking Out [EP] Carpark
3 HUSH NOW Memos Self-Released
4 MOGWAI Earth Division Sub Pop
5 WATERS Out In The Light TBD

Make sure you tune in to the Chart Attack every Saturday from 4-7 PM to hear the top twelve, new adds, and spotlights and interviews on upcoming shows on the only station that plays music you want to hear; 90.3 The Rock.

Toro Y Moi - "Freaking Out"

2011-09-13T09:21:00.000-07:00

Check out some awesome new music off of the upcoming EP Freaking Out, from chillwave dance king Toro Y Moi.

Toro y Moi - Freaking Out by Alcyoneslight

After you're done dancing the day away, tune in to the Rock for your chance to win one of our weekend or day passes to the Asheville synth-worshipping womp-inducing festival. Rock on.

We love: Cults

2011-08-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

Cults is everything you want in a new indie band. Their music is catchy and infectious; beautiful and upbeat. When we first heard "Go Outside," we all literally wanted to run out of our station (located in a basement, mind you) and frolic in the sun rays. It is one of those songs that must only be heard at a loud volume with your windows down in your car. Who cares if it is 100 degrees out! Cults will undoubtedly cool your mood. Their self-titled debut album has much more than just one hit, though. Cults provides you with song after song of haunting vocals and jangly guitar. Hand claps and a heart-wrenching chorus makes "Abducted" another favorite.

In addition to their music, Cults interview with Pitchfork makes us love them all the more. They love Timber Timbre and James Blake as much as we do, AND they want to collaborate with MF DOOM. Here's to hoping DOOM sees that soon. We could really use a Cults featuring MF DOOM song to put into heavy rotation...

WUTK Charts for 08/02/11!

2011-08-02T12:42:00.001-07:00

WUTK CHARTS 08/02/11

WUTK TOP 200:
1 BON IVER Bon Iver Jagjaguwar
2 WASHED OUT Within And Without Sub Pop
3 YACHT Shangri-La DFA
4 CITY AND COLOUR Little Hell Vagrant
5 THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS Join Us Rounder-Idlewild
6 FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE Sky Full Of Holes Yep Roc
7 PIMPS OF JOYTIME Janxta Funk! Wonderwheel
8 NEW MASTERSOUNDS Breaks From The Border
9 AGGROLITES Rugged Road Young Cub
10 SCI-FI LOVESTORY Electrocutie [EP] Knoxtone
11 PORTUGAL. THE MAN In The Mountain In The Cloud Atlantic
12 JOHN MAUS We Must Become The Pitiless Censors Of Ourselves Ribbon
13 TY SEGALL Goodbye Bread Drag City
14 ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER Last Summer Merge
15 FRUIT BATS Tripper Sub Pop
16 TIM EASTON AND THE FREELAND BARONS Beat The Band New West
17 THEE OH SEES Castlemania In The Red
18 MEMORY TAPES Player Piano Carpark
19 UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA Unknown Mortal Orchestra Fat Possum
20 FOSTER THE PEOPLE Torches Columbia
21 ALKALINE TRIO Damnesia Epitaph
22 GILLIAN WELCH The Harrow And The Harvest Acony
23 THIEVERY CORPORATION Culture Of Fear ESL
24 HANDSOME FURS Sound Kapital Sub Pop
25 CULTS Cults Columbia-In The Name Of
26 DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE Codes And Keys Atlantic
27 SHABAZZ PALACES Black Up Sub Pop
28 MOONFACE Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I'd Hoped Jagjaguwar
29 RELEASE THE SUNBIRD Come Back To Us Brushfire
30 METRONOMY The English Riviera Because

TOP 5 ADDS:
1 DECEMBERISTS Itunes Session Capitol
2 ETTES Wicked Will Krian
3 COLLECTIONS OF COLONIES OF BEES Giving Hometapes
4 WAR ON DRUGS Slave Ambient Secretly Canadian
5 VIVA BROTHER Famous First Words A&M-Octone

HIP HOP CHART:
1 KANYE WEST AND JAY-Z "otis" [Single] Def Jam
2 WU-TANG CLAN LEGENDARY WEAPONS E1
3 NAS "Nasty" [Single] Def Jam
4 COOL KIDS When Fish Ride Bicycles Green Label Sound
5 WUGAZI 13 Chambers No Label
6 PUSHA T "Trouble On My Mind" [Single]
7 POTLUCK Rhymes And Resin Suburban Noize
8 BEASTIE BOYS Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2 Capitol
9 GRIEVES Together/Apart Rhymesayers
10 HAIL MARY MALLON Are You Gonna Eat That? Rhymesayers

HIP HOP ADDS:
1 WUGAZI 13 Chambers No Label
2 ASTRONAUTALIS "Dimitri Mendeleev" [Single]

LOUD ROCK CHART:
1 DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT Deconstruction Inside Out
2 WARBRINGER "Living Weapon" [Single] Century Media
3 A PALE HORSE NAMED DEATH And Hell Will Follow Me SPV
4 SEPULTURA Kairos Nuclear Blast
5 ALESTORM Back Through Time Napalm
6 TOXIC HOLOCAUST Conjure And Command Relapse
7 SVARTSOT Maledictus Eris Napalm
8 SKALMOLD Baldur Napalm
9 OBSCURA Omnivium Relapse
10 DECAPITATED Carnival Is Forever Nuclear Blast

LOUD ROCK ADDS:
1 MASTODON "Black Tongue" [Single] Reprise
2 PSYCHOSTICK Space Vampires Vs Zombie Dinosaurs In 3D Rock Ridge
3 JASTA Jasta eOne
4 HAIL!HORNET Disperse The Curse Relapse
5 UNKIND Harhakuvat Relapse

WORLD CHART:
1 THIEVERY CORPORATION Culture Of Fear ESL
2 AGGROLITES Rugged Road Young Cub
3 JOLLY BOYS Great Expectation Wall Of Sound-eOne
4 SEUN ANIKULAPO-KUTI AND EGYPT 80 From Africa With Fury: Rise KF
5 STEPHEN MARLEY Revelation Part 1: The Root Of Life Universal Republic
6 VIEUX FARKA TOURE The Secret Six Degrees
7 VARIOUS ARTISTS Playing For Change 2: Songs Around The World Concord-Hear
8 EASY STAR ALL-STARS First Light Easy Star
9 LEE "SCRATCH" PERRY Rise Up M.O.D. Technologies
10 VARIOUS ARTISTS Red Hot And Rio 2: Nova Tropicalia eOne

WORLD ADDS:
1 ILAIYARAAJA Solla Solla: Maestro Ilaiyaraaja And The Electronic Pop Sound Of Kollywood Finders Keepers

RPM CHART:
1 THIEVERY CORPORATION Culture Of Fear ESL
2 PRODIGY Worlds On Fire Cooking Vinyl-The End
3 JAPANESE POPSTARS Controlling Your Allegiance EMI-Astralwerks
4 SBTRKT SBTRKT XL-Young Turks
5 CLUBFEET Gold On Gold Illusive Sounds
6 AMON TOBIN ISAM Ninja Tune
7 OCOTE SOUL SOUNDS Taurus ESL
8 VARIOUS ARTISTS Nickodemus Presents: Turntables On The Hudson Vol. 8: Reflecting Cielo
9 KATY B Katy On A Mission [EP] Ammunition
10 LAUREL HALO Hour Logic Hippos In Tanks

RPM ADDS:
1 KATY B Katy On A Mission [EP] Ammunition
2 FALL ON YOUR SWORD Another Earth Milan
3 HUDSON MOHAWKE Satin Panthers Warp
4 GRACE JONES Hurricane Pias
5 SPANK ROCK "Energy" [Single] Bad Blood

WUTK's Favorite songs of the week!

2011-07-28T14:01:00.001-07:00

Jam and love us... and then jam some more.

WUTK Charts for 07/26/11!

2011-07-28T14:00:00.001-07:00

WUTK Charts for 07/26/11

TOP 200

1 YACHT Shangri-La DFA

2 BON IVER Bon Iver Jagjaguwar

3 GILLIAN WELCH The Harrow And The Harvest Acony

4 UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA Unknown Mortal Orchestra Fat Possum

5 THIEVERY CORPORATION Culture Of Fear ESL

6 HANDSOME FURS Sound Kapital Sub Pop

7 FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE Sky Full Of Holes Yep Roc

8 JOHN MAUS We Must Become The Pitiless Censors Of Ourselves Ribbon

9 SHABAZZ PALACES Black Up Sub Pop

10 WASHED OUT Within And Without Sub Pop

11 CITY AND COLOUR Little Hell Vagrant

12 CULTS Cults In The Name Of-Columbia

13 THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS Join Us Rounder-Idlewild

14 TY SEGALL Goodbye Bread Drag City

15 JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD We Are The Champions Infinity Cat

16 SCI-FI LOVESTORY Electrocutie [EP] Knoxtone

17 PIMPS OF JOYTIME Janxta Funk! Wonderwheel

18 TIM EASTON AND THE FREELAND BARONS Beat The Band New West

19 AGGROLITES Rugged Road Young Cub

20 FOSTER THE PEOPLE Torches Columbia

21 NEW MASTERSOUNDS Breaks From The Border

22 BRIAN ENO Drums Between The Bells Warp

23 OLD 97'S The Grand Theatre Volume Two New West

24 BIG D AND THE KIDS TABLE For The Damned, The Dumb And The Delirious

25 GARDENS AND VILLA Gardens And Villa Secretly Canadian

26 ELEANOR FRIEDBERGER Last Summer Merge

27 DIGITALISM I Love You Dude Co-Op

28 CHRIS THILE AND MICHAEL DAVES Sleep With One Eye Open Nonesuch

29 BIG TALK Big Talk Epitaph

30 DAWES Nothing Is Wrong ATO

TOP 5 ADDS

1 PORTUGAL. THE MAN In The Mountain In The Cloud Atlantic Approaching

2 FRUIT BATS Tripper Sub Pop

3 NEW MASTERSOUNDS Breaks From The Border

4 MOONFACE Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I'd Hoped Jagjaguwar

5 THEOPHILUS LONDON Timez Are Weird These Days Reprise

HIP HOP CHART:

1 BEASTIE BOYS Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2 Capitol

2 HAIL MARY MALLON Are You Gonna Eat That? Rhymesayers

3 SWEATSHOP UNION The Bill Murray EP Urbnet

4 DICE RAW "1995" [Single] Rawlife

5 CURREN$Y Weekend At Burnie's Warner Bros.

6 COOL KIDS When Fish Ride Bicycles Green Label Sound

7 GRIEVES Together/Apart Rhymesayers

8 ATMOSPHERE The Family Sign Rhymesayers

9 TYLER, THE CREATOR Goblin XL

10 SIMS Bad Time Zoo Doomtree

HIP HOP ADDS:

1 POTLUCK Rhymes And Resin Suburban Noize

2 TODDLA T "Watch Me Dance" [Single] Ninja Tune

3 HEADNODIC Movin On Up [EP] Brick

4 WU-TANG CLAN LEGENDARY WEAPONS E1

5 FREDDIE GIBBS Live By The Game Decon

LOUD ROCK CHART:

1 DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT Deconstruction Inside Out

2 WARBRINGER "Shattered Like Glass" [Single] Century Media

3 A PALE HORSE NAMED DEATH And Hell Will Follow Me SPV

4 EXHUMED All Guts, No Glory Relapse

5 SKALMOLD Baldur Napalm

6 SEVEN WITCHES Call Upon The Wicked FrosTbite

7 DRACONIAN A Rose For The Apocalypse Napalm

8 RHAPSODY OF FIRE From Chaos To Eternity Nuclear Blast

9 SVARTSOT Maledictus Eris Napalm

10 DEATH Human Relapse

WORLD CHART:

1 THIEVERY CORPORATION Culture Of Fear ESL

2 AGGROLITES Rugged Road Young Cub

3 VIEUX FARKA TOURE The Secret Six Degrees

4 EASY STAR ALL-STARS First Light Easy Star

5 VARIOUS ARTISTS Red Hot And Rio 2: Nova Tropicalia eOne

6 STEPHEN MARLEY Revelation Part 1: The Root Of Life Universal Republic

7 VARIOUS ARTISTS Playing For Change 2: Songs Around The World Hear-Concord

8 LEE "SCRATCH" PERRY Rise Up M.O.D. Technologies

9 JOLLY BOYS Great Expectation eOne-Wall Of Sound

10 SEUN ANIKULAPO-KUTI AND EGYPT 80 From Africa With Fury: Rise KF

RPM CHARTS:

1 THIEVERY CORPORATION Culture Of Fear ESL

2 PRODIGY Worlds On Fire The End-Cooking Vinyl

3 JAPANESE POPSTARS Controlling Your Allegiance EMI-Astralwerks

4 SBTRKT SBTRKT XL-Young Turks

5 CLUBFEET Gold On Gold Illusive Sounds

6 AMON TOBIN ISAM Ninja Tune

7 OCOTE SOUL SOUNDS Taurus ESL

8 VARIOUS ARTISTS Nickodemus Presents: Turntables On The Hudson Vol. 8: Reflecting Cielo ESL-Wonderwheel

9 LAUREL HALO Hour Logic Hippos In Tanks

10 KATY B Katy On A Mission [EP] Ammunition

RPM ADDS:

1 THUNDERBALL 12 Mile High Remixed ESL

2 TODDLA T "Watch Me Dance" [Single] Ninja Tune

3 GRAHAM KNOX FRAZIER Moments Of Zen Self-Released

WUTK's Top Pitchfork Fest Shows

2011-07-21T13:32:00.000-07:00

1. TV On the Radio

2. Superchunk

3. DJ Shadow

4. OFWGKTA

5. Fleet Foxes

6. Cold Cave

7. Gang Gang Dance

8. Guided by Voices

9. John Maus

10. Wild Nothing

WUTK Charts for 07/19/11!

2011-07-20T10:08:00.000-07:00

WUTK Charts for 07/19/11

1 YACHT Shangri-La DFA

2 JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD We Are The Champions Infinity Cat

3 BON IVER Bon Iver Jagjaguwar

4 CULTS Cults In The Name Of-Columbia

5 CITY AND COLOUR Little Hell Vagrant

6 GILLIAN WELCH The Harrow And The Harvest Acony

7 HANDSOME FURS Sound Kapital Sub Pop

8 DALE EARNHARDT JR. JR. It's A Corporate World Quite Scientific

9 UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA Unknown Mortal Orchestra Fat Possum

10 JOHN MAUS We Must Become The Pitiless Censors Of Ourselves Ribbon

11 VETIVER The Errant Charm Sub Pop

12 SHABAZZ PALACES Black Up Sub Pop

13 THIEVERY CORPORATION Culture Of Fear ESL

14 BATTLES Gloss Drop Warp

15 MIDDLE EAST I Want That You Are Always Happy Missing Piece

16 GARDENS AND VILLA Gardens And Villa Secretly Canadian

17 BLACK LIPS Arabia Mountain Vice

18 DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE Codes And Keys Atlantic

19 WOODS Sun And Shade Woodsist

20 BOBBY BOBBY Partisan

21 GIVERS In Light Glassnote

22 DREDG Chuckles And Mr. Squeezy Superball

23 WASHED OUT Within And Without Sub Pop

24 RAPHAEL SAADIQ Stone Rollin' Columbia

25 FM BELFAST Don't Want To Sleep Morr

26 MEMORY TAPES Player Piano Carpark

27 SONDRE LERCHE Sondre Lerche Mona

28 KICKDRUMS Meet Your Ghost Last Gang

29 FOSTER THE PEOPLE Torches Columbia

30 SCI-FI LOVESTORY Electrocutie [EP] Knoxtone

TOP 200 ADDS:

1 TY SEGALL Goodbye Bread Drag City

2 THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS Join Us Idlewild-Rounder

3 FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE Sky Full Of Holes Yep Roc

4 PIMPS OF JOYTIME Janxta Funk! Wonderwheel

5 NIGHTMARE AND THE CAT Nightmare And The Cat Self-Released

HIP HOP CHART:

1 BEASTIE BOYS Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2 Capitol

2 HAIL MARY MALLON Are You Gonna Eat That? Rhymesayers

3 SWEATSHOP UNION The Bill Murray EP Urbnet

4 DICE RAW "1995" [Single] Rawlife

5 CURREN$Y Weekend At Burnie's Warner Bros.

6 COOL KIDS When Fish Ride Bicycles Green Label Sound

7 GRIEVES Together/Apart Rhymesayers

8 ATMOSPHERE The Family Sign Rhymesayers

9 TYLER, THE CREATOR Goblin XL

10 SIMS Bad Time Zoo Doomtree

HIP HOP ADDS:

1 PUSHA T "Trouble On My Mind" [Single]

2 THEOPHILUS LONDON Timez Are Weird These Days Warner Brothers

3 E-DUBBLE Written Thursday Black Paisley

4 ELEVATED The Toby Sessions Self-Released

5 WILEY 100 Percent Publishing Big Dada

WORLD CHART:

1 THIEVERY CORPORATION Culture Of Fear ESL

2 YOUSSOU N'DOUR Dakar-Kingston Emarcy

3 VARIOUS ARTISTS Red Hot And Rio 2: Nova Tropicalia eOne

4 LEE "SCRATCH" PERRY Rise Up M.O.D. Technologies

5 DA CRUZ Sistema Subversiva Six Degrees

6 JOLLY BOYS Great Expectation eOne-Wall Of Sound

7 OCOTE SOUL SOUNDS Taurus ESL

WUTK Music Musings Playlist for 07/14/11! Pitchfork edition!

2011-07-14T16:52:00.000-07:00

WUTK Musings 07/14/11 PITCHFORK EDITION!!!!

Shabazz Palaces-Swerve

DJ Shadow-I’ve Been Trying

James Blake-Limit to Your Love

Tune-Yards-Powa

How to Dress Well-Decsions (feat Yuksel Arslan)

BATTLES-Wall Street

Animal Collective-What Would I Want Sky?

Sun Airway-Put the Days Away

No Age-Fever Dreaming

Woods-Hand It Out

Fleet Foxes-Sim Sala Bim

Wild Nothing-Chinatown

Gang Gang Dance-Adult Goth

Zola Jesus-Night

Twin Shadow-Castles in the Snow

Toro y Moi-Saturday Love

The Radio Dept-Heaven’s On Fire

The Fresh & Onlys-Waterfall

Kurt Vile-Baby’s Arms

Neko Case-This Tornado Loves You

Destroyer-Chinatown

Yuck-Georgia

Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti-Can’t Hear My Eyes

DJ Shadow-High Noon

TV On the Radio-Wolf Like Me

Superchunk-Animated Airplanes Over Germany

Thurston Moore-Benediction

Deerhunter-Revival

Health-USA Boys

Cut Copy-Far Away (The Golden Filter Remix)

Guided By Voices-Huffman Praire Flying Field

We love: Mr Little Jeans

2011-07-11T12:09:00.000-07:00

This Norwegian singer has captured the hearts of many WUTK listeners and DJs. Don't let the name fool you. Mr. Little Jeans is actually an extremely talented miss lady. She only has a few hundred friends on Facebook, but trust me, she is on the verge of blowing up. Her ethereally beautiful voice blends perfectly with the upbeat-pop music. "Rescue Song" is a perfect tune for summer; her soft voice seems to lull you into a little trance. Also, Mr. Little Jeans' cover of Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs" may be the best cover i have heard in months. Check it out, fall in love and tell all your friends.

WUTK Music Musings Playlist 07/07/11

2011-07-07T16:54:00.001-07:00

Junior Boys-Banana Ripple

Depeche Mode-Fragile Tension (peter Bjorn & John Remix)

Death Cab for Cutie-Underneath the Sycamore

DJ BC & the Beastles-Tripper Trouble

Robyn SKOUTERIS-Rolling in the Sour State of Mind

Outkast-Loving Me Sometimes

Alexander-Truth

Superimposers-Seeing is Believing

The Pixies-Hey!

Waldeck-Memories

Shaky Bones-Roll the Bones

Sonny & the Sunsets- Death Cream

The Sheepdogs-I Don’t Know

Blonde Redhead-Spring by the Summer Fall

Javelin-Oh Sentra

Wolf Gang Gartener-Fire Power

Movits-Fell Del Av Garden

S. MAHARBA-When I Go to Sleep

Jeff the Brotherhood-Heavy Krishna

Blood Orange-The Complete Knock

Local Natives-Wide Eyes

Mission of Burma-Academy Fight Song

Little girls-Youth Tunes

The National-Mistaken for Strangers

Mr Little Jeans-The Suburbs

Royal Bangs-TV Tree (Deerhoof Remix)

Bassnectar-Upside Down

The Glitch Mob-Warrior Concerto

The Cool Kids-Bundle Up

Cut Copy-Where I’m Going

Zola Jesus-Vessel

Chromeo-I Can’t Tell You Why

Portugal. The Man talks to WUTK about their new record and seeing live bands at Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival

2011-06-27T15:00:00.000-07:00

With a spot on many sold-out festival line-ups and a new album on a major label, Portugal. The Man has been on the tip of everyone’s tongue lately. Their psychedelic approach to indie rock has been gaining them followers for years, but new album “In the Mountain, In the Cloud” is sure to please an array of fans. WUTK DJ and BLANK writer Brittney Bryant sat down with bass player/vocalist Zach Carothers and keyboardist/percussionist Ryan Neighbors at Bonnaroo this month to talk about the new record and more.

(Left to right: Zach, Brittney and Ryan)

Portugal.The Man WUTK interview by bbryant3

BB: Where does the name Portugal, The Man come from? I kind of get puzzled looks when I say your name.
PTM: It’s an interesting name, I guess. It is kind of an alter ego like Ziggy Stardust and Sgt Pepper. It’s our character to represent us as a band. In picking a country’s name, it was one name that represents a group of people. It made since for a while, but we have regretted it ever since that day (Laughs).

BB: Is there a reason for the pronunciation and spelling of Portugal, period, the Man?
PTM: We did that to state that Portugal was the man’s name and he is the man; he’s the shit.

BB: How did all of you get together? Are all of your from Alaska or just a few of you?
PTM: Me (Zach) and our singer are from Alaska and we grew up together. We were in another band before this. The band started with a couple other guys from Alaska in Alaska, but then we moved down to Portland. We started doing some touring, and then lost a few members. Ryan and Jason played in bands that we played with a lot in Portland, so we took them on tour. We ended up really liking them and had them join the band.

BB: You don’t really hear of many bands that say they come from Alaska. What was it like trying to formulate a band there and how did living there influence your music?
PTM: We were raised on everything our parents gave us, so it was a lot of Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin. Also, my parents listened to a lot of 80s pop. There was just radio then. It was before the Internet, so we had no idea about the smaller music scene out there. We moved down to Oregon, and I went to college there. All my friends started taking me to shows and I just got flooded with all of this new music. So, it was kind of a mix of everything we were raised on and everything that we see today.

BB: I just saw the video you released called “Sleep Forever,” and it is really beautiful. What was the concept behind that video? Did you just want to show the beauty of Alaska?
PTM: Yeah, it is supposed to show how alone you really are up there and how secluded everything is. All of that was pretty much filmed in John’s backyard. We just wanted to show our home, and we are lucky to be where we are from. We wanted to show what it’s like up there because many people don’t get to see that side of it; they see Sarah Palin’s Alaska.
BB: That’s so true.
PTM: We tried to get her, though (Laughs).
BB: “In the Mountain, In the Cloud” comes out next month on July 19th. What was the story behind this album? I know usually you all have some sort of concept behind them.
PTM: We never really set out to make concept records because normally we record them so fast. It’s just a month out of our lives, so it’s just what is going on then. John will just start writing about one thing and then kind of go with it. This one has a lot more into it because we spread it out over seven or eight months. It’s a little bit of everything—growing up, living, dying, and reincarnation. Bunch of stuff, but a lot of reincarnation.

BB: You were on Equal Vision Records, and now you are releasing this album on Atlantic Records. What was it like moving to a big label?
PTM: Pretty crazy. There’s a lot of help, which is awesome. It’s a definite change. We’ve been on our own label for a long time, and we just partner up with different labels to release our records. We’ve been doing everything ourselves, and we kind of got to the point where we decided that it was the next step. We work all day every day and there was literally nothing else we could do, so we needed to step up. Atlantic was really cool, and it allows us to have more hands in the cookie jar.
BB: That always helps. I bet the financial support was nice, too.
PTM: We opted out of a signing bonus or anything, but it’s nice to not have to pay for our own records anymore. Normally, we would tour all year long and save up money, then spend all of it on recording a record. Now, Atlantic pays for our recording and we can go to better studios, so that’s pretty cool.

BB: You are at Bonnaroo now, and you were at the Orange Peal in Asheville, NC. You went from a nice air-conditioned venue to this insane outdoor heat. Besides the temperature change, what’s the difference of playing to a festival crowd in comparison to a small venue?
PTM: In a small venue, everyone’s there to see you. You know that because they paid for a ticket. A festival gives you more exposure to different people. Also, at our own show we get to set up lights. We like it all; they are both really cool.

BB: You played two years ago at Bonnaroo, right?
PTM: Yes, and that was our first major show at a festival, so this place holds a special place in our hearts.
BB: I remember going to that show, and it was so packed that I couldn’t even get in the tent.
PTM: We were very surprised by that. We walked out and were like, “What the F***?!” It was pretty crazy.

BB: You have put out so many albums. Personally, what is your favorite Portugal. The Man record?
RYAN(PTM): My favorite one is the new one “In the Mountain, In the Cloud,” but prior to that was “Censored Colors.”
ZACH(PTM): I agree. “Censored Colors” kind of started it off. We learned a lot from that record, and the recording experience was absolutely ridiculous and fun. We are really happy with this new record. I’m sure every band says that, but it’s weird because when someone asked, “Is 'American Ghetto' your favorite album?” I would be like “No, It’s 'Censored Colors.”

BB: You know, what I have heard of this new album reminds me of “Censored Colors.” Was that something intentional?
PTM: I think so. We got the same cello player, so that definitely adds to it. He put a lot of the same vibes into it.

BB: You’re here two days at a festival with all of these great bands, but you’re usually on tour. Is it nice to go out and see some live music?
PTM: Yeah, we are going to go check out a ton of things. Primus, Arcade Fire, Buffalo Springfield. Eminem also.
BB: Oh really, are you Eminem fans?
PTM: Not really fans, but we like him. You have to lose yourself in the music (Laughs).

BB: What music are you guys listening to right now? What are you jamming to in the tour bus?
JOHN: As far as new stuff, I love Lykke Li. “Wounded Rhymes” is such a good album.
RYAN: I listened to “Astral Weeks” by Van Morrison last night. I know its not new, but I really like it.

WUTK Music Musings Playlist for 06/23/11

2011-06-23T17:02:00.001-07:00

Musical fun with Brittney, Smo and Justin!

Junior Boys-Second Chance

CSS-Hits Me Like a Rock

The Rosebuds-Come Visit Me

Bon Iver-Towers

Black Lips-Spidey’s Curse

WATERS-For the One

Washed Out-Amor Fati

Unknown Mortal Orchestra-Little Blu House

The Jayhawks-She Walks in So Many Ways

Fruit Bats-Tangie and Ray

Blitzen Trapper-Black River Killer

Best Coast-Gone Again

YACHT-Utopia

Thievery Corporation-Stargazer***New track!

See-I-Soul Hit Man

Cheikh Lo-Bourama

Battles-Inchworm

Foster The People- Houdini

Amp Live and The Jazz Mafia- Yonkers (Remix

Sparklehorse- Don’t Take My Sunshine Away

Givers- Meantime

The Black Keys- Dearest (Cover of Buddy Holly)

Booker T. Jones- Walking Papers

Jeff the Brotherhood-Heavy Krishna

Polaris-Hey Sandy

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club-Beat the Devils Tattoo

Black Lips-Gentle Violence

The Ravonettes-Black/White

Brian Jonestown Massacre-Never the Less

MC Culpepper's June 23 Playlist

2011-06-23T10:46:00.000-07:00

1. Grieves / Light Speed / Together Apart
2. Tune-Yards / Powa / W H O K I L L
3. Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi / Problem Queen / Rome
4. REKS / 25th Hour / Rhythmic Eternal King Supreme (R.E.K.S.)
5. Verbal Kent / Take (prod. by Pete Rock) / Save Yourself
6. Torae / Point of View / Heart Failure
7. Burn It Down / Sims / Burn It Down
8. Give Up The Ghost / Radiohead / King Of Limbs
9. Lupe Fiasco / Gold Watch / The Cool
10. Cunninlynguists / The South / Southern Underground

WUTK Charts for 06/21/11

2011-06-22T12:57:00.000-07:00

Top 30 of the Week
1   MY MORNING JACKET   Circuital   ATO
2   BLACK LIPS   Arabia Mountain   Vice
3   DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE   Codes And Keys   Atlantic
4   GIVERS   In Light   Glassnote
5   ARCTIC MONKEYS   Suck It And See   Domino
6   BEASTIE BOYS   Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2   Capitol
7   SEAPONY   Go With Me   Hardly Art
8   DALE EARNHARDT JR. JR.   It's A Corporate World   Quite Scientific
9   FOSTER THE PEOPLE   Torches   Columbia
10   BATTLES   Gloss Drop   Warp
11   VARIOUS ARTISTS   Rave On Buddy Holly   Concord
12   WOMBATS   This Modern Glitch   Bright Antenna
13   ROSEBUDS   Loud Planes Fly Low   Merge
14   CULTS   Cults   In The Name Of-Columbia
15   ART BRUT   Brilliant! Tragic!   The End/Cooking Vinyl
16   SONDRE LERCHE   Sondre Lerche   Mona
17   DANGER MOUSE AND DANIELE LUPPI   Rome   EMI
18   VACCINES   What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?   Columbia
19   JEFF THE BROTHERHOOD    We Are The Champions   Infinity Cat
20   FRIENDLY FIRES   Pala   XL
21   RAPHAEL SAADIQ   "Stone Rollin'" [Single]   Columbia
22   WHITE DENIM   D   Downtown
23   EAR PWR   Ear Pwr   Carpark
24   MATT POND PA   Spring Fools   Altitude
25   THURSTON MOORE   Demolished Thoughts   Matador
26   JUNIOR BOYS   It's All True   Domino
27   VETIVER   The Errant Charm   Sub Pop
28   LIAM FINN   FOMO   Yep Roc
29   SEBADOH   Bakesale   Sub Pop
30   MAN MAN   Life Fantastic   Anti
Top 5 adds
1   BON IVER   Bon Iver   Jagjaguwar
2   HANDSOME FURS   Sound Kapital   Sub Pop
3   BOOTSY COLLINS   Tha Funk Capital Of The World   Mascot
4   OK GO   180/365   Paracadute
5   BODIES OF WATER   Twist Again   Thousand Tongues

WUTK Music Musings Playlist for 06/16/11

2011-06-16T16:54:00.000-07:00

Music department fun with Brittney B, Justin and Smo!

5-6
Felice Brothers-Bedouin Dress
My Morning Jacket-The Day Is Coming
Gov’t Mule-Greasy Granny's Gopher Gravy feat Les Claypool

Anais Mitchell feat Bon Iver-Epic (part 2)
Portugal the Man-the Pines
Tune-yards-you yes you
Man Man-Bangkok

Freak Bass-Victory Redux
Cold War Kids-In the Wilderness

6-7
Beirut-East Harlem
Death Cab for Cutie-Little Bribes
FM Belfast-Vertigo

Jeff the Brotherhood-Shredder
Stareffer-Born

Junior Boys-Itchy Fingers
Friendly Fires-Running Away
YACHT-Utopia

Gardens & Villa-Orange Blossom
Cymbals Eat Guitars-Some trees
Real Estate-Younger than Yesterday
The Antlers-Every Night My Teeth are Falling Out

7-8
Carmen McRae-Just A Little Lovin (GB Remix)
Radiohead Vs. Dave Brubeck-Five Step (overdub Remix)

Octupus Project-Music is Happiness
Ladytron-Soulax
Obits-Milk Cow Blues
Eagles of Death Metal-English Girl

Grandaddy-AM 180
Los Robertas-Ghost Lover
Low Frequency and Stereo-Astro Kopp
Kelley Stoltz-Where You’re Going
Fine Peduncle-Copularium

MC Culpepper's June 16th Playlist

2011-06-16T10:44:00.000-07:00

Artist / Song / Album

1. Beastie Boys / "Too Many Rappers" (ft. Nas) / Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2
2. Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi / "The Rose With The Broken Neck" (ft. Jack White) / Rome
3. TV on the Radio / "Killer Crane" / Nine Types of Light
4. Future Islands / "Before The Bridge" / Thrill Jockey
5. Woods / "Pushing Onlys" / Sun and Shade
6. Foster the People / "Pumped Up Kicks" (Chrome Canyon Remix) / NA
7. Dirty Vegas / "Little White Doves" (Nightriders Remix) / NA
8. Late Bloomers / "Never Don't Grow" / Three Shade Brown
9. Homeboy Sandman / "The Carpenter" (Cassettes Won't Listen Remix)
10. Hail Mary Mallon / "Mailbox Baseball" / Are You Gonna Eat That?

Brittney B's Top 5 Albums of 2011 (So Far)

2011-06-15T12:49:00.000-07:00

Let me just preface this by saying that picking five albums is TOUGH. We listen to hundreds of albums in a six month period. Most are awful, but many have an outstanding quality that makes everyone in the music department shout in glee and foam at the mouth. We. love. music.

5. Lykke Li-Wounded Rhymes

It is catchy and beautiful, but it still has a rock and roll vein that pumps energy through the entire album. Her voice is sweet yet haunting, and the music is characterized by pounding drums and upbeat keyboard. After one listen, "I Follow Rivers" instantly became my summer anthem. Let Lykke Li entertain you in a summer drive through Knoxville. You will be amazed by how quickly you begin singing along.

4. Bon Iver- Bon Iver

I know this album has not even come out yet, but hey! It is streaming on NPR, so technically it is available to the public. Justin Vernon has been pulling at our heartstrings since his first album. His deep, melodic voice and sparse music seems to drift through your eardrums and nestle into the happy place in your brain. This record is purely gorgeous, and you will not be disappointed by this self-titled album. Hurry over to Disc Exchange to pick it up on June 21st!

3. TuNe-YaRds-Who Kill

The energy and talent Merrill Garbus exhibits is absolutely unparalleled in today's music scene. She mixes her voice, drum beats and bass to create a larger-than-life sound. After first listen, you may find yourself questioning the sounds you hear, but sit back and take in the weirdly beautiful music. You will quickly become enamored with "Who Kill," especially with the catchiness of "Gangsta" and "Bizness."

2. Chad Vangaalen-Diaper Island

I have had a big ole music crush on Chad VanGaalen since Sub-Pop grabbed him up in 2006. His voice adds an almost creepy feeling to the songs, but in the most pleasing way possible. Chad takes an ordinary song and twists it into an off-kilter masterpiece. "Diaper Island," his fourth studio album, takes on a more rock sound with guitar replacing banjo. However, Chad's voice still shines, and the new sound adds an interesting dynamic to his usual crone.

1. My Morning Jacket-Circuital

After seeing them play at two festivals recently, I completely fell in love with this record. Seeing Jim James and Co rock out to the songs on "Circuital" gives you a whole new appreciation for it. My Morning Jacket found a way to perfectly blend in-your-face rock and roll with sparse, beautiful tunes. The vocals, the drums, the guitar-- all of it fits perfectly into My Morning Jacket's little puzzle to create "Circuital." It has quickly become one of my favorite MMJ records of all time.

Honorable Mentions: Rosebuds-Loud Planes Fly Low, Cults-Cults, Lykke Li-Wounded Rhymes

Justin Cipriani's Top 5 Albums Of 2011 So Far

2011-06-15T09:16:00.000-07:00

5. Bon Iver - Bon Iver
While this doesn't official come out until June 21, it already makes the cut. This is the same Bon Iver that you have come to love from For Emma, Forever Ago. However, he loses the "I'm alone in a cabin for years" feeling. There are more layers and production done on this album, which may sound like a bad thing for this band, but they pull it off. This album maintains all of the same raw emotion that makes Bon Iver great, and transports you into Justin Vernon's world, just like a good album should.

4. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
Fleet Foxes had a lot to prove with the release of their sophomore album. Thankfully, they not only lived up to the hype but exceeded their previous work. Fleet Foxes will make you think that they wrote the book on four part vocal harmonies. While this doesn't branch far from their style, there are obvious efforts to progress. The Shrine/ An Argument takes the listener through many different parts, and becomes one of their more experimental pieces with a strange saxophone solo toward the end that provides an interesting contrast to their normally flawless execution. It's an interesting trip and certainly one worth taking .

3. Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi - Rome
This is probably one of the most beautiful albums to ever come out. It has a perfect sense of theme, vision, and execution. This album makes me want to move out west and buy a pair of six shooters. I could definitely see lots of these songs being used in old western movies. With artists like Jack White and Norah Jones, there is an all star cast. The only gripe I have with this album is that it is difficult to listen to only one song. Listening to it in it's entirety is the only way to get the full effect.

2. Tyler The Creator - Goblin
One of the most unique albums you will have the pleasure of listening to. Tyler has created one of the darkest, most sadistic characters in music. Upon first listen, you'll find yourself thinking what the hell is this. But when someone is yelling at you about rape and murder, it is hard to ignore. In fact Tyler claims to be even more evil than the devil himself. He says, "Satan is getting jealous." In the single Yonkers, he even calls out Jesus. Goblin shot up to number two on the itunes charts upon its release. Is this the future of rap? Maybe not but it is clear that Tyler The Creator still has a big imprint to leave on the world of hip-hop.

1. Middle Brother - Middle Brother
This doesn't have the vision of Rome, and it is not a game changer like Goblin. However, a collaboration between the front men of Delta Spirit, Dawes, and Deertick is the definition of super group. The album is fun and lighthearted. There is some great folk songwriting, and hearing these three collaborate reminds you of what music is about. It feels like three friends having a good time on the back porch. (three of the most talented friends you will ever have) None of them shine over each other, dividing the spotlight evenly. Not to mention Blood and Guts is one of the coolest songs ever.

Honorable Mention:
tUnE-yArDs - w h o k i l l
Explosions In The Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care
The Decemberists - The King Is Dead

Albums Coming Out Later This Year That Will Be Awesome:
Primus - Green Naugahyde
Portugal. The Man - In The Mountain In The Cloud
Kanye West & Jay-Z - Watch The Throne

Michael Smith's Top 5 Albums halfway through the year

2011-06-14T10:08:00.000-07:00

It is about halfway through the and there have already been some great albums that have come out. This is a list of my personal five best albums of the year.

5. Tv On The Radio - Nine Types Of Light : Increase the bass and decrease the syth(only a little), add a dark backing feel, occasional prince inspired vocal moments and get this new album from Tv On The Radio. This band gets better with every album, and this is by far the best album of their career so far. (Key Tracks New Cannon Ball Blues, Repetition)

4. The Kills - Blood Pressure Coming off the popularity of the indie super group The Deadweather, more notices was brought to this band and with that comes more pressure to put out a great record. Faced with that the duo created a album with as much grit and attitude as with past records but something more approachable then past record. (Key Tracks : Future Starts Slow, Satellite, Last Goodbye)

3. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake Not the Polly Jean sound fans of her 90's dark artist sound. Ironically the sound is more whimsical and light. She commented how she change her vocal styling to better fit the songs believing the "rich strong mature" vocals should sound "wrong". Less piano then her last release White Chalk, but more then her releases during the 90's. Fans of PJ and of an artist trying something different will love this album. (Key Tracks: The Glorious Land, Let England Shake, Bitter Branches)

2. The Antlers - Burst Apart This album is more put together, bigger and more beautiful the previous releases. One of the only bands that have taken what appears to be a Radiohead influence and not bastardize it with a poor rip off. This album starts off with a track "I Don't Want Love" to set a mood for the rest of the album of the normal somber Antlers sound, but made with more put together. (Key Tracks No Windows, I Don't Want Love, Every Night My Teeth Are Falling Out, French Exit)

1. The Raveonettes - Raven In The Grave Blasting out with the first single, and one of the best tracks the Danish duo has created ("Recharge & Revolt") The Raveonettes have put together an album much less poppy and up beat then their last release In And Out Of Control. Sune Rose Wagner went in a different song writing style on this album with all but one song being written with out a proper chorus. As well as writing music that can be heard as go summertime music but when you listen close you hear that a lot of the songs are about heartbreak and sadness, but also hope and a desire to fight on. In my opinion this album is the highlight of 2011. All music fans are encouraged to check this out if they haven't already.(Key Tracks: Recharge & Revolt, Evil Seeds, My Times Up, Let Me On Out)

Honorable Mention : Danger Mouse & Danielle Luppi - Rome, Cults - Cults, Mogwi - Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will, Cold Cave - Cherish The Light Years

Albums scheduled to come out in 2011 i am looking forward to : Marilyn Manson, Handsome Furs, Electric Six, Tori Amos, & Atari Teenage Riot

Jill & Lauren's Music Musings Playlist 6/9/11

2011-06-09T17:05:00.000-07:00

Bonnaroo edition! (plus Gorillaz and one Dexfest artist)

Gorillaz - Superfast Jellyfish, Plastic Beach
Givers - Meantime, In Light
Futurebirds - Wild Heart, Via Flamina
Iron & Wine - Me and Lazarus, Kiss Each Other Clean
The Meters - Cissy Strut, The Meters
Pimps of Joytime - Hey Mr J, High Steppin'
Primus - Jerry Was a Racecar Driver, Sailing the Seas of Cheese
Gogol Bordello - Raise the Knowledge, Trans-Continental Hustle
Boombox - Showboat, Downriver Electric
STS9 - Golden Gate, When the Dust Settles

Michael Smith's June 9th blog radio playlist

2011-06-09T17:03:00.000-07:00

1: Handsome Furs - Repatriated
2: Hooray For Earth - True Loves
3: YACHT - Utopia
4: The Very Best - I Can Change
5: Tindersticks - City Sickness (Request)
6: Bon Iver - Holocene
7: The Antlers - Don't Want Love
8: Coldplay - Every Teardrop is a Waterfall
9: The Raveonettes - Apparitions
10: The Kills - Last Goodbye
11: The White Stripes - One More Cup Of Coffee
12: The Las - There She Goes

MC Culpepper's June 9th Playlist

2011-06-09T12:16:00.000-07:00

Artist / Song / Album

1. Fine Peduncle / "Copularium" (Arpetrio Remix) / (NA)
2. Dangermouse and Daniele Luppi / "Problem Queen" (ft. Norah Jones) / Rome
3. Tune – Yards / "Doorstep" / W H O K I L L
4. TV On The Radio / "Will Do" (XXXchange Dancehall Mix)
5. Starfucker / "Bury Us Alive" / Reptilians
6. Raphael Saadiq / "Radio" / Stone Rollin’
7. Cults / "Go Outside" (The 2 Bears Remix) / Cults
8. Neon Indian / "Deadbeat Summer" (Afghan Raiders Remix) / (NA)
9. Grizzly Bear / "Cheerleader" (Neon Indian Sega Genesis P-Orridge Remix) / (NA)
10. Bing Ji Ling / "Hold Tight" / Shadow To Shine

Bonnaroo 2011 playlist!

2011-06-08T10:55:00.001-07:00

WUTK Charts for 05/31/11!

2011-06-06T10:50:00.001-07:00

Top 30
1 OKKERVIL RIVER I Am Very Far Jagjaguwar
2 CHAD VANGAALEN Diaper Island Sub Pop
3 BEASTIE BOYS Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2 Capitol
4 ANTLERS Burst Apart Frenchkiss
5 BOOKER T. JONES The Road From Memphis ANTI-
6 CARS Move Like This Concord
7 MAN MAN Life Fantastic ANTI-
8 VARIOUS ARTISTS Daptone 45 Singles Spring/Summer 2011 Daptone
9 FLEET FOXES Helplessness Blues Sub Pop
10 I'M FROM BARCELONA Forever Today Mute
11 MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA Simple Math Columbia
12 RAPHAEL SAADIQ "Stone Rollin'" [Single] Columbia
13 GANG GANG DANCE Eye Contact 4AD
14 DANGER MOUSE AND DANIELE LUPPI Rome EMI
15 EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY Take Care, Take Care, Take Care Temporary Residence
16 TUNE-YARDS Whokill 4AD
17 TYLER, THE CREATOR Goblin XL
18 THAO AND MIRAH Thao And Mirah Kill Rock Stars
19 AUSTRA Feel It Break Domino
20 HANK III Hillbilly Joker Curb
21 BILL CALLAHAN Apocalypse Drag City
22 HERE WE GO MAGIC The January EP Secretly Canadian
23 THURSTON MOORE Demolished Thoughts Matador
24 FRIENDLY FIRES Pala XL
25 OF MONTREAL Thecontrollersphere Polyvinyl
26 WILD BEASTS Smother Domino
27 FOSTER THE PEOPLE Torches Columbia
28 MATT POND PA Spring Fools Altitude
29 ART BRUT Brilliant! Tragic! The End/Cooking Vinyl
30 EAR PWR Ear Pwr Carpark

Top 5 Adds:

Hip Hop Charts:
1 SWEATSHOP UNION The Bill Murray EP Urbnet
2 BEASTIE BOYS Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2 Capitol
3 TYLER, THE CREATOR Goblin XL
4 CUNNINLYNGUISTS Oneirology QN5
5 ATMOSPHERE The Family Sign Rhymesayers
6 WIZ KHALIFA Rolling Papers Atlantic
7 DEL THE FUNKY HOMOSAPIEN Golden Era The Council
8 MOKE AND TONE Shot Heard Around The World Mystika
9 HAIL MARY MALLON Are You Gonna Eat That? Rhymesayers
10 GHOSTFACE KILLAH The Apollo Kids Def Jam

Hip-Hop Add:
1 LONGEVITY "Tantrum" [Single] Decon

Loud Rock Chart:
1 SEPTICFLESH The Great Mass Season Of Mist
2 DRAGGED INTO SUNLIGHT Hatred For Mankind Prosthetic
3 TYR The Lay Of Thrym Napalm
4 HAEMORRHAGE Hospital Carnage Relapse
5 FREE REIGN Heavier Than Metal DC Rightside
6 IN FLAMES "Deliver Us" [Single] Century Media
7 HANK III Hillbilly Joker Curb
8 AMON AMARTH Surtur Rising Metal Blade
9 NEURAXIS Asylon Prosthetic
10 SKYFORGER Kurbads Metal Blade

New World Chart:
1 EASY STAR ALL STARS First Light Easy Star
2 LEE "SCRATCH" PERRY Revelation MEGAWAVE
3 FEMI KUTI Africa For Africa KF
4 ORCHESTRE POLY-RYTHMO Cotonou Club Strut
5 DUB IS A WEAPON Vaporized Harmonized
6 DENGUE FEVER Cannibal Courtship Concord
7 JOLLY BOYS Great Expectation eOne-Wall Of Sound
8 LOS AMIGOS INVISIBLES Not So Commercial Nacional
9 KATCHAFIRE On The Road Again Ohana
10 VARIOUS ARTISTS Playing For Change 2: Songs Around The World Hear-Concord

New World Adds:
1 BEDOUIN SOUNDCLASH Light The Horizon Nat Geo
2 YOUSSOU N'DOUR Dakar-Kingston Emarcy
3 JOLLY BOYS Great Expectation eOne-Wall Of Sound

RPM Chart:
1 DAFT PUNK TRON: Legacy RECONFIGURED Disney
2 SECOND SKY The Art Of Influence Rhythm and Culture
3 MEXICANS WITH GUNS Ceremony Innovative Leisure-Friends Of Friends
4 MOBY Destroyed Mute
5 DOES IT OFFEND YOU, YEAH? Don't Say We Didn't Warn You Cooking Vinyl
6 KRAAK AND SMAAK Electric Hustle Jalapeno
7 DAEDELUS Bespoke Ninja Tune
8 CUT COPY Zonoscope Modular
9 ANCIENT ASTRONAUTS Into Bass And Time ESL
10 BIBIO Mind Bokeh Warp

RPM Adds:
1 SEBASTIAN Total Ed Banger
2 DAVID BOWIE Golden Years Remix EP EMI

DJ Matt of Simmer Down talks with Rymo of Slighty Stoopid!

2011-05-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

An Interview with Rymo of Slightly Stoopid

Slightly Stoopid has long been touring across the globe, producing albums, and playing with some of the biggest names in modern reggae music. Only a week into their spring tour, the band performed at The Valarium for a crowd of almost 1000, playing their high-energy style throughout new and classic songs. I had a chance to speak with drummer Rymo by phone on the eve of their annual 4/20 show at The Greek and the beginning of the new tour.

Q: How has the break from touring been and are you prepared to start back up?

A: We’ve been home the last 3 weeks, which is long for us, as we are normally on the road pretty consistently. We’ve just been at home, working on the new album. Tomorrow’s 4/20 show with Bad Brains and Barrington Levy kicks off the new tour and we are excited to make our way to you guys in Knoxville.

Q: How has recording the new album been going? When can we expect a song or album release?

A: It’s been going really well. We’ve been taking our time. Last year we had the opportunity to get a studio of our own, and we’ve been building up and customizing that as we’ve gone along. It’s been a killer process. We’ve got to take our time, work on music and not worry about money. It’s a new step for us in terms of the recording process, and I think it’s going to really pay off. The music we’ve been working on has sounded more developed and planned, and we are really excited to get it done and out.

Q: How do you think that process will that make the album different or standout?

A: A lot of times we would have tunes already done (whether we wrote them on the road or whatever) and ready to record. We would go into the studio and just cut them down real quick. With our new facility, we can record stuff, then listen to it, discuss it, work on it it, etc. I think it ends up being a better end result.

Q: Will you be playing some new tunes on this road trip?

A: We are definitely mixing a handful of brand new material that no one has heard. We’ve kind of always done that in the past when we’ve been between albums. We are always tinkering with new ideas and working on new material. So we like to play music no one’s ever heard, along with the staples we play every night.

Q: You are touring throughout the spring and summer playing numerous venues and festivals, including Hangout Music Festival. How do you compare playing indoors and playing festivals?

A: At festivals, you get that perk of getting to hang out, play your show, and walk around to check out other artists or musicians that you’ve heard of, or you’ve never seen and want to. We get to see our friends who are also out on the road, which is a lot of fun too. It’s going to be really fun out at Hangout this year.

Playing live venues is great too. It’s just a different vibe. Your more playing for fans, where as at a festival, you have a chance to make new fans. Venues are also great as we have more time to set up and get our production together. They both have their pros and cons, but their both great.

Q: Is there any artist or musician that you would want to create music with, tour with, or just talk to that you haven’t had the chance to yet?

A: I would love to do some shows with Rancid. We grew up on all that punk rock stuff like Rancid and Operation Ivy. To be able to do a show with those guys, meet them, talk to them, would be great. We are open to working and touring with anyone as long as their cool people. We like touring with guys that are great musicians, but it’s equally important they are good, fun people.

Q: What does Stoopid Records mean to you personally, and what are the goals of that label?

A: We’ve been working on Stoopid Records for the past 4 or 5 years. We were fortunate enough early on to have bands like Sublime help us get started way back in the day around 1995 and 96. Now that we are able to extend a hand and lift up other artists that we really like, we want to do that. We’ve got a few bands, such as The Expendables, who have now put out two albums under that label.

Q: Slightly Stoopid has a very diverse sound and obviously draws from multiple genres of music. What would you describe the band’s sound as?

A: Reggae, rock, funk, punk. I think that’s pretty close. We try to pull from all of those elements and far beyond into hip-hop, ska and other influences.

Q: What can we expect from Slightly Stoopid in the future?

A: Slightly Stoopid is just going to keep on keeping on. We’re going to keep making music we want to make and maintain our own decision-making process in terms of recording and the business stuff too. Our shows will continue to be wild, high energy, and a lot of fun.

WUTK Charts for 05/24/11!

2011-05-25T12:45:00.000-07:00

Long time no see. We have been slacking on the blog a bit, but we are back with a vengeance! Get ready for it readers..

WUTK CHARTS FOR 05/24/11

WUTK TOP 30
1 BEASTIE BOYS Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2 Capitol
2 OKKERVIL RIVER I Am Very Far Jagjaguwar
3 MAN MAN Life Fantastic ANTI-
4 ANTLERS Burst Apart Frenchkiss
5 CHARLES BRADLEY No Time For Dreaming Daptone
6 I'M FROM BARCELONA Forever Today Mute
7 TUNE-YARDS Whokill 4AD
8 DANGER MOUSE AND DANIELE LUPPI Rome EMI
9 FLEET FOXES Helplessness Blues Sub Pop
10 AWOL NATION Megalithic Symphony Red Bull
11 EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY Take Care, Take Care, Take Care Temporary Residence
12 CHAD VANGAALEN Diaper Island Sub Pop
13 BOOKER T. JONES The Road From Memphis ANTI-
14 MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA Simple Math Columbia
15 OF MONTREAL Thecontrollersphere Polyvinyl
16 BILL CALLAHAN Apocalypse Drag City
17 THAO AND MIRAH Thao And Mirah Kill Rock Stars
18 GANG GANG DANCE Eye Contact 4AD
19 CASS MCCOMBS Wit's End Domino
20 PANDA BEAR Tomboy Paw Tracks
21 HERE WE GO MAGIC The January EP Secretly Canadian
22 KILLS Blood Pressures Domino
23 HANK III Hillbilly Joker Curb
24 DENGUE FEVER Cannibal Courtship Concord
25 OMAR RODRIGUEZ-LOPEZ Telesterion Rodriguez Lopez
26 CARS Move Like This Concord
27 JOAN OF ARC Life Like Polyvinyl
28 WOMBATS This Modern Glitch Bright Antenna
29 WILD BEASTS Smother Domino
30 AUSTRA Feel It Break Domino

TOP 5 ADDS (For your listening pleasure)

HIP HOP CHART:
1 TYLER, THE CREATOR Goblin XL
2 BEASTIE BOYS Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2 Capitol
3 WIZ KHALIFA Rolling Papers Atlantic
4 ATMOSPHERE The Family Sign Rhymesayers
5 GRIEVES Together/Apart
6 CUNNINLYNGUISTS Oneirology QN5
7 DEL THE FUNKY HOMOSAPIEN Golden Era The Council
8 MOKE AND TONE Shot Heard Around The World Mystika
9 TRAVIS BARKER Give The Drummer Some Interscope
10 GANGRENE Gutter Water Decon

HIP HOP ADDS:
1 HAIL MARY MALLON Are You Gonna Eat That? Rhymesayers
2 SWEATSHOP UNION The Bill Murray EP Urbnet

LOUD ROCK CHART:
1 SEPTICFLESH The Great Mass Season Of Mist
2 XERATH II Candlelight
3 HANK III Hillbilly Joker Curb
4 ANAAL NATHRAKH Passion Candlelight
5 IN FLAMES "Deliver Us" [Single] Century Media
6 ALESTORM Back Through Time
7 CROWBAR Sever The Wicked Hand E1
8 HAEMORRHAGE Hospital Carnage Relapse
9 SCAR SYMMETRY The Unseen Empire Nuclear Blast
10 AMON AMARTH Surtur Rising Metal Blade

NEW WORLD CHART:
1 EASY STAR ALL STARS First Light Easy Star
2 LOS AMIGOS INVISIBLES Not So Commercial Nacional
3 FEMI KUTI Africa For Africa KF
4 LOS CHICHARRONS Roots Of Life Tummy Touch
5 DUB IS A WEAPON Vaporized Harmonized
6 DENGUE FEVER Cannibal Courtship Concord
7 CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS/LUMINESCENT ORCHESTRII Carolina Chocolate Drops/Luminescent Orchestrii Nonesuch
8 ORCHESTRE POLY-RYTHMO Cotonou Club Strut
9 KATCHAFIRE On The Road Again Ohana
10 FEDERICO AUBELE Berlin 13 ESL

NEW WORLD ADDS:
1 BEDOUIN SOUNDCLASH Light The Horizon Nat Geo
2 VIEUX FARKA TOURE The Secret Six Degrees
RPM CHART:
1 DAFT PUNK TRON: Legacy RECONFIGURED Disney
2 SECOND SKY The Art Of Influence Rhythm and Culture
3 MEXICANS WITH GUNS Ceremony Innovative Leisure-Friends Of Friends
4 DOES IT OFFEND YOU, YEAH? Don't Say We Didn't Warn You Cooking Vinyl
5 KRAAK AND SMAAK Electric Hustle Jalapeno
6 CUT COPY Zonoscope Modular
7 ANCIENT ASTRONAUTS Into Bass And Time ESL
8 AUSTRA Feel It Break Domino
9 BIKINI RIPJDS Remixed India Trading Company
10 GRAHAM KNOX FRAZIER Gonna Dig This Simply Deep Music

RPM ADDS:
1 DAVID STARFIRE Bollyhood Bass Remixes Vol. 2 Six Degrees
2 AFROBETA Playhouse [EP]
3 DJ CAM Swim
4 AMON TOBIN ISAM
5 SHINE 2009 Realism Cascine

WUTK Top 5 Adds for 05/10/11!

2011-05-13T12:12:00.001-07:00

Dr. Dog came and conquered the WUTK studio!

2011-05-05T13:18:00.000-07:00

It took me a bit to get this all edited down, but it was worth the wait. Carey Hodges and I interviewed Dr. Dog a few months ago, and it was such a great experience. They were extremely humble and they rocked the WUTK studio. This might be one of my favorite in-studios ever...but i could just be a little bias. Check it out and let us know what you think.

WUTK Top 5 Adds for 04/19/11

2011-04-20T12:01:00.001-07:00

Tops Adds for 04/05 & 04/12

2011-04-17T13:53:00.001-07:00

This is the round-up of the best new music around. I couldn't find any of Lake's new stuff on Grooveshark or Youtube, so I threw one of my old faves from Lake in there instead. Enjoy :)

Zach Widgren's First Friday Art Extravaganza at Fort Sanders Yaght Club

2011-04-01T11:24:00.000-07:00

This First Friday, April 1 (TODAY), Zach Widgren will showing new work at the Fort Sanders Yacht Club, aka the beloved BARCADE! Widgren will be graduating from the University of Tennessee in May, so this could be one of his last shows in Knoxville for a bit. So tonight after you've had your fill of cheese, spirits, and the gallery life downtown, make sure you end up at Barcade at 721 17th Street for a selection of art that is has no parallel, but is well complimented by video games :)
Some of Zach's work is also featured in the Ewing Gallery within the Art & Architecture building on campus until 4/4.

Sun Airway talks to WUTK about SXSW, the A-Sides and a new record

2011-03-30T11:49:00.000-07:00

Jon Barthmus, the man behind Sun Airway, sat down with Brittney B and the Indie Aisle's Doug Johnson for an interview about all things music. Sun Airway rocked the Pilot Light last Wednesday with Asobi Seksu and Cults. You can listen to the interview or read it below!

Sun Airway interview with WUTK by bbryant3

WUTK: So, Why don’t you go ahead and introduce yourself.

Sun Airway: My name is John and I am part of Sun Airway. Patrick is kind of my second half of the recording part, but our live band is five people.

WUTK: Really? So two of you write it and then you have a full band?
SA: It’s mostly my project that I started with Patrick, but now its become a real band.

WUTK: How would you describe your music?
SA: Oh, man. You think I would have an answer for that by now. That’s always the toughest thing for me to say. The short answer, I guess, is electronic-pop. I’ll stick with that.

WUTK: I know you said you have been touring for a little while. How has it been?
SA: It has been pretty amazing. The first half was with Cults and Small Black. We all just got along really well, and kind of turned it into a rolling party.

WUTK: Then is this your first show with Asobi Seksu?
SA: Last night was our first with them and they were great. I’m psyched to see them for the next few nights.

WUTK: This is kind of like the ultimate indie music show, You get all different sides of the music spectrum.
SA: Yeah it seems like going to and from SXSW there is so many bands going that you can put together some really solid tours.

WUTK: Do you have any good stories from SXSW? You played eight shows in four days!
SA: Sadly, my main concern was just keeping my voice. It was such a blur. We had some definite good times. I ate a lot of good food truck food. Waffle tacos is all I’m going to say. Also, there’s a big thing in Philly called “Making Time” and they were doing something at SXSW that ended up being a big Philly thing. After us was Spankrock, and we has playing some of his new stuff. He just got everyone super into it.

WUTK: Are you working on any new stuff right now? If so, what kind of music?
SA: I am. We are trying to get out a 7’’ this summer, and then hopefully another album next year. So I’m just starting to write some music. I have one song done and a few in the works.

WUTK: From what we have read, you get a lot of comparisons to Animal Collective. What do you think about that?
SA: I’m okay with it, as far as reference points goes because I really like Animal Collective. But, I am also sort of confused by it because I don’t every really think you would confuse us with them. I think people need something to latch onto. It is a flattering band to be compared to.

WUTK: You were part of the A-Sides. How did the A-sides morph into Sun Airway?
SA: Well, basically everyone but the drummer quit. Not out of any real reason. We were kind of over touring. So, I mostly just wanted to make music. I had been messing around with electronica music and samples and I wanted to just really try to dive into it and make a record of it, so that’s what we did. Oh and now the Sun Airway band is 4/5ths of the A-Sides.

WUTK: So now you all just came together and made a new and improved A-Sides?
SA: Yeah pretty much. People left and did their own thing, but by the time Sun Airway got around to playing shows everybody wanted to get involved again.

WUTK: The Sun Airway stuff sounds pretty different than the A-Sides. Do you think on a touring basis atleast that you will start to sound a little like the A-Sides?
SA: The good thing about the A-Sides was that everyone was just really good at what they were doing. But, I think there is a lot of times in a live show everyone’s strengths in what they play really come out like they did in the A-Sides. So, maybe there is a little something there.

WUTK: Did the guys in the A-Sides help you with your newest album, Nocturne of Exploded Chandelier?
SA: No one helped on it. It was kind of make the music first and then do it live.

WUTK: When did you start working on the album that came out in October of last year?
SA: We started it in August of ’08, so it was kind of a long time coming. A lot of that was just building a studio and trying to learn how to use all the gear.

WUTK: How did that album come together? What was your inspiration?
SA: I guess it was coming from a lot of places. Most of it I had written already. It would probably have been the new A-Sides record, but once we started Sun Airway I was recording them all in this new context. The inspirations of a few songs were based on the book Norweigan Wood. And then I just took a lot of the themes that were involved in those and tried to elaborate on them for the rest of the stuff. I wanted to make something really cohesive. I started taking the moon and the night as the main reference points.

WUTK: You can hear that on the album. It sounds a little dreamy.
SA: Yeah, I like for it to be very mysterious. Something you can really immerse yourself in.

WUTK: You’re going to be at the Pitchfork festival. Were you excited to be one of the first bands announced.
SA: That was definitely a surprise to us, as much as anybody else. I’ve always wanted to go, but never had a real excuse. This year it’s on and I can’t wait.

WUTK: You’ve done a lot of remixes for Here We Go Magic and Caribou. Can we expect more of these?
SA: Probably a couple more, but I’m definitely going to be slowing down on those.

WUTK: Anything else you’re working on?
SA: I am doing something awesome for a charity that’s benefiting kids in Southern India. It’s made from a library of samples of those kids singing. There are a lot of other really cool artists involved. Other than that I guess I’ll just focus on my own stuff for a bit.

WUTK: The last album you said took you two years. Do you think that next one is going to take as long?
SA: I would really like for it to take a lot less time. But it’s hard to say. It depends on how much free time I get.

WUTK: What bands are you really into right now?
SA: I got a recent EP of Zola Jesus that is really good. Also, the new Pains of Being Pure at Heart. I also listen to a lot of electronic and dance music from the past 10 years. I’m really excited for the new Cass McCombs and Dirty Beaches, too.

WUTK: Is there a band you are really hoping to see, perhaps at Pitchfork when you are there?
SA: I’m psyched to see Fleet Foxes.

Cider House goes old school

2011-03-28T12:33:00.000-07:00

On Friday night, the Cider House was warped back to a time when music required talent and singers relied on their vocal ability—not an auto tuner. Three bands came out to woo the audience and prove that they were worthy of the stage: Johnny Astro and the Big Bang, Jonathon Sexton and the Big Love Choir, and The Black Cadillacs. Judging by their performances, it appeared that each band was aware that a new era had begun. By the end of the night, it was clear that gone are the times when big record labels suddenly swoop in, throw money at a band, and make them an overnight sensation. Now there is a new standard, and that is the performance.If a band is primed for success, they must enthrall the audience. The rules of a live show are simple for a band—they must leave it all out there on the stage and (most importantly) they need to successfully solidify themselves in the hearts of the audience.

Johnny Astro and the Big Bang took the stage at around 9:45, charged with the difficult task of unifying each group throughout the club, while helping them shed away the burdens of the daily grind.

Johnny Astro began their set with the song “Black Blade” and, immediately, the crowd began to gravitate towards the stage. The band played with full-bravado as if they were playing not to a crowd of roughly 100 people, but to a stadium full of adoring fans. After the first song ended, the crowd barely applauded in manner that is usually reserved for church services. Instead of being discouraged, the band went straight into the second song with even more energy than the first—this got heads bobbing.

Johnny Astro played a set that was both surprising and refreshing. Though the band consisted of four young University of Tennessee students, the complexity of their music and maturity of its lyrics made it crystal clear that these guys mirror old souls. Their songs are reminiscent of a time when music was a poor man’s therapist and an outlet through which one released his demons.

Paul Wakefield, lead vocals and guitar, sang with passion and acted as a conductor between the enthusiastic energy of bassist Mike Carroll and the laid back mellow groove of lead guitarist Jackson Collier. The group's drums are hammered on by Zach Gilleran whose whole body keeps time with the music’s rhythm. Johnny Astro's performance did not leave the crowd wanting and, in the end, caused the apprehensive crowd to warm up.

Up next was Jonathon Sexton and the Big Love Choir—this is a band where shoes are optional but entertainment is not. Prior to going on stage, Jonathon could be found hobbling around on a cane and thanking audience members for attending. Normally this would be a bad omen, but Jonathon Sexton proved otherwise.

Sexton took the stage looking like Willy Wonka’s rock and roll brother. But, unlike Wonka, Sexton took you on a journey into yourself, and depending on who you are, the journey would most likely not end with you being carted away by malicious little orange men.

The band began their set with upbeat songs to lift the spirits of the crowd and the crowd responded with a form of dancing that mirrored a hybrid between Ska dancing and a good old fashion hoedown two-step. Between each song Sexton interacted with the crowd, telling quick stories and drawing into his web. By the fifth song. the journey took a turn toward something a little more serious. The song “Anybody” combated the rather personal subject of the feelings that everyone has that disconnect us from our peers, and leave us feeling alone.

Throughout the show, each song was unexpected. You never knew if it would be upbeat and carefree,or if it would rip away your carefully constructed barricade. In the acoustic song “Take These Days,” emotions were raw as Sexton sang about the inevitable time in everyone’s life where the pains of adulthood collide with the inadequacy of youthful wisdom.

During the set, the band made a smart move by playing two cover songs. This allowed newcomers of the band and old fans to unite. The covers got the audience involved and enhanced the shared experience of all. Finally, the time that the entire crowd had been waiting for when Sexton announced that he would play the crowd favorite “Babylon.”

The entire performance that Sexton and company delivered was energetic and passionate. The music swelled around and surrounded the audience like an embrace from an old friend. The lyrics were poignant and the songs marked a specific time in someone’s life. The music from Jonathon Sexton and the Big Love Choir that mirrors the human existence’s joys and woes. And the fact that, while you never know what tomorrow will bring—the band will entertain you.

The night ended with the Black Cadillacs, who played a two-hour long set. The crowd began at the stage and rocked along with them for the entire set. The band successfully mixed together the sounds of old school rock ’n roll and old-fashioned blues. Providing a perfect end to the night, the crowd danced and enjoyed the band's unique sound. The group featured songs from their first CD, as well as songs like “Run Run,” from their soon to be released second CD.

The entire evening was filled with good tunes and good times. The bands displayed their A games and enticed the crowd.

WUTK Top 5 Adds for 3/15 & 3/22

2011-03-25T10:05:00.000-07:00

Spring Break kind of put a kink in our continued efficiency. So, I am posting the past TWO weeks of adds. Now you have 10 songs to enjoy at once, which to me is even better for a chilly Friday afternoon.

Sun Airway interview/pics should be up today, so make sure you check back later!

Grooveshark does not have a new Those Darlins or Bing Ji Ling, which were our #4 and #5 adds this week, so they get youtube vids. yay for variety!

Asobi Seksu, Sun Airway AND Cults!

2011-03-23T13:04:00.000-07:00

Yep you read that right. Asobi Seksu, Sun Airway AND Cults are all playing at the Pilot Light tonight! Tickets are pretty inexpensive, and it will be a great show.

PLUS! We will have an exclusive interview with Sun Airway on here in the next few days.

WUTK SXSW Recap

2011-03-21T11:10:00.000-07:00

"So...will I see you in Austin?!" No.
....
"Hey Carey, wanna meet up in Austin and grab a drink?" Nope.
....
"Dude, I'm so excited about the SXSW tUnE-yArDs show." I'M NOT GOING TO SXSW DAMNIT!!!
....
The week before SXSW is always bitter-sweet at WUTK. After spending countless hours chatting with promoters about the ins and outs of the festival, it becomes borderline impossible not to slam down the phone and hook-up a makeshift IV of margaritas to ease the pain brought on by the fact that WUTK completely lacks funding from the University and therefor, our staff is left sloshing through the streets of Knoxville half-drowning in a pool of lukewarm PBR's instead of taking in the sights and sounds of the fabled festival.

But even though the festival is over and all is back to normal, the videos of Austin's best performances continue to pop-up. So, if even if you were lucky enough to make it to Texas but can't quite piece together where Starfucker began and Middle Brother ended...check out some of WUTK's favorites below.

Wild Flag

tUnE-yArDs

Starfucker

Tennis

-Carey

My Pact with Music

2011-03-19T16:17:00.000-07:00

First song on first mix tape received - Bikini Kill, "This is Not a Test"

I can not think of a major moment in my life -- past the age of 12 -- where music was bereft from the background noise. When I was 10 years old the present wrapped in gold was a Sony boombox (with tape and CD player). I don't really consider this the same keystone event as my first tape Walkman due mostly to the fact that the first CDs I owned (Spin Doctors Pocket Full of Kryptonite; Paula Abdul Greatest Hits) were not indicative of my musical taste two years later.

First break-up album - 1996 - Modest Mouse This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About

The day I bought my first tapes and broke out of the hand-me-down music that I borrowed from my parents (James Taylor; Carley Simon; Cat Stevens; Indigo Girls; Strength in Numbers) was the day that I never wanted my life to be without music ever again. Ownership Hole's Pretty On the Inside, Miss World, and Nine Inch Nails's Pretty Hate Machine were the single personal-political events that served as my justification in declaring war on silence. As I lay in my bed that night, headphones on and volume maxed out, I thrashed violently on a twin-sized water bed while clumsily playing air guitar to "Credit in the Straight World" in the darkness.

First slow dance and kiss - 1994 - Grant Lee Buffalo, "Mockingbirds"

When 1998 rolled around, I was in 8th grade. Farragut Middle School took a band-wide trip to Washington D.C. -- the whole ride there I blasted Sebadoh's Bakesale and various Smashing Pumpkins albums. My close friend Lauren Anderson sat next to me and we traded tapes back and forth. On the drive back to Knoxville, Disney movies playing on the televisions and streetlights passing in a way that made shadows on the bus appear as sundials fast-forwarding, I listened to my first Sleater-Kinney albums (Sleater-Kinney, Call the Doctor, Dig Me Out) and followed up with Bikini Kill's The C.D. Version of the First Two Records. Within a week I was digging through the network that would later coagulate into the file-sharing application, Napster -- listening to Team Dresch and trying to rationalize singing along to lesbian Queercore lyrics as a pubescent male.

First disc trade - Marilyn Manson's Portrait of an American Family for Offspring's Smash

The years after this are a blur. Napster was a fine service if you knew what you wanted, felt the urge to fill out missing tracks in your collection, were looking for rare tracks from an artist, or if you felt like using wild card searches for documents that people had inadvertently shared ("pass*.*"; "*log.doc"). Around the halfway mark between Napster's first release and the first media faux pas it created -- another service popped up called AudioGalaxy. The novelty with AudioGalaxy was that the search and GUI portions of your browsing were inside of a browser: click a button next to the track on the web page and a program specific URL would queue the song for download in the stand-alone program. The nice part about this was that AudioGalaxy allowed for the option to sort by genre, pull up obscure genres, and then sort by download popularity -- a feature it also allowed when browsing by artist. This was during a pretty heavy Aphex Twin binge. I knew most major Aphex Twin releases and side projects (from Caustic Bubblebath/Joyrex to Mike and Rich) -- and that led to Boards of Canada, Plaid, and Squarepusher. The genres of music I paid the most
attention to were Illbiant and Downtempo.

Most valued artist find - 1999 - Nick Drake

There was a popular VW ad in 1999 called "Milky Way". This was one of the first major uses of solid non-mainstream music on a prime-time advertisement -- a far jump from the more common use of Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life" on Carnival Cruise commercials. In the commercial, a group of friends drives through a series of back roads between dusk and night -- making good use of the Cabriolet's retracting roof to admire the night sky while Nick Drake's "Pink Moon" played in the background. The car pulls up to their intended destination, a party with one drunk staggering back inside, the passengers look at one another -- and then continue to drive into the night. The next day I called VW to get the information on the song that played. Two years later, undergoing massive dental procedures that would later result in the removal of more than half my teeth in the slowest and most painful manner possible, I found myself on my couch -- drugged, sore, and depressed -- listening to the Pink Moon album. And then Five Leaves Left. And then Bryter Layter. And then old demos scrounged up from the Internet ("Been Smoking Too Long"). Someone else had felt this low before -- and knowing that helped me keep my level of self-pity below flood stages.

First album won - 1996 - 94.3 FM - Tripping Daisy I Am an Elastic Firecracker

I've made out to Jimi Hendrix's "Angel" sitting in a car at the entrance to a neighborhood in the pouring rain, walked into a bar to reconcile a fight with my father with "Hey Joe" playing on the jukebox, shared the first kiss of a relationship to the initial chord strike of "The Bends", and sat in the back of an Astro van -- my first golden retriever, unable to walk and with failing kidneys at 14-years-old, with his head in my lap -- listening to Smashing Pumpkin's "French Movie Theme" on repeat as we drove to the vet to put him to sleep. I have been pulled over three times for speeding to "Geek U.S.A." in Knoxville and one time to JUSTICE's "D.A.N.C.E. Pt. 2" on A Cross The Universe in Sydney, Ohio. I had the best cigarette of my young life sitting on top of my car at Bonnaroo after being lost and alone for roughly five hours -- blasting Jethro Tull's "Sweet Dreams" from my stereo at 6 in the morning. I've pulled up to the FHS marching band summer dance in 2000 in a black Jag convertible with Slint's "Breadcrumb Trail" pouring out of the speakers like an erupting volcano. A driver slammed into the car I was in going 50 MPH while New Order's "Temptation" played, I was T-boned to Presidents of the United States of America's "Mach 5", and the first song to play in my replacement car was Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues". I got violently ill and lost the contents of my stomach on Justin Timberlake's lawn in Georgia while a still-running car played Spacemen 3's "Losing Touch With My Mind".

Most played soundtrack - (tie) - The Crow (1994 - 1997) // Kids (1998 - 2002) // subUrbia (1996 - 2001)

When I was 12 years old I signed a pact with music in blood. My ears would forever ring as a testiment to my war on silence and every sound above the threshold of ringing would make the sound less noticeable. I reap the fruits from that contract on a daily basis.

First concert with a girlfriend - Moby

If cigarettes were numbered and I could name them like milestones -- "Oh, I remember #13,492. We were speeding through the back roads of Cumming and my girlfriend at the time had Ride the Lightening thundering in her car that she called Blitzkrieg" -- maybe this would have played out differently. Probably not. I only remember my bank account number due to the obsessive number of times I check it online. I'd just end up with a wallet full of faded papers with numbers on them and no recollection of why I felt the need to keep them -- much like the debit receipts from restaurants and bars currently.

Matthew Smollon (Spider Jerusalem) - Music Life Coach

Thom Yorke + Burial + Four Tet = Good Jamz

2011-03-15T19:40:00.000-07:00

Electronic musicians Burial and Four Tet released a split EP in 2009. The release was excellent. Below is "Wolf Cub" from that release.

I've always held out hope that Burial and Four Tet would join forces again—my wait is over. And as an added bonus, Thom Yorke of Radiohead is involved! Below are both tracks from the EP. Enjoy!

-Doug

WUTK Top 5 Adds for 03/08/11

2011-03-08T13:07:00.001-08:00

Premiere of the New Video For The Raveonettes Single "Recharge & Revolt"

2011-03-07T10:29:00.000-08:00

Below is the brand new video for the Raveonettes new single "Recharge & Revolt" off their upcoming album Raven in the Grave, which is due out on April 5th. The song has received great feedback from our listeners, so a little background on the track and the video seems appropriate. "Recharge & Revolt" was written a a plane trip from New York to LA about an anxiousness for an "epic, sustainable love", along with a feeling of power and self confidence that is said to be a theme throughout the album. The song's accompanying video is about a man marching across the country waving his "black flag with a white raven symbolizing the death of oppression and the rise of (his) immortality." I hope you all enjoy this and are excited about the new album, which is certain to be one of the best of 2011 (I'm sure that it will be in my top 5).
-MS

WUTK Top Adds 3/1

2011-03-02T12:49:00.000-08:00

Ready to dance around like a crazy person? Of course you are!

And finally...

La Sera

2011-02-28T10:51:00.000-08:00

I've never been shy about the fact that I'm a devout follower of jingly pop songs——the shorter and catchier the better (if hand-claps or whistling are involved I'm hooked). Luckily, artists in 2011 seem to be embracing the simple and sweet (Smith Westerns, Yuck, Tennis, ect.) and each week brings a new find to WUTK.

Katy Goodman is most widely known as the bass-player in Brooklyn's The Vivian Girls, but she's recently tossed-out some of her grittiness in favor of her passion for stripped down vocals and simplistic song-writing with her new group La Sera.

Check out a live performance by Goodman and company:

-Carey

The Muppets Heart LCD Soundsystem

2011-02-25T08:34:00.000-08:00

It all started with Kermit's heartfelt plea to NYC

Now even Miss Piggy's getting in on the action

-Carey

WUTK Top 5 Adds for 2/22

2011-02-22T12:04:00.000-08:00

Hit play and dance around your room, office, etc. You're welcome.

For Those of You Who Thought Tennis Was A Sport....

2011-02-21T08:31:00.000-08:00

It's 2011 and bands boasting questionable names are on the rise. In a quest to spend hours glued to the computer screen—I'm determined to discover each and every one of these misunderstood gems.

My aimless obsession started a couple of weeks ago when I caught the U.K.'s Yuck at the Pilot Light and was inspired to investigate why such talented groups are poised to choose names that require a double-take.

I started listening to Denver's Tennis when a couple of their tracks began to gain momentum on various blogs and, a few months later when WUTK was serviced their record Cape Dory, I slowly began to understand the rationale behind the husband/wife duo's choice of a white collar sport to represent their languid and summer-tinged formations.

Take a listen to "South Carolina" off of Cape Dory...

-Carey

Bass Center...Ultimate Proof We Love Our Bass

2011-02-20T19:38:00.000-08:00

As myself and fellow electronic music lovers traveled across the beautiful mountains on this past Saturday, I knew the sold out Bass Center, featuring Bassnectar, Glitch Mob and Ana Sia would be a massive event—A sold out show at the Asheville Civic Center will give you that impression. But this experience may be the most concrete proof we have to date that the southeast loves electronic music— particularly dubstep.

To no ones surprise, the crowd was full of Knoxvillians.
As we gazed at the license plates on vehicles at the hotel and in the parking garage, we were in awe at how far some had traveled to experience the party—AC Entertainment's Ashley Capps even made an appearance. But what always prevails true is that Bassnectar, Glitch Mob and Ana Sia all knew it was epic, and performed to their highest levels.

I ran around the place. From back right, to front left, to balcony center, and on, I was never short of the realization that electronic music conjures happiness, unity, love and the will to party like never before.

For this, we at WUTK salute the electronic music scene that you have all helped create and allow to prosper.

- Matt Miller

Radiohead - "The King of Limbs"

2011-02-18T14:48:00.000-08:00

Today, Radiohead released their newest record, The King of Limbs. Currently, you can only get the record from their website. If you'd rather not purchase the album just yet, don't fret, because we'll be wearing the record out on 90.3 The Rock!

This afternoon, I spent an exceptionally enjoyable 37 minutes and 27 seconds listening to "The King of Limbs."

The album begins with "Bloom," featuring Thom Yorke's moaning over a banging, battering, ethereally jazzy background. "Morning Mr Magpie" comes next, featuring skittering percussion, tenderly-picked guitar, and an urgent vocal melody. The unsettlingly gorgeous "Little By Little" follows, feeling like a percussive Indian-influenced honky-tonk jam recorded in an underwater studio.

If one thing ties this record together, it's the killer percussion work by Phil Selway.

"Feral" features frenetic percussion and a wobbly baseline. It's a good track, but my least favorite of the bunch. This is no problem, because my favorite track on the record, "Lotus Flower," follows "Feral." Coincidentally, "Lotus Flower" is the first single from The King of Limbs and the track featured in the above video. "Lotus Flower" is relaxing, sensual, and addicting. Next is "Codex," which reminds me vaguely of their "Pyramid Song" from Amnesiac.

The seventh track "Give Up the Ghost" sounds like My Morning Jacket circa At Dawn. It's weird. It also manages to sound distinctly like Radiohead, due largely to Yorke's singular vocals. The album rolls to a relatively light-sounding and steady end with "Separator." I've never been a fan of Radiohead's choices for the final track on their albums, The King of Limbs being no exception. "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" is a notable exception.

This album will inevitably be compared to other Radiohead albums, so I'll give it a shot. The King of Limbs sounds like a synthesis of their work from Kid A and the recent In Rainbows, making ample use of precise time signatures, looping, and manipulated vocals in the context of fairly conventional songs. No single track exceeds 5 minutes and 20 seconds, but there are plenty of ideas to unpack within each track. I'll leave it there, let you experience the record, and come to your own conclusions.

I highly recommend The King of Limbs.

-Doug

New Cut Copy: "Need You Now"

2011-02-17T10:24:00.000-08:00

Enjoy athletes, the NYC skyline, and Australian electro-pop? Check out Cut Copy's newest video from their album Zonoscope.

Cut Copy - Need You Now (Stereogum Premiere) from stereogum on Vimeo.

WUTK Top 5 Adds 2/15-2/22

2011-02-16T08:42:00.000-08:00

Today, as I began to post the top five adds for the station, a thought crossed my mind—how the hell are listeners supposed to know what a top add even means?

Fear not! Below is a step-by-step rundown as to how music goes from the studio to the airwaves here at WUTK.

1. So you think that it's frustrating when your inbox is overflowing with spam? Pshawww...Imagine a giant crate full of envelopes stuffed with 75% spam and 25% musical goodness. Now take that image—repeat it once every week—and you'll come moderately close to visualizing the amount of mail WUTK is sent on a regular basis. Perhaps this explains the constant nightmares involving piles of duct-taped packages...

2. After all of the wonderful members of the station's music department check-out a stack of albums to review over the week, we culminate (at times, resembling rag-tag group of homeless people) in a board-of-directors style meeting room on Sunday's to fight to the death about what tracks should go into what level of rotation on air.

3. What exactly is rotation?

We have three main levels of rotation at WUTK:

A1- These are the hottest tracks spinning in college radio at the moment and make up our top adds of the week. You can count on hearing these cuts multiple times a day.

A2- This is our medium rotation, it falls just a few steps short of our A1's. You'll still hear these tracks somewhat frequently, but not as often as say...the newest Kings of Leon.

B1- These tracks fill our final level of standard rotation and play the least frequently on the air. Think of B1 as the B-sides of your favorite album.

4. Our final decisions hit the airwaves the following Monday!

So now that you know how the newest music reaches you (our wonderful listeners) from all of us at WUTK...check out our top adds of the week!

La Sera
"La Sera"-Hardly Art

Win Win
"Win Win"-Vice Records

Telekinesis
"12 Desperate Straight Lines"-Merge Lineup

Asobi Seksu
"Fluorescence"-Polyvinyl

PJ Harvey
"Let England Shake"- Island Records

-Carey

WUTK Photo diary: Part 1

2011-02-15T17:44:00.000-08:00

We see a lot of music around here. Most of it is good, some of it is great, but all of it is entertaining. These are some of the most recent pictures I have snapped around town.

-Britt

Will Horton of the Black Cadillacs @ Barleys

Black Cadillacs @ Barleys

Yuck @ the Pilot Light

Smith Westerns @ the Pilot Light

Soon to come: Dr. Dog @ the WUTK Studio!

New Strokes "Undercover of Darkness"

2011-02-09T12:44:00.000-08:00

It's been five years since we've gotten any new material from the Strokes. Earlier today, the strokes made their first single "Undercover of Darkness" available for a free download on their website. This will only be up for 48 hours so act fast. Honestly, it doesn't seem like they've lost a thing.

- MC Culpepper

Idea of the Day

2011-02-08T16:33:00.000-08:00

M. Ward and Jim James of Monsters of Folk are now blogging about a most delightful dessert, crème brûlée. I wonder how the blog was brainstormed...go figure! Visit this link to see the Crème Brû-log for yourself.

-Doug

WUTK's Top Adds 2/8-2/14

2011-02-08T14:21:00.000-08:00

Below are the top five bands added to The Rock's rotation for the week...

Yuck
Yuck-Fat Possum

Akron/Family
S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT-Dead Oceans

Cut Copy
Zonoscope-Modular

Bright Eyes
The People's Key-Saddle Creek

Carolina Chocolate Drops
Genuine Negro Jig-Nonesuch

New York, I Love You But Your Bringing Me Down (Goodbye LCD Soundsystem)

2011-02-08T13:29:00.000-08:00

Electronic pioneers—and disco ball enthusiasts—LCD Soundsystem announced this past week that they will be playing their final concert as a band April 2 at NYC's Madison Square Garden.

Well shit...wait, is this for real?

Like a majority of WUTK staffers, I love LCD Soundsystem, and I hate to be a skeptic—especially when it involves James Murphy—but with sheer amount of "farewell concerts" snagging the headlines these days I can't help but envision an LCD reunion in the near future. Pavement not only headlined Pitchfork during their reunion tour this summer, but they also sold-out every venue that they booked.

So for the moment, I think I'll sit tightly and wait....and/or pray for an LCD reunion that does not involve the draining of my savings account. BUT for all of you that are interested...below is the band's press release for the event.

it's the end of an era as lcd soundsystem confirms an april 2 extravaganza at new york city's madison square garden that will be both its first time headlining the storied arena and the final, definitive and ultimate lcd live show.

billed as lcd soundsystem: the long goodbye, this three-hour farewell performance will be the lengthiest most career-spanning set the band has ever played. those attending can expect the return of long dormant deep cuts to the lcd setlist as well as the first (and last) live performances of a number of never-before-played music spanning lcd soundsystem's decade-defining albums lcd soundsystem, sound of silver, this is happening, the acclaimed 45:33, and more.

lcd soundsystem: the long goodbye will see james murphy and company going out both on top and on their own terms: as the ultimate lcd live performance in both senses of the word, the show will see the lcd core live band of murphy, pat mahoney, nancy whang, al doyle, gavin russom, tyler pope and matt thornley augmented by a choir, string and horn sections plus contributions and collaborations from both one-time-only special guests and many of the musicians with whom the band has worked over the years.

lcd soundsystem: the long goodbye will cap a banner touring cycle that has seen the band play historic headlining sets at the hollywood bowl, pitchfork, V, wireless and more, from their native nyc to korea to the stretch of south american dates currently underway.

the members of lcd soundsystem will be observing a black and white clothing only dress code for the long goodbye. They respectfully request that the audience do the same.

nyc post-rock pioneers liquid liquid will open the show. further details and special guests will be announced as they are confirmed (or maybe they'll just show up that night).

tickets for lcd soundsystem: the long goodbye will be on sale february 11th. [press release]

-Carey

Duck Sauce –- "Barbara Streisand"

2011-02-08T13:11:00.000-08:00

This video is up for the Music Video Woody for the 2011 mtvU Woody Awards (Which we are also nominated for, so vote for us here).

36 million views and counting. This song is dope! A lot of really entertaining cameos. Not to mention, the song is about Barbs!

- MC Culpepper

World Music...and Why We Want You to Listen to It

2011-02-07T20:16:00.001-08:00

DJ Matt from Simmer Down here. I recently had a conversation with multiple members of our music department, as I decided to leave the horrible halftime performance that was the Black Eyed Peas for a Camel filter, about the importance of world music in college radio. WUTK brings you world music because we believe it is that unique genre that no other station brings you. The goal of myself, Benny Smith, and the music department is to play the world music that is of the highest caliber and accessibility possible. This Sunday, Simmer Down, on every Sunday night from 8 to 10, will be playing the reggae/world/dub/hip-hop and other tracks that have revolutionized their genre. I am calling it, "The Most Important World Music Show You've Ever Listened To." Join me. Enjoy this video that will hopefully bring you along the journey this Sunday night.

Fell In Love With A Band

2011-02-03T11:19:00.000-08:00

It was 2001 and a musical duo broke onto the tv and into our hearts with their lego video and garage rock sound.

This was most of America introduction to the band The White Stripes. Yesterday it was announced that the band has broken up, and this should be a sad day in the world of music. Despite the negative view the flannel shirts and beards have now placed on the band for Jack being an overrated musician an Meg for not being a decent drummer or contributing anything to the band, The White Stripes, may be (at least in my view) the most important rock band to debut in the last 15 years. I urge you to look back at 2001, and the state of rock music. It was a world of nu-metal, and rap-rock having sole control of the mainstream rock world. Then along with the Strokes, Jack and Meg blasted out a rock sound long forgotten.

The public loved this throw back, blues inspired garage rock and as a result, the mainstream face of rock changed and is still reaping the benefits of it. The current wave indie bands crossing over into the mainstream would not be anywhere near as loved, appreciated, or heard.
Indie rock has deep musical debit to The White Stripes.

We lost a great band, but has Jack said the music is ours now and we get to make it last forever and we should. I plan to.

-MS

O.D.B. on the finer things in life...

2011-02-02T13:47:00.001-08:00

York Peppermint Patties are the shit...

-MC

Dr. Dog Visits WUTK's Studio

2011-02-01T14:23:00.000-08:00

I've always associated Philly's Dr. Dog with Springtime. I'm not exactly sure when or how the two became involved in this odd, yet mutually beneficial relationship, but whenever I hear the the band's psychedelic-tinged pairing of Americana and harmony-driven rock, I can't help but lazily drift into a warmer state-of-mind. This weird observation is why it was so fitting that when the band paid a visit to WUTK yesterday, the temperature was freakishly above-average for February.

I had seen Dr. Dog a couple of times, but both took place at music festivals with minimal stage set-up, so when Brittney B. and I headed to the Bijou to peek in on the sound check and pick the guys up, I was shocked at their lavishly bright stained-glass themed backdrop and how well their vocals translated into the Bijou.

Once we arrived at the station, the entire band (not only 3 members as was originally planned), graced our studio with four acoustic tunes and an interview. It's always difficult to predict how bands will react to WUTK's tiny basement headquarters, but Dr. Dog was especially awesome and took the time to stick around and record a few station ID's as well as chat with some of our new DJ's.

Needless to say, that nights show at the Bijou was fantastic. Opening band, Seattle's The Head and The Heart, took the audience by surprise—and earned a standing ovation—by delivering song after catchy song full of string accompaniment and guy/girl vocals. Both the Head and The Heart as well as Dr. Dog can be heard in WUTK's daily rotation.

For those of you in the Knoxville area, be sure to tune into UTTV (channel 194) for video and audio of Brittney and I's interview with Dr. Dog as well as other performances recorded live in the WUTK studio!

-Carey

Photos from Brittney B. to come...

New Fleet Foxes, Helplessness Blues, Out on May 3

2011-01-31T10:58:00.000-08:00

Sub Pop's folksy darlings, Fleet Foxes, announced earlier this morning that their heavily anticipated new album, Helplessness Blues will be released May 3rd with a tour to follow. Better get your tickets fast, as these dude's shows are known to sell-out.

Fleet Foxes 2011 Tour Dates:
04.30.2011The Vogue Theatre / Vancouver, BC
05.01.2011Crystal Ballroom / Portland, OR
05.03.2011Moore Theatre / Seattle, WA
05.05.2011Fox Theater / Oakland, CA
05.06.2011Spreckles Theatre / San Diego, CA
05.07.2011Hollywood Palladium / Hollywood, CA
05.08.2011Rialto Theatre / Tucson, AZ
05.10.2011Stubb’s Waller Creek / Austin, TX
05.11.2011Palladium Ballroom / Dallas, TX
05.13.2011Ryman Auditorium / Nashville, TN
05.14.2011The Tabernacle / Atlanta, GA
05.15.2011DAR Constitution Hall / Washington, DC
05.17.2011Orpheum Theatre / Boston, MA
05.18.2011The United Palace Theatre / New York, NY
05.21.2011Tower Theatre / Upper Darby, PA
05.25.2011Astra / Berlin, Germany
05.26.2011Dachau Summer of Music / Munich, Germany
05.30.2011Bataclan / Paris, France
05.31.2011Hammersmith Apollo / London, UK

Panda Bear releases album art for Tomboy

2011-01-28T13:18:00.000-08:00

Panda Bear of Animal Collective is set to release his new album Tomboy on 12 April 2011 (Paw Tracks). Below is the album art.

Panda Bear's previous solo record Person Pitch was one of my favorite records of 2007. Hopefully Tomboy will be as good! I luckily got a chance to hear some of his unique new material at the Pitchfork Music Festival last July. His afternoon set was a great accompaniment to the calm and comfortable Chicago heat. Below are several clips from that performance.

We've played several singles from Tomboy in rotation and on the Indie Aisle (Monday 8-10 p.m.). We'll be sure to play fresh tracks from Panda when we get the full album!

-Doug

Yuck (yuck, yuck, yuck)

2011-01-28T10:15:00.000-08:00

I'm continually amazed with unmarketable band names. For example, last year, I wrote an article on the group Starfucker—the caption was reduced to Starf----er and the band was referred to as Stareffer on the air—not exactly a promotional blitz. Enter UK's Yuck. The group will be playing with Smith Westerns at the Pilot Light this Saturday (tomorrow night) and, in my search-engine quest to find more information, I typed in three different versions of their name before I achieved success. But, once I did, I was surprised to find a young collective of musicians whose shoegaze leaning self-titled record, released stateside on Fat Possum Records, manages to be both atmospheric and energetic while never taking a turn towards the cliche. Be sure and go check them out at the Pilot Light (the show's only six bucks!).

-Carey

Black Sheep - The Choice Is Yours (1991)

2011-01-27T06:31:00.000-08:00

Honestly, this was just something that was stuck in my head as I was driving to school today. It's a classic song from Black Sheep's first album A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing (released October 22, 1991). If you are not familiar with these guys, they have the same chilled out styles as A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul (all were members of the Native Tongues http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_Tongues).

-MC Culpepper

TOP 5 SONGS OF THE WEEK!

2011-01-26T13:36:00.000-08:00

New songs at WUTK! These are the newly released songs we are loving this week. Feel free to turn up your computer to max volume.

The Decemberists Reach #1 on Billboard Top 200 Charts

2011-01-26T11:21:00.000-08:00

Following the trend set this past year by Arcade Fire's, The Suburbs, The Decemberists' newest twangy album, The King is Dead, topped the Billboard charts earlier today by selling 93,567 copies last week alone (in comparison, their last album sold around 19,000). WUTK started spinning the first single off the album, "Down by The Water," this past November. It would appear that between 2010 and 2011, record sales are providing a glimmer of hope for independent music loyalist everywhere!

Battle of the Pixies Remix

2011-01-25T13:08:00.000-08:00

After seeing Girl Talk last night at the Valarium, I started thinking about how DJs mash up songs to create such unique mixes. Some are awesome, most are sub-par at best, but all have their own thing going on. One song that i love in mixes is "Where Is My Mind" by the Pixies. I am partial to the Bassnectar mix, but what do you think?

VS.

VS.

No Age at The Pilot Light 1-23-11

2011-01-24T13:08:00.000-08:00

Things are looking up for Knoxville's live music addicted, drunken lyric screaming, and overall irresponsible middle-of-the-week concert-going elite. We are the few, the proud, and the perpetually sleep-deprived.

The next few weeks are packed with so many awesome shows, that I'm starting to wonder whether or not my grades will take a hit (not that it's ever happened before...).And, perhaps as a preview of my commitment to academic diligence, last night's rock-neck inducing No Age show at the the Pilot Light was not very conducive to my 9 A.M. aerobic swimming class.

Armed with mediocre expectations and an overwhelming desire for pizza, WUTK's Music Director, Brittney B., and I headed to the Old City at around eleven to find that the first of the three groups on the night's bill hadn't even taken the stage. Not that the Pilot Light is known for their punctuality, but at the time, a 2 A.M. night seemed like some sort of magical quest involving dragons and several cans of Red Bull. A few beers in and two hours later, we headed into the venue just as No Age was warming-up. I should have know that our eerie punctuality was a preview of the night's eardrum-numbing outcome seeing as I am NEVER on-time for anything...ever, but my introduction to the band's live show a few years back really wasn't anything special. One mosh pit, a Black Flag request, and a few ruptured PBR's later the previous show seemed more like a strategically placed warm-up in comparison.

Besides surpassing my expectations and raging through tracks from 2008's Nouns as well as 2010's Everything in Between, the group played nearly every request that was drunkenly tossed their way. And by showcasing their bare-bones punk influenced sound much more prominently then on any of their recordings, the LA club staples managed to build the once stagnant crowd's subtle head-bobbing into a full-out explosion that wavered in-between a fairly tame mosh pit to looks of undiluted (besides the beer) awe within 10 minutes of starting their set. I've seen a handful of bands who's lead singer is stationed behind the drums, but I couldn't look away from No Age's Jeremy Villalobos. The drummer's technical skill, seemingly perfect posture, and ability to articulate the group's lyrics for the entirety of the set, all while rocking the fuck out, won me over after only a few songs. Overall, the show ruled.

Now...if only Smith Western's and Dr. Dog would hurry-up and wreck my already skewed sleep habits...

UPDATE! Here are the photos! No Age @ the Pilot Light, Courtesy of Brittney B

-Carey

I Miss Rocking Out.

2011-01-24T10:42:00.000-08:00

Remember when washed out sounds were a novelty? When the wet-effects vocals and echo were a new thing? It felt like summer, the sound and lyrics sticky on your skin and in your ears.

Now, two years later, it's still there. It's the dub-step of indie and it won't go away. It feels as if we have hit the Horse Latitudes of Indie Rock.

"Horse Latitudes?"

Yes. Allow me to explain.

Let's look to our good friend Wikipedia ::
"One theory, of sufficient popularity as to be an example of folk etymology, is that the term horse latitudes originates from when the Spanish transported horses by ship to their colonies in the West Indies and Americas. Ships often became becalmed in mid-ocean in this latitude, thus severely prolonging the voyage; the resulting water shortages made it impossible for the crew to keep the horses alive, and they would throw the dead or dying animals overboard."

That, I feel, is where we currently are when it comes to the state of the Indie Rock genre. We are stuck in a place with low winds, balmy breezes, and no movement. We need to push some of the dead weight off of the ship to make progress. There is an addendum to the etymology of the word, though ::

"However this is extremely unlikely since horses would have been eaten and not thrown overboard."

That'll do fine, too. That is also how music has worked in the past. Once the pool becomes stagnant enough, the animals begin to cannibalize. Sounds, idea, concepts -- everyone works off of one another. In our current state of music, it seems as though in the process of eating one another -- some sickness has been transferred between the bands, keeping the symbiotic washed-out-effects trait dominant. We need this to be a recessive gene to get back to where we once were.

Even if the wet effects were just turned down 4 notches from "15" to "11" -- that'd be a start. Echo effects are not an excuse to play whatever you want and not worry about moving lyricism and technical ability with your instrumentation. But it sometimes feels like that's the direction we are heading towards.

I didn't get involved in music because I like feeling like I'm trapped in some dreamy soundscape 24/7 -- but Indie Rock is my genre. It's the genre that pulled me through many hard times. It's the genre that keeps my feet moving to a drum beat when I'm walking up hills on campus at 7am in the morning. It's what compliments my coffee and goes well with my cigarette. It's what I like. And to see that genre in this shape is a lot like seeing grandma sick in bed and knowing she hasn't got much time. I really want to enjoy our time together before it's over -- but she smells like tuna and coffee-breath.

I grew up to The Strokes, Sleater-Kinney, Sonic Youth, The Pixies, Bikini Kill, Interpol, McLusky, Built to Spill, Sad-Sappy-Sucker era Modest Mouse. And I'm not hearing anything that really reminds me of that kind of sound these days. I dare say that Indie Rock is getting fat. Getting obese on the sweet sugary sounds of dream-pop, echo, and wet effects. And that's no way to live as a genre. You'll have heart problems. That's no good.

What I propose is a diet for Indie Rock.
An exercise regiment for the genre to return it to the formerly noble status that it once held. For Indie Rock to once again be able to bench 400 lbs. of PBR. I want to see that day. I want to live for that day. I want to be part of the night where my feet start moving again to music that I can't stop from shaking me from the spine outward. And each night when I pray to Stephen Malkmus, I ask for the blessing of Elliott Smith - for Sleater-Kinney to reunite - and for Indie Rock to once again find it's spine. To once again be unafraid of being reckless, wild, and willing to shred a guitar. I also ask for the protection of JEFF the Brotherhood -- as they may be one of the last bastions of hope in this desolate Indie Rock atmosphere.

---
I said, "Kiss me, you're beautiful -
These are truly the last days"

You grabbed my hand
And we fell into it
Like a daydream
Or a fever
---

Let's jump into it.

- Matthew Smollon, Indie Rock Cynic

Weekend Playlist

2011-01-21T14:27:00.000-08:00

Miles Davis and John Coltrane - "So What"

Beach House - "Walk in the Park"

GZA and Method Man - "Shadowboxin'" (for the children)

Quasimoto - "Come on Feet"

Jimi Hendrix - "Machine Gun"

El Ten Eleven - "Every Direction is North"

Explosions in the Sky - "Your Hand in Mine"

Yo La Tengo - "Sugarcube"

Thievery Corporation - "Warning Shots"

Can - "Paperhouse"

Tears for Fears - "Shout"

Cat Stevens - "Peace Train"

Joanna Newsom - "Sprout and the Bean"

My Bloody Valentine - "To Here Knows When"

Philip Glass - "The Grid"

Jeff Tweedy - "Fake Plastic Trees"

Gil Scott-Heron - "Winter in America"

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - "The Dead Flag Blues"

Tom Dempsey and the Patriots - "Sarah Palin Battle Hymn"

Jeff Buckley - "Hallelujah"

Radiohead in Prague (2009)

2011-01-21T13:07:00.001-08:00

Do you want to watch Radiohead in concert? Of course you do!

Shea Stadium Live Archive

2011-01-21T08:45:00.000-08:00

The good folks from Brooklyn's Shea Stadium have released an archive of live concerts for free on their website. Props to NPR for highlighting some of the best shows in the archive. There is a treasure trove of hot jams - hope you enjoy!

Future Islands:
Future Islands - Live @ Shea Stadium by LiveatSheaStadium

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - "Round and Round"

2011-01-20T16:07:00.000-08:00

Here's a video of Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti performing their smash hit "Round and Round" live on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

Now enjoy the studio version!

Kanye West "Power"

2011-01-20T14:37:00.000-08:00

Here is Kanye West's performance of "Power" as performed on the October 2 episode of SNL.

Now, I know I know between the release of 808s and Heartbreaks and his performance at Bonnaroo, who would be a fan of his? In fact for the better part of a year and a half, I wouldn't have anything to do with him. However, we all have our lapses in sanity, and quite honestly, if you haven't checked out the new album, get out from under your rock. It is pretty dope, and "Power" is arguably one of his best singles to date. This performance is his best of this song thus far. He must have done something right, because he is the headliner for the last day at Coachella.

-MC Culpepper

Smith Westerns: Dye it Blonde

2011-01-20T12:52:00.000-08:00

A few beers into this summer's Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago (okay, maybe more than a few), my tolerance for the heat was dwindling. My previous festival experience included Tennessee's own Bonnaroo and Florida's Langerado, both of which boasted jam-heavy lineups and, therefor, were a bit more understanding towards the idea of parading around in a bathing-suit to beat the heat——Pitchfork ehh...not-so-much. But, thankfully, a day or so into the skinny jean plastered event, I found one of the smaller stages that was situated under a few glorious trees. This haven in the middle of the ball-park (for real, the festival took place on a baseball diamond) became my oasis.

Besides hosting a majority of my favorite bands including Here We Go Magic and Local Natives, The stage also served as an outlet for the smaller up-and-coming acts that were squeezed into the festival's who's who of indie rock lineup. It was this unexpected exposure that accommodated my first glimpse of Chicago's fuzzy pop-rock group Smith Westerns. The moment the band hopped on the stage, my first thought was Damn, they look like they could still be in high-school——come to find out, I wasn't too far off the map...the group ranges between 17 and 20. Man, but ageism aside, once they started into their set, I was completely blown away. These dudes are lucky enough to have both the skill of colleagues twice their age and the energy of, well, a group of high-schoolers jamming in mom's basement.

Recently, the station received a copy of the band's newest album, "Dye it Blonde". It rules. On their first album, the guys tapped into a reverb-heavy and garage reminiscent recording style——both of which I enjoy, but it's extremely difficult to pull-off. On "Blonde," the group's main draw is still their hazy/fuzzy guitar driven hooks, but it's obvious that their first album with Fat Possum Records has benefited from a more detailed recording style. On "Blonde," the vocals are clear and the real skill of these guys is able to stand-out from the feedback. Expect to hear the first cut off the record, "Weekend," in WUTK's highest rotation. Also, the group is playing in Knoxville on Sunday the 31st, at The Pilot Light for like 6 bucks. GO CHECK IT OUT.

-Carey

Panda Bear

2011-01-20T07:42:00.000-08:00

Here's a video for the new track from Panda Bear, "Atiba Song." For those of you who don't know, Panda Bear is a member of Animal Collective.

REAL TALK

2011-01-19T15:21:00.001-08:00

Deerhunter

2011-01-19T15:12:00.000-08:00

If you have not listened to Deerhunter, particularly their recent album Halcyon Digest, you are doing yourself a disservice. Watch and enjoy!

-Doug

Daft Punk!!!

2011-01-19T14:42:00.000-08:00

If you missed this video from Phoenix's 2010 performance at MAdison Square Garden, here is their encore performance of 1901 with Daft Punk! BTW Daft Punk hasn't played state-side since 2007...

-MC Culpepper

STS9 Cancels Winter Tour Dates

2011-01-19T13:00:00.000-08:00

Even though glow-sticks aren't exactly my forte, I give electronic jam artists STS9 a majority of the credit for developing my interest in the music industry. During my Sophomore year of high school, immediately after discovering the group's blending of electronic and organic instrumentation, I set off on an LED light filled quest to see as many "Tribe" shows as possible——and I took no prisoners. In addition to scouring the band's message board for set-lists and rumored tour schedules, over my high-school and early college career, I saw the group play over 20 "face-melting" shows. And it is with this in mind that I was deeply saddened to hear today that the group is canceling its winter tour due to bassist David "Murph" Murphy being diagnosed with cancer.

Murphy posted the following message on the band's page earlier today:

Greetings Family,Friends and Fans,

I’m writing to share with y’all some news I’ve received recently. I have just been diagnosed with a cancerous tumor primarily in my sinus cavity (a type of internal skin cancer). It will require extensive surgery followed by a few months long recovery periods. There will be some treatment for the cancer following also but at this time we aren’t fully aware of what that will entail and at this time we are just focusing on the task at hand which is the surgery.

With this news comes a bit of bad news for our upcoming shows. We will have to cancel all of our upcoming shows in Feb and March in order to fully get after taking care of this little health issue to the fullest, and we will do just that. There is nothing more in the world I love then playing music and sharing it with all of you and we will continue to do it for a long time together and all I ask for is y’all’s thoughts and prayers during this time of recovery!

We will still be performing in Mexico this weekend before my upcoming surgery, so for y’all down there….

Let’s do this…. Boom!

We’ll send appropriate updates as we get them through out the process.

- Murph

Everyone here at WUTK wishes Murphy a fast recovery and we hope to hear his signature "dirty" bass lines in the future.

-Carey

Coachella Lineup Announced

2011-01-19T10:54:00.000-08:00

Earlier today, Coachella released their lineup for the event taking place April 15-17 in Indio, California.

Some of the high-profile artists involved include: Kanye West, Duran Duran, and Arcade Fire, while up-and-coming favorites include: Gayngs, Glasser, Cults, Foals, and Twin Shadow.