Following the path of such rising 2009 acts as Neon Indian, Memory Tapes and fellow South Carolinian Ernest Greene (aka Washed Out), recent University of South Carolina grad Chazwick Bundick has released an album that can perhaps save us Carleton students from the dregs of winter term.
Like the aforementioned artists' work, "Causers of This" contains a warped, faded sound resembling that of a cassette tape possibly left a little too long in a warm car. The album, like Neon Indian's 2009 "Psychic Chasms", is injected with a healthy dose of A.D.D. - Bundick, on multiple occasions radically changes the pace of his songs at seemingly random points; for example, the tail end of the single "Blissa" drops out into jumbled guitar notes slowly fading away until track 2, "Minors", jumps out with oohs, aahs and the familiar colorful, blissful pop akin to this developing genre.
Despite its (potentially) pejorative connotations, there really is no better way to describe "Causes of This" than the word 'chill'. The sound is unchallenging and easy-going, the songs float in and out of each other; judging by the picture on the right, Budwick seems like a pretty chill guy. On one hand, Toro y Moi's sound is a composite of many contemporary influences from all over the spectrum: Animal Collective, the Chillwave crew, there is also an infusion of Flying Lotus-esque dubstep (check out the bass-heavy 'Fax Shadow) and neo-funk a la Stone's Throw's own Dam-Funk. However, despite the "alt-acopia" sound, the album is a promising example of what a lot of emerging artists in the next few years may sound like.
With already two rising chill stars under its belt, Columbia, SC could quite possibly become the next So-Cal. When this cold, cold winter finally passes, keep this glowing, blissful album in mind - it may be the perfect companion to a sunny walk in the arb.
Whoever thought it was a good idea to play Owl City... woe on you. Most overplayed band in the past couple of months, and I _like_ some of the songs. Gackity gack.
Jose Guillen on January 27, 2010 @ 10:11 PM says:
We apologize for yesterday's post, and must offer a correction to our headline story:
The United States government and military begin TO CONSIDER direct negotiations with the Taliban in the hopes of ending the war in Afghanistan
By Kristina and Michael and EVERYONE WHO LISTENS on January 26, 2010 in main
This week's featured show is one of our standbys. A member of the KRLX old guard, Acappella-copter with Clare Jones features music performed in the style of acapella, where one's voice is one's instrument. As Clare promises in her description on krlx.org, there are "no drums, no guitars, no ukeleles" on her show, "just people pretending to be drums, guitars and (occasionally) ukeleles." Acappella is about stretching our preconceived notions of the limitations of the body and the art of performance. In an attempt to replicate it creates an entirely new musical form. It's the same, but different. Clare's show is a fresh and often surprising look at music we thought we knew.
Tune in to Acappella-copter on Tuesday afternoons. Capt. Jones takes off promptly at 1PM.
By Kaj Snow and Kate McDonald on January 21, 2010 in tennews
The Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 today that corporations have the right to support or oppose candidates for president and Congress without monetary restrictions.
New York gets its first ever court punishment for discrimination against a large group of people - the plaintiffs: 7,000 firefighters
John Edwards admits to having fathered an illicit child with his mistress
Toyota recalls another 2.3 million cars
All this and more on Your World Tonight this Thursday, January 21st
I discovered Sainthood at the very end of last term, and now it is one of my favorite albums. It was, if you will, love at first listen.
I have always thought of this Canadian sister-duo as "pretty good indie pop", but this album changed my mind for the better. Their semi-desperate but confident vocal styles work together nicely, and there is no song on the album I ever want to skip. The way the songs are crafted is always satisfying: every song has some really nice keyboard parts and creative rhythms; every song has a catchy chorus and a thought-provoking bridge. One thing that sets Tegan and Sara apart from other indie pop duos is that their lyrics are so "excessively accessible". There are no mysterious metaphors; almost all of the words are conversational and refreshingly honest sentiments about love, relationships and the complex kinds of situations they create (e.g. "I know you feel it too / These words get overused"), and are sometimes linguistically clever (e.g. "Unnerved / The nerve! / You're nervous, nervous that I'm right" and "now you know you know it now"). Despite the nature of their lyrics, Tegan and Sara manage to avoid sounding whiney or trite because they have so much fun with the instrumentation.
The album starts with "Arrow", which has a contagious and quirky beat, setting the tone for the album. "On Directing Me" is one of catchiest songs on the whole album. The bridge of "The Cure" gives me chills, and the song in general expresses mixed feelings about being in love really well. "Northshore" is a self-indulgent rock-out anthem, almost as cathartic for the listener as it must be for the Quin sisters to perform; directly following it is "Night Watch", which is a cool-down song with some really interesting electronic bloops that escape from the usual straight-forward rhythm for a moment here and there. The lyrics in "The Ocean" are sad but, like I said before, refreshingly honest, and this makes it one of most musically satisfying songs on the album. "Sentimental Song" has some nice "ooohs" and "soooo's" in the background, and it leads into "Someday", a great ending track that talks about the future and self-confidence (or lack thereof).
So whether you want to vent about relationships, get your head-bob on, or hear a really well-crafted album, this is a really heavenly candidate.
In "Someday," one of the Quin sisters says "Mark my words, I might be something someday". But Sainthood makes it clear that she already is.
By Erik Anderson and Dan Antoszyk on January 19, 2010 in tennews
Tonight, Republican candidate Scott Brown is celebrating a bittersweet victory in Massachusetts' special election held to replace the late Ted Kennedy.
U.S. helicopters delivering aid to Port-au-Prince began landing today at the presidential palace.
Nearly 300 people are killed during religious clashes in Nigeria.
And Israel has stopped granting permits to NGO aid workers in the West Bank.
All this and more on Your World Tonight this Tuesday, January 19, 2010.
KRLX-FM 88.1 * 507-222-4102 (office / record libe) * 507-222-4127 (request / live)
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KRLX is a service of Carleton College in Northfield, MN
I have always thought of this Canadian sister-duo as "pretty good indie pop", but this album changed my mind for the better. Their semi-desperate but confident vocal styles work together nicely, and there is no song on the album I ever want to skip. The way the songs are crafted is always satisfying: every song has some really nice keyboard parts and creative rhythms; every song has a catchy chorus and a thought-provoking bridge. One thing that sets Tegan and Sara apart from other indie pop duos is that their lyrics are so "excessively accessible". There are no mysterious metaphors; almost all of the words are conversational and refreshingly honest sentiments about love, relationships and the complex kinds of situations they create (e.g. "I know you feel it too / These words get overused"), and are sometimes linguistically clever (e.g. "Unnerved / The nerve! / You're nervous, nervous that I'm right" and "now you know you know it now"). Despite the nature of their lyrics, Tegan and Sara manage to avoid sounding whiney or trite because they have so much fun with the instrumentation.
Tonight, Republican candidate Scott Brown is celebrating a bittersweet victory in Massachusetts' special election held to replace the late Ted Kennedy.
Is that photograph David Sandyk?