Tuesday Playlist: 82 degrees and perfection

Posted on April 30, 2013 by benwimmel

It’s 82 degrees outside and perfect. This weekend is your last chance to get any fun out of the way before finals week rolls around and you grind your hands into little nubs with ink on them. At least your new hand deformity is a good ice breaker.

Anyways, this playlist is stuffed with some music that is perfect accompaniment to any walking or running (preferably running) you do in the sun. Summer is almost here, and that’s terribly shocking, so ignore it and sprint! Move your eyes a little further down and you’ll see some little blurbs about the songs in the playlist. I promise they might be entertaining.

Tame Impala – “Apocalypse Dreams”: You know all of those psychedelic poppy songs The Beatles wrote? Imagine if a band only heard those songs and then decided to write as many catchy songs as possible. And reverb. Oh man the reverb.

Glocca Morra – “Y’all Boots Hats (Die Angry)”: I wrote about this punk band a week or two ago, and it takes all the exuberance of driving cars quickly on an interstate–then shoves it into your ears.

Chance the Rapper – “Cool Ass Intro”: Dude actually has a new mixtape called Acip Rap out today. Piano and beautiful backing vocals combined with a bouncy bass drum and some fantastic rhyming. It’s stuck in my ears and it won’t go away.

Coping – “B”: More punk. They sound like a busy, sunny day. That makes sense, right?

Machine Go Boom – “Lil’ Devil”: This was a weird little folk-ish rock band from Cleveland that seemed to be ignored since they were so strange. The frontman could really write a song though, and Lil’ Devil is probably one of the most uptempo, giddy songs he wrote.

Ringo Deathstarr – “Slack”: So Ringo Deathstarr is a shoegaze band, but this song sounds like an attempt by them to make a good old fashioned high paced rock ‘n roll song, complete with a great chorus guitar hook and a grand amount of noise.

SPORT – “Saint Louis, 1904″: Yet another punk song. They’re from France. They sound a lot like the two other punk songs.

The Front Bottoms – “Twin Sized Mattress”: These are two witty New Englanders with an acoustic guitar, drums, and some tongue-in-cheek lyrics to win you over. They have a new album coming out soon! If you’re not yet convinced, look up their band name on Urban Dictionary. Five year old Timmy probably shouldn’t read what it says though.

A Great Big Pile of Leaves – “Alligator Bop”: You know those big exercise balls you can sit and bounce on, and, if you’re mentally a five year old, it’s the most entertaining activity ever? This song is that feeling.

The Deirdres – “Milk Is Politics”: I know absolutely nothing about this band. I know that the website they link to on their Myspace page links to this sketchy site that is semi-pornographic, so I’m assuming that is no longer their website. And if they still are only using myspace, it’s a pretty safe bet they either don’t know what computers are, or they no longer exist. Either way, this song is absolutely ridiculous and poppy and catchy and it makes my fingers tingle. It’s absolutely perfect to sing along to with fifty other people, the only other problem being fifty other people haven’t heard this song.

Andrew Bird – “Hole In The Ocean Floor”: Listen to this and feel happy. It’s perfect.

Monday Feature: Revelry is Coming

Posted on April 29, 2013 by mackens

You know a weekend is going to be great when you’re already anticipating for the week to be over on Monday at one in the morning. Whether you’ll be attending the annual Mifflin Street Block Party, hitting up capitol square for the weekly fresh market, or kicking back and watching a Star Wars trilogy (preferably the original one), there is no shortage of funtivities available for Madison citizens this first weekend of May.

And while all of these funtivities are respectable means of entertainment in their own right, I want to highlight the weekend event I will be attending: Revelry Music and Arts Festival. DISCLAIMER: I am in no way being prompted to write this feature by any member of WUD Music. I chose to write this feature because it’s music related, it’s Madison news, I love music, live concerts are awesome, and I want to give those that are or may be going a small preview of what they can expect out of the musical talent at the festival. So let’s get to that. I am going to give my short, unarticulated opinion of the artists that were highlighted in the wonderfully crafted video below. Here goes nothing.

Toro y Moi - Contrary to what your initial reaction may be, Toro y Moi is actually one man. And he may be one of the chillest men I’ve ever heard on a track. For starters, he combined both the Spanish and French languages to create his stage name. It doesn’t matter as long as it translates to English easily (Bull and Me) and sounds cool, right? Beyond this, his calm vocals and looped electronic beats are combined to him consider him a part of the genre known as chillwave. It doesn’t get any more chill than that.

Hoodie Allen - One of my close friends has been a Hoodie fan well before the Revelry lineup was released, and since its release I have hopped on the bandwagon hard. His All American EP was only $5 on iTunes, and provides eight solid tracks that exemplify his catchy music and smart lyrics. In addition, his newest mixtape Crew Cuts is on his website for free! Outside of his music, the former Google employee and UPenn Sprint Football player has collaborated on comedy videos with CollegeHumor that are just too funny to only watch once.

Phox - This seven-piece band from Baraboo, Wisconsin utilizes instruments that run the gamut of sounds, resulting in songs that are most often whimsical, but can also be hectic and heavy. No songs particularly called out to me, but there’s no doubt that the band is unique.

The Mowgli’s - While the only music I could find of theirs was the five songs from their Love’s Not Dead EP, this pop-rock octet has an established pedigree with a recent performance at SXSW 2013 and a scheduled performance at Lollapalooza 2013. Their eight-person chorus is extremely catchy, and “San Francisco” is an irresistible summer jam.

Chance the Rapper - Chance the Rapper is definitely a different sounding hip-hop artist, with a significantly higher voice than your typical MC. His second mixtape, Acid Rap drops tomorrow, so hopefully Madison will be receptive to his new material come Saturday.

Delta Spirit - This band has a strong alternative rock sound, and many of the songs I listened to have the feel of a live show even though they’re master tracks. I trust that their live performance will be nothing short of a great display of musical talent. In addition, they have a song on the official first volume of The Walking Dead soundtrack, so I am sold.

Julian Lynch - Chill, instrumental, and articulate all at once, Julian Lynch’s music gives off good vibes. With a Ph.D. in ethnomusicology (!?) from UW-Madison, I think concert attendees will give the former city resident a warm reception.

Oh Land - Hailing from Copenhagen, Denmark, Nanna Øland Fabricius serves as singer, songwriter, and producer, for her music. Pianos and an extensive palette of electronic sounds make for a plethora of experimental tunes for Oh Land to sing over. It will be interesting to see how her music translates to a live performance.

So there you have it: A preview of the biggest acts that Revelry has to offer. It would seem that there is a little something for everyone in the festival’s first installment, and I couldn’t be more excited. Here’s to the joys of live music, summer, and the continued success of this festival for years to come. Revel on.

Friday night at Memorial Union: Heavy Times w/ Pleasure Leftists + Dharma Dogs

Posted on April 26, 2013 by erinberge

Originally from Chicago, the grunge/pop band Heavy Times will grace WUD Music’s stage tonight in Der Rathskeller, accompanied by Pleasure Leftists and Dharma Dogs. The combination of rough tones, with a melodic vocals makes this band a truly unique live music experience.

“Once these mammoth choruses kick into gear, and just as the guitars explode, it’s an endorphin-rushing experience that stands all hairs on end, and will knock you back unexpectedly ” said Tod Killings, as a part of the band’s biography.

A post-punk band that is heavily influenced by 1970′s Britain from Cleveland, according to Pitchfork, Pleasure Leftists will also tear up the stage with their own personal guitar riffs and catchy beat of the drum. But starting off the night is Dharma Dogs, an upbeat, in-your-face grunge Madison band.

It’s a beautiful day, that will soon turn into a beautiful night. So, why not enjoy your time at Memorial Union?

Tape Deck Tuesday: Songs To Stomp To

Posted on April 23, 2013 by toridexter

-University of Wisconsin Memes

The weather is beautiful, the sun is shining, and the streets are finally dry. This is the time of year that I’m really glad that I walk EVERYWHERE. But with all the walking I do on this campus, it’s inevitable that I frequently end up running late, and having to walk to class/the library/WUD Music meetings faster than should be humanly possible. That’s when I whip out what I like to call The Power Stomp (I’m gonna trademark it eventually). It’s like power walking, but more forceful. People loitering on the sidewalk will leap out of your way. Cars will let you cross, even when they have a green light. The ground itself will shake under the rubber soles of your shoes. I wanted to share this technique with the world, so I created a playlist of songs that perfect for those moments when “I need to get to class NOW” is the only thought in your head.

This playlist is a mix of hip-hop, electronic, rap, rock and unclassifiable mixes of these and other genres, but the unifying theme between all of these songs is that they have a strong, pulsing beat that drops at the same time as your shoes, in order to book it up Charter hill in time for Econ 101. Do it to it.

Icona Pop – “I Love It (feat. Charli XCX)”

Atmosphere – “You” – The song that gave me the idea for this playlist in the first place. Dat beat.

P.O.S. – “Weird Friends (We Don’t Even Live Here)”

Passion Pit – “Take A Walk” – A great beat AND it’s walking-themed. Does it get any better?

The Black Keys – “Gold On The Ceiling”

Ben Harper – “Ground On Down”

Florence and The Machine – “Drumming Song”

Brother Ali – “The Preacher”

The Darkness – “Hazel Eyes” – Stick with me on this one. This song is weird, but it gets really awesome at around 1:14 or so.

V V Brown – “Shark In The Water”

Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Higher Ground” – A quality one for Bascom, if you ask me.

Dessa – “The Bullpen” – How appropriate to have one of this weekend’s artists on the playlist. Told you I was obsessed.

Eyedea – “Weird Side”

K.Flay – “Doctor Don’t Know” – Another artist we’ve had at the Sett this year, who I’m similarly obsessed with.

Doomtree – “Savion Glover”

Matt and Kim – “Cameras”

Jay Z and Kanye West – “No Church In The Wild” – Kinda my ultimate ass-kicking song. It doesn’t get any better than this

Santogold – “Creator”

AWOLNATION – “Burn It Down”

Lil Jon – Get Outta Your Mind – I just had to. This song is just so ridiculous and stupid and completely perfect for the occasion. Total guilty pleasure song on my part, and the perfect song to cap off this playlist.

Friday Night in the Sett: Dessa w/ First Wave Performers, Co-sponsored by the Campus Women’s Center

Posted on April 19, 2013 by toridexter

Guys, I have a confession to make. I am more than a little bit obsessed with the artist I’m currently writing about. Some have called it a Level 3 girl-crush…Whatever. Basically, THIS is the blog post that I’ve been waiting for. Friends, WUD-ians, countrymen, lend me your ears. I’m going to tell you a tale. A tale that begins far, far away in the land of Minneapolis.

Dessa’s unique combination of musical talent and smart, biting lyricism first arose from participating in slam poetry competitions in college at the U of M. While living and working in Minneapolis after graduation, she befriended members of the Doomtree rap collective, and when they discovered her incredible talent for writing, they asked her to join the group. She has since gone on to basically conquer the world, releasing four albums with Doomtree, writing and publishing a book, developing her own lipstick color with The Elixery in Minneapolis, and releasing two solo albums with one more, Parts of Speech, on the way on June 25th. Parts of Speech is being hailed as Dessa’s best work yet, with a wealth of different genres, beats, and instruments weaving together into a beautifully cohesive album that has critics falling over with pure excitement. The first single, Warsaw, was described by one reviewer like this: “The track boasts a beat like Azealia Banks playing Pacman, which provides a background for our emcee’s confident, hypnotic flow.” Couldn’t have said it better myself. You can listen to that here .

Dessa’s style is truly exceptional. It’s rare to encounter a rapper who makes amazing music without conforming to the genre’s stereotypes, but she accomplishes it, refusing to be put exclusively into the box of “singer,” “rapper,” or “writer.” She’s not shy about calling out the sexism and hypocrisy present in the world of hip-hop, with lyrics like “I found your steel ladder/Now your ceilings don’t matter/Check me out now I got glass floors.” Dessa will make you think. She will grab you by the collar and make you listen to her lyrics. She will change how you think of women in rap music.

She is what I listen to when I’m blissfully happy, and what I listen to when I’m so angry that I want to punt strangers through the Camp Randall goalposts. Dessa is an incredible artist, and a role model for women everywhere. Not just those in the music industry, but all the women who deal with sexism and stereotyping in their lives and work.

Of course, this night would not be complete without the incredible talent of an all-female group of First Wave performers, in honor of this event’s co-sponsorship with the Campus Women’s Center. For those who don’t know, First Wave is a multicultural coalition of artists who are also students here on campus. They perform spoken word and hip-hop, polishing their skills and showcasing their talents all across campus, the city, and the country. Anyone who has seen First Wave in action before knows that they consistently put on an energetic and passionate show, and will be the perfect intro to a night full of strong women with mad talent.

And as a final quick plug, the Campus Women’s Center does amazing work on this campus, and we are very proud to be working with them to put on an incredible show that honors and promotes female artists and their accomplishments. This show is going to be ridiculously awesome. Get there.

Friday 4/19, The Sett, 9:00 PM

Here’s some videos, to get you pumped.

Friday Night in Memorial Union: Purling Hiss w/ Spires That in the Sunset Rise + Claps

Posted on April 19, 2013 by benwimmel

This Friday in Der Rathskeller, come see Purling Hiss, Spires That in the Sunset Rise, and Claps! The highest temperature will be 41 degrees that day, so why not warm up with some fuzzed-out, psych rock courtesy of Purling Hiss and company. Do your friends’ house party have loud guitars, a psychedelic folk band, and some synth pop all playing live? If they do, invite me. Otherwise, Der Rath is the place to be.

Purling Hiss is a lo-fi psych rock band out of Philadelphia that combines killer guitar riffs and hooks with a distinctive recording sound that, on their first few albums, sounded like it was made with microphones from the 1950′s in an abandoned basement. Their latest LP, Water On Mars, lost that aggressively lo-fi recording style, but kept all the catchy melodies and guitar lines. Check out their song “Mercury Retrograde” below.

Spires That In The Sunset Rise is a psych folk band from Decatur, Illinois. Consisting of Kathleen Baird and Taralie Peterson, they combine traditional folk instruments with experimental songwriting to create a truly unique sound. You can sample their song “Morning Song” below.

Claps is a Minneapolis synth pop band with reverb drenched vocals and simple, but effective synths. Imagine if Joy Division decided it hated its guitars and traded them for analog synths. Claps’ songs are dark dreamscapes filled with ominous bass lines and sullen rings of electronic music. Check out their song “Strain”, off their album Glory, Glory below.

Purling Hiss-”Mercury Retrograde”

Purling Hiss-”Run From This City”

Spires that in the Sunset Rise- “Morning Song”

Claps-”Strain”

Tapedeck Tuesday Playlist: Holy Coachella Batman!

Posted on April 16, 2013 by mackens

Whether you had the privilege of attending this amazing music festival in Indio, California last weekend, watched it streaming live on YouTube, or missed its greatness altogether, the Coachella lineup had a little something for everyone this year. That’s not to say that the lineup of previous years wasn’t as diverse, but this year had an outstanding lineup. (Seriously: Phoenix and R. Kelly?! WHAT!!?!?!?11!!!!) I would travel across Middle Earth to be sent to this festival on its second weekend, but unfortunately I don’t have that opportunity. Instead, here is a playlist that showcases the artists I would have liked to see at this year’s Coachella, and even some other artists that would be big for other genre diehards.

“Take Me Out” by Franz Ferdinand – This is the song that got me into Guitar Hero, and subsequently got me into all genres of rock and metal music. Thanks guys. Major shout out to you.

“Cold War” by Janelle Monae

“Verbal Gunfight” by Jurassic 5

“Going Out in Style” by Dropkick Murphys – Dropkicks at Summerfest 2011 was my first legitimate concert, and I had the fortune of being able to sing into singer/bassist Ken Casey’s mic during their encore. Life = made.

“Song 2″ by Blur - Just a little UW Badger turnover song love here.

“Bass Head” by Bassnectar

“Love Like a Sunset, Part 1″ by Phoenix

“Hope” by Descendants

“The Funeral” by Band of Horses

“Snow (Hey Oh)” by Red Hot Chili Peppers

“I’m Different” by 2 Chainz – I have to admit that this song is a guilty pleasure of mine. Sorry.

“Blister in the Sun” by Violent Femmes

“Ring of Fire” by Social Distortion - Solid cover. ‘Nuff said.

“Never Mind” by Infected Mushroom

“Ho Hey” by The Lumineers

No, as far as I have heard there was nothing as crazy as a Tupac hologram that appeared at the festival this year. But, despite this, I think we can all agree that Coachella continues to impress, and definitely sets a standard for music festivals everywhere. Here’s to hoping that someday we may all have a chance to go to Coachella and experience its awesomeness.

Monday Feature: Glocca Morra

Posted on April 15, 2013 by benwimmel

Madison weather remembered it is the middle of April, and finally stopped keeping the temperature in the 30′s. There is no better way to celebrate than opening your windows, listening to the steady dripping of rain drops, and then turning up your speakers to LOUD and blasting punk rock. Show nature who is boss. She can’t do anything now, it’s spring. People usually assume “oh it’s so purty outside, lemme just put on dis quiet, pretty Bon Iver song on and then take a nap.” No. Stop that. You need to drive cars at high speeds (only five miles above speed limit. Safety!) and jump around excessively.

“But,” you might argue, “all of the songs I listen to never exceed noise levels around the same volume as a solitary singing bird!” Well then listen to Glocca Morra, who’s music makes me want to run around outside and yell. According to their Facebook page, there are four guys in the band; their names are Zack, Arik, Nate, and JP. They happened to make two of my favorite albums from last year with their LP Just Married and their EP An Obscure Moon Lighting An Obscure World. It’s on their bandcamp.

I have no idea how to describe what they sound like, but they make some of the best indie/punk/rock/whatever music on the planet. And they pass through Chicago on the twentieth, so if anyone wants to give me a ride…

SONGS!!!!!!

Just Announced: Behind the Beat, Dessa, & The UV Race

Posted on April 10, 2013 by erinberge

Do you have the summer itch? Ready to see those sunburst chairs placed on The Terrace? We do too.

Before our shows move to the outdoors though, we have a few left in Memorial Union: Der Rathskeller. We are proud to bring back Dessa, from the Minneapolis group Doomtree, who will perform with First Wave Performers and is presented also by the Campus Women’s Center. Dessa will soon release her full length album Parts of Speech on June 25th, so try to catch this live preview on April 19th in Der Rathskeller.

And besides the two new Behind the Beat shows that include Twisted Metal and UW Jazz Orchestra, we have The UV Race with Daylight Robbery in Der Rathskeller on May 11th.

4/19/13 Behind the Beat: Twisted Metal- Memorial Union: Der Rathskeller

4/19/13 Dessa w/ First Wave Performers- Union South: The Sett

5/10/13 Behind the Beat: UW Jazz Orchestra- Memorial Union: Der Rathskeller

5/11/13 The UV Race w/ Daylight Robbery- Memorial Union: Der Rathskeller

Check out our full WUD Music Calendar here.

Saturday in Music Hall: Deerhoof

Posted on April 5, 2013 by erinberge

Performing since 1994, with eleven self-produced albums under their belt, Deerhoof makes a stop in Madison this Saturday night in Music Hall. Just for you. For free.

Their sound is indescribable, considering the band members do not even know what kind of music they are producing when they produce it. Originating from San Francisco, Deerhoof has been pushing the boundaries of music with every note.

Deerhoof vs. Evil of 2011 was their latest album and sources gave it rave reviews, including The Rolling Stone stating the album had, “lurching effects and percussion before segueing from riotous soca to lugubrious funk to what sounds like drunkard’s take on Cuban son.”

It’s a night you surely do not want to miss, because playing along with Deerhoof is Ensemble dal Niente. But this show starts at 8 p.m. in Music Hall, a different location form our typical venues.

WUD Music

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