Archive for the 'Music Reviews' Category
January 4th, 2012 by Elise Yoon
Girls Generation blew up worldwide this year with their hit "The Boys"
Each year here at WDBM, the station staff votes for our favorite songs of the past year. I love year-end lists, and usually have no trouble contributing my votes, however when I looked at the hundreds of songs that have been added to The Impact’s daily rotation in the past year, I couldn’t find more than a few songs that I had even heard.
Sure, I’ve become somewhat discouraged with indie music – how can you not with band names like “Girls,” “Boat,” “Yuck,” or “Wire?” But this isn’t to say that indie rock isn’t good enough; it’s simply that in 2011, K-pop has become more relevant than ever. I’ve been immersed in it completely, and it’s highly addictive. If you’ve heard about the Korean Wave or K-pop and are wondering what it’s all about, keep reading. If you are more into indie music and would rather die than listen to pop music, KEEP READING.
Continue reading ‘The Top 10 K-Pop and K-Indie Songs of 2011′
January 31st, 2011 by Autumn Maison
This past weekend I had the pleasure of seeing two good friends tie the knot. The reception was full of clinking glasses, good people, tears of joy, and dancing. I’m 6’7″ and all legs, so when someone sees me for the first time, I’m sure the first thing that comes to mind isn’t “dancer”. I will forgive them for making that assumption right away: I am a fantastic dancer (and modest too!). But I digress, amongst all of the good times I couldn’t help but notice the music that was playing: it was great party/dancing music. They gave the people what they wanted as far as classics go. Moves were busted to a few Michael Jackson gems, “Brick House” and “Let’s Get It On” were some of the memorable songs of the night. Continue reading ‘How To Soundtrack Your Indie Wedding’
January 2nd, 2011 by Autumn Maison
HELLO EVERYONE.
Hopefully you had the chance to listen to the countdown on NYE/Day, but in case you missed it, here is the definitive list of the top 89 songs of 2010 as chosen by our DJs and staff!
Continue reading ‘Top Songs of 2010′
December 24th, 2010 by Autumn Maison
Every day this week, Impact 89FM will post a list of favorite albums from a different member of our music staff. Today’s list is from Elise Yoon. Elise hosts the Asian Invasion on Mondays from 8-10pm, has interviewed artists like Hot Chip and Julian Casablancas, and is currently the video director at WDBM.
The Gorillaz, The Apples In Stereo, and Kanye West all put out albums this past year with real narratives, the kind of album you listen to nonstop for weeks. My favorite kind of album is one that you can get lost in, and 2010 was a good year for these albums. While these stories are all distinct, they each took over my music listening in the same way, overshadowing other albums without such strong narratives.
1. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach (Virgin)
I’ve always been a fan of Gorillaz hits like “Clint Eastwood” (all the way from 2001, already!), “19-2000” or “Feel Good, Inc.”, but I’ve never gotten into the deeper cuts from their albums. It wasn’t until my brother got really into this album and played some songs for me that I became interested. This album is such a departure from previous releases, while at the same time keeping in line with the classic Gorillaz narrative and spacey, electronic sound. Plastic Beach is full of unexpected but great collaborations with a wide range of artists from Mos Def to Lou Reed to Bobby Womack to Snoop Dogg to Little Dragon to the National Orchestra for Arabic Music.
The first track transports you to another world, and in the following track, Snoop Dogg confirms this: “Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach”. “Superfast Jellyfish” is probably my most-listened to song of the year. It’s not only catchy musically, but is a clever commentary without being preachy or annoying. Last spring I became so immersed in this album that I would listen to nothing else for a month straight. I definitely recommend this album, regardless of your musical leanings, it manages to integrate a wide variety of genres while remaining cohesive.
Continue reading ‘Top Albums of 2010 – Elise Yoon’
December 23rd, 2010 by Autumn Maison
Every day this week, Impact 89FM will post a list of favorite albums from a different member of our music staff. The author of the list featured today is Brian Garcia, host of Sit or Spin that airs on Sundays from 8 to 10pm. To hear more from Brian, you can keep up with his blog at hateyouransweringmachine.com.
1. Flying Louts – Cosmogramma
The true test of a record is what the perceived “life” of it will be. What I mean by that is how you can listen to it before getting sick of it, whether it is two weeks or 5 years from now. There are a lot of records I’ve enjoyed in 2010, some quickly forgotten about after my hard drive crashed last spring or I just heard something else. But if there had to be one record that burrowed deep into my music listening consciousness this year, it is undoubtedly Flying Lotus’ third LP, Cosmogramma. Whether it was driving around blasting it on my crappy speakers in my Ford Focus late at night, waiting on an L stop in Bronzeville, Chicago, or letting it be the background music while studying on the second floor of the library, it fit every situation. This record is 2010.
Stephen Ellison, the Echo Park DJ otherwise known as Flying Lotus, creates a complex universe of space rhythms that loosely resemble what you could call hip-hop. But if you did, that’d be dramatically undercutting it. I like to think of it as the true modern take on Electro-funk, something Afrika Bambaataa could have only dreamt about. The deeply interwoven layers of music in Cosmogramma consist of elements of jazz, dub, funk, dance and hip-hop straight from the school of J Dilla. And if you look at the album cover long enough, you might just “see your entire future in front of you” – or whatever that quote from Almost Famous is.
Continue reading ‘Top Albums of 2010 – Brian Garcia’
December 22nd, 2010 by Autumn Maison
Every day this week, Impact 89FM will post a list of favorite albums from a different member of our music staff. Today’s list comes to you courtesy of Matt Revers. Matt is our on-site correspondent, reviewing shows and interviewing artists like Dan Mangan, Chris Bathgate, and Mountain Man.
Author’s Note: This is not a list of the best albums of the year. This is not a list of what I think are the best album of the year. This is a list of my favorite albums of the year.
Beach House - Teen Dream
Beach House has been making consistently dreamy, far-off music that shimmers intimately ever since their self-titled debut in 2006. Teen Dream is a logical progression following their last two albums, and is their best release to date. Their magic is continually powerful, even if a bit formulaic (electronic drum beat, sparkly synth, electric guitar picking, reverb vocals). Every track feels like it belongs, and the bedroom feel never gets dull after repeated listens.
Continue reading ‘Top Albums of 2010 – Matt Revers’
December 21st, 2010 by Autumn Maison
Every day this week, Impact 89FM will post a list of favorite albums from a different member of our music staff. Today, we check in with Nick Van Huis. In addition to co-hosting The Progressive Torch and Twang on Tuesdays from 8pm-midnight, Nick helps manage the music review team.
Local Natives – Gorilla Manor
No album that featured vaguely African guitars or close knit vocal harmonies (trust me there were plenty to come out this year) mesmerized me more than Local Natives’ debut album Gorilla Manor. Engaging you from the beginning, there are no sleepers on this album. Gorilla Manor, named after the house that the band members shared, sounds just like that: a band who knows each others’ ins and outs. Though the band features three songwriters, the album works as one cohesive unit shifting seamlessly from the epic blues stomp of “Sun Hands” to the instrospective “Airplanes”, and from the folk rock rambler “World News” to the epic indie pop of “Who Knows, Who Cares”.
See also my interview with Local Natives here.
Continue reading ‘Top Albums of 2010 – Nick Van Huis’
December 20th, 2010 by Autumn Maison
Every day this week, Impact 89FM will post a list of favorite albums from a different member of our music staff. Today, we take a look at the favorites of our music director, Autumn Maison.
This year, I was listening to music for two! In August, I had a baby, and so that kind of changed my perception of music. Emotional preggo hormones made music more enjoyable, and having a son makes it more fun to dance like a fool and sing really stupidly. I am an entertainer now! Basically, a lot of my reviews are going to mention him or being pregnant, and now you have context.
1. The Tallest Man On Earth – The Wild Hunt (Dead Oceans)
Easy choice. Hands down, my favorite album that was released this year. I think this strays so far from what I normally consider appealing that once I heard it, I just fell in love with it. The Wild Hunt is really simple musically, and so it was a great album to get crazy-emotional-hormone-crying over. A lot of the criticism I hear regarding this album is that “Dylan did it so much better”, and while I’m not refuting the similarities, I think that The Wild Hunt is fantastic in its own regard.
Continue reading ‘Top Albums of 2010 – Autumn Maison’
August 2nd, 2010 by impact89fm
Frontier Ruckus: Deadmalls & Nightfalls Review
If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve been to Michigan at some point in your life. You’ve probably driven through tangled cookie-cutter neighborhoods, you’ve spent the daylight in sticky humidity swatting at bugs, you’ve walked across oceans of asphalt parking-lots of strip malls, and in the night you’ve strained your eyes at the stars over the light pollution of the towns. You’ve probably seen what happens to towns when they’ve blossomed and stretch out as far as they could before slowly fading away. All of this is exactly what Deadmalls & Nightfalls, the Frontier Ruckus’ latest full-length (Ramseur Records), sounds like.
July 12th, 2010 by impact89fm
Levi’s, in a project called “Pioneer Sessions,” has released 13 covers since May in an attempt to, in effect, celebrate the endurance of truly great songs (and to generate music for new commercials, no doubt). Continue reading ‘Album Review: Levi’s 2010 Pioneers’
