Blog Check out what's going on with KMNR

New Music For This Week

The new music blog has gone silent for the last month or so, but it’s back with a simple list of some of the great music that has come in at the station for this week.

Primus - Naugahyde

VHS or Beta - Diamonds or Death

JJ Grey and Mofro - Brighter Days

American Goldwing- Blitzen Trapper

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Hysterical

Big Harps - White Hat

Waters - Out In The Light

Gabriel Miller Phillips - One Forth The Crow

Friska Viljor- The Beginning of the Beginning of The End

The Holy Goat - Next Round

Lotus - Lotus

Wild Flag - Wild Flag

Jeff Root- Fossil Rock

Enjoy and I’ll try to get some reviews up for you soon!

New (Old) Vinyl

Otis Redding / The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Historic Performances Recorded At The Monterey International Pop Festival, 1967

   Sometimes I sit in my room and cry a tear for the deaths of Joe Strummer of The Clash and three of the four original Ramones and the overwhelming feeling of emptiness I get when I realize that I’ll never get to see these bands live. So I end up throwing on Rocket to Russia or London Calling and go back to doing whatever it was I was doing. So many sweaty punks witnessing the creation of alternative music as it’s known today without even realizing it. The difference between those shows and the one recorded on this LP are that the hippies definitely knew what they were hearing. How could they not? In It’s Kind of a Funny Story one of the mental patients had super-hearing from taking something like 100 tablets of LSD. I’m going to guess one or two were probably enough for these concert-goers to be completely floored by Otis Redding’s voice and Hendrix’s guitar.  So many sweaty punks, so many dirty hippies. About 50,000 of them actually. Ok, so a lot of them probably bathed regularly, and maybe there weren’t that many people on illicit substances. Someone was sober enough to record this show. And it’s a good thing they did.

    Hendrix was virtually unknown in the US beore this performance- only two years before he headlined at Woodstock. The album only features one Hendrix original, “Can You See Me” from the 1967 album Are You Experienced. Also included are two amazing performances of Bob Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone,” followed by B.B. King’s “Rock Me, Baby.” Finally, in one of the coolest stunts of the time, Hendrix covered his guitar in lighter fluid, lit it on fire, and smashed it into pieces during “Wild Thing.”

If you’re not an Otis Redding fan, you’re missing out. This was one of his last big concerts before his death at age 26. Performing Sam Cook’s “Shake” and his own “Respect” the same year it was made famous by Aretha Franklin. “(I Can’t Get no) Satisfaction” puts Mick Jagger to shame. The concert ends with the 1930’s classic “Try A Little Tenderness,” turned one of the best songs of all time by Redding.

Also new to the library:

Bunny Walier- In I Father’s House. Solomonic Records. Kingston, Jamaica.1979

Original member of the Wailers (Bob Marley) and named one of the three most important musicians of all time. His fifth album released in 1979.

Windy City Blues: The Transition - 1935-1953. Nighthawk Records, St. Louis.

A compilation of obscure southern-born bluesmen who immigrated to Chicago before the Second World War. Featuring Robert Lockwood, Guitar Pete Franklin, Pinetop, State Street Boys, and Washboard Sam (among others).

-chris

My Ears are Happy! *(Mostly) New Music for 7/26*

This week’s ADDs blew me away! Then I also got a CD with copyright date 2009 that should be a lot more popular than it is.

Regional at Best is the second album released by Twenty One Pilots. Their songs are a fusion of indie pop, electronic, and rap. In general, many of their lyrics are consciousness put into words. It’s difficult to really name any kind of genre or style of music, they are so versatile within each song and also from song to song. Their beats are amazing, their raps are original in rhythm and lyrics and fit perfectly into the rest of the song. This is what I want to hear, at maximum volume, all the time. There are songs to make you feel good and songs to make you think too much - everything you could ever ask for. I liked: “Lovely” “Car Radio” “Kitchen Sink” “Guns for Hands” and “Holding On to You” but really the entire album is amazing. The lyrics are ridiculously quotable.

“I put my socks on my feet just so my soul won’t fall through my toes” - “Slowtown,” track 4

sub-intellect by LowHero.DLL is an amazing display of creativity that he just decided to share with the rest of the world. This album was released in 2009 but has an 80’s electronic sound interwoven with melodic lines and autotune. The lyrics are engaging. I LOVE the tracks “L~o~v~e” “Escape Swim” and “Open Mind” remixed by Testube. 

Moonface - Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I’d Hoped

This album is sort of experimental electronica. It sounds like the 80’s and an organ, but better. The first track, “Return to the Violence of the Ocean Floor,” actually sounds watery; it is apparent that Moonface has some talent with the organ. This album is very entertaining to listen to. Be careful if you’re going to play this over the air, though, as 3 of the 5 songs are not FCC clean.

Tripper is a mellow indie-folk album by the band Fruit Bats. I feel like it is worth mentioning and worth it for you to check out. It is good relaxing music.

So, this is not music, but there was a really funny comedy CD that made its way to KMNR this week: Good One by Tig Notaro. Great stand-up routine. She’s a lot like Sarah Silverman.

You should definitely give all these a listen/play, but if you don’t have time for all of them, particularly Twenty One Pilots and LowHero.DLL.

Until next time,

April

New Music This Week

It has been sooo long since we have posted. This week I was inspired by some great albums that came in.

The one I want to gush over is the Limited Release EP by Bear Cub.

This band consists of pop-punk vocals and folk-y instrumentation. If someone were to say that to me, I would ask “How does that work?” but it does. The lyrics are full of emotion, and every song tells a story. I have never heard such a strong fulfillment of every musical criterion. I tend to look for melodic vocals/instrumentation and interesting lyrics, and Bear Cub goes above and beyond. I can’t describe how well the songs penetrate an audience’s awareness. You immediately feel the lyrics. I’ve seriously listened to this album three entire times. I enjoy the song “Central Time,” track 6 on this EP.

Another CD that caught my ear is It’s a Corporate World by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.

They sound kind of old school indie. I liked the first track, “Morning Thought.” The music is kinda slow, but the entire album is pretty good.

Cults - Cults.

Another nostalgic sound, but more than with Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. The female vocalist is versatile in her singing style throughout the different tracks. I love the upbeat and diverse nature of this album. I would suggest “Never Heal Myself.”

I think that’s all I have in me for now. I hope that you get a lot out of these albums.

Until next time!

-April

Masquerave 2011

Are you ready for the biggest, baddest, most insane dance party of the entire school year? Hope so, because Masquerave is coming to rock your world, whether you’re ready or not!

Your friends at KMNR 89.7 fm have been working hard to bring you the ultimate reason to stay in Rolla on Good Friday. This year we’re pulling out all the stops to make this the most unforgettable night of the semester! This is a real rave - we’ve got big lights, big sound, and some of St. Louis’ finest DJ’s:

-DJ Pluto will be funkin it up with some Tech-house and Electro-house…
-Faces will surely melt to the Dark Techno of Matt Beatz…
-and you’ll be bumpin the rest of the night to D-Caf’s Bassline mixes: Check out http://www.soundcloud.com/lukehansen 

- April 22nd: Doors @ 8:30pm, Show @ 9:00pm
- Free Entry
- Free Shuttles from Havener starting at 8:30, running every ~20 min
- Cash Bar for ages 21+ and free bottled water
- Tee shirts $2 with above design

This is the BEST way to celebrate the end of the year! All of your friends will be there, so grab a mask and join us for Masquerave 2011!

Wiz vs. Del

Del the Funky Homosapien- Golden Era - This is hip-hop without the gimmicks, without the awful sampling of popular 80’s pop songs, and with the brains it takes to make a good track. Del is the guy who gave the Gorillaz’ hit “Clint Eastwood” its psychotic charm, and continues to keep the integrity of his business. The influence from artists like Ice Cube (Del’s cousin), the rest of NWA, and Wu-Tang Clan is extremely apparent, so RIYL any of these guys. Check out “Calculate,” “One Out of A Million,” and “Break the Banx.”

Wiz Khalifa-Rolling Papers- Wiz brings in the current age of hip-hop, which is less-inspired than Del’s album, but has more of a production behind it. This album is perfect for a club: danceable, lyrics you don’t have to think about, and repetitive choruses you can’t forget. I’d say stick with the single “Black and Yellow” and “Roll Out.” RIYL Kid Cudi, Drake