Welcome back everyone, the semester is just getting back into motion and homework is probably nothing to worry about at this point. So we have some great entertainment for you this weekend. On Friday, The Chicago Afrobeat Project will be performing at Der Rath while Saturday Looks Good To Me plays at The Sett. Check out the Chicago Afrobeat Project in this awesome video below, and the rest of this weekend’s performers in our playlist!
On Saturday, King Louie will be here all the way from Chicago to tear up the sett. Seriously, you don’t want to miss this one.
January can be one of the most hectic times for music lovers, with festival lineups dropping, artists announcing tours, artists announcing albums, and even artists releasing new songs. Heck, Panda Bear already released his new album, while the Decemberists and Belle and Sebastian release theirs today!
So here are the albums (along with release dates) that WUD Music is most looking forward to in 2015:
January 13th
Panda Bear – Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper
As already mentioned, Animal Collective member and quintessential indie artist Panda Bear, already released an album this year. Just based on my first impressions, it provides some ambient sounds that are easy to listen to. Most of the songs are pretty catchy, particularly “Boys Latin” and “Mr Noah.” If you haven’t listened to any of Panda Bear’s other solo work, he tends to be less chaotic than Animal Collective but still provides similar vibes.
You can listen to “Boys Latin” off the album here:
January 20th
The Decemberists – What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World
Looking to release their first album since 2011 (The King is Dead), the Decemberists have had quite a bit of time on their hiatus from touring as a band to refine their work. If any of their other albums were an indication, we can expect another great record with elegant lyrics and soothing tunes. Based on the four singles released and their previous album, we may expect something a bit poppier than the rest of the Decemberists’ records.
Here you can watch the music video for the track “Make You Better” featuring Nick Offerman off of the new album:
Belle and Sebastian – Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance
It will be their first album since 2010. You gotta think something good was cooked up in five years, right?
Listen to “The Party Line” here:
February 3rd
Mount Eerie – Sauna
I’m a total newbie to Mount Eerie, but there’s lots of hype for this new album in WUD Music. Check it out!
February 10th
Father John Misty – I Love You, Honeybear
Former Fleet Foxes member Joshua Tillman looks to release a successful follow-up to 2012’s Fear Fun, one of my favorites from that year. If you’re unfamiliar with FJM, he tends to be pretty ironic and sarcastic in his lyrics, while still producing great sounding an indie-folk-pop style, as seen in “Bored in the USA”:
March 3rd
Modest Mouse – Strangers to Ourselves
This will be their first full album since 2007! WOW! They have just released a video for the song “Coyotes,” which was inspired by a coyote riding a light rail in Portland back in 2002. It will be interesting to see what they will bring to the table in 2015 and will be a must-listen for any indie rock lover.
Lady Lamb the Beekeeper – After
Aly Spaltro, better known as Lady Lamb the Beekeepr has been making music since 2007, but only released her first studio album, Ripely Pine, in 2013. Ripely Pine was received well by critics from Pitchfork and Consequence of Sound, but really did not get enough recognition from the media. This really could be the year that she can break out big if she builds onto the success of Ripely Pine.
Purity Ring – Another Eternity
The electronic pop duo will be releasing their sophomore album this year, as a followup to Shrines (2012), which really put them on the map. In 2013, they played Bonnaroo, along with releasing a cover of Soulja Boy’s “Grammy” and a remix of Lady Gaga’s “Applause.” With the increasing popularity of electronic music, this album could be big one for 2015.
March 10th
Will Butler – Policy
Will Butler of Arcade Fire (not to be confused with his brother Win Butler) is releasing his debut album. It will be interesting to see what he has to offer to rock and roll on a solo release.
March 24th
Action Bronson – Mr. Wonderful
Action Bronson seemed to rise to fame seemingly out of nowhere. Who would have that a highly respected chef would be making it in the rap game? Mr. Wonderful will be his second full length album but the first on a major label. This could very well be one of the major hip hop albums of the year if he continues to build on the momentum of 2013, where he played Coachella and Bonnaroo and was on XXL Magazine’s Freshman Class.
March 31st
Death Cab for Cutie – Kintsugi
Admittedly, this is my most anticipated album for this year. I only recently started to really get into Death Cab and I just cannot get enough of them. If they can follow up with something on par to Codes and Keys, I’ll be happy. Anything better and I will be ecstatic! We’re yet to hear anything new from them, but I imagine it will be all over music news when it does come out.
Sufjan Stevens – Carrie & Lowell
Sufjan releasing an album? It seems like everyone is this year! Check out the trailer for the album here:
Release Date TBA
Beach House – TBA
The dream pop duo’s most recent releases off of Sub-Pop Records Teen Dream and Bloom have become highly regarded in the indie community, so we’re anticipating another solid release.
Chance the Rapper and the Social Experiment – SURF
After Chance’s 2013release of Acid Rap, he has become notorious for live shows filled with energy. If he puts that kind of energy into this next album, we can expect something incredible.
Kanye West – TBA
Everyone is always itching for new Kanye, right?
Kendrick Lamar – TBA
After releasing arguably one of the best hip hop albums of the decade thus far, we can hope he will follow up with another great one.
Radiohead – TBA
I mean, it’s Radiohead, one of the biggest bands of our generation. How can you not be excited?
Run the Jewels – Meow the Jewels; RTJ3???
A version of Pitchfork’s album of the year in meow form? This could be amazing. Not to mention, there is speculation of RTJ3 coming out too which could be equally amazing.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra – TBA
At the beginning of January, the band confirmed in a Facebook post that they were finishing with the mastering of a new album. You can expect a solid psychedelic rock release from them.
Tame Impala – TBA
With playing Governor’s Ball and Coachella, you’d expect they would be releasing an album to go with the tour dates. Innerspeaker and Lonerism were amazing releases, so we can only hope they follow up with another this year.
So there you have it – but that is just the tip of iceberg of music releases for the year. 2015 has the potential to be a year of a music Renaissance. So what are you looking forward to this year?
Starved for music over winter break? We’ve got you covered! This playlist features a few artists that have been booked by WUD Music this upcoming semester (Empires, Com Truise) and a few artists that haven’t, but you’ll undoubtedly enjoy them!
We booked THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY EIGHT different bands. We’ve hosted rappers, comedians, and poets. We’ve booked a country fest and a reggae fest. We’ve set up for bands ranging from a guy and his guitar to a full orchestra. Our shows have survived thunderstorms, snow emergencies, power outages, construction, equipment malfunctions and insanity of all kinds.
And now we’re here, completely finished with shows for 2013 and looking back on the year, filled with deep satisfaction and desperately needing a nap. But before we say goodbye to the year for good, we thought we’d wrap things up properly. Below is a playlist of just some of the artists that made a stop here at our humble home during this arbitrary period of the earth’s rotation around the sun.
Check it out, and let us know what you loved, what you didn’t, and what you’d like to see on the playlist by this time next year. And until then, stay warm, listen to lots of good music, and have a wonderful holiday. We’ll see you back here in 2014.
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.
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.
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.
It seems like the gloominess in Madison will not come to an end. From fog distorting my view of the capitol every morning, to the still-slick sidewalks and plethora of puddles, this persistent precipitation is postponing the swellness of spring. It has even started to snow again! Alliteration aside, I have seriously been ready for summer for way too long. Consider this playlist a type of reality check about where we really are on the seasonal calendar, (it’s technically still winter for another week and a half) with some light peeking out at the end of the storm for good weather hopefuls like myself.
“Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” by B.J. Thomas
“Little April Showers” by Chorus from the Bambi soundtrack
“Raining Blood” by Slayer – I understand the playlist just took quite the turn here, but sometimes the rain can be frustrating.
“Rain King” by Counting Crows
“Rain is a Good Thing” by Luke Bryan
“Rain” by Creed
“Rainmaker” by Iron Maiden
“Make it Rain” by Fat Joe feat. Lil Wayne
“Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” by Creedence Clearwater Revival – Shoutout to my high school football team and the memories of singing along to this gem in the locker room post-win. Good times.
“Natural Disaster” by Zac Brown Band
“DOUBLE RAINBOW SONG!!” by Scmoyoho
“Sunshine” by Matisyahu – Just found this one browsing YouTube. Pretty solid.
“Sunshine” by Aerosmith
“Surf Wax America” by Weezer – A great summer jam coming off of probably one of my favorite 90s albums, The Blue Album.
“Summer Love” by Justin Timberlake – As Tori raved in our Monday feature, JT is one of the most talented entertainers of our generation. His next album, The 20/20 Experience, is nothing short of long-awaited, and I’m sure that many fans are listening to FutueSex/LoveSounds in anticipation.
Think there were some rain songs that should have made the list? Post your opinions in the comments! Debate is always encouraged. As are the clouds to dissipate.
Most students in Madison travel across campus completely on foot. For some, this lack of driving leads them to daydream about their car back home, and long for the rush of cruising down the open road.
But fear not, automotive enthusiasts. I have conjured a playlist that should satisfy your inner drive to, well, drive. Whether you are in need of some motivation while walking to class, looking for some new tunes to get you through your weekly readings, or you just want to reminisce of joyriding on those country roads back home, here’s a handful of songs that will hopefully steer your mood in the right direction.
“Kickstart My Heart” by Motley Crue – One of my favorite workout songs. The talkbox guitar solos leave you hard pressed to not pluck some air strings.
“Stroker’s Theme” by The Charlie Daniels Band
“Drive” by Incubus
“Ignition” by R. Kelly – Everyone knows the remix, but I wanted to give some love to the original here. It’s just as funky.
“Jerry Was a Race Car Driver” by Primus
“Piece of Shit Car” by Adam Sandler
“Police Truck” by Dead Kennedys
“A Day at the Races” by Jurassic 5 featuring Big Daddy Kane and Percy P
“Highway Unicorn (Road to Love)” by Lady GaGa
“White Walls” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis featuring ScHoolboy Q and Hollis – One of my favorites off of The Heist, the fast rapping in both “White Walls” and “A Day at the Races” are always quick to get my head bobbin’.
“Car Chase City” by Tenacious D
“Gold Trans Am” by Ke$ha
“Fast Car” by Tracy Chapman
“Fuel” by Metallica – Metallica is my favorite band, and this song is definitely one of their greatest from the 90s.
“Magic Bus” by The Who
“Red Barchetta” by Rush
“Aston Martin Music” by Rick Ross featuring Drake and Chrisette Michele
“A Real Hero” by College and Electric Youth – Alright, this one’s not strictly about driving, (literally or metaphorically) but it’s from the soundtrack for the film Drive starring Ryan Gosling. The entire soundtrack is top-notch, but this one was my particular favorite.
If none of these songs do it for you, you can always ghost ride the whip when you head home over spring break. Or at least check out some related videos on YouTube. Trust me. They’re worth it.
When I first truly started listening to hip-hop/rap, I struggled to equate it to the traditional model of music making I was familiar with. Growing up, I listened to lots of classic rock (thanks dad), and did not understand how a single MC could perform without a backing band, as any lead singer would. Sure there was an instrumental, but that was merely coming from a computer… right?
In 2008, my brother became obsessed with Lil Wayne— as all teenage boys had—thanks to a little album known as Tha Carter III, which merely sold over one million copies in its first week in the United States. His favorite song was the hit single “A Milli,” which we listened to obsessively. Despite knowing the song word for word, my brother Tommy was unable to tell me what that distorted voice at the beginning was saying, before the beat dropped. Then one day it finally hit me, I had heard that voice before! Instead of cursing my friends, I could only thank them for loving “What’s Your Fantasy” by Ludacris so much. It was the key to solving my puzzle; the two songs were related through Bangladesh, who had produced both songs. It was he who had acted as guitar player, drummer, keyboardist, creator of this music to rap over.
Whether you are now listening to Araabmuzik or Young Chop [is] on the beat, producers are exerting themselves as dominate players in the rap game by tagging their work with their own personal drops. By doing this, this are stepping out from behind the soundboard and are making sure listeners know their name, even if they don’t read the linear notes. This was how Mike Will Made It made sure everyone knew he was responsible for three of the biggest tracks of 2012: “Bandz A Make Her Dance” by Juicy J, “Turn On The Lights” by Future, and “No Lie” by 2 Chainz. Others, such as Clams Casino, have gone the other route, by releasing free mix-tapes of their instrumentals. It has become clear whose beat it is almost matters as much as the person rapping over it. So in this new year, when you hear La musica de Harry Fraud incessantly, don’t be surprised; he is just the next in a long line of former anonymous producers making a name for him/herself.
Get familiar with famous drops here, thanks to Complex Magazine:
WUD Music 