Radio Roundup: Getting back into the groove

Have your Spotify playlists become stale? Is your weekly mix just not cutting it? Maybe it’s time to branch out and listen to something new. The Executive Board of WRMC, Middlebury College’s radio station, has selected a wonderfully wide range of albums, spanning time and genre, for your listening pleasure. Check back each week for a new set of recommendations.

*RIYL (recommended if you like)

 

Concert Manager’s Pick - Gennie Herron ’23

Album: “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” - Taylor Swift

Genre: Folk, Acoustic

RIYL: Taylor Swift, Classic Country, Americana

Blurb: She’s back and better than ever — which is hard to imagine. “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” features classic Swift songs reimagined with 10 years of experience under her belt. The songs convey the same emotions, but in more depth and with higher production quality. It seems as though Swift has a better ability to produce the songs she’s hearing in her brain. In addition, her previously unheard songs labeled “From The Vault” are unreal. My personal fave is “You All Over Me (feat. Maren Morris) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault).” Whether you’re a hardcore Swiftie or not, you must check it out.

 

Music Director’s Pick - George Werner ’21

Album: “The Buried Life” - Medicine

Genre: Noise Pop, Experimental

RIYL: The Telescopes, My Bloody Valentine, The Jesus and Mary Chain

Blurb: Earworm hooks, laden with white noise and passive aggressive lyrics, define this ’90s gem. The album begins with “The Pink,” a song driven by its fiercely intense beat, then moves through to, what I consider to be, the best track on the album, “Never Click.” Next, it moves in a more experimental direction, using feedback and increasingly off-kilter instrumentation to set up the deceptively approachable “Live It Down.” Not every track on the album is a winner, but it succeeds as a noise-pop album because of Brad Laner’s excellent sense of musical balance, which keeps the listening experience fresh and enjoyable. This album is an underappreciated classic. 

 

Concert Manager’s Pick - Eric Kapner ’21

Album: “Survive” - Show Me The Body

Genre: Punk, Industrial

RIYL: Portrayal of Guilt, Daughters, Death Grips

Blurb: Show Me The Body is back with a new EP that rings just as harsh and aggressive as their earlier releases. Their distorted, bass-boosted sound is energizing and unique. As usual, the band infuses statements about politics, media and society into their music. I recommend listening to “Survive” when running, working out or starting a revolution in the streets.

 

Music Director’s Pick - Dan Frazo ’23

Album: “Titanic Rising” - Weyes Blood

Genre: Psych Folk, Noise Pop

RIYL: Faye Webster, Drugdealer, Julia Jacklin, Big Thief, Angel Olsen

Blurb: Weyes Blood (pronounced “wise”) is the moniker of California-born Natalie Mering, who began writing and performing music under that name at the age of 15. Throughout many years of solo work and collaborative efforts, her music has spanned a number of different genres. In “Titanic Rising,” Mering plays with different moods of dream-pop and psychedelic folk in what some have called a “chill apocalyptic blend.” Mixing together smooth melodies and chilling vocals, “Titanic Rising” is a beautiful addition to Weyes Blood’s musical portofolio.

 

Programming Director’s Pick - Micah Raymond ’21

Album: “Off You” - Big Thief

Genre: Indie Folk, Rock

RIYL: Snail Mail, Julia Jacklin, Better Oblivion Community Center

Blurb: Big Thief’s cover of The Breeders’ “Off You” is the first single they released this year, following just one new single in 2020 (after the acclaimed back-to-back albums released in 2019, “U.F.O.F.” and “Two Hands”). It’s soft and aching and raw, just like we’ve all come to expect from everything frontwoman Adrienne Lenker makes. The song comes from “Bills & Aches & Blues,” an album of covers released earlier this month as a belated 40th-anniversary celebration of UK-based record label 4AD, which also features contributions from Tune-Yards, Future Islands, Jenny Hval, Bradford Cox, Helado Negro and more. Definitely worth a listen in its entirety.