Band of the Week: Junip

Jose Gonzalez seems to be the poster child for melodramatic acoustic jams these days, not to mention his popularity boost after being featured on commercials, movies, and TV shows like The O.C. But Jose is not a one-trick pony, he brings a lot more to the table this time around with his band Junip and their first full-length album Fields.

Junip puts Jose Gonzalez in a completely different element and he sure does rise to occasion. Junip is composed of Jose’s two childhood friends, Tobias Winterkorn (keyboards) and Elias Araya (drums). Following their first two EPs, their debut album Fields is an assortment of flawless indie rock tunes.

My first taste of Junip’s debut album was this summer at Seattle’s Vera Project, one of the most powerful and mesmerizing performances I had ever seen. The band played a handful of tracks off of Fields, including the standout track “Without You,” the keyed up “Sweet & Bitter,” and the oh-so-catchy “Rope & Summit.” “Without You” was one of the most moving and memorable moments, it felt as if Gonzalez’s emotionally-charged performance had sucked all of the oxygen out of the venue. With the audience not moving a muscle or acknowledging a single text message, “Without You” was a track that not only caught your attention, but your emotions as well. I left Vera Project knowing that Fields was going to be on my wish list when September rolled around.

When I listened to Fields this past week I was pleasantly surprised on how consistent the album really is, with each track leading into the other. This album isn’t just Jose Gonzalez, it is a great collaborative effort between all three of the friends. Often times with a superstar musician fronting a band of unknowns, albums can come off as more orchestrated solo efforts. But it’s apparent that each member has contributed their own unique flavor to this album, creating a triumphant expression of love, loss, and everything in between.

-Brennan

To All My Friends…

Slug & Ant of Atmosphere

When it comes to independent hip-hop, look no further than Slug and Ant of the Minneapolis, Minnesota, group Atmosphere.

Currently celebrating their 7 year anniversary of the release of their 3^rd studio album Seven’s Travels, as well as their recent release of the dual EP’s, To All My Friends & Blood Makes the Blade Holy, Atmosphere set out once again on a country-wide tour. This past weekend I had the pleasure of seeing Atmosphere live for the third time, this one in Spokane, WA at the Knitting Factory. Once again, the combination of Slug’s incredible storytelling lyrics, complemented by the live-instrumented beats of Ant proved to be the epitome of true hip-hop. Slug’s stage presence is absolutely remarkable and truly something I wish everyone could witness. Atmosphere provides an exceptional blend of energetic tunes and always keeps the audience on their toes with their colorful “live” variations of songs. You may believe you have seen a great hip-hop show, though Atmosphere takes it to another level. You cannot leave one of their shows without feeing a true connection to the music, and the knowledge of what real music Slug and Ant have created.

Fellow Rhymesayers Entertainment artists, Grieves & Budo and Blueprint, are also accompanying Atmosphere on the current ‘To All My Friends’ Tour. Below is a brand new track off To All My Friends, Blood Makes the Blood Holy: The Atmosphere EPs called, “The Best Day”, and also download link to the song “Freefallin’”, a single from the EPs and courtesy of Rhymesayers Ent. Thanks and enjoy.

“Freefallin'” by Atmosphere.

Get MP3 (6 MB | 4:10 min)

-bryce poulin.

Kzuu 90.7fm

Band of the week: Deerhunter

“I get bored as I get older”

In 2008, Deerhunter released their critically acclaimed album Microcastle. Expanding their sound beyond the drone of their first album, Cryptograms, Deerhunter found a broader audience with a polished sound recalling 60‘s pop and psychadelic music. Following that, lead singer Bradford Cox and guitarist Lockett Pundt jumped full speed into their respective side projects: Atlas Sound and Lotus Plaza. Each album had it’s own sound that expanded upon Deerhunter’s signature vibe. Atlas Sound’s album Logos was critically acclaimed, ending up near the top on many critics’ Best Albums of 2009 lists. After a much needed hiatus, Deerhunter returned to the studio to record their 4th album, Halcyon Digest.

Halcyon Digest certainly isn’t your typical Deerhunter album, and if you were expecting Microcastle 2.0 you’re going to be disappointed. This album is laced with a variety of diverse tracks each tailoring their own unique personality. Tracks such as “Earthquake,” “Helicopter,” and “He Would Have Laughed” have a nostalgic feeling to them, showcasing the darker side of Cox’s lyricism. This is one of Halcyon Digest’s most redeeming qualities; immediately it sounds more intimate and emotional than their previous work.

“No one cares for me, I keep no company”

But in between the heart-wrenching lyrics of “Helicopter” and the Jay Reatard tribute song “He Would Have Laughed” are some fantastic pop songs. “Revival,” “Fountain Stairs,” and “Coronado” are the kind of tunes that you secretly find yourself tapping your feet and bobbing your head to. “Revival” remains one of the more upbeat songs channelling the 50’s pop era, making it a perfect single. While “Fountain Stairs” stays true to Deerhunter’s original sound. “Coronado” features a child-like opening riff that would sound perfect as background music for an iPod commercial, before it breaks down into a wild and hectic saxophone solo.

Deerhunter has been edging their way into indie superstardom for a few years now. Halcyon Digest proves that Deerhunter has evolved into one of independent music’s most talented and acclaimed acts. Check out Halcyon Digest in the Preview Rack next week.

-Brennan & Adam

KZUU Top 30 – 9/19

Oh my, KZUU. You’ve been doing so well these first few weeks of broadcast! The National came out way ahead of the pack this week, and the top ten was pretty solid following that. I must admit, the David Byrne/Fatboy Slim album came as a bit of a surprise, but I guess people just want more jams like “Funk Soul Brother” and “Burning Down the House” in one package. I don’t judge.

1. The National – High Violet
2. Poirier – Running High
3. Rotary Downs – Cracked Maps and Blue Reports
4. Cock and Swan – Unrecognize
5. Woods – At Echo Lake
6. Poison Control Center – Sad Sour Future
7. David Byrne and Fatboy Slim – Here Lies Love
8. The Flaming Lips – Dark Side of the Moon
9. Everest – On Approach
10. Born Ruffians – Say It
11. Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma
12. Mumford and Sons – s/t
13. Tracey Thorn – Love and Its Opposite
14. Pearly Gates Music – s/t
15. Cuff the Duke – Way Down Here
16. These United States – What Lasts
17. Caribou – Swim
18. Soft Cat – Wildspace
19. Apples in Stereo – Travellers in Space and Time
20. Balkan Beat Box – Blue Eyed Black Boy
21. The Strange Boys – Be Brave
22. Love is All – Two Thousand and Ten Injuries
23. Best Coast – Crazy for You
24. Happy Birthday – s/t
25. Two Door Cinema Club – Tourist History
26. The Living Sisters – Love to Live
27. Philip Selway – Familial
28. LCD Soundsystem – This is Happening
29. Minus the Bear – Omni
30. Goldfinch – s/t

Keep doing a great job, and check the preview rack for some new albums this week!
xo,
Rachel

What’s New @ KZUU – 9/17/10

Hey DJs, hope classes are going good for you all. I’ve been listening to your shows and I’ve been very impressed with the good work. Keep it up!

We’ve got some great new albums in the studio this week, please play them! Charts from this week will be up on Monday, so keep an eye out.

New Adds – 9/13-9/17
Click on the album for a review and some song previews.

#3 Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin – Let It Sway
#14 Electric Sunset – Electric Sunset
#29 Jesca Hoop – Hunting My Dress
#36 Doug Burr – O Ye Devestator
#37 Young Man – Boy
#38 Best Coast – Crazy For You
#57 Cloud Nothings – Turning On / Didn’t You 7″
#78 Soft Cat – Wildspace
#95 Jenny and Johnny – I’m Having Fun Now
#106 The Thermals – Personal Life
#116 S. Carey – All We Grow
#206 Philip Selway – Familial
#210 Carl Broemel – All Birds Say

Thanks for reading guys, I’ll see you around the studio!

Adam

(Edit:
We’ll also be updating the “Current Rotation” page ASAP. Current Rotation is updated! Thanks for being so patient, guys!
Rachel)

Welcome to KZUU 2010!

Hello everyone, and welcome to the 2010-2011 year of KZUU! If you remember from the first all-station meeting, Chelan said this was going to be the best year of KZUU ever. I can back her up and say that I agree, we have a very ambitious management team with some great ideas to implement over the year. Our main focus this year is to expand our presence in the Pullman community. We want to gain more listeners, have more people aware of the station, and we want people to want to work with us to support each other. We like to think we’re a valuable resource to the community, and we’re hoping that we can convince everyone the same thing!

Alright, I won’t bore you all with more of our mushy philosophies. Usually on this blog you will see write-ups from our various staff members. On Mondays we will be posting the KZUU Top 30, which are determined by DJ preview rack plays. Every list will be accompanied by a short paragraph about the #1 band. These are really exciting, so you should be excited. On Fridays we will be doing a post titled What’s New @ KZUU! This is basically a rundown of what new albums will be added to the preview rack, as well as the albums we will be taking out of the preview rack. The rest of the week will feature anything from album reviews to post-concert write-ups (Japandroids this weekend!) from any of our managers. We encourage anyone and everyone to comment on the posts and leave feedback.

I mentioned at the meeting how important I consider certain websites to be when it comes to your success as a DJ. For those with short attention spans, or those who hate taking notes (this kid), these websites are http://www.last.fm and http://www.tumblr.com. Downloading last.fm’s client allows you to keep a log of all the music you listen to on your computer and iPod. With this information, it compiles charts of your music habits, and reccomends you new music based on this. It’s user-driven, so if you listen to an artist that no one has ever listened to before, it will automatically create a page for this artist. It also keeps track of concerts coming to the Palouse as well as your hometown. I really think everyone should have a last.fm account, I’ve discovered hundreds of bands through them and I consider it my DJ Swiss Army knife.

Tumblr is basically a blog aggregate that lets you “follow” blogs in a Twitter-style form. Many of the users on Tumblr run music-centered blogs that post free mp3s and albums by unknown acts. Pitchfork essentially scours music blogs like those found on Tumblr, picking and choosing what they think is good. So if you want to get ahead in the game, get a Tumblr too!

Here are links to some of our staff & DJ’s accounts. Feel free to stalk, and add them as friends/followers/etc.

Chelan (General Manager AKA the Boss):
http://www.last.fm/user/lakechelan
http://twitter.com/lakechelan
http://lakechelan.tumblr.com/

Andi (Program Director):
http://www.last.fm/user/AndreannaWilson
http://twitter.com/AndiDear
http://andidear.tumblr.com/

Josh (Promotions Director):
http://www.facebook.com/josh.pflug

Rachel (Music Director):
http://squeezeboxbaby.tumblr.com/
http://www.last.fm/user/rachelachel

Brennan (Assistant Music Director):
http://www.facebook.com/pierides

Adam (Assistant Music Director):
http://www.last.fm/user/Wafflecopter
http://www.thisreal.tumblr.com/
http://twitter.com/acward

Bryce (Hip-Hop Director):
http://www.facebook.com/brycepoulin

Evan (Former Music Director):
http://www.last.fm/user/evanreyes
http://alltimegringo.tumblr.com/
http://twitter.com/evanreyes

I’m sure I forgot someone important, I tend to do that. But that should fulfill all of your stalking needs for a sufficient amount of time.

Over the next week or two, as I figure out how to use WordPress, I’ll be changing parts of the blog and adding more links to the sidebar. Also, much to Evan’s chagrin, I’ll probably roll out a new blog theme. I mean, hey, it is a new year after all.

Keep your eyes peeled here for more updates in the near future, and welcome to a new year of KZUU!

-Adam & the MGMT