Blogs
WVAU’s #8 SOTY: New York by St. Vincent
Photo from Consequence of Sound With her first album celebrating its ten-year anniversary, queen of abstract electropop tunes St. Vincent has transferred her ability to teeter the line between rocking out and tugging at listeners' heartstrings into her song “New...
WVAU’s #9 AOTY: Drunk by Thundercat
Photo from Highlander News Thundercat is the rare musical prodigy where 1) the word prodigy actually applies to his genius, 2) the often random fusion of genres and philosophical musings is purposeful, and 3) his persona aligns right up with the music he makes. It has...
WVAU’s #9 SOTY: (No One Knows Me) Like the Piano by Sampha
Photo from Sampha Most music fan's first introduction to Sampha, whether they knew it or not, was on Drake's 2013 song “Too Much." The airy vocal sample that comprises the hook of the song is pulled directly from a Sampha song of the same name, also released in...
WVAU’s #10 AOTY: Relatives in Descent by Protomartyr
Photo from Bandcamp Tessa and Max of WVAU asked Protomartyr's singer, Joe Casey, what he would be doing if he wasn't in a band. He said “I'd be at home probably watching old episodes of Family Feud on TV wondering what went wrong in my life.” Casey's humble...
WVAU’s #10 SOTY: “Pure Comedy” by Father John Misty
Photo from The Sound of Vinyl Father John Misty, or FJM as I frequently see him referred to online, is an artist that I have frequently been recommended to listen to. However, I never could truly get into his music. It wasn't that it was bad, or that I didn't like...
WVAU 2017: BEST BEEF w/ MASE V. CAM’RON
Courtesy of The Source When Dipset announced their reunion on November 15, it was a big shock for the Harlem rap group's fans who hadn't heard new music from the original members in over a decade. Their single “Once Upon A Time” was met with positive reception and...
WVAU 2017: BEST TWITTER PRESENCE
If you don't know CupcakKe, chances are you probably know her explicit songs "Deepthroat" or "Vagina" which have 21 million views and 2 million views respectively on Youtube. But if you haven't explored the Twitter of Marilyn MonHOE, oh man are you missing out....
Into the Hustle: Episode 3
WVAU 2017: BEST MUSIC VIDEO
Kendrick Lamar is a veteran of creating groundbreaking visuals to pair with his infectious albums. From creating an instagram style video for “King Kunta” to releasing four back to back music videos that ignited his latest album, DAMN., Lamar lacks no ambition in...
WVAU 2017: BEST LIVE SHOW
Detroit post-punk band Protomartyr played a killer set at Rock and Roll Hotel on October 26. It was so good that the WVAU community voted it Best Live Show' of 2017. If you missed out on this show, hopefully I can do it some justice. Protomartyr had just...
WVAU 2017: BEST NEW ARTIST
Many musical powerhouses had comebacks and album releases this year, but none shone as bright as those by new artists. 2017 was the year of the up and coming musician. Artists like Dua Lipa, Post Malone, Sza, and Cardi B were wildly popular this year and had been...
WVAU 2017: BEST LOCAL DC ARTIST
He's come a long way from performing to the aroma of Elevation Burger fries and the screams of Centennial residents. In the span of 365 days, GoldLink has gone from performing in the Tavern by the way of WVAU (you're welcome!) to a Grammy nomination for his hit...
WVAU 2017: BEST RACKSPIN
Jay Som's sophomore album Everybody Works is one of the best indie rock albums of 2017. The project of California singer-songwriter Melina Duterte is detailed, thoughtful and intimate while still being a great guitar rock album. I'm on WVAU's music staff, so when I...
WVAU 2017: MOST UNDERRATED ALBUM
It is an understatement to say Take Me Apart is a perfect album. With crystals dangling from her locs and nails and her stylish all white-outfits, Kelela is not a force to be reckoned with. Her debut, Take Me Apart, is one of the most beautiful albums of 2017. The...
Into the Hustle: Episode 2
WVAU 2017: MOST OVERRATED ALBUM
Aubrey Drake Graham (born October 24, 1986), known mononymously as Drake, is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur who has released four full length albums, one EP and two mix tapes has now released a playlist called “More...
Unpopular Opinion: Last Christmas is a Better Christmas Song than All I Want For Christmas is You
Happy holidays y'all! Through the stress of finals, I'm sure some are finding a small semblance of comfort by playing holiday tunes while making endless amounts of Quizlet flash card sets. As everyone knows, staple of the holiday season is the constant playing of...
The Commune: Or, a Love Letter to DC’s DIY Music Scene
Dear Assholes, Somewhere, somehow, and somewhen, I am going to play at your establishment in DC. Might not be March, might not be next March. Might not even be tomorrow. But at some point, your 500 bands per square mile of DC are going to kneel their inept little...
Into the Hustle: Episode 1
A Review of Taylor Swift’s ‘Reputation’
Courtesy of Taylor Swift Taylor Swift's relationship with the public has been anything but smooth sailing over the past few years. Something that hasn't wavered drastically is her musical ability. With every album comes an onslaught of bops and bangers which most...
Babyface: Music Magician
Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds not only has a stretch of Indianan highway named in his honor; he also has played a hand in creating countless R&B hits in his music career. What better way to show appreciation for R&B than to acknowledge someone that knows it...
Punk Pop vs. Pop Punk, Ramones-core vs. Hi-Fi Punk
The Offspring, unfortunately, was how I was introduced to Punk. “PunkÛ. Growing up a Beatles aficionado, arguing constantly to more musically knowledgeable classmates that Ringo Starr was the world's best drummer (Hey, he's filthy rich and Keith Moon is dead, I...
Twisted Love
Plenty of people have strong feelings towards Selena, good or bad, but I've always admired her for being incredibly positive and down to earth. It's interesting how much we idolize celebrities and artists, even though we don't know them personally. I've never met...
“Human, Like the Rest of Us; Weak:” How Jukebox The Ghost’s “The Spiritual” Shows the Futility of Internalizing Human Struggles
The last two weeks of classes are heavy times, so instead of discussing a lighthearted song while I take a break from doing final projects, studying for final exams, practicing for my trombone jury, and preparing for the LSAT, I'm going to tackle a song with a heavy...
New Age R&B
Photo: Pigeons and Planes In the world of music, it is no surprise to see artists mature throughout their careers, and I, like many others, enjoy following their progress. What is even more exciting to see is the evolution of the music industry itself. In this week's...
WVAU: The Constitution
WVAU’s Philosophy This section will explain some of the overall philosophy that guides WVAU to give you an understanding of the station. What is WVAU? WVAU is the #1 student-run, online-only, music-based college radio station in the country, primarily serving the...
Dark Pop Smart Pop and Bangers
Photo by Celebrities Temple I'm really stupid. I actually didn't notice it until it had already happened. It was some time later in the year 2015 when someone pointed it out to me. I was in his car and we were listening to the deluxe CD version of Taylor Swift's...
“Bipolar Illness?" I Thought He Said “Bipolar ElvisÛ: A Review of AJJ’s ‘People Who Can Eat People are the Luckiest People in the World’
Photo by AJJ “More reviews of old albums? Why do you think people care about your opinions??” you say. To you, dear reader, I reply with “I don't even care about my opinions, but I have to write a weekly article or face expulsion! Bear with me!Û The original route...
Now Spinning: Hippo Campus Live
November 13 was St.Paul Minnesota band Hippo Campus' first time headlining a show at the 9:30 club in DC. They have toured in DC a few times before opening up for other artists and headlining at The Black Cat. This is my second time seeing them, the first time being...
