Blogs
WVAU 2014: Most Underexposed Albums of the Year
These are our top three underexposed albums of 2014 (sort of an oxymoron, but w/e). In other words, these are the three albums that our DJs felt that deserved far more attention, promotion, and hype than they got. Furthermore, they deserved more attention than lesser...
WVAU 2014: Best Album Covers of the Year
Album cover art has always been an essential aspect of the way we perceive a musical artist's being. Certain albums have burned their way into society's brain with instantly iconic art, while others showcase cover images that are beautiful approximations of...
Live in the Hive: Ruby Fray
Ruby Fray stopped by the WVAU studio to talk “would you rather” before a show at Comet Ping Pong. Check out the new album Crackle, and preview standout tracks “Barabara” and “Photograph” off the record. Listen to their in-studio performance: Check out their ...
WVAU 2014: Style Icons
Continuing the fun activity of ranking musical artists on a completely non-musical basis, here are our top three style icons of 2014. While an artist's clothing style may have nothing to do with their music, it is indeed a major part of their perception and often...
WVAU 2014: Best Twitter Presence
#best #twitter #presence (Twitter please sponsor us)3.Patrick Stickles (@TitusAndronicus)+@ An intense and deeply troubled young artist +@ +@ +@ +@ +@ +@ +@ +@ +@ +@ +@ Hey, everyone. It's me, Twitter. You have a good 2014? Mine's been pretty great. Not sure if...
WVAU 2014: Best Live Acts
An essential part of the enjoyment of a band is their live show. If they can express and enhance the feeling of their recorded work, then they've succeeded. WVAU voted and our top three choices came to three very different acts, who share little but an amazing ability...
WVAU 2014: Best Music Videos
Music videos have come a long way from the hair metal days. Musicians use their videos to explore new sides of their artistic persona, adding visuals to an already formed sound. Our top five videos span genres and moods, from goofy to surreal to sexual (guess who). 5....
WVAU 2014: Best Newcomer
This year, we're going to have a whole week of 2014 retrospective pieces covering such topics as our DJs' favorite music videos, live shows, twitter presences, album covers, and more! Our first post in this vein, fittingly, is the 'Best Newcomer'...
Is It Publishable? A Conversation with Two Inch Astronaut
Courtesy of NPR. In step with many of the best bands of today, Two Inch Astronaut take their already immaculate sound and find ways to push it further and further into greatness. The songs on their latest record Foulbrood are filled with immediately...
WVAU Reviews: Ariel Pink, "pom pom"
Courtesy of Tumblr. RIP the Haunted Graffiti. It's sad to accept, but Ariel Rosenberg's decade long project, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, takes a tiny hiatus for his new solo album, pom pom. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti gave us great party/karaoke classics like...
Vibe of the Week: The Thanksgiving Jam
Courtesy of Neil Young Official Store. Thanksgiving, the holiday we celebrate, but often overlook. For a day that we set aside for the sole purpose of reflection and gratitude, there is never quite as much hype for good old Turkey Day than there is for Christmas or...
Porque no los Dos: Why I am Scared to See My Favorite Artists in Concert
Courtesy of Huffington Post. Much of what gets me through college, through the stresses of a social and academic life and the amount of expectations placed upon me, is music. I'm an avid music fan, and I'm not the only one. There are hundreds of college...
The Current: Why Music Needs More Female Role Models
Courtesy of eurweb. This past week I had the inspiring experience of volunteering at the De Pizan Honors Gala for the National Women's History Museum. The event takes place annually as a fundraiser for lobbying efforts to get a National Women's History...
Keep Ya Head Up: Rap in 2014
Courtesy of World Star Hip Hop.I recently read an article declaring 2014 as one of the worst years for rap ever. It is not surprising fans felt this way coming on the heels of a red hot year for hip hop in 2013. JAY Z, Eminem, and Kanye all dropped albums last...
Minutia: Data, Democracy, Music & the Perpetual Race to the Bottom
Courtesy of Intelligence Aerospace.What better way to bring music to the masses than the Internet? There's never been a time when you could hear more music from the comfort of, well, anywhere. On top of that, what better way to serve the purposes of populism and...
Saint Saviour, "In the Seams" (Surface Area)
A real test for your eyelids.English singer-songwriter Becky Jones has come a long way from her start with electro pop band The RGB's and Groove Armada. After co-writing Groove Armada's Grammy-nominated album Black Light in 2010, Jones has shifted her attention to...
Arca, "Xen" (Mute)
Revolutionary, contemporary, Venezuelan producer Arca comes through with a record recorded from the deepest labyrinths of identity and solace.“You jump off a cliff because you know that when you land, and you crash like a bunch of Legos and you fall apart, you'll...
Dwarves, "The Dwarves Invented Rock & Roll" (Burger)
Loud, outrageous punk rock.If you do not like punk rock, do not listen to The Dwarves Invented Rock & Roll. The album is the band's Burger Records debut. After years of hiatus, incredible amounts of drug abuse, and a reputation of terrorizing live shows the band has...
Manchester Orchestra, "HOPE" (Loma Vista/Concord)
“Simplicity is the glory of expression.ÛManchester Orchestra released their fourth full-length album, Cope, in April of this past year. It fell in line with the progression of the band into a louder, more rock-driven style that made itself prominent on their latter...
Rose’s Pawn Shop, "Gravity Well" (Self-Released)
Energetic, creative Americana.Americana favorites Rose's Pawn Shop bring a rocking, rootsy masterpiece with their newest release Gravity Well. High-energy banjo melodies and deep bass played slap-style are the highlights of the album opener, and set an upbeat vibe...
Flake Music, "When You Land Here, It’s Time to Return"
JAMES MERCER I LOVE YOUR WORK.Before I exalt the worthiness of this album to the highest degree, let's quickly clarify: This isn't new. Released in 1997, When You Land Here, It's Time to Return is the holy grail of Flake Music, James Mercer's (pre-Shins) creation,...
Oil Boom, "Red Metal" (Self-Released)
Rock n' Roll at its finest.Sultry, strung out and with infectious rhythm, Red Metal is a really good back to basics rock album. All of the tracks are filled with lo-fi vocals, good vibes and wobbly and screechy guitar parts that rendezvous with each other while the...
Rancid, "…Honor is All We Know" (Hellcat/Epitaph)
90's mainstream punk for a modern era.Rancid is one of those bands who needs no introduction to a certain group of people. One of the founding bands of the mainstream punk revival in the 90's, Rancid has been in the game for well over a decade now, and they're...
Ryan Hemsworth, "Alone for the First Time" (Last Gang Records/Secret Songs)
Niche that stars are made of. Ryan Hemsworth stands, deliberately, as a counterpoint to popular club oriented style of electronic music, choosing to go intimate where others may go big, discreet where others go massive, and charming where others go intimidating. While...
Leading Ladies: Dance and Feel Good!
British singer Moko shows us how to get down. (Courtesy of DJ Semtex.) Finals are nearing, deadlines are looming and your life force is steadily dwindling to zero. You want to go to the gym but that's too much effort and going outside now would leave you as a...
The Tough Crowd: Beagle Edition
Courtesy of Bunk Blog. If you have spent any amount of time aimlessly wandering around campus for something to do, you've probably come across a copy of The Beagle. In case you haven't had the pleasure of finding this gem, its American's premier (and unofficial)...
Another Kind of Currency: The Wordplay in "Dog Problems"
Courtesy of It's a Fabulous Life. One of the many things I owe my older brother for would be introducing of me to some of the music that has become my personal favorite to this day. Most of it happened when he was in high school and I, being five years his junior, in...
Feedback | The Anaconda in the Room: How Nicki Minaj Fuses Style & Substance
Oh man have I learned to love Nicki Minaj. Pop never sunk its hooks deep into my musical sensibilities, but I cannot resist a lightning rod like Nicki Minaj. Convinced by boredom and an odd itch, I tried to quantify the raw rage over Nicki Minaj. I did so by...
Submit to "The Stream"!
Haven't you always dreamed of SUBMITTING WORK TO THE WVAU ZINE? Well now you CAN! Read the details below and submit! Submissions are open to ALL AU students. Submission guidelines: SUBMISSIONS ARE TO BE EMAILED TO WVAUART@GMAIL.COM BY 11:59 ON NOVEMBER 23 Due to...
The Looking Glass: Les Sins, "Michael"
Courtesy of Last.fm.What is at stake in the latest album put forth by Chaz Bundick ÛÒ under the alias Les Sins å_ÛÒ is no doubt the collective future of the entire genre of chillwave; musician, and album alike. The aesthetic scene we are confronted with in...