Blogs
WVAU Top Music of 2012: #8
#8 Album: Dirty Projectors – Swing Lo Magellan Wow. Somehow, it’s already been a full decade since David Longstreth originally planted the graceful-fallen-mango seeds of what would eventually become the Dirty Projectors. Listening to this year’s astonishing Swing Lo...
WVAU Top Music of 2012: #9
#9 Album: Grizzly Bear – Shields Grizzly Bear has established themselves as one of the most successful indie rock bands with Veckatimest, and Shields has only added to their success, reaching number 7 on the Billboard 200 and number 1 on Billboard’s Independent...
Overlooked Records of 2012: Regents
Regents – Antietam After Party 2012, thankfully, was a year full of quality punk albums, and post-hardcore supergroup Regents capped it off with one of the year's hardest releases, Antietam After Party. Made up of veterans of the fertile D.C.-and-Virginia hardcore...
Overlooked Records of 2012: Lambchop
Lambchop Mr. M Is it really any surprise that Lambchop has ended up on a list of overlooked records? After all, Mr. M sounds like some bizarre collaboration between Burt Bacharach and your piss-drunk uncle who claims to have invented the earmuffs. Overlooked, indeed....
WVAU Top Music of 2012: #10
Welcome to WVAU’s third annual Top 10 countdown! Every year, WVAU DJs vote on their favorite albums and songs of the previous 12 months. Some make the list – and we write about them in our Top 10s. Some don’t – and we write about them too, in our eccentric and...
The Music Safari: Putting French Rockers BB Brunes on the St̩r̩o
As part of la nouvelle rock sc̬ne fran̤aise (“the new French rock scene”), BB Brunes formed in 2005, joining the ranks of what the French media called Les BÌ©bÌ©s Rockers (“Baby Rockers”), marked by their youth, good looks and post-punk influence. Lead singer Adrien...
The Music Safari: The BIGBANG Theory
If you wanted to dive into the world of K-Pop and were turned off by PSY's atrocious foray into the music industry (please do not even try to defend “Gangnam Style”), give it a second chance and start off with BIGBANG. While the rest of the world was slowly warming...
Local Talent: Oddisee
I was first drawn to the music of Oddisee through his uniquely focused album, Traveling Man. This D.C. artist hopes to explain the world through his music, labeling the tracks in this album after different cites he visited while on the road. Oddisee describes his...
The Music Safari: What About Mexican Indie-Pop with Hello Seahorse!
Hailing from sunny Mexico City, Hello Seahorse! (exclamation point always included) reminds us how globalized this world has become. Images of mariachi bands and suave Spanish guitars have been replaced by a new generation of young musicians with more international...
DJ Spotlight of the Week: Dana Gooley
Name of show:åÊSeventh Inning Stretch, Mondays 12-2 p.m.! (Like and follow me on Facebook!) Three words to describe your show:åÊVaried, rambling and cheerful. What can we expect to hear on your show? Sort of like alternative rock like The Black Keys and The Arctic...
Staff Favorites for Your Holiday
Happy Holidays from WVAU! This year went by so quickly — and there’s still so much to be thankful for. Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone and folks are heading home for winter break, the WVAU staff wanted to share that overwhelming feeling of thankfulness that...
Capital Punishment: Heavy Breathing & Misun w/BCKWTR
For WVAU’s FREE YEAR-END SHOW, we’re hosting a warped beats-frenzied tripleheader with D.C. acts Heavy Breathing and Misun and AU’s own DJ BCKWTR on Saturday, December 2 at 7:30 p.m. in Kay Basement. After all, this is WVAU’s last Capital Punishment before the Mayan...
DJ Spotlight of the Week: Sydney Gore & Julia Schroeder
Name of show: Artificial Sweetener, live on Sundays from 9-10 a.m.! (Like and follow us on Facebook.) Three words to describe your show: Bubblegum Teen Angst What can we expect to hear on your show? Julia: Indie alternative rock from past to present, some ’90s grunge,...
Local Talent: IT IS RAIN IN MY FACE
Matthew Jones is doing something amazing with his music. First off, who doesn't want to listen to a band with a killer name like IT IS RAIN IN MY FACE? After exploring his musical genius, there has yet to be a track that isn't simply stunning. His melodic voice...
Five Finger Discountdown: RuPaul’s Top 5 Songs
In just a few years drag queen/author/singer/model/television personality RuPaul has transformed from an underground sensation into an unstoppable force. Due mostly to her popular show “RuPaul's Drag Race” on Logo (which AU still doesn't get- SG should get on...
Pop with a Capital P: There’s Something About Bieber
“I think, therefore I am.” ÛÒ Descartes “Swaggy.” ÛÒ Justin Bieber Justin Bieber is the ultimate example of a modern pop star. Having ascended to superstardom through a combination of viral videos, Internet buzz, celebrity endorsements, strategic marketing,...
DJ Spotlight of the Week: Miss DJDJ
Name of show: Hot Chocolate with Pink Marshmallows on Saturdays 10-11 a.m.! Three words to describe your show: For your chakras… What can we expect to hear on your show? The beauty of “Hot Chocolate with Pink Marshmallows “ is the unpredictability of the music flow. I...
The Music Safari: Kimbra’s Version of Pop
Initially known as “the girl on that Gotye song,” Kimbra has now made a name for herself following a wildly successful debut album that has been certified platinum in her native New Zealand and Australia and headlined an Australian and North American tour. In fact,...
Shouting at the Void: Pile
I discovered Pile at CMJ and became a rabid fan in the space of a week or two. On Thursday night they played at an odd Ethiopian bar in D.C. and my roommate and I naturally followed. Something about this band causes me to ring with a resonant frequency; like a glass...
Local Talent: Fort Knox Five
DJing is often associated with hip-hop and dance music, but the D.C. based Fort Knox Five are a different kind of DJ group. They mix funk, reggae and of course some hip-hop elements to create a unique and captivating sound. Fort Knox Five started in 2003 when,...
Your Favorite Band’s Favorite Band: Little Richard & David Bowie
I never liked Elvis because I was misguided into believing that he was credited with making traditionally known “black” music popular to a wider range of audience. I used to believe that he stole something that did not belong to him and then catapulted himself to be...
Feedback: Gossamer Year
I discovered Passion Pit's song “Take a Walk” about a week ago, and ever since I cannot go a day without giving it another listen. All of Passion Pit's new album Gossamer has me enthralled in an odd way. I do not usually listen to bands like Passion Pit. Sure,...
Capital Punishment: Fang Island and Eternal Summers w/Sun Club
As part of the WVAU Capital Punishment free concert series, we’re hosting an evening with Fang Island and Eternal Summers on Friday, Nov. 9 in the SIS Founders Room. Tickets are FREE with an AU student ID. Come, bring your friends and revel with us in one of the...
Five Finger Discountdown: Top Five Less-Famous Singing Siblings
Not all siblings are created equal. Just ask La Toya Jackson. Sometimes the talent just isn't evenly distributed in the family. Then again, sometimes it is; sometimes it's only the fame that has been unevenly distributed. This week, I'm highlighting the top five...
Pop Rocks with Dick and Mick Vol. 2: Electric Boogaloo
Taylor Swift-“Red” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZW8QNIiu1A Dick: Over the years, I’ve become more and more accepting of Taylor Swifts style of pop-country that, while not being the most unique thing in the world, is always distinctly hers, which is exactly why this...
Local Talent: The Pietasters
Once I decided to come to D.C. for college, I recognized one of the perks was the local music scene, specifically the ska scene. The D.C. ska scene jumped off in the early 1990's with bands such as The Checkered Cabs, Boy O Boy, The Skunks and of course The...
The Music Safari: Cro Has Serious Flow
Behind an eerie panda mask hides Cro, a young German rapper who writes and produces all of his music. He calls his genre “raop,” a portmanteau of the words “rap” and “pop.” He self-released two mixtapes in 2009 and 2011 before he was finally signed by...
DJ Spotlight of the Week: Iulia Gheorghiu
Name of show: Killin’ It Radio. Listen up as you wake up on Mondays, 7-8 a.m.! Three words to describe your show: Quite the killer. What can we expect to hear on your show? I try to keep it pretty upbeat. After all, I'm trying to wake people up! The music will...
Feedback: Cover Culture
During a recent radio show, I played two covers, the first being BADBADNOTGOOD's cover of three Legend of Zelda pieces. I assumed that most people would recognize the beat of the old video game classic, even shrouded in a layer of smooth jazz. When I played the song,...
Local Talent: Toye
You may have seen Toye Adenekan around campus, probably minding his own business. Little did you know, you were in the presence of an accomplished rapper. To date, Toye has put out 19 tracks on his Souldcloud and has many more planned for the future. He may seem...