Courtesy of RTJ. On their first record, Run The Jewels proclaimed that they were "the new Avengers,” a statement which was only half true. They're gonna save the world, no doubt about it, but this isn't a PG-13 summer funtime adventure. RTJ are the sonic...
End of the Year Awards
WVAU’s #4 Song of 2014: Sia – "Chandelier"
Courtesy of Popjustice.Yes, I went to one of the most prestigious prep schools in the country for high school and I attend one of the best universities in the country, but I just learned what the word “chandelier” meant about fifteen minutes ago. Seriously? Yes....
WVAU’s #5 Album of 2014: Alex G – DSU
Courtesy of Orchid Tapes. DSU is poison in disguise. In chemistry courses, you are taught the dose is what matters. So after listening to this record more times than any other album in my entire life, the concern is not that I don't know what to feel about it,...
WVAU’s #5 Song of 2014: Radiator Hospital – "Fireworks"/"Fireworks (Reprise)"
Courtesy of Radiator Hospital's Bandcamp. Radiator Hospital's sophomore album, Torch Song, reminds us of all of those times in high school when we wanted to lay in bed because we believed it would mend a broken heart, and reassures us that...
WVAU’s #6 Album of 2014: St. Vincent – St. Vincent
Courtesy of I Love St. Vincent. The last time we saw St. Vincent's Annie Clark on her own, she was behind a sheet of white latex screaming on 2011's Out of Reach-referencing Strange Mercy. Now, having taken the chicken bone our of her mouth, St. Vincent...
WVAU’s #6 Song of 2014: Alex G – "Harvey"
Courtesy of Orchid Tapes.In all honesty, “Harvey” is not actually my favorite song from Alex G's debut full-length album DSU. I'm drawn more to the disorienting, maze-like melodies found in “Icehead” and “Hollow.” But because I have an unwavering...
WVAU’s #7 Album of 2014: Mac DeMarco – Salad Days
Courtesy of Captured Tracks. While an album called Salad Days may seem like it'd leave you hungry, in reality it fills you up like you just ate a three course meal. Between Mac DeMarco's soft vocals, chill rhythms, and gentle guitar-laced beats, Salad Days has a...
WVAU’s #7 Song of 2014: FKA twigs – "Lights On"
Courtesy of Complex.Sex is weird. It is full of awkwardness, anticipation, and - sometimes - ecstasy. The first full song on FKA twigs' LP1 establishes all of these things and more. It builds gradually, from bizarre background patterns of...
WVAU’s #8 Album of 2014: Perfume Genius – Too Bright
Courtesy of Matador Records. The cliche line about Too Bright is that after two albums of the saddest, most beautifully gut-wrenching music ever made, Mike Hadreas finally let his anger out. While it's true that Too Bright is angrier than anything Hadreas has ever...
WVAU’s #8 Song of 2014: Banks – "Alibi"
Courtesy of BANKS' Soundcloud. “Alibi” is the perfect build-up song for a crowd; it's the beat-driven first minute, produced by SOHN, where BANKS' blurred words become a mysterious tale we yearn to know more of. This dark-haired valley girl has a...