KSPC 88.7FM » favorites http://kspc.org The Space between your ears since 1956! Fri, 17 May 2013 23:34:20 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 2012 Staff Favorites Polls! http://kspc.org/2012-staff-favorites-polls/ http://kspc.org/2012-staff-favorites-polls/#comments Thu, 27 Dec 2012 01:05:49 +0000 Blog http://kspc.org/?p=2420 Here are the results of our staff polls:

2012 BEST

BEST NEW SONG

“comfortable, happy, satisfied” by Body Parts

Code Orange Kids- “Flowermouth (The Leech)”

Belispeak – Purity Ring

Female Doctor by Miniature Tigers

Murder by Death – “Lost River”

good food by Ruddyp

feels like we’re only going backwards- tame impala

BEST NEW ALBUM

“Our House on the Hill” by the Babies

Swing Lo Magellan – Dirty Projectors

Gone by Vacationer

Tennis – Young and Old

Flume by Flume

The Crossing-Mehanan Street Band

BEST KSPC-PRESENTED SHOW

Plagues/Tiny Lungs/Dudes Night/Death’rection @ the SCC

Grass Widow/Cool Moms/Dunes

The Babies

BEST SHOW ELSEWHERE

FAUST @ Red Cat

PEC (on campus) The Babies show ;)

Shannon and the Clams and Hunx and His Punks, the Glasshouse

Beach House w/Wild Nothing at the El Rey

BEST IN-STUDIO

No Paws – on Pep Rally with Ali

Ben Lear

L.A. Witch on Lost @ Sea

BEST NEW ARTIST

Cold Showers

Body Parts

Mac Demarco

Cerce (female-fronted feminist hardcore from Massachusetts)

King Tuff

Dana Falconberry

Electric Guest

ESTABLISHED ARTIST WHO JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER

DIRTY PROJECTORS

St Vincent

Fiona Apple

Flying Lotus

Emily Wells

Screaming Females

Starfucker

Night Control

FAVORITE MAINSTREAM HIT

1991 – Azealia Banks

Die Young by Ke$ha

Losing You by Solange

B***h Don’t Kill My Vibe- Kendrick Lemar

BEST BAND THAT’S ABOUT TO BLOW UP

SO MANY WIZARDS

The Babies

Lemolo

Twin Shadow

Kishi Bashi

Empire! Empire!

Joyce Manor

MUSIC BUZZWORD OF THE YEAR

grow-fi

“Ambient”

Seapunk

Gagnam Style

Neo-Soul

MISCELLANEOUS/WRITE-INS

Best Foreign-Language Album

Shintaro Sakamoto – How to Live with a Phantom

CREEPS!

best actor-inspired ep – bill murray- sweatshop union

]]> http://kspc.org/2012-staff-favorites-polls/feed/ 0 BIWEEKLY PICKS FROM THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT: THE PREMIERE EPISODE http://kspc.org/biweekly-picks-from-the-music-department-the-premiere-episode/ http://kspc.org/biweekly-picks-from-the-music-department-the-premiere-episode/#comments Thu, 18 Oct 2012 21:29:28 +0000 Blog http://kspc.org/?p=2091 BIWEEKLY PICKS FROM THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT: THE PREMIERE EPISODE
Unveiled below are just a few of the finest musical gems, old and new, to be found and listened to and loved from the depths of the KSPC basement. Handpicked and recommended to you by your dedicated music directors <3
Electronic Director: Tyler Cohen
CD or Vinyl: Vinyl
Title: Skip School EP
Artist: Strip Steve
Label: Boys Noize
Some energetic Daft Punk-ish electronic music. My favorite track is Tommy Boy
World Music Director: Jacob Moe
CD or Vinyl: CD
Title: Nobody Can Live Forever
Artist: Tim Maia
Label: Luaka Bop Records
Afro-tropical Brazilian Funk from the ’70s from a man with a long arrest record!
Americana Director: Justyna Bicz
CD or Vinyl: Vinyl
Title: The Natural Finger EP
Artist: Thinking Fellers Union Local 282
Label: Ajax
Super cool experimental indie band from the Bay, active in the 90′s. I was introduced to the band when a listener requested it during my show. Plus all the records have rocking album art!
Hip-Hop Director: Jonah Raduns-Silverstein
CD or Vinyl: CD
Title: Language of My World
Artist: Macklemore
Label: NWX
He’s getting bigger new with the upcoming release of his new album, The Heist, but this 2005 classic has incredible range for an indie rapper and he keeps coming and coming with irresistible flows, beats and life.
CD or Vinyl:Vinyl
Title: Black Snake
Artist: John Lee Hooker
Just great old time blues where Mr. Hooker just croons and plucks like no body’s business.
Loud Rock Director: Julian Rippy
CD or Vinyl: CD (New)
Title: DECA
Artist: Ruptures
Label: (Self-Released)
Great hardcore album by a local band, every song is short and sweet. This album has a nice range of sounds, from fast moshy songs to more laid-back instrumentals.
CD or Vinyl: CD (Library)
Title: Vaya
Artist: At the Drive-In
Label: Fearless
At the Drive-In are a seminal post-hardcore band and this is EP shows where the band was musically before they got on MTV and Leno. Metronome Arthritis might be ATDI’s best song.
Asst. Underground MD: Ari Mygatt
CD or Vinyl: Vinyl
Title: New Traditionalists
Artist: DEVO
Label: Warner Bros
I’ve only played Beautiful World off of it since finding it a few weeks ago, but oh Lordy did it go over well.
Asst. Underground MD: Julia Ringo
CD or Vinyl: CD
Title: Precis
Artist: Benoit Pioulard
Label: Kranky
Beautiful, cerebral, deeply felt dream-pop. He’s actually American,
despite the name (he’s really some guy from Michigan named Thomas
Meluch).
Asst. Underground MD: Aparna Sarkar
CD or vinyl: CD
Title: Out of Your Mind
Artist: Dub Narcotic Sound System
Label: K
Calvin Johnson’s twee-ed out indie funk band, named after the Dub Narcotic recording studio of K records. Generally grungy and consistently strange; you will want to play “Basemess” literally forever.
Music Director: Amaru Tejeda
CD or Vinyl: Vinyl
Title: Minuteflag
Artist: Minuteflag
Label: SST
A collaboration between Black Flag and the Minutemen;
what a genius pairing! A bit jammy, a bit surfy, a lot of cool. I
didn’t even know this existed until I stumbled upon it a few months
ago. The opening track, “Fetch the Water,” is a must play.
LOOK OUT FOR THE NEXT INSTALLMENT OF THE BIWEEKLY PICKS!
love,
the Music Department
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The visual incarnation of Tennis' pretty, carefree, and slightly wistful sonic stylings

Hello from your friendly DJ Rubix! A little-known fact about me is that I love to create artwork inspired by my favorite music. Recently, the overwhelming popularity of Young & Old around KSPC inspired me to paint a piece specifically dedicated to this chart-topping album, and to usher in a new brand of blog post!

The piece you see above is my visual interpretation of the colorful, “beach-poppy” music of Tennis. The girl, abstract in her lack of name and permanent place, represents their pretty, carefree, and slightly wistful sonic stylings. She is surrounded by soothing waters of harmony that ebb and flow with the beat, and all appears serene.

The album title Young & Old, however, suggests deeper concerns with aging and mortality – motifs that run counter to the sense of innocence conveyed by the music. Tennis typically bathes their tracks in the warm glow of nostalgia, but the lyrics on this album deal with issues of identity and personal legacy. When Alaina Moore sings “Take Me To Heaven,” for example, her vocals are sweet, but the content of the song is more melancholy in nature: “When I pass away, this will fade away; what promises I make, I know I may not stay.” I portrayed this awareness of the passage of time through the subtly fading ends of the girl’s cascading hair.

Perhaps Tennis’ underlying message is that time inevitably marches on, so we should remember to appreciate each fleeting moment, and do our best to make a positive difference in the lives of those around us.

Young & Old is a gorgeous, uplifting album. If you haven’t heard it yet, be sure to check it out, and when you do, I hope my artwork helps you to consider it in a different light. Thanks for stopping by, and stay tuned for the next edition of Animated Albums!

Art and review by Rachel Davidson. Tune in to Your Next Favorite Thing with DJ Rubix every Friday from 4-6!

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