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Weekly Adds: 11/10

  • Post Author
    by Music director
  • Post Date
    Sun Nov 29 2020

Every Tuesday at WSUM, our Music Director, Izzi, chooses her favorite new releases to add to our music library. Here are this week's favorites, presented to you by WSUM's Music Journalism Club.


 PREP, PREP

HIGHLIGHT TRACKS: “Turn The Music Up,” “Years Don't Lie,”“Don't Wait For Me,” “The Stream” 

GENRE: Indie pop, yacht-pop, synth-pop, disco

RIYL: Hippo Campus, half•alive, Parcels, IDKHow

PREP's self titled debut album is a fresh take on the indie-pop genre, drawing inspirations from late 70s funk and soft rock, alongside modern synthpop influences to create a delightful 10 track record. The groovy opener “Turn The Music Up” sets the tone for the whole album, with its use of vibrant vintage synthesizers blended with frontman Tom Havelock's detailed storytelling lyrics. “Don't Wait For Me” features jazzy guitar arrangements reminiscent of Steely Dan and Toto, having the same easy listening feel of those bands, in a modern take on a genre that is often labeled as “dad-rock.”

Another highlight of the album is the entire collaborative nature it possesses. All four band members come from diverse backgrounds, bringing their specific talents from their years producing hip hop, arranging jazz, and working with folk songwriters in 10 tracks that seemingly blend in all these influences into a fresh original sound. The album also contains a couple of guest artists that bring their idiosyncrasies to the songs, South-Korean rapper MISO compliments Havelock's falsetto vocals in “The Stream,” and British saxophonist Mike Lesirge the delightful countermelody to the keyboards in “Years Don't Lie.” PREP's debut record is an incredibly polished first release, combining all sorts of fluences to showcase a fresh take on the indie-pop scene, a highly recommended fun listen for all. Arthur Machado


Potatohead People, Mellow Fantasy

Highlight Tracks: “Baby Got Work,” “What It Feels Like,” “In The Garden”

Genre: RnB,  Electronic, Hip-Hop

RIYL: J Dilla, Blue Lab Beats, Wayne Snow

Potatohead People's last album, Mellow Fantasy, mirrors the style the artist took in the past, but with an evolved approach. Past albums feature mostly instrumental beats, yet with this one there is a vast amount of lyricism that requires conscious analysis. The sixth song on the record, Baby Got Work,” evokes a nostalgic feeling of 90's hip hop that  features artists De La Soul, Posnudos and Kapok. The album overall features common themes found in RnB tracks, but their instrumentation further elevates their music from the mainstream RnB. Mellow Fantasy combines notes of  jazz, funk and has a focus on electronica. Personally, I am a sucker for funky mellow beats and this album definitely fits into my library. Potatohead People is a duo that is underrated and is perfect for anyone with taste for RnB and groovy instrumentation. Vicky Durachta


Carabobina, Carabobina

HIGHLIGHT TRACKS: “Pra Variar,” “Deixar de Rodear,”  “Em Dezembro,” “Mariposa”  

GENRE: Noise-pop, neo psychedelia, dream rock

RIYL: Boogarins, Crumb, Candy Claws, Animal Collective


I was stoked when I saw a band from my hometown in Brazil being featured as one of Izzi's picks for the Add Blurbs this week, and my high expectations held up after listening to Carabobina's self titled debut. The noise pop band is a collaborative project between Raphael Vaz, a Brazilian singer-songwriter coming out of Boogarinsfame, and Alejandra Luciani, a Venezuelan sound engineer. Their collaboration is filled with uneasy synthesizers, effect-filled guitars, industrial noises and instrument-like vocals that culminate into an otherworldly vibe that permeates over all the tracks. A lot of the songs feature well crafted musical loops, that in each repetition get slightly tweaked as we get more and more transported into Carabobina's world. Luciani's producing works perfectly with Vaz's already established surrealist tone, putting his songwriting through a futuristic lens. The lyrics are probably my favorite part of this record, the mix of Portuguese and Spanish work perfectly towards this sense of uneasiness the album provides and a lot of the songs discuss themes of existentialism and the spiritual being. I couldn't recommend this album more, Brazilian psychedelia has been a huge part of my musical inspirations, the tropical rebranding of the genre has always had a large appeal to myself. For both fans of Boogarins, and fans of psychedelic rock Carabobina's debut album is a must listen, and I couldn't be more excited for what the duo will do next. Arthur Machado


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MUSIC JOURNALISM CLUB WEEKLY ADDS

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