Have your Spotify playlists become stale? Is your weekly mix just not cutting it? Maybe it’s time to branch out and listen to something new. The Executive Board of WRMC, Middlebury College’s radio station, has selected a wonderfully wide range of albums, spanning time and genre, for your listening pleasure. Check back each week for a new set of recommendations.
*RIYL (recommended if you like)
RIYL — Recommended if you like
DJ Pick — Mia Giaever ’24
Show: BOOGERS — Wednesdays at 12 a.m.
Album: “Ivory” — Omar Apollo
Genre: Hip Hop, PopRIYL: Orion Sun, Choker, Dreamer Boy
Blurb: A mix of flirtatious acoustic, like "Petrified," and upbeat tracks, like "Tamagotchi," this album has a breezy, spring flingin' mood to it. Very versatile listening—could easily accompany a study session, or an incredibly long shower.
Creative Director’s Pick — Pia Conteras ’22
Show: Highs and Lows of Life — Wednesdays at 6 p.m.
Album: “That’s Where I Am” — Maggie Rogers
Genre: AlternativeRIYL: Angel Olsen, Clairo, Holly Humberstone
Blurb: Ever since Maggie Rogers got the ultimate stamp of approval from famed producer Pharrell Williams while just a student at NYU working on her debut album, "Heard It In a Past Life," her career has blossomed. This new single from her upcoming album "Surrender," shows Rogers turning a corner in her sound. Like her new short haircut, "That's Where I Am" is edgier and 90s-inspired, using Rogers' production talents in a way that sounds entirely unlike all her previous work.
DJ Pick — Charlie Keohane ’24
Show: Witching Hour — Tuesdays at 10 a.m.
Album: “Tapestry” — Carole King
Genre: Soft rock, popRIYL: James Taylor, Carly Simon, Joni Mitchell
Blurb: If you're a "Gilmore Girls" fan, you've already heard one of the many iconic songs off this album. With songs like the show's theme "Where You Lead," Carole King's early 1970s album speaks of confidence and independence. From slower, soulful ballads like "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" to more upbeat songs to dance to like "I Feel the Earth Move," this album has stood the test of time.
DJ Pick — Rebecca Amen ’22
Show: Haha Aw Haha — Sundays at 2 p.m.
Album: “History of a Feeling” — Madi Diaz
Genre: Folk, indie, indie rock
RIYL: Waxahatchee, Tomberlin, Anaïs Mitchell
Blurb: In February, I went to the Waxahatchee tour having never heard of the opener; I wish I could have appreciated Madi Diaz's performance more in the moment, because two months later, I still find myself listening to her newest album. The record opens with an assortment of ballads that oscillate from heartbroken vocals, sometimes soft and sometimes belted, to electrically angry guitar lines, each song giving poignant definition to a breakup. After the self-reflective, self-discovering transitional track "Woman In My Heart," the remaining songs are full of emotional nuance, suggestive of tenderly opening oneself up to love and being vulnerable again and yet being saddled with events of the past, for better or for worse. Truly a history of a feeling, this album is perfectly personal and versatile.
