Radio Roundup: New Year, New Favorites
Social Media Manager’s Pick – Matt Held ’26
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Social Media Manager’s Pick – Matt Held ’26
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 out these recommendations and let them become the soundtrack to your semester.
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*RIYL (recommended if you like) Co-Concert Manager Exec Pick — Luke Robins ’23 Album: “Sometimes I Might Be Introvert” — Little Simz Genre: Hip-Hop RIYL: Noname, Slowthai, Tierra Whack Blurb: Little Simz had my favorite verse of 2019 with her feature on “New Breed” and I was still blown away by how much I loved this new album. The versatility of Inflo’s beats is only surpassed by Little Simz’s ability to adapt her voice and flow to each new style thrown her way. Little Simz does it all on this album that will go down as one of my favorites of 2021. General Manager’s Exec Pick — Maddie Van Beek ’22.5 Album: “A PawPaw Rod EP” — PawPaw Rod Genre: Hip-Hop, Funk RIYL: binki, Terry Presume, Jelani Aryeh Blurb: PawPaw Rod’s debut single, “HIT EM WHERE IT HURTS” is what got me through last winter and the tail end of my semester off. It is filled to the brim with good vibes and addictive rhythms. Since its release, I have eagerly awaited each new single until now, when we finally have the complete EP. Library Manager’s Exec Pick — Kyle Hooker ’24 Album: “The Subdudes” — The Subdudes Genre: Roots, Folk Rock, Cajun RIYL: Keb’ Mo’, The Radiators, Seal Blurb: This is a really fun album with prominent horn riffs, harmonic vocals and interesting instrumentation in general. For example, the band substitutes a tambourine for drums, giving it a different sort of feel/beat. The group is from New Orleans and nicely blends elements of folk, R&B, country, funk and gospel. It’s a perfect soundtrack of a leisurely weekend morning. Tech Director’s Exec Pick — Dan Frazo ’23 Album: “Payador” — Tim Hill Genre: Psychedelic Folk, Desert Rock RIYL: Khruangbin, Leonard Cohen, Liz Cooper, The Stampede Blurb: Tim Hill is an LA-based singer/songwriter with a unique ability to bring time to a complete standstill. After listening to his debut (and only) album, “Payador,” straight through, one finds themself trapped in a hot blur, like a cold glass of water left outside in the Arizona desert. Bringing together slow rhythms, melancholic lyrics and captivating loops, “Payador” is a masterpiece of genre-mashing psychedelia. Social Media Director’s Exec Pick — Kai Velazquez ’23 Album: “After Hours” — Rahsaan Patterson Genre: R&B RIYL: Eric Roberson, Meshell Ndegeocello Blurb: This is the kind of album that’ll get you cheesing and thinking about your boo. “After Hours” is composed of funky, upbeat and Isley-ish vibes. Patterson’s vocals are fused with enthusiasm and get you moving on your feet. Music Director’s Exec Pick — Natalie Penna ’24 Album: “Transatlanticism” — Death Cab for Cutie Genre: Indie, Emo RIYL: The Decemberists, Bright Eyes, Slaughter Beach, Dog Blurb: “Transatlanticism” is a laid-back, mostly-quiet, melodic album to listen to as you stare at your ceiling. It’s seriously one of my favorite albums of all time, and I love Ben Gibbard’s songwriting. Listen to the Tiny Vessels to Transatlanticism to Passenger Seat sequence — you can thank me later! Co-Concerts Manager’s Exec Pick — Yardena Carmi ’23 Album: “Working for the Knife” — Mitski Genre: Indie Rock RIYL: Phoebe Bridgers, Japanese Breakfast, Soccer Mommy Blurb: Mitski’s back, baby! After a three-year break from releasing music — aside from a couple of guest spots and soundtracks — this new single falls effortlessly into the existing Mitski canon. Come for the infectious, silky-sweet vocals; stay for the existential dread.
General Manager’s Pick — Maddie Van Beek ’22.5 Album: “Ice Melt” — Crumb Genre: Neo-Psychedelia Dream Pop RIYL: Men I Trust, Puma Blue, Yellow Days, Foxygen Blurb: Fresh off the heels of their newest indie pop psych rock album, the Brooklyn quartet, Crumb, is making the trek up to Middlebury, Vermont this Friday, October 1. Spend this week memorizing the words to every song so you can sing your heart out at our first live concert of the year! Co-Concerts Manager’s Pick — Yardena Carmi ’23 Album: “Sable (Video Game Soundtrack)” — Japanese Breakfast Genre: Instrumental, Ambient RIYL: Hans Zimmer, Vangelis, Sufjan Stevens Blurb: Japanese Breakfast has been putting out a ridiculous amount of great music lately and her latest project, a soundtrack for an indie video game, is no exception. “Sable'' is soft and relaxing. Its mostly wordless retro vibe is perfect for the late night homework grind. Co-Concerts Manager’s Pick — Luke Robins ’23 Album: “Psy From The Psycho World!” — PSY Genre: Hip-Hop RIYL: Outkast, Digable Planets, Seo Taiji and the Boys Blurb: If you only know PSY from “PSY Gangnam Style,” I promise there’s more. “Psy from The Psycho World!” will have you bouncing through campus with its classic SoCal and disco inspired beats. Business Manager’s Pick — Jacob Raymond ’23 Album: “SINNER GET READY” — Lingua Ignota Genre: Avant-garde, orchestral, metal, Appalachian acoustic RIYL: The Body, Daughters, Liturgy Blurb: Lingua Ignota’s third album, “SINNER GET READY,” is one of the most dense, horrifying, engrossing and beautiful albums I have ever heard. The album attempts to grapple with the zealotry of the Christian faith in Appalachia by taking the listener on a journey through both gorgeous hymnal singing and chilling screams backed by a gigantic classical composition that feels trapped between some kind of blissful heaven and hellish purgatory. While listening to this album all the way through is really difficult, and it is not an album I’d recommend listening to on a whim, it is one of the most unforgettable albums I’ve ever listened to and each track is sure to give you chills. Library Manager’s Pick — Kyle Hooker ’24 Album: “June Rich Debut” — June Rich Genre: Folk Rock RIYL: Indigo Girls, Melissa Ethridge, The Chicks Blurb: I was organizing CDs in the station last week and came across this album from a somewhat obscure artist I had never heard of before. I saw from the label that they are 90’s folk rock, a genre that I generally enjoy, and the short review sticker claimed they are similar to the Indigo Girls, a great band. Overall, the album has a nice vibe — beautiful vocals and harmonies from two talented singers — with some nice witty lyrics and plenty of edginess. Music Director’s Pick — Chad Kim ’23.5 Album: “The Forgotten Edge” — Molly Lewis Genre: Tropical, Ethereal RIYL: Weyes Blood, Sufjan Stevens Blurb: In a fairly niche genre where the instrument is your mouth (but you don’t use your mouth for singing), Molly Lewis is arguably one of the best whistlers of our time. She will lull you into tranquility as this album takes you on a journey through the sounds of the west. A recommended setting to listen to it would either be somewhere high up watching the sunset or in a sauna. Social Media Director’s Pick — Kai Velazquez ’23 Album: “The Man Who Sees Tomorrow/ Lodarore” — Uwade Genre: Acoustic, Indie, Folk RIYL: Anjimile, Joy Oladokun Blurb: There are only a few songs that can quiet down the anxious thoughts in my mind, and those are Uwade’s tracks. Her vocals are soft and gentle, like an autumn lullaby that people can huddle around to feel its warmth. These songs are dedicated to her father, Dr. James I. Akhere, who passed away last year. Uwade sings to remind us that community love is essential to our survival, that we can’t afford to stand alone because “we make each other who we are.''