If 120 Days haven’t come across your radar yet, you are truly missing out. The band out of Norway are just beginning to make their presence felt here in the U.S. and were kind enough to record a session for us while they were in Austin a couple weeks ago. While it’s hard to believe that the sounds they created on their current self titled album could be duplicated so well in a live setting, the band pulled it off in impressive fashion.
Welcome to “Song Of The Week” a special weekly feature here on “The Futurist” that will allows you to get into the heads of the DJ’s here at the station. Mike, Shiv and myself will choose a different song each Friday and give you some extra commentary about it. Also, we will provide either a free download of our song, a video or some streaming audio to allow you to listen while you read if you like.
Mike Taylor - Klaxons - “Golden Skans”from the album “Myths Of The Near Future.”
“Here’s the truth about my listening habits: I’m fairly ADD. There’s usually so much music I want to get through for station purposes that I rarely sit with any one CD for any appreciable length of time. I will, however, get stuck on individual songs that I can keep repeating in the car. This track from the UK trio Klaxons is a slice of audio cotton candy that recalls European synth bands from the ’80s like Alphaville or even A-ha. It’s a pretty lean pop song that boasts some slick production and brings it home in just under 2:45.
Check out the video of the song which, I must say, may be about the gayest clip I’ve seen since, well, some European synth-pop band from the ’80s. It’s pretty catchy, though.”
Matt Shiv - Palomar - “Our Haunt” from the album “All Things, Forests”
“On their 4th album “All Things, Forests”, Palomar have perfected their craft. I’ve been a fan of this band for years and my first listen to the new album far surpassed any expectations I had. This song builds up with an infectious bass drum beat, a riff that you can’t get out of your head, and gives us impeccable harmonies to boot. “Our Haunt” is one of many gems on this record and a prime example of an indie band at the top of their game.”
Joe Long - The National - “Fake Empire” from the album “Boxer”
“The new album from The National could very well be the most anticipated release of 2007 for me. It was an easy choice after the first two full lengths from the band “Alligator” and “Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers.” This song starts off with the baritone vibes of lead singer Matt Berninger and slowly builds into an absolute gem. It’s hard to detail all of the instruments that jump into the song, and I could be wrong about this, but I do know that Bryce is playing a wicked classical flute somewhere on the new album, am I hearing it faintly here? At any rate the percussion and horns are a great addition and help the song really soar. Can’t wait for the full album.”
Welcome to our very first Lounge Act preview. This feature will serve as a way to get you more familiar with the bands heading into the Lounge to record a session. Our first preview features Arizona, who will be in tomorrow afternoon at 3pm EST.
Arizona is named after The Grand Canyon State but in typical indie rock fashion, don’t reside there and none of the members even grew up out west. The Brooklyn based four piece is really making some waves though since the release of their debut album, “Welcome Back Dear Children.” They have been busy on their first national tour sharing the stage with acts like The Slip and Band Of Horses. They also earned the respect of Amy Ray of The Indigo Girls and she invited the boys to open three shows for them in the fall of 2006.
We have been giving them some much deserved airplay on WOXY.com over the past couple of months and have featured songs like “Some Kind Of Chill, “Te Amo Tanto” and my personal favorite, “Splintering.”
Be sure to tune in tomorrow afternoon for what promises to be an excellent set.
Cloud Cult are prepping for the release of a new album on April 10th, “The Meaning of 8″. The band was one of many to record a session in Austin for us during SXSW, and even did a really great painting while they were in the EAR studios as well, which is a signature of all the band’s performances. The set included the incredibly emotional song, “Son Is Watching”, which is about the death of lead singer Craig Minowa’s young son that tragically passed away in his sleep in 2002. Look below for a proper recap of the session.
In addition, we are proud to be presenting the Cloud Cult show on April 10th (also the release date) in Columbus, OH @ The Basement. More on that to follow early next week including our next giveaway.
If you are a regular listener to WOXY.com, you have heard the jocks talk about “Wear Your WOXY Wednesdays.” This is your opportunity to wear your WOXY gear out in public and get some extra attention for doing it. Here is the deal, wear your gear to a concert, to work or school, or anywhere really. Then, every Wednesday, we will be featuring photos of you pimping your WOXY goods right here on The Futurist!
Welcome to the first of many “South By Southwest” recap posts. Each of these posts will include photos from the session, the full downloadable session as an mp3, as well as some exclusive songs taken from the session that are also downloadable. Enjoy…..
Montreal’s Land Of Talk stopped by the EAR Studios in Austin during SXSW for a live performance. Look below for photos from the session, the full downloadable set and some individual MP3’s as well.
To prove we mean business here at “The Futurist”, we have a nice little giveaway to kick off our first week in the blogosphere. Our friends at Vice sent along a little prize package that I know you are hoping to get your grubby little hands on, and here are the details.
The Prize Pack includes
A Puma Kick Grip Bag (pictured to the right) with a custom Bloc Party logo alongside the Puma logo.
Bloc Party “A Weekend In The City” Gelaskins for you IPod.
In order to win, here is your mission. Send us a warm welcome with a link.
Get on over to your blog, MySpace, Livejournal, or Facebook and give us a welcome and include a link to The Futurist. Feel free to leave links in forums as well, but be advised that anything that is at all spammy will not be tolerated.
Then, leave the link to your page in the comments area of this post.
Our crack staff will then select a winner at the end of the week and send out your prize next week.
That’s it! So get moving and stay tuned as we have lots of great stuff to share with you as we kick off The Futurist.
Mike got a chance to sit down with Ted Leo while he was in San Fransisco for the Noise Pop festival a couple weeks ago at Coast Recorders Studio. The solo acoustic performance includes a cover tune, a song off the new album, “Living With The Living” and some old favorites. Lala is hosting some live video footage from the session and I have two exclusive MP3’s to share as well.
If you pick up the latest copy of Esquire Magazine, the one with Hilary Swank on the cover (pic on the right), you can catch a nice little blurb about WOXY. It’s true, Esquire has dubbed “The Future of Rock N Roll” as the Best Online Radio Station as a part of their 2007 ESKY Awards! Check out the scan from the issue of Esquire. Of course, they do still think we are based in Oxford, but who cares. I’m wondering if this means Hilary Swank will be stopping by the studio? On a side note, we also endorse the Esquire article aptly titled, “Why Are Singers Such Pussies?”, which can be found in the same issue, and also if you follow this link. If you spot WOXY in news, let us know! There is a great chance we will mention it here on The Futurist and credit you.
We are excited and proud to unveil the official WOXY.com blog this week. As “The Future Of Rock N Roll” we thought, “The Futurist” would be a fitting title for this trip into the blogosphere. We realize there are already loads of music blogs out there, but we feel that we can be a good addition to the space. Here are some of the things to get excited about here at The Futurist.
Contests - Lots of you remember back in the FM days when all you had to do to get some free swag was be the correct caller to the station. Well, that is returning, but not over the phone of course. We will be having contests here on The Futurist where you will have a chance to win stuff. CD’s, Concert Tickets, and more goodies.
Free Downloads - Yeah yeah, we know there are already loads of blogs out there offering free downloads all the time, and we are joining in. But one of the differences here is that you will be getting some exclusive lounge act MP3’s that you can’t find anywhere else. Ohhh, you’re interested now eh?
DJ Picks - Shiv, Mike, Joe and an occasional special guest will take part in a “Song of the Week” feature where we all break down a track that is on repeat in our heads. Look for some extra insight into what the Jocks are spinning in this segment.
Lounge Act Previews & Recaps - The Futurist will be your destination for all the exclusive Lounge Act goods. We will preview the bands before they arrive and recap the performances after they are out the door. Pictures, full session downloads and individual MP3’s will be a part of each recap.
And honestly, there are so many other things that we have planned for this blog. So, bookmark it, or throw it into your RSS feed reader and buckle up, it should be a fun ride.
