This week, Nick Landolfi, WTSR assistant music director, and Nelson Kelly, music staff writer, highlight some of the best new albums that the College’s own radio station, 91.3 FM WTSR, puts into its weekly rotation.
Band: Circa Waves
Album: “Young Chasers”
Hailing From: Liverpool, England
Genre: English Indie Surf Rock
Label: Virgin
Composed of lads from Liverpool, Circa Waves delivers on its beachy-sounding name. They have a lot of obvious influences like The Wombats, Arctic Monkey, The Strokes and The Kooks, and you can hear all of this. But they also have a lot of ’50s style sounds. It’s a good balance between gritty rock vibes and catchy surf rock beats. Overall, this album puts you in a very chill place, which is pretty refreshing in this day and age. The lyrics read like Springsteen — a lot of summer, girls, beaches and youth. All in all, this album is really catchy, you will find yourself bobbing your head and wanting a drink. It’s surf rock with some energy. Don’t be afraid to pay attention to some of their more poetic verses either.
Must Hear: “Get Away,” “Lost It” “Fossils,” “Young Chasers” and “T-Shirt Weather”
Band Name: Say Hi
Album Name: Bleeders Digest
Hailing From: Seattle, Wa.
Genre: Vampire Synth Pop
Label: Barsuk Records
First off, this has to be the best album title ever. Luckily, this album delivers beyond just a witty title. Eric Elbogen, better known as established synth-popper Say Hi, tells the story of vampires peacefully existing on the fringes of human society — until a girl eats a lot of steak and throws a giant rock at them, thus invoking their wrath as they take over society as we know it. Between the infectiously catchy hooks, surfy-guitars and zany synth lines, you can pick out a story in which vampires overrun human society (with a random love interest thrown in there) until a volcano erupts or something. What I’m saying is this is a really cool album that you should definitely listen to.
Must Hear: “The Grass is Always Greener,” “It’s a Hunger,” “Creatures of the Night,” “Lover’s Lane (Smitten with Doom)” and “Pirates of the Cities, Pirates of the Suburbs”
