This week, WTSR Assistant Music Director Nelson Kelly highlights some of the best new albums that the College’s own radio station, 91.3 FM WTSR, puts into its weekly rotation.
Band: Chain Wallet
Album: “Chain Wallet”
Release Number: 1st
Hailing From: Bergen, Norway
Genre: Chill Indie Synth Pop
Label: Jansen Plateproduksjun
Chain Wallet’s self-titled debut album is a sorrowful and lo-fi indie pop piece of art. On the standout track, “Muted Colours,” melancholy synths and copious reverb sounds as if it must never stop raining on the west coast of Norway, where the band is from. Chain Wallet has been quoted as saying the album “is about fragmented memories, unfulfilled ambitions, and the quiet whisper of a stranger.” Calming, dreamy harmonies move in and out of each song on the album, which glue the entire record together to make for an immersive listening experience.
Must Hear: “Muted Colors,” “Fading Light,” “Stuck in the Fall” and “Running in Dreams”
Band: Drugdealer
Album: “The End of Comedy”
Release Number: 1st
Hailing From: Los Angeles
Genre: Psychedelic Rock Pop
Label: Weird World Record Co.
Seasoned recording artist Michael Collins returns with his first album as Drugdealer, a whimsical and goofy tribute to classic psychedelic music. Collins hits all the bases: Sometimes he’s the Beatles, sometimes he’s Pink Floyd, but he’s always just weird enough to distinguish himself from his inspirations. The album is loaded with features, including fellow psychedelic musicians Ariel Pink and Weyes Blood. These features add a refreshing touch to the rest of the album. They not only bring a sense of diversity, but they also mask the fact that Collins may not be the world’s most talented singer. The album flips between the poppy feature-aided tracks and strange instrumental tracks, which serve to compliment the other, longer tracks. The album as a whole carries a sense of sincerity that is its strongest trait, for it is fun and playful, but just serious enough so the listener doesn’t get lost in the haze.
Must Hear: “The Real World,” “Suddenly,” “Easy to Forget” and “The End of Comedy”
