Fall Preview IC Spotlight:
Second Dam
Break up, Make up,
R e p e a t
Das Racist
What?? Say What?
Photo by Tommy Geanakos
Table of Contents TOC
Staff List Editor’s Note Fall Preview Second Dam [IC Spotlight] Break up, Make up, Repeat. Das Racist Album Reviews Issue Track List
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www.cakezine.com @cakezine Cake: A Music Zine
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S ta f f Editor in Chief, Raquel Dalarossa Layout Manager, Noah Delin Finance Chair, Adam Rudofker Publicity Chair, Paige Hoffmann Editor, Cory Healy Editor, Jessica Afrin Photography, Tommy Geanakos Layout, Kasey Speth Contributors Justin Billing Brendan Cleary Alix Baker Jaimie Fitzgerald Hailee Murphy Pete Quandt Samantha Salloway Matt Bettina
Photo by Tommy Geanakos
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[Recommends] Kendrick Lamar Mutemath “Something Good” by alt-j/∆ Silver Jews, American Water The Killers, Battle Born
Editor’s Note October means a few things for Ithaca College students: Halloween, colder weather and fall break. But this year, October—and, in fact, the entire fall semester—is looking to be one of the most musically exciting times of my college career thus far. To help you navigate those waters, we looked at every upcoming local show in Cake’s first Fall Preview, and I’ll be the first to admit the list made me swoon. We’ve got more than enough to cover this semester and we’re hoping you’ll enjoy what’s sure to be more diverse material in our pages. Also, keep an eye on some of the changes we’re continuing to make. We’re relocating many of our reviews to our website in order to make room for more features stories, and we now have our own Spotify account with playlists to complement each issue from now on. Give us a shout at cakezine@gmail. com with comments or suggestions—we’re always willing to listen! (Get it? We’re a music magazine… we listen…amirite??) Stay classy, Raquel Photo by Tommy Geanakos
Fall Preview Concerts in Ithaca — October 1 - December 31: (as announced thus far) October 2, The Haunt, 8:00 pm North Mississippi Allstars October 4, State Theatre, 8:00 pm Judy Collins October 4, The Haunt 8:00 pm Mike Stud October 4 ,Carriage House Café 7:30 pm Jazz Spaces Ithaca presents Steve Brown Quartet October 5, State Theatre 8:00 pm Swingle Singers October 5, Lot 10 10:00 pm Garrison Starr and Adrienne Gonzalez October 6, The Haunt 8:00 pm Great Lake Swimmers October 12, The Haunt 8:00 pm Zammuto; Lymbyc System; Chris Miller October 12, Weill Hall, Cornell University 6:00 pm The Welfare Poets October 13, The Haunt 8:00 pm Driftwood; Cabinet October 18, State Theatre 8:00 pm Cat Power October 19, The Haunt 9:00 pm The Mountain Goats with Matthew E. White October 19, The Gates Ithaca 10:00 pm Thousands of One October 20, The Haunt 8:00 pm Infamous Stringdusters October 25, The Haunt 8:00 pm Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad October 25, State Theatre 8:00 pm Glen Campbell October 26, The Haunt 8:00 pm David Mayfield Parade with Hoots And Hellmout October 27, State Theatre 8:00 pm Gov’t Mule October 8, The Haunt 6:30 pm Craig Owens October 30, State Theatre 7:30 pm Indigo Girls November 1, State Theatre 8:00 pm Citizen Cope November 1, Carriage House Café 7:30 pm Jazz Spaces Ithaca presents Tomoko Ohno November 2, State Theatre 8:00 pm Bela Fleck November 3, Hangar Theatre 8:00 pm George Winston November 4, Cornell University 8:00 pm CU Music: CCP November 6, State Theatre 8:00 pm Matisyahu November 6, The Haunt 7:00 pm Lost In The Trees November 16, State Theatre 8:00 pm John Hiatt and the Combo November 29, The Haunt 8:00 pm Supersuckers November 30, The Haunt 8:00 pm Marco Benvento November 30, Cornell University (time TBD) 12:20 Grid with an Intelligent Periphery December 1, The Haunt 8:00 pm Dopapod December 6, The Carriage House 7:30 pm Mike Turner and John Stetch December 12, The Haunt (time TBD) Reverend Horton Heat
Popular Concerts Outisde of Ithaca — October 1 - December 31: October 2, Oncenter Complex, Syracuse 8:00 pm DJ Tiesto with Dada Life October 3, Westcott Theater, Syracuse 9:00 pm Datsik October 3, Water Street Music Hall 6:30 p, Hopsin; 7:00 Sleigh Bells/AraabMuzik October 4, Westcott Theater, Syracuse 7:30 pm Matt and Kim October 8, Westcott Theater, Syracuse 9:00 pm Borgore with special guests October 13, Water Street Music Hall 6:00 pm All Time Low October 17, Blue Cross Arena 7:30 pm Wiz Khalifa October 18, Oncenter Complex 7:30 pm Wiz Khalifa October 19, Smith Opera House, Geneva 8:00 Moe. October 30, Blue Cross Arena, Rochester 7:30 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band October 30, Dub Land Underground, Rochester 7:30 pm Common Enemy; The Casualties; Old Ghosts; Flip Shit November 6, Peal Nightclub 9:00 pm Dillon Francis with Clockword & Baauer November 10, Westcott Theater, Syracuse 9:00 pm Conspirator November 14, Westcott Theater, Syracuse 7:00 pm Rubblebucket with Reptar
IC Spotlight:
Second Dam Upon the release of their first EP, “This Guy,” I sat down with Second Dam front man, K.C. Weston, to chat about music, Ithaca and life. Second Dam is an indie folk/soul band founded in December 2011 and is made up of six IC students; K.C. Weston on lead vocals, Andrew Weir on drums, Brian Schmidt on violin, Kayla Sewell on cello and ukulele, PJ Scott on bass and guitar, and Zack Jones on guitar. Q: I’m sure everyone attempts to categorize your music. How would you classify Second Dam’s sound?
go with The Kills and The Gossip. Q: You’ve got an incredible voice; when and where did you start singing? A: So I grew up in the Bronx and I was a huge church girl back in the day. I would go to this church-run program everyday where we’d sing in these religious choirs. I probably started when I was three or four, and I started writing around 12 or 13. This was our version of after-school. Q: What are your goals for Second Dam?
A: We all have very different musical experiences and backgrounds. Like Andrew is the “Warped Tour kid,” Bryan is the Whalen kid who loves classical music. I’d say the rest of us fall somewhere in between the two sides of that spectrum. I’ve heard a lot of people call our music eclectic; I’m not sure exactly what that means in musical terms, but I guess I’ll take it.
A: I want to take it as far as it can possibly go. We’ve talked a lot about taking it past college and I think most of us are on board, but for me it’s no question, I’m all in. If I have the opportunity to see the world and make music I figure that’s a pretty sweet deal, let’s go. I love the music industry so much that if Second Dam doesn’t pan out, I plan on pursuing a career in music management.
Q: Give me your top four musical influences.
Q: What is your spirit animal?
A: Wow this is tough… definitely the Local Natives and The Killers. I’m not sure about the next two. I guess I’ll cover the spectrum of musical genres and
A: Definitely a timber wolf, because they look cuddly but they’re fierce.
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Q: If you could play at any concert venue and/or festival, what would it be?
in the mind container at the time. Q: Favorite sports team?
A: I think any House of Blues, anywhere in the country, would be dope! The festival choice is tougher, so I’ll give you two--Lolla and Coachella.
A: German National Soccer team, without question. I know we lost in the Euro Semifinals this year but I’ve got faith in my boys and I know we’ll pull it out at the World Cup 2014! I love the players, I love the style…they’re the best.
Q: So this summer Second Dam toured South Carolina and played at Ithaca’s Grassroots Music Festival. Tell me about both of those experiences. A: Grassroots was amazing, definitely the highlight of the summer! I can’t wait to play there again next summer. I’d say the atmosphere was definitely the best part. It was like a community gathering, every type of person was there and we just hung out on tricked-out old school buses and made music! Honestly, our tour was a bit rough; we ended up only playing two gigs. The point was to go down and record our second EP, which is a bunch of acoustic B-sides to what we will put on our album that is coming out in April. We want to show everyone a studio-produced version of our acoustic jams. So the tour part of our trip wasn’t the best, but the recording went really well. Q: While writing, what do you draw upon? A: Well, my upbringing has given me some very distinct ways of thinking about things. I think that my unique look on life affects my writing outlook. However, every song is so different, it’s hard to give you an answer. Some come from something in your life past or present, others are completely spontaneous. There aren’t many songs that have been composed pre-practice. It is really whatever’s
Q: Tell me about your new EP. A: It’s called “This Guy” and it’s an awesome five track EP, which goes on sale tomorrow, Friday the 14! These are the songs that we really started out with, and when we wanted to record later when we had more material it happened to be these five. I think it’s so cool that when people go home they’ll be listening to “Blackbird” or “Globed” and they’ll get a sense of what our music is, but when they come to a show they’ll be totally surprised because what we do live is so incredibly different! Q: How does a start-up band with large aspirations get the ball rolling financially? A: Well, we’re launching our indie go-go, it has a $2,500 goal, a bare minimum of what we need to record our ten-track album, “A Walk Across the Country,” which we hope to release in the spring. We’ll be playing live shows and asking for donations on our go-go, so check it out online! Q: Awesome, thank you so much! A: Great, thanks for listening!
Peter Quandt
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, P U K BREA
MAKE UP,
. T A E P E R
The Band Circle of Life
Remember how heart-broken you were when your favorite band broke up? How torn you’d be when you realized you’d never get to see them again, or at all—that the dream festival line-up you’d been holding out for would never come to fruition? I remember that feeling, but I haven’t had it for half a decade, because now all you have to do is wait five years, maybe ten, and you can bet that they’ll get back for a reunion tour, headlining festivals, digging up deep cuts not heard since the first tour and basking in past glory. Fifteen years ago, successful bands (whatever that means) could make a living from royalties, raise their families, release a slew of under-the-radar solo records, pursue passion projects and never have to worry about getting the band back together. Now, every year there’s a new reunion tour, or a new meeting of the original lineup playing that magnum opus from 30 years ago. After all, fewer people buy music, and some of these artists have to put their kids through college, pay off alimonies, child support and medical bills. Reunion tours have become a financial necessity for the musicians who spent everything they earned, indulged in the good life and expected those royalty checks to keep rolling in until that final breath. We eat it up, too: promoters, bookers, festivals, journalists, fans. Think of all the ‘80s and ‘90s alternative bands that have reunited in the last five years to perform huge tours and rake in millions on the festival circuit: Alice in Chains (with new lead singer to replace the late Layne Staley), Rage Against the Machine, My Bloody Valentine, At the Drive-In, Kyuss (complete with lawsuit from former member Josh Homme), Afghan Whigs, Faith No More, Jane’s Addiction original line-up
(complete with another lackluster new album). I remember Chris Cornell saying for years that he didn’t want to get Soundgarden back together because My Bloody Valentine he was proud of what they did and felt they didn’t need to dilute their legacy, yet after embarrassing himself with the mediocrity of Audioslave and his horrible sophomore solo album, Soundgarden are now set to release another record. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying we should forget about every band that ever broke up, never utter their name and pretend they never existed. I’m not saying we should bottle our excitement about seeing those shows we never got to see because we were too young or into the wrong music. Hell, I would murder to see David Bowie play one more time, or witness King Crimson bust out one more set. It makes economic sense to everyone for these guys to headline festivals, but I can’t shake this nagging feeling in the back of my head—why should we spend all that energy, money, time and festival slots venerating people who have little new to offer artistically when we can champion those still producing original material? If your parents get divorced, after a while you stop praying for them to get back together and give it one more try. Eventually, it’s time to move on.
Matthew Tomich
Rage Against The Machine
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Das Racist! They’re “art rap’s” pioneering group, comprised of college friends Heems and Kool A.D., and hype man Dapwell. But they’re also among the most hilarious, and perhaps the most textbook definition of “hipster,” presences in the hip-hop world. Raquel Dalarossa
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After meeting at Wesleyan University in 2003, Victor Vazquez and Himanshu Suri moved to Brooklyn, NY and adopted pseudonyms Kool A.D. and Heems, respectively, to form Das Racist. Ashok Kondabolou, a.k.a. Dapwell, joined just before the release of their 2008 single, “Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell;” a melange of nonsense lyrics and heavy beats that started every underground hip-hop blog talking. By the 2010 release of their first two full-length mixtapes, Shut up, Dude and Sit Down, Man, the hype was so much that members of Yeasayer, Vampire Weekend and writers for The New Yorker were taking notice (and getting cyber-bullied by the group, in Sasha Frere-Jones’ case). Pitchfork described them as “funny without trying to impress; proficient without having anything to prove; relevant without taking any particular scene seriously” just a few months before their video game/music video for the single “Who’s That? Brooown!” was screened at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. By late 2011, Heems founded his own record label (Greedhead) to release Das Racist’s first commercially available album, Relax, which made every imaginable “top albums of 2011” list. Their performance at Ithaca College was, admittedly, a joke; from the extremely short 45-minute set to their visibly high level of intoxication and tomfoolery on stage (not to mention the insensitive choice of such a clandestine location...it took Cake staffers an hour to find Emerson Suites). But, then again, what in Das Racist’s explosive career hasn’t been a joke?
You guys have come a long way since “Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell”--performing on television and at big festivals, starting your own record label, taking on a big-name writer for The New Yorker, etc. How do you feel about your diverse accomplishments?
KOOL A.D.: Hip-hop is a noun. It’s a person, place or thing. Himanshu: I love hip-hop. How do you prioritize your many endeavors, from Greedhead to DR to each of your own solo releases?
Dap: I feel mostly unfulfilled with my meager accomplishments but pretty good about life in general. KOOL A.D.: I try not to expect anything from anything. I feel pretty happy in general, too. Himanshu: I feel tired.
KOOL A.D.: I do DR for money and everything else in my free time. Himanshu: I treat them all the same so I don’t ever have to prioritize.
Define “hip-hop” please. Dap: Rap music and the culture surrounding it. Same shit as before. Maybe less breakdancing.
What’s your creative/writing process like? KOOL A.D.: I can only rap when I’m shrooming. Himanshu: I hear a beat and then get irie and then write raps.
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The NYT called you guys “a pair of stoner jokesters” and said your“ sloppiness is a mask for detailed, affectionate hip-hop parody.” Do you agree with their definition? Dap: They have to submit articles to avoid losing their jobs, god bless their little souls. KOOL A.D.: They really doin’ they thing. Himanshu: I’d say it’s a mask for laziness. Your lyrics are known for the variety of references they make. Do you worry about alienating your listeners or is that, in a way, part of the intent? Dap: I am actually the only listener and fan. I have purchased every ticket that’s been bought and every copy of Relax ever sold. I have bankrupted my parents many times over and for that I am truly sorry. KOOL A.D.: Dap really does his thing. Himanshu: I guess I liked alienating our listeners before but now I want them to feel okay since I hope to make money with my music. At Bonnaroo, you guys mentioned you were gonna start working on a new album. What can you tell us about that? How do you see Das Racist evolving from here? Dap: I will be doing the rap on it. We will be doing our own videos. Evolution-wise, sixth toes. KOOL A.D.: I once made love to a woman with eleven toes, no lie. She was hella pretty. She didn’t mention the extra toe until the next morning. She called it her “little popcorn shrimp.” Himanshu: We will devolve from here. Who do you guys listen to? Favorite musicians/bands at the moment? Dap: A$AP Mob, Spaceghost Purrp, Danny Brown, Exquire. I like dance music the most, though. KOOL A.D.: Just got this new iPhone and it only fit like the first 3 letters of my iTunes so I’ve been listening only to Aaliyah, Acid Mothers Temple, Amaze 88, Ata Kak, Bad Brains, Boredoms, Cam’ron, Cannibal Ox, Capone-N-Noreaga, Celia Cruz, Charles Mingus and Cult Days. Himanshu: I’ve been listening to Shanice’s “I Love Your Smile” on loop the last week. What’s your favorite kind of cake? Dap: Cornbread? Skrilla? KOOL A.D.: Rum Chocolate Himanshu: Cheesecake Factory is my favorite type of cake.
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“ I guess i liked alienating our listeners before but now I want them to feel okay since I hope to make money with my music”
SAY WHAT?
Das Racist always do a good job of staying in character. They’re the Three Stooges of rap, but their lyrics make such arcane references that their songs end up more like inside jokes and, yes, the joke’s usually on us. Here’s a breakdown of five of their best lines, unpacked and annotated. 1. “Person of color, you can’t see me, copy? / Murder the beat like instrumental Nazi.” (Shut up, Dude, “Who’s That? Brooown!”) Here, Heems is referencing Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, a novel that addresses lack of recognition for African-Americans in society, and saying he, too, is “invisible” in Western society as a “brown” person of Indian descent. Next, he asserts his own talents in usual hip-hop bravado fashion (he’s an instrumental Nazi, must be murdering a whole lot of beats) while subtly playing on the fact that the SA wore brown uniforms and were in fact known as “brownshirts.” 2. “I ain’t backin’ out until I own a bank to brag about / A local institution, life of the party / With him and at him, brown Chris Farley / Kalapani Kalidasa, Vijay from Pyaasa” (Relax, “Relax”) Heems’ degree in economics from Wesleyan U., previous job on Wall St. and record label named Greedhead make it pretty apparent that these guys are in it for the money. The rapper knows that critics and fans are laughing “with him and at him” in late comedian Chris Farley style, but Heems considers himself the tortured artist type. “Kalapani” is a term used for Indian expats in 18th and 19th centuries who left their homes to become servants in Britain, while Kalidasa is a hugely celebrated Classical Sanskrit poet from the 4th century. Pyaasa is an Indian film (in TIME’s top 100 films of all time) in which the protagonist, failed poet Vijay, is never taken seriously by publishers or his family and ends up in an asylum. Deep down inside, Heems is sensitive and brilliant (duh), but he has to act the part of “life of the party” to get to the moolah. 3. “Reticent to let them in / Hesitant Bedouin / In elegant lettermans / And other fresh shit to distract you.” (Relax, “Relax”) The Bedouin are an Arabian group of nomads who live in the desert— just another reminder of Heems’ brown skin color. He’s reserved, “hesitant” in an astute way, but decks himself out in let-
terman jackets and “other fresh shit” like a jester dons his brightly colored costumes (see Heems’ first verse in “Michael Jackson” in which he says that the media overlooks his smart lyrics to talk about “how his jeans fit.”) 4. “San Fran, new millennium minstrel on instrumentals / Eating lentils with Yentl and gentiles” (Sit Down, Man, “All Tan Everything”) Kool A.D. makes two pop culture references in these lines that boast of his own multi-cultural-ness and that of his homies. “Mantan: The New Millennium Minstrel Show” is the name of the minstrel TV show in Spike Lee’s film, Bamboozled, which tells the story of two homeless guys who get “bamboozled” into performing in blackface makeup (it’s a tale of frustration with the subtly racist representations of African Americans in the media). Yentl is a Barbra Streisand movie about a Jewish girl who pretends to be a guy in order to escape sexist tradition in her Polish shtetl but eventually just emigrates to America. Kool A.D. is CubanItalian, from the Bay Area, makes “black” music and eats lentils with Jews—if that’s not multi-cultural, I don’t know what is. 5. “We’re not racist, we love white people / Ford trucks, apple pies, bald eagles!” (Sit Down, Man, “hahahaha jk?”) Don’t get offended. (“What? That doesn’t even make sense. I’ve never even seen a bald eagle. Like, what do you even mean by ‘white’? I’m one-third Lebanese.”) This line just means that Heems probably gets this every day: “I’m not racist, man, I love brown people. Curry! Aladdin!” Kool A.D. probably gets it, too, even though he’s Cuban.
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Reviews [albums] Animal Collective Centipede Hz
Domino Recording Co Ltd Released: Sept 4, 2012
A
It’s been a long time since that afternoon my junior year of high school when my best friend jumped in my car, stared me down and slid a burnt disc into my CD player. He then explained we couldn’t get out of my car until we listened to the disc in its entirety. The CD was Merriweather Post Pavilion, my first experience with a band called Animal Collective, and believe me, I don’t regret wasting the gas. It was one of “those” albums— the ones that torpedo your musical expectations, start obsessions and just mess you up. Four years later, the band’s new and much-anticipated full-length can’t quite measure up to its predecessor, but what really could? I don’t think any fans of the band will be disappointed; I know I wasn’t. Centipede Hz focuses on the journey: The things we leave behind and the things that we hold on to—or rather the people we hold on to. Many of the songs flirt with the idea of embracing an uncertain future while somehow reconciling the loss of the past. The album is stripped-down in comparison to Merriweather, producing songs that are less cybernetic hypno-dance beats and more the surreal, exotic tunes of an inter-dimensional fiesta. With the first couple of songs, the album drops into a furious, juiced-up velocity, and it doesn’t slow down until it hits the first Panda Bear song, “Rosie Oh,” in which Lennox sings beautifully into a loaded, circus-like chaos. Panda Bear is with Avey Tare what Miles was with Coltrane. Throughout the album, Panda Bear’s more relaxed vocals serve as a near perfect contrast to Avey Tare’s more sporadic style. These guys have a formula that works. Not to mention the band is still as weird as ever. While there are heavy themes of family, memory and mortality pervading several songs, there is also a song which seems to be entirely focused on the act of eating fruit (check out “Applesauce.”) The songs maintain a brightness and buoyancy despite their emotional weight. This is probably best exemplified in the album’s two high points: “Monkey Riches” and “Today’s Supernatural.” In “Today’s Supernatural,” the band explodes; Avey Tare sings, “Met you in Baltimore laughing so loud,” referring to the city in which the band members first met and reconvened to record this latest album. Yeah, they’re still here, and the album’s themes of brotherhood and loyalty do much to emphasize that. The album may not have the sheer face-melting power of some of their previous works, but it shows a band still reaching and establishing new territory more than a decade after their inception. Brendan Cleary
The Avett Brothers The Carpenter
Universal Republic Released: Sept 11, 2012
B
The opening track of The Carpenter, “The Once and Future Carpenter,” awakens the ears with the familiar Avett Brothers beauty of the acoustic guitar. Scott and Seth Avett grab the attention of the listener by claiming, “If I live the life I’m given/I won’t be scared to die.” Shockingly honest lyrics are a recurring theme in the seven studio-released albums from these brothers and their crew. The well-done first track is followed by 11 songs filled with pure sincerity and unreal harmonies that leave the listener with a gut feeling that the Avett Brothers are super cool dudes. The clear, almost perfect tone of the piano plays a significant role in The Carpenter, specifically at the start of “Pretty Girl From Michigan,” another addition to the “Pretty Girl from (insert town, city, country here)” series on previous albums, which seems to be a favorite for most Avett Brothers fans. The album is equipped with tear-jerking melodies and universally relatable, almost painfully sincere lyrics that tug at the heartstrings of the listener, as in “Through My Prayers.” Some serious highlights on this album include the I’m Totally Going to Bob My Head to This For the Entire Four Minutes “Down With the Shine,” “Geraldine” and their We Swear This Album Will Be Awesome-previously released single, “Live and Die.” Although this album is lacking some of the natural bluegrass and country that the Avett Brothers have come to be known for, it surprises the listener with a humbling balance between folk and rock—“frock,” if you will. This fresh and mature release is a must-have in fans’ collections and an undeniable staple in the brothers’ discography. Way to go, men! Hailee Murphy
Dave Matthews Band Away From the World RCA Released: Sept 11, 2012
B
Dave Matthews is one of rock’s most misunderstood performers. As horny as Lil Wayne and as troubled as Thom Yorke, he is a man of many personalities. Going on stage with a button down shirt and jeans makes him look like he’s headed to a frat party, not about to perform a three-hour show. The Dave Matthews Band had an incredibly successful ‘90s and a mediocre ‘00s at best. Luckily, the decade is over and it looks like DMB is focused on getting their ‘90s touch back. This was realized when DMB re-hired Steve Lillywhite, who helped produce some of their most revered albums. Well, I’ve got news for you Dave heads out there (and Dave haters), that ‘90s sound is back. This album includes some of the best musical work DMB has put out in years. Unfortunately, Matthews couldn’t find the inspiration that produced his career-making lyrics. His lyrics lack the metaphors that had once brought many college kids to their knees. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what Matthews is preaching in “Belly Belly Nice” when he sings, “You can’t get too much love/Gonna eat your belly jelly till the kingdom come.” Some songs do reflect the talent that DMB possesses, but this is mostly due to the fact that Lillywhite was pulling the strings. Of all the producers who have worked with DMB, he has been the only one to appropriately capture the potential of each band member. Whether it’s Matthew’s beautiful falsetto, Boyd Tinsley’s haunting violin or Carter Beauford’s epic drum fill, Lillywhite finds a way to bring the best out of these musicians. Away From the World ends with a haunting adventure titled “Drunken Soldier.” The piece is one of the most epic songs that Dave Matthews Band has put out in over a decade. Take a listen—you won’t regret it.
Grizzly Bear Shields
Warp Records Released: Sept 18, 2012
B
Ladies and gentlemen, if you haven’t already listened to Grizzly Bear’s latest album, Shields, may I suggest that you check it out immediately. The album, recorded in New York and Cape Cod, is not what you would expect from the psychedelic Radiohead- and My Morning Jacket-infused band. Gone are the dreamy and ethereal sounds that we saw in their past work, such as the entire Veckatimest album and singles like “Colorado” and “Knife” from the Yellow House album. The ten songs on Shields are still, of course, eminent of Grizzly Bear’s style, however, they are certainly more in your face in terms of instrumentals and vocals. It’s a refreshing and new take for the native Brooklyn indie band. The album feels perfect for this time of year; it’s the sort of thing you’d want to listen to while taking a drive with the windows down in the brisk autumn weather. Top four favorite tracks from the record include: “Speak in Rounds,” “Yet Again,” “A Simple Answer,” and “gun-shy.” Listen to “Speak in Rounds” and you won’t be able to ignore just how similar the instrumentals sound in comparison to “Southern Point” from Veckatimest. “Yet Again” and “A Simple Answer” will have you swaying on the edge of your seat. They’re both extremely catchy. “gun-shy,” on the other hand, has more of a slow feeling to it, similar to the band’s older stuff. The album is definitely a big switch up from Grizzly Bear’s usual sound, but it is certainly worth the listen.
Jaimie Fitzgerald
Adam Rudofker
*Albums are graded on a letter grade scale. Kind of like your homework.
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Track List
The
Check out this issue’s playlist on our spotify account!
CakeZine 1.
Relax, Das Racist
3.
Sweet, Dave Matthews Band
2.
Girl, Das Racist
4. Yet Again, Grizzly Bear 5.
Applesauce, Animal Collective
7.
Alt-J, Something Good
6. 8. 9.
Pretty Girl From Michigan, The Avett Brothers Rigamortus, Kendrick Lamar From Here on Out, The Killers
10. You Are Mine, Mutemath 11.
When You Sleep, My Bloody Valentine
12. Renegades of Funk, Rage Against The Machine 13. Spoonman, Sound Garden
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17 Photo by Tommy Geanakos