WQHS Radio

WQHS: What’s your story? Z Berg: We’ve all been friends for about 15 years, and we were all in other bands before this. We met through playing shows together in our earlier bands, and 7 or 8 years ago decided to play music together for fun as a side project. Basically, we would hang out all the time anyway, so we realized we could make music out of it and stop wasting time. We made our first record as Jjamz, basically with whatever spare time we had when we were home from tours. Our band broke up, and we all started going our separate ways, so we just had PHASES as a side project for fun, and that’s how PHASES was born.

WQHS: Do you prefer smaller venues or larger venues, and why?

Z: It really depends on the show; we can play for 5 people and it can be the best show in the world. Sometimes, even with 10,000 people, no one cares and it’s awful. It all depends if you can make that connection with the audience. When the show is great and everyone is really present it’s so euphoric it’s addicting. But really it depends on the show and the audience and the vibe.

WQHS: Which of your songs would you recommend to new listeners?

Z: My current favorite song on our record is “Silhouette”. It really gives a good blueprint for what we sound like - it’s super upbeat and poppy but there’s tragic loss underlying in the lyrics. I also really love “Spark” - different tonality to it - and “Betty Blue” which is a bit more fun and the most dance-y track from For Life.

WQHS: Who wears the pants in your band?

Z: It’s the most incredibly democratic and collaborative band; there’s no leader of this band, no one who calls the shots and no one who is bossy. We all write, we all play and we all agree. It’s hard to find that in a band but right now we’re in a great place where it’s all for one and one for all.

WQHS: How did you get the nickname Z Berg?

Z: Since the day I was born I was named Z and my parents put a real name on my birth certificate in case I got a real job (but alas I never did).

WQHS: Excited for Maroon 5 tour?

Z: I can’t wait, we’ve known the Maroon 5 guys for a million years (James used to be in our band) so it will certainly be very fun. To play for those audiences will be pretty insane - they have fun and huge crowds so it’ll be exciting!

WQHS: How did you develop your live sound since you use a lot of electronic stuff in your recorded stuff? Z: We made the record in the studio and wrote all the songs without ever playing them live. It’s a lot of electronic stuff so it was difficult to figure out. We painstakingly took the time to sample every sound on our record so when we play it live we play every sound from the record. It turned out cool between the way the record sounds and the way we are able to play it live.

Cardiknox, the stage name for Lonnie Angle and Thomas Dutton’s two piece band, brought tremendous energy to the stage. Based in New York but originally from Seattle and having spent time in LA, the duo blends 80’s pop-style synths and beats with strong, belting vocals (the two met working on musicals in New York). Angle strutted to the standing mic in a fur jacket and shiny metallic pants while Dutton bent over keyboards and synths, nodding his head to the rhythm as he played hooks and timed electronic beats. Angle put on a performance on par with any trained-for-Broadway singer, dancing and singing to the audience, while whipping her sleek ponytail back and forth. She had some trouble engaging with the audience, who were kept back behind barriers near the bar to prevent underage drinking, but didn’t let the physical space between them inhibit her energy.

Cardiknox played their biggest hit to date “On My Way” second on their setlist and left their older hit “Technicolor Dreaming” out completely, leaving room for almost all unreleased tracks. Some highlights were “Shadow Boxing” and “Into the Night”, which finished their set with a thumping bassline and sent a handful of audience members to the merch table to chat with the pair and pre-order Portrait, their debut album out March 11.

Setlist:      Perfect Storm      On My Way      Bloodlust      Shadow Boxing      Wild Child      Earthquake      Into The Night

WQHS: How would you describe yourselves as a band, and how would you outline your career?

Thomas: We’re an indie pop duo - new age-y dance-y indie-pop. We are originally from Seattle, and we moved to New York to work on developing a piece of musical theater. When that ran its course we started Cardiknox, and now we’re out in LA about to head out on tour.

Lonnie: We adapted an album for the stage with Thomas’s old band. They got attention from a theater in New York City, so we worked on that for a little bit and put on a cabaret style performance with Broadway singers as a showcase. Eventually, we needed a break from working on it and decided to work on 80s sounding pop music.

WQHS: What songs (of yours) would you use to best characterize your sound and recommend to new listeners?

T: “Hold Me Down” was the first one that solidified what Cardiknox sounded like - the 80s sound and hook-y choruses but some moody darkness to it too.

L: I would say “Earthquake”, which has not been released yet. It says exactly where we want to be sonically and lyrically. It’s a song we wrote with our producer in New York City even though most of the album ended up being written in LA.

T: The songs we did at first were just Lonnie and I and captured our new sound as just what was in our head, but once we started working with John Shanks [producer] we took it up an extra gear and got what we were trying to find in our minds’ eye.

L: The collaboration just clicked.

T: “Hold Me Down” and “Technicolor Dreaming” also really show the direction we were headed and are heading with new material, and “On My Way” is totally a progression of where “Technicolor Dreaming” started: upbeat and dance-y.

WQHS: How did you guys get the name Cardiknox?

L: Cardinaux is a French family name and American kids usually pronounce it with the “x” like “Cardiknox” so we just thought it was a really cool sounding word and played off that.

WQHS: How did you get into music in general?

T: My younger brother got a guitar for his 12th birthday and kind of let me use it, and my dad always played guitar and had it lying around. Shortly after, I was writing really bad blink-182 sounding songs and that’s how I got into music and I started playing with a friend’s band.

L: My neighbors down the street had a baby grand, so I begged my parents to get me a piano, and when I was 5 my parents got me a janky piano and I started taking lessons. I started with classical piano and then did musical theater for a while too and found my way to the pop world. I think for me more than anything, I’m influenced by the storytelling element of musical theatre because that’s always what’s made music interesting - that story, how you can relay what you’ve been through and how others can feel what you’ve felt and be strengthened by your wisdom or heartache. So my writing is driven a lot by storytelling

T: Even though my background wasn’t in theater, I always loved theater and I was drawn to stuff that feels dramatic and cinematic and just feels important.

WQHS: What is one of your favorite moments from a tour or live show? What was your favorite live show (so far) and why?

L: We had the chance to go to Europe this summer and play a bunch of festivals this summer and the Reading and Leeds festivals that are big in England. We were told Reading gets rowdy, but we played an early set there and had barely started playing, but the tent was totally full and a mosh pit broke out in the middle of the pit. We were like, “What is happening, these are pop songs?” There was a crowd-surfing power ranger, and it was all kind of an amazing moment and definitely a highlight.

WQHS: You guys just released a new music video for “On My Way”- a one take video on the streets of LA. How did you avoid having pedestrians walk through the video and stuff?

T: It was encouraged.

L: Weirdly enough we wanted that. We wanted it to feel raw and real and we selected that location because we knew the street had traffic from people hanging out downtown. We knew it would be a variable that wasn’t controllable but surprisingly there wasn’t as many people as we thought it would be.

T: The camera man had a massive camera rig, so it was a pretty big operation cruising down the street. Most people would try to get away from it and cross the street and stuff. The Asian man at the end who was a cook who just smoked a cigarette was cool because he didn’t react despite the fact we were dancing on the street.

L: There was a take where Thomas almost punched someone in the face with his dance moves. There were things that we couldn’t quite control but that made it kind of fun.

WQHS: There’s a lot of awesome dancing in the video. Do either of you have dance experience or did you learn it all for the shoot?

T: No, we are not professional dancers at all. We just were drawn to videos incorporating dance and movement and wanted our video to do the same, and I actually have a lifelong friend who is a choreographer in LA who does Justin Timberlake’s dances. We got to collab on this and worked with her a lot for a month or two rehearsing and working on the choreography. We wanted to make sure we weren’t taken out of our comfort zone and didn’t look like amateurs pulling off technical dance moves. The choreographer did a great job of making us look great without making it too technical. It still took a lot of rehearsal, hours and hours, and things were awkward for our body at first. We started in a place of organic movement which made the final product look natural.

WQHS: What was your favorite festival you played at and are you doing any more this summer?

L: In terms of my favorite festival, we played Sasquatch last year in Washington state and because we both grew up in Seattle it held tremendous meaning for us because that’s where we grew up.

T: It’s in this beautiful natural amphitheater, it’s really magical.

L: So many friends and family, and it was the first time we played songs from the new record, and their reaction was pretty amazing so I think that was the best festival to date.

WQHS: Can you just give me a quick overview of the band and who you guys are for any readers who aren’t familiar with your music?

MAT SANTOS: We started in 2006 when we were all students at Syracuse University and decided to form a band just to play house parties as something fun to do during our cold semesters at Syracuse. We thought it would be fun to have a bunch of different instruments - didn’t have plans or ambitions, just wanted to have fun and play some music for parties. And last month we just turned 10 - somehow we’ve been doing this for 10 years. Our 4th record is about to come out and we’re very excited. We love making music and listening to music and we love taking all our different musical interests and mashing them together. Something interesting - at least to us - always comes out of it.

WQHS: You guys have been around since 2006 and have had 4 albums, countless tours, performances, and awards. What are some of the highlights from the last 10 years?

MS: Just the fact that we’ve been together for 10 years is something we’re really proud of and that in and of itself is a pretty big highlight for us. But I think the first time we got to go to Japan was another huge highlight - a lofty goal we set for ourselves early on - and we’ve since been back many times. It’s one of our favorite places.

WQHS: Why Japan?

MS: It’s just such a fascinating place - historically and culturally. Wes, our singer, actually studied abroad in Japan in Osaka for about a year and could speak a little Japanese, but we had met lots of other bands too who told us how much fun it was to tour in Japan. And I saw Lost in Translation - that movie made a significant impression on me, so yeah the idea of going to Tokyo was just super appealing and it definitely lived up to every expectation and more.

WQHS: If you could recommend two songs, one that best captures your new synth-pop sound and one that best captures your older sound, what two songs would you choose?

MS: That’s funny - just earlier today Wes and I started listening to our first EP on Spotify - it came out in 2007 and I haven’t heard those songs in 8 years, so listening to those was pretty fun and weird. But I think to pick a song from the early days I would chose “Oh La” from The Rhumb Line - that was a special song to us and the way it came together really symbolized where we were at the time as a band . It’s one we still play almost every show - one of our favorites. For new I have to say “Bouncy Castle” from our soon-to-be-released record. It relates to “Oh La” a little bit - it’s over the top, theatrical, poppy, and very strange but I think we really nailed that one.

WQHS: I know you and Becca collaborated with Cayucas last year on an album, and the band collaborated with Vampire Weekend on the track “Water”. Do you think there might be collaboration between you and either of them in the future?

MS: We’ve known the Vampire Weekend guys forever, and we’ve worked with Rostam a lot over the years and he and Wes made that discovery record together a few years ago. This is the first time we worked with Ros in a strict production sense and it’s something we might look into doing in the future for sure. It’s fun working with people you know and respect a lot - they can get things out of you that other people wouldn’t be able to, and there’s a certain level of comfort for us.

For Cayucas, I played bass on the record and Becca played violin - they wanted musicians to help track and I wanted to help out so I jumped on. That’s something I personally want to do more of - recording with friends of ours, you learn a lot and meet interesting musicians traveling around and touring together. It’s fun to be working with those people and to get a chance to look at music in a new way.

WQHS: Do you have a favorite remix of your own songs?

MS: One that pops into my mind is one that RAC did for “Run My Mouth” off our first record - I’ve always been partial to that one.

WQHS: Is there any single influence (or a few) that has most affected your songwriting style as a band?

MS: It’s hard to pin it down to one thing. I think one of our strengths is that everyone in the band has pretty different tastes musically and that really helps us keep each other on our toes – if we’re feeling stuck someone always has a new ideas. I guess I basically just said “everything.” We really like pop music, the kind of music that a bunch of people want to sing along to together and have that shared experience. I think a lot of the best music tows the line between being straight pop and being experimental and weird.

WQHS: What’s the meaning behind the song “Dying is Fine”?

MS: I wasn’t too closely involved with the lyrics of the song but the chorus is based on an e e cummings poem that is also titled Dying is Fine. I think Wes wrote a lot of those lyrics about John, our original drummer [who drowned early in 2007]. There was another guy early on who left in 2006, and the idea to quote the e e cummings poem was actually his. But as far as the deeper meaning goes, I’m not sure I’m qualified to really answer. I just think it’s sort of that age old reflection on mortality and the great struggle in life and coming to terms with our own mortality. If we enter this bargain of life and living we have to accept the fact that we will also die someday unfortunately. That’s kind of a theme in our music – on one hand it’s fun party music but on the other hand you could say there’s a melancholy or reflective tinge to the lyrics.

WQHS: This is your first US tour in 3+ years, right? What should people expect from your live show?

MS: The most important thing is the music - this is the first time we’ll have a ton of new music to play so we’re really excited about that. We’ve been working hard to make sure these songs translate live and can be played live with a lot of energy. We took a little time off - like you said it’s been a while and it helped us refocus and re-energize. We’re really excited to play all the new stuff.

WQHS: I know you guys incorporate orchestral instruments in some of your songs. What’s the most interesting instrument you guys have ever used in a song?

MS: Early on we had a lot of weird electronic stuff and – again going back to the former member who was only in the band for several months - he had this little Casio that had all these wires and made all these sounds. It was definitely part of our early sounds, and we’re always interested in ways to unlock new textures and tones. We get everything we need pretty much out of the rock foundation: guitar, bass, drums, synths, and then violin and cello and finding ways to combine those simple things.

WQHS: You guys came to Penn for Spring Fling a couple years ago - how was that? Do you have a favorite Philly spot?

MS: Philly’s fun, we always have a fun time in Philly - the crowds are always energetic and down to earth. I gotta say my favorite cheesesteaks are from Jim’s so we try to go there when we’re in the area. There’s the hand pulled noodle place - Nan Zhou on Race Street - we always go there when we’re in Philly. Sometimes we even call in an order so we can pick it up when we’re passing through town. I also love the Barnes Foundation Museum - a very fantastic and unique museum experience. Philly always has good energy.

We played with David Guetta at that Penn show, that was a funny match up. But yeah that show was a lot of fun, and I remember it well.

WQHS: Any last thoughts?

MS: We’re just really excited and super proud of the new record and it feels like in some ways we’re getting back to our roots - doing songs that are fun to play live. So, yeah, we’re excited to get back on the road and have a bunch of new songs to share with everyone.

LIGHTS: I’ve been making music since I was kid, so I think it’s always been special. I discovered guitar from a young age; my dad used to play guitar and it had a power that made everything feel okay. I always wanted to use that power for good. When I’m going through hard stuff music changes me and changed me all through my life. My career’s coming up on 4 albums plus lots of touring, and it’s been a steady journey - really beautiful and really fun. I hope people come to shows and leave feeling like they’re coming home from a vacation, like an escape.

WQHS: What songs would you recommend to listeners who have never heard your music?

LIGHTS: Start off with “Meteorites” off the new record, “Up We Go” from the new record, “Running With the Boys” [also from the new record, Little Machines], maybe “Siberia” from the last record and “Drive My Soul” from the previous one. Those are the high moments and some of my favorite lyrics I’ve written.

WQHS: I have to ask, how was it touring with Keane?

LIGHTS: One of my first tours, really beautiful, really inspiring - one of the first music tours where every night they tried so hard no matter what the crowd was like. That’s where I learned how to handle a big show every night. Every night there was a jam room set up for before the show and I thought that was really special. You always have to maintain creativity and a moment of escape on the road and Keane really kept that up on tour.

WQHS: What was it like being pregnant while on tour?

LIGHTS: That was a summer full of festivals and just a couple other shows, but I was pretty pregnant [laughs]. It was good though, you gotta do you regardless of what the obstacles are. It’s crazy but you can’t create expectations for yourself - you can’t create exact goals where you want things to be in a few months or a year so you just go with it. It’s hard for me to be spontaneous but when everything is variable you can’t put expectations on yourself. It’s been a lot more peaceful since I started thinking that way.

WQHS: What was the best moment of your tour so far?

LIGHTS: Last night in New York City was amazing - the crowd was so energetic. Every night has been really unreal - this set is my favorite set we’ve ever done. It’s an hour and 15 minutes but it feels like it’s 5 minutes long. We have an acoustic section that allows me to get to know the crowd and makes each show really exciting. I’m able to get to know everyone and develop real intimacy with the crowd.

WQHS: Will you continue making music? What should we be looking out for?

LIGHTS: Hell yeah. I’ll make music as long as people are willing to listen. It’s what I do best, it’s who I am, and I love it. In fact, coming up in the new year we’re going to have an acoustic EP version of the most recent album coming out. We went a little further and did some late nights recording stripped down versions of the record with strings on.

WQHS: What’s your favorite Philly spot?

So this wasn't a rave or Dayglow, but for what amounted to the equivalent of a ~60%, sparsely-filled room, people went hard. Damn hard. Hailing from Kentucky and with appearances at famous festivals including SXSW, Amtrac lit up the floor with the sickest and sexiest house beats that blended together elements of electropop, chopped-and-screwed soul, and even chillwave -- if you can imagine -- to get the 'grooves' going. Soon after he started playing, people took to the center of the floor and danced their hardest, further dragging others (sometimes, literally dragging others) into the fray. The energy continued non-stop for an hour long -- but soon after Amtrac bid his farewell, Xaphoon Jones entered the stage to get the crowd going even harder. This time based right here in Philly and one half of the hip-hop group Chiddy Bang, Xaphoon Jones hyped up a distinctly more-party like atmosphere with hip hop "weird beats." By the time of Xaphoon Jones' entrance, more people had trickled into the room. Added with the fact that energy was still running high, Xaphoon Jones's set was filled with folks dancing the hell out of the floor even more. When one person got up on the stage and started yelling, it merely exemplified the accessibility, so to speak, of just wanting to get down and let loose. Plus, I would personally say that this Xaphoon Jones individual has some particularly good sense if he mixes one of last year's best songs, Major Lazer's "Get Free," and keeps the integrity of the song while still getting the crowd going. 

Finally though, after two sessions of dancing the hardest you've ever in your life, the night's headliner BADBADNOTGOOD (BBNG) assumed the stage. While the last two acts were damn good fun, what next transpired could only be described as the sickest jazz you've ever heard. Though they looked like an unassuming 3-piece band from Toronto, the hype the managed to create with hip hop jazz belied their appearance. There's a reason why Tyler, the Creator of Odd Future has endorsed this group. Starting with appropriately intro-like music to have to head and ears spinning, BBNG soon next spun up their new epic take on Flying Lotus's Putty Boy Strut. TNGHT's "Bugg'n" also appeared to be a popular one of the night -- both Xaphoon Jones and BBNG  had their own takes on the dope track and both got the crowd 'down and dirty.' Yet as strangely jazz-infused as any of BBNG's songs were, the sheer explosion of piano, bass, and drums they produced had your ears, body, and head jumping up and down with each beat. BBNG also paid tribute to the late, legendary hip hop producer J Dilla with the song "Fall in Love," having passed into the next day already of February 10th and the anniversary of his passing, and introduced a new song as good as any other they had. 

But what absolutely made the night was BBNG's live rendition of "Rotten Decay" off their second album. What the song ended up as was the most hammering jazz could get, literally the band hammering on their instruments with everything they've got and the crowd jumping and shaking in ecstasy. Moments of this raw expression were paused by the drummer, Alexander Sowinski, hyping up the crowd time and time again and entreating us to jump as damn hard as we could. We would scream as loudly as we could to express the raw desire to hear more, more, before the band finally gave in and hammered on and on. BBNG's last song of the night, "Vices" (also off their second album), followed in much the same fashion.

So then by the end of the night at 2am in the morning, what transpired could only be thought of as the most complete, filling, and god-like musical experience to have graced this earth. I don't just ask that you catch any of these artists on tour if they ever come around again -- I downright demand you to. If you have any appreciation for house, hip hop, or jazz, you need to make it happen. My ears were gladly traumatized, and so would yours too. Don't miss out. Check out Amtrac's SoundCloud, Xaphoon Jones' free mixtape, and BBNG's stellar, free albums.

The short film, for those uninitiated, depicts the band playing four songs from the new album throughout the duration of one night, from sunset to sunrise. As said upon release of the film, “we wanted to perform in a non-typical setting without losing the spirit of our music. We felt the songs would resonate in a more majestic and spiritual landscape.” The brown valleys and mountains and swaths of desert aren’t encapsulated by the performances, but are released outside of their position as mere locations and into the mindset of natural artistic creation in ways many music videos simply don’t achieve.

I can’t help but to think about Bloom as the result of what the band envisioned for this short film instead of the other way around. This is to say; they aimed to capture not only the sonic interpretation of the landscape, but also the visual. The desert itself blooms to life every single day in ways most may never think of. In the same way, each track slowly escalates through building and layering instrumentation to bring about soundscapes that parallel those shown on screen. And these soundscapes, while they may have been thought up in a house in Baltimore, now seem to me to only belong to the desert in which they were recorded. Victoria Legrand’s slow moving, warm yet haunting voices swirls around Alex Scally’s instrumentals with that signature modern dream-pop sound that is synonymous with this band. 

Maybe I am just being sentimental about the whole thing because, as stated earlier, this is where I grew up. The highways and the lettering on the mountain (“La Biblia es la Verdad Leela,” which translates to “The Bible is the Truth, Read It” is actually across the border overlooking Cuidad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico) in the opening scenes are those I drive down every weekend to visit family, the trek to the “The Hours” performance looks eerily similar to where we used to have bonfire parties back in high school, and the all encompassing skies that take over the frame, which can be both welcoming and intimidating and which blaze through with colors only the desert can provide, are those that looked down at me for many years. True, at this point I am definitely just being sentimental, but these expanses of land and sky are illuminated wonderfully not only by their visual capture in this film, but by the accompanying music. 

To be honest, I have never had a personal fixation with Beach House. While I have always respected their music, I never quite “got it,” even after listening to Bloom several times since its release. “Forever Still” is helping me “get it.” There was no place for the music before this in my mind, and now there is. There is a place where I can see these artists coming from, being inspired with, and showing off to the rest of the world. The dreamscape of dream-pop can be a real place, and it just so happens to be a dream that I occupy quite literally.

Yoel's take:

I love this album. This is despite the fact that in many ways it's pretty derivative. "No Destruction" could easily have been on a later Velvet Underground album (maybe Loaded?). "San Francisco" would not be out of place on the Kinks' classic The Village Green Preservation Society. Many of the other songs strongly recall Sgt. Pepper's era Beatles, early Rolling Stones, or 60's pacific northwest garage rock. But I don't care. I feel like this takes what I liked about Tame Impala's recent album Lonerism and makes it better and catchier. There's not a song I dislike, and many that I really really like.

Favorite songs: San Francisco, Oh Yeah, No Destruction.

Overall score: 9/10.

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Joe's take:

Music inspired by the 60s and 70s is really not my thing. But this album is excellent. This very much reminds me of the new Tame Impala album, but whereas that album has one great track, a lot of very listenable songs, and a couple of clunkers, almost every song on Foxygen's album is very good, a fact that is remarkable given how different the songs are from each other. I'm a fan. This is a fun and interesting album.

Favorite songs (in order, at this very minute): San Francisco, No Destruction, We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors Of Peace & Magic

Least favorite song: Bowling Trophies (which is still a good song)

Overall score: 8/10

To make matters worse, opening act Young Magic’s set was a 45-minute exercise in “meh,” starting out with a generic mixture of vaguely tribal vocals and percussion and proceeding to survey various hot electronic trends of the past five years. Pleasant enough, but not enough to keep my mind from wandering towards the dude in front of me with the giant mohawk and wondering how angry he’d get if I took a pair of scissors to it. The between-set music was much livelier by comparison, a smattering of Pitchfork-approved R&B and hip-hop cuts. Some of the concert-goers around me started breaking out their middle/high-school dance moves and freaking as some Kendrick Lamar came up. I don’t know if they were trying to be ironic, but they immediately stopped when one of the few black guys in the room walked up to get closer to the stage, an interesting little microcosm of middle-class white—and, by extension, indie—culture’s complicated and often problematic relationship with African-American music.

And then the dust cover went off Purity Ring producer Corin Roddick’s elaborate synth set. And…wow. It was immediately clear that Roddick and singer Megan James had the chops to recreate the distinctive bass-stutter and hook combo that is their debut album Shrines’ calling card, but they took it a step further. The rap against electronic artists has always been that they don’t “play” anything and lack the virtuosity of their more conventional counterparts. However, Roddick and James were real pros: Roddick was constantly tinkering with beats and synth lines (which he played on a marimba-like set of what appeared to be lanterns), and James did an admirable job keeping up and belting out hooks. Like a jazz musician, you could see the singer briefly reacting to some complex syncopated rhythm Roddick threw in and then finding her place again a split second after. Aesthetically, it was a beautiful show as well: lots of cocoon like-lanterns and instruments that would glow with warmth with every beat. It was a nice touch and added to the music’s future-gothic vibe.

Of course, you can only express so much by breaking a set like that down into its component parts. What really struck me, then, was how the crowd seemed to find its redemption in the music. People who had up until that point been squabbling over standing room now joyously cheered and smiled at each other over the synth line in “Fineshrine” and earnestly apologized if they were asked by strangers for beer/drugs/etc. and had none to offer. And they were dancing. Mind you, although it’s bass-heavy, Purity Ring’s music is by no means EDM, and upon listening to their album one could just as easily imagine people sticking to the awkward hipster head-bob at a concert. Yet, almost as soon as the set started, people started swaying back and forth in unison with every pitch shift and bass rumble.

After the show ended—shamefully, there was no encore since Purity Ring burned through their entire catalogue in the set—people filed out of Union Transfer and back into their lives and divisions. But for a moment, we were all in it together.

Chaz ol'buddy got his upstart in 2010 with his first album release of Causers of This that, alongside releases from other artists such as Washed Out and Neon Indian, is widely credited to have popularized a new set of chillwave-pop sounds. Since then he's released Underneath the Pine in 2011, much the same sound, style, and success as Causers of This, and a slew of collaborations with other artists (we're still waiting on that official release with Tyler, the Creator). And now we're here in 2013, having survived the anti-climactic Mayan foretelling of doom to see the light of Bundick's newest release. 

Bundick's been quoted many a time that for this go, he's just looking to make "music his girlfriend would dance to" and maybe get more popular from it, as if reflecting the album's modest request for anything in return from the listener. Yet as much as Bundick seems soft spoken of the matter, he's really selling himself short -- Anything in Return is filled with new influences from house (as proper from his side project in house music, Les Sins) to Justin-Bieber pop (of which he admits to being a huge fan). These influences are readily apparent in songs, "Say That" and "Cake," with "Say That" featuring a decidedly-house beat and "Cake" featuring the irresistibly catchy hook "I'mma be her boy forever." These influences blend seamlessly throughout the album with his well established groovy electro-funk-jazz sound to make Anything in Return a refreshing enough development in the chillwave movement. Not only that, but Anything in Return can't help but feel more "alive" in its sound. Bundick breaks away from the laptop and moves into a more studio production, making the album definitively more penetrating in its poise to establish itself as dance music alongside Bieber. And though both Bieber fanatics and I would probably scoff at the idea of Toro y Moi opening for Bieber -- be relieved that Anything in Return is still far-gone from BieberFever -- Chaz Bundick makes it easier than ever to move and groove to the music. Still hazy and psychedelic at times, Anything in Return moves from the confined head-beating of Causers of This and Underneath the Pine to become a more full-body experience, moving from being headphone-friendly to speaker-friendly.

All this said, the most widely-cited fault in Anything in Return lies in its long run-time. At just over 52 minutes and 13-songs long, Anything in Return's length is uncharacteristic of pop music albums. As a result, many feel its attempt to get to grooves going falls short. Who could dance for nearly an hour long? There's also the unmistakable feeling of a "lull" in the middle of the album where things take a more downtempo turn, starting from the 5th song, "Touch," before ending with a sudden upbeatness at the 10th song, "Cake." It would, truth be told, be easy to fall asleep to this 5-song-long portion of the album. But in defense of these criticisms, I ask to take a step back, listen to these songs individually, and realize that they are no different from songs off Causers of This or Underneath the Pine. Songs like "Touch" and "High Living," while definitely more "chill,"  merely hearken back to Bundick's old work while still blending in his new influences. This is not a bad thing. It is satisfying to take a break from the more apparent energy of songs in the beginning before getting back up to dance away the night with a fantastic end to the album. Were Anything in Return filled with nothing but the simplest and catchiest, nothing would stand out and the album would be  ultimately forgettable. But as it stands, Anything in Return is dynamic, rewarding, and fun at just the right moments. 

The reason you want to listen to Bundick's latest release is not for appreciation of lyrical mastery or avant-garde experimental music. You want to listen to Anything in Return because Bundick makes it so. Anything in Return is a tad more accessible while still retaining the heart of his older work. It's not a revolutionary new sound he goes for, it's simply an enjoyable one that happens to take Toro y Moi in different directions, stretching Bundick into newer territory that positions his work for even greater developments in the future.

As the lights dimmed, a strange oily like substance was projected onto the screen as The xx walked out and kicked into the lead single off their new album Coexist, “Angels.” Once they kicked into the chorus, the sheet fell and white lights burst out. After finishing the song, guitarist and vocalist Romy Madley Croft thanked the crowd for sticking around and coming back for a sold out show. After that it was all music, with The xx churning out their signature dark sound.

The highlights for me were Jamie xx and the lights. AKA Jamie Smith, the man behind all the beats and synths was a machine behind Romy and bassist Oliver Sim. Handling an eclectic and massive setup, he toyed with everything from your standard techno stuff, some piano, and even a steel drum. He absolutely held the group down as Sim prowled about and belted his British croon and Romy picked away at her Les Paul. 

Brief aside about the lights; they were sick. It was almost all white, but they were hella bright and in some very interesting shapes. There was one effect where it came out as a paper thin sheet, and as it hovered above the band, it picked up the dust in the air to make it seem like clouds were hovering above the band’s head. Obviously the sheet thing was cool, but it was really the lighting effects that made the show.

As the band closed up, their triumphant X symbol appeared behind them and the crowd let out a mighty roar. Drawing fairly equally from their debut and sophomore albums, we were treated to the hits such as “Intro,” my personal favorite “VCR,” “Fiction,” and the aforementioned “Angels.” Before exiting the band thanked the crowd once again and exited. Overall, The xx were very effective in conjuring the dark and emotional feeling they portray on their albums to their live show. Of course with some help from a savant of a beatmaker and those sweet lights.

Preceded by newcomer Rochelle Jordan at Union Transfer, Ware immediately launched into her debut’s title track “Devotion.” Often cited as an ‘alternative Adele’ with post-dubstep influences, Ware challenges typical R&B structures and inclines towards a more complicated musical signature, one in which her vocals enact a seductive interplay between her drum lines and intensely grooving bass. Subsequent songs in the set list like “Still in Love” and “Sweet Talk” validated this claim as Ware transformed her stage presence to fall in and out of her musical support. Perhaps the highlight of this routine was “Swan Song,” which Ware delicately manipulated into a sultry expression, dropping her vocals at precisely the moments when her backing bass was at its most sensual state. Leaving the hits "Wildest Moments" and "Running" for the show's conclusion, Ware made it a point to dispel hopes of an encore, a bold move that I found refreshing and sincere from such a young performer.

Yet I would be doing Ware a great disservice if I failed to mention the sheer personality that she stitched into her performance. All too often I find musicians maintain the invisible wall that separates the stage from the audience, ‘pretending’ not to hear the crowd shout song suggestions and “I love you," or even merely ignoring their fans dancing or singing along to their performance. Ware was a completely different breed. She insisted on increasing the lights so that she could see her fan’s faces gleaming back, and even flirted with the audience with winks and smiles that truly revealed her gratitude for having such a devoted following. She wove personal stories, both charming and sentimental, into her set and never failed to remember that music is a special medium with the power of creating intimate interpersonal bonds. Ware seemed to believe in every aspect of her musicianship, and she keenly translated her passion into an indelible Friday evening.

10. Cat Power - Sun

Four years after Jukebox and six years since her last original material on The Greatest, Chan Marshall returns with Cat Power in her long awaited ninth full-length album Sun. In what seems to be her most costly work yet, Marshall delivers  those signature hazy breaths over a raucous theater of percussion, piano, and of course plenty of backup vocals. Songs such as "3, 6, 9" and "Sun" reveal a whole new Marshall  flirting with the unfamiliar, no longer brooding over the narratives that painted earlier albums. Yet while tracks like the ten minute epic "Nothin' But Time" may suggest that this southern-gothic songbird has left behind the vulnerable days of Dear Sir and Myra Lee, lyrics such as the tragically simple "I am what you want/I am what you're not/I want to live/My way of living" of "Always On My Own" dampen the fire of Sun's "Cherokee" and "Real Life" with a bend of classic Cat Power naked sensitivity. Certainly Marshall's image is evolving with the years (as it rightfully should), but her latest effort remains one of this year's favorite albums for its sincere marriage of emotions: from the jaunty urbanite "Manhattan" to the disturbed "Peace and Love," Marshall taps into a personal journey eloquently engineered into a fifty minute daydream that seems nothing less than a drive through the Navajo Desert in a rusty timeworn van with sticky vinyl seats, dusty windows, and bunch of good ol' friends. Just kick back with a beer and have a good time. - GK

9. Purity Ring - Shrines

If you’re into electronic pop that is characterized by dark themes delicately delivered and foiled by airy female vocals, you’ve been iPod jamming pretty hard recently.  Between Phantogram’s Night Life EP released at the very end of 2011, Grimes’ 2011 Darkbloom, her scary-fast, scary-good follow up Visions in January, and Tennis’s Young & Old in February, you probably thought you’d won the music library lottery.  Then Purity Ring’s Shrines came out in July and you knew you’d won.  Purity Ring had been on our radar since their single “Ungirthed” came out in early 2011, followed by “Belispeak,” which even caught Danny Brown’s eye.   Singles “Obedear,” “Fineshrine”and “Lofticries” didn’t come out until 2012, but proved worth the wait.  By the time Shrines dropped this summer, the blogosphere was abuzz and NPR hosted the full album for streaming.  From Detroit rappers to the (presumably) more conservative NPR demographic, Purity Ring’s aptly named album seduced a serious cult following. -NS

8. Fiona Apple - The Idler Wheel...

Fiona Apple is known to wear her heart on her sleeve to both her benefit and detriment. In what is only her fourth full-length The Idler Wheel… (in classic Fiona fashion her album title is way too long to reprint without ellipsis), she harnesses this raw emotion in an absolutely thrilling way. It has been seven long years since Extraordinary Machine but this album is worth the wait. The Idler Wheel… is carried by Apple’s piano and beautiful voice where its predecessor rested on top of Jon Brion’s lush production. Because of this, the album is much darker and more minimalist with many songs consisting of only Apple, her piano and a hint of bass. This atmosphere is a perfect bed for Apple and her lyrics to lie in. She spits her venom throughout this album that makes you fear for the safety of anyone who crosses her, including herself. This album feels so much like Apple’s singular vision and what separates this vision from others is how unstable it all feels. “Every single night’s a fight with my brain,” she sings on the album’s opening track and then gives us a very honest glimpse at that fight. Like any good fight you can’t help stopping and watching. -JO

7. Grizzly Bear - Shields

Coming off their critically acclaimed Veckatimest, Grizzly Bear returned with another stunning and explorative album in 2012’s Shields. Though you won’t find another hit single such as “Two Weeks,” Grizzly Bear was able to combine a vast array of sounds to produce an album that ebbs and flows beautifully. According to primary songwriter Ed Droste, the album is about the reconciliation of the desire to be alone and the fear of loneliness. This struggle is highlighted by genres such as psychedelic, Americana, chamber music, and doo-wop clashing and contrasting to evoke the pains and aches involved in discovering self-awareness. The mood pulsates between haunting ballads (“Speak in Rounds,” “The Hunt”) and hopeful cries (“Sleeping Ute,” “A Simple Answer”) to show the vacillating feelings associated with self-discovery. Grizzly Bear has always been reliable in procuring artistic and thoughtful works, and they were able to add to the trend with this year’s wonderful Shields. -AB

6. Kendrick Lamar - good Kid, M.A.A.D City

Kendrick Lamar’s good Kid, M.A.A.D. City is a relieving breath of fresh air in the hip hop game. Kendrick’s verses on this album are both clever and interesting as he runs through the narrative of his coming-of-age in Compton, California. This personal history is captivating and honest – he discusses contentious issues such as peer pressure, gang violence, and drug use in the context of his life in a way that any listener can relate to. Beyond that, the instrumentals found on the album are impeccable and original. An especially notable instance of this is on the last track of the album, “Compton,” a tune laced with Dre-esque g-funk backdrops. Nevertheless, the album stays 2012 without sounding too much like 1992 because the songs feature a wide variety of samples ranging from Beach House to Roy Ayers. In the context of the album’s lyrical content, it is interesting that Kendrick samples Roy Ayers’ “We Live in Brooklyn, Baby” on the track “M.A.A.D. City.” The song is a legendary staple among all Brooklyn hip hop producers, yet Ayers himself was from Los Angeles. Beyond fitting well musically, I think this is commentary on the coastal divide in hip hop. By sampling the track, it seems to me that Kendrick is giving respect to the music birthed in both coasts. In any case, the album is full of the inexplicable wow-factor that you can hear in all of Kendrick’s tracks. There is something about his lyrics, the sound of his voice, and how well he integrates these with the samples that makes the tracks on good Kid, M.A.A.D. City exclusively Kendrick – and amazing. Hip hop fans all over the world were relieved in 2012 because of the sounds coming out of Kendrick Lamar’s studios – we want more. -AA

5. Tame Impala - Lonerism

It's a little difficult to describe Tame Impala's Lonerism without listing a bunch of bands that clearly influenced the deep, spacy, psychedelic sound that permeates this album. Personally, I would argue that Lonerism exists in the space between mid-to-late Beatles, Cream, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and The Vines circa 2004 (the good year.) Creating this kind of list of influences-- impressive as it may be-- might make the band seem derivative and homogenous. However, there's something in every single one of Lonerism's songs that renders them immediately recognizable as a Tame Impala product, whether you've heard them before or not. In other words, each song on Lonerism is, essentially, Tame Impala-ish. I'm not a hundred percent sure what it is that makes this album so distinctive, perhaps its the combination of dreamy, muted, echoing harmony with a crisp, driving percussion section, perhaps it's the dystopian element that undercuts the marshmallowy softness of the vocals, perhaps it's just because they're from Perth and Perth is basically the most desperately boring place in the world plus beaches (you'd have to develop unique interests or wither and die.) In any case, next year, or the next year, or the year after that --Mayan/Incan/Aztec/Na'vi Calendar willing-- I have no doubt that some other Penn student with a Macbook Air and Almost Famous dreams shining in their eyes will write, on this very list, that their album of the year exists in the space between blank, blank, blank and Tame Impala circa 2012. And that is why Lonerism deserves its spot as one of our best albums of the year.  - SN

4. Grimes - Visions

Montreal delivers yet again this year with breakout star Claire Boucher as Grimes, the pop-savvy, post-electro songstress that has churned out the most unique album of the year. The girl behind the keys has, in one year and change, completely entranced the internet, music critics, and the everyday listener in a way that just don’t make sense. She seemingly decided one day to pick up some keyboards and music software and make music, she writes rap songs with some questionable characters, and she plays her shows not as a sugary, pop-goth songstress, but with the confidence and audacity of a hip hop star. The ultra-feminist underpinnings of all that she does should not appeal to such popularity, but it does, and it does well. There’s a sincere purpose to everything that Boucher does, even if you as the consumer can’t really comprehend what that purpose is. 

Break out album Visions bursts forward as a singular piece of beautifully crafted experimental pop. The dark landscapes Boucher has clicked and dragged together set the precedence for her candy coated falsetto to dance around in spectacular fashion, creating a dichotomy of dark and light. Standout tracks “Oblivion” and “Genesis” are real crowd pleasers, with a penchant for melody and rhythm, you would never know that Boucher is singing about failed love or assault in such a sweet and illegible voice. And the accompanying videos do just as much to entrance the eyes as her music does the ears. From mocking themes of masculinity to laying siege to the Los Angeles with a crew of uber-females, its safe to say boldness is an understatement in describing Grimes. This though, is not a two-song album. The dark candy pop Boucher crafts stands out in “Symphonia IX” and “Nightmusic” in beautiful fashion, and “Circumambient” jams just has hard as any guitar rock anthem out this year.

She brings swagger to dream pop. She sprinkles retro goth on top of alternative pop. She is same parts Soft Cell as Bahaus as Beyonce as Bjork. Boucher received a lot of slack for the self-imposed “post-internet” branding, but in all honesty, nothing can be further from the truth. Her music represents something not yet seen before constructed lovingly from all corners of internet, and just like it, as erratic as the internet has made us. It might be a little presumptuous to call her the future of alternative music in the modern world, but nothing this year has pointed forward in time quite like Grimes. -DM

3. Beach House - Bloom

In 2012, six years after Beach House's self-titled debut that began their career as the indie darlings we now know and love, they proved they've still got it. Bloom was eased out into the blogosphere in March of 2012 with the single "Myth" and a month later with the second single "Lazuli". Though Bloom has the tendency to drag on in the second half--it's hard to end an album with a seventeen-minute song--most of the songs tread the difficult line between dreamy and sleepy with, it seems, ease. Lyrically speaking, the duo seems to have broken out of its solipsistic shell and even verges on social commentary at points ("Other people want to keep in touch / Something happens and it's not enough," sings Victoria Legrand on "Other People"). Still, the appeal with Beach House remains the lyrical fluidity that allows for every listener to take away something different. And their dreamy, transcendent pop still has the power to please crowds young and old, as witnessed at their stunning October show at Philadelphia's Union Transfer. -HH

2. Dirty Projectors - Swing Lo Magellan

The master of all illusory, all disjointed, all counterintuitive, David Longstreth spears Dirty Projectors into their most direct, articulate composition yet. What keeps Swing Lo Magellan in the identifiably-DP level of comely obscurity is its ability to retain the uncanny harmonies, Amber Coffmans’s transportive cries, the distinguished guitar hocketing, all though clear, decipherable lyrics. Culminating a decade of member-changes, albums, and tours, Dirty Projectors finesse their sound in twelve tracks. You can get your eerie in the cultish-yet-surprisingly-comforting-brand-of-creepy hums introducing  “Offspring Are Blank” or your shouldn’t-she-be-singing-R&B-but-I’m-so-glad-she’s-here-in-this-indie-ballad Amber solos in “The Socialites.” Longstreth has always been a manufacturer of texture, but here he patents his knit. It’s vulnerable, it’s polished, it’s grotesque, it’s pleasant. It’s the Dirty Projectors’ newest album and its transcending mere highlight-dom of 2012. -MG

1. Frank Ocean - channel ORANGE

Who would have thought that the most transcendently refreshing album of the year would come from such a vintage, throwback sound? True, channel ORANGE does modernize R&B past its neo-soul predecessors, but in a world where Skrillex is Grammy nominated, Korean techno-pop passes the billion tally on YouTube, and even Taylor and Britney do dubstep, Frank Ocean’s proper introduction shines even brighter as a nod to a more traditional sound. But that doesn’t mean the album is stuck in the past. While tracks like “Lost” and “Sweet Life” flow as smooth as any D’Angelo or Badu track, the opus of the album, “Pyramids,” is a 10 minute journey through the electronic chasms that contain the future of the genre. From the most dynamic synth break of the year to John Mayer’s (surprisingly respectable) chillingly quiet guitar solo, the ode to the mysterious Cleopatra can stand alone as one of the most musically elaborate and beautiful products of the year. 

But beyond that, there’s something about the pure honesty of Ocean’s storytelling that has made the album a true mainstay this year and for years to come. Even with his open letter revealing his bisexuality giving a new layer to the work, no artist this year has portrayed young loves and hardships like Ocean. You can’t help but smile at the raw energy coming from tracks like “Forrest Gump,” as Ocean croons “You’re running on my mind boy.” You feel his desire for catharsis on “Bad Religion,” where the prayer “Allahu Akbar” seems more like a condemnation than a comfort. And that hook on “Thinkin Bout You.” Oh man, that’s how you sing about affection. 

channel ORANGE’s appeal bursts beyond the confines of the blogosphere to become both commercially and critically successful. It’s no surprise that without a proper album he was asked to sing arguably the best hooks on Watch the Throne, and has now settled in with the best R&B album in recent memory. With a slew of Grammy nominations and the best album of the year, Mr. Ocean looks poised to run the gamut. That is, if he wants to. -DM

Lacking insight into the real reasons for my preferences forces me to support my song recommendations with placebic reasons, such as “that song is awesome” or “that song is incredible” or “that song is amazing” or “that song has drums and I like drums” or “that artist is from Pennsylvania and sounds like Johnny Cash.” So here you go.

This is a list of 10 Songs That Are Good from 2012, accompanied by random thoughts and/or made up reasons for liking each of them. I’ve limited myself to one song per album, because otherwise there’s a chance I’d just be talking about Grimes and Beach House.  

10. Chained by The XX (Coexist): Uniquely XX.

9. Motion Sickness by Hot Chip (In Our Heads): Remember when people thought the world was round? 

8. Monoliths by Lotus Plaza (Spooky Action At A Distance): Catchy. 

7. Tell Me by Dark Dark Dark (Who Needs Who): Nona Marie Invie sings moving, entrancing breakup songs about her bandmate. Possibly an awkward situation.

6. Some People Say by Allo Darlin’ (Europe): The way Elizabeth Morris sings “I wish some things would stay the same” sort of kills me.

5. Kill For Love by The Chromatics (Kill For Love): It may not be humanly possible to dislike this song. It may also not be inhumanly possible to dislike this song.

4. In The Beginning by Daughn Gibson (All Hell): He is from Pennsylvania and sounds like Johnny Cash. 

3. Continuous Thunder by Japandroids (Celebration Rock): Adrenaline. 

2. Genesis by Grimes (Visions): Get the album. See her live. Follow her on twitter. Build a houseboat and fill it with chickens. 

1. Myth by Beach House (Bloom): Momentary bliss.