We're putting on four shows this year, including a Local Hip-Hop Showcase, a Classical show in conjunction with the Music department, an electronic show featuring Doc Daneeka and our Rock show in conjunction with Social Programming Board featuring METZ and ROOMRUNNER.

Get all of the info on our KWUR Week page, here - http://kwur.com/kwurweek/

and get pumped for the main event with a track from METZ

http://www.youtube.com/embed/wF5utPE3iHk

http://www.youtube.com/embed/92XO4TyF4Aw

http://www.youtube.com/embed/EeoAZrvaHSA

Feel free to tune in, terrestrially or via the internet.

We have some important opportunities in the near future that will be made possible by your donations, including the improvement of our current radio signal and a big push towards a new opportunity to increase our station's wattage. More details about our current situation, of particular interest  to KWUR alumni, can be found here: http://kwur.com/alumni-letter/

Donations can be made this week by calling in to pledge at (314) 935-5952. DJs will be manning the phones most hours from 9:00 AM to midnight from Sunday to Saturday to take your pledges. (NOTE: Some people have contacted us wondering if there is an alternative method besides checks, i.e. paypal, to make donations. There currently is not, BUT pledge anyway and we'll work this week to figure out how to set one up). Make checks out to KWUR 90.3 FM, and send them to this address:

KWUR 90.3 FM
Campus Box 1205
One Brookings Dr.
St. Louis, MO 63130

Here's a quick rundown of what gifts can be earned by different levels of donation:

$10 – KWUR picture postcard with special KWUR k?ans (also included in
donations over $25)
$25 – Limited edition, high quality silk-screened KWUR t-shirt
$50 – A custom station I.D., thanking you for your donation (and
including any other requested tidbits) that we will air live
$100 – Name a part of the station after you or someone of your choice.

$200 – Get a song written about you in the style of your choice, and recorded in KWUR's very own recording studio.

Also, we have some exciting events happening this week. Tune in between 8 PM on Thursday and 8 AM on Friday to hear the always-adventerous all-night broadcast. If you are Washington University student, come to the DJ Showcase at the Gargoyle on Friday the 1st at 8PM, where 6 talented KWUR DJs will be spinning stuff that you'll want to dance to.

Support free-form community radio! We are very thankful for any contribution that you decide to make.

You can get the mixtape here: http://atmmme.bandcamp.com

Their soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/a-t-m-3

Upcoming shows: 

2/21: w/ G-Eazy at Old Rock House 

3/2: at The Demo

In the meantime, here's something that resembles an album review.

    If I had a time machine, I can think of about a thousand things I might try to do with it, but one of them would involve going back to the starstruck conversation I never thought I'd be having in March of 2012, with a well-known rapper, who asked me what I knew about the St. Louis hip-hop scene; to which I reluctantly told him if there was indeed someone or something spectacular coming out of St. Louis these days, I hadn't heard it yet. 

    As it turns out, there was (and still is) something spectacular here, and if I hadn't been living under a rock at the time, I would have said to keep an eye out for A Night Like This, AtM's first mixtape, which dropped last August. I would have said what I shouted last October at the Gramophone, drowned out by the noise of a crowd, when I first saw AtM live: "These kids can actually rap."

    Amir and Malcolm have a natural and comfortable vocal pairing; they bounce off each other with ease. Sometimes their music plays a fluid game of compare-and-contrast: frenzied/calm, smooth/jagged. A Night Like This starts off with the kind of track that punches you in the face– "Year 1," backed by a beat of epic proportions, a sweeping Michael Franco production that throws you headlong into the tape, and as Amir rips through the first verse, it's obvious that AtM is not playing around. They're lucky enough to have several instances of Michael Franco's production on here; sometimes the only word truly capable of describing Franco's standalone beats is "gorgeous." (Michael Franco, another St. Louis musician, is one half of Franco-Hill, and if you catch an AtM live show you could easily be blessed by their musical backing. The other half, Jeff Hill –also AtM's music director– is unbearably talented on the drums; you'll hear him referred to as "The Best Drummer in St. Louis." The music they make as Franco-Hill is incredible and their chemistry is unmatched, but that's another review altogether.)

(It's just like this, no need to fight it/ Invite it/Try me out, you just might like it)

    It's no surprise that when AtM breaks out "That Woman" at a live show, the crowd can't help but sing along with the hook of what is probably their most well-known track– it's a rich soulful song with a complex set of verses, and the beat is downright irresistible. Probably the most interesting thing about A Night Like This is that it retains a unifying sound while the actual experience of listening can be all over the map– "Hero Troubles" is relentlessly emotional; "Odd Motivation" is dark, soulful, oddly rhythmic; "You Take Up 95% of My Brain" is far more lighthearted– like "Time Machine," it's catchy as all hell and solidifies these MCs in my mind as two twenty-year old men who deserve serious credit for the music they make, and deserving of the affections of various unnamed women they're rapping about. Amir and Malcolm's flows can blend seamlessly with all different types of beats, but they also work well with a range of topics and emotions; listening to this mixtape will make you want to know them, and by the end of it, you'll feel like you do, to some degree.

    This is hip-hop that takes itself seriously, as hip-hop should. The music feels genuine, heartfelt. These boys are young, but I don't bring that up for the usual reasons– they don't try to cover subject matter that's beyond their scope. Their content is age-appropriate, but handled with a surprisingly tongue-in-cheek sense of humor– the everyday struggles of young men are illuminated by a remarkable maturity, and it's obvious they have room to grow, both for themselves and their music. In this case, that's a good thing.

    It's the plague of young MCs (think Joey Badass) that no matter how talented they are, they've either got nothing to say or lack emotional maturity, and eventually end up spitting what sounds like the same old verse, packed with nifty little jokes and similes. With AtM, this is not my concern– like all young men, they have emotional depth and complexity; unlike all young men, they're good at talking about it without sounding corny. Their talent isn't wasted on clever throwaway rhymes and regurgitated attitudes and attributes drawn from raps of old; they use their considerable abilities to create something new. Listening to A Night Like This, you are made to understand that creating music is a thoroughly personal process, not merely producing something for others to consume–whether you're scribbling or spitting or just sitting with the music and spending time with it, it is a process that involves growth and furthering your understanding. You can tell that their next project could very well sound completely different from A Night Like This but still sound like AtM, and that by then, they will have matured somewhat, without falling off. 

    St. Louis has been hungry for this, for kids who can actually rap. And they have been here for twenty years, calmly waiting to blow up. 

follow them on twitter

-NG

With the generous help of radio mogul Sam Caputa, we installed a new transmitter to replace our old one – a beloved, but decrepit unit that was barely spitting out 5-10% of our legally allocated power. You may have noticed the degrading signal over the course of the past few years. It was a result of many factors, but the most fundamental problem was the old transmitter. With the new transmitter, KWUR is excited to be broadcasting throughout University City, Clayton, the Central West End, and other nearby areas. We've got some more (small and large scale) signal-improving plans on the docket, so this area may expand when we work through those.

Take this new opportunity to support terrestrial, free-form, autonomous, student-run, community radio! Tune in and find some weekly programs that strike your fancy. Keep checking back on the site (and the KWUR twitter) for announcements about exciting happenings on our airwaves and in the community. And let us know when you like something you hear! Comment on the blog, tweet us, or talk to the DJ! The studio line is (314) 935-5987. We are inspired and propelled by the knowledge that others, especially strangers, enjoy what we do. I recently read a quote by the author Robert Walser (originally referring to something completely unrelated to radio) that reminded me of this feature – the combination of anonymity and intimacy – that terrestrial community radio provides.

"To be of service to somebody whom one does not know, and who has nothing to do with one, that is charming, it gives one a glimpse into divine and misty paradises"

We're making an effort to ressurect the blog – start checking back here for KWUR news (there will be plenty of it this semester) and random musings. This is something of a random musing, but first some quick KWUR newses:

- Spring programming is officially ON! Check http://kwur.com/schedule/ to see what's happening for the next few months, and of course, tune in on our stream or 90.3 FM.

- Stack sessions are coming back! Stay tuned for more info.

Now on to the post. This is precipitated by today's news that the new My Bloody Valentine album is set to drop some time in the next few days. It's about time. I'm going to pretend that this latest bit of news is totally reliable, and ask: What are we supposed to listen to for the next 2-3 days until the album comes out (besides the KWUR stream)?

I think the answer is a KWUR-prescribed helping of shoegaze, while avoiding MBV at all costs. First, this regimen could help ease the massive level of disappointment that you might experience upon hearing the new album, which is probably the most anticipated album in the entire age of indie music. If it stinks, you can just put the old MBV stuff back on, and even have some new shoegaze artists for your consolation. Furthermore, checking out some of KWUR's favorite shoegaze might help expand your tastes beyond the narrow range of big-name shoegaze bands, who have a near-oligopolistic standing in the genre. Finally, there is something about shoegaze that makes it fit in very well with the St. Louis spring, where you have those random bursts of 70-80 degree days. The basic features of shoegaze music (loudness, melodicism) complement the ecstatic sensory overload that I tend to associate with this type of weather.

Here are some of my favorites. I believe we have original physical copies of all of these albums in the station, too. Cool! Please comment with your own links and suggestions.

The Boo Radleys

The atmosphere of their music is a little lighter and airier than most shoegaze tends to be, but when they go into blister mode, they blister with the best.

All Natural Lemon & Lime Flavors

One of the only shoegaze bands I've heard that can jangle, rock, bleep, bloop, and screech all in one song.

Sweet Trip

One album wonder (2003's Velocity:Design:Comfort), but the album is an amazing combination of modern electronics and shoegaze.

Lovliescrushing

Basically everything they do is completely percussionless, slow, dense, and reverby.

Swervedriver

Questionable combination of shoegaze and alt rock machismo. But often enough, they get it just right (hear: chorus of Duel).

Back in October, the KWUR Kickball All-stars played the KSLUzers in the annual kickball showdown.  While our athletic skills may not have led us to victory, we surely had the most fun and a valiant effort was made by all!

Pep talk

(PS: Yes, there is a certain irony that Wash. U.'s radio station is featuring an interview with an artist performing at UMSL.)

Recommended shows in the coming months, mostly of the rock and roll variety.  GET YOUR MOSH ON

Sat 9/15 – Two Gallants @ Plush – Sometimes rockin' folk music

Wed 9/26 – White Mystery, Sleepy and the Bedtimes, The Brainstems @ CBGB – AWESOME loud, fast garage rock brother/sister duo from Chicago with KWUR DJs present and past's band The Brainstems, presented by Acid Kat Zine. GO!

Thurs 9/27 – Moon Duo @ The Firebird – Drone-y, noisy psych rock 

Fri 9/28 – Pokey LaFarge an the South City Three @ Off Broadway – Local, old-timey folk that is loved by all.  If you haven't seen Pokey's live show it is not to be missed!

Sat 9/29 – Guided By Voices @ Plush – Late 80s – 90s lo-fi rock and a KWUR favorite. Robert Pollard's still got it! 

Sun 9/30 – R. Stevie Moore (with KWUR local faves Little Big Bangs) @ Off Broadway

Sat 10/6 – Bunnygrunt @ Schlafly Tap Room – '90s twee, good and local

Tue 10/23 – Swans @ The Firebird – Abrasive, noisy, industrial post-punkers from the '80s/'90s just released a new album that rocks.

Sun 10/28 – Primus @ Peabody Opera House – IS THIS REAL?! Weirdo 80s rockers at the Opera House? 

Mon 10/29 – AC Newman @ The Duck Room at Blueberry Hill – Solo project of The New Pornographers frontman which is way more rockin and piano-heavy.

Thu 11/1 – OFF! and The Spits @ Fubar – New band of Keith Morris (Black Flag, Circle Jerks) with Lo-fi garage punk vets the Spits. Mosh your brains out!

Fri 11/2 – The Fresh and Onlys @ The Firebird – More garage rock if you can't get enough

Mon 11/5 – Why? @ The Luminary

Fri 11/16 – Future Islands @ Off Broadway – I LOVE THIS BAND! Electronic, new wavey band from Dan Deacon's Wham City cast of characters known for awesome, intense live shows. 

Tue 11/20 – Japandroids @ Firebird – Rock duo with a great live show

see you there, twerps.