Ela - Real Blood on Fake Trees

There was a time when emo wasn't such a bad thing. At The Drive-In has the e word listed as one of their styles on allmusic, and Jawbreaker's Dear You is still a classic. So perhaps it isn't a surprise that the first RIYL on the one-sheet for Ela's new CD Real Blood on Fake Trees is Jawbreaker. Ela plays an angular style of emo that doesn't share much in common with the brand of emo that is currently popular. Ela relies on dark melodies instead of comparing ex-lovers to arms dealers to create an intense disc that doesn't quite reaches the heights of Jawbreaker, but doesn't fall to the lows of what emo has come to represent either.

Overall: 6/10

SnowLeopards - Debut

The debut CD for the SnowLeopards, aptly titled Debut, is very close to being just a generic piece of power-pop. What separates it from the rest of the pack is a retro vibe that permeates throughout the album, especially on "I'm on Fire" and "Hipmatize Me" (which may be one of the worst names for a song I've heard all year). With female vocals also, Debut isn't going to win the SnowLeopards the amount of fame that a debut such as that of the Arctic Monkeys garnered, but it could wind up being either a good guilty pleasure or a building block to successful second album - would that be named 2?

5/10

KWUR Week 2007!

KWUR week is coming!

February 19th - February 24th

check out www.KWURWEEK.com for details.

Pretty Girls Make Graves calls it quits

Following the departure of drummer Nick DeWitt, Pretty Girls Make Graves have decided to break up. They will be doing a final, farewell tour this spring (dates will be posted when I get them), but make sure to listen to KWUR and request anything from either The New Romance or Elan Vital - both great albums from this underrated band.

Spring Programming to Start Friday Feb. 9

KWUR will officially start Spring programming Friday February 9th. We have a full lineup of over 100 DJs to bring you yet another season of pure non-commercial underground radio.

Stay tuned for more detailed information on KWUR Week (Feb 19th - Feb 24th)....

Bloc Party - A Weekend In The City

Bloc Party's sophomore effort, A Weekend In The City, sees the British band become more focused and more emotional. The album is centered around life in London, and you can tell that frontman Kele Okereke thinks change is needed. On "Hunting for Witches," Okereke wails "the newscaster says the enemy's among us...now is not the time for liberal thought." This is also by far the album's stand out track, with big guitars leading up to big chorus, making it the album's catchiest and most anthemic song. The opener, "Song for Clay (Disappear Here)" talks about the status quo, and is another one of the album's top tracks, while "Uniform" attacks the influence of MTV. Bloc Party also slows things down a little too frequently on the album. Some of the slow songs, such as "Waiting For The 7:18" are great, resonant ballads, but other times, such as on "I Still Remember," you just want Bloc Party to speed things up again so you can get up and dance to London's shortcomings. All in all, this is a very good, if not great, album which could make Bloc Party the voice of today's youth - the same way that they criticize on "Uniform."

Overall: 7/10

The KWUR blog is back and ready to rock your world...watch out.

James Brown Is Dead

Reporting from Augusta, Georgia (home of James Brown)...
The "Hardest Working Man in Show Business" is now dead at 73. So we unexpectedly loose another legend. He was apparently even giving out Christmas gifts and turkeys here in Augusta the night before he died.

No word yet on a memorial service. More news to come as developments continue in the Deep South.