I was able to catch Maggie Rogers for a very special hometown show at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD. The venue is a stunning amphitheater with a standing pit, seated areas, and a lawn in the back. The Japanese House, an English indie pop musician, opened for the show, setting the mood with airy and ethereal music. As the sun dipped down, Maggie began the show with the starting track of the album “It Was Coming All Along.” The track paints an image that shows hope for the future.  

This was my fourth time seeing Maggie in concert, and I was once again blown away by her vocals. Midway through the show, there was a pause. Governor Wes Moore appeared on stage, declaring June 16th, 2024 as Maggie Rogers Day in the state of Maryland. He thanked her for her work getting concertgoers to register to vote, advocating for reproductive rights, and taking action to ensure fair ticket prices. The last Maggie Rogers show I had been to was in Boston, where the singer appeared in person to sell tickets at the box office for just $25. In addition, she was selling fee-free tickets for her larger arena tour in the fall. 

Maggie continued to sing while recounting how she had grown up going to the very venue I was watching her play in. The singer wistfully recalled saving up money to see Mumford and Sons, and how she was named godmother to the pianist’s daughter. I felt chills listening to her emotionally charged version of “Overnight,” one of my favorite songs on her first album. This performance, along with the stripped back version of her hit “Alaska,” represented the growth she has experienced as an artist. 

I am very excited to see Maggie Rogers in the fall and further document her progression as an artist. Maggie’s performances are consistently unique and her talent blows me away every time I am lucky enough to see her live. Be sure to check out Maggie’s tour schedule here to see when she will be in your area! 

by Denise // June 21st, 2024

After going viral for the hit song “Ceilings,” Lizzy McAlpine returned with her third album Older. Older channels the soulful, folk-inspired vulnerability and storytelling that is at the heart of why Lizzy has made strides in the music world. 

I recently had the opportunity to see Lizzy at The Anthem, a venue in Washington D.C. with a capacity of 6,000, where she played two back-to-back sold-out shows. Lizzy began with “The Elevator,” the opening track on Older, which grounds the rest of the album’s story of a relationship gone awry. The setlist continued with most of the album in chronological order, with older tracks such as “Doomsday” and “Chemtrails” from her sophomore album five seconds flat weaved in. 

Lizzy’s performance of “Doomsday” especially showcased her growth since I last saw her in 2022, during the five seconds flat tour. Her vocals have somehow improved and her comfort on stage is evidenced by her performance. She added tons of rifts and interesting note changes that were received very well by the audience, who were energetic yet respectful. Her live performance of the title track “Older” was extremely soulful and further conveyed the vulnerability of the album. In addition, I was excited to hear the bridge of “Vortex,” a song that releases the frustration and chaos present within the relationship. The metaphor of a vortex runs throughout many songs, anchoring the album and setlist as a whole. 

I felt the benefits of her improved tour setup, namely her increased confidence and joy on stage. After rescheduling part of her UK/EU tour in May of 2023 to prioritize her mental health, it is evident that the new setup is working for her. Lizzy is headed to the East Coast, playing at Radio City in New York on June 18 and 19, as well as MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston on June 21 and 22. Be sure to catch her in your area. I am incredibly excited to see how she continues to grow as an artist and look forward to what’s next! 

by Antônio // April 29th, 2024

Well…. Happy new year to you!

We may be nearing the end of April already, but WebDCR has since January been run by a whole new crew. Did you forget to check out our _ABOUT page for updates?

As you may see, radio is full of new faces; and, with them, a few song recommendations – which you can check right below:

While we are still on the hunt for a new blog editor (yes I’m stepping down, no you won’t stop getting posts from me hAH), I wanted to share this little update here. WebDCR is home to an ever-growing and ever-changing community, which makes it an even more special place to share your music, inspirations, and artistic creations.

Sounds fun, right? Then consider showing up to our directorate meetings! Every other Sunday at the Studio 🙂

Yours in radio,

antônio

by Kennedy Hamblen //April 25, 2023

I hate the acoustic guitar. Ok, that’s not true. I should say I’m less forgiving to acoustic-sounding music, whether that mean one sad man and a guitar, or several sad men, multiple guitars, and light percussion. While I love a lo-fi sound, I can’t stand, for example, Fleet Foxes, or (forgive me) Snail Mail. Stop whining! And for the love of God, buy a synthesizer. 

This might make my love of the Shin’s debut album, Oh, Inverted World, a bit strange. After all, in the liner notes to the 20th anniversary vinyl, Pat McGuire dismisses my kind of music in favor of that emotional instrumental crap I usually hate. About Oh, Inverted World, McGuire writes, “It had melodies! Harmonies! Earnestness! Ardor, zeal! A singer who could really, truly sing! Quirky lyrics you could actually understand, even comprehend!”  

I find this analysis irritating, and not only because it’s a not-so-subtle dig at “garage rock revival.” I also think Oh, Inverted World has a lot to offer beyond the musical subgenre it represents. It’s an incredibly complex album, even if recognizing that complexity takes several listens. On the first listen, you’ll notice the beautiful, compact songs, which sonically toe the line between upbeat light rock and a sinister strangeness. But give it a few more, and you’ll catch intricate basslines, thoughtful instrumental additions, and unique subtleties. This album does not give everything up at once, even if you can immediately hear all the care that has gone into each song.  

Oh, Inverted World feels like a walk through the suburbs on a gray day in an especially inspired mood—wavering between the quotidian, the queasy boredom of small sadness, the nostalgic, and the smarmy told-you-so tone that alternative teenagers love to take with their parents and their friends.  

It’s also an album with immense momentum. The Shins know where to hold off on the hi-hat and when to send it back with full force. They know how to use even simple chord progressions to their fullest effect. They know how to edit their music—and what you don’t hear is just as important as what you do. A sonic trick or interesting noise is never overused. Other similar-sounding albums fall short of Oh, Inverted World‘s genius because they linger too long, or fail to place every part of the puzzle together in a satisfactory way, creating bloated albums full of songs that engage with too-few musical ideas or motifs. But on this album, the Shins lay out each witty lyric and beautiful or interesting sound with no fanfare, no unnecessary lingering, as if “the goal is to ignite you then move on.”   

I’ll always love excess in music, be that noise or screaming, overdrive, a crunchy bassline. But a light touch can do something no other technique is capable of. Oh, Inverted World‘s sparseness gives its mastery a window through which to shine. It also reveals the delicate beauty of a well-structured song. And it might… MIGHT… just convince me to give Snail Mail a listen.  

by Kennedy Hamblen // November 07, 2022

My name is Kennedy Hamblen, and I’m a ’23+1 majoring in English. If I’m not stomping all over campus wearing my big headphones, you’ll find me working at admissions, reading pretentious fiction, or cooking (probably a stew or soup). I’m relatively late to the indie music game, as I grew up listening to Kenny Chesney and Coldplay. Oh, so much Coldplay. I used to stream albums on shuffle, that’s how little I knew about music. When I was seventeen, an internet friend suggested I check out this band Sleater-Kinney. I listened to The Hot Rock front to back (yes, I’d figured out not to hit shuffle), and my world was blown open. How could music sound like this? So weird, yet so beautiful? It was as if someone had taken my angry seventeen-year-old heart and popped it into the car CD player.

You probably don’t know about Sleater-Kinney—but you should. An outgrowth of punk rock’s riot grrrl scene, the three-woman band’s shift into a more expansive genre has left them badly underrated by lovers of 90s music and contemporary rockers alike. Like all talented, flexible bands, their albums span a wide range of musical styles, themes, and production choices. Their earliest work, like their self-titled album, is classic Bikini Kill messiness with a twist of edgy duetting between Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker. When Janet Weiss of Quasi joins the band, the drums become intricate and powerful, a moving force that propels even the slow(er) songs. Earlier albums like 1999’s fantastic The Hot Rock feature two guitars and no bass, which creates a sparse yet glittering sound I’ve never heard anywhere else. And if you want to scream your feelings out, you’ll find a song (or probably several) for that from any point in Sleater-Kinney’s long career. 

But today I want to talk about their best album: 2005’s The Woods. You can ask Anthony Fantano or Pitchfork, and for once they’re both right—everyone thinks this is a banger of a rock album. With immaculate production by Dave Fridmann, The Woods gives us crunchy, echoing guitar solos, the full reverberating power of Tucker’s powerful vocals, the momentum of a runaway train, and all the edge to satiate your inner teenaged goth. The Woods is not just loud—it’s musically sophisticated. It begins with a bang, as “The Fox” tests whether you have the metal mettle to withstand Sleater-Kinney’s sonic onslaught. “What’s Mine Is Yours” is an instant sing-along classic, with a back-and-forth between Tucker and Brownstein’s guitars and vocals, as well as an incredible guitar deconstruction. “Jumpers” and “Modern Girl” are both popular for their stand-alone power outside of the album, and rightfully so. But in my opinion, the star song is “Entertain,” with its booming drums and pointed vengeance against… well, honestly, I sing it whenever someone disagrees with my musical opinions on Reddit. But it’s multiuse against any and all enemies. From that emotional climax we go right into “Rollercoaster,” where Sleater-Kinney hits us with a comical love story too accurately flawed for my personal comfort, all without dropping a moment of their power and loudness. “Let’s Call It Love” is eleven minutes of incredible guitar playing, showmanship the likes of which we don’t normally get from women in rock. Sleater-Kinney knows they’re great, and in case you were still in doubt (for some reason), they will just keep proving it. 

If you like gritted-teeth angst and intricate guitar and percussive work—if you wish My Chemical Romance was all women or that Mitski would really shred it on the drums—Sleater-Kinney is the distortion/overdrive using, C-sharp loving, wailing band for you. And in The Woods, they showcase all their best qualities. Musical talent rams headfirst into ear-splitting passion in this well-storied band’s best studio album to date.