WMSC Music Picks: Spring Semester 2022

Welcome to WMSC Music Picks – a collaboration of music reviews of members from our radio station! In this article, our members review some tunes that made their spring semester!

“The Number 22” – Ashbury Heights

Review By Aidan Ivers

“The Number 22” by Swedish dark synth-pop duo Ashbury Heights has had a personal connection to me over this past semester. In addition to the song giving me the inspiration to post on social media for “Twos-day” (also known as February 22, 2022) and my first-ever roommate turning 22 years old in the spring, it was also in the constant rotation to keep my mind and ears distracted from potential college stresses that may have arisen. The bouncy vocals of singer-songwriter Anders Hagström and former singer-songwriter and member Tea F. Thimé (also known as “Tea Time”) mixed with the electronic flow provide listeners with a work that puts the perspectives of Hagström and Thimé in their own from their creative lyrics. According to the CD booklet of The Looking Glass Society, the album “was written and recorded between May 2013 and January 2015” before being released in July 2015. This was the first new album from the duo after their disbandment and then resurgence between 2010 and 2011, resulting from a financial dispute and then compromise with their label, Out of Line Music. The CD booklet for the album goes onto read how the songs a part of it “were recorded in between occurrences with varying degrees of enthusiasm, sobriety and joy.” These insights from Ashbury Heights depict to fans that they are truly dedicated to their craft and continue to be a spectacle in providing art that speaks to the entity of whoever may listen to it.

“Voulez-Vous” – ABBA

Review By Jared Tauber

The most important music discovery of mine this year has been ABBA. Having listened to each of their albums multiple times though having never seen Mamma Mia! (2008) has made me quite the unique ABBA fan. Listening to their discography in chronological order, it hadn’t dawned on me that they were only using a small percentage of their power level until I hit ‘play’ on Voulez-Vous (1979). 

Rarely have I loved a song as instantly as I did “As Good As New.” From the moment the drums, bass, and funk guitar kicked in after that exuberant “violin” synthesizer intro, I knew this would be my favorite ABBA record. 

Voulez-Vous is a no-skips album. Don’t believe me? Let’s run the tracklist. 

1. As Good As New — Banger. 
2. Voulez-Vous — Slapper. 
3. I Have A Dream — Come on! 
4. Angeleyes — LOOK INTO HIS ANGEL EYES 
5. The King Has Lost His Crown — ‘Nother banger. 
6. Does Your Mother Know — BRO. 
7. If It Wasn’t For The Nights — AAAAAAAAAAAAA
8. Chiquitita — Classic! 
9. Lovers (Live A Little Longer) — Werrrrrk. 
10. Kisses Of Fire — KISSES OF FIRE BURNING BURNING / I’M AT THE POINT OF NO RETURNING / KISSES OF FIRE, SWEET DEVOTIONS / CAUGHT IN A LANDSLIDE OF EMOTIOOOOONS 
11. Summer Night City — hyperventilates into a paper bag
12. Lovelight — Okay, vocoder! 
13. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) — ┌( ಠ_ಠ )┘

I rest my case. And let’s face it, I am a sucker for disco, and Voulez-Vous is the paragon of said genre. A front-to-back masterpiece the entire family can enjoy.

“If You Ever Leave I’m Coming With You” – The Wombats

Review By Emily ‘Emol’ McCormack

This song is one that I became obsessed with very quickly… I have yet to hear a song by The Wombats that I don’t absolutely love, but for some reason this one was different. I appreciate that there’s no music introduction to the song- you press play and you’re immediately hit with the vocals. Since I first heard it, I decided to make up a stories for myself and decide what the song was truly about, and from there I started planning a project using the song (I refused to watch their music video because I wanted to make something of my own… but you can watch it if you would like lol). I thought I would be making a music video, but I actually ended up using this song as inspiration for my first project for my filmmaking class! I changed up my interpretation of the song quite a few times while working on a script… I’m still in the process of making it the version I want without my course deadline, but I certainly do hope I make The Wombats proud with my interpretation of their story. Basically, this song is one that carried me through this entire semester, and I’m glad that it guided me through making a cool project of mine! I hope to see this band live one day… currently adding them to the list.

“Rainy Day” – Ice Nine Kills

Review By Emily ‘Emol’ McCormack

Despite seeing this band years ago… I somehow never really listened to Ice Nine Kills until this semester. I can definitely thank my co-host (and bestie heyyy) Kyle Pepitone for that one… I don’t think he would allow himself to become this close to someone without making them listen to his favorite band the way I do now. While this isn’t necessarily a “motivational” song per say, the vibes are definitely something that got me through difficult days this semester… Many tired Tuesdays I would listen to this song and others that Kyle and I would play on our show Heavy is the Crown, and “Rainy Day” is the one that stuck the most. Perhaps it’s because Ash Costello, one of my favorite vocalists ever, played a role in the music video, or maybe it’s because it’s genuinely an epic song. Oh, and meeting frontman Spencer Charnas (better known simply as “Him.” behind the scenes at WMSC) at Monster Mania Con. was certainly epic and something I now get to smile about every time I listen to this song!

“00:00 (Zero O’Clock)” – BTS

Review by Mari Zuniga

This song really got me through the semester. The song is sung by the main vocalists of BTS:  Jin, V, Jungkook, and Jimin. They sing about those days when you are sad, or stressed, or just straight up upset that it will all go away when the clock turns 00:00 or 12 a.m. As a senior who just graduated, this semester was pretty stressful, and we were finally exiting out of online classes. It was awesome but also stressful. Going from two years of online classes back to the full swing of in person classes was a lot, but this song reminded that tomorrow would be a better day. It would to be a reset button once I woke up the next day. I also love that I learned a little Korean while listening to it. It’s a good song to listen to when I need to catch my breath. 

“Not Giving You Up” – Big Time Rush

Review by Mari Zuniga

I chose this song because like I said about my last pick, it was a pretty stressful final semester and this party song was what I needed. Music Director and local Rusher Jared Tauber showed me this song, and at first I was skeptical about BTR’s new music… but once I sat down and gave it a listen, I couldn’t keep it off of repeat. It became my pick up party song when I needed my spirit to be lifted. It’s an up-beat song that lets me escape and be in my own happy place for three minutes. Plus, it takes me back to my Rusher roots. 

“White Whale” – Shadow Academy 

Review By Kyle Pepitone

This is the first single released by Dan Avidan’s new band, Shadow Academy. I wish I could say the night Shadow Academy released “White Whale” was as awesome as the song itself, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case. After finishing up a late night radio show, I headed back to my dorm around three in the morning and for reasons I will not explain here, I was unable to stay in my room that night. While walking around campus to clear my mind, I turned on “White Whale” for the first time and was immediately calmed by the band’s sound. Ever since then, I’ve been listening to the song in situations both good and bad.

Citizen Solider

Review by Kyle Pepitone

In addition to coming out with a full album this semester (This Is Your Sign Part II), all of Citizen Soldier’s songs deal with mental health. Putting this band on shuffle will guarantee a song that will give you a cathartic experience that will help you through your day. Every two weeks, the band released a new single and each time I was able to relate to the songs. The songs covered a range of topics from feelings of stress and anxiety, to forgiving past grievances and celebrating life. The band doesn’t just focus on sad or happy songs, but rather a mix that can help you push through whenever you’re feeling down.

You can check out WMSC April Music Picks article here!