Friday, April 25, 2008

WTBU DAY!!!

WTBU PRESENTS "WTBU DAY 2008"
FILM SCHOOL
THE KING LEFT
SPITZER SPACE TELESCOPE

SATURDAY APRIL 26TH
8 PM @ B.U. CENTRAL
FREE FOR B.U./$5 NON B.U.



Please come out Saturday night and support WTBU at WTBU Day! It will be lots of fun, awesome bands, free givaways. WTBU would also like to send a huge "thanks" to our sponsors. (Support these local businesses!)

Boston Pizza and Grill
270 Babcock St.
Boston, MA 02215
(617) 562-1400

Better Place Realty
1038 Beacon Street
Brookline, MA 02446
(617) 713-4404

University Barber Shop
728 Commonwealth Ave
Boston, MA 02215
(617) 247-2789

WTBU Fundraiser @ Boston Pizza & Grill

Boston Pizza & Grill and WTBU are working together this week, Thursday April 26th to Thursday May 1st, in a fundraiser which ends up giving customers 10% off their order! You can receive the discount for take-out, eat-in, and even when you place a delivery order!

All you have to do is mention WTBU when you order your pizza, sub, calzone, or anything from the menu and good ol’ Eli and his family down in West Campus will give you 10% off your order while 10% of the sales come back to WTBU.

So please remember to help us out while you save some money on take-out!

Boston Pizza & Grill
270 Babcock St.
Boston, MA 02215
*** (617)562-1400 ***

Thanks so much, and keep us in mind this week (or weekend) when you’re thinking about where to eat!

--Kristen Fleury

Friday, April 18, 2008

Mariah Carey: E=MC²

Pop icon Mariah Carey is back with her long awaited 11th studio album. Unfortunately, she continues her unimpressive streak with E=MC², another RnB, hip-hop, dance hybrid with too many duds.

It's disappointing that Mariah still seems to be grasping for what's hot right now instead of being true to herself. While she will continue to sell (some) records and keep the mainstream interested with marketable hits such as "Touch My Body," she seems to be merely playing the part of hip and current pop star rather than committing to the inspired songwriting she's capable of.

The album opens with "Migrate," a beat-heavy track from producer-of-the-moment Danja. It falls flat even with T-Pain's help on the last verse (I know, it's hard to believe). Mariah is capable of making the urban sound work, as she proved with 1997's Butterfly, arguably her best album to date. However, the majority of her hip-hop collaborations in recent years have come off sounding contrived and unoriginal. That trend continues on this album, though "Side Effects" with Young Jeezy stands out.

Jermaine Dupri's signature Island/Def Jam production is stamped all over the album. Not surprisingly, it (still) doesn't work. His beats get repetitive while similar-sounding songs tend to bleed into each other; you'll quickly grow tired of the same uninteresting boom-boom-clapping found on most tracks.

Just when you think there is not much salvagable here, Mariah's true talent resurfaces at the close of the album. She ends doing what she does best; "I Wish You Well," a soulful piano ballad with a heavy gospel sound, showcases Mariah's vocals. She knows she can't sing with the power and range she brought in the 90s, but she tactfully relies on her vocal control and restraint with success here.

The magic is still there somewhere, buried underneath the gimmicks and the Glitter, but there is too much mediocrity on Mariah's latest effort to earn a satisfactory grade.

Mariah, forget about street cred, ditch JD, and get back to the piano. To quote The Pipettes, "baby, just be yourself!" Until then, let us take comfort in the fact that for every "Touch My Body," there's a "Hero."

--Jessy Bartlett

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Music Department Update, 4/1

This Week's Top Five New Adds:
1. The Black Keys- Attack and Release. You know you will like this album, so give it a play. If you haven't heard of TBK, you should have and I'm sorry for you. Great guitar parts with the sound of rock perfected on this much-anticipated album. BAD-ASS.

2. Drew Danburry- Mother. Drew Danburry is my favorite artist in the United States. His music is extremely raw and beautiful—his lyrics are his strength. Drew has toured the US for a few years now… he is slowly making a name for himself… he is the nicest person I have ever met and I would love it if you play his CD. Sounds like Elliott Smith slightly/Doveman.

3. Foals- Antidotes. A subpop album worth acknowledgement. Hip, British music: Oxford University drop-outs! A little like Bloc Party vocally.

4. The David Wax Museum- I Turned Off Thinking About. Beautiful, quiet music with soft vocals. Think Iron and Wine with more strings. So much time and effort was put into this album musically. All tracks are playable.

5. Moby- Last Night. Moby's out with his latest! He returns to his old form with this album of dance music. Try "Ooh Yeah" and "Disco Lies" from this 42 year-old Vegan.

Current Top Five Most Played Albums:
1. Kenny G – The Essential Kenny G
2. Fleetwood Mac - Tusk
3. R. Kelly – Trapped in the Closet (Chpts. I-XXIII)
4. Michael Bolton – Swingin' Christmas
5. Ronny James Dio – Holy Diver

--Jen Brown & Keith Simpson