Everyone on campus listens to music but not everyone on campus listens to WGRE. Why? I am not quite sure, but they should be tuning in.
There is a lot of great music worth discovering every day and WGRE is playing it. WGRE receives hundreds of CDs from musicians and promoters every week.
Some of it is bad and will not be played on the air, but some of it is great. Music can come from Nashville, New York and even from Europe. The music directors and volunteers at WGRE listen to the music, discuss it and decide what will be added to the rotation that is played on the radio.
Occasionally, the WGRE staff gets lucky and strikes musical gold. Ladies and gentlemen, WGRE recently struck gold.
When going through the week's potential add-ons, I found a Dutch groove trio who I had heard before in high school: Kraak and Smaak.
Their sophomore album, "Plastic People," out in the U.S. in 2008 features singles "Squeeze Me" and "Man of Constant Sorrow." It hit the dance scene with groovy tracks complete with funky bass lines and captivating disco beats.
Although not as popular in the U.S., "Squeeze Me" topped the European charts at No. 6. Although the album is jam packed with groovy tunes, it lacks a focus that makes it hard to enjoy the album as a whole.
On Oct. 28, Kraak and Smaak released their fourth album, "Chrome Waves." The album itself is much more focused than anything they released before. There are common themes of love and a failed relationship that progress throughout the album.
The first track, "The Future of Yours," proclaims a love for life and hope for tomorrow. By the third track and first single, "Good for the City," the Dutch trio embodies desperation to stay together. Each song is groovier than the last, with a shocking turn to hip-hop in "The Upper Hand."
"Chrome Waves" is an obvious breakout considering this past year's music hits ("Random Access Memories" by Daft Punk, "Woman" by Rhye and "Settle" by Disclosure). It has elements of each band woven into each song. Disclosure-like bass lines the tracks "Where You Been" and "F.A.M.E." and grooves from Daft Punk in "The Future is Yours" and "Good for the City." Kraak and Smaak hit it big with this dance enthused album.
The runtime of "Chrome Waves" is one hour, and I highly recommend spending that hour and giving it an honest listen. It is filled with emotion and still makes you want to dance to every tune. The trio takes you through their emotional downfall that comes from breaking up and makes it soothing to hear.
The album blends through many genres dating back to disco while still renovating the dance genre of the 1990s.
Instrumentally, it's a combination of live drums and bass with an electric influence in keys and effects. Many of the vocal parts present a grand European accent that commands the truth out of their hearts. "Chrome Waves" is disco re-mastered and is the "Random Access Memories" of the fall.
Kraak and Smaak will be added to the music rotation in the following days and will be played across WGRE on the web and 91.5 FM next week. Keep your ears open; I think you will know when you hear it.
- Austin is a music department staff member at WGRE.