Column & Photography by Sam Cohen

What’s up? I’m Sam Cohen, student DJ and Assistant Music Director at WRSU. This monthly column breaks down my experience in college radio. I’ll be sharing what music the studio is grooving to, vinyl record library discoveries, why radio still matters, the best new releases, and more. 

I’ve hosted my show Slanted and Enchanted Radio every Thursday at 1PM EST for the past year, focusing on varieties of indie rock. Bands in the realm of slacker greats like Pavement and Silver Jews are my specialty — Stephen Malkmus is the unofficial mascot of my show.

2025’s Best Bands

We’re officially a month past the autumn semester, and there were a ton of classic records on air. The band everyone was and still is talking about (myself included) is Geese. Fronted by Cameron Winter, Geese have become an irreplaceable act in a stubborn industry. They are nothing like other indie rock acts that American bands have bored themselves into; Winter’s lyrics are bitter and volatile, backed by a clamoring cacophony of noise.

Before their newest LP, Getting Killed, dropped, I tried my best to spread Winter’s gospel to my fellow DJs. Although lured by his dreamy pianos and tender guitars, much of the studio turned against his solo work due to his ancient voice. Winter is often compared to Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan for his vocals and lyrics. However, after the record was released, everyone came around. It’s led our ‘top plays of the week’ for a month, and jealousy has built between those who have and don’t have tix for their Getting Killed World Tour. Whether or not you’re seeing New York’s finest rockstars since The Strokes perform live this fall, you were sure to hear them on college airwaves.

New Music We Can’t Get Enough Of

Every Monday night, the music department gathers to listen to new music and vote on whether or not our DJs should spin it live. Let’s get into a couple of the studio’s faves.

Indie pop duo Babygirl blends the aesthetic of Men I Trust with the whimsy of Clairo on their new LP, Stay Here Where It’s Warm. As the title indicates, their sound is cozy, like dropping into a fresh pile of sun-baked leaves in the fall. “You Don’t Need A Reason To Call” grasps you with its steady rhythm before veering into melancholic synth space. The group has been making music for a decade, culminating in their debut album, which draws together all their experiences. 

Jay Som is another artist the studio’s been digging. A stage name of Melina Duterte’s, she’s no newcomer, but her first album in four years takes her to her most imaginative form yet. Her collab with Hayley Williams is a hit for pretty much all the student DJs and a spiraling glimpse into Som’s sound. On her new record, Belong, Duterte grips her listeners with bouncy indie anthems – ready to be screamed through the roof of a car. 

Babygirl and Jay Som are recommended by the studio if you like outgrowing your ex, hazy fall bike rides, and last-minute excursions to the woods.

Diggin’ The Library For College Radio Classics

The ubiquitous moment of overstimulation at WRSU is the first time they walk into the physical media library. It’s like the Times Square of vinyl and CDs — but condensed into a walk-in closet. Every month, I’ll be highlighting an artist you can find in our library, which has been home to goodies and classics since the golden age of college radio. Given the name of my show, I’m leading it off with Pavement, the anti-commercial alt-rockers, who intentionally imploded their career on multiple occasions.

Pavement famously followed the release of their MTV-featured LP, Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, with the zany excursion, Wowee Zowee, riffing between a benchmark in songwriting and utter stupidity. It cemented Pavement as a force that liked to fool around. They could have been a B-tier Nirvana; instead, they were a rustic Sonic Youth. That’s what made the group so special: they went out of their way not to fit in, and you hear it in their sound.

A recurring segment of my show features me playing live Pavement tracks from the ‘90s. At first, it was about the music, but now I do it for the sound. Sometimes, I somehow love the grainy, fan-recorded bootlegs and how they capture the show’s atmosphere more than Malkmus’ vocals. My favorite live era is the simply ruthless ‘94-’95 tours. Check out this performance of Fillmore Jive to understand the outlandishness.

Wrap Up & Rewind

The WRSU music department is buzzing with a handful of recruits getting ready to get behind the board. An exciting sign that the future isn’t letting go of college radio. Although public broadcasting has received brutal funding cuts in the past weeks, the push for music discovery across college campuses will not be lost, and our voices will be heard.

I hope you enjoyed this college radio update. Stay tuned for more insight and news live from the studio in a few weeks!