The spring semester is coming to a close and the BIRN is proud to announce our upcoming 1 year anniversary! We've grown a lot this year and we hope you found a show that fits your musical style, or maybe an interview on BIRN2 has caught your interest. With artists like Allesandro Cortini (of Nine Inch Nails) or our career chat with George Massenburg and Linda Ronstadt. Listen to BIRN2 to hear more great content. Soon we'll be launching our newest channel, BIRN 5: BIN on the BIRN, broadcasting from Berklee's International Network partner schools in Mexico, France, Brazil. Spain, Ecuador, Malaysia, Germany, Japan, Ireland, Greece, Finland, Israel and Korea. Unfortunately, our new studios in Boston are still underway due to construction difficulties, but they will most definitely be up and running this summer and we will have many pretty pictures for your viewing pleasure.
This semester we've had interviews with:
Allesandro Cortini
Linda Ronstadt
Nomo
Elizabeth and the Catapult
Caribou
Mellodrone
Kym Tuvim
Susan Rogers
Andrew Dawson
Kendrick Oliver
Hymas
Nathaniel Kunkel
Richard Gibbs
Vijay Iyer
In other news, the BIRN hosted this year's New Music Festival concert series and Singer's Showcase at the Berklee Performance Center, and spread word of the BIRN to an eclectic and receptive audience. Also, our latest BIRN t-shirts devised by Edward Loveall are now in print and will be on sale for $15 at the Berklee bookstore this summer. The design, reminiscent of the "Got Milk?" advertising campaign, poses the question, "Got Crossfade?"
The satisfaction of every successful semester is always wrought with grief and angst when we must bid our graduating DJs farewell. Many of our most dedicated DJs and management members are graduating this spring, so be sure to catch their last few shows before they thrown in the towel. From everyone at the BIRN, we hope you have a warm and sunny spring and as always, thanks for listening!
Graduating DJs:
Matt Baxter
Michael Conrad
Julie Grebenau
Matt Gilfus
Mary Jarchow
Stepher Kang
Noah Lambert
Michelle Moreno
Michelle Mancini
You can now submit your music to The BIRN through our new submission process. Click here for more info.
Tokyo Police Club

After riding the buzz and hype waves surrounding their debut EP, A Lesson In Crime, Tokyo Police Club have returned with a proper full-length debut. Once again, they keep it short, with the album clocking in at just under 28 minutes. And every single song finishes in less than three minutes, with one exception. So, as it would seem, they keep it simple and to-the-point; this is not an album of musical genius. What it is, however, is fun. It's catchy, upbeat pop that will stick in your head. That being said, I think the album is not quite up to par with A Lesson In Crime. The strongest song on the album is certainly "Your English Is Good", and I feel like that is one of the only songs that matches the immediate attention-grabbing qualities of every song on that first EP. But, what Elephant Shell trades out for in immediacy, it gains in consistency. This album shows a band that is more comfortable with itself and its songs. One could even say they're more mature, but this is still Tokyo Police Club we're talking about. It's a pretty good album, and it will please Tokyo Police Club fans, as well as certainly earning them many more.
Elephant Shell will be released April 22nd via Saddle Creek.
review by Keith Nelson
Atist: M83
Album: Saturdays = Youth
Released 4/15/08

M83's sound is characterized by their 90's shoegaze, wall of sound electronica, but Saturdays = Youth deviates from their more contemporary sound to focus on what is best characterized as an ode to the 80's. Their former albums possessed an overall precision and delicacy not found in their newest release's relentless wash of synth pads. These droning synths and sparse vocals throughout give the impression that you've never changed tracks, but what it lacks in variety, Saturday's = Youth compensates for in repetitive chord progressions with powerful trance inducing qualities. If you're seeking an especially soporific number, try the very Brian Eno-esque "Midnight Souls Still Remain," which employs a mere two chords, sans melody, and carries on for a solid 11 minutes. I might suggest this album for fans of both the 80's and sleep.
review by Lisa Lane