Nine Inch Nails’ two new albums capture the ups and downs of 2020
William Becker, Staff Writer
April 7, 2020
We are living in weird times indeed. A global pandemic has put half of the countries in the world on lockdown, canceled almost all events and closed most schools. The star of “The Apprentice” is the president of the United States and he started 2020 by getting in a Twitter beef with Iran, putting...
Childish Gambino releases surprise album ‘3.15.20’
William Becker, Staff Writer
April 5, 2020
Donald Glover has a career that spans multiple mediums, either under his real name or musician alias Childish Gambino. While many people know Childish Gambino as a Grammy-winning musician, Glover got his start as a writer for the comedy "30 Rock." In 2009 he was cast in the beloved NBC comedy "Commu...
5 Seconds of Summer differentiates itself from boy bands with new album ‘CALM’
William Becker, Staff Writer
April 2, 2020
Do you know what I really hate? I really hate advertisements. When you really sit down and think about it, ads are everywhere. If you turn on your phone, if you google something, if you check Instagram, Facebook, Reddit or Twitter, you can expect to see some company trying to sell you something. If you g...
Dua Lipa’s ‘Future Nostalgia’ is perfect to dance to
William Becker, Staff Writer
April 1, 2020
Dua Lipa is a good example of what feels like an overnight success story. Okay, maybe not overnight, but the model-turned singer was 19 years old when she signed a record contract with Warner Music Group. She released a handful of singles, including hit "New Rules," and her debut album, all by the...
“Circles” is Mac Miller’s soulful goodbye
William Becker, Staff Writer
January 20, 2020
There is something inherently exploitative about posthumous albums. The concept is usually that record companies dig through vaults to find any unreleased songs, songs which are typically unreleased for a reason, then release them in posthumous albums or compilations that the living artist had no say i...
REVIEW: Luke Combs releases album ‘What You See Is What You Get’
William Becker, Staff Writer
November 12, 2019
There is an interesting amount of diversity going on in modern country music; “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X and the remix with Billy Ray Cyrus absolutely shattered the charts with a fusion of country and rap. On the other end, Eric Church’s most recent album deeply embraced experimentation, craf...
Kanye’s “Jesus is King” is searching for meaning
Stephen Lambros, Contributing Writer
November 7, 2019
To say Kanye West is undergoing a tumultuous career moment is an understatement. While the rap artist has always been surrounded by controversy, his brand of controversy is perhaps undergoing a sort of metamorphosis; his alleged support of President Donald Trump and apparent shift from secular rap to...
Swans review: a wonderfully melancholic listen
William Becker, Staff Writer
October 30, 2019
Going through the entire Swans discography is one of the most interesting musical experiences I have ever had, which is somewhat unfortunate, considering the fact that unless you are a die-hard fan of Anthony Fantano (The Needle Drop) or really like experimental music, you have probably never heard of...
Five albums for spooky season
William Becker, Staff Writer
October 16, 2019
Editor's Note: This post contains sensitive and possibly disturbing content. Halloween is coming, and of course, everyone needs some music to fit in with the season, either for parties or to just get “in the mood.” A lot of places come out with lists like this and usually include soundtracks ...
Taylor Swift’s “Lover” brings back a familiar sound with grown-up feel
Fairley Lloyd, Staff Writer
September 24, 2019
Taylor Swift is back again with new music. She released her seventh studio album, “Lover,” on Aug. 23, 2019. Like Swift’s previous albums, “Lover” has a special touch to it that makes it familiar yet also different in many ways. However, unlike her past albums, “1989” and “Reputation,” “L...
JPEGMAFIA’s third album is a glimpse into the future of rap
Gabrielle Maynor, Contributing Writer
September 18, 2019
To say that JPEGMAFIA’s third album, “All My Heroes Are Cornballs,” represents a change in sound would be ridiculous—what was his sound before? On his instantly iconic sophomore project “Veteran,” a highlight from a year littered with experimental hip-hop, JPEGMAFIA proved that he could bend ...
Embrace “nothing” with Korn’s 13th studio album
William Becker, Staff Writer
September 16, 2019
Korn is an interesting blend of genres and might be the poster child for what we now know as nu-metal (if you do not know what nu-metal is, think Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Deftones, Slipknot and System of a Down to get an idea.) Since their self-titled debut in 1994, Korn has produced an odd blend of...