An All-American Hit: Dissecting The Guts Of Olivia Rodrigo’s Sophomore Album
After over two years since the release of her staggeringly successful debut album, SOUR, pop megastar Olivia Rodrigo has finally given the people what they want: her highly anticipated sophomore album, GUTS, released on September 8, 2023. Make no mistake, I am a huge Olivia Rodrigo fan. As a fellow musician and melodramatic, overthinking, obsessive…
Columbo Album Review
I have been a listener of Bruno Major since his 2017 album, A Song For Every Moon. His ambient musical style allows a person to sink into each song, landing at least one of his songs on almost all of my playlists. Columbo is Major’s third studio album and is arguably the most minimalist member…
Summer Salt @ The Observatory OC [7/15/23]
Orange County, California: home to 40 miles of beaches, world-class surfing, and glimmering sunshine. What could be a better location for a Summer Salt concert? 2012 saw Matthew Terry (vocalist/guitarist) and Eugene Chung’s (drummer) introduction into the Austin, TX music scene, developing a sound reminiscent of bossa nova, 60s rocksteady, and surf psychedelia. Two years…
Hippo Campus @ The Greek [5/14/23]
“album cycle tours? old hat, played out, over! ep cycle tours? IN, fresh, sexy. only the hottest bands tour on ep releases. catch us on the road dishing out the hits and subjecting you to only minimal new music!” Hippo Campus’ Instagram post @thehalocline 5/15/23 Hippo Campus knows why you’re at The Greek. Yeah, they…
Rediscovering Taylor Swift’s “reputation”
On November 10th, 2017, Taylor Swift released an album like nothing the world had heard from her before. A far cry from her clean-cut country days, reputation was enigmatic, glittering, and expansive. On the album’s lead single, “Look What You Made Me Do”, Swift leaves us an unapologetic voicemail: “I’m sorry, the old Taylor can’t…
Mystery Music Mosaic: Moodswings in This Order by DPR Ian
I’ll admit that K-pop is not my musical genre of choice. I didn’t grow up listening to it; instead, I was immersed in Joni Mitchell, the Police, and Depeche Mode, which are arguably as far as you can get from the peppy and catchy Korean pop that engages a young global audience with astonishing reach.…
Mystery Music Mosaic: Remind Me Tomorrow by Sharon Van Etten
Slow, rhythmic, atmospheric. These are the characteristics that jump out from the internal reverberations of a pair of headphones or car speakers when listening to “I Told You Everything” or “Jupiter 4” by Sharon Van Etten.
Mystery Music Mosaic: Connections by Matthew Whitaker
With Connections, Whitaker proves himself as a virtuoso in his field, drawing relations between himself and iconic jazz musicians, between conflict and resolution, but most of all, between his music and his audience.
UCLA Radio’s Top Picks of 2021
Graphic by Fabian Artist: Genesis OwusuAlbum/Project: Smiling with No TeethBy Max Dallas Genesis Owusu’s smashing debut oozes with eccentricity and affirms his status as a powerhouse within Australia’s new generation of hip-hop artists. As a part of a slapped-together five-piece band, Owusu jammed for over sixty hours in one week to form the foundation of…
Rozzi “Hymn for Tomorrow” Review
Raw talent is hard to come by. Even rarer is raw talent matched emotional vulnerability, sultry vocals and unique personal style. Luckily, 29 year-old Rozzi Crane from San Francisco provides all of the above in her upcoming EP “Hymn for Tomorrow”. This soul-inspired, emotional project is reflective of Rozzi’s talent as both a vocalist and…
Tyler, the Creator “CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST” Review
Call Me If You Get Lost is Tyler’s second consecutive album to debut at No.1 on the Billboard 200 chart. It also serves as an installment of DJ Drama’s expansive Gangsta Grillz mixtape series. While Tyler pays homage to the mixtape culture he grew up with, he revises several of its conventions, thus progressing hip-hop…
Oh, To Be A Kid Again: Quarantining with Harry Nilsson’s “The Point”
Harry Nilsson’s 1970 album The Point! has been a kind of security blanket for children since its release, and during quarantine, has played a curiously similar role for my young adult self. It’s a comfortable middle ground between watching a meaningful but emotionally taxing film, and watching an actual children’s show. “Sure, it’s a children’s…