Mannequin Pussy @ The Fonda [4/29/24]
Mannequin Pussy was unbridled sacrilege, defiant and rugged, teasing and contemplative. They took their audience to church, whipped them into a climactic frenzy, and left them on their knees.
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The Sounds that Shaped Us: Titanic Rising
“The inferno of the living is not something that will be; if there is one, it is what is already here, the inferno where we live every day, that we form by being together. There are two ways to escape suffering it. The first is easy for many: accept the inferno and become such a…
Album Review: Unrecognisable
Written by Candace Fernandez For Estonian-born artist Alina Astrova, music is a channel for abstraction. Releasing solo tracks under the alias’ Lolina and Inga Copeland since 2014, as well as collaborating with Dean Blunt on Hyper Williams since 2011, the nonlocality of Astrova’s musical identity is mirrored in the indistinction of her sound. While her…
Album Review: Prelude to Ecstasy
Prelude to Ecstasy is massively successful as a debut, as much a period piece as a fourth-wave feminist dissertation. At times, overwhelmingly pop sonic qualities clash with lyrical norm transgressions, yet the album ultimately triumphs in its polished sonic qualities, catchy hooks, and punchy lyrics.
GROUND CONTROL TOURING PRESENTS: SECOND ANNUAL ABORTION ACCESS BENEFIT SERIES @ The Lodge Room [1/20/24]
Improvised, created on-the-spot EDM from Reggie Watts, synchronized hitch kicks from the “anti-rock” Faux Real, dramatized undulations from Actually Huizenga of Patriarchy as she ran her tongue over an unsuspecting mic stand. With a diverse lineup embodying the DIY, the avant garde, and the sensational, the artists of the Annual Abortion Access Benefit Series appeared to have taken Watts’ meditations to heart, utilizing their talents to directly or indirectly protest the United States government’s usurpation of women’s bodies.
Album Review: Rejected Fish
Written by Candace Fernandez I’ve never believed endings to be as finite as their temporal close. Rather, endings seem to work in emotional waves, where moments of memory and irrecollection evade our own realms of understanding and exist in a state of perpetual motion. For Åsa Söderqvist, the Swedish artist behind the musical project ShitKid,…
On Becoming Something More: SHILPA’s Debut Album ESSAR
On her debut album, Shilpa evokes her environment as she explores what it means to grow into our humanity.
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…
“Self Control”: Seven Years of Frank Ocean’s Soulful Summer End
Some days when the sun goes down and the night’s muggy air sits on my shoulders, heavy as a phantom embrace, I find myself lying down alone in my neighborhood park and listening to “Self Control.”
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…
The Sounds that Shaped Us: Norman F***ing Rockwell
You’re 16 and you’re gazing out at the sky. Your retinas are met with the glimmering lights of a magnificent Southeast Asian metropolis, contrasted by the subdued darkness of the night. As the average high schooler within this big city, you exist within a bubble of linear algebra, sneaking into 18+ horror movies & going…
Full of Sound and Fury
When I was getting ready to move into my college dorm and leave my lifelong home, all I could think about was the past. All I could think about were the friends I’d probably never see again, my younger sisters that I wouldn’t see grow up, the past that would always remain history. These were…
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.
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…
Rozzi “I Can’t Go to the Party” Music Video
Rozzi treats listeners to her rich voice, relatable lyrics and striking music video in her new single “I Can’t Go to the Party”. San Francisco born and LA based, Rozzi brings a creative eye and personal twist to both soul and R&B. Her lyrical strength is reflective of her willingness to be vulnerable and open.…
Rosie Tucker’s “Habanero” Music Video
Rosie Tucker’s “Habanero” is an anthem of self-discovery, love, and what-ifs.
Bachelor’s New Single “Sick of Spiraling”
Brand new indie rock duo Bachelor have come together to deliver the perfect bitter-sweet summer anthem. “Sick of Spiraling” is a warm and nostalgic representation of new band Bachelor’s unique sound. Opening with twangy guitar sounds and a mellow drumline in the background, duo Melina Duarte and Melissa Kempner introduce the melancholy dreaminess of their…