Q&A: EKKSTACY

By Hannah Burkhart, Contributor[Photo provided by EKKSTACY] Editorial content warning: self-harm, attempted suicide Q&A with Vancouver artist EKKSTACY. First off, let’s get some background perspective on you as an artist: what encouraged you to launch your music career? How has your life changed since you started making music? EKKSTACY: I have loved music since I…

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Album Review: The Mountain Goats – Getting Into Knives

By Ethan Bloomfield, Contributor[Merge; 2020]Rating: 6/10 Key Tracks: “The Last Place I Saw You Alive”, “Bell Swamp Connection”, “Getting Into Knives” What can be said about The Mountain Goats that hasn’t been? John Darnielle and company have created 13 studio albums and some of the biggest indie classics for the better part of three decades….

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Album Review: Ariana Grande – Positions

By Lauren McCain, Columns Editor [Republic Records; 2020]Rating: 7.5/10  Key tracks: “positions”, “34+35”, “safety net (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)”, “pov”  After the whirlwind of her albums Sweetener and thank u, next less than five months apart in 2019, in 2020, Ariana Grande brings a more intimate, sultry R&B sound to the table with Positions. Positions makes…

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Newport Folk Festival limited edition vinyl package sells out within hours

By Ethan Bloomfield, Contributor Attention vinyl fans: another great sale has already come and gone! A pre-order for the limited vinyl release of music-icon collaboration album A Change is Gonna Come sold out within a few hours. The vinyl was released in support of the Newport Festivals Foundation, a charity created in 2010 “to support…

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Covers: An Overview of Approaches for Reimagining Pop Music

By Jonah Krueger, News Editor So, you want to cover a song? Wonderful! Let us start by congratulating you for making this tremendous decision and reinforce how excited we are that you chose us™ to help you along this rewarding journey. Legally, we are required to inform you of the potential risks involved with covering…

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Records I’m Not Ashamed to Own

By RJ Martin, Music Director  Within the landscape of mid-to-late-2000s butt-rock and post-hardcore, there are few acts that rose above the rest and created music that had staying power.  In fact, as far as I’m concerned, there may only be one that matters: Avenged Sevenfold. After putting out two independent records and rising to major-label…

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Lil Nas X announces new song in bizarre commercial

By Ben Lindner, Contributor Lil Nas X took to television during “Sunday Night Football” to offer an absurd advertisement for his new song “Holiday”, which releases Friday, Pitchfork reported. Read more: Run The Jewels releases shirts with a purpose The advertisement features Lil Nas X time traveling to a western town while his Grammy-winning hit…

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Run The Jewels releases shirts with a purpose

By Lauren Patterson, Copy Editor Hip-hop duo Run The Jewels have announced a limited edition T-shirt collection, “Hold Our Hands,” with Charitees. The announcement came Monday via Twitter, urging voting and supporting organizations. All proceeds from the tees go to corresponding charities, Brooklyn Vegan reported. Read more: Japanese electronic group Black Boboi announce new album…

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Album Review: Touché Amoré – Lament

By Jonah Krueger, News Editor[Epitaph; 2020]Rating: 8.5/10 Key tracks: “Come Heroine”, “Reminders”, “Limelight”, “Deflector” Touché Amoré has rightly become an emo A-lister, managing to vary its approach to songwriting while remaining remarkably consistent in quality with each release. Yet, the glamorous rise of the band was abruptly halted with the release of their fourth album. …

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Vaporwave and Punk Rock: Opposite Aesthetics, Similar Goals

By Ethan Bloomfield, Contributor
Anarchy is a complicated idea. Generally, when one thinks of anarchy, they think of burning buildings, burly men with mohawks and motorcycles and a lawlessness only seen on the silver screen. While this is anarchy, the real definition of the word according to Merriam-Webster is simply “an absence of government.” Why does any of this matter? Why am I telling you any of this?

Album Review: Machinedrum – A View of U

By Kiah Easton, Editorial Director[Ninja Tune; 2020]Rating: 5.5/10 Key tracks:”Kane Train”, “Believe in U”, “Inner Eye” Machinedrum, a.k.a. Travis Stewart, delivers a product fitting for his moniker. A View of U is a clean, percussion-heavy project hosting a total of nine different features, from Father to Tigran Hamasyan. Reflecting this lengthy list of collaborators, the…

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