By Tarein Phillips, Contributor [Sugar Trap; 2019] Rating: 9/10 Key tracks: “Cold”, “Hatin”, “Sell Out” All ragers were ordered to come together and shake shit up in the mosh pit following the release of Rico Nasty and Kenny Beats’ new album, Anger Management. Although Rico’s signature “KENNYYYYY” tagline has become career-defining for both artists, their latest…
Category: Reviews
Album Review: Kevin Abstract – Arizona Baby
By Andrew Breazeale, Staff Writer [RCA; 2019] Rating: 7.5/10 Key tracks: “Joyride”, “Baby Boy”, “Boyer” Brockhampton frontman Kevin Abstract has returned to the solo scene with his new three-part album Arizona Baby. It’s been three years since Abstract released solo content and this album makes it clear that he has matured and evolved over the…
Album Review: Anderson .Paak – Ventura
By Kwase Lane, Staff Writer [Aftermath; 2019] Rating: 7/10 Key tracks: “Come Home”, “Make It Better”, “Winners Circle” Just six months after his latest project, Oxnard, Anderson .Paak returns to the music scene with Ventura. Oxnard was launched with a lukewarm response from many of .Paak’s fans, but Ventura sees him returning to a style…
Album Review: Priests – The Seduction of Kansas
By Maria Lubanovic, [Sister Polygon Records; 2019] Rating: 7.5/10 Key tracks: “The Seduction of Kansas”, “Good Time Charlie”, “Carol” Priests bring political power through twisted narrative lyrics and driving soundscapes, making their second LP on Sister Polygon, The Seduction of Kansas, a showcase of punk ideology and dirty rock riffs. Questions of bodily autonomy, motivation,…
Album Review: Billie Eilish – WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?
By Marvin Dotiyal, Features Editor [Darkroom/Interscope; 2019] Rating: 7.5/10 Key tracks: “xanny”, “you should see me in a crown”, “listen before i go” When Finneas O’Connell first wrote “Ocean Eyes” for his band The Slightlys, the future of the song was beyond the scope of his expectations. It was when his younger sister breathed life…
Movie Review: Five Feet Apart
By Jessica Jones, Staff Writer [Lionsgate; 2019] Rating: 4.5/10 Five Feet Apart, the latest teenage sob story to hit the big screen, is nothing more than average at best. The film takes every opportunity to make the viewers cry while also taking advantage of today’s heartthrob Cole Sprouse, who plays the main love interest, Will….
Album Review: Wallows – Nothing Happens
By Kwase Lane, Staff Writer [Atlantic; 2019] Rating: 7.5/10 Key tracks: “Are You Bored Yet?”, “Scrawny”, “Ice Cold Pool” On their debut album, Nothing Happens, Wallows dyes their colorful, upbeat instrumentation a dark gray with their moody vocals. The project is filled with songs that make for excellent background music, but it rewards close listeners…
Movie Review: Us
By Ceara Kelly, Staff Writer [Monkeypaw Productions; 2019] Rating: 7/10 Jordan Peele continues his transition from comedy king to horror god with this year’s release of Us. The unsettling film leaves even the most mundane things threatening. The genre has experienced a resurgence in the past few years, and this wonderfully unique nightmare is another…
Album Review: Lena Raine – One Knowing
By Kiah Easton, Staff Writer [Self-released; 2019] Rating: 7/10 Key tracks: “Tsukuyomi”,”Insomnia”, “Trance State” After widespread critical acclaim from her release Celeste OST, Lena Raine has used her momentum to release a debut album, One Knowing, that stands alone as a sonic experience, unaccompanied by partnered media. While the OST for Celeste is a perfectly tailored…
Movie Review: Shoplifters
By Andrew Breazeale, Staff Writer [GAGA; 2018] Rating: 8.5/10 Shoplifters introduces us to the Shibatas, a poor family of six living together under one tiny roof, scraping money together any way they can. As the title implies, shoplifting is one way they make a living, teaching their children to steal from local stores in Tokyo…
Album Review: American Football – American Football (LP3)
By Lane Moore, Reviews Editor [Polyvinyl; 2019] Rating: 8/10 Key tracks: “Silhouettes”, “Heir Apparent”, “Mine to Miss” Like a half-conjured memory, one that might’ve been a dream, American Football’s third self-titled record begins with an ambiance that immediately sets it apart from the band’s previous work. American Football’s 1999 self-titled debut record focuses on the…
Album Review: Avey Tare – Cows on Hourglass Pond
By Kiah Easton, Staff Writer [Domino; 2019] Rating: 7/10 Key tracks: “What’s The Goodside?”, “Eyes On Eyes”, “HORS_” David Portner of Avey Tare, most popularly known for co-founding Animal Collective, released a new, full-length project entitled Cows on Hourglass Pond. Clearly a driving force within Animal Collective, this project reminisces his softer, narrative tracks within…
