Album Review: David Byrne — American Utopia

By Emily DiAlbert, Contributor [Nonesuch; 2018] Rating: 7/10 Key Tracks: “I Dance Like This”, “Gasoline and Dirty Sheets”, “Bullet” If music had its own Saturday Night Live, American Utopia would be its first episode. Talking Heads frontman David Byrne expertly intertwines stark commentary on the American political climate with witty and, at times, odd humor in…

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Movie Review: A Wrinkle in Time

By Ceara Kelly, Contributor [Disney; 2018] Rating: 5/10 A Wrinkle in Time was a magical story from many people’s childhood, but its 2018 retelling leans too heavily on special effects and big name actors to keep that whimsy alive. While the core message and plot of the book shone through, the already odd pacing is only…

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Album Review: Lil Yachty – Lil Boat 2

By Jon Fuchs, Music Director [Quality Control; 2018] Rating: 5.5/10 Key Tracks: “OOPS”, “she ready”, “love me forever” Since his quick rise in 2016, Lil Yachty has been one of the most head-turning and mind-boggling rappers to blow up in recent memory. Thanks to his quirky style on albums like Lil Boat and Teenage Emotions, he…

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Unappreciated: Laserdisc Visions

By Eli Schoop, Contributor Browsing through YouTube, as we all do, the eventual discovery of Floral Shoppe by Macintosh Plus belies a certain intrigue, somewhere between the weirdness of the Internet and the hint of something more surrealist and astonishing. Deep inside your cranium, there becomes an inevitable understanding of this creation by Vektroid, and…

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Movie Review: Annihilation

By Ceara Kelly, Contributor [Paramount Pictures, 2018] Rating: 7/10 There is no doubt that Annihilation will hold up as one of the most beautiful and disturbing movies of the year. The haunting visuals of the Shimmer are unlike anything seen in previous horrors, thrillers or sci-fi movies, with phenomenal acting only making it more convincing. There…

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Album Review: Andrew W.K. – You’re Not Alone

By Eric Perzanowski, Staff Writer [Sony; 2018] Rating: 7/10 Key Tracks: “I Don’t Know Anything”, “Music Is Worth Living For”, “The Devil’s On Your Side” It seems as if in the nine years since his last studio album, Andrew W.K. has built a career that exists beyond his musical endeavors. His growth as a motivational speaker…

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Revis(it)ing the Past: 2016 Edition

By Eric Perzanowski, Staff Writer Every year when December rolls around, I get the same sense of inundation. These feelings can originate from a number of things: finals, the looming holiday season, the impending changes to the weather. However, what really puts me over the top is the bombardment of year-end lists. As a reader,…

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Album Review: Soccer Mommy – Clean

By Maria Lubanovic, Copy Editor [Fat Possum; 2018] Rating: 8/10 Key Tracks: “Still Clean”, “Blossom (Wasting All My Time)”, “Scorpio Rising” Clean is the studio debut from indie artist Soccer Mommy, after years or releasing albums from her bedroom. The album focuses on love, rejection and the strangeness that comes with both of these. Her…

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Album Review: Moaning – Moaning

By Jon Fuchs, Music Director [Sub Pop; 2018] Rating: 7.5/10 Key Tracks: “Don’t Go”, “Artificial”, “Does This Work for You” Throughout the early 2010s, Moses Campbell was one of the leading bands in LA’s Smell scene, along with groups like Surf Curse and Abe Vigoda. Before their heart-shattering breakup in late 2014, the five-piece indie…

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Column: ACRN’s Oscars 2018 Recap

By Maria Lubanovic, Copy Editor, and Ceara Kelly, Contributor We covered the Oscars. Here’s our take on what happened, and a recap of the night. Literally, every award is on here.  “Why is Ryan Seacrest even here? Get him TF off the red carpet!” –Ceara While watching the red carpet, we freaked out about how…

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Album Review: Current Joys – A Different Age

By Emily DiAlbert, Contributor [Danger Collective; 2018] Rating: 8.5/10 Key Tracks: “Become the Warm Jets”, “A Different Age”, “My Night Are More Beautiful Than Your Days” Picture lying on the couch next to the one you love on a sleepy, rainy afternoon in spring. You aren’t doing much — simply enjoying the comforting presence of…

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Album Review: Turnstile – Time & Space

By Marvin Dotiyal, Features Editor [Roadrunner; 2018] Rating 6.5/10 Key Tracks: “Big Smile”, “Generator”, “High Pressure” The definition of East Coast hardcore would be inadequate without its founding fathers like Minor Threat, Bad Brains and Born Against, but it would be dead without modern successors like Turnstile. As a band that has been pushing boundaries…

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