A recent article on Pitchfork was published with the bold title “Britpop is Dead: Why Blur’s Comeback Isn’t One.” Blur was once a popular Britpop band, from, you guessed it, Great Britain. As Britpop raged on in the early 1990s, it has steadily declined, but apparently is making a comeback. Using the article as a reference, I intend to examine what the state, or lack thereof, of Britpop really is. [Read more...]
Summer Songs to Beat the Winter Blues
The past few weeks in Nashville can pretty much be summed up in one word – cold. If you’re anything like me, you are beginning to have trouble remembering what it was like before the icepocolypse and finding it hard to believe that there was a time not so long ago that we were all wearing shorts. Between the cold weather and midterms, most of us are feeling pretty down. Here’s my playlist of songs to put you in the summer mood, and remind you that spring and warmth are just around the corner!
New Digs: Discovering Music in the Internet Age
Music hunting is something we all do. Though you might not actively pursue it (but you probably do since you read this blog), you had to find your favorite music somewhere. Whether it came from your friends or from the depths of the internet, your music taste is something you’ve crafted from years of exposure to different sounds and styles.
In the digital age, hunting for music is barely a hunt at all. Whether you turn on the radio, open up your favorite Spotify playlist or Shazam what’s playing on the speakers of your local Starbucks, discovering new music is something everyone can do with ease. With wider exposure to new artists than ever before, anyone has the ability to find songs they love but may not have otherwise found. In recent years, accessibility to new artists and genres is at an all-time high; most of the time, we are inundated with so many new names it’s hard to keep them straight.
Paul McCartney Staying Active
Proving he’s more than the iconic work he did with The Beatles over forty-five years ago, Paul McCartney has yet again placed himself in the musical spotlight. As many of you are probably well aware, McCartney released several songs recently in collaboration with contemporary pop artists. First was his collaboration with Kanye West on the song “Only One” as previously discussed by WRVU earlier this month. McCartney popped up again with Kanye on Rihanna single “FourFiveSeconds”. Finally, it came out just before the Grammys that McCartney is currently working with Lady Gaga.
If you’re unfamiliar with these recent events, check out the “FourFiveSeconds” video:
Even More Humble Opinions on Even More Modest Mouse
For those of you keeping track, yes, this is the third Modest Mouse article I have written in a row. If that may seem weird to you all, imagine how I feel. Little did I know 4 weeks ago, when I first reviewed “Lampshades on Fire” and “Coyotes”, that the band would release another single just two weeks later with “The Best Room”. With three singles out and only a few weeks left before the release of their album Strangers to Ourselves, I assumed the band would just ride it out and let those songs generate the hype they wanted. To my disbelief, just this past week I saw on my Facebook newsfeed that the band was set on having a surprise release of a song to reddit users on February 16th. For the sake of consistency, here’s my opinion on “The Ground Walks, with Time in a Box”.
“Their Older Stuff Was Better” and The Bethesda Effect
Last year, Interpol released their El Pintor, an excellent album filled with hooks, grooves, and some surprisingly daring vocals from Paul Banks who I’ve previously mentioned in my articles has a love for singing in an ALL CAPS MONOTONE. It was, by all accounts, a good album, and certainly their most critically successful since they released Antics ten years prior. Yet a cloud hung over the album, a phrase that was spoken with a casual grace that belies it’s endemic presence in today’s music culture: “Their older stuff was better.”
Kishi Bashi Stops By WRVU Studio
Last Thursday, WRVU hosted Kishi Bashi for an in-studio performance ahead of his Cannery Ballroom show that evening. The acclaimed chamber pop solo artist, real name K Ishibashi, played three stripped-down songs from his 2014 album Lighght: “Bittersweet Genesis for Him AND Her”, “Q&A”, and “Philosophize In It! Chemicalize With It!”. You can check out the three-song performance below via RVU Records.
What Are You Missing Because of the Ice?
These past few days, most of Nashville has shut down due to a crazy ice situation. In addition to many restaurants, malls, and schools being closed, several local concerts have also been cancelled or postponed.
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