Album Review: Odyssey by The Accidentals

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Album Review: Odyssey by The Accidentals 

By Erica Wells 

 

The Accidental’s album, Odyssey was one of the heavy rotations featured artists last school year. I really enjoyed the couple of songs I heard in the station and played on my show, “Porch Culture” and explored more of The Accidental’s music afterwards.  The Accidentals are an American band formed in Traverse City, Michigan in 2012.  As a three-person band, their music is characterized as indie rock and indie folk.  While the band’s tune gives off folk vibes, there’s definitely an incorporation of pop and alternative accents, as well.  Odyssey is an alternative mix of slower and fast-paced songs that feels like very down-to earth and authentic music.  Some of the song highlights on the album are “Odyssey”, “Arizona Stars”, and “Crow’s Feet.”  “Odyssey” has a bit faster of a tempo, whereas the other two songs are slower, featuring strong instrumentals in the background.  “Crow’s Feet” is the longest song on the album clocking in at around six minutes, and has melodic tune.  It would be perfect for a deep scene in a romantic movie (my favorite!).  However, I have to say that “Arizona Stars” is the best song on the album, as it starts with some folk vibes that carry through the song, and features some real catchy lyrics.  Check out The Accidentals and their album Odyssey – you won’t regret it!

 

 

Thom Yorke – Suspiria

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Singer, producer, frontman of Radiohead Thom Yorke, exhibits his known vocal beauty while also revealing extraordinary compositional production on Suspiria (Music for the Luca Guadagnino Film).

 

 

Radiohead’s talent is difficult to analyze, mostly because it all comes in the same package. Even though Philip Selway doesn’t sing, does he ever add anything to Yorke’s lyrics? Because Yorke is always the one singing, does he help with any production work? What does Ed O’Brien do? Unless there are solo works by members of the band, any sense of individual talent in the band could go unrecognized. The Beatles are a pretty obvious example of this; only after they split up was it proven that George was a way better songwriter than Paul (it’s true and you know it). Jonny Greenwood, an accomplished composer and orchestral writer, has scored every Paul Thomas Anderson movie since There Will Be Blood, and was recently given an Oscar nomination for his score of Phantom Thread. Now, Yorke’s decided to showcase his own style in the direction of a horror classic for the upcoming reboot of Suspiria.

 

As a listening experience, Suspiria is best with big noise-cancelling headphones and all the lights off. It’s supposed to be for scary movies, which it easily accomplishes; Yorke understands the power of ambience and noise to illicit pressure and fear. But what really makes this record stand out from a standard score is its diversity in texture. “A Choir of One”, a 14-minute experience, is in the same album as the one-minute “The Inevitable Pull”, a dense synthetic track that sounds like something bad is happening in the basement and you know somebody’s gotta investigate it. Tracks like these two compose the soundtrack-like-elements of the double-album, and while they are enjoyable in their own right, what keeps me coming back are the Thom-like-elements that feature Yorke’s vocals. “Suspirium”, one of the lead singles to the album, is a piano ballad that has Yorke floating with that golden falsetto of his over the instrumentation. Suspiria, a movie about a dance academy being run by a witches coven, finds its place in Yorke’s lyricism, as he says on the track, “This is a waltz, thinking about our bodies, and what they mean, for our salvation.” Moments like these are similar to Radiohead’s most recent album, A Moon Shaped Pool, although without any drums, guitars or heavy electronics behind him, Yorke’s vocals remain isolated, exposed for everybody to be confused about the true meaning of them.

Until the newest version of Suspiria hits theaters or streaming services, the greatest effect of Yorke’s effort is impossible to analyze. But, as a standalone ambient double-album, Thom Yorke has shown his beautiful artistry beyond just his gorgeous voice. Layered synths, experimental ten-plus-minute tracks, and spotlight appearances of Yorke lyrically create a fully realized world of tension and elegance that seems to make up Luca Guadagnino’s Suspiria.

 

Article written by Jackson Rhodes ’21

Concert Review: Rainbow Kitten Surprise

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Concerts are always great. Seeing a band live, is everything compared to just listening to their music on your phone and this concert was certainly no different. The venue, Ram’s Head Live, was standing room only allowing, with some maneuvering, to get ridiculously close to the band, and the music.

I came to this concert already liking their music but I was not a super fan, not yet. By the end of a sweaty exhilarating 3.5 hours of Rainbow Kitten Surprise, I understood the more cult following of this band. Song after song was both musically beautiful but perfect for a concert, with the band clearly invested and enjoying every word, and every fan exhilarated in their performance. At times I honestly thought the leader singer, Sam Melo, had fallen down after jumping and dancing on stage, but every time he rose up again, somehow becoming better with every song.

Bands like Rainbow Kitten Surprise are the reason everyone should see bands in concert. Something changes after you go to them, after hearing a song live, the audio on iTunes doesn’t do the song or the band justice. The audio track suddenly doesn’t have enough energy as when you saw it live, but listening to the song does give you a sense of nostalgia for when you, the band and the crowd lost yourself in the music, and Rainbow Kitten Surprise proved this true.

It was a concert that allowed me to forget where I was, the responsibilities I had waiting for me at home and all the reasons why I almost didn’t come. I went to the RKS concert a casual fan and I left a super fan, so much so that I already bought tickets for a concert in January. 

 

Written by Emma Caplan

Pinegrove & I: A review of Skylight

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Pinegove & I: A review of Skylight

By Jonah Skeen (his show, Playing It by Ear, is on Wednesdays from 10-11pm)

 

Pinegrove and I are both from Montclair, New Jersey. There is no avoiding Pinegrove as an indie music fan in Montclair. For a while, that was a blessing. Evan Stephens Hall, the lead singer and mastermind behind Pinegrove, worked at the local bookstore. I grew up playing the same venues with my old punk band that Pinegrove had played when they first started out. I first heard them in 2012, back when they were solely a local treasure. I first saw them live February 12th, 2016, the day Cardinal, their sophomore album and breakthrough came out. After the show, I bought it on vinyl from Evan’s parents and he signed it and we talked for a little. They had generated buzz before Cardinal was released but when it was re-released in June, they really blew up. They opened for Into It. Over It. which at the time was a big break for them, but then they became way bigger than Into It. Over It. (Julien Baker, the other opener of that tour has also gone on to become pretty huge) They played to huge crowds at Panorama, Lollapalooza, Pitchfork, Primavera Sound and pretty much every other major music festival in summer 2017. I saw them three times on the touring behind Cardinal including the release show. The second time was also in Montclair and I took a picture with Evan and Adan, the bassist, afterwards. The third time, they sold out the Bowery Ballroom in New York City. In Montclair, you expect everyone to know the lyrics and sing along but it was surreal seeing a band I grew up with become huge nationally.

Over the summer 2017, they recorded their third album Skylight, which this is ostensibly a review of, and in November, released the first single “Intrepid”. They seemed poised to release a hugely successful indie album. Then, sexual coercion allegations surfaced against Evan. I recommend reading this piece from Pitchfork to learn the full story. Essentially, Evan made a confusing statement regarding the situation and the band went on hiatus. I remember getting ready to head home for thanksgiving break, hearing the news, and walking around a nearly empty Dickinson campus in a haze. How could someone I grew up singing along to and identifying with do something so horrible to another human being? Many Pinegrove fans felt similarly betrayed and shocked. Over the next year, the Pinegrove story was all anyone in the indie scene in Montclair talked about. I know people who know members of the band so I heard information here and there: the album was done but it wasn’t coming out, Evan was in therapy in Montclair, Nandi, the keyboardist and other vocalist and Evan’s foil, had quit to pursue a solo career as Half Waif. Many, myself included, declared Pinegrove “cancelled”. I didn’t listen to their music, as much as it meant to me, for a year until I could hear the full story. On Wednesday, I heard the full story via the Pitchfork piece. What had happened was that Evan verbally coerced someone who was in a relationship to sleep with him. There were not multiple allegations and the victim did not want their story to be public. They merely wanted Evan to go to therapy to address his issues and for Pinegrove to refrain from touring for a year. Pinegrove decided that this was the right course of action and were planning on keeping the situation private via the victim’s wishes. But the organization Punk Talks mishandled the situation and insinuated that there were multiple allegations against Evan and the situation went public leading to Evan’s confusing statement. Buried deep within the article, Evan revealed that they had parted ways with Run For Cover, their label, and were self released their third album, Skylight, on September 28th. I thought long and hard about Pinegrove’s place in my life and if I could morally listen to their album. Since the victim approved of them releasing it and all profits from the album are going to the charities Musicares, the American Foundation for Suicide PRevention, and the Voting Rights Project, I decided that I could listen to Pinegrove again.

The album was released a little over an hour ago on Pinegrove’s bandcamp page without any posts to their social media. I’m listening to it for the third time. No one tasked me with writing this and I don’t know how many will read it but it is important for me to write. The album was completed prior to the allegations being made public but some of the lyrics eerily foreshadow Evan’s period of intense therapy, reflection, and rehabilitation. The first line of the album is “I draw a line in my life/ singing this is the new way I behave now/ and actually live by the shape of that sound.” Some of these songs have been in my life for a while. “Angelina” is a re-recorded version of a song they originally released in 2015 and the higher fidelity and more forceful drums do not even come close to majesty of the live version of their Audiotree session. “Paterson + Leo” had been a live stape of the entire Cardinal tour and the new version is vastly superior to the live acoustic version that was included on the European version of Cardinal. I saw them played “Easy Enough” and “Thanksgiving” live and watched a live video of “Darkness” on youtube dozens of times. “Easy Enough” and “Darkness” both make for perfect movie montage road trip songs. “Thanksgiving” loses some of its charm in the sober album rendition.

 

Revamping old songs is not new territory for Pinegrove: Cardinal included a new version of “Size of the Moon” one of their oldest songs and Meridian, their underrated 2012 debut album, included a re-recording of what I still say is their best song “The Metronome”. Speaking of best songs, my favorite new song “No Drugs” is not on Skylight. As much as I love Cardinal, Pinegrove are best live. Though guitarist Sam Skinner is a talented mixer and producer, (his father Steve Skinner is a profession producer and worked on the hugely successful broadway show Rent. I used to be pretty close to Sam’s sister and have talked to Steve a lot and he even gave me his pocket Constitution.) Cardinal had a messy lo fi sound that I assume is intention homage to their 90s alt country and mid aughts Saddle Creek influences. Skylight is similarly lo fi, though the drums are much cleaner than on Cardinal and hints of keyboard and dreamy guitar effects creep into songs as opposed to the banjo and slide guitar of Cardinal. My biggest problem with Skylight is how similar it is to Cardinal. Obviously, the four years between their first and second albums gave Pinegrove more time to change their sound than the year and a half between Cardinal’s released and the recording of Skylight but half of the songs on Skylight sounds like they could be outtakes from Cardinal. Early single “Intrepid” is one exception, utilizing a proggier sound with less emphasis on Evan’s vocals. The title track introduces prominent acoustic guitar into the mix alongside swells of guitar feedback and brushed, muted drums and as a result is one of the highlights of Skylight. “Amulets” clocks in at a minute and uses quiet deep synth with slide guitar. It doesn’t have much of a tune though and ends before the song can build up any momentum. “Light On” embraces Pinegrove’s country and classic sixties pop influences in a way unheard on their studio albums. Evan’s father Doug contributes piano and vocals and though the piano is poorly recorded, it gives the track a bar closing vibe. I think if I came to Skylight without the moral burden of Evan’s actions and without the year long crisis of fandom that came with it, I would be much more likely to slather praise onto Skylight. It is a very good album to my ears, but seeing them debut the songs from it live like how I heard Cardinal would have made me love it. Knowing what I know now about Evan, I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to connect with his music in the same way. In the year since I stopped listening to Pinegrove, I moved away from listening to the indie music that I grew up with and moved more toward hip hop, experimental, and electronic music. After diving deep into stuff like MF Doom, My Bloody Valentine, and Daft Punk, Pinegrove sound quaint by comparison. I recommend listening if you like stuff like Mitski, Hop Along, Front Bottoms, AJJ or any other emo band. Tune in next week for my thoughts on the new Kanye West album YANHDI and in a few months for the second edition of my top ten albums of the year roundup.

Shakey Graves ‘Can’t Wake Up’

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Shakey Graves 2018 World Tour

Shakey Graves’ new album Can’t Wake Up (March 2018)

Last Tuesday night in Philadelphia, Shakey Graves performed at the Fillmore, accompanied by the Wild Reeds. Alejandro Rose-Garcia, an Austin-born native who renamed himself Shakey Graves in 2007, released his most recent album, Can’t Wake Up, in early 2018. In December of 2017, Shakey Graves posted on twitter “Next album. New sound. Sell your Suspenders.” Diverging from his traditional sound of folksy guitar and suitcase drum, Shakey Graves has explored a more risky, eccentric sound that molds his past with new experimental harmonies, themes, and colors. This 13-track album includes similar on-going themes by Rose-Garcia, such as the difficulty of love, fighting the contradictions of everyday life, and, most importantly according to him, blaming problems on other people.

The Wild Reeds at the Fillmore 

At the Fillmore on Tuesday, Rose-Garcia gracefully melded songs together to create a seamless performance. The mixing of songs old and new brought out the true fans in the crowd, who sang every word along with the 4-piece band. Not only was the sound perfectly thought-out and exciting, Rose-Garcia’s presence on stage magnified the eccentricity of the show. Shakey Graves’ songs have such character, and this is made obviously when one finally sees the Rose-Garcia perform. His facial expressions, movement on stage, and individual edits and reforms he makes to each song to better match his and the audience’s mood reflect his sense of self on stage. These small acts make the show that much better.

Shakey Graves at the Fillmore

 

Shakey Graves’ new album consists of popular hits such as Kids These Days, Counting Sheep, Mansion Door, and Excuses. His notable songs from Shakey Graves and the Horse He Rode In On (2017) are Nobody’s Fool, War Horn, Pay the Road, and If Not for You.    

Notable songs from And Then the War Came (2014) are Family & Genus, Perfect Parts, Only Son, Dearly Departed and Hardwired.

 

 

 

Shakey’s world tour continues throughout the year with the Wild Reeds. His music can be found on Spotify and his website shakeygraves.com, and his instagram handle is @shakeygraves. His music will shake you from beyond the grave!

 

 

 

 

 

Written by Julia Ormond (’19). Listen to my show, Tall & Small, Thursdays at 7pm where I play Shakey Graves and music like his!

Mac Miller: 1992-2018

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Rest in Peace

In his short 26 years of life, Mac Miller developed into the definition of a complete artist. He played five instruments, sang, rapped and produced music for over a decade since his start as a promising young teenager. Pittsburgh loved him and was loyal before his career really took off, spreading his relatable college rap to young kids all over. Growing up with him, his audience stuck close as they also went through hardships and felt similar pains. Mac’s life and journey were transparent and portrayed through his amazing musical growth. Separate from music, Mac had his own TV show and was always seen cracking jokes. Watch any of his interviews or even most recently, his NPR Tiny Desk, where he puts all of his energy into his appearances and still is able to be in high spirits.

Musically, most know Mac for his 5 studio albums, but he was very busy off of the record (no pun intended) that led to 12 other mixtapes, adding numerous classics to his repertoire. To analyze his growth over 26 short years, we’ll dive into his albums and more popular mixtapes:
 

K.I.D.S. – released August 13, 2010

Mac starts getting noticed with his fourth mixtape, Kickin’ Incredibly Dope S**t (K.I.D.S.) with lyrics about rollin’ around hometown Pittsburgh, smoking with his crew, and the new shoes he cops. The mixtape is full of classic beats on Nikes on my feet, Traffic in the Sky, Knock Knock and more. Everything is about the bars and even the corny ones show that Mac was incredibly skilled, yet still had a lot of room to grow.

 

Personal favorites: Kool Aid & Frozen Pizza, Nikes on My Feet, La La La,  Senior Skip Day

 

Best Day Ever – released March 11, 2011

A few months later, Mac was finally seeing the money he deserved. The mixtape is filled with the swagger he gained from being 19 and famous. Songs like Best Day Ever and Donald Trump, which gained popularity after his feud with the entrepreneur/politician, are filled with lines about optimism for his career and about his love for touring for the fans. Mac’s bars were steadily developing, but his mind was all understandably wrapped up in his recent fame.

 

Personal favorites: Get Up, Best Day Ever, Donald Trump,  Wear My Hat

 

Blue Slide Park – November 8, 2011

In Mac’s first somewhat introspective album, he deals with heartbreak, fake fans, and the issues of fame. The album pays respect to his roots, named after a park near his High School, but shows that Mac is indeed growing both his mic skills and his perspective. Songs like Diamonds & Gold and One Last Thing take us away from Mac’s previous happy-go-lucky mindset, now clear that the teenager was growing up.

 

Personal favorites: Blue Slide Park, Under the Weather, Diamonds & Gold, One Last Thing,  Of The Soul

 

Macadelic – March 23, 2012

Mac becomes less concerned about what type of music he is making and more what we wants to be saying on the tracks. By this time, he has gathered quite the following and has enough exposure to gather Kendrick Lamar, Joey Badass, Lil Wayne and more to feature on the mixtape. Drugs are clearly an influence in his life, mentioned in a good and bad light throughout the tape, but also heard through the psychedelic-type beats. Mac is much more comfortable making what he wants to make, not what others want to hear and it works for him.

 

Personal favorites: Thoughts from a Balcony,  Angels (When She Shuts Her Eyes),  The Question,  F**k ‘Em All,  Vitamins,  Fight the Feeling
 

Watching Movies With the Sound Off – June 18, 2013

Mac completely sheds his frat-star skin with the most introspective album of his career at the time. WMWTSO was seen as a jumble of feelings put into songs – no real well defined flow, but a very transparent view into Mac’s life that included themes like drug addiction, mourning the death of one of his best friends and love. He self-produced a large part of the album as well, beginning to show that he was more than just a rapper. Good friends Schoolboy Q and Earl Sweatshirt, among others, stand behind him to tell his story.

 

Personal favorites: I’m Not Real,  Objects in the Mirror,  Red Dot Music,  Remember,  Someone Like You,  Aquarium, I Am Who Am (Killin’ Time)

 

Faces – May 11, 2014

My favorite project of his, “Faces” is filled with Mac rapping, singing, producing and more. He goes out on a limb to really dig into his drug addiction and it comes out through some very profound, introspective bars as well as psychedelic beats. The mixtape is full of movie and jazz samples and flows from start to finish beautifully. Lyrically, Mac is on a whole different level than he was back with K.I.D.S. and now he can bask in the recognition.

 

Personal favorites:  Inside Outside,  Here We Go,  Friends,  It Just Doesn’t Matter,  Therapy,  Polo Jeans,  Diablo,  Insomniak,  Rain,  Apparition,  Thumbalina,  New Faces v2,  Grand Finale

 GO:OD AM – September 18, 2015

Mac’s awakening from his drug-induced slumber is shown on this album (as well as the cover) as he pushes away from depression into another burst of energy to make one of his most solid rap-heavy albums to date. He’s clean and focused on some of his most famous songs like 100 Grandkids and Weekend feature on the album. With “GO:OD AM,” Mac was a household name.

 

Personal favorites: Brand Name,  Rush Hour,  100 Grandkids,  Time Flies, Weekend,  Break The Law,  When in Rome,  Perfect Circle,  Cut The Check,  Ascension,  Jump

 

The Divine Feminine – September 16, 2016

Mac is in love and through his relationship with singer Ariana Grande, his patience with life and world view have definitely changed. After his wake up call on “GO:OD AM,” Mac is clean and falling head over heels in this album. It’s mature album where his singing and rapping flow together perfectly. Mac goes through the motions to talk about relationships, love and how women have changed his life, although not specifically attributing all of this life to his girlfriend at the time. Mac, now with a wide array of fans that also happen to be popular artists, was able to conjure up features from artists like Anderson. Paak, Kendrick Lamar, CeeLo Green, Ariana Grande and Ty Dolla $ign among others.

 

Personal favorites: Dang!;  Skin;  Cinderella;  We;  My Favorite Part;  God is Fair, Sexy Nasty

 

Swimming – August 3, 2018

 

Mac’s last album. Weeks after his split from Ariana Grande, Mac seemingly rewrote the entire album to incorporate messages about his own self-care, heard on the titled song, as well as psychological growth from dealing with the pain of his breakup. Mac also speaks on certain topics like his temper and a continual struggle of dealing with fame. The album is brought together by beautiful instrumentals that span into several genres as well as Mac’s confidence to continue to sing. His journey through life is thrust into his art and we see that not only from new developments on the album, but through the look back to 2009 – the start of him rapping under the name Mac Miller. It ain’t 2009 no more. Yeah I know what’s behind that door. Rest in peace.

 

Listen to the entire album on your preferred streaming service.

 

-Written by Myles Parker (’19)

Tune into my show, Double Decker, from 11-midnight every Wednesday on WDCV 88.3 FM. Click here to listen.
 

WDCV Archive: 88-91

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We are dipping into a few archived shows from yesteryear. 
4-27-88 Mello Mike & DJ Red in Full Effect (Hip Hop Show)

2-8-89 Manifesto with DJ Joe George (Alternative)

You can still catch DJ Joe George on WDCV-FM Tuesday Mornings from 6-8am
11-2-88 manifesto

6-30-91 Manifesto

WDCV Fall 2017 Review

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WDCV Fall 2017 Semester Review

 

This semester flew by at WDCV! The fall of 2017 started off successfully as two new station managers, Justine Hayward ’18 and Julia Ormond ’19, organized and planned for the semester. The executive board, comprised of inventive and enthusiastic juniors and sophomores, tackled many events which ultimately lead to an overall awesome semester.

                     

WDCV had around 75 new DJ sign-ups during Activities Fair. The DJs stuck it out through training and information sessions, and got their shows a couple weeks after signing up. There were 30 newly trained DJs, 10 returning DJs, 14 exec DJs, and 18 community DJs, rounding out to 72 DJs in total broadcasting their radio shows throughout the semester!

                                   

 

Because we had so many DJs, we had a lot of exciting events. WDCV DJs provided music for Farm Frolics on the Dickinson College Farm in early September and hosted two successful Pop-Up Record Shops with our friend Dennis in October and late November. WDCV also participated in College Radio Day and First Friday simultaneously by DJing for those strolling through Carlisle on a sunny Friday afternoon. We compiled a playlist dedicated to the queer and LBGTQAA+ community for Out on Britton and collaborated with MOB to introduce their fall concert through the airwaves. WDCV successfully broadcasted live for a full day during our 24 Hour Live Event in late November and put on a concert in the Social Hall in early November to celebrate underrepresented artists from Lancaster and Boston. It was a huge success for all WDCV concert planners and concert-goers alike! And to end the semester on top, the station hosted a DJ potluck during the last week of classes to wish their DJs good luck on finals and a happy winter break!

                     

Outside of the many events that WDCV hosted this semester, the station continued to thrive as new DJs joined, awesome CDs were added as featured artists, and more people came to appreciate college radio. We can’t wait for next semester, and hope that you are all excited too! Thank you for a great couple months, and see you back in the station in January!

 

If you have any questions, email Julia Ormond at ormondj@dickinson.edu

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First things first: I didn’t spend enough time with the Kendrick album or the Lorde album this year to justify their inclusion. In most polls I’ve seen this year they’re the clear front runners and both will deservedly face off next year in the Grammys.  So no Kung Fu Kenny but what did make the most prestigious best of list of the year?

 

  X: Stranger in the Alps by Phoebe Bridgers

The title may be a Big Lebowski reference but unfortunately, this isn’t a stoner rock album about bowling.  Ms. Bridgers rights great music for staring out of car windows on a rainy day which is basically my favorite time to listen to music.  Check out “Motion Sickness” which throws heavy shade at her ex Ryan Adams (catch him later on this list). 

 

  IX: Colors by Beck

Beck original planned to release this around the same time as his 2014 Grammy winning folk snoozefest Morning Phase but the hype around the latter album convinced him to hunker down and work harder on the follow up.  Over the next three years, Beck dropped numerous singles, blew threw three release dates, and opened for U2 on their Joshua Tree tour before finally delivering an album.  Colors is his most optimistic and Pop-iest album yet.  In 2014, aka the year of “Happy”, this would’ve fit right in but in 2017 the album is jarringly escapist.  “Wow” was originally supposed to feature Chance the Rapper but it still bumps heavily.  

 

 VIII: Flower Boy by Tyler the Creator

AKA Blonde part 2.  If you liked Frank Ocean’s loosie singles this year like “Chanel” than you’ll love Flower Boy and not just the song Frank is on. It doubles as a coming out statement from one of rap’s most terrifying and often problematic voices.  Besides the previously mentioned Ocean featuring “911/Lonely Boy”, “Boredom” is a great song to start with.

 

 VII: The World’s Best American Band by White Reaper

That title is honestly not far off. If you like garage rock or power pop or whatever suburb kids make in their basements with distortion pedals then you’ll love White Reaper.

 

 VI: reputation by Taylor Swift

Is this a great album? No. Is it her worst album? Ehhhh maybe. It’s extremely entertaining and only like three of the songs are complete train-wrecks.  The more traditional second half of the album work is the best. “Getaway Car” sounds like a 1989 b-side which is a compliment coming from me.

 V. Harry Styles by Harry Styles

Who knew that Harry Styles would be this year’s’ most convincing 70s style rockstar?  Probably anyone paying attention to One Direction’s late career Fleetwood Mac fetish but back then I was too busy listening to Sun Kil Moon to bother.  Lo and behold, I barely made it through one of the new Sun Kil Moon albums this year but Harry’s solo debut has been a steady presence in my Spotify recently played. 

 IV. A Crow Looked At Me by Mount Eerie

This album is the sound of Phil Elverum grieving. It was recorded following his wife’s death from cancer, in the room she died in, on her instruments, Crow is among the most realistically sad albums you’re likely to hear.

 

 III. Pure Comedy by Father John Misty

His press antics always threaten to overshadow his music but his lyrics are still at least as interesting as his interviews, so I’ll keep listening.  The last one’s theme was marriage and sounded like upbeat NPR folk rock.  This one covers everything from religion to politics to something far scarier: Josh Tillman’s own thoughts.  Sure, it’s a 74 minute slog but the 70s soft rock production makes it a very pretty slog and the lyrics make it an extremely funny slog.

 II. Prisoner by Ryan Adams

His solo debut was entitled “Heartbreaker”, but after a divorce with actress Mandy Moore, Adams is now the one who’s heartbroken.  Following his full album cover of Taylor Swift’s 1989, Prisoner is Adams’s first album openly about his divorce with Moore and it sure shows.  Heartbreak has always been RyRy’s strong suit and Prisoner does not disappoint. By my ears, it’s his best album in over a decade. 

 

 I. Dark Matter by Randy Newman

Arriving nine years after Newman’s last album of newly written songs, Dark Matter is an absolute masterclass in songwriting. “The Great Debate”, “Putin”, and “It’s a Jungle Out There” are razor sharp satire.  “Lost Without You” and “Wandering Boy” are tear inducing. “Brothers” is an imagined conversation between Jack and Bobby Kennedy debating the merits of the Bay of Pigs.  The music sticks to Newman’s classic piano man leading a big band template, but rocks as hard as any punk record I’ve heard this year at times.

 

Written By Jonah Skeen

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            The last time I heard Willow Smith’s name was in 2010 when “Whip my Hair” was at an all-time high. Any chance I got in 6th grade, I would attempt to “whip” my monochromatic, barely past shoulder-length hair in an attempt to mimic her iconic music video. She was the epitome of “cool,” embracing something unique to her. 2010 turned to 2011, and so on, and Smith’s funky, fresh beat turned into nothing but part of a Zumba workout playlist. Last year I started to wondered what ever happened to Willow, as do most millennials with childhood stars. I only just found an answer to this this past October.

Willow Smith in “Whip My Hair” music video 

 

            On Halloween of this year, Willow Smith dropped her album “The 1st.” It felt like it came out of nowhere with no advertising or before-hand hype. I only discovered it by the recommendation of a friend. Upon adding it to my music library, I was apprehensive. I knew I had grown out of the intense beats and pop-like music that Willow once made. Was it going to be a repeat of 2010 or had she also matured? I did my initial listen as I wasted away in the library, attempting to work on a physics problem set. Within seconds, I was in love.

The album cover of “The 1st” 

 

            On a whole, “The 1st” combines classic alternative beats, with subtle R&B undertones and acoustic vibes. Some songs even contain violin and piano. I listen to this album when I’m cleaning, when I’m walking to class or even in a “mood.” Her lyrics really analyze the workings of young love, relationships and growing up. Her voice is simply amazing and has a very raw feel to it. One of my favorite songs from the album is “Lonely Road.” The lyrics speak about messing up in life and feeling isolated through those mistakes. I enjoy listening to it when I’m in my “feels.” If Beyoncé and Florence and the Machine had a child, it would be this song. Another valid track is “Warm Honey.” This one has a strong resemblance of the sassiness that a young Willow once portrayed in “Whip my Hair.” The song’s lyrics talk about existence when in love.

Willow Smith at a redcarpet event

            Overall, this album will be a long time favorite of mine. Although I’ll throw down to “Whip my Hair” any day of the week, I am much happier sipping coffee and listening to “The 1st.” I admire Willow’s ability to mature and grow as an artist. I think her transformation can remind us all that we have the ability to change our style and that self-identity is ever evolving. I see big things her future and can’t wait to see what she will accomplish.

 

Written by Zoey Miller