Moments
Staff Picks: Albums of the Year
Imaginal Disk Magdalena Bay Mag Bay’s newest album encapsulates autumn with its perfect blend of synthpop, psychedelia, and weird glitches. I was not crazy about my introduction…
Let’s Get the Band Back Together
I consider myself a lucky man: I was brought up in a time of peak access to any music, book, or movie I could want. Sure, there…
‘I Had Some Help’ In Liking Country
Post Malone Changed My Mind. I have hated country music for as long as I can remember. Most of the songs I heard had little to no…
The 21st Century Rockstar’s Blueprint: Cage the Elephant’s Neon Pill Tour
Cage the Elephant was the soundtrack of my childhood. Since Cage’s 2009 self-titled debut, my older brother had lead singer Matt Shultz’s swaggery, addictive delivery on repeat.…
AN MF DEEP DIVE: DOOM, DUSTER, & DELVING IN
I’m a Playlist-making hobbyist. Translation: I often avoid my myriad responsibilities by surfing through music streaming accounts. A month ago now, during a customary playlisting-procrastination sesh with…
On 21 Pilots and transcending coolness
There’s nothing memorable about “Madden 16,” with its over-designed cutscenes and main menus distracting you from a lazy reskin of the same game they’ve been feeding us…
The Timeless Nostalgia of City Pop
It’s 3 a.m. and I’m hearing colors. The sheen of billboards and buildings flashes before my mind’s eye as the deliciously funky basslines and peppy trumpets of…
“Pandemonium” From a Classical Nerd’s First Live Concert
My Navy-enlisted friend texted me one morning back in September. This usually means quickly debriefing each other about daily random inconveniences, but today was a special occasion.…
The Many Names of R.A.P. Ferreira
The world of R.A.P. Ferreira is the most fascinating rabbit hole I’ve ever fallen into. It was like finding the final piece of a puzzle: one read-through…
A Rite of Passage Into “The Rite of Spring”
As a bona-fide classical music nerd, I spend a majority of my time around music in some sort of way. But outside of the opening chords of…
Ascending Into Who I (A)rctic (M)onkeys
Set. A friend introduced me to their debut as their much older brother’s taste in music: “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not.” What could…
Settling into the South with the sounds of Southern California
Back in my small mountain town, I loved going to small, intimate concerts in the San Diego area where surf rock is always on the setlist. My…
Archibald, Marry Me: A tale of band promotion and puppy love
When a casual Google search into Toronto-based indie pop act Alvvays was headed by a sponsored link advertising a show in two weeks, I was hit by…