The magic of The Lumineers’s self-titled full-length debut is not that it is foot-stomping, smile-inducing, heart-swelling music. It is all of those things, but the magic of it is that they manage to accomplish this with such earnest simplicity. This folk trio, comprised of Wesley Schultz, Jeremiah Fraites and Neyla Pekarek quite simply makes good music.
Since late December, SM Entertainment has been teasing K-Pop enthusiasts with their gazillion teasers for their latest boy group EXO, or as I like to call them, Super Junior 2.0. Divided into two subgroups name EXO-K and EXO-M, half of the twelve members will promote in South Korea (EXO-K) and the other half in China (EXO-M). This might remind some of Super Junior and their subgroup, Super Junior M. But EXO is different for each subgroup has different members and singers. They might as well be two distinct groups. But despite their similarities to Super Junior, there is no denying the fact that they are another level of talent.
★★1/2
It is clear that Nicki Minaj was not exactly sure what type of album she wanted to make when approaching her latest offering, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. Caught between making a “hardcore” rap album and a happy-go-lucky pop album, Roman Reloaded sounds confused at best and horribly disjointed at worst. Individual songs may be strong, but as an album, Roman Reloaded is bipolar, transitioning abruptly from violent, absurdist lyrics to sing-song hooks and dance beats.
In their first offering since 2010, Dirty Projectors do not disappoint. “Gun Has No Trigger” is an instrumentally sparse song, consisting of only vocals, drums and very subdued bass guitar. The track highlights the vocal prowess of David Longstreth along with the ethereal accompaniment provided by Angel Deradoorian, Haley Dekle and Amber Coffman. The interplay between the choir-like backing vocals and theLongstretch’s poetic heights is an exercise in deceptive depth.
Childish Gambino (aka Donald Glover) has been a very, very busy man this past year, with the confusion surrounding his show, Community, and the release of a full-length LP, Camp. Gambino brings a new feel with this single (listen here).
The annual GEMA Rocks concert is a Georgetown tradition that you don’t want to miss (although if you can’t make it out to Gonda, you can still catch the live stream of Saturday’s performance on WGTB!). This year’s performers include a slew of GU alums who have made it big in music, comedy, and television, and they’re going to put on a killer show representing six decades of Hoya talent.
And it’s coming up in just a few days!
Concert:★★★★1/2
Album: ★★★★1/2
When I first heard of the Icelandic band, Of Monsters and Men, the first thing I thought of was John Steinbeck’s book, Of Mice and Men, followed immediately by the thought of a group sitting somewhere in a cave with fur coats on. I’m not sure why the latter came into mind. The band released their first album, My Head is An Animal, on April 3rd, and I had the pleasure of seeing them live the night before at Black Cat. The debut album is absolutely amazing and personally reminds me of a weird mix between Arcade Fire and The Head and the Heart, except happier (sort of).
Not all covers are created equal. There are the straight-ahead renditions, and then there are the personal twists and complete genre re-workings. There are the covers that render your favorite songs unlistenable and, maybe most importantly, the kind that take a song you’d never given a second thought to and trigger that ah-ha! moment: “So that‘s what this is all about!” Suffice to say, most of us probably didn’t give JoJo’s 2006 hit “Too Little Too Late” a first thought. Read More »
