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sometimes, music should sound bad
My first brush with high-fidelity sound was a pair of wired Beats earbuds, pre-Apple acquisition. To a middle-schooler accustomed to burnt laptop speakers and felt condom earbuds, a pair of Beats were a heavenly upgrade both in sound quality and clout, despite their overpriced and underperforming nature. On the frontier of audiophile bliss, I explored…
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And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow by Weyes Blood | Album Review
As of 2019, Natalie Mering had accrued intrigue across the music world with a steady repertoire of releases, weaving a style that continued to grow into places already set in time by precursory albums. From the hauntological folk tales wistfully obscuring The Outside Room, to the emboldened awakening of voice carried in forlorn timbre through…
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Biggest Snubs of the 2023 Grammy Awards’ Nominations
Its finally the time of the year when the most annoying music listeners crawl out from underneath their stan-Twitter shelters to debate and debase the opinions of out-of-touch white people in charge of The Recording Academy. I am one of those annoying music listeners. The nominations for the upcoming 2023 Grammy Awards finally launched today,…
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Pocket Fantasy by Mamalarky | Album Review
Observations. An innocence exists in their simplicity and truthfulness. They ground our otherwise aloft minds, which have more of a tendency to wander into preoccupation than our other senses; they also aid in creating memories, sparking emotion and imagination in the present around us. Casio Grassy knoll Walkie-talkie Crescent moon aglow What do these things…
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Weezer’s Best Albums: Ranked
In 1993, two groups were hard at work crafting something brand new to bring to the world. At Electric Lady Studios, Rivers Cuomo and company were recording the first singles off of their self-titled debut, Weezer, unknowingly preparing to take over the rock world in a few months with their nerdy guitar rock. In another…
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Weezer (Blue Album) | Album Review and Marxist Reading
In Billy Joel fashion, artists have huge pressure to “get it right the first time” with their debut singles and album. First outings make or break careers, at best landing bands recording contracts and waves of fans and at worst a life sentence to a 9-5. Occasionally, a debut album has the power to define…
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Loveless | Album Review
At the start of the 1990s, shoegaze was on the rise. The alternative sub-genre defined by distorted guitars, dreamlike vocals, and layers upon layers of noisy effects had a hold on record labels and rock audiences alike. Synthesized from post punk and new wave influences of the previous era, British press lauded rising noise rock…
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A Foul Form by Osees | Album Review
So, it’s the middle of the week already. You’ve woken up, or you’re beginning the slow process. Bleary-eyed or not, the day moves forward. At some point you’re bound to get tired again, right? Perhaps it’s time to take a break from whatever you’re doing. Breaks are good for you; they allow your body and…
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Romantico by 800 Cherries | Album Review
You stumble upon a song that you like. Nice! You check out the rest of the album. Well-listened! You look up the band. Knowledge! They have a few other albums. Can’t wait! One of them was only available on cassette. Rough! No new music in over twenty years. Classic… Everyone has at least one of…
gone gazing 