Culture
film
‘The Underdoggs’ (2024) review: An underwhelming sports story
“The Underdoggs” was about as predictable as “The Mighty Ducks” or “Air Bud,” except without a unique twist — another generic sports film teetering between satire and genuineness. Written by Danny Segal and Isaac Schamis, the film was inspired by Snoop Dogg’s nonprofit youth football league, which supports inner-city kids across southern California getting involved […]
declan mckenna
Declan McKenna’s “What Happened to the Beach?” blends summery pop with social commentary
Imagine you are spending a warm summer day in LA, the sun beaming down on your face, almost toxically green grass under your feet. What kind of music is playing in the background? Now, imagine that same music, except this time it is by a 25-year-old, mullet-sporting, Tottenham Spurs fan from London who is typically […]
Album
Revisiting Paramore’s self-titled album ten years later
Paramore released their self-titled album worldwide on April 9, 2013, and it immediately received praise. The song “Ain’t It Fun” earned the group their first Grammy, with the whole album receiving Platinum status. Looking back over ten years later, it’s obvious the release was the beginning of the Paramore we now know today. In an […]
Album Review
The Strange Wonders of Quadeca’s “SCRAPYARD”
Benjamin Lasky, also known as Quadeca, has had one of the most interesting artistic trajectories I’ve ever seen. Many bands and artists are known for innovation within the context of their own work, genre, or music in general — The Beatles, Radiohead, and Björk come to mind — but the shift that Quadeca has made […]
Eastman
‘La La Land in Concert’: Not a waste of a lovely night
If the medium is the message, this remediation of the film with a live orchestra was the best possible love letter to live music. Read More
comedy
Winterfest Weekend with Rachel Sennott and Ziwe: serving comedy and class
Good comedy is hard to find, and notoriously even harder to find at Winterfest Weekend. Yet Rachel Sennott, Ziwe, and all-talented moderator Cat Crawford quickly disproved this, bringing sass, class, and show-stopping red tights to the Kodak Hall stage. While both comedians have risen to main-stage fame through their recent projects, Sennott and Ziwe aren’t […]
Album
The Last Dinner Party: old-school revivalism done right
The Last Dinner Party is an English rock band that has quickly ascended from obscurity to relative fame. After releasing only two songs, they were already touring with big stars such as Hozier, and have only gained more attention in the leadup to the release of their debut album, “Prelude To Ecstasy.” As is bound […]
Grammys
Jay-Z’s mic-drop moment: The Grammys 2024
The 66th annual Grammy Awards took place Feb. 4 in the Crypto Arena in Los Angeles, and a lot went down. Taylor Swift made history by winning her fourth album of the year award for “Midnights,” making her the highest-awarded performing artist ever in this category. SZA swept the R&B categories and gave a stellar […]
Classical
Going to Eastman symphony after a long day
After a long day of classes, reading, and writing, my friends and I decided to take advantage of the opportunities Rochester has to offer and went to the recurring Symphony at Eastman off the cuff. For Eastman students, it’s not just an off-the-cuff opportunity, though; it’s an assignment, an opportunity to showcase the talents they […]
Albums
“She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She” by Chelsea Wolfe: gloomy atmospherics and gothic shadows – but not too inaccessible
Chelsea Wolfe is a name I was familiar with before listening to her newest album, “She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She,” due to her adjacency to the metal scene. She is technically not a metal artist, although she has collaborated with notable metal acts like Converge and included a bit of a […]