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(11/20/14 10:24am)
The Hunger Games, as the current, most lucrative young adult franchise, has spawned a number of products related to the movies in recent years from bargain-basement toys to cheap Halloween costumes to unnecessary tchotchkes. Consistently, the highest quality Hunger Games affiliated merchandise—besides the books and films, of course—have been the soundtracks for each movie. The soundtrack for the third movie, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Pt. 1, is no different. Carrying on in the young adult movie tradition of Twilight and the previous two films in the series, “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Pt. 1—Original Soundtrack” is not instrumental music, but, rather, narrative songs performed by the hip artists of today. Expertly curated by 18 year-old phenom Lorde, the album’s turbulent electronics and pop savvy make it a fitting companion for Suzanne Collins’ most emotional book.
(11/13/14 10:08am)
Drew Haskins: Well, Tim, we have just seen one of the most polarizing films of the year with Christopher Nolan's Interstellar?, with Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway playing astronauts tasked with saving a dying Earth. We both had rather different reactions to the film, so let's chat about it. You're a man of strong opinions. Give me your take.
(11/06/14 9:49am)
This past week, Taylor Swift sold 1,287,000 copies of her latest album 1989. She responded on Tuesday night with a fourteen-second video of her rapping to Kendrick Lamar’s arrogant “Backstreet Freestyle” and the caption “Industry experts predicted 1989 would sell 650k first week. You went and bought 1.287 million albums. AND IT'S GOT ME LIKE:” In many ways, the post encapsulates the essence of Taylor Swift: she is simultaneously our most endearing, inscrutable, humble yet boastful pop star. No other pop star in recent memory has tried so hard to win her fans’ admiration yet seemed so effortless in doing so. Taylor Swift lacks the nonchalance of Rihanna, the regality of Beyoncé, the willingness to mug for the audience of Katy Perry and the avant-garde pretensions of Lady Gaga. So what does she have? The answer is simple. Taylor Swift aspires to be just like us, and we, as her audience, love it.
(11/06/14 9:40am)
This past week, Taylor Swift sold 1,287,000 copies of her latest album 1989. She responded on Tuesday night with a fourteen-second video of her rapping to Kendrick Lamar’s arrogant “Backstreet Freestyle” and the caption “Industry experts predicted 1989 would sell 650k first week. You went and bought 1.287 million albums. AND IT'S GOT ME LIKE:” In many ways, the post encapsulates the essence of Taylor Swift: she is simultaneously our most endearing, inscrutable, humble yet boastful pop star. No other pop star in recent memory has tried so hard to win her fans’ admiration yet seemed so effortless in doing so. Taylor Swift lacks the nonchalance of Rihanna, the regality of Beyoncé, the willingness to mug for the audience of Katy Perry and the avant-garde pretensions of Lady Gaga. So what does she have? The answer is simple. Taylor Swift aspires to be just like us, and we, as her audience, love it.
(10/30/14 7:56am)
Synth music has become increasingly prevalent in recent years to the point of ubiquity. Some of it is great. Some is bad. Just in time for Halloween, let's take a look at some synth tracks that are downright sinful, whether they are delightful or dastardly. Here are the Seven Deadly Synths.
(10/23/14 7:19am)
Mary Timony has had the kind of career that most musicians can only dream about. The Washington, DC, native has fronted two great rock bands in Helium and Audioclave and has made major contributions to both Wild Flag and Sleater-Kinney. Her new band, Ex Hex, continues Timony’s run of consistently excellent rock music. Ex Hex’s first album, Rips, rocks—hard.
(10/16/14 8:05am)
Ride Out, the seventeenth album from the prolific singer-songwriter Bob Seger, is reportedly the final album of his storied fifty-five year career. It is a real shame; his music, both solo and with the Silver Bullet Band, has been a high-quality staple of roots-rock for decades now. Luckily, fans will find that his new album is something to cheer about. Ride Out is a likable and jovial album that functions as a fitting swan song for Seger.
(10/16/14 8:04am)
My friend claims I am too critical of pop culture. He says I overthink it, and that mindless fluff does not need to be overthought. I have always disagreed with him about this, and it has led to some interesting conversations. Most recently, we had a discussion about the possible negative messages in Meghan Trainor’s doo-wop ditty “All About that Bass.” I thought it put a value on female body acceptance by filtering it through the male gaze, while he found it inane to analyze a pop song whose chorus is “I’m all about that bass/’bout that bass/no treble.”
(10/09/14 8:09am)
Buress plays Lincoln on Comedy Central's hit show 'Broad City,' which comes back for its second season in 2015. He is also the co-host of Adult Swim's 'The Eric Andre Show,' which returns in November for its third season. He will perform at the Duke Energy Center on Oct. 19.
(10/09/14 8:08am)
David Fincher is one of America’s foremost auteurs. His style is austere, dark and cutting. His best movies analyze the depths to which the hardened facades we construct as protection end up breaking other people down. While the release of David Fincher's newest film Gone Girl, based off of Gillian Flynn’s best-selling novel of the same name, only cements his stylistic legacy, it does not stand out compared to his other films.
(10/02/14 8:55am)
“What ever happened to poor, dear me? Never see that face again.” With that, Mr Twin Sister announces their rebirth as a creative entity. The band formerly known as Twin Sister returns with their new self-titled album, which heralds a major sonic change along with a different name. And what a welcome change it is. Mr Twin Sister is easily the band’s best release, as well as a contender for one of the best albums of the year.
(09/25/14 10:03am)
The North Carolina Museum of Art is currently hosting “Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know,” a weekly film series dedicated to highlighting seminal movies in the film noir genre.
(09/18/14 8:49am)
By which turn of cosmic fate did the two biggest bands in the world people love to hate release albums in the same year? Yes, U2 , with the Apple-aided drop of their new (and ridiculously titled) Songs of Innocence has joined Coldplay. In the past few years, it has almost become de rigeur to trash Coldplay and U2 because of their increasingly generic stadium-rock sound and the various trials and tribulations of their respective lead singers. However, whereas Chris Martin’s group fizzled with the limp Ghost Stories, Bono and the gang have something slightly better. While far from a perfect album, Songs of Innocence is the best U2 album since 1997’s Pop, and a solid, if mildly forgettable, addition to their canon.
(09/11/14 8:31am)
Since the rise of digital music consumerism, many new albums have been denoted by publications such as “Pitchfork,” “The AV Club” and “Rolling Stone” as “headphones music.” Music that tends to fall into these categories typically is electronic, beat-focused and relaxed, such as the music of FKA twigs or The Weeknd. This classification would have been unheard of fifteen years ago, with the advent of the iPod and Beats by Dre headphones years away and the glory days of the Walkman and the MP3 player not yet fading into the past. The other main implication of this classification is that music is thus confined to being a solitary experience, as headphones are not usually designed to be shared with others. The advent of personal audio devices increasingly makes listening to music a concert for one, and the process of sharing and spreading albums and songs is becoming less prominent. Music continues to be shared publicly, of course, but in ways that maintain its confinement to the personal sphere. The way music is shared today is ultimately self-limiting.
(09/10/14 8:56am)
We arrive at the first concert of the day after navigating the labyrinth that is the Raleigh Convention and getting caught up in playing with a display of Moog synthesizers. I have tied my press pass too tightly around my wrist, but not even this setback can dampen my enthusiasm for tonight’s lineup. City Plaza is mildly busy. People are taking this time to go get dinner at one of the multitude of glass restaurant kiosks. We do the same, and we sit down to watch Lonnie Walker with our salads.
(09/04/14 7:32am)
In advance of the Hopscotch Music Festival in Raleigh this weekend, Local Arts Editor Drew Haskins compiled a list of the artists to look out for at this year’s festival.
(09/02/14 7:51am)
"Hard Art, DC 1979," a photographic exhibition on the burgeoning punk rock music scene of late 1970s Washington, D.C., is currently on display at the Center for Documentary Studies until Oct. 11, 2014.
(08/28/14 7:43am)
Intrepid Life, a Durham coffee shop known for its advocacy of veterans’ rights, is scheduled to close on September 7 unless an Indiegogo-based online fundraising campaign is able to raise enough money to keep the store in business.
(07/01/14 2:00am)
The Walkmen have been a staple of the end of the year “Best Of” since 2000—but will not be in the near future. In November 2013, the critically and commercially successful Brooklyn-based band announced an indefinite hiatus, much to the disappointment of their fans.
(07/01/14 2:00am)
Week of June 30 to July 6
