During the rise of chillwave, circa 2009 and 2010, many bands that were high on the wistful atmosphere of the genre started up a burgeoning dream-pop scene that has survived to present day. Of these rooftop-bumping bedroom bands, Beach Fossils has garnered widespread blog appeal with their hazy guitars and low fidelity vocals. After three years, the relatively adolescent...
Well, I was planning on talking about the New Wave-y sounding Max and the Moon, who played a nooner show here at UCR in 2012. I still am, but here’s the thing: they’ve only released a four song EP, which doesn’t exactly leave a lot of material to discuss. And so, you all get a bonus topic this week:...
After last week’s upsetting miss, it is nice to see “Shameless” back on track. The newest installment of Showtime’s hit comedy strayed away from allocating too much time toward shallow storylines and instead found a worthy blend of comedy and drama.
Writer Sheila Callaghan deserves a good amount of the credit for this week’s success. First off, it was an...
Netflix has officially released their original series, “House of Cards.” The entire first season is comprised of 13 one-hour episodes and has been available in full since Feb. 1. The decision to release the season in its entirety is an interesting strategy by a company that has dominated the movie rental business for years, and I plan to review...
Northern California-based hip-hop duo Blackalicious and L.A.-based Rebels to the Grain filled the barn with dope beats and intricate lyricism last Wednesday, Feb. 13. Although Rebels to the Grain did a great job opening, they put the crowd into a bit of a lull. But Blackalicious soon came on and pumped life into the crowd with every turn of...
Occasionally we come across people who were born in the wrong era. In Matt Costa’s case, he was off by a few decades. His past works already emit a very psychedelic aura that is just asking to be played on vinyl from the 70s. His self-titled fourth album still exudes a vintage vibe, but with a tone that is...
Full of ambient experimentation, hard jams and slightly removed vocals, the band Foals has created one of the most engaging albums of 2013. “Holy Fire,” the band’s third release, captures all sides of the band—from the dancy, upbeat “My Number” to the desperate, confessional “Providence.”
The album begins with “Prelude,” an almost experimental, instrumental opener with hazy, nearly indecipherable vocals;...
“Beautiful Creatures’” debut on the big screen served as just another link in the chain of the new age teen paranormal-romance book-to-film adaptations that crowd the bookshelves in Barnes and Noble and rake in the cash at the box office. Characterized by teen angst and sexual frustration in small towns, “Beautiful Creatures” (originally written by Kami Garcia and Margaret...
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Yes, awards season is finally in full swing. With all the great movies that have recently been released, there has been some heavy competition this year, and I’m not just talking nominations.
“Silver Linings Playbook” is proving to make some promising moves at each award show, as are the film’s stars when...
Picture a world where diseases like epilepsy, autism and schizophrenia are cured by a small, implantable node. The implant is barely noticeable, save for a mole-like bump on your right temple, but its effects are staggering. Disease: cured. Intelligence: heightened. Humanity: amplified. But how far can technology improve a human being before they become more machine than man? What...