Printer-friendly version

Send to a friend

You might also be interested in

• Simply Chaos
• 867-5AFI
• W.O.T.S.: Prude Juice
• From the editor

This Issue 02/04/2010

• True Life
• Toasts & Roasts
• Overheard: 2.4.10
• Sparks Fly
• Super Bowl Drinking Game

This campus is full of alarmingly qualified individuals, so it comes as no surprise that a number of accomplished musicians and potential stars walk among us. Check out these four Penntastic musical acts (all of which have released legit albums and EPs) still on the upswing of their auspicious arcs.

MALIK (Malik Smith)

youtube.com/user/keysongmusic

C'10

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA

Influences: 90’s R&B from TLC to D’angelo; neo-soul like Jill Scott; MTV at the turn of the millennium; reggae

Sounds like: Malik says he’s going for “a soundtrack to life.” We can confirm that his fresh, uplifting, and soulful R&B “complements our everyday,” as he promises.

In the beginning: “I’ve been making music since I was 7. My mom took me to a garage sale, where I saw an old keyboard that I knew I had to have. I bought it with my own money and one thing led to another.”

Up next: Malik expects this year to be a breakthrough in some form. He’s flying out to Los Angeles in the near future to film another music video.

Artist selection: “Try”

GOLDEN AGES

(Francis Tseng)

myspace.com/wearegoldenages

C’11, Cognitive Science Major

AKA: Tiger Tiger Panther (during his stint as a DJ)

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA

Discography: Three EPs released as Tiger Tiger Panther: Grrr (2008), Live the Perfect Life (2009), Tastes Like Candy (2009)

Influences: Panda Bear, F**k Buttons, Deerhunter

Sounds like: “Noisy psychedelic pop.” We won’t disagree, but we will add that this music possesses the same sort of intriguing murkiness as Animal Collective’s catalogue. Golden Ages is spacey, experimental, and beat-conscious all at once.

Meaning behind the music: Tseng says Golden Ages lyrics are intensely personal. “It’s about nostalgia and growing up and how relationships change as you get older,” he says. His debut full-length hinges on the theme of the uneasy transition from carefree adolescence to full-fledged adulthood.

Up next: May have a slot at this year’s South by Southwest music festival and already starting work on a second album. As of recently, Tseng is considering turning music into a career.

Artist selection: “Be Cool”

Tradition is available on iTunes now.

WESDOGG (Wesley Skold)

myspace.com/wesleyskold

C’13, Econ Major and Music Minor

Hometown: The Bronx (before a move to China, then Massachusetts, then Maine)

Discography: My Low Rider (2009)