Music
We Were Wrong About You
In a December 3 review of “Cousins,” the first of two somewhat mediocre singles from Vampire Weekend’s new album, we were not impressed: “It doesn’t sound like Contra will expand [the band’s] preppy East Coast sensibilities too much.” This thinking seemed logical at the time.
Music News You Missed
We don’t blame you for not keeping up with music news over break. But now that you’re all caught up on sleep and Jersey Shore episodes, check out some of the info you may have missed.
Defibrillator:Pearl Jam “Ten” (1991)
There’s a deodorant company that claims that smell is the strongest sense tied to memory. This may be true, but in my mind sound is a close second.
One Track Mind
In her 13 years as a solo artist, Missy Elliott has never before made fans wait this long for an album.
Artists To Watch
The xx This indie-pop outfit from across the pond exploded onto the scene in 2009 with their self-titled debut album.
Letter From A Fan
Dear Britney and Christina, True fact: I have now spent 173 hours learning the choreography to the “(You Drive Me) Crazy” video (speaking of which, Brit, are you really friends with Sabrina the Teenage Witch?). And every night after practicing the part with the chair — which really hurts my ass, by the way — I fall asleep listening to “Reflection.” Mulan is the best!
Defibrillator: Green Day “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” (1997)
As embarrassing as this is to admit, I wasn’t always a seventh grader. The truth is, I used to not even be in middle school.
Battle Of The Boys
Awesomest Concert: The No Strings Attached Tour is showing a lot of promise as a top-rating concert series.
Study Jams
Math/Science: Trip Hop A number of us at Penn agree: math and science can be scary.
Defibrillator: Oklahoma! by Rogers and Hammerstein (1955)
Musicals are the worst. Nothing makes me want to dish out wedgies like a Broadway showstopper. Road trips are great, though — so great that they can make things like Roy Rogers and show tunes digestible. Every summer, my family drives 10 hours to visit my grandparents in Maine.
One Track Mind: 12.3.09
Vampire Weekend, “Cousins” Hear the first several iterations of “hey hey” in the beginning of “Cousins,” the new track from Vampire Weekend's forthcoming Contra, and you may be reminded of something very familiar: the band’s last album.
Monster of Pop
At first glance, Lady Gaga’s most recent release, The Fame Monster, looks like a typical moneymaking B-sides release attached at the hip to her debut hit-machine, The Fame. But don’t be fooled.
¡OMARVELOUS!
Nearly 20 years into his career as a genre-defying, envelope-pushing musician, Omar Rodríguez-López has yet to run out of ideas.
Circling Vultures
The term supergroup has never been more applicable than in the case of Them Crooked Vultures, formed in 2005 by John Paul Jones from Led Zeppelin, Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age and Dave Grohl from Foo Fighters and Nirvana.
Traversing the Music Twitterverse
Music fans know that Twitter is for more than just telling your friends where you’re sitting in Van Pelt.
Defibrillator: Stevie Wonder, "My Cherie Amour" (1969)
Simple, classic and beautiful, this soul song changed my whole relationship with Philadelphia. I visited the city with my parents while I was in middle school, and I knew little about it beyond the existence of the Liberty Bell.
The Best of the Midwest
Simply put, you wish you were friends with Mike Posner. He’s an intelligent Duke senior, majoring in sociology and business, and a fun-loving frat boy to boot.
One Track Mind: 11.19.09
Hot Chip, “Take it In” Synths? Check. British accents? Check. Neo-disco-ish, meditative grooves?
A Breath Of Fresh Air
D.C.-based rapper Wale has high expectations weighing on his 25-year-old shoulders. Since 2005, he has released five well-received mixtapes, and his debut album is supposed to be the litmus test as to whether he can really bring hip-hop cred to the nation’s capital.
