A$AP Rocky Review of the Rap Artist's Debut Mix Tape
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Welcome to the official, independent student-run newspaper of Hofstra University!
All in Music
Round-up of Four Year Strong, Owen, and The Beach Boys
A review of the performances of Kreayshawn and Neon Indian at Hofstra USA on 11/2/11.
Donald Glover's rap project Childish Gambino debuted its new album, "Camp," at the Brooklyn Bowl on Monday.
Review of new albums from artists Real Estate, Jack's Mannequin, and Patrick Stump.
Review of the singer, rapper, and comedy act at the Coffeehouse Concert on October 19th.
On September 24, Hofstra University held what was technically the first year of Vibe Live. However, this event holds its roots in last year's 75th Anniversary festivities. However, the lineup of Vibe Live yielded an event of overall higher quality than the previous year.
Interview with Long Island band Taking Back Sunday at Hofstra University.
On Thursday, September 15 The Netherlands Café was filled with the sweet sound of acoustic guitar and soulful serenades. The Hofstra Concerts venue had a small crowd last week, but it was a captive audience. Three musicians performed, each promising in their own respects.
Larry Kirwan, lead singer and guitarist for the Irish band, Black 47, brought his music and story-telling to Hofstra last Thursday, September 15. This event, made possible by Hofstra's Honors College and Irish Studies, was part of Kirwan's tour, "Rock and Read."
The World is a Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid to Die/ Deer Leap - split
I've never heard of Deer Leap, and the only time I listened to TWIBP (as they abbreviate it on the record) was in a basement in New Haven, CT. I have no recollection of them being quite this lethargic or post-rock-y. Both groups mash emo and post-rock sensibilities in the way their contemporaries, Castevet, have been doing, albeit lacking some of Castevet's grit and force. TWIBP are unique and have their moments of genius, like on ‘Everything Will Be Okay'; Deer Leap area a bit unfocussed and derivative. Not an essential release, but TWIBP's side of this split is decent.
RIYL: Castevet, Algernon Cadwallader, Cucumbers
Grade: B-
Polar Bear Club- Clash Battle Guilt Pride
Although they always hovered around the bro-ish side of hardcore punk, Polar Bear Club knew their limits in a way that made 2009's Chasing Hamburg feel like it should have been a guilty pleasure, but inexplicably wasn't. However, on Clash Battle Guilt Pride the boys from Rochester have softened a bit and added more melody. Experimentation is natural as a band marinades in its own juices, but PBC are sounding more and more like buttrock. This record drops the ball in a big, unforgivable way. Times like these make me want a ctrl+z for bands.
RIYL: Hot Water Music, Have Heart, Meaningless Sex
Grade: C-
For those unfamiliar with rap duo Das Racist's underdog beginnings, it all began with a single song—‘Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell'—a one-off joke track wherein our heroes Himanshu Suri and Victor Vazquez each find themselves at the titular fast food joint on Jamaica Avenue, Queens, on the phone with one another but both are too high to realize they're already at exactly the same place. Since their unlikely genesis, Das Racist (who expanded to a trio with the addition of Ashok Kondabolu) released two highly-acclaimed mixtapes in 2010: Shut Up, Dude and Sit Down, Man. Both expanded on their irreverent attitude towards hip hop and their ethos, which can best be described as post-modern. Don't think that descriptor (or the fact that they're based out of Brooklyn) makes Suri or Vasquez snobby, obtuse artists. On the contrary, their scattered verses were equal parts arcane culture references and hilarious asides to weed, Donkey Kong Country, Rockport shoes, and, of course, fast food.
Music
Joyce Manor - Joyce Manor
Make no mistake, this California four piece plays pop punk, but only in the loosest sense. Don't expect any influences from Green Day and Screeching Weasel, or any similarities with contemporaries The Dopamines either. Joyce Manor is about urgency, energy and a fair dose of abrasion, editing their song structures down to the noisiest minimum requirements of a pop tune. Heartfelt lyrics and everyman vocals will have you singing along to this self-titled full length, and their deceptively strong musicianship will keep you coming back for more.
Shabazz Palaces - Black Up
Ishmael Butler AKA Butterfly was a hot commodity of alternative hip hop in the 90's as a result of his de facto leadership role in Digable Planets. Since that group succumbed to infighting, Butler has kept busy: his solo effort under the masthead of Shabazz Palaces lifts the spirit of his work in Digable Planets and recontextualizes it in shocking and innovative ways. Jazz samples have been replaced by a cosmic and atonal sound palette which Butler pains with deftly. Black Up is spacey, obtuse, idiosyncratic, and easily the best hip hop release this summer. Chew on that, Lil' Wayne.
Bomb the Music Industry! - Vacation
There are benefits and drawbacks to following a band through their career. On the one hand, you feel a part of something—you are the audience. You're invested; on the other hand, any band is liable to take a sharp turn, inevitably flinging some fans to the wayside. On Vacations, BTMI finally take that turn, sloughing off most of their ska influences and embracing garage rock and their healthy appreciation for the Beach Boys. Lyrically it may be their best record yet, and although it requires some acclimation from long-time fans, Vacations may well be their magnum opus.
Lady Gaga played to a packed house at Nassau Coliseum on Saturday night. The crowd ran the gamut, a mixed bag of pre-teen girls and transvestites. The lobby looked like a neon-painted, ecstasy-fueled production of The Rocky Horror Picture show.
Most students may be unaware, but Hofstra is home to a burgeoning community of underground rappers, DJs and hip-hop-minded individuals. Unfortunately, those who are aware seem not to care.