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(12/13/20 3:13pm)
Hopefully, by now, you've checked out Street's Favorite Albums of 2020. This list is a little different: It's a collection of my favorite albums of the year that either went unnoticed or were underappreciated in some way. This list skews pretty heavily toward dream pop–type bands, but there's some post–rock, some synthpop, and some country mixed in as well. Each entry is also accompanied by some similar bands that you've probably heard of (or listened to) before, so hopefully one of these entries aligns with an artist you know and love.
(12/05/20 11:47pm)
It’s a chilly Wednesday evening in November of 2009. My idol, Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana, is literally in the same room as me, breathing the same air. Ohmygod. It’s my first concert, and although my seven–year–old ego spends much of it being embarrassed by my mom and grandma dancing, it also happens to be the best night of my life thus far.
(12/11/20 4:00am)
Around this time every year, 320 million people around the world receive a love letter.
(12/01/20 11:58pm)
Have you ever played "Thunderstruck?" Ridden down the "Highway to Hell?" Or maybe just felt the unmistakable need to rock out? The rock and roll legends of AC/DC—or at least what’s left of them—have stopped at nothing to make that happen. Apparently, they named both their 1981 hit song and album “For those about to rock, we salute you” for a reason. Brian Johnson was sincere when he yelled “Rock ‘n’ roll ain’t noise pollution, rock ‘n’ roll ain’t gonna die!” to conclude the groundbreaking 1980 LP Back In Black. And lead guitarist Angus Young wasn’t playing around when he’d basically explode with derangement onstage with the energy of a lightning bolt. No, these guys are obsessed.
(11/22/20 11:05pm)
On Nov. 10, Britney Spears’ court request to remove her father, Jamie Spears, from her conservatorship was denied by a Los Angeles judge. A conservatorship describes a court case in which a “judge appoints a responsible person or organization (called the ‘conservator’) to care for another adult (called the 'conservatee’) who cannot care for himself or herself or manage his or her own finances.” Spears has been under conservatorship since 2008, when she very publicly suffered a mental breakdown and underwent treatment at a UCLA facility. Because of her issues with mental health, her father was appointed as her conservator and was essentially granted control and power over all of her finances, legal rights, and personal life.
(12/09/20 1:00am)
It's been a tough year. Thankfully, music exists.
(11/15/20 2:07pm)
What’s it like to graduate from Penn and pursue a music career? What’s it like to tell other Penn grads that you didn’t gun for a finance or consulting job and explain why you decided to settle for a smaller salary? Hadji Gaviota, a former 34th Street writer and Queens–based singer, songwriter, and producer, might have the answers.
(11/15/20 5:02am)
American democracy is dying, and the election system is one of the fatal diseases that’s killing it. With an unnecessary emphasis on aesthetics, the spread of misinformation, inaccurate representation of voters, and a myriad of other issues, the process needs fundamental change. The cherry on top is that candidates have started to invade American ears with campaign music to discreetly shape their rhetoric and influence their audiences' emotions. Although campaign music can be used to motivate and inspire voters towards a positive direction, as Joe Biden has shown, a close look at Trump’s music choice shows that campaign music can be used to build fear and anger just as effectively.
(11/10/20 3:21am)
If you haven’t heard of CHIKA, this article is your sign to dive into the fresh, biting rhythms and flows of her latest EP, INDUSTRY GAMES, immediately. Having first gone viral for her satirical video post–the 2016 US Presidential Election, the Nigerian–American poet/rapper CHIKA has grown in bounds since the meme first brought her in the public stratosphere.
(11/08/20 12:14am)
Read this sentence out loud in your mind. Do you hear your speech inflections? Pitches that could be turned into a little tune? This type of enlightening perspective on sound is one of many things that Pamela Z, a composer and performer, tells us about through ambitious and experimental multimedia shows and galleries. She discussed these interdisciplinary and avant–garde forms of expression during the Music Colloquium hosted by the Penn Music Department.
(11/15/20 5:02am)
On November 4, I kept hearing some odd noise that I couldn’t quite pinpoint. It turns out I’d just forgotten what it sounded like to not be bombarded by celebrities, large companies, textbankers, and Instagram stories demanding that I vote.
(11/08/20 12:01am)
Recent paparazzi pictures depicting Billie Eilish in clothes that are significantly more “form–fitting” than any of her stage ensembles have reinvigorated the conversation surrounding celebrity body positivity. However, with a number of celebrities opening up about their weight fluctuation and more “plus–sized” musicians achieving mainstream success, it's as if the internet community has shifted the narrative from shaming non–perfect bodies to praising them. Now, singers, actors, and public figures are brave, confident and inspirational — for simply looking like the rest of us.
(10/28/20 10:50pm)
Holding his phone to the laptop microphone so I could hear, Jonah Jurick (W '22) plays excerpts from his hand–picked playlist over Zoom, fully immersed in each second and moving his head slightly to the beat. Comfortable playing the drums, guitar, and piano, he spends his free time listening to and creating music as Hei$t, with over 250,000 Spotify streams on his track “Romeo.”
(10/28/20 1:38am)
As an introverted homebody who enjoys sitting in bed while listening to music, I confess that quarantine hasn’t changed my life too much. Although I do feel restricted at times, I’ve adapted quite well. But even I, the laziest person I know, have my limits. I’ve had moments when I despised quarantine, and they became more common when school started and even more when upperclassmen talked about fun things they did at Penn.
(10/26/20 11:08pm)
Back in June, TikTok was swept with clips of people crawling up beaches reenacting Amanda Seyfried’s Mamma Mia! beach scene to the tune of “Lay All Your Love on Me.” Then in July, Netflix’s Will Ferrell–led blockbuster Eurovision: The Story of Fire Saga featured prominently ABBA’s 1974 rise to stardom with “Waterloo” through the Eurovision Song Contest. These days, it feels like ABBA is everywhere — or maybe it’s always been that way.
(10/30/20 6:53pm)
I’ve had a great admiration for Slowsie ever since I first heard them, and recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with the heart and soul of the group, Michael Pearson (C'21). As singer, songwriter, and rhythm guitarist, he's the main voice in one of Penn’s most creative bands.
(10/25/20 10:54pm)
I am—like many of other remote Penn students—dying to be in Philly right now. As I usually channel my disappointments and hopes into oddly named Spotify playlists and am already spending a ridiculous amount of time on my computer, I decided to bring Philly to me. Quasi–mixtapes inspired by Philly have been made before, even by Street back when the Eagles won in 2018, but I’d like to highlight these acclaimed artists’ ties to Philly and what led them to croon about our city. Give my playlist a little brotherly love and I hope to be rocking out together next semester!
(10/26/20 8:51pm)
Róisín Murphy occupies a peculiar space that's distinctly her own in the pop culture lexicon. With a unique flair for absurdist fashion and alternative pop, Murphy made a name for herself as an auteur of 21st Century disco ever since the release of her 2007 hit "Overpowered." After the middling success of 2016's Take Her up to Monto, she returns with the instant classic Róisín Machine. To both her benefit and her detriment, disco is en vogue again. Doja Cat's viral hit "Say So" bleeds of 70's nostalgia. Dua Lipa, similarly, updated the classic sound for the mainstream pop consumer with Future Nostalgia and its remix album. Even Jessie Ware made a splash with What's Your Pleasure? Given the prominence of her fellow disco adjacent peers, comparisons are inevitable. Speaking to NME, Murphy boasted "I'm back to snatch Dua Lipa's and Jessie Ware's wigs!" And she's right. She should say it.
(10/19/20 10:30pm)
On October 9, as I scrolled through social media liking post after post remembering and celebrating John Lennon, I found myself wondering how he would feel about our world today. How would he use song to guide us? What words of advice would he give? Not only was Lennon a rock 'n' roll revolutionary, but he was also an iconic figure in the world of social and political change. He left behind a tremendous legacy that lives on through his music (both as founder of The Beatles and as a successful solo artist), his activism, and his philosophy on life.
(10/23/20 7:27pm)
No other artists have excited classic rock fans in recent years as much as Greta Van Fleet. On Oct. 9, they released their first new song in over a year, “My Way, Soon”, which is already charting at 38 on the Billboard 200 list. The tune is very refreshing both as a work of art and for its free–spirited message. With lyrics like “I’ve packed my bags and I’ve got my freedom” and “I’ll throw out the plans and live with no burden,” it reminds us that even in life’s worst moments, we can lift ourselves up and start anew.
