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Now that school is well underway, it’s only appropriate that we take a look back at which songs truly defined the summer of 2019. Usually, summer hits are upbeat tracks in a major key that have a vaguely positive message, and Street wants to see how this summer measured up.
If you’ve ever attended a BROCKHAMPTON concert, then you’ve probably heard the chant “F**k Pitchfork” at some point during the show. This tense relationship between BROCKHAMPTON and the widely acclaimed music publication goes all the way back to BROCKHAMPTON’s debut album, SATURATION.
On Aug. 16, English folk rock musician Frank Turner released his eighth studio album, No Man’s Land, a concept album detailing the lives of women overlooked by history. At the same time, he has been releasing weekly episodes of a podcast titled Tales From No Man's Land, which gives a historical account of the women included in the album.
The consumer is never going to view a piece of art in the same way as its creator. Though an artist can painstakingly try to relay messages through their work, the consumer ultimately decides how to interpret the final product. This phenomenon rings especially true when examining the career of Frank Ocean.
Made In America represents a lot of things. To some, it’s the unofficial end to summer, the last time to break out that patriotic outfit before it goes into storage. To others, it represents the finest of Philly, bringing together a collection of eclectic food trucks, causes, and music fans that would never otherwise meet. All in all, it can be viewed as a melting pot of hip–hop and electronic heavyweights—the kind of place where DJs and MCs battle for the biggest crowds.
Three years after the release of their debut album, Light Upon the Lake, Chicago–based band Whitney came out with their second album, Forever Turned Around, on Aug. 30. Drummer Max Kakacek and guitarist Julien Ehrlich formed Whitney shortly after breaking off from their original band, Smith Westerns, in 2014. The success of Whitney’s Light Upon the Lake led to a two–year international tour that recently came to an end. Much like in Light Upon the Lake, Forever Turned Around celebrates bittersweet memories and hard truths.
Many of us probably wrote music while we were locked away in our childhood bedrooms, toiling in front our computer’s webcam and scribbling down emotional poetry. Broadcasting these diary entries to an audience of just ourselves, these creative moments tend to remain tucked away as digital files and forgotten as we age. But what happens when these pieces of content become more than just pastimes for the creative teenager?
It was a few weeks into my summer in Ireland that I first heard the sentence that would resonate through the rest of my journey: “I am going alone and friendless…into another country.” James Joyce said this to Lady Gregory shortly before he left Ireland for Paris, and I said something similar as I left my school and house in Philadelphia for Dublin, a country I had dreamed about for years, but that neither I nor any of my close relatives had seen. Ostensibly, I was there to write—there were a few academic papers brimming at the back of my mind, and I was scouring for sources of inspiration for my fiction. I found that inspiration, and a reprieve from my burgeoning loneliness, in live music.
Black Belt Eagle Scout, the project of songwriter and instrumentalist Katherine Paul, is built upon the singular narrative of Paul as a queer, Indigenous woman. Her sophomore release, At the Party With My Brown Friends, weaves Paul’s emotions deeper into the fabric of her narrative, more so than her previous releases, drawing the listener into her world and imbuing them with the love and strength that her music inherently conveys.
Crooning country lyrics over guitar chords taught to her by her computer repairman, a young, blue–eyed Taylor Swift moved to Nashville hoping to land a music career. Sixteen years later, endless narratives written by and about her have been broadcast across the world, plastering her with an image she cannot escape from. The serial dater, the snake, the crazy ex, the white feminist—the list goes on. How does one work to rewrite these stories everyone takes to be fact? How does one establish a sense of self when their career seems to belong to everyone else?
Whether you’re a fan of the show or not, HBO’s Euphoria took this summer by storm. Starring Zendaya, Euphoria traces the day–to–day life of 17–year–old Rue Bennett, who just got out of rehab. Throughout the season, the show explores themes of addiction, adolescence, and empathy. The first season received positive critical acclaim with emphasis on its production, cinematography, and soundtrack, which featured artists like Lizzo and Madonna. Euphoria lists Drake and Future the Prince as executive producers, which could explain why the music is as good as it is. With such an extensive collection of songs, Street decided to showcase our top eight songs from a selection of 95 in Euphoria’s Season One soundtrack.
There's a pivotal experience that all music students can identify with: finding time between classes or other responsibilities to flock to the band room and make impromptu music. Sometimes these spontaneous bursts of creativity with friends remain just that, jam sessions that are tucked away as soon as the lunch bell rings. Sometimes they become the determinant of your career. And maybe if you pocket those moments of authentic, fluid content, you might land yourself a few studio albums (and Grammy Awards) along the way.
For years, men have taken the front seat when it comes to driving the rap industry. We cried over Drake, got hype to Tyga features, suffered through the phase where every rapper name was preceded with the word “lil”, and tried to ignore problematic figures like XXXtentacion and Kanye. This meant that women had to learn to brush over lyrics that are definitely not empowering, such as “tried to domesticate you... but you’re an animal” and “got a reputation for yourself now...started wearing less and going out more." It also meant unconsciously harboring guilt for doing things that men are praised for in music, such as having multiple sex partners or partying.
With teenagers decked in floral dad shirts, plastic white clips in wavy hair, and a curfew that lingers in the Tuesday night air, walking into a Summer Salt concert is exactly like what the band’s name suggests. The group of guys from Austin strive to create the perfect soundtrack for chillaxin' by the pool, according to their artist’s profile on Band Camp, where they started their journey.
After three immensely successful mixtapes and three Grammy awards, it’s hard to believe that Chance the Rapper (Chancelor Bennett) has not released a debut album until now. He’s reached a level of success that very few independent artists can achieve. With large artistic freedom, he’s created unique, uplifting rap heavily influenced by jazz and gospel, accumulating close personal and professional ties with some of the biggest rap stars in the process. Given his artistic and commercial success, his debut album The Big Day is long–awaited, highly–anticipated and appropriately titled. On these twenty–two tracks, Chance has set out to deliver a musical marathon that will have a little something for everyone.
When the original animated Lion King was released in 1994, it quickly became one of the highest-grossing animated films in the world and an integral part of many childhoods. A product of the "Disney Renaissance,” the Lion King was widely praised for its storyline, animation and music. Whenever I watch the original animated film, I'm in awe of the opening scene featuring the animals of the Serengeti set to the powerful “The Circle of Life.” It’s no surprise that the creators behind the impressive soundtrack are some of the best musical masterminds of our time: composer Elton John, lyricist Tim Rice and film score composer Hans Zimmer.
The phrase “working-class” often conjures up antiquated and monotonously serene urban pastoral images—a factory worker stands by an assembly line with a shy smile and a gray uniform, building a Ford Model T as though time loops. Working: A Musical aims to dispel that notion, exposing the three–dimensional narratives of those that serve our food, park our cars, and teach our children.
In case you've been slacking on music news as of late, Lil Nas X's “Old Town Road” is among the longest–leading Billboard Hot 100 Number 1 songs. Since Billboard’s inaugural 1958 chart, just 3 percent of all Hot 100 Number 1 songs have led for 10 weeks or more—and, as of press time, "Old Town Road" has been on top for 12 weeks in counting. Thanks to this achievement, the 20–year–old rapper has ascended to the level of artists like Justin Bieber and Boys II Men. His meteoric, independent success raises questions about the role of virality and the interplay between social media and industry acceptance.
With the sun beating on your glittered skin, the body–to–body contact in the crowds, and the colorful clothing you picked out weeks in advance, attending a music festival is a rite of passage. It's a monetary investment and emotional investment, allowing you to curate a friend group you want to experience the late–night headliners and early morning indie groups with. This past weekend, Street travelled to Dover, Delaware for one of the most anticipated music festivals of the summer: Firefly. And what happened over the course of the three days was definitely not what we expected.
Last Saturday, the Mann Center for the Performing Arts put on its first installment of Movies @ The Mann, a summer concert series that presents popular films alongside live performances of their scores. With exciting action and music, this series is perfect for those who adore the works of John Williams and the like, cinephiles who love a classic blockbuster, or someone who just wants to lay out on the lawn while enjoying some movie magic.
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