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Katy Perry and the curse of the pixie cut
Read more: Katy Perry and the curse of the pixie cutWhat’s blonde, a little confusing and eccentric all over? Well, yes, one correct answer would be Courtney Love. But that’s not the diva on my mind. The zany prima donna I’m referring to would be Katy Perry, as she appears on her fourth studio album “Witness,” released in 2017. The singer’s aim to explore “purposeful…
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Taylor Swift’s offering to the endlessly hungry pop music machine
Read more: Taylor Swift’s offering to the endlessly hungry pop music machineA shortened version of this piece was originally published by The Columbia Chronicle on April 26, 2024. Rather than displaying the full excellence of Taylor Swift’s talents, her latest studio album “The Tortured Poets Department” gets bogged down by nonsensical lyricism, monotonous production and an omnipresent creative rut. What is apparent across all 31 tracks…
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Smashed Plastic co-founder Andy Weber’s journey from radio DJ to record pressing plant owner
Read more: Smashed Plastic co-founder Andy Weber’s journey from radio DJ to record pressing plant ownerThis story was initially published on ChicagoTalks.org on April 29, 2024. The founding of Smashed Plastic can in-part be traced back to the early ‘80s when a young Andy Weber gathered around his TV set to watch The Who’s closing date of their 1982 tour. That’s when he quickly recognized the power music had to…
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Beyoncé’s intricately crafted ‘real life hoedown’
Read more: Beyoncé’s intricately crafted ‘real life hoedown’Beyoncé’s eighth album “COWBOY CARTER” makes clear that the Houston-born diva is just about as country as they come. Far from a simple country album, the record is an expansive demonstration of the singer’s cultural and musical knowledge as told through genre-bending songs that shake, croon, thump and bounce with a twangy wink. While the…
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Good-girl-gone-‘In The Zone’
Read more: Good-girl-gone-‘In The Zone’The pop princess’ fourth LP pushed the singer into new and empowering territory that continues to have political and feminist undertones.
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Review: Joni Mitchell, ‘Hejira’ (Asylum, 1976)
Read more: Review: Joni Mitchell, ‘Hejira’ (Asylum, 1976)Mitchell’s travels across America as told though nine sweeping, evocative songs.
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Ryan Beatty brings his almost-holy sonic reveries to Thalia Hall
Read more: Ryan Beatty brings his almost-holy sonic reveries to Thalia HallThis story was initially published on ChicagoTalks.org on March 5, 2024. A full house packed into Thalia Hall on Monday, Mar. 4 to see California-born singer-songwriter Ryan Beatty, who offered up a sweet concoction of musical catharsis for his captive — and highly entranced — audience. Beatty’s stop at Thalia Hall was part of his…
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In the studio with Chicago funk-rock band DZ Riley
Read more: In the studio with Chicago funk-rock band DZ RileyThis story was initially published on ChicagoTalks.org on November 2, 2023. On a sunny afternoon in late October, the members of Chicago-based funk rock band DZ Riley filtered through the doors of Rax Trax recording studio in Lakeview East. The walls of Rax Trax are adorned with photos of classic music icons — Jimmi Hendrix,…
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Review: Omar Apollo’s ‘Live For Me’
Read more: Review: Omar Apollo’s ‘Live For Me’The R&B heartthrob attempts to diversify his sound across a short but (mostly) sweet EP.
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Lana Del Rey’s ‘Norman Fucking Rockwell!’ Turns Four
Read more: Lana Del Rey’s ‘Norman Fucking Rockwell!’ Turns FourRevisiting the glimmer and glory of Lana Del Rey’s “Norman Fucking Rockwell!” four years after its release.
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Lollapalooza ’23 Will Be Remembered as ‘Lanapalooza’
Read more: Lollapalooza ’23 Will Be Remembered as ‘Lanapalooza’“Hello, it’s the most famous woman you know on the iPad.”
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Review: Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour, June 3, 2023
Read more: Review: Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour, June 3, 2023A review of Swift’s masterful stop at Chicago’s Soldier Field on June 3, 2023.
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Review: Caroline Polachek and Ethel Cain at the Riviera Theatre
Read more: Review: Caroline Polachek and Ethel Cain at the Riviera TheatreMay 16th was a night to remember for fans of alternative and avant-garde pop music, with two of the genre’s most forward-thinking artists taking the stage at the Riviera Theatre.
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‘America, Please Take My Hand’: Three Black Visionaries Narrate Stories of American Life
Read more: ‘America, Please Take My Hand’: Three Black Visionaries Narrate Stories of American LifeTogether, these three albums create a fascinating look at American life, told through three unique perspectives of Black visionaries.
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Personal Narrative and Album Review: Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’
Read more: Personal Narrative and Album Review: Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’An album review and personal story about Taylor Swift’s impeccable “1989.”
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Album Review: ‘…Ocean Blvd’ by Lana Del Rey
Read more: Album Review: ‘…Ocean Blvd’ by Lana Del ReyThe singer-songwriter’s ninth studio album is a feast of collaborations, ever-shifting sonics and a relaxed playfulness amid many contemplations.
Avery Heeringa 