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(11/20/17 12:00pm)
With reputation, Taylor Swift makes a transformation — one that many huge stars have attempted — into a darker, more serious version of herself. Bruno Mars did it with Unorthodox Jukebox, Michael Jackson scowled on the cover of Bad and Beyonce embraced her sexuality like never before on her self-titled album. Swift, however, had slightly different circumstances; since touring the world for the Album of the Year-winning 1989, Swift has seen her public image falter with each celebrity feud, from Kanye West to Calvin Harris to Katy Perry. The marketing for reputation centers around a confidently cold Taylor Swift basking in everyone that called her a “snake,” but don’t be fooled into thinking that the old Taylor is truly dead. While reputation is certainly her darkest project both sonically and lyrically, it is more so an electronic successor to the love-filled 1989 combined with some daring shots at her enemies. The old Taylor made some good music, and this album is clearly influenced from the hits that made her such a star, while also pushing her musical palette in new directions.
(11/20/17 12:00pm)
Sometimes it can feel like a storm, gripping something between the stars and sky. In this place, we get lost like Monday morning doubts, shape shift again and never really lose sight of where we see this going. For Jaden Smith, SYRE moves like motion never known, settling between himself and comfort — the same soul-seeking freedom that leaves and changes the tendencies of trust. In his first full-length album, Smith relieves breath by breath the quick and inconsistent potential of love, the persistence of hope and the blinding colors of being alive, claiming his skin and the weapons that expose us like skeletons.
(11/20/17 12:00pm)
Louis the Child brought energy and positivity to their set at the Orpheum Friday night, with the end result being four hours of exceptional EDM.
(11/20/17 12:00pm)
In preparing for Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut in “Lady Bird,” I hads a sense of apprehension about the experience I presumed I would have. As industry costs increase and fall to the consumer, it becomes a greater gamble of financial precarity when $15 is the entry fee for the chance of an entertaining film and an enjoyable evening. Naturally, trailers yield the byway method of circumventing our concerns about this very problem, yet often find themselves under heavy critique for their own representation of the film they aim to market. With “Lady Bird,” I found an unfortunate parallel to this issue. However, it seemed to work astoundingly, and in a manner I hadn’t truly expected.
(11/17/17 11:20pm)
Chicago-based rapper Noname — despite her stage name — clearly made a name for herself in Madison, because she will return to a local stage Monday for the third time within a year. She’s built up her reputation from being part of a stacked lineup at last year’s FRZN Fest at High Noon Saloon, followed by a small, free show at The Sett, to finally having her own ticketed headline show at the Majestic Theatre.
(11/16/17 12:00pm)
Petit Biscuit released his debut album, Presence, this past Friday. Though he is most known for his song “Sunset Lover,” which boasts over 226 million plays on Spotify, Petit Biscuit displays an advanced sound on his new album, which features 14 tracks — almost entirely new releases. With collaborations from fellow producers Lido, SONIA and Bipolar Sunshine, Presence offers a creative mix of electronic melodies from all the featured artists.
(11/16/17 12:00pm)
This week, let's focus on outcasts. Everybody loves a good comeback story, rooting for the underdogs, David over Goliath, etc. It’s one of the most-used tropes in any business, and one that tends to get audiences to respond well. No one wants to read a story about a king with loads of money who continues to rule peacefully for all his days; that’s why you only see those sentences at the end of stories — unless you’re reading about politics, in which case, Goliath wins every time.
(11/16/17 12:00pm)
Last Friday, Amazon released three new shows as a part of their biannual pilot season program. The way the pilot season works is they release a bunch of pilot episodes for new shows, after which the viewers are able to rate and review them. The ones with the best ratings get picked up for a series order. This winter, they released three new pilots — “I Love You More,” “Sea Oak” and “The Climb” — showing a push for female representation both on and off the camera.
(11/16/17 12:00pm)
“Call of Duty: WWII” is a return to the series’ historic setting and “boots on the ground” gameplay. In some ways it succeeds, but the final product is a jack of all trades rather than a quality experience throughout.
(11/13/17 7:33pm)
Over the weekend, Jidenna dropped a surprise EP titled Boomerang. Some may remember the billboard-charting, electro R&B hit, “Classic Man” from 2015. Since then, Jidenna has pushed out some great work and performed at a slew of festivals, including this past summer’s Lollapalooza in Chicago. Fans of the Netflix show Luke Cage will likely remember Jidenna’s appearance with his stellar performance of the melodic single, “Long Live The Chief.”
(11/13/17 1:00pm)
Every Thursday night at 11 p.m., a slew of new albums pop up on music streaming services on phones across the country. In an effort to make sure the best and most notable albums get the recognition they deserve, I’ll be sharing a recap of the highlights from each and every week — all of the week’s amazing albums in one place. Some albums will get more coverage than others, but anything that sticks out to me during my weekend listenings will make an appearance in some way. With that, let’s dive right in.
(11/13/17 12:00pm)
It is quite rare to see a film franchise completely reinvigorate a character without disappointing fans of the original. However, Marvel Studios has given new life to a character that has, up until this point, not lived up to its full potential. “Thor: Ragnarok” provides audiences with a fresh, comedic take on its iconic character, a gladiatorial side plot with the incredible Hulk, and ultimately a fun time at the theater.
(11/11/17 12:00pm)
Kamasi Washington, a California-based jazz saxophonist and composer, and his phenomenal band enchanted Madison with a beautiful performance of classic jazz woven into an aura of experimentation and spirituality.
(11/10/17 12:00pm)
“Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus” is one of those special sequels that is given the mission of expanding a stand-alone piece of art into a multi-installment franchise. Surprisingly, it succeeds without losing the charm and inventiveness that made the original popular.
(11/09/17 2:30pm)
The last time Foo Fighters played in Madison, George W. Bush was president, “Brokeback Mountain” won film of the year and I was somewhere navigating middle school. Clearly, much has changed since then, yet for the Foo Fighters it's been in all of the best ways. This past Tuesday evening, the Foo Fighters cemented their place as rock gods to a sold out crowd in the Kohl Center.
(11/09/17 1:00pm)
As some of our favorite shows are winding down to an end, Showtime has stepped up to fill in the gaps. This past Sunday they brought back a longtime fan-favorite, “Shameless,” and premiered a brand new show, “SMILF.” Both premieres were an hour filled with badass (or maybe just bad) women, ridiculous antics and so many laughs.
(11/09/17 2:00pm)
Norwegian black metal moguls Mayhem put on a dramatic exhibit at the Majestic Theatre Tuesday night, playing the entirety of their highly influential 1994 debut album, De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas. Known for using pseudonyms for their stage aliases, the active lineup featured one founding member, bassist Necrobutcher, who was absent from the group during the record’s production. Active in Mayhem since 1988, drummer Jan Blomberg, who is known for his work as Hellhammer in many black metal groups, was present for the entirety of the album’s development. Singer Attila Csihar joined on temporarily to track its vocals before becoming a permanent member more than a decade later.
(11/08/17 10:18pm)
The people — mostly women — that filled the Barrymore Theatre wall-to-wall on Sunday night collectively doubled over for two hours when Ilana Glazer compared her HPV to Britney Spears and Phoebe Robinson detailed the ins and outs of eating fried chicken in front of her boyfriend for the first time.
(11/08/17 12:00pm)
Rapper Big K.R.I.T. dropped a compelling and unapologetically southern double album that might just walk away as the best album to emerge this fall season.
(11/07/17 12:00pm)
Kygo released his new album, Kids in Love, Nov. 3 after teasing with several singles throughout the year. Despite having several notable features, Kygo — originally a producer from Norway — fails to bring any originality or inspiration throughout the album.
