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Zac Brown Band’s “The Owl” Throws in the Country Towel

Two Fridays ago, the Zac Brown Band released their sixth studio album, The Owl, acquiring almost as many producers as it does tracks. In an age where casual listeners will often answer the question of what kind of music they listen to with, “I don’t know, just not Country,” well, this album may serve them right. But is it really Country? 

The band took on a pretty drastic musical transition, almost ‘Taylor Swift-style,’ with their conforming to the idioms of Pop. While they still remained somewhat true to their country roots, Zac Brown Band incorporated some noticeably cliche, formulaic infusions of pop production into their new LP, officially making their stand into the nauseating ‘subgenre’ that is “Electro-Country.” The Owl makes Garth Brooks look like Johnny Cash, and now, Country’s more dead than that “man in Reno.”

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Mike Teel Talks Rutgers Football with “The Crew”

Rutgers’ all-time passing leader, Mike Teel, joined Jake Ostrove and Justin Sontupe of “The WRSU Crew” Friday afternoon. Teel and the guys talked interim coach Nunzio Campanile, the rise of Rutgers football under Greg Schiano, Teel’s time “on the Banks,” the 2006 Louisville game (and game week!), and the Scarlet Knights’ coaching search.

Former Rutgers QB Mike Teel talks Rutgers Football with “The Crew”
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Trash Island by Bladee, Ecco2k, Thaiboy Digital REVIEW

Two years after the release of their first collaborative, self titled album DG, the swedish rap collective Drain Gang is back with Trash Island.  The swedish rap group consisting of Bladee, Thaiboy Digital and Ecco2k, has had quite the past year. Bladee, the self proclaimed “Drain Gang CEO,” is coming off the release of his most popular mixtape yet, Icedancer. While Bladee is not a new name in hip hop, he is very much up and coming. Bladee has received criticism from music reviewers for being another Yung Lean clone, who is one of Bladee’s frequent collaborators and friends. After the success of his mixtapes Red Light and Icedancer, Bladee has in many ways made a name for himself while creating a cult following like few other artists of his popularity. Bladee has been teasing Trash Island for a long time, releasing a couple successful singles over the past year with seemingly no real purpose, such as “Trash Star,” “Apple,” and recently “Vanilla Sky” which is why the surprise release and the fact that the album was collaborative shocked his fanbase. It wasn’t clear what Trash Island was, whether it was a solo album, or even a clothing line, Bladee is very unpredictable. Another reason fans found themselves shocked was the near release of the highly anticipated of Thaiboy Digital’s Legendary Member, a solo project the group has been teasing for two years, being released on September 23rd. 

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Live Review of Daniel Caesar at the Fillmore

At the Fillmore, located in the energetic Fishtown district on the edge of North Philly, Daniel Caesar performed to a sold-out crowd this past Saturday. Caesar showcased his newest album for his headlining tour: Case Study 01. Released in June, the tracks off this album became powerful anthems for the summer months. The line of ten people that I arrived to at 4 in the afternoon had grown to a line of 2,500 before doors opened at 7 PM, and I began to realize the  sheer amount of individuals who are moved by Caesar’s music. My 3 hours of waiting in line on an unusually humid September day was less than ideal, but the payout was incredible.

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Charli XCX – Charli Album Review

In the five years that have passed since her last studio album Sucker, Charli XCX has been hard at work releasing an EP, two mixtapes, and appearing as a featured artist on multiple singles. Her long awaited third LP Charli contains 15 tracks of her usual brand of avant-garde electropop.

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The Self Proclaimed African Giant Returns

“They call me Burna Boy and these are The Outsiders.” 

Burna Boy performed to a rowdy crowd on Friday the thirteenth. After a circus of opening acts ranging from DJs to dance teams to knock-off versions of Cardi B, Burna Boy finally came to the stage. He skillfully merged each song into the next, not taking a break until after an hour to preach to his audience.

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YBN Cordae The Lost Boy Album Review

YBN Cordae’s The Lost Boy is my favorite hip-hop album of 2019. Every aspect of the music came together perfectly. The beats are engaging, Cordae’s energy is high, his flow is sharp, and best of all, his lyricism is on point. When Cordae raps, there’s never a dull moment. He is either giving you a passionate, fast-paced combination of bars, or he is calmly reflecting on his past struggles and journey throughout life. Either way, I enjoy the relatable and well-constructed verses. Every song is a well-illustrated description of the topic at hand, reminding me of a painting at an art museum. As a whole, the project is a consistently satisfying listen from start to finish.

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Brockhampton Returns to Form on “Ginger”

2018 was a rollercoaster of a year for Brockhampton. Riding the success of their popular self-produced Saturation trilogy, the group decided to sign to RCA Records. In June 2018, they decided to fire staple member Ameer Vann after sexual assault allegations surfaced, and their announced projects Puppy and Team Effort were scrapped. Throughout the summer of 2018, the collective released a string of standalone singles and eventually recorded their fourth studio album Iridescence in ten days at Abbey Road Studios in London, which was released in the following September. After Iridescence, the hip-hop collective went on tour, and the group’s long string of releases was over.

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Lana Del Rey – “Norman F***ing Rockwell!” Album Review

Lana Del Rey has always been an intriguing figure in the pop scene. At a time when most pop stars looked ahead into the future, Lana was looking back into the past. Her old-timey, cinematic “gangster girl” aesthetic was something fresh and her work showed an exceptional amount of promise. 

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Tool – Fear Inoculum Album Review

The wait is finally over. After thirteen years, legendary prog-alt-metal band Tool has finally released their fifth album Fear Inoculum, and, let me tell you, it’s good to hear them with all new material. As their longest album yet (namely the digital version, which will be the one being reviewed for today), Tool still tries to push the boundaries with most of the songs lasting over ten minutes thus allowing the band to showcase their new, mature sound. Maturity, however, comes at a cost, and Tool gives listeners a fulfilling record, albeit one that may be too polished.

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