Arts & Culture

Pixies’ ‘The Night the Zombies Came’ and Halloween Rock

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In perfect Halloween spirit, alternative-rock band Pixies’s most recent release, The Night the Zombies Came, puts a gothic spin on their signature style. As the first album released since new bassist Emma Richardson (formerly with Band of Skulls) joined the lineup, the LP is hefty, featuring 13 tracks and a total runtime of 39 minutes. Lacking the spark of breakthrough alternative rock albums “Doolittle” and “Surfer Rosa,” The Night the Zombies Came seems to be a longshot from the Pixies’ former glory. The elements that once defined the Pixies — their trademark weirdness, their genre-bending approach and Kim Deal’s intricate bass lines — are gone and replaced with a more straightforward, less impactful sound. At least, that was my initial impression.

Arts & Culture

‘Magpie’: First (and Second) Impressions

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There are some songs that you wish you could experience again for the first time; others reveal their genius more subtly — it might not be until the second or third listen that you really begin to appreciate them. Magpie, a new album by the band Peach Pit, drew me in with a “love at first sight” single which was supplemented by tracks that didn’t leave an impression on me initially. Nevertheless, this album is solidified by the continuity from track to track that creates an unmistakably Peach Pit sound. I am happy to report that as I’ve had the album on repeat all weekend, more songs have jumped out to me as potential new favorites. 

If you aren’t already a Peach Pit fan, I hope this article puts them on your radar. This Canadian-based band has dubbed their sound “chewed bubblegum pop,” a moniker that fits very nicely in my opinion.

Arts & Culture

Songs for an Autumn Evening – A New Englander’s Cold Embrace

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Growing up in Massachusetts, where puffy winter coats always covered Halloween costumes and the cold lasted until late April, seasonal reinvention became a way of life. Now, I find myself treasuring nighttime and darkness as the overcast begins to consume more of our days. Even as we disappear beneath layers of jackets and vests and our senses dull in darkness, fall offers us a chance to return to the self. We are able to get lost in our thoughts as the weather gets less forgiving. I say we welcome these thoughts, taking them in with the dark and somber of autumn.

Arts & Culture

The Smile’s ‘Cutouts’ Reviewed: Expanding on Radiohead’s Legacy

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The gaunt, ghostly, yet somehow still youthful voice of Thom Yorke weaves with electronic horns and strings on lead track “Foreign Spies,” the opener of The Smile’s recent album, Cutouts, released Friday Oct. 4. It all lounges atop a lascivious, eerie syncopation familiar to listeners of The Smile. Formed six years ago, the band doesn’t deign to refuse Yorke’s 45 year long career; the dark lyricism, cunning juxtaposition and reflexive aural motifs draw on and rework Radiohead’s revered discography and The Smile’s earlier releases A Light for Attracting Attention (2022) and Wall of Eyes (January 2024). Cutouts aims for a cohesive theme on their trajectory as a band.

Arts & Culture

Bon Iver’s “SABLE,” on Identity and Self-Forgiveness

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It’s been five years since genre-defining, indie-folk band Bon Iver released i,i. To say I’ve been waiting for their next release would be an understatement. Bon Iver’s latest EP, SABLE,, captures a familiar, raw melancholy reminiscent of their 2007 breakthrough debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago. The essence of “cabin-folk” is palpable throughout both, not only in the sentimental lyrics but also in the raw emotion of the songs. If For Emma, Forever Ago was the beginning of Bon Iver’s journey, SABLE, embodies the lessons learned along the way.

Arts & Culture

The Menendez Brothers ‘Monster’ Soundtrack: How Fraud Became a Fortune

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The Menendez Brothers case has resurfaced in the public eye, thanks in large part to the gripping second season of Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. This American biographical crime drama does not just recount their lives — it pulls viewers in with a masterful blend of spoken and unspoken elements that deepen the narrative. As with any compelling storytelling, music plays a pivotal role, driving the emotional intensity and pushing the story forward where words fall short. The soundtrack for the show features a range of artists, but the name that appears most often is an R&B duo by the name of Milli Vanilli, composed of Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus. This duo reached the height of their fame in the late ’80s and early ’90s with their debut hit “Girl You Know It’s True” on the Billboard Hot 100 for 26 weeks, peaking at No.

Arts & Culture

Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Brings Fall Vibes with Beethoven’s Pastoral

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As UGG season returns and Halloween decorations spawn, people are defrosting their fall playlists. This year, I have decided to add Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in F major, also known as the Pastoral Symphony, to my playlist, after being lucky enough to hear it performed live by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra on Oct. 12, conducted by Music Director Andreas Delfs. Beethoven’s Pastoral is broken down into five movements that all revolve around the central theme of celebrating harvest.

Arts & Culture

TEST SPINS | The Beatles: ‘Magical Mystery Tour’

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A couple weeks ago, I wore a t-shirt that said “Love is all you need.” “Beatles?” confirmed a guy I know, to which I nodded. Later that day, I was talking to this guy about Test Spins, wondering which album I should review next. His suggestion was The Beatles. My initial reaction? “That’s so basic.” He then pointed out that I was in fact wearing a Beatles shirt (a fair point).

Arts & Culture

Is the Once “Sad Girl” Lana Del Rey Going To Have “Two Kids and a Cat in the Yard”?

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We reminisced about our teen years when we would cry together over something silly or something that never seemed to end. It made me wonder how she would continue to provide for her listeners. When an artist makes such a drastic change so quickly, it evokes plenty of curiosity in their listeners. Since she is now married, will her thoughts about heartbreak and abuse disappear in her lyrics?

Arts & Culture

On Remix Culture: Raving About House Music

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Coachella 2024: My ribcage is crushed between a barricade and the crowd behind me, there is no relief from the 100 degree desert heat and I’m running purely on adrenaline and three hours of sleep. I cannot relate to the mob of EDM fanatics behind me — at least, that’s what I thought until the house act steps onstage. And although I went to the festival for Tyler, the Creator, it was John Summit and Dom Dolla’s collaborative set, elusively named Everything Always, that convinced me to stay. I have always found something enigmatic about house music’s allure. Until the months leading up to Coachella, I had sworn off the genre in detest of its repetition.