Arts & Culture

TEST SPINS | Arctic Monkeys: ‘AM’

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There’s something about the Arctic Monkeys’ music that absolutely screams October to me. Maybe it’s a murky combination of factors, maybe it’s just the vibe, but it’s something I haven’t ever been able to completely put my finger on, yet have always felt. No Arctic Monkeys record gives me this feeling more than AM (2013). This week, I decided to dive back into the album to pinpoint why it is that the Arctic Monkeys are just so October. Kicking off the album is “Do I Wanna Know?” with that iconic, instantly-recognizable opening riff. “Do I Wanna Know?” was the second single off AM and sees lead singer Alex Turner obsessively analyzing his relationship with the masterful lyricism he’s known for: “Been wonderin’ if your heart’s still open / And if so, I wanna know what time it shuts / Simmer down and pucker up, I’m sorry to interrupt / It’s just I’m constantly on the cusp of tryin’ to kiss you” he confesses.

Arts & Culture

TEST SPINS | Earth, Wind & Fire: ‘I Am’

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Last Saturday evening we celebrated a national holiday. You know which one — the 21st night of September! This past summer, I had the opportunity to see Earth, Wind & Fire (the group responsible for “September”), along with the band Chicago, in concert. I’ll be honest — I enjoy some Earth, Wind & Fire songs, but I’d been trying to get tickets to see Chicago for years, and Earth, Wind & Fire just happened to be a bonus. Chicago was (unsurprisingly) amazing, but I walked out of that concert as a newly minted Earth, Wind & Fire fan.

Arts & Culture

TEST SPINS | Aerosmith: ‘Permanent Vacation’

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In August, Aerosmith announced that their already-postponed farewell tour was canceled and that they were retiring from touring as a result of lead singer Steven Tyler’s vocal injury. This broke my heart. Aerosmith was the first rock band I ever loved. “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing,” “Crazy,” “Dream On,” “Walk This Way” … it just didn’t get any better. I remain a steadfast Aerosmith fan to this day and was crushed when I found out I would never see them on tour.

Arts & Culture

TEST SPINS | Justin Bieber: ‘My World 2.0’

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I’ll say it: I was a Belieber in my youth. So much so, in fact, that my first grade backpack had Justin Bieber’s face on it. More specifically, it featured the album cover of My World 2.0 — the 2010 record that constituted much of the soundtrack to my childhood. I haven’t been quite such a passionate Justin Bieber fan in many years, but I can still appreciate a good JB track when I hear it. This week, in honor of our return to school and that magnificent little backpack, I decided to jump back into My World 2.0.

Arts & Culture

TEST SPINS | The Cars: ‘The Cars’

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In the summer of 2023, just a few weeks before arriving at school, I watched the (then-new) rom-com Your Place or Mine starring Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher. Was the movie the most highbrow, intellectually stimulating piece of cinema I’d ever seen? Definitely not. Do I remember much of the plot now, over a year later? Also definitely not.

Arts & Culture

TEST SPINS | Cage The Elephant: ‘Melophobia’

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It had been five years since Social Cues. As an avid Cage The Elephant fan, the near silence from the band was concerning — were they ever going to make music again? Finally, the band announced they would be releasing Neon Pill in May of 2024. I anxiously awaited the album, thrilled to hear new music with that classic Cage sound. On release day, I tuned in … and while that was definitely Matt Shultz on the mic, what I heard didn’t sound like a Cage The Elephant record to me.

Arts & Culture

TEST SPINS | Eagles: ‘One of These Nights’

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No classic rock playlist is complete without an Eagles song. Whether it’s “Witchy Woman” from their debut album Eagles, “The Best of My Love” off On the Border, or the iconic title track “Hotel California,” the Eagles have made it evident that they can do just about any type of rock. However, despite the success of these songs, I’d argue that this doesn’t get any clearer than in their 1975 record One of These Nights, where they achieve the lofty, delicate balance that defines country-rock. This week, I decided to dive into One of These Nights to investigate how they were able to pull off this elusive genre. Starting the album out with a bang is “One of These Nights,” which includes a funky intro and shiver-inducing harmonies during the chorus, topped off with percussive punctuation of the title.

Arts & Culture

TEST SPINS | Goo Goo Dolls: ‘Dizzy Up the Girl’

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If you know one song by the Goo Goo Dolls, odds are it’s “Iris” from their 1998 album Dizzy Up the Girl. There was a period of time in my life when, if you asked me what my all-time favorite songs were, “Iris” would be listed among them. Since then, I’ve listened to much more music, and while my answer to that question might be different now, “Iris” still stands out to me as a truly great song. I was reminded of this when I heard it on the radio the other day, and decided to jump into Dizzy Up the Girl this week to explore what else the record has to offer. It starts off with an upbeat, post-grunge sound with “Dizzy.” I’m not a huge fan of the conversational tone of the verses, but it has a simple and effective chorus, as well as an appealing instrumental backing, that saves the song.

Arts & Culture

TEST SPINS | P!nk: ‘Funhouse’

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People are quick to characterize P!nk’s music as simply pop. These people wouldn’t exactly be wrong — her music is pop, in the broadest sense of the word. What makes her songs so special, though, is the way she mixes pop with other genres. We all know the song “So What,” where she famously calls herself a rock star. But she isn’t just a rock star either — she also sings ballads … and R&B … and country … the list goes on.

Arts & Culture

TEST SPINS | Hall & Oates: ‘Bigger Than Both Of Us’

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It’s been all over the news: Daryl Hall is suing John Oates. As per the Associated Press, Hall claims that “Oates and his team engaged in the ‘ultimate partnership betrayal’ by pushing to sell his share [of Whole Oats Enterprises LLP] while telling Hall’s associates that he wanted to maintain his ownership.” It’s hard to believe that one of music’s most beloved duos is at war; songs like “Maneater,” “Rich Girl” and “Out of Touch” are woven into the very fabric of music history, so to think that Hall & Oates is now just Hall and Oates comes as a shock to the system. Regardless, this is reality, so in honor of the rift that has come between this iconic duo, I’ve decided to review their aptly named 1976 album, Bigger Than Both Of Us. “Back Together Again” starts the album out with a jazzy intro and a rare glimmer of John Oates at lead vocals. It sounds like something straight out of the ’60s, and although it’s a repetitive and relatively simple track, it’s catchy enough that it works.