The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/tag/music/)
It can be tempting to trace the roots of psychedelic culture back to the plant-eating, headband-wearing hippies of the 1960s, but doing so neglects an extensive and riveting past. Historical accounts tell of smoking hemp seed in Ancient Greece, consuming mushrooms in the Aztec Empire and the Viking cultures of Scandinavia and chewing peyote in Native American societies across the United States.
New organization hopes to bring together the Ithaca community to celebrate the arts.
Machine Gun Kelly’s newest project, Tickets To My Downfall, has had considerable success since dropping in September. The pop-punk inspired album debuted atop the Billboard Charts after selling 126,000 units in its first week. The collection of songs remains relevant and has championed a revival of the ubiquitous rock sound of the early 2000s.
Ironically, while clearly a sonic experiment, the project centers around the same conceptual premise Kelly has long asspoused : Life is hard and Kelly’s fame and fortune have only exacerbated his emotional troubles. This is hardly a novel concept in music, yet the particular combination of sound, lyrics and vocals set this album apart and promulgate a unique message we can all learn from. Tickets to My Downfall explores emotional angst, but to a celebratory and passionate tune.
Ithaca Underground provided a platform for artists to share their music and their political messages during this turbulent time.
“The dances we taught had to be able to be done in a small space… It’s hard to judge a dancer on their abilities if we can’t see them fully execute a movement.”
One piece, “Rhapsody in Blue,” will even feature an acoustic grand piano that must be carefully wheeled outside. “It’s all about adaptation.”
Pecknold has said that he wanted the album to be a point of stability, “to celebrate life in a time of death.”
Disco thrived on a disruption of the status quo and a total refusal of the value system that prevailed at the time it was created.
Hippo Campus is also known for their support of the #MeToo movement, having donated to the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota in 2018 via a merchandise drive.
Marsupial Lion fills the gap between overly chill bedroom pop and new age alternative, harnessing a sound that feels as genuine as it is unique.