Music

Barry MacGuire at 99.1 The Beat in Eugene, Oregon. Photo by Noah Samuelsen

The name Barry MacGuire has the kind of alliterative, punchy ring that feels pulled from a 1960s superhero comic – simple, strong, memorable, and sounding every bit like the protagonist in a classic caped adventure. Although you probably won’t catch Barry MacGuire soaring through the sky or zapping lasers from his eyes, he’s still very much a hero, just one who is the sound of the radio at 99.1 The Beat Eugene.

When MacGuire first gave me the station’s address, I geared up to arrive at a squat, retro radio house perched atop a hill, framed by a monstrous radio tower. You know, the kind that evokes that old-school, slightly kitschy vibe, with big black letters spelling out the station’s call sign above the door. But when I pulled into the lot, I was met instead with a three-story, all-white commercial building with shiny windows. The only hint that it…

1. WATER FROM YOUR EYES
Album: It's A Beautiful Place
Label: Matador/Beggars

2. MAGDALENA BAY
Album: "Unoriginal" b/w "Black-Eyed Susan Climb" [Single]
Label: Mom+Pop

3. DE LA SOUL
Album: Cabin In The Sky
Label: Mass Appeal

4. FKA TWIGS
Album: EUSEXUA Afterglow 
Label: Young/Atlantic

5. ODONIS ODONIS
Album: Odonis Odonis
Label: Royal Mountain

6. GEESE
Album: Getting Killed
Label: Partisan

7. OKLOU
Album: choke enough (Deluxe)
Label: True Panther/Virgin

8. HAYLEY WILLIAMS
Album: Ego Death…

Album cover for Florence and the Machine's "Everybody Scream."

On the day of tricks and treats, Florence and the Machine released their sixth studio album, “Everybody Scream,” under the Republic Records label. It’s been three years since their previous album “Dance Fever.”  

According to Rolling Stone, during their “Dance Fever" tour, Florence Welch, lead singer and songwriter, experienced an ectopic pregnancy which required a life-threatening surgery. Despite this tragic event, Welch grew from this experience, saying “When you have to have emergency surgery, the lights are so bright; it’s so clinical. There was a sense afterwards that I needed to be near to the earth. I needed to be near natural things.” The “natural thing” Welch turned towards was magic. 

Bassvictim performs at Holocene in Portland, Ore., Nov. 3, 2025.

EDM couple and duo Bassvictim performed at the Holocene in Portland earlier last month on November 3rd. The duo ran songs from their latest album “Forever” – released just barely a month before their performance – along with other famous hits like “Forever Salty,” “Canary Wharf Drift,” and “Gajówka.” One of their more well known songs, “Air on a G String” had fans uncontrollably moshing and reaching for the Polish-American vocalist Maria Manow to join…

1. CHARLI XCX
Album: "Chains Of Love" [Single]
Label: Atlantic

2. JT
Album: "Girls Gone Wild" [Single]
Label: Quality Control/Motown

3. FKA TWIGS
Album: EUSEXUA
Label: Young/Atlantic

4. BLOOD ORANGE
Album: Essex Honey
Label: RCA

5. DRUGDEALER AND WEYES BLOOD
Album: "Real Thing" [Single]
Label: Mexican Summer

6. FAKEMINK
Album: "MAKKA" [Single]
Label: Mexican Summer

7. FRIDA KILL
Album: City Gurl
Label: Get Better

8. GOOD FLYING BIRDS
Album: Talulah's Tape
Label: Carpark

The leaves are nearly gone, the nights are longer, and the airwaves are already filling with Christmas music. Wait– what happened to Thanksgiving?

As soon as Halloween ends, the world seems to skip straight to sugar cookies and Mariah Carey. I have to protest this. Where is the soundtrack for stuffing and gratitude? What’s with the minimal selection of Thanksgiving music? 

Sure, Thanksgiving isn’t a full-blown “season” like Christmas, but who cares? Is giving thanks to our loved ones not worth an awesome jingle? It makes you wonder: what would a Thanksgiving song even sound like? Hymns about mashed potatoes? Riffs about your aunt’s pumpkin pie? I can only imagine how catchy those bangers would be. 

There are a few songs that count as honorary Thanksgiving anthems in my book. Maybe “Harvest Moon” by Neil Young, “Thanksgiving Theme” by Vince Guaraldi Trio, “Kinky Love” by Pale Saints, “Me & Mr. Jones” by Amy…

Image by Clover Ebbott

Generation Z’s teenage experience differs from every other generation due to the invention of social media. Algorithms on apps like TikTok and Instagram are designed to learn and adapt to each user’s interests and find their “niche”. These social media platforms offer a great way to find new music, far easier than previous generations who relied heavily on radio and physical music mediums. Of course, everyone had their own taste – rock, new wave, jazz, etc. – but popular musicians were often popular to all, and smaller musicians had a harder time “making it”. 

Platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and SoundCloud have provided up-and-coming artists with an easy way to get their music circulated. With so many ways to find new music and artists, listeners are developing increasingly specific taste and gravitating towards niche communities.

Along with community in niche groups comes competition…

1. FKA TWIGS
Album: EUSEXUA Afterglow
Label: Young/Atlantic

2. MEI SEMONES
Album: Kurayami/Get Used To It + Itsumo [EP]
Label: Bayonet

3. ROSALIA
Album: Lux
Label: Columbia

4. CHARLI XCX
Album: "House featuring John Cale" [Single]
Label: Atlantic

5. FLORENCE AND THE MACHINE
Album: Everybody Scream
Label: Republic/UMG

6. EMILY YACINA
Album: Veilfall
Self-released

7. GUIDED BY VOICES
Album: Thick Rich And Delicious
Label: GBV Inc.

8. JAY SOM
Album: Belong
Label: Polyvinyl

Avi Perl in the KWVA 88.1 FM studio 

Every Sunday night around 10 p.m., Avi Perl (aka DJV) sits down for a two-hour show at the University of Oregon’s KWVA 88.1 FM radio station. With a playlist on deck, she prepares for her personalized show “Rambles&Beats.” 

Sitting in the station with the mixing board in front of her, vibing to her favorite music, Perl remains there until 12 a.m., doing what she does best: sharing her passion for music with her audience.

For Perl, joining college radio was a way to find her own community, and it has now become a defining part of her college experience. It has given her a space to explore her love of music, connect with other students and DJs who share that passion, and grow into a leadership position where she learns lifelong skills. 

“Going into college, it was always a goal of mine to get involved with the campus radio, wherever I ended up…

A sensory deprivation tank is a person-sized pod filled with salt water. Epsom salt water to be exact, and enough epsom salts to create the specific gravity needed for a person to float with their face above the water without having to try. The water is kept at body temperature, around 95 degrees. After a while, you can’t tell you’re even in water anymore, it just feels like you’re floating in a comfortable abyss. 

This experience is called float therapy. It’s a glimmering, buoyant, new-age sensation. These are also the words I would use to describe "Vågen Igen," the debut album by Denmark’s Mona Moroni – the album I would want to listen to while in a sensory deprivation tank.   

I don’t know what made me connect the two in my head. I’ve never done float therapy. But something about this album feels watery, deep-sea like. Maybe it’s the jellyfish on the cover. Its translucent body reveals some sort of glittering veins or…