By Maddy Yen

On Thursday, February 1, TikTok users woke up to the news that all Universal Music Group (UMG) songs had been wiped from the platform. Artists include Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, Olivia Rodrigo, Morgan Wallen, Nicki Minaj, Billie Eilish, Noah Kahan, Post Malone, Lorde, Drake and Ariana Grande to name only a small portion. 

Why did Universal Pull Their Artists from TikTok? 

So you may be asking: “Why would Universal do this?” Essentially, the two massive companies could not agree regarding negotiations over copyright permissions and royalty terms. This is not the first time big-label corporations have fought over rights with apps and websites. In 2009, Warner Music Group (WMG) was in a nine-month standoff with…

By Samantha Lozano

Trigger Warning: This story discusses sexual assault.

Within my endeavors to find the perfect costume, I fell upon the idea of the album cover, “Living Through This.” This iconic Hole cover centers on a distressed prom queen receiving her award as mascara runs down her face. The raw reaction transcends through the cover, drawing attention to the multi-faceted emotions one can feel. Hole truly encapsulates the rage, feminist, and political sound that swept over the Pacific Northwest. Courtney Love brought to light topics surrounding the patriarchy, domestic abuse, rape, and female empowerment. Hole is a band I thought was known and appreciated by many. When arriving at the party, I assumed the costume would resonate with others but I quickly understood nobody knew who I was. I was in disbelief that a band so influential in the third-wave feminism movement could go unrecognized. How did the riot grrrl movement speak on the music…

by Sadie Tresnit

That’s What You Get for Gettin’ Outta Bed - Grandaddy

Since this playlist is meant to get happier as it goes on, we have to start sad. This tune is perfect for mornings when you wake up in a mopey mood. I listened to it on repeat during a tough time last term, and letting myself wallow in sadness for a bit ended up helping. It’s best to give yourself time to actually experience negative emotions instead of automatically brushing them to the side.

“Tango Atlantico” - Joe Jackson

I’ll admit that I’m a little late with this one since the lyrics briefly mention Christmas. However, this is one of my absolute favorite brooding songs, so it’s staying in. I really like this song because it’s so different from what I usually listen to. The vocal emphasis Jackson puts on the line about “the pissing rain” really resonates when you’re bracing yourself to walk into another Oregon…

By Megan Lorich

In 2017, a teenage Oaklander started releasing self-written songs on her YouTube channel under the name mxmtoon. The songs were recorded in the guest bedroom of her childhood home, using the beginner mixing software Garageband. The EP was entitled “Plum Blossom”, with individual singles featuring art by her late grandmother. These songs, despite their low production, shot her quickly into YouTube fame in April of 2018, gaining subscribers quickly — particularly after a collaboration on the lo-fi song “Falling For You” with Peachy, which has now reached a cumulative total of over three million streams on Spotify. She was quickly recognized as an art hoe aesthetic ukulele player who fit into the cultural phenomenon of teens in 2018.

Alongside YouTube musicians like Chloe Moriondo and Cavetown (whom she would later…

By Megan Lorich

As 2024 begins, we should reflect on an art form that came back with a vengeance — the concert film. With the release of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, Beyonce’s Renaissance Tour, and the rerelease of Talking Heads’ “Stop Making Sense” through legendary indie distributor A24, it’s undeniable that the concert film had a major return to the movie theater this past year. But with the surge of popularity in concert films throughout 2023, it’s easy to speculate on whether this genre will be successful in 2024. 

Though “Stop Making Sense” premiered a month before Swift’s “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” the former having its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11th and the latter having its world premiere on October 13th, Swift’s film was undeniably more successful. Advance ticket sales for AMC, Regal Cinemas, and Cinemark were record-breaking with a combined total of…

By Maddy Yen

After looking at the discography of music from my 2023 Spotify Wrapped — I began to see a pattern. A lot of the artists happened to be Irish. From solo artists to bands, there is a draw that Irish musicians have, many with their unique sound of Celtic Rock. This genre began in the 1970s, blending traditional Irish music and hard rock. According to Irish Rockers, Irish music emerged with Showbands, performers who played American and British hits at dance halls and clubs. Van Morrison got his start in a Showband in the ‘60s, reaching international success with the group “Them.” Subsequently, Morrison embarked on his solo career in New York with “Brown Eyed Girl” reaching the 10th spot on the charts for 16 weeks, still being his most well-known song. His ‘Celtic Soul’ songs were something…

By Samantha Lozano

Lester Bangs, William Miller, and Penny Lane are names that resonate deeply with those immersed in the world of rock and roll. An ode to director Cameron Crowe's personal journey, “Almost Famous” pays homage to his time as a 16-year-old writing for Rolling Stone and following Led Zeppelin on tour. This cinematic masterpiece unfolds the story of William Miller, a determined journalist whose love for music and writing leads him to sidestep the conventional teenage path, opting instead to tour with the rock band Stillwater after a backstage encounter. 

“Rockstars have kidnapped my son!” Miller's mother exclaims to her class, encapsulating the film's essence. “Almost Famous” seamlessly merges the realms of music lovers and musicians, capturing an era where interacting with artists was arguably more accessible than ever before. In a memorable scene, the lead singer goes to a local house party in one of the tour cities — prompting the audience to…

By Maddy Yen

This Indie surf rock playlist combines all my favorite things: surf rock, indie rock, and garage rock. What could be better? My best friend and I bond over anything indie surf-related, and it inspired me to make the ultimate playlist. It includes the classic artists who paved the way, The Beach Boys, The Strokes, and The Chantays, mixed with the new wave (pun intended) of my favorite bands like The Happy Return, Sun Room, and Skegss. 

“Wipe Out” - The Surfaris

Starting with a song that started the craze, released in 1963, “Wipe Out” became a surf rock anthem — covered by many other artists. This instrumental surf tune is one of my favorites, encapsulating the frenzy of surfing in Southern California. 

“Blue” - The Happy Return

Speaking of Southern California, one of my favorite bands, “The Happy Return,” is an Indie Alternative Rock 4-piece with a beachy…

By Savannah Brown

If I had even less of a life than I do now, I would sit down and write a comprehensive history of Fleetwood Mac, complete with hundreds of essays featuring my own takes, ponderances, and obsessions over this 70s Leviathan. I would spend years writing about how a band with three lead singers was able to conquer the charts, with some of the most beautiful music, influential band members, and craziest stories the industry had ever seen. Fleetwood Mac is not only one of my favorite bands musically, but one of the bands that I find to be the most fascinating in every way, and I mean this beyond just the messy, dramatic, cocaine-fueled fighting that they’re so infamous for.  

Even still, that’s what I’m focusing on right now because I’ll be darned if this low-hanging fruit isn’t the juiciest.  

“Silver Springs” was released as a B-Side to the “Rumours” album single “Go Your Own Way” in 1977. In…

By Jack Skidmore

Deliberate deviation from your comfort zone is key to an enriching musical experience — some of my favorite memories of music result from following this type of ideology. After attending my first rave over New Year's, I have grown an appreciation for an entirely new genre and community. The two-day Decadence EDM festival in Phoenix, Arizona, was part of my close friend Braeson Worcester’s birthday celebration. In the spirit of this occasion, Kim and Andy Worcester, Braeson’s parents, were eager to tag along with us at the festival. While everyone’s experience was subjective, it was exciting to witness collectively positive experiences from the festival from a variety of age groups. 

Although this was my first time experiencing electronic music on a massive scale, the genre itself is something I have been surrounded by in college. It is a defining sound of much of our generation’s social scene, and for many, a…