Nearly two and a half years after the release of his debut studio album Die Lit, Playboi Carti dropped his long-awaited sophomore follow-up, Whole Lotta Red, on Dec. 25, 2020. When I tore into the record like a present under the proverbial Christmas tree, I soon came to realize[Read More…]
Music
Stuff we liked this break
This holiday season was a weird one. With not much to do and three extra days not to do it, binging a new series on Netflix or getting lost in a good podcast wasn’t so much an option as it was a necessity. As always, the team at A&E took[Read More…]
Taylor Swift will never ever be silenced, like ever
When news broke in summer 2019 that Taylor Swift’s former label, Big Machine Records, was sold to Scooter Braun, Swift and her legions of fans publicly expressed their outrage over the distribution of her work. For approximately $300 million USD, Braun had bought the master recordings of her first six[Read More…]
‘Approximately Close’ evokes the magic of in-person performances
On Nov. 19, Ballets Jazz Montreal dance company performed Approximately Close—Quand le temps n’est presque plus, choreographed by Ermanno Sbezzo. The performance allowed dancers to express themselves safely during a disappointing season. In the midst of the pandemic, online performances have struggled to recreate the magic of set designs, costuming,[Read More…]
‘Positions’ never reaches its climax
Over the lightly plucked strings of Positions’s opening track, “shut up,” Ariana Grande sings, “All them demons help me see shit differently / So don’t be sad for me.” The self-assured lyrics swiftly address the emotional core of her two previous LPs, Sweetener and thank u, next, with a nonchalance meant[Read More…]
Pop Dialectic: When should the most wonderful time of the year begin?
With Thanksgiving and Halloween behind us, the holiday season in Canada has officially begun. For some international students, though, American Thanksgiving will delay the onslaught of holiday music that has already found its way into grocery stores and Spotify playlists. This week, The McGill Tribune weighs in on one of our[Read More…]
Chasing Thunder Road
Loss is hardly a new subject for Bruce Springsteen: Many of his most popular songs surround this absence from arena anthems like “Born in the USA”, to heart-wrenching ballads of dying dreams like “The River.” His new album, Letter to You, returns to this well once again, but with a[Read More…]
‘Only For Dolphins’ is excessively flavourless
Action Bronson is a man who wears many hats: As a chef, author, entrepreneur, and hip-hop musician, Bronson’s creative proclivities bleed across mediums. His most recent album, Only For Dolphins, reflects Bronson’s multifaceted artistry while remaining true to its identity as a hip-hop album. However, while the album is[Read More…]
In conversation with Gulfer
As a defining concept in popular music, teen angst has manifested in many different ways, from the mid-2000s emo pop-punk bands such as My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy, to the emergence of the sad-girl acoustic indie genre, currently spearheaded by Phoebe Bridgers. Emo music has never truly died[Read More…]
In conversation with Cosmos Island
Amidst the turbulence of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cosmos Island’s new EP Someplace offers its listeners an escape to a psychedelic dreamland. Someplace is an eclectic mix of ‘60s psychedelic rock and ‘80s synth pop with a modern indie rock flair with songs centered around finding a personal escape during difficult times. The[Read More…]