Top 4 of March 16-22, 2014

By: Sam Boyer, Blogs Editor

1. La Dispute - Rooms of the House 

By Megan Fair

I honestly cannot express how impressed I am with this record. There is something so very entrancing about the intricate story lines and imagery that make me feel vast sorrow and nostalgia for memories that don't even belong to me. The more I hear it, the more I notice all the modest sonic touches and intricate musicianship behind every emotionally delivered track. There's something to be said for a group of artists who aren't afraid to wear their hearts on their sleeves, especially when these hearts are battered and bursting with rich experiences. La Dispute naysayers will have a pretty difficult time denying this album of merit, especially because the vocals have way more control than ever before, supplying the perfect amount of emotion and tact. Just listen to Rooms of the House and let yourself disappear into the nooks and crannies of every scene described; you won’t regret it. 

2. Nine Inch Nails and Soundgarden Summer Tour

After an incredible co-headlining tour with Queens of theStone Age, Trent Reznor and company decided to team up with grunge heavyweight Soundgarden for yet another co-headlining tour. This should be good. I’ve seen Soundgarden before, but I haven’t had the pleasure of witnessing the magic of NIN, so I’m curious how these bands will vibe off each other. And adding Death Grips to the bill was a fascinating choice. Though the tour isn’t coming anywhere near Ohio this summer, I have a feeling we’ll be seeing these guys sometime in the fall.

3. Kurt Cobain Death Case Reopened…And Closed Again

Okay, so let’s clear this up. Seattle police did not really reopen the Kurt Cobain case. A cold case detective went through all the details of Cobain’s death because of the 20^th anniversary coming up next week and found some undeveloped rolls of film. A photo of Cobain’s heroin kit made its way on to the Internet a few days ago, but the case is, and has always remained, a suicide. When I first heard about the case being “reopened,” I could already sense the conspiracy theorists crawling out of their parents’ basements, poised at their keyboards for a good old fashioned “I told you so” blog-apocalypse. Sorry, guys, but Courtney Love didn’t kill Kurt.

4. The Black Keys Announce New Album

Akron homeboys The Black Keys revealed the release date for their new album, Turn Blue. Well, technically Mike Tyson revealed it through Twitter. No joke. The whole promotional campaign for this album is bizarre and I love it. Check out the “Turn Blue” YouTube account for some creepy promo videos. The album’s first single, “Fever,” drops on Monday the 24^th. Turn Blue comes out on May 13.

Top 5 of March 9-15

By: Xavier Veccia, Features Editor


1. Cloud Nothings - Here and Nowhere Else

Here And Nowhere Else is Cloud Nothings at their best. Harder, faster and way more heartfelt, this album will likely be remembered as the record that cemented them as one of the best indie-rock bands of their time. If you're at all into guitar-driven indie, this album is a must listen.

2. Tycho - Awake 

It’s no secret that I absolutely love Tycho’s music. I’m a big fan of the chillwave sound in general, but Tycho does something special with the genre that’s so incredibly unique compared to other chillwave musicians. Quite often, multiple bands and artists that fall under the same genre sound so much alike that it can be hard to distinguish what song belongs to whom, but I can always pick out a Tycho song. It’s because of his individualism that made me fall in love with his sound in the first place. Tycho’s just one of those artists that really speaks to me through his music and the guy doesn’t even need lyrics to do so. I especially love his latest album because Tycho’s managed to maintain the same sound he’s always had without sounding repetitive and boring.

3. SXSW Tragedy

Festival season is about leaving all your worries behind and listening to some of the best musical acts the world has to offer. However, Thursday morning, we were reminded that there are some things even music can't protect us from, as two people were killed and 23 were injured due to a hit-and-run. The Austin police acted quickly and managed to get the suspect in custody shortly after the incident. The man will be charged with two counts of capital murder along with 23 accounts of aggravated. Our hearts are with the victims, their families and the concert goers.

4. Tyler, the Creator Starts Riot, Arrested

In typical Golf Wang fashion, Tyler urged a massive crowd to push past security, who were controlling access to an already over-capacity venue, at a show Thursday. The Odd Future rapper was arrested later on Saturday for allegedly starting a riot. If he's convicted, Tyler could face up to a year in prison. A short video has surfaced in which Tyler can be heard shouting, "Just run in right now. Fucking do it. Let's go." That's just so Tyler.

5. Chance the Rapper Becomes a God

That might be a bit much. But did you hear his collaboration with Skrillex? Yeah, I guess the real story is that Skrillex pulled a Hova, releasing his first full-length studio album Recess song by song through his app, Alien Ride. And that's cool and all, but hot damn is that Chance song on it a banger. With his recent collaborations with high-profile recording artists like Skrillex and Justin Bieber, it seems Chance is trying to make 2014 an even better year than 2013. And that's good news for us fans.