Blogs

2019 kinda sucked for music. Not many good records came out, but these records were the best of the best and I listened to them a lot throughout the year. I have no hope that any records coming within the next two months will be any better than the ones I mention now,...

I don’t want my column to become a sort of obituary. My last piece was centered around the death of Daniel Johnston. Given the circumstances, this one will also be centered around the death of a musician I consider extremely influential, personally and otherwise....

Dog Chocolate’s music sits somewhere between classic hardcore and art­-rock: loud enough for a fun mosh pit, but smart enough to be genuinely thought­-provoking. The band somehow pulls off this balancing act to make a weirdly progressive package. Dog Chocolate’s 2018...

“Clout is a leech that feeds without constraint on that which we might call the human soul. A bane by whom its absence may make us feel deprived— not of light, not of genuine human contact, but of palpable internal meaning. Yes, clout is a drug of which I am addicted....

I discovered a meme that perfectly portrays those rough 3am nights when you are lying in your bed wallowing in your sadness. It reads, “When you’re already sad but you listen to sad music knowing it’ll make you more sad but it’s still worth it.” I am almost positive...

After the warm reception of her 2018 mixtape: Last Day of Summer and early 2019 EP: CLEAR, Summer Walker became a woman to watch in the R&B music scene. Luckily, as of October 4, 2019, the release date of her debut album Over It, Walker is back with lots of new...

The prime peak for autumn, September 23nd to October 22nd, may mean oversized sweaters and pumpkin spice lattes to most, but for others, it can mean one thing only- Libra season is in session. Libras identify as Air Signs, making them rational, social, and...

19-years-old indie-pop singer-songwriter, beabadoobee, real-named Bea Kristi, enters the 21stcentury music scene with her secondhanded guitar, her disarmingly gentle and dreamy voice and revives the heady sound of 90s alternative pop to its fullest glory. Bea captures...

1993: Twenty-six years ago, a Swedish pop quartet, comprised of two females and two males that isn’t ABBA, released their monumental debut album, Happy Nation. On my very birthday, September 25th, Ace of Base graced humankind with a, dare I say, life-changing auditory...

The following is an excerpt from James Lepinsky’s upcoming book “How to Write a Song.” He is not done writing the book yet, but he will definitely let you know when it’s going to be published. There is a sentiment shared in the discussion of art: do great artists...

Concerts have always been one of my favorite past times. Whether it’s a sold-out arena show where thousands of people are screaming along to songs we all know or it’s a three-person gig in somebody’s basement, I’ve rarely had a bad time at a concert. If you’re ever...

The Arctic Monkeys are now known as modern day rock and roll gods, filled to the brim with bravado and stage presence. For those of us who were fans before the immense success of AM and “Do I Wanna Know” (or were curious enough to do a deep dive into their...

My very first article with WVAU was about my total adoration for all things Joe Strummer. That semester I had planned to provide The Clash with an album review akin to my treatment of AJJ’s People Who Eat Peopleand Guided By Voices’ Alien Lanesrecords, but that never...

With starting your first year of college comes change, stress, and confusion. In attempt to try and juggle everything, I turned to music to help calm myself down. This is when I came across one of my new favorite artists. Casey Luong, professionally known in the music...

Everyone had that series of books growing up. For many, it was Harry Potter, but for me, it was Percy Jackson - and I know I’m not alone in that. It remains one of the bestselling book series of the last decade, and I know that it certainly defined my and many other...

Fitting for this series’ title: Queens of R&B, our first spotlight artist is the prolific: Queen Naija. Born on October 17, 1995, to an African American mother and Arab father, Queen grew up in Detroit, Michigan, singing in her church’s choir since the age of...

Fridays that fall on the 13th of the month are notoriously ominous. There’s an entire movie series based around the calamities that seem to ensue on these dates, but on Friday September 13th, my roommate and I were pleasantly surprised by what we stumbled across. That...

I could not have imagined a more satisfying way to wrap up the summer than seeing my favorite psychedelic rock band, Tame Impala, perform at The Anthem two days before fall classes started. Tickets went on sale back in April and I knew I had to get my hands on one. I...

Young M.A’s second studio album, Herstory In The Making, is a uncommon blend of gang, queer and intimate stories. The stark contrast between her personal raps and her tough-guy persona makes Herstory In The Makingunique. But the personal raps coupled with the...

Six years ago, 16-year-old Ella Yelich-O’Connor, under her stage name Lorde, released her debut album Pure Heroine to overwhelming success and would go on to be nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album. Since the start of her popularity, Lorde has become sort...

The tambourine is the greatest instrument ever conceived and yes you can quote me on that. This thought came to me both from listening to my favorite albums and reflecting on my own personal experience as a music consumer since the tender age of zero. The thing is, I...

A few weeks ago, Daniel Johnston died at the age of 58. He began his musical career in the early ’80s, passing out his home-recorded tapes around Austin, Texas. Within a few years, he built up somewhat of a cult following and really began to grow as Kurt Cobain, a fan...

Part hardcore punk, part lo­fi house beats, part meme­rock with a sprinkle of bath salts, Mom and the Mailman makes music that’s genuinely upsetting. I got turned onto Mom and the Mailman through their 2019 album Tasty Meat , which was on the WVAU rack last semester,...

My Dad had us cut our teeth on the Beatles to start. Hunter and I both liked the Beatles—still do, in fact— but my interest in the Fab Four grew to its own dramatic heights separate from that of my twin. I remember arguing with Jacob Cornblatt, by then the only one of...

  Featured image provided by Jacob Tracey. The Nashville, TN band, Judah & the Lion, put on an exceptional live show at the Anthem in DC Thursday night. The unique collective, who offer a mix of  folk, bluegrass, rock, hip-hop, and electric music in their...

With September and the fall semester in full swing, here is a list of some of the most exciting upcoming concerts taking place in the DMV area this month! Black Pumas - 9/12 New to the music scene, Black Pumas is bringing back the key sounds of the 70s to the modern...

Time Before Us. The title of Stephn’s first project hinted at the past, but in reality, the EP was filled with sounds, stories, and emotions that can’t be bound to one moment in time. And the positive response to Stephn’s debut is a clear indicator that we’ll be...

For most of recorded history, if you wanted to know about how common tropes of classic rock songwriting share common ground with the aesthetics of 19­century Romantic art and literature, you’d be out of luck. Then, just recently, some dude wrote a book about it...

Homecoming: The Live Album reinforces the timelessness of Beyonce and her influencers’ music. Leave it to Beyoncé to give listeners an album long enough to be a movie. Homecoming: The Live Album, was released on Apr. 17 on all major streaming platforms alongside her...

The Neighbourhood’s front man, Jesse Rutherford, just released his second solo album titled “GARAGEB&” on April 12. The Neighbourhood is an alternative pop/ rock band that have always made some pretty exciting tunes. I have been a fan of them since I can remember...