Within the rather polarizing world that is young adult (YA) publishing, approaching novels written for young people (no matter your age) can be intimidating, confusing, and even uninviting. But authors of young adult novels have been unpacking a variety of important issues that teenagers deal with for years. Ranging from current sociopolitical events to the … Continue reading
Category Archives: review
Novel recommendations: National Book Lovers Day
Happy National Book Lovers Day! The only thing that would make this second-tier holiday better would be if it was combined with National Donut Day. But we can’t always get what we want. In order to celebrate this literary anniversary, here are five top-notch books that were published this year. Ranging from criticism and essay … Continue reading
Women release five top indie albums
Despite the current political and social climate, this year has championed some of the best releases by women in the music industry. Week after week, seasoned and new female musicians are releasing records that are undoubtedly some of the best of the year. From dream pop to folk rock, these women are paving the way … Continue reading
Best Albums of 2016: A Complete List
There have been so many words used to describe 2016 — perhaps that’s evidence of how wild it actually was. But regardless of the mishmash and chaos of it all, at least we had a good soundtrack. Light Upon The Lake – Whitney Secretly Canadian It’s been awhile since a newly formed band released a … Continue reading
The best albums of 2016 so far
2016 seems to be making up for what it has lost. Already, in the first half of the year, a handful of entertainers have passed away, which makes the musical developments of new acts feel like the turning of leaves. Even though Bowie’s influence can still be felt and Prince’s “Purple Rain” will continue to blare through … Continue reading
“All That” and Carly Rae Jepsen
Carly Rae Jepsen is not who you think she is. The fully-evolved pop queen took up residence and commandeered the Showbox stage for a 90-minute-long set on Monday night in Seattle. Middle-aged men and millennials danced as Jepsen performed “Run Away With Me” and “Making The Most of The Night”, two of the most popular … Continue reading
The End of the Tour: A Review
James Ponsoldt’s The End of the Tour is a film about two nervous writers. To elaborate, the film focuses on critically acclaimed author David Foster Wallace and David Lipsky, a contributing editor for Rolling Stone. In 1996, Lipsky was assigned to profile Wallace. Up until then, Rolling Stone had never published an interview with a writer. … Continue reading
Best songs and albums of 2015, so far
The music gods have decided to abandon their perches atop the tombstones of 2011’s releases and grace us with their presence this year. It was about time. Only halfway through 2015 and there is already more than enough material to write lengthy “best of” lists. That being said, this list is comprised of not-so-obvious records, which … Continue reading
Girlpool’s quiet revolution
Rebellion is usually imagined to be something loud and raucous, especially in music. From the crunchy riff of The Who’s “My Generation” to the snarling Sex Pistol’s track “God Save The Queen.” Girlpool have thrown that notion away completely on their debut full-length Before The World Was Big. The Los Angeles duo consisting of Cleo … Continue reading
Best Albums of 2014
I have a love-hate relationship with these lists. On one hand, I get to review all of the albums that were released during the year, which is always fun. But on the other hand, I have to push some records aside for the sake of my list not being dozens of pages long. To be … Continue reading