Music

Aoki, Electronica and the Live I.V. Music Scene

August 24, 2017 by and

When Aoki was merely 19, he was throwing roughly 20 shows a month out of his living room, recording tapes of every single one.
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Jay-Z and the Direction of Product Packaging in Hip Hop

July 21, 2017 by

That’s not to say that Jay doesn’t return to his default of braggadocious bars about wealth and success, but this record is different. It extends a bridge of insight to his listeners in a way that...
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WebsterX and Milwaukee’s Hip Hop Renaissance

June 8, 2017 by and

Injury Reserve and WebsterX share a dynamic of creating spaces to craft seamlessly gravitative rap songs that are entirely divergent from their contemporaries. They are the embodiments of unapologetic...
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The Friday Review: After Laughter by Paramore

June 2, 2017 by

After Laughter paints Paramore as a magnetic band that creates charismatic pop anthems while still preserving and maturing their emo-inclined expression.
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Tracks of the Month: June 2017

June 1, 2017 by and

With the release of “Big Fish,” Vince Staples is leading up to his forthcoming album, Big Fish Theory.
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ScHoolboy Q Says UCSB ‘Not the Worst’ UC Show at Extravaganza 2017

May 25, 2017 by

TDE rapper ScHoolboy Q made an appearance headlining UCSB’s annual Extravaganza late Sunday afternoon. Though highly anticipated, the artist’s set provoked polarizing responses from attendees.
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Extravaganza ’17 Rocks the Masses

May 24, 2017 by

Despite insistent cries from the audience, Schoolboy left the Extravaganza stage as he had found it, with no want for enthusiasm. The mass of concertgoers slid to the exits with the Santa Barbara suns...
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The Friday Review: This Old Dog by Mac Demarco

May 19, 2017 by

Mac’s attitude toward love has evolved as well. Rather than his past approach of charming the listener into a false fantasy of love, here he has been through enough of it to have a better understand...
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Extravaganza ’17 Coming to Harder Stadium Sunday

May 18, 2017 by

UCSB’s A.S. Program Board will hold its 38th annual Extravaganza festival this Sunday at Harder Stadium all day, from 1-7 p.m., with headliners Schoolboy Q, Tinashe and GRiZ.
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The Friday Review: Humanz by Gorillaz

May 12, 2017 by

Fans expect a Gorillaz album to play into the idea of the virtual band, and this album did not have that level of immersion that previous projects did.
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Old Crow Medicine Show Plays Classics for Granada

May 11, 2017 by

All of these links between Dylan and Old Crow Medicine Show were certainly evident in their performance, though they did not let the style of the original record constrain them to being mere imitators...
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Schoolboy Q Set to Headline Extravaganza 2017

May 10, 2017 by

Listed below are the artists who were confirmed to be performing musical acts at this year’s Extravaganza this afternoon at Storke Plaza.
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Tracks of the Month: April 2017

May 1, 2017 by , and

Following a controversial Fox News sample invalidating his lyrical effectiveness, Kendrick's "DNA." is a fierce declaration of war that rattles the musical and political world to its very core.
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The Friday Review: Playboi Carti by Playboi Carti

April 28, 2017 by

If Frank Ocean can indulge in Carti’s sound guilt-free, anyone can be driven to the pleasure-filled land of production excellency, designer brands and jewelry pieces found on Carti’s tape.
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Coachella 2017: In Review

April 27, 2017 by

No matter how big you look in that photo, at Coachella you’re a drop in a wave.
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