Category: Reviews

Joywave, iDKHOW Take on Minneapolis for “Helvetica” Tour

Joywave, iDKHOW Take on Minneapolis for “Helvetica” Tour

Posted on by Owen Larson
The Fillmore
Joseph Morinelli, Joywave
Savannah Conley
Joywave

The New-York based band Joywave came to Minneapolis as part of the “Welcome to Helvetica” tour, alongside the musical duo I Don’t Know How But They Found Me (iDKHOW), at the Fillmore on August 26.

The concert—which was the second stop on the “Welcome to Helvetica” tour—featured stunning visuals, an incredible atmosphere, and great acoustics that kept the music powerful yet still clear.

Savannah Conley opened the night with a half-hour set that felt like it could have been the main act. Her acoustic, raw performance contrasted with Joywave’s high production sound but offered an incredible primer for the rest of the night.

Joywave performed first, with a grungy set featuring songs off the new album “Cleanse”, and old favorites. Joywave broke into the Alt-rock scene in 2013, after being featured in “Dangerous”, a song by fellow New York state based Big Data. The band opened with “Tongues”, which introduced the jam-packed set.

The Fillmore provided ample space for the crowd to dance along to the music in general admission, or sit back and enjoy the show in the upper levels.

After Joywave finished with a gritty, punchy encore featuring the song “Destruction”, iDKHOW took the stage and closed out the night with an electric performance that kept the crowd energized and ready for more.

All-in-all, the performance was certainly one for ages.

Joywave, iDKHOW, and Savannah Conley will preform next on Saturday, August 27 in Madison, Wisconsin.

Owen Larson can be reached at lars6521@stthomas.edu.

Martin Garrix Bring an Energetic EDM Set to Minneapolis

Martin Garrix Bring an Energetic EDM Set to Minneapolis

Posted on by Abby Schermerhorn

Martin Garrix recently graced Minneapolis with his presence at his September 28th show at the Armory. As one of the younger artists within the EDM scene, he still manages to hold great maturity in his performances. With an almost two hour set, he played current hits like Summer Days and Scared To Be Lonely, but also rounded it out with the tried and trues such as In The Name Of Love and Forbidden Voices. Those who’ve been to the Armory know that it’s no wonder that people resorted to moshing and pushing to get the full rave effect. Despite the unfriendly crowds, Garrix kept the experience fun. His energy never regressed and you could tell that he takes great pride in his music. To top it all off, the lighting effects made the whole show feel transformative and powerful. In the end, Martin Garrix put on a thrilling show. While you might get thrown around during the set, it doesn’t really matter because it’s to some amazing beats.

Horror Movies Suck

Posted on by kustradio

Merry Christmas, my dudes. Let’s talk about horror movies.

Specifically, Halloween (2018) because that movie left me SHOOOOOK! In fact, I was so shook, it made me write this blog post about how shook I was and still am.

Let me just say, horror movies have been my favorite since I was a kiddo. However,

 

I noticed there has been a trend with

recent movies; they all suck. Trust me, I’ve seen enough to know what’s good and what isn’t.

 

But like, what makes a horror movie good? I can tell you one thing; it’s not jump scares or excessive gore. Take The Nun, for example. I never saw it but apparently, it was dumb af because they relied on jump scares. Y’all… that’s not scary. I mean, sure, at the moment it is, but you end up forgetting about it in two seconds. Halloween tho, oh my GOD, it was genuinely scary. I found myself wanting to scream the entire time, not out of fear, but because I was so frustrated and I never knew what was gonna happen next. Michael Myers is a smart dude.

 

Speaking of Michael, maybe it’s the characters that really make the movie what it is. When you think about the classics (Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, IT, etc.), the main antagonists are ICONIC. Why? Who knows. Freddy Krueger. Everyone and their grandmother recognizes the striped sweater, his hat, and his gloves with knives. Like, could you even imagine seeing him in your dreams? With his face all burned up? Honestly, I’d go into cardiac arrest. And the fact that he can kill you in real life?? Horrifying.

 

Maybe it’s the plot and overall, what happens throughout the movie. I feel like most movies these days are about ghosts and the paranormal, but it’s honestly gotten so old. Like, yeah sure, no one wants to be possessed but y’all could be more creative. I know Paranormal Activity was popular for a hot minute but let it die. Halloween, on the other hand, is iconic. Sure, you could say slasher films are also kind redundant but Halloween is more than that. Listen to this; the producers and writers of this movie worked off of the idea of paranoia. I guess, in this case, the fear that someone is watching you at all times. And you can tell this is what they were going for because Michael is so creepy! You never know where he is but you know he’s around somewhere and it’s just genuinely terrifying.

 

Listen, I love horror movies, but these directors gotta step up their game. And if any of y’all out there are trying to be directors or producers or whatever in the future, don’t disappoint me please and thank you.

Post by Maria Najera from “Honesty Hour,” Monday nights at 6p.m.

Imagine Dragons Are Back At It

Posted on by kustradio

Imagine Dragons are at it again. On November 9th, they will release their fourth studio album, “Origins.” This album includes 12 tracks, with three more to come in the deluxe version. This album comes just a year and a half after their album “Evolve,” which produced smash hits like “Believer” and “Thunder”.

In a preview video, lead singer Dan Reynolds discussed how this new album came about. He acknowledged that releasing another album so soon after “Evolve” was definitely the unexpected move, and that artists tend to “go into hiding” and take a long break after they release an album and go on tour. However, the band never really went on hiatus and continued to make music. They decided to go against the norm, because the band believed that “this is a new world of music, so why don’t we put it out right now?”

So far, there have been three singles released from the “Origins” album. “Natural” has already become a hit with its dark, powerful lyrics and instrumentals. Empowering and fun “Zero” is also going to be featured on the soundtrack for Wreck-It Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks The Internet. Most recently, they released “Machine” on Halloween, an anthem with a strong, mechanical beat that proves that they are not “part of your machine.” All three have much different sounds, but I have really liked the variety that this album has already provided.

Imagine Dragons made sure to make clear that “Origins” is not an extension of the “Evolve” era. They are starting something completely new, signaling what they hope to be the start of a very bright future for the band. I was not expecting to see a new Imagine Dragons album this soon, but I really appreciate their desire to go against what is “normal” in the music world and share what they have created. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of Imagine Dragons’ music so far, and can’t wait to hear what they have in store for us next.

Post by: Emily Reuvers from “The Monday Mix” on KUST at 7:30p.m. on Monday nights.

The Knocks – “House Party”

Posted on by kustradio

By: Ryan Smith

“House Party” by the Knocks is the quintessential Friday night song. While the message of the song has the duo that is the Knocks discussing their fame and rise to it, the chorus of the song and the beat help bring it’s booty-shaking message to the ears of all listeners. A house is simply what the place you own- making it a home is up to you. The Knocks definitely bring that feeling in this track, saying “Let’s take it back, back to my house” and keep this party going! I guess “Home Party” wouldn’t have as much of a ring to it now though, would it? Name aside, this is a song I could see being an anthem for the next “Project X” movie, and I’m ok with that.

 

Listen to it on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/track/4KY6DjFGardfeUJZz1sEb4

Citizen – “As You Please”

Posted on by kustradio

By: Ryan Smith

Citizen is an Ohio based band that gently blends post-hardcore and pop punk elements into their comfortable and accessible sound. Their newest album, “As You Please,” makes up for 2017’s “Everybody Is Going To Heaven” but doesn’t really stand out of the crowd that is the midwest rock scene, riffs harsh enough to get the point across but not engaging enough to really feel edgy, lyrics that are only really notable for being more resentful than anything else and an album that sounds like it’s more afraid of change than the average kindergartner. There’s really nothing wrong with this album, through multiple listens I never really wanted to turn it off early or skip tracks but once I turned it off I found my brain had nothing to dwell on, nothing that made me want to return to it other than to try to find words for how I was feeling about it. If you’re a fan of post hardcore, pop punk or emo I really don’t think this’ll wow you, especially not compared to some of the year’s other offerings from those genres. And if you’re not really interested in that sound normally? I can’t imagine you’ll get much of anything out of this, it just doesn’t bring anything to the table other than some heavier than average background music. I wouldn’t say you shouldn’t listen to this, but I can’t recommend it either.

For fans of:    Brand New, Real Friends, Modern Baseball

If you enjoyed it be sure to check out:   Iron Chic, Movements, Sinai Vessel

 

Slotface – “Try Not To Freak Out”

Posted on by kustradio

By: Ryan Smith

Norwegian based pop-punk band, Sløtface deliver their debut LP Try Not To Freak Out, with just about everything you could want from a 2017 pop-punk album. Warm reverb, a strong bassline, guitars with a comfortable edge to em and, smooth vocals with a solid range delivering personal lyrics about dating and early adulthood Try Not To Freak Out offers you nothing you haven’t heard before but instead really focuses on its common sound to realize its strengths. I don’t know that I’d say this is an essential listen for anyone looking to keep up with 2017 but if you’re a fan of pop-punk at all I can definitely recommend giving it a listen, all the songs are strong listens (particularly Slumber, it’s the most interesting song on the album to me because it draws inspiration from post rock/emo in its structure) and the instrumentation is strong, varied and well produced. If I had any criticism for the album it’d be that it doesn’t really grip me enough to make itself distinct from the figurative bassline that it’s genre expects of it but there’s really nothing bad I can say about this album as a standalone project, its solid in all aspects and I’ll be giving it further listens while looking forward to what Sløtface come out with next.

For fans of:
Paramore, Wavves, Best Coast, DIIV or Wolf Alice
If you enjoy check out:
Sunflower Bean, The Smith Street Band, The Spirit of the Beehive

Hollywood Undead – “Five”

Posted on by kustradio

By: Ryan Smith

Starting up Hollywood Undead’s “Five” is the infectious “California Dreaming”. The fun sounding pop influenced track tackles not only both sides of California (glitz and glamour vs dreaded reality), but also tackles both of the aspects of stardom. In a similar track name to 10 Year’s latest release, “Ghost Beach” takes an R&B influenced jingle to sing about the changes in life that we watch pass us by. If the sound you want to hear is some of that gritty, darker hip-hop influence, turn to “Black Cadillac”, whose featured artist B-Real get real about being a musician with fame and fortune. Bringing up a riot of a song shortly after is “Riot” itself, where electronica and hip-hop find a powerful combination to get everyone and their friends up and moving. This intense motley of sounds throughout the album produces an extreme level of sound and music that will have anyone getting hyped up, no matter where they are. Check out Hollywood Undead when they come to the Myth on 11/12!

10 Years – “(how to live) AS GHOSTS”

Posted on by kustradio

By: Ryan Smith

Being around almost 20 years means that you’ll go through changes as a musician- whether its sound, subject, or even genre. With 10 Years “(how to live) AS GHOSTS”, the group digs down to their roots while at the same time recreating a new sound. Having previous members Brian Vodinh and Matt Wantland return for the album brings in the old energy of the group, and a new energy that is shown throughout the album, starting right off the bat with “The Messenger”. Lead single and second track “Novacaine” continues this trend, touching on the dark subject of losing that childhood spark as your time goes on. Powerful drums and a dark booming bass hit the listener at the halfway point of the album with “Ghosts”-as front man Jesse Hasek says that the song can “set your soul free”. Sweeping strings and more powerful lyrics about the dark parts of life are the common theme throughout the album, but don’t think that’s overplayed- 10 Years has built a powerful lyrical and musical masterpiece- be sure to see them when they come to the Palace Theatre on 12/14.

What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015)

Posted on by kustradio

By: Elli Dubanoski

An insightful look into the life and music of Nina Simone, “What Happened, Miss Simone?” highlights the artist’s brilliance and civil rights activism while also refusing to shy away from the darker areas of her life, including her long-untreated mental illness. The biographical film shows how Simone almost seemed to stumble into an influential career as a jazz singer while trying to achieve her dream of becoming the first black woman to be a classical pianist. After the manager of the club she played piano at threatened to fire her if she didn’t sing, she rose to fame with her memorable and powerful voice that captivated audiences.

 

“What Happened, Miss Simone?” quite thoroughly records her life including her struggles with the tragic domestic abuse by her ex-husband Andy and the abuse she later inflicted on her daughter after she left him. The film contains an interview with her daughter who, despite experiencing violent abuse at the hands of her mother, insists on her mother’s musical genius and was able to redevelop a relationship with Simone when she received treatment later in life.

 

One of the more interesting aspects of the film is the negative impacts her involvement in the civil rights movement had on her career during her life. Simone aspired to achieve the same noteworthiness as other black women artists of her area, such as Aretha Franklin, but was unable to stay silent on injustices both through her speeches and her music. It was because of her involvement in the civil rights movement that she was given less opportunities as a musician.

 

Despite her faults, the film portrays Simone as exceptionally strong and incredibly talented. “What Happened, Miss Simone?” is a powerful record of her undeniable influence on music and a testament of the sacrifices she made to fight injustice.