Music andPodcast Reviews

Podcast Review

By: Evan Moore

The Magnus Archives is a British horror podcast set in a fictional workplace called The Magnus Institute. As of writing this, there's 161 episodes out, the latest one came out today. Each episode is 22 minutes, but you can listen at a faster speed because it’s quite slow.The Institute researches and documents the paranormal through statements that are given to them by ordinary civilians. The main character is the head archivist at the Institute, named Jonathan Sims, although most people call him Jon. He records statements, which are what you hear when you listen. At first, all seems normal, as normal as it can get, but as more coincidences and similar themes start to arise in the statements given to Jon, it’s clear that the entire Institute is at risk and dark, More omnipotent powers are at work.

This podcast is amazing, enjoyable, and binge-able (something that is very important in our current times). The horror isn’t jumpscare or fake, it’s really felt through how the character communicates and how the background sounds through editing. It’s more or less a creeping feeling that something isn’t right or a surreal scene that makes you squirm. The plot begins around episode 22 and pulls you in, taking the listener through twists and turns. The characters are all very well written with faults and backstories that make them feel human and personal. The writers turned a horror podcast into something that made me laugh and cry as they used the paranormal to create humane scenarios that hold the listener close. I generally don’t like horror, but the storytelling and characters managed to enwrap me into a tale of coworkers banding together for survival against an enemy that they cannot see nor understand: fear itself.

Music Reviews

By Alex Nolan

3.15.20 - Childish Gambino

3.15.20, released on March 22, 2020, is Childish Gambino’s final album. 12 tracks are included on this album. Google says that this album fits under the genre of “Hip Hop/Rap,” but that classification gives a completely incorrect impression of the album. 3.15.20 explores themes of society, humanity, and individual worth (see the track “Algorythym”), and has elements of rap, funk, rock, gospel, and electronic music throughout. That list may seem very incoherent, but Childish Gambino manages to meld these elements together seamlessly, to create an expansive album that still feels cohesive when listened to in completion. It’s an album that seems to perfectly showcase Childish Gambino’s many sounds, focuses, and capabilities. I expect it to be a great bookend to his musical career.

Favorite Track: 53.49

Case Study 01 - Daniel Caesar

Case Study 01 is the second album from the Canadian singer-songwriter Daniel Caesar, released 2 years after his critically-acclaimed debut album Freudian. Personally, I feel very unsure about this Case Study 01. In the beginning of the album, nothing was sticking with me. The first track, “ENTROPY,” opens with an audio sample of a British guy (that’s an assumption) talking, which was an instantaneous turn off for me. I see the whole “old-sounding audio sample played over an instrumental” trope as a meaningless gimmick, so right off the bat I didn’t have much faith in the album. I didn’t enjoy the lyrics in this track; the whole thermodynamics metaphor felt very forced, and made for some very unnatural lines. “Drifting towards the deep freeze/Thermodynamics, there's no escape” sounds like it belongs in a Schoolhouse Rock record. “ENTROPY’s” melody sounded like he chose random notes that were in key and melded them together, and his vocal delivery was awkward in such a high register. After “ENTROPY,” I dreaded listening to the rest of Case Study 01, on the assumption that the rest of the tracks would share similar qualities. Luckily for me, the album is indeed like a case study, in the way that there’s a development being tracked across these songs. The next two tracks, “CYANIDE” and “LOVE AGAIN,” definitely aren't as bad as “ENTROPY.” They don’t annoy me as much. They sound nice in the beginning, and then Daniel Caesar does nothing to the song. He just repeats the same lackluster musical phrases, rather than building on them. “FRONTAL LOBE MUZIK” is a similar story. His voice doesn’t fail to annoy me, but at least the instrumental is a bit better here. Still insanely repetitive and shallow, but it’s another baby step up. “OPEN UP” is where I start to have some hope for this album. There’s an enjoyable bass line throughout, the chord progression is something a bit new, and he builds on the song as it continues. “RESTORE THE FEELING” catches me off guard. After the four opening tracks, I start to get the idea that I have this whole album figured out, but this track proves me wrong. It’s jazzy, clean, and has vocals that actually feel smooth. “SUPERPOSITION” hints to me that something is definitely up. This song is clearly more intimate than its predecessors, and I latch onto a pattern. The album has a clear stylistic shift. Caesar’s music starts off as shallow and upbeat, then slowly becomes more heartfelt and intimate. There are more songs after “SUPERPOSITION,” and they follow this trend, but I feel like they degenerate after this point, becoming overly ambient and slow. I probably wouldn’t listen to this album again for personal enjoyment due to the amount of drudgery in the track list. However, it is worth noting that the arc of the album comes with a really nice “Goldilocks zone” that, in my opinion, saves the album from complete mediocrity.

Favorite Track: RESTORE THE FEELING

Harmless Melodies - Yellow Days

Released on November 18, 2016, Harmless Melodies is the second album from the indie soul musician Yellow Days. This album is relatively short, spanning seven tracks, with a run time of only 30 minutes. The sound of the album consistently features lush, chorus-drowned guitar and synth chords, punchy and understated percussion, and the deeply soulful vocals of Van Den Broek. Calling his vocals deeply soulful almost feels like I’m downplaying them. No matter what notes he sings, the strength his voice carries is unbelievable. He expresses a very dynamic range of emotion, from relaxed, gravelly vocals to extremely emotive wailing. One listen to the track “A Little While” highlights what I mean. His singing is certainly the center of attention, seeing that it’s really the only energetic element in the entire album. The juxtaposition between his high energy vocals and the relaxed instrumentals can work incredibly well, as is shown on “A Gap in the Clouds.” However, there are tracks on this album that feel incredibly repetitive, such as “Your Hand Holding Mine,” or “People.” There are definitely very good songs on this album, but the songs are so similar that listening through the entire album can be very fatiguing. Still, don’t dismiss it.

Favorite Track: A Little While

Signals - omniboi

Signals is a cute little love story between a piano and a drum kit, with an upright bass third-wheeling them all throughout. The clean, jazzy style of the album is perfectly complemented by the album’s very simple instrumentation, typically consisting of a piano and a drum kit in the foreground, with a bass typically backing them up. On occasion, some additional instruments, like trumpets or violins, will join in and add support to the mix. One feature of the album that captivated me throughout listening was the manner in which the different instruments played off of each other. It’s difficult to describe, just due to how fluid the relationships between the instruments are, but to get an idea of what I mean, listen to the track “78 to Downtown.” In the beginning of the track, the drums and piano play very similar phrases, but soon after the drums begin to fill in the spaces left by the piano. Throughout the album, the drums play a central role in the actual melody, rather than just holding down the rhythm. That job (along with virtually every other) is passed around between the piano, drums, and bass throughout the different tracks, making the listening experience very enjoyable. Nothing ever grows stale, as omniboi constantly builds on what he has already established.

Favorite track: 78 to Downtown

Swum Baby - Puma Blue

Swum Baby is the first EP released by singer-songwriter Jacob Allen, under the stage name Puma Blue. Jacob Allen likes describing his songs as “voicemail ballads.” In an interview with GoldenPlec, Allen said, “I had a chat with my friend Ina once and she said something about my music having an intimacy that to her makes it feel like less of a song and more like listening to a voicemail someone has left you. And I really liked that, it was super flattering. She sort of made me realise something about what it is I'm trying to do, which is, yeah I guess, to create these little love letters or answer phone messages.” Intimacy is really what Puma Blue is all about, and this album is certainly no different. Allen’s vocals can feel almost like whispers at points, but certainly not in a lazy way. His vocal range is displayed masterfully, as he seamlessly transitions between falsetto whines and quietly sung mid-range melodies. The instrumentals perfectly contextualize where he’s singing from. The dark, punchy drums and faint white-noise make the atmosphere feel incredibly empty, while the chorused guitar and synth parts give many tracks an aquatic feel, if that makes any sense. To me, this album is like an incantation. When listening, I find myself lost in the vacant soundscape Allen created. It’s the kind of album that can make you realize you’re absolutely alone, while simultaneously bringing you to peace with that knowledge. Listen to it in the dark. It’s an experience I’d hate for anybody to miss out on.

Favorite Track: (She’s) Just a Phase

However, at a play time of 15:24, I really do recommend you to just listen through the entire thing.