Reviews

Nintendo Power of Love by Rex Viper

Rex Viper’s second song, “Nintendo Power of Love” keeps their 80s power rock style alive with a loving recreation of the classic song “Power of Love.” Mixing retro 80s synth instruments with multiple rockin guitar players, captures the original’s instrumentation perfectly; even having some fun deviations later on in the song. Upbeat, this song is a real confidence booster, giving a massive rush of adrenaline to take on the world. The vocals are where this cover really shines, as the main singer is so full of passion and energy that he really pumps the listener full of excitement. He fits the power ballad role spectacularly, especially when he gets into the “screamer” moment halfway through the song. It really feels like everyone was very heartfelt when making this cover, giving it their absolute all to grasp the emotions that the original radiated.

The music video is tied to the terrible Back to the Future video game from 1989, showing off a comedic plot about trying to change the past in order to remove the game from history. With this background plot going on, the song itself gets some musical and lyrical changes to reflect the video. The singer makes mention of how goofy certain aspects of the game were, and at one point the band even recreates the awful soundtrack from the game. Thankfully their guitars make it sound badass, and it truly is a cool & unique take on a tour de force 80s ballad that cannot be passed up.

By Calvin Greguska

After Midnight

The forest at night is one of humanity’s true harbingers of madness. The silent noise of the outside world truly allows the mind to wander, form shapes from the leaves or apparitions from the cloud strained moonlight. Actor-Director Jeremy Gardner’s third film, After Midnight, is one such gateway into the wandering paranoia of the night. Gardner stars as a man named Hank living in a rural Floridian house who, after his girlfriend disappears with only a vague letter left pinned to the fridge, is suddenly attacked in the night by a mysterious creature.

The half love story and half psychological horror, After Midnight does a remarkable job of combining both subgenres into a fairly unique cinematic experience. The romance portion is mostly contained in a series of shockingly nuanced and poignant flashbacks to the formation of the relationship that manages to dig up deep feelings of love and regret. Then the horror film reframes our protagonist by showcasing a bone-chilling summation of loss that amplifies the tender preceding emotion. Through the paranoid chaos of these sequences, we are able to feel just how lost and confused this new solitary world is to Hank, and how that solitude rips at the soul.

By Mark Hunnewell

TOXIC by Pussy Riot

The new single “TOXIC” by Pussy Riot and Dorian Electra is one of the great examples of how much more there is to experiment with in the field of music. TOXIC merges both the Russian punk composition brought from Pussy Riot and the hyper pop rave aesthetic that Dorian (and producer Dylan Brady) are known for and merges them into one intense track. This song’s subject is that of a toxic relationship, and how you should always keep in mind your own mental health. However, despite this seemingly basic plot, there’s much more at play.

Pussy Riot has always been more than just a musical act. From their start, their art was heavily rooted in activism, fighting against the injustices in Russian politics and culture. Combined with their punk music, members would stage large protests and art pieces to stand for what they believed in. They’ve been doing such for around 10 years, and thankfully show no signs of stopping. Dorian Electra’s musical career relies heavily on commentary, too, with both their albums being themed around different facets of masculinity. Together these musicians have decided to create a song against something else they consider a political issue: abusive relationships. While these are often personal lives, the belief that the personal and the political are intertwined, and that this is an issue that needs to be political was the motivation behind this track. And one can say they succeeded in their aspirations. Not only did they create an utter banger you can rock out to, but one that delivers a potent message.

By Dillon Landry

Way Less Sad by AJR

Way less sad is the newest hit single from AJRs upcoming album “Ok Orchestra” releasing March 26th. The song starts with a strong brass presence led by a trumpet. The upbeat tune tells the story of the lead singer's emotional journey from being sad to now “way less sad”. It's a happy message with an odd way of putting it. Jack Met, Sings about his mood slowly getting better as he starts to enjoy life just a little bit more each day. Don't get it twisted though. He isn't quite happy yet, just way less sad.

By Peter Miller

Power Up by AC/DC

“Power Up”, by AC/DC was released on November 13th, 2020, and is the band’s seventeenth studio album. This is also the first album since the death of the band’s co-founder Malcolm Young in 2017. According to his brother Angus, this album serves as a tribute to him.

Right out of the gate “Power Up” screams into your ears that AC/DC is back and better than ever. In this album, they have successfully fused their more modern sound from the 2000s and onwards with their classic sound. Because of this, listening feels like being transported back to a banging concert in 1981 but at the same time being grounded in the current day. All in all, this album proves to the world that the band may have had some turbulent years recently and they may be old, but they can still rock just as hard as they did 40 years ago.

By Garrett Brayman

It's All in My Head by Silk Toad

After releasing his first album Manic Pacing last year, niche artist Silk Toad has returned with his latest single, It’s All in My Head. Silk Toad has made it clear that he isn’t afraid to depart from his usual style as we saw in Manic Pacing last year where he covered a whole variety of styles, and this single is no different. The track immediately kicks off with a dreamy but playful synth and a bouncing electronic bassline, which adds a nice sense of momentum. This sense of momentum is kept once the vocals kick in and the song really starts to come together. While the vocals may sound simple on their own, being both monotone and filtered, all of the different elements come together to make a mysterious yet fun track that is hard to forget. While Silk Toad may pull less than 1,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, one can only hope that he will continue to put out quality tracks such as this in the future.

By Colby Gunther

Medicine at Midnight by Foo Fighters

After what was supposed to be a milestone year for Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters celebrating 25 years since their debut album of the same name, the Foos came out with one of their most interesting albums yet. It takes a step away from the bolder albums of the last few years, like their album documentary Sonic Highways, and returns to their roots of 90s grunge with a bit of a modern kick to it. Each song has a different feel to it by taking influence in different eras of music from the psychedelic sound of the 60s and 70s to a hard-hitting metal sound. With this new, upbeat sound and return to form, it’s clear the Foo Fighters have one message: that rock music is still alive and isn’t leaving any time soon.

The album starts with Making A Fire, which is a guaranteed stadium anthem (when they open back up). Grohl’s almost cheery guitar riffs and lyrics give a very different tone than previous albums. The backup singers with their “Na-Na-Nas'' in the back give it an even greater feeling. The next song, Shame Shame, was the first single played off the album. It’s a complete change from the previous song, going for a slower and acoustic sound rather than a fast and loud anthem. Cloudspotter again changes it up with a throwback to the 70s sounding similar to War's Low Rider but with more guitar. Waiting On A War is one everyone has heard at this point since it’s on the radio what feels like every other song. Despite how much it’s overplayed, it’s a nice slow-tempo acoustic tune that picks up in classic Foo Fighters fashion at the end. The title track Medicine at Midnight sounds like a classic 80s radio hit with its catchy chorus and the simple but smooth solo at the end. In an album of odd mixes of styles, No Son Of Mine may be the oddest. The main riff is similar to a heavy metal band to a normal rock band with simple progressions and constant chugging. Holding Poison is the most Foo Fighters song on this Foo Fighters album. Dave Grohl’s singing goes back to that of their first albums with more catchy riffs to grab the listener’s attention. Chasing Birds seems to take influence from the Beatles and Coldplay with its slow and melodic sound while also fitting in a bit of modern rock at the end. The final song of the album, Love Dies Young, is a fitting end to this mashup of different styles as it’s the most modern pop song on it. Simple riffs and words about youth give a grand finale fitting for the album

Overall, the Foo Fighters’ latest installment in their long history is easily one of their better albums. While only a few songs stand out above the rest it leads to an enjoyable listening experience showing the range that the band has. A return to roots was much needed as their previous experiments weren’t as successful as expected and going back to the sounds that they know well is a nice breath of fresh air. It gives hope to the idea that the Foo Fighters wanted the album to give, that rock is not dead and won’t be going away any time soon.

By Sam Sussman

WandaVision

WandaVision at its core is a story about depression, grief, and what living really means. The show features Wanda Maximoff, and The Vision living in a suburban neighborhood throughout the decades, American sitcom style.

Debuting on January 15th, 2021 on Disney Plus it serves as the first for many things. The first Marvel Cinematic Universe project on Disney Plus, the first part of phase four, as well as the first show Marvel has released that directly connects to the larger universe. Most importantly, it serves as Marvel’s first attempt to break its superhero mold and daring to something different.

Elizabeth Olsen’s performance cannot be understated, and we as an audience feel Wanda’s pain and sorrow due to that. For someone playing such a powerful character in the Marvel mythos, she brings such a great sense of vulnerability to the character and makes her more relatable, something that was partially missing in the films. Paul Bettany somehow makes The Vision feel human at times, while also reminding us that he is a robot looking in on humanity, not a part of it through beautiful and profound dialogue that is sure to stick with fans forever. Completing this trinity of incredible performances is Kathryn Hahn, who plays the neighbor Agnes. She brings so much chaotic energy, episode to episode, that really compliments Elizabeth and Paul’s more grounded approach.

The show does take major inspiration from sitcoms throughout the decades, even getting Dick Van Dyke himself to consult for their 50’s era episode. The homages don’t stop there as references to Bewitched, Growing Pains, The Munsters, Malcolm in the Middle, Modern Family, and even The Office are present. When the show focuses on these aspects of depression, grief, and even a sprinkle of horror it is absolutely fantastic, but then it runs into what is called the “Marvel Problem”.

The show also features episodes of the world around Wanda that introduce S.W.O.R.D and Monica Rambeau, played awesomely by Teyonah Parris. The show even brings back Randall Park’s character from Antman and Kat Dennings Darcy Lewis from the Thor franchise, but that’s just the problem. When the show is focused on Wanda and Vision, it feels organic and we as viewers are immersed in the world that Marvel has created and don’t want to leave. While the performances of these other actors are good, and it’s nice to see them, it feels wrong, like something has been put there to help tie it to the greater MCU, hence the “Marvel Problem”. If this show solely focused on Wanda Maximoff and her relationship with The Vision, it would have finished beautifully, but instead, the audience is consistently pulled out of the main story for us to be reminded that this is part of the MCU. Watching this show reminded me and others what dealing with grief feels like, and it goes a great distance to show us what it could look like, but then it doesn’t fully commit, making us feel completely unsatisfied and wanting to see more.

Overall it’s a great show with wonderful performances and a great main story that makes us care for Wanda and Vision’s relationship as well as deepening the characters well, it just falls prey to the Marvel Problem.

By Kristos Iliopoulos

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