Low Low’s slow-churning melodies and haunting harmonies were the antithesis of the warm, jovial midday sun they accompanied Friday on Arrow stage. The three-piece based in Duluth, Minn., brought the cold of its hometown to the city, interrupting its icy melancholy every so often with striking vocal arrangements that would Read More…
Every year, studying abroad becomes an integral and significant part of the college experience for hundreds of UC Berkeley students. For some, the adventure is the first of its kind, a unique chance to explore the world. For others, it is a convenient escape from Berkeley’s sometimes exigent pressure. Whatever Read More…
Anyone who has studied abroad — especially in a comparatively higher-exchange-rate zone such as the European Union — knows the experience can be an expensive one. With necessities such as housing, food and transportation to consider, the costs of an extended sojourn in a dream country could seem out of Read More…
I’m sitting in a restaurant in Lisbon waiting for lunch. I’m weary from wandering the city with a friend, and a Fado band is playing on the television by the door. In the corner of the screen, I notice a woman translating every lyric into sign language. Her hands move Read More…
James Blake has always been somewhat of a musical dichotomy. Since his debut release nearly four years ago, Blake has been carefully straddling the line between the UK post-dubstep scene and his own pop music leanings, a feat evidenced by arguably his most popular single to date, the wobbly, earth-shaking Read More…
As I sat in the car crossing the English Channel with complete strangers, the conversation turned to our weekend plans. I was tired and nodded idly when asked if I was meeting up with friends, not wanting to explain my situation or my motives — of which I wasn’t even Read More…
With the Treasure Island Music Festival fast approaching this weekend (Oct. 13 and 14), Chad Heimann at Noise Pop has compiled a definitive playlist for this year’s many artists. See his picks below. 1. Tycho – Adrift 2. Youth Lagoon – Daydream 3. Grimes – Eight 4. Porter Robinson – Unison Read More…
Eight years ago, Green Day exploded from near-obscurity after their post-Dookie decline to rockstar superstardom following the release of the now Broadway-approved political epic American Idiot. Since then, and for most of their career, the East Bay natives have faced criticism for selling out their punk appeal to major-label record Read More…
If you asked Serj Tankian about how he made his newest solo album, Harakiri, he could explain to you how he composed all of the parts on every song on the 11-track record. But he could also tell you about the part fiber, part postconsumer recycled, part flax seed and Read More…
To someone who knows nothing about Canadian geography, the fact that Purity Ring began work for the basis of their critically acclaimed debut Shrines while split between Halifax and Montreal might not seem all that striking. But the duo’s partnership was a tale of two cities almost one thousand miles Read More…