Despite the cooling October air and looming midterms, hundreds of Berkeley students in warm sweaters, beanies and tie-dye clothing crowded Sproul Plaza early Friday evening in eager anticipation of the arrival of the celebrated Zion I hip-hop crew. About 5 p.m., local trap artists DRIPMOB took to the stage, warming Read More…
Last Thursday night, in a rare occasion for a hip urban nightclub, everybody was dancing. For about three hours at the New Parish music club in Oakland, shyness and coolness gave way to bobbing heads and bouncing feet at the sound of the California Honeydrops, an Oakland-based band with music Read More…
I’m kind of over getting told to throw my hands up in the air,” sneers the teen singer-songwriter Lorde on the track “Team” from her wildly hyped debut Pure Heroine. Unimpressed with what her youth culture offers, the 16-year-old from New Zealand seeks to be an adrenaline shot to the Read More…
A lot has changed in the past two years of Danny Brown’s life. After the release of his first studio album, XXX, in 2011, the 32-year-old Detroit native’s unique vernacular and quirky image have appealed to crowds across the country. He has moved on from drug deals and jail time Read More…
Miley Cyrus is the living embodiment of a well-formulated “fuck it,” and so is her new album, Bangerz. Here’s the thing about Bangerz: It isn’t a great album, but it definitely has a few good tracks. Aside from the infectious “We Can’t Stop” and the already contagious “Wrecking Ball,” you Read More…
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…
Signing to a record label can be a difficult decision for independent artists. Will the label constrain them? Is the tradeoff of gaining promotion worth the loss of independence? One record label that strives to eschew this problem is Pitchfork Records. The independent label has seven artists signed so far, Read More…
Beneath the red, green and blue-lighted pillars of Sproul Hall, London-based electronic artist Max Cooper played to a mostly student crowd of about 120 Thursday night. The free outdoor concert, put on by UC Berkeley’s ASUC SUPERB, featured a half-hour opening set by student group String Theory followed by an Read More…
After disappearing from the Billboard 200 for half a decade, Justin Timberlake isn’t quite ready to let go of the limelight yet. Waiting a mere five months since his last release, the Prince of Pop has given his fans an entirely new suite of decadent pop, whose high notes hit Read More…
CHVRCHES created viral exhilaration in the world of music blogs with singles such as “The Mother We Share” and “Recover.” After that, the electro-pop trio from Scotland became one of the most anticipated acts of 2013. However, with their first EP released in March and their first LP released now, Read More…