Odd Future, a collective of musicians and creatives based out of Los Angeles, completely dominated 2010s culture. Musically, frontman Tyler, the Creator had a meteoric rise while with Odd Future, releasing Wolf and Cherry Bomb while the collective was active. Frank Ocean also became one of the largest names in hip-hop while with the collective, releasing Channel Orange and Blonde during their peak. Fellow Odd Future member Earl Sweatshirt was no slouch either, releasing hip-hop classic Doris while the collective was active and claiming his spot as a lyrical mastermind. Music was just the star ..read more

Nestled inconspicuously amid the unbroken line of college houses along Huron Street, Canterbury House is a vibrant artistic sanctuary, encouraging passersby to venture beyond its modest exterior. A mere Instagram post is all it takes to ignite a wave of anticipation, evoking a unique form of congregation within its walls. On the night of February 17, seekers of musical enlightenment converged within to revel in the melodic talents of Ann Arbor’s own musical artisans and the ethereal sounds of Kingfisher. Walking through the side entrance, one is immediately entrenched in a steamy room, result ..read more

Life was good in 2019 when former Sonic Youth frontwoman Kim Gordon released her solo debut, No Home Record. Playing it in the car on the way to school meant playing it for every passerby on the sidewalk, as its sound is so angular and disquieting that even with the volume turned way down, its bassy shudder and percussive jabs still speared through thin air like thunder and lightning. On every song, Gordon’s soft murmurs or pained croaks are backlit by a smattering of vibrant flashes of noise or dim, eerie drones: the trap creep of “Paprika Pony,” the clattering haunted house knocks of “Murde ..read more

One of my favorite YouTube videos is “yung lean and bladee talking nonsense for 0:58.” Nothing really happens — Lean shouts out his GTBSBE family and talks about getting yen (they’re in Japan), while Bladee just mumbles some ad libs — but it’s silly and captures their musical dynamic near perfectly. Across the Swedish cloud rap pioneers’ many collaborations — “Red Velvet,” “Hennessy & Sailor Moon,” “Gotham City” — Lean’s voice shines, paper-thin yet studded with jagged edges that cut through the noise, while Bladee prefers to drone, his autotune-inflected warbles bubbling like a simmering ..read more

The ideas, aesthetics and sounds introduced during the Soundcloud era (2015-19) and its aftermath have been instrumental in shaping both modern hip-hop and mainstream popular music. Driven by daring, aggressive production and penned with minimalist, hedonistic lyrics more intended to fit the beat than mean anything on their own, rappers who got their start on SoundCloud often rapidly shot to superstardom and embraced a unique mix of vintage fashion and haute couture. The thing that made the SoundCloud movement distinct, however, was the way music was produced and accessed. Anyone with a valid ..read more

Content warning: This article contains references to death. Amigo the Devil, as his name would suggest, is no stranger to the macabre, but his new album, Yours Until the War is Over, pushes the limits of a digestible narrative and stumbles into the morbidly funny. Amigo has been combining grotesque subject matter with his hardcore-adjacent folk sound since the early 2010s. The resulting amalgamation has the grungy twang of a hillbilly potluck from hell and has charmed punks, folk fans and metalheads alike — which makes for an eccentric and drunken fanbase. Yours Until the War is Over, while n ..read more

I hate the indie sleaze aesthetic — the tacky American Apparel fits, the ugly flash photography (you will pay for your crimes, Cobrasnake), all of it. It’s fitting for a time more dominated by skepticism and ironic detachment perhaps, but it comes off as a bit gauche now. I mean, v-neck t-shirts?  I find myself drawn to the genre’s signature music more than its aesthetic. I’m not the biggest fan of rock band LCD Soundsystem and the like, but they had an unfeigned childlike joy to them. Sure, the nursery rhyme-esque synth line of “Kids” by MGMT gets excruciating by the fourth listen, but ..read more

Over several albums in the past decade, Brooklyn-based outfit San Fermin has scuttled around the gradient between orchestral chamber pop and more mainstream indie rock to varying degrees of success. After their lush, self-titled debut album, the group steered toward unbridled maximalism on Jackrabbit, but 2015’s Belong practiced more control. Double album The Cormorant I & II doubled down on lushness and ornamentation, written in a remote Icelandic village by bandleader and arranger Ellis Ludwig-Leone. This trend toward deeper corners of the woods makes their straightforward, airy new alb ..read more

Little Simz has been the epitome of consistency in the 2020s rap game. Following her socially-conscious breakout with 2019’s GREY Area, it was only a matter of time before her incredible lyricism and eye for sharp, soulful production landed her in the public eye. Her time came with the critically acclaimed Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, where Simz’s introspection and cunning lyricism on her public vs private persona landed her a Mercury Prize for the best album of the year. Little Simz followed this critical acclaim with her album NO THANK YOU, which dropped with no promotion or rollout. The ..read more

“Zach Watson is a vessel for a spirit that grabs each and every one of us at some point. It’s the feeling that life is fucking worth it, that the world is full of beauty and care. That you can have everything you never wanted with just what you’ve got in front of you. Mothers, warn your children — this is what good music does to a man.” I wrote that paragraph more than eight months ago while driving home from Ann Arbor to the Upper Peninsula. I had just listened to the first studio album by Zach Watson and was overcome with the need to write about it. I had seen Watson perform live just a few ..read more