As the bouncy plucks and resonant acoustics of the nylon-string guitar line underscore “Going Home,” vocalist Josephine Foster joins in, crooning, “I am going home.” Her vocal inflections are sweet and sombre, resembling the warbling mimicries of a lark as a spidery electric guitar melody spins between the interweaving words.[Read More…]
Music
The best love songs for Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is not the time for chocolate or flowers or even love. It’s the time for playlists. Breakup playlists to scream at your ceiling, classy playlists for candlelight dinners, or salacious playlists for “late-night activities.” Whatever playlist you might be making, here are four great love songs to consider[Read More…]
At the Grammys, Black artists continue to go unrewarded in the major categories
Every year, the Grammy Awards accompany the periodic discussion around their failure to celebrate Black artists, and this year is no exception. Jay-Z’s acceptance speech for the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award called out this disappointing pattern in the Grammys. He noted how, despite Beyoncé being the most awarded artist[Read More…]
GQ magazine’s absorption of Pitchfork is devastating for diversity in music journalism
Gentlemen’s Quarterly (GQ), the men’s fashion and lifestyle magazine, has absorbed one of music’s most influential journalism outlets, Pitchfork. Condé Nast, the parent company of both GQ and Pitchfork, is the driving force behind this move. Publicly announced on Jan. 17, this move came as a shock to the publication’s[Read More…]
Shake it off, assumptions and all
How much does Taylor Swift owe her fans? An opinion piece published in The New York Times on Jan. 4 theorized about Taylor Swift’s sexuality, evoking backlash from Swifties and non-Swifties alike. To put it frankly: Swift owes her fans nothing, and people shouldn’t speculate about others’ sexuality—celebrity or not.[Read More…]
Where do I begin? Corridos Tumbados
Corridos Tumbados, a form of regional Mexican music, exploded in popularity in 2023. At the forefront of this phenomenon was Peso Pluma, who rose to global fame after his feature on Eslabon Armado’s “Ella Baila Sola,” which topped the Billboard Global 200 and was Rolling Stone’s song of the year.[Read More…]
The Tribune presents: THE BEST AND WORST OF 2023
TV Shows Best The Bear (Season 2) Avoiding the sophomore slump attributed to most sequels (I’m looking at you, Madagascar 2), season 2 of The Bear manages to retain the first season’s hype. The series allows for the exploration and growth of supporting characters: Pastry chef Marcus (Lionel Boyce) travels[Read More…]
Where Do I Begin? Country music artists of colour and the industry
Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” recently hit the No. 2 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100, winning Song of the Year at the 2023 Country Music Awards. I know what you’re thinking; no, it’s not 1988 again. A cover of the hit, released by country music artist Luke Combs on his newest[Read More…]
The Grammy Awards bring nothing but disappointment
The day the Grammy Awards nominations come out is like Christmas morning to me. There is quite possibly nothing I enjoy more than opening Pitchfork that morning and scrolling through, hoping to see my favourite albums and songs of the year nominated for their respective categories. Does it ever happen?[Read More…]
Pop dialectic: AI and The Beatles’ “Now & Then”
The Beatles released their latest and final song, “Now and Then,” on Nov. 2, over sixty years after the release of their last album. The remaining Beatles—Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr—used artificial intelligence (AI) to splice together old demos with new recordings. The resultant song presents the four Beatles, dead[Read More…]