Drake’s Fear of Missing Out Is Visually Impressive, Musically Underwhelming
As I waited for Drake’s FOMO short-film livestream to begin on September 15, I wondered which direction he’d take. Having started in film and television before blowing up as a rapper and pop star, I wondered whether his years of experience would make this different from his previous livestreams. It’s similar in concept, but there’s…
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Reflections on Weezer’s White Album 10 Years Later
While I was driving to a listening party for Weezer’s upcoming album, Weezer (Gold Album), I thought about the last Weezer color album I loved: Weezer (White Album). It takes me back to when I first heard Weezer and what made me love them. When I hit play on the first song, “California Kids,” I…
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The Enduring Magic of The Spirit Room
Michelle Branch’s 2001 album The Spirit Room is an all-timer for me from the late ‘90s and early 2000s. Alongside albums such as Matchbox Twenty’s Yourself or Someone Like You, Norah Jones’ Come Away With Me, and The Interstate Managers by Fountains of Wayne, it defined my musical likes outside of hip-hop. The reason The…
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Lost in the World, Grounded in Reality – Ela Minus & Nick León’s qué les pasó a mis amigos?
Although I felt lukewarm about DIA, I ultimately enjoyed the melancholic symphony Ela Minus created on her 2025 album. The same goes for her new collaborative EP with Nick León. Like DIA, qué les pasó a mis amigos? carries emotional gravitas. Her thematic writing parallels the production, with the cadence and tone of her vocals…
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Otis – the Defining Moment of Watch the Throne
I want to say “it felt like yesterday when…,” but that wouldn’t be true; time does fly fast, and if it weren’t for X.com, I would have forgotten the first time I heard “Otis,” by Jay-Z and Kanye West. I was driving my dad’s car and taking my grandma to collect a payment. While I…
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Delilah Responds – Hey There Delilah In 2026
Over the weekend, we got more nostalgia in the form of a follow-up to “Hey There Delilah” by The Plain White T’s. This follow-up features Canadian singer-songwriter LØLØ, who last week reposted a response cover she recorded six years ago. Though different from the final version, the concept is similar. It’s dreamy, hopeful, and focused…
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Musician’s I’m Diggin’ – WHATMORE
Around March, I was doing some music diving on YouTube while on my stationary bike. It started with me playing random beats and freestyling as I worked out, but it led me down a rabbit hole where, among other hip-hop videos, I personally discovered New York’s WHATMORE. It’s been about a decade since the rise…
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Everywhere & Back Again – Michelle Branch Takes Us Back to The 2000s
Since I’ve become more critical of music, few things get me hyped like a new TRL episode in 2005. In recent vintage, it has been nostalgic concerts by artists revisiting iconic works that I’d put in a higher echelon than some of these artists’ new music. I remember being exhilarated with anticipation when I purchased…
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The Invite: Writing My Way Back
I used to write. In my mind, I felt like I still did. To be frank, I became complacent. I started slowing down in 2025; I wasn’t writing as many reviews. I have no excuses. I bought a PlayStation 5 around Black Friday of 2024, and as someone who felt they had missed out on…
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