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Music


A&E

Killswitch Engage offers 'disarming' metal record

If you’re a true metal fan, you’ve likely been spending the last few weeks biting your fingernails with your Monthly Metal Allowance crinkling in your pocket while you anxiously scan The Cavalier Daily for my judgment of Killswitch Engage’s (KSE’s) latest album, ‘Disarm the Descent.’


A&E

XCX marks the spot

The low-profile Charlotte Aitchison, who performs under the moniker Charli XCX and gained international popularity as the featured artist of Icona Pop’s anthemic “I Love It,” recently released her own studio debut, ‘True Romance,’ an album full of songs about love, relationships and partying.


A&E

Phoenix rises

From garage band kids to “kings of Coachella”, the members of Phoenix have come a long way since the turn of the millennium.


A&E

Cold War Kids pack heat on latest album

After the release of the thoroughly disappointing 2011 album ‘Mine is Yours’ and a subsequent two-year hiatus, Cold War Kids have finally returned with the release of their fourth studio album ‘Dear Miss Lonelyhearts.’ When the group debuted in 2004 they mesmerized fans powerful, yet fun singles like “Hang Me Up to Dry” and “Hospital Beds,” but efforts by the band since then have certainly tapered off. Fortunately, ‘Dear Miss Lonelyhearts’ helps build hope for what I had deemed to be a lost cause. Still, while the Long Beach, California based band seem to channel their best work on most of the record’s tracks, others seem as long and drawn-out as the Cold War itself.


A&E

Songs of summer

Every summer needs a playlist to fit the mood of your long road trips, cramped plane flights, pool parties, and meadow picnics.


A&E

Spinning me round (like a record)

It’s April 20th and I am a deep sea diver. Instead of exploring the ocean for coins, I’m scouring an endless tangle of milk crates and dust-caked paper for a perfect find. I’m not blazed, but I am blazing a new trail at the sweet speed of 33 1/3 RPM. After all, it’s Record Store Day, an audiophile’s second Christmas.


News

Paisley turns the 'Wheelhouse'

‘Wheelhouse’ is Brad Paisley’s ninth studio album, but even after more than a decade of success in the country music world, Paisley is far from slowing down or stalling out.


News

No huzzah for 'Heza'

The Generationals’ new album, ‘Heza,’ is easy on the ears, but maybe for that very reason falls somewhat short of expectations.


News

Fall Out Boy's triumphant return

There are two songs called “Thriller” on my iPod. One is by the late King of Pop and the other is by Fall Out Boy — track one on 2007’s ‘Infinity on High.’ In that version, machine-gun drums and guitar chugs set the stage for Patrick Stump’s ethereal vocal range where he assures us that the band’s thoughts are precious, for “every dot-com’s refreshing for a journal update.” Six years later, that’s exactly what happened.


News

Chillin' at Coachella

We’ve reached the final stretch of spring semester. The Cavalier Daily is running this article in its penultimate week of production for the school year, and the ratio of schoolwork to productivity is seriously off-balance.


A&E

Autre ne awesome

Autre ne Veut’s most recent album, ‘Anxiety,’ merges the vocal styling of late 80s and early 90s R&B with experimental electronic backdrops.


A&E

Low hits rock bottom

The 1990’s were a good time for emotional indie rock. Bands like The Smiths, Radiohead, Belle and Sebastian all peaked during this tumultuous decade.


A&E

Mo' money, 'new' problems

The career of Boston pop-punk outfit Transit has been characterized by musical baby steps. Their first effort, ‘This Will Not Define Us,’ was surprisingly derivative in definition, blending melodic sensibility while flying the no-holds-barred flag of the New England scene.


News

Once upon an opera...

U.Va’s Opera Viva troupe is out to prove that opera isn’t just for your grandparents. For its upcoming performance of Engelbert Humperdinck’s classic Hansel and Gretel, this talented and innovative group of students plans to hit the stage with a high level of intensity and accessibility, appealing to operatic aficianados and newcomers alike.


News

On Musgraves' 'Merry Go Round'

As a songwriter, Kacey Musgraves made her stamp on the country music scene early. Before releasing her first record this March, Musgraves co-wrote Miranda Lambert’s single “Mama’s Broken Heart” and a also co-wrote the song “Undermine,” written for the popular ABC drama series Nashville. Same Trailer Different Park voices various anxieties of small town life, but not always the pleasant ones.“Merry Go Round,” released as a single earlier this year, begins with a pleasant high-pitched banjo roll but soon devolves into this cynical reflection on the dreariest aspects of small town life.


Puzzles
Hoos Spelling

Latest Podcast

Ahead of its Fall 2025 issue, V MAG co-editors-in-chief Rachel Mulvaney, fourth-year Batten student, and Kieran Warner, third-year Commerce student, give a deeper look into what it takes to lead an arts publication, the collaboration and creativity that shapes each issue, and the inspiration behind the upcoming edition. This episode explores the importance of an arts magazine as a platform for students' voices and the artistic community it fosters on Grounds.