Reviews

A&E

Lil Dicky’s debut album cements his talent as hip-hop artist

By Kyle Canady | September 3, 2015

David Burd, better known by his stage name of Lil Dicky, released his debut album on July 31st. For those who don’t know of Lil Dicky: the rapper was popularized thanks to the viral music video for his song “Ex Boyfriend,” and for several other videos that followed. While the majority of Dicky’s work to date has been comedic, he did illustrate his rapping chops on his first mixtape “So Hard.” While Dicky’s new album expands upon his skill as a “serious” rapper, it still maintains the comedic character that gained his initial following. On the opening song of “Professional Rapper,” LD (as he calls himself) refers to his genre of rap as “anti-rap.” This is due to his atypical rap background, style and lyrics.

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A&E

“The Carmichael Show” reinvents stand-up as sitcom

By Walker Peterson | September 3, 2015

Full disclosure: I love Jerrod Carmichael. He may very well be my favorite active comedian. I don’t know how many times I have watched or recommended his HBO special “Love at the Store,” but I’d be willing to bet any reasonable guess would be far too low.

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A&E

This year’s VMAs might have been the latest nail in the MTV awards show coffin

By Vondrae McCoy | September 3, 2015

This past weekend’s 32nd annual VMAs, hosted by Miley Cyrus, were quite the spectacle. In a word, the show was crude, simply put.

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A&E

“Depression Cherry” is the musical equivalent of a warm bath

By Noah Zeidman | September 3, 2015

“Depression Cherry” opens with a slow burn: a single organ tone which grows into an airy open chord, buoyed by the introduction of a light, tinkling electronic drum loop, all of which faintly crescendo to meet the rich, gentle voice of lead singer Victoria Legrand.

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A&E

“Hannibal” may be off the menu, but it’s never too late to feast

By Anne Duessel | September 2, 2015

On Saturday night, the season and series finale of NBC’s “Hannibal” aired.

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A&E

Mr. Holmes: solving the mystery of himself

By Kathryn Zobeck | August 31, 2015

The year is 1947, World War II has recently ended and Sherlock Holmes has retired from world-class detective work to the English countryside.

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A&E

“Southpaw” delivers a boxing film about a boxer not worth filming

By Flo Overfelt | August 30, 2015

Antoine Fuqua’s “Southpaw” tells the story of fictitious lightweight boxer Billy Hope. The film follows his life from utter turmoil to eventual triumph.

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A&E

Bullet for My Valentine’s “Venom” injects a terse but lethal dose of metal

By Robert Shimshock | August 27, 2015

When asked in a 2006 interview with Popworld whether heavy metal band Bullet for My Valentine would go more commercial, the band’s frontman Matt Tuck replied, “We would never do [that] ... We’re more interested in what our music sounds like than what our f---ing hair looks like.” Since then, the band has lost its catchy sound and dropped their iconic screaming for radio-friendly vibes. Nevertheless “Venom,” BFMV’s fifth album, has stopped the band’s spiral into mediocrity.

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A&E

Dr. Dre’s “Compton” is a fitting finale

By Karim Saoud | August 27, 2015

Dr. Dre released his third and final studio album, “Compton,” on Aug. 7, 16 years after his last album, “2001.” A compilation of everything that makes Dre, Dre, “Compton” is an ode to his hometown, reflects on his upbringing and features many of the rap artists he’s helped along the way. “Compton” does its best to transport listeners to the city of Compton, beginning with a newscast-like introduction to the story of Compton’s potential glory and rapid downfall.

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A&E

“Mr. Robot” might be the best new show on TV

By Walker Peterson | August 27, 2015

USA Network has long been a safe harbor in the often-overwhelming sea of television choices, offering non-challenging shows with procedurally formatted single-season arcs.

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News

Tame Impala’s “Currents” sweeps you away

By Samantha Rafalowski | August 26, 2015

Pop culture’s last few years have once again proven the circuitous nature of mainstream music. First we saw Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines,” which is virtually a cover of Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give it Up,” and now the charts have been invaded by Bruno Mars’s “Uptown Funk” and its suspiciously strong influences of The Gap Band’s “Oops Upside Your Head” and Michael Jackson’s “Jam.” So when Tame Impala’s founder Kevin Parker described the purpose of his new album “Currents” to “The Atlantic” to be to “convince a few die-hard rock fans that ‘80s synths can fit over a ‘70s drum beat,” a few were understandably concerned. After all, “Lonerism” gained universal recognition and had already set unreasonably high standards for its sequitur.

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A&E

My Morning Jacket: More versatile than your typical jacket

By Karim Saoud | August 20, 2015

With all of the auto-tuned and heavily edited studio beats present in modern music, it isn’t every day a band sounds better live than on iTunes.

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A&E

‘Almost, Maine’ is a near disaster

By Tyrone Cadogan | August 16, 2015

“Almost, Maine” is almost bearable. Almost every character in the play is trite and one dimensional.

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News

Dare to look ‘Beneath The Skin’

By Elise Mollica | August 5, 2015

Of Monsters and Men, a band formed in Iceland in 2010, has achieved remarkable international success in the past few years.

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A&E

“Amy” is a modern masterpiece

By Tyrone Cadogan | August 5, 2015

“Amy” ends. The credits roll, but no one stirs. Instead, we sit, myself and roughly a dozen others, with our eyes fixed on the screen.

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News

Jamie xx debuts with a subtle yet arresting album

By Tyrone Cadogan | August 5, 2015

Jamie xx's solo debut, “In Colour,” is at one moment jubilant and bright and at the very next melancholy and murky.

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News

“Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” has few faults, few stars

By Rose Montgomery | July 13, 2015

Rather than glorifying the bittersweet intricacies of teenage terminal illness, “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” offers a raw, often humorous look into a friendship infected by cancer.

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A&E

“Magic Mike XXL” learns to embrace levity

By Elizabeth McCauley | July 13, 2015

People generally go see strippers for one reason: to watch them strip. People go see movies about strippers for a slightly more varied set of reasons — perhaps for the cast, perhaps for a little narrative context to go with their chiseled abs — but for the most part, they want stripping.

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A&E

Paul McCartney enthralls audience “Out There” in Charlottesville in late June

By Kathryn Zobeck | July 13, 2015

Former Beatle Paul McCartney made his first-ever appearance in Charlottesville at the John Paul Jones Arena June 23.

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A&E

“Wildheart” is not exactly wild

By Samantha Rafalowski | July 13, 2015

Miguel Jontel Pimentel was born into a musically inclined family. Heavily influenced by his parents’ affinity for R&B and jazz, Miguel began pursuing a career in the music industry at age thirteen.