On May 19, the same day that British rock band Coldplay releases its sixth studio album, “Ghost Stories,” the band will be on the UCLA campus for a performance in Royce Hall. The winner of seven Grammy Awards, including record of the year for 2004’s “Clocks,” and eight Brit Awards, including three awards for best […]
Category Archives: Music
Stuff from the Shelf: ‘An Argument With Myself’ makes the ordinary, extraordinary
The cabinets near the Arts & Entertainment desk are cluttered with CDs, DVDs, books and various press copies sent to us by generous promoters. Most of it, unfortunately, has never gone on to receive attention by our staff – until now. Stuff from the Shelf is a feature that explores the stacks of forgotten media, […]
Datvebis Gundi brings Georgian choral music to UCLA
A Kartvelian chorus is notable for its unusual way of singing songs without words, a factor that hooked Vrinda Chidambaram when she heard a collection of Georgian songs for the first time. The chorus, Datvebis Gundi, faces the challenging tasks of memorizing the tonal inflections, unfamiliar vocal sounds and upbeat rhythm of songs from the […]
Folk music group Jueves Jaracho emphasizes sense of community
As the searing sun beats down, a collection of musicians assemble with their instruments under a tree outside of Schoenberg Hall. Together, they form what is essentially a little piece of Mexico on the UCLA campus. This assembly is known as Jueves Jarocho, or “Jarocho Thursday” in Spanish, a group dedicated to the folk musical […]
Album Review: ‘Talk Dirty’
Women, alcohol and sex – three words that sum up Jason Derulo’s new album, “Talk Dirty.” “Talk Dirty” is anything but creative. It is unoriginal, uninteresting and does little but sexualize women, despite having a few decent songs. The first song on the album and top-10 hit single “Talk Dirty” sets the tone for the […]
Album Review: ‘Indie Cindy’
The Pixies are not a normal rock band – but that’s nothing new. Through the group’s turbulent legacy of defining alternative rock in the late ’80s and early ’90s, followed by an extremely extended hiatus of 23 years, frontman Black Francis has explored themes of existentialism (“Where Is My Mind?”), maritime suicides (“Wave of Mutilation”), […]
California A Cappella Festival: Groups hit varied notes in night show
Saturday night, the stage of Ackerman Grand Ballroom was graced with the talents of nine vocal groups from across California for the evening portion of the 13th annual California A Cappella Festival. Song choices ranged from current radio-play juggernaut “Pompeii” by Bastille to a medley featuring Ray Charles’ classic “Hit the Road Jack.” The night […]