U album review: underscores ventures into the mainstream

On March 20, April Harper Gray, better known as underscores, released her third studio album, U, with Mom and Pop Music. While her last project, Wallsocket, was a genre-bending concept album exploring the fictional town of Wallsocket, Indiana, and what it means to grow into womanhood, U is a digitalized simplification of Gray’s trademark take… Continue reading U album review: underscores ventures into the mainstream

b7lanket & Luko M Keep It Short & Sweet With Home team

Bedroom indie producers b7lanket and Luko M have joined up for Home team, an EP-sized mixtape self-released on April 6 and available on SoundCloud and Nina Protocol. Their first collaboration is steeped in childhood nostalgia, creating a miniature world that revolves around sports practice and a carefree curiosity for the world around you. This is… Continue reading b7lanket & Luko M Keep It Short & Sweet With Home team

Hope Runs Through My Veins – THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE Review

During a recent interview with Zane Lowe, Creative Director for Apple Music, singer-songwriter Rachel Keen (a.k.a. RAYE) said, “In this record I’ve embraced maximalism and expressing and exploring in any genre that I felt I wanted to.”  When listening to her sophomore album THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE, released on March 27, 2026 through Human… Continue reading Hope Runs Through My Veins – THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE Review

A Contemporary Showcase: Later the Same Evening and Bastianello

From Thursday, March 5 through Sunday, March 8, Oberlin Opera Theater presented two one-act operas, Later the Same Evening and Bastianello, in Hall Auditorium. Both composed by John Musto with libretto by Mark Campbell, the distinctly contemporary production was a departure from the more traditional works that the Opera department typically produces. I saw the… Continue reading A Contemporary Showcase: Later the Same Evening and Bastianello

The Greatness of Our Peers – Emmy Irvine and Dempsey Miller Concert Review

On March 13, jazz vocalist Emmy Irvine and jazz drummer Dempsey Miller showed why Oberlin is home to one of the greatest conservatories in the world. They presented their junior recital to a packed audience in Birenbaum Performance Space with an ever-changing band. From arrangements to their own original music, it is hard to not… Continue reading The Greatness of Our Peers – Emmy Irvine and Dempsey Miller Concert Review

TAKAAT Brings History Lesson and Live Demo to Oberlin

On Tuesday, March 10, two members of the trio TAKAAT — American bassist Mikey Coltun and Nigerien guitarist-singer Ahmoudou Madassane — held a workshop in Oberlin Conservatory’s TIMARA Gallery prior to their Modern Music Guild-sponsored show at the Dionysus Disco. TAKAAT was formed by the rhythm section of famed Nigerien guitarist, singer and songwriter Mdou… Continue reading TAKAAT Brings History Lesson and Live Demo to Oberlin

Lou Phelps – The Bounciest Show on Campus

Photo by: Sam Kennedy On February 20, DJ, producer, rapper, and songwriter Lou Phelps came to Oberlin and delivered one of the bounciest ‘Sco shows the campus has seen. He makes music under the subgenre of rap-house and has often worked in collaboration with his brother KAYTRANADA. Rap-house combines the danceable instrumental of house music… Continue reading Lou Phelps – The Bounciest Show on Campus

From Reykjavik to Oberlin: Sibbi Bernhardsson’s faculty recital

On the evening of February 21, an audience of College and conservatory students, faculty, and community members braved freezing conditions for an Icelandic- and Oberlin-themed solo violin program in Stull Recital Hall. Sibbi Bernhardsson, professor of violin, director of Oberlin’s string department, and a native Icelander, greeted the room with a permanent smile, ever-moving eyebrows,… Continue reading From Reykjavik to Oberlin: Sibbi Bernhardsson’s faculty recital