Ethan Utley // The Observer

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Scene

Scene’s Best Albums of 2019

Ryan Israel, Charlie Kenney, Matthew Kellenberg, Dessi Gomez, Hanna Kennedy, Jake Winningham, Ethan Utley, Mike Donovan, Sarah Kikel, Elizabeth Gregory, Willoughby Thom and Sara Schlecht | Thursday, December 12, 2019

It’s the grand finale: Scene’s official list of the top 20 albums of the year. Our writers have spent 2019 listening to countless hours of music, as our Spotify Wrappeds can confirm, and have taken this time before finals begin to reflect on the year in music by ranking our top albums. Each writer’s rankings

Scene

Pond’s ‘Tasmania’ meets shallow expectations

Ethan Utley | Thursday, March 21, 2019

Perth Australia’s Pond, one of today’s most popular psychedelic pop bands, is currently rekindling the style of the band’s 70’s psych-rock counterparts. Having released eight full-length albums since their debut with 2009’s “Psychedelic Mango” Pond has been awfully prolific over the course of the past decade. Unfortunately, the volume of Pond’s studio output pales in

Scene

Panda Bear’s ‘Buoys’ is a miss for Noah Lennox

Ethan Utley | Wednesday, February 13, 2019

Panda Bear is the pseudonym of Noah Lennox, an electronic experimental-pop superstar. Whether he is working on his solo project, or with his more well-known group Animal Collective, Lennox masterfully sews hallucinatory undertones into noise-heavy pop. Somewhere between The Beach Boys and Yves Tumor, Lennox shines a chipper light onto an often profound and overwhelming

Scene

Deerhunter covers new ground with ‘Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared?’

Ethan Utley | Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Deerhunter has been called everything but an average indie-rock band. Lead singer and songwriter Bradford Cox is about as enigmatic as they come, and the music he creates is no exception. Pairing playful guitar and animated melodies with abstract lyrics and ghastly instrumentals, Cox has perhaps the most unique sound in today’s mainstream indie-rock scene.

Scene

Scene Selections: Songs to survive the polar vortex

Mike Donovan, Dessi Gomez, Nora McGreevy, Ryan Israel and Ethan Utley | Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Forecasts are bleak. School is canceled. The Office of Campus Safety recently outlined survival instructions for the week: walk in groups, dress warmly and appropriately, stay dry — basically, avoid being outside at all costs. While you’re huddled indoors, fending off frostbite and eating your way through your stores of week-old Poptarts and canned soups, Scene

Scene

Scene’s Year in Review 2018: Best albums of the year

Nora McGreevy, Sara Schlecht, Ryan Israel, Mike Donovan, Jake Winningham, Nia Sylva, Kay Bontempo, Lucas Masin-Moyer, Carlos De Loera and Ethan Utley | Thursday, December 6, 2018

In early December, as finals begin to emerge on the horizon, Scene writers take off their headphones, pause the music and look back at what they’ve listened to throughout the year. Each writer picks their personal 20 best albums, and 2018 had no shortage of albums to choose from. Old names returned to the scene,

Scene

Mac DeMarco’s return to goofiness: ‘Old Dog Demos’

Ethan Utley | Tuesday, October 2, 2018

As with many indie rock artists, you can run into some pretty intense contrasts with Mac DeMarco. His debut album, “Rock and Roll Night Club” shows off his bizarre ability to not take anything seriously. A radio DJ with a very warped voice named Dojo Dan leads you through the album — from the nonsensical

Scene

Distinguished rock group Modest Mouse stops for a show in South Bend

Ethan Utley | Monday, September 24, 2018

On Monday night, alternative rock band Modest Mouse will perform at the Morris Performing Arts Center in downtown South Bend. They are a unique success story in the new millennium of rock. Isaac Brock (lead vocalist and guitarist) formed the band with Jeremiah Green (percussionist) and Eric Judy (bassist) in 1993, in his mother’s trailer

Scene

Iron & Wine’s ‘Weed Garden’ EP is an effortless treasure

Ethan Utley | Thursday, September 20, 2018

Iron & Wine is an indie folk pseudonym for singer-songwriter Samuel Beam. Over six studio albums and several more EPs, Iron & Wine has demonstrated poetic and harmonic perfection. It is the type of music you might find yourself listening to in times of great happiness and great sorrow. The blend of nostalgia and bliss

Scene

Car Seat Headrest impresses at Chicago performance

Ethan Utley | Monday, September 10, 2018

For anyone who has never heard Car Seat Headrest before, they can be summed up fairly easily in one word; angst. Really poignant, loud, indie angst. If you are dealing with relationship troubles, drug problems or are simply pissed off at the world, Car Seat Headrest would be a pretty good prescription — lead singer

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