FKA Twigs // 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

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FKA twigs and the beautiful ‘MAGDALENE’

Ryan Israel | Tuesday, November 12, 2019

FKA twigs is one of those musical artists who is elevated above the noise, separated from the pack. She’s been acclaimed since her first full length release, “LP1” from 2014, although she’s never fully entered into the mainstream pop arena or achieved any degree of wild commercial success. Quiet and selective when it comes to

Scene

Scene’s Selections: New Singles

Charlie Kenney, Willoughby Thom, Mike Donovan and Ryan Israel | Monday, September 16, 2019

A few artists released new singles. Scene listened. Run it back. “Moment” — Pinegrove By Mike Donovan, Scene Editor Momentary pleasures — the type initiated, felt and lost at a pinprick on the timeline — feed on the luxury of not knowing. Neither future nor past have any bearing on the instantaneous. What’s now is

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Kelela’s ‘Take Me Apart’ will take you apart

Adrian Mark Lore | Friday, November 3, 2017

Kelela Mizanekristos has been pushing the envelope with her music for the better part of the past five years. Her “Hallucinogen” EP — released two years ago — showcased the Ethiopian-American vocalist’s songwriting skill and affective creative vision, honed over years of eclectic vocal work under disparate genres like indie rock and even metal.

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Arca’s self-titled record moves in wrong direction

Adrian Mark Lore | Wednesday, April 26, 2017

It’s boring. That’s how I truly feel about Venezuelan producer Alejandro Ghersi’s solo output as Arca, which, in spite of my own experience, has been widely successful among critics. So I can’t help but think: Am I missing something? In an attempt to find out, I listened to Arca’s latest, self-titled record, released in early

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Frank’s State of the Ocean

Jack Riedy | Wednesday, March 22, 2017

Like everything he does these days, Frank Ocean’s new single “Chanel” appeared suddenly. Now streaming universally, the song feels equally appropriate on Friday night and on Monday morning. Other than his breezy appearance on Calvin Harris’ “Slide,” it is the reclusive singer’s first release since last year’s double-album whammy. Frank delivers his version of a State of

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Worship Banks at ‘The Altar’

Alexandra Lowery | Monday, October 3, 2016

“Have you heard Banks’ new stuff?” “Yeah, it’s really good … just angry.” This was a conversation I had after Jillian Banks, better known to the alt-pop world and heartbroken women everywhere simply as BANKS, released a string of electric singles the summer prior to her sophomore effort, “The Altar.” Banks made a name for

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Rihanna returns with unstoppable “ANTI”

Jack Riedy | Thursday, February 4, 2016

Ah, the halcyon days of 2012. Frank Ocean was firmly in the public eye, Future was an aspiring crossover star and Rihanna released her seventh album, “Unapologetic.” Though it featured hits like “Pour It Up” and “Stay,” the album received mixed reviews and is best remembered today for the head-scratching duet with Chris Brown titled

Scene

Top 20(albums)14

Erin McAuliffe, Kevin Salat, Allie Tollaksen, Matt McMahon, Matthew Munhall and Jimmy Kemper | Wednesday, December 10, 2014

1) St. Vincent – “St. Vincent” St. Vincent, 32 year-old lavender-haired Annie Clark, released her self-titled fourth album this year as her cult leader, new-age rockstar persona — referenced by everyone from The New Yorker to my dad. Her robotic-performance tendencies and brassy, electronic interludes contribute to the otherworldly and dominating effect of this

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Top 50 Songs of 2014

Matt McMahon | Monday, December 1, 2014

1.) “Interference Fits” — Perfect Pussy The term “interference fit” refers to a fastening between two parts that is achieved by friction after the parts are pushed together, rather than by any other means of connection. “Interference Fits,” then, is by far the most beautifully poetic name for a song in which lead singer Meredith

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