waxahatchee // The Observer

Scene

Scene’s Best Albums of 2020

Claire Rafford, Mariah Rush, Jake Winningham, Dessi Gomez, Ryan Israel, Aidan O'Malley, Colleen Fischer, Matthew Kellenberg, Maeve Filbin and Charlie Kenney | Monday, December 14, 2020

Scene writers made their lists; they checked them twice. The albums from January were reexamined; the soundtrack to the summer was played in December. Everyone’s votes were tallied and the final ticket of 20 records — those which we most cherished, fell deepest into and held closest to our hearts and ears in 2020 —

Scene

Commencement 2020: Four years in review

Ryan Israel and Mike Donovan | Friday, May 15, 2020

It’s time to turn the clock back to what, in retrospect, seems like a simpler time: late summer 2016. The class of 2020 first arrived on campus via an “Ultralight Beam,” looking forward to four years of academic and faith “Formation” and dreaming of staying up “All Night” with friends. Not yet “Destroyed by Hippie Powers,”

Scene

You don’t hate country

Mike Donovan | Thursday, April 2, 2020

The phrase “I hate country” rambles in shambling echoes around circles of self-described music nerds: a whiney chorus erupting from a choir of skinny little malcontents with mouths bigger than their record collections. “I hate country!” they sputter, hoping their spray might hit the nearest [Luke Bryan, Sam Hunt, Dierks Bentley, Toby Keith, Florida Georgia

Scene

Scene’s Best Albums of 2017

Brian Boylen, Mike Donovan, Ryan Israel, Hanna Kennedy, Charlie Kenney, Owen Lane, Adrian Mark Lore, Matthew Munhall, Thomas Murphy, Adam Ramos, Maggie Walsh and John Wilson | Thursday, December 7, 2017

1. Kendrick Lamar — “DAMN.” By Owen Lane Since April, a thought has been haunting the minds of many music fans: “When, if ever, will an album come along that can dethrone ‘DAMN.’?” Its existence impacted the way all following music releases have been received. Such is the incredible power of Kendrick Lamar at only

Scene

On ‘Ivy Tripp,’ Katie Crutchfield refuses to slow down

Matthew Munhall | Monday, April 13, 2015

Katie Crutchfield has been playing music professionally since she was a teenager, and her songwriting reflects the decade she’s spent refining her craft. The 26-year-old musician’s solo project, Waxahatchee, which takes its name from a creek near her parents’ house in Alabama, grounds quarter-life crises in searingly specific images. Crutchfield displayed this introspective, emotionally honest songwriting on