Reviews
SOTW: Billy Jones and the Delta Blues Outlaws – “Someone New”
Wednesday, February 8th, 2023 by Liz Kosik
by Daniel Carter ’26
Billy Jones and the Delta Blues Outlaws – “Someone New”
Rate:8/10
Billy Jones and Delta provide a wide variety of traditional Blues and notes of R&B. Coming from the group’s self-titled album, the song “Someone New” is one of my favorites. “Someone New” definitely exudes an Isley Brothers vibe with blues infused into the music, giving a classic R&B feel to the song.
“Someone New” really captures the hopelessness many feel about the ending of a relationship. We hear a story of a man who is devoted to a woman who unfortunately doesn’t reciprocate those romantic feelings for him. He blesses us with a lyrically beautiful and tragic realization that she is finding love in someone else. I align this theme with songs such as “Out of Time” by the Weeknd, in both artists’ depictions of loss and love.
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AOTW: The Alchemist – “The Alchemist Sandwich”
Tuesday, February 7th, 2023 by Liz Kosik
by Amelia Dunat ’25
The Alchemist – “The Alchemist Sandwich”
Release: December 16, 2022
Rate: 7/10
“The Alchemist Sandwich” is a compilation album of collaborative singles the producer has created over the past few years, combining the track lists of two EPs from 2018- “Lunch Meat” and “Bread.” The compilation includes two new tracks in addition to the EP’s, with features from artists such as Schoolboy Q. I found the overall production and beats better than any of the verses themselves, as no track was significantly better than the rest, but my favorites were “The Hopeless Romantic” featuring Action Bronson, “E. Coli” featuring Earl Sweatshirt, and “Roman Candles Burning” by Roc Marciano.
These tracks may be a few months or years old, but The Alchemist has managed to combine them in an imaginative and raw way, making sure to add his trademarks like soulful elements, innovative samples, and heavy bass. “E. Coli” is dense with symbolic lyrics, “Mac 10 Wounds” features a memorable beat change and Action Bronson’s flow on “The Hopeless Romantic” is unmatched. With only 10 tracks adding up to 30 minutes, the ambient album featuring some of the best rappers today is for sure worth a listen.
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AOTW: La Femme – “Teatro Lúcido”
Monday, December 12th, 2022 by Liz Kosik
by Anabel Martin Llanusa ’25
Release: November 2022
Rated: 9/10
RIYL: Rosalia, Tatiene Hazel, L’Imperatrice, Stereolab, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Melody’s Echo Chamber.
La Femme is a french “psycho” rock indie band. They released their fourth album “Teatro Lúcido” on the 4th of November and it’s sung in Spanish! The band comprises a keyboard player and a guitarist, Marlon Magnée and Sacha Got. They started La Femme, added a drummer, bass player, and finally Clémence Quélennec, the lead singer- and the rest is history!
I like the uniqueness of this band because the lyrics are super weird and if you listen to this album, every song sounds like a different genre. Their music is inspired by Spanish, French, and Brazilian sounds, creating a versatile range. My favorite songs were “Sacatela”, “Y tu te vas”, and “Maialen.” “Sacatela” was the first song I listened to and even though the lyrics are super short, it’s incredibly catchy! Definitely couldn’t get it out of my head!
La Femme is an innovative band and even if you can’t understand the lyrics, the power is transmitted through the music.
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SOTW: Prima Queen – “Eclipse” (Clean Edit)
Friday, December 9th, 2022 by Liz Kosik
by Aliyah Smith-Bradley ’24
Prima Queen – “Eclipse” (Clean Edit)
Rate: 9.5/10
RIYL: Lucy Dacus, Billy Nomates, Sharon Van Etten, Snail Mail
Released on August 24, 2022, Prima Queen posted an amazing pop indie song, Eclipse. The female indie group formed by two best friends tells a beautiful story through the song “Eclipse” with heated lyrical imagery and an upbeat tune.
This song has a fun temp and instrumental while having powerful vocals and lyrics. The song is about a person in a relationship, but they are not over their last ex. With a theme that a lot of people can relate to, Eclipse is the perfect song to add to your breakup playlist. There is a clean edit of the song and one that is not FCC clean (whatever you’d prefer). “Eclipse” by Prima Queen serves, creating a song that is perfect for a girl’s night or for a breakup anthem.
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SOTW: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizards – “Exploding Suns”
Thursday, November 17th, 2022 by Liz Kosik
SONG OF THE WEEK: King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizards – “Exploding Suns”
by Isabelle Braudakis ’25
Rate: 9/10
Released: October 28, 2022
RYIL: The Murlocs, Art of Sleeping, Moses Gunn Collective, Pipe-eye, Post Animal
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard is an Australian rock band formed in 2011 in Melbourne. The group were all friends who liked to jam out and create unique and meaningful music. The band’s current lineup consists of Stu Mackenzie, Ambrose Kenny-Smith, Cook Craig, Joey Walker, Lucas Harwood, and Michael Cavanagh. Throughout the years the band has explored many genres, but their music can be described as psychedelic rock, garage rock, progressive rock, and heavy metal.
Exploding Suns starts with a slow and steady drumline accompanied by a guitar. The reverb helps create a dream-like state which Mackenzie contributes to with his soft and gentle voice. The drumline throughout the song remains steady while other strange instruments join in. The song almost sounds like you are floating in space all while on a psychedelic trip. I would recommend listening to this song during a chill nighttime drive or just having it in the background when hanging out with friends on a relaxing night in.
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AOTW: Karmic – “Disco Submarine”
Thursday, November 10th, 2022 by Liz Kosik
by Analia Cortez ’25
Release: September 2022
Rated: 8/10
RILY: Thunder Jackson, PRESSYES, Little Element, Leyya, 5K HD, Wargirl, DIVES, Cari Cari, Roast Apple.
In September 2022, Los Angeles and Vienna-based Karmic released their debut album. “Disco Submarine” was born into the Indie Pop world after being recorded during the Covid-19 lockdown. The intention of this album was to get a connection formed between people and music. “Disco Submarine” is built around the idea of a small space with music where closeness and connections could be created. The variety of sounds produced for this album echo the waves of emotions that were experienced not just through the pandemic, but everything in their five years together. A personal favorite from this album would have to be the sixth track “Boomerang“. Tracks four and five – “Dive Bar” and “Mantra” – are a close second and third. These songs have an upbeat yet relaxing feel to them, making them suitable for homework, a nice walk, or simply relaxing! This sound on this album is one I would listen to on occasion, however, overall, I enjoy the vibe of it and do take a strong liking to this. For a more upbeat feel, I would suggest checking out their singles “Wisdom Pie” and “Little Lucille“.
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Rocky Horror Picture Show 2022
Wednesday, November 9th, 2022 by Liz Kosik
by Aliyah Smith-Bradley
On October 31st, 2022, WLOY and Spectrum presented the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and it was amazing! For those of you who don’t know, WLOY’s screening of Rocky Horror Picture Show is a 10+ year tradition (and eventually we will succeed in having it outside on the quad). WLOY shows it every Halloween and this year was in collaboration with Spectrum. Spectrum is a LBGTQ+ support service at Loyola University Maryland. This year we held a costume contest with the winner taking home a new turntable and a picture disc of 45th Anniversary Rocky Horror Picture Show Soundtrack!
Rocky Horror was a huge hit this year! With Halloween falling on a rainy Monday, celebrating it with a movie was perfect. The event had about 60 students and 19 contest competitors. For the contest, we had so many students with amazing costumes to judge it was tough. In the end, Elvis Presley (a Loyola student) won with an astounding round of applause. Everyone had a great time watching with some students shouting along with the Rocky Horror Audience Participation Script. This event was personally one of my favorites with the candy, welcoming community, and seeing everyone in their costumes.
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AOTW: Alvvays – “Blue Rev”
Monday, November 7th, 2022 by Liz Kosik
by Ameila Dunat ’25
Alvvays – “Blue Rev”
Released: October 7, 2022
Rating: 7 / 10
This Toronto band’s third album has been in the works since their 2017 album Antisocialites and it was definitely worth the wait. Alvvays is an Indie Pop band from Canada formed in 2011. After a 5-year hiatus, they’ve released Blue Rev, a shoegaze collection of 14 tracks, all with bittersweet lyrics and psychedelic sounds. My favorite tracks from this album were “Easy on Your Own”, “Tile by Tile”, and “After the Earthquake”. “After the Earthquake” was my favorite out of all of them because of its upbeat melody. “Easy on your Own” and “Tile by Tile” both feature whimsical vocals and sophisticated melodies making them sound just like the previous albums. Listening to this album made it seem as if no time had passed since I last heard the sounds of Alvvays many years ago! (more…)
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AOTW: Jonathan Jeremiah – “Horsepower For The Streets”
Tuesday, October 25th, 2022 by Liz Kosik
by Aaliyah Smith-Bradley ’24
Jonathan Jeremiah – “Horsepower For The Streets”
Release: September, 2022
Rated: 9/10
RIYL: Lord Huron, Hozier, Donovan Woods, Family of the Year, Bronze Radio Return.
If you love music that sounds like an orchestra with the violins, piano and chorus in the back, then this is the album for you. When I first heard Horsepower For The Streets, I was in shock. I thought Hozier and Sam Smith were the only ones that knew how to mix Pop music with Soul. (more…)
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SOTW: Kurt Vile – “Like Exploding Stones”
Tuesday, October 25th, 2022 by Liz Kosik
SONG OF THE WEEK: Kurt Vile – “Like Exploding Stones”
By Ameila Dunat ’25
This laid-back and dreamy alt rock tune, “Like Exploding Stones”, is the fourth track from Kurt Vile’s new album. Philadelphia artist and songwriter Kurt Vile wrote this album before and during the pandemic. It was mainly self-produced and self-recorded in his home studio.
Despite its slow tempo the psychedelic sounds of the guitar and synth make for a rather meditative song. This song is a doorway into the depths of Kurt’s mind- he sings about his racing thoughts and the weight of stress he carries. Although the lyrics aren’t exactly peaceful, the song sounds like a magical daydream. Some other alternative/indie songs of his I recommend if you enjoy this one include Loading Zones, One Trick Ponies, and Wakin on a Pretty Day.
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