Month: May 2018

Review: Frank Turner – Be More Kind

Be More Kind
Aaron Mook

It’s almost difficult to dislike an album as inherently positive as Be More Kind. In today’s draining political and cultural climates, Frank Turner not only believes that change is possible, but that it begins within each of us. In fact, if there’s an overarching criticism to be made about the album, it’s that these songs tend to veer into the brand of vague optimism that’s better employed lining the inside of Hallmark cards. But sometimes, even those messages can be refreshing to hear, and considering the relatively low energy on display, Turner’s heart, technical ability, and good intentions carry Be More Kind a considerable distance.

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Review: Twilight of the Gods

Twilight of the Gods
Deanna Chapman

Twilight of the Gods: A Journey to the End of Classic Rock by Steven Hyden is just the journey I was looking for. In the day and age of staring at screens most of the day, reading a physical book was a great way to unplug. I read this book over three days and enjoyed every bit of it. The book is formatted as a double LP. Sides A-D contain tracks that denote each chapter. It’s a clever way to present the book and it’s little things like that which just add a little extra to the reading experience.

This book covers all walks of classic rock. Hyden talks about Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, and Bruce Springsteen, among many others. He touches on crucial points, too, including the fact that the white men in classic rock pulled influence from artists of color who never received the same kind of recognition.

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Review: Slim Jxmmi – Jxmtro

Slim Jxmmi – Jxmtro
Tommy Monroe

Slim Jxmmi is one half of the rap-duo Rae Sremmurd. Along with their third album, (SR3MM), he presents his debut solo album Jxmtro. The production on this album is mainly handled by Mike WiLL Made-It, and it includes features from Pharrell Williams, Zoe Kravitz, and Swae Lee, among others. During an interview with Rolling Stone, Slim Jxmmi said he wasn’t as comfortable singing as his brother, so he “came out spraying” for his album. He has always brought the rap flow to the team, so that’s whats to be expected on this album. Although many might worry about his sound without Swae Lee, who usually is the Hook-smith, Uncle Jxmmi is bound to show a few surprises with his absorbing lyrics.

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Review: Swae Lee – Swaecation

Swae Lee
Tommy Monroe

Swaecation is the debut solo album by Swae Lee, member of the rap-duo Rae Sremmurd. On Swaecation, Swae Lee keeps the features to a minimum and recruits Young Thug as the sole guest on the album. Swae Lee is a great creator when it comes to delivering hooks on songs. As a hook-Smith, he has found his way onto several big collaborations with other artists and his impact has been felt on top-charting songs like “Burn Slow,” “Unforgettable,” and “Don’t Judge Me.” Although, Swae Lee has never released a track alone, this album is filled with enthralling hooks.

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Aventus Applies the Blockchain to Ticketing

Technology
Jason Tate

The Aventus Protocol Foundation is trying to solve issues with tickets, scalpers, and fakes by bringing them to the blockchain. Aventus describes itself as:

An open-source protocol that delivers a global standard for ticket exchange, allowing rights holders to define rules around their ticketing lifecycle to which everyone in the supply chain must adhere — from promoters, to venues, and primary / secondary agents.

You can watch a video describing the basics on YouTube.

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Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter Reteaming for ‘Bill & Ted 3’

Jason Tate

The Hollywood Reporter:

Currently in preproduction, Bill & Ted Face the Music will see the duo long past their days as time-traveling teenagers and now weighed down by middle age and the responsibilities of family. They’ve written thousands of tunes, but they have yet to write a good one, much less the greatest song ever written. With the fabric of time and space tearing around them, a visitor from the future warns our heroes that only their song can save life as we know it.