Murray-loving critic takes on St. Vincent

JAM Preview Playlist

1. “Cash Machine” by D.R.A.M.

The News-Letter’s fall television round-up

Four shows that are worth watching while procrastination this school year.

Mndsgn lovingly crafts funky LP Body Wash

Future beat producer Mndsgn’s new album Body Wash, released Sept. 16, is a funk-fueled flood of ethereal strings, plinking synths and groovy drumming.

Christopher Ricks talks Poems of T.S. Eliot

Acclaimed literary critic Sir Christopher Ricks visited Hopkins to deliver the annual Turnbull Lecture on Tuesday entitled “T.S. Eliot and Matters of Principle,” regarding the importance of principle in both literature and life.

Embody pulls together voices of local artists

WTMD, the radio station associated with Towson University, held Embody, a curated session focused on showcasing the unique vocal talents of multiple acts last Tuesday. The session completely stripped away every instrument besides the performers’ voices. The event was hosted as well as curated by local beatboxer and Tuvan throat-singer Shodekeh.

High hopes for the HOP’s new music festival

The HOP will put on its annual music festival, entitled JAM, for the first time on Saturday. The inaugural festival will feature Robert DeLong, Party Favor and D.R.A.M. as openers, and iLoveMakonnen will headline. These diverse performers will take the stage in the Rec Center as a central part of the larger Young Alumni Weekend festivities.

Snowden provides alternative to media narrative

Released last Friday, Snowden, Oliver Stone’s thrilling biopic of the controversial man who leaked thousands of classified government documents to global journalists, is a well-made film with a globally poignant message that is well worth the price of admission.

A short preview of the acts performing at JAM

This year during Young Alumni Weekend, the Hopkins Organization for Programming (HOP) announced JAM, better known as the Johns Hopkins Annual Music Festival.

Artists the HOP probably rejected before booking Makonnen

1. Owl City

The Lumineers refine pop-rock at Merriweather

The Lumineers seemed to be genuinely shocked as they took in the sight of the 17,000 people crowded into the seats and lawn of the Merriweather Post Pavilion, reminiscing mid-set over the fact that just two years ago, while promoting their first album, they played at Baltimore’s very own Ottobar. Of course, that was prior to the massive success of their singles “Ho Hey” and “Stubborn Love” as well as their two Grammy nominations.

Oldboy leaves viewers contemplating mortality

Atlanta flourishes in its cinematography

Donald Glover, better known as rapper Childish Gambino, has a line in his song “Bonfire”: “Why does every black actor gotta rap some? / I don’t know, all I know is I’m the best one.” His new comedy, Atlanta on FX, which premiered on Sept. 6, just might be actual proof of this claim. The show’s amazing writing and production combined with its unique vision puts Glover back on the map as one of today’s most valuable creative minds. Atlanta could change the face of television.

De La Soul’s new release is a mixed bag

After a nearly silent eleven years, broken only by several strong feature appearances and a couple of recent mixtapes, the legendary hip-hop group De La Soul released their Kickstarter-funded album and the Anonymous Nobody on Aug. 26. Liberated from the oppressive forces of a record label, the quirky, creative collective planned to create an experimental comeback album.

Hopkins and the Great War examines the past

Imagine Homewood Campus one hundred years ago, as Europe was torn asunder by the First World War and American students and medical staff sailed to Europe to treat the wounded.

Our New Semester Playlist

1. A$AP Ferg – “New Level” feat. Future

Stranger Things characters revive ‘80s sci-fi

Summer sensation Stranger Things is the sci-fi show you never knew you needed. Set in 1983 in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, the Netflix original drama is truly for audiences of all ages. Those who lived through the eighties will enjoy certain throwbacks like Dungeons & Dragons and Eggo waffles while younger audience members will be compelled by the eclectic cast of characters.

Island: Huxley’s optimistic Brave New World

Buttered Niblets strike back with strong O-Show

The Buttered Niblets delivered a hysterical and high-energy performance to a packed crowd on Friday Sept. 9 in the Arellano Theatre. The Buttered Niblets are Hopkins’ only improv troupe, so they took on the full responsibility of keeping the audience engaged throughout the night. The Arellano Theatre provides a small yet intimate theatre experience and the Buttered Niblets took advantage of this in order to play off of the audience’s energy.