Hellooooooo, ladies! Women’s History Month may be over, but we here at WIDR FM have seen women in music killing the game all year long. So we made you something. “The Coolest Women in Power Pop,” we call it. And, Women do pop, you may be thinking. They dominate the damn charts! Well, we’re not talking Adele, hotshot. This ain’t Kelly Clarkson. The women of the playlist at the bottom of this page are icons of the underground, be it well-respected or underheard, they’re all absolutely killer. These are the cool-ass women of power-pop, a genre of hooky and pop-centric rock music so totally dominated by men that it’s hard to name a single woman in the scene without thinking about it. The hope today is to change that. Power-pop--much like post-punk and noise rock--was spun off of the seventies punk scene. The early seventies had the Badfinger’s and Fotomaker’s, but power-pop only became great once Elvis Costello and the Stiff Records Crew co-opted it. Theirs was a punchier, angrier pop. Satirical, nasty, and deceptively smart. It’s here where we see the Rezillos pop up (led by the magnificent Fay Fife) and Blondie (led by Debbie Harry), who were two of the most badass female-fronted bands in rock history. It was them, along with Poly Styrene of the X-Ray Spex and Exene Cervenka, who laid the groundwork for the female power-poppers of today. Looking back now, it’s clear to see that the women of punk’s poppier edges were no less intelligent than their male contemporaries, but were a good deal funnier. Blondie’s “X Offender” is sung from a female sex-offender’s POV, while Fife’s “Top of the Pops” punches pop-music consumerism square in the nose (she later went on to lip-sync the song on the titular program). It was certainly in part due to these songs that others like the blackly-comic “Earthquake Song” and the Go-Go’s electric “Skidmarks on My Heart” came to exist at all. And with the dawn of the eighties came a new breed of power-pop; a more synthesized, less funny take, though nonetheless hip for it. Katrina & the Waves’ “Do You Want Crying” is a class-A example. This one is a higher-produced rocker that owes its debt to those women of the seventies while forging its own sound. Katrina Leskanich is still making music today, but her eighties output will always reign supreme. The eighties were awash in so many sounds that it’s hard to pin down just what its core genre was, but there’s a case to be made that the 2000s were the official decade of power pop. That resurgence was on the upswing through the nineties. Julianna Hatfield’s Blake Babies released their iconic Sunburn in 1990 and changed indie-pop’s course from the twee sound of the eighties to something altogether more cool. This was the decade of Fountains of Wayne. Of Britpop. Of pop-punk, and of some of the coolest indie pop/rock of all time. The 2000s brought back garage rock, and with it came groups made up of women entirely who sang from an unmistakably female viewpoint. The Donnas’ classic, Spend the Night, was unabashedly horny, while the Sahara Hotnights and the Go Sheilas helped prove to a very specific type of girl that she didn’t have to take a damn thing lying down. Unlike the nineties Riot Grrrl scene, these groups were fun. They were for everyone. These women insisted they belonged with the boys. That, of course, is the reason they did. Now, looking at the trajectory of power-pop in 2022, it’s hard to say if it’s ever going to make a full resurgence. Apart from Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia and Charli XCX’s recent output--which certainly aren’t power pop no matter what you might hear--much of what’s being released these days is so low-profile you aren’t even going to see it popping up in a “Found Sounds” playlist on Spotify. Guerilla Toss and Charly Bliss--both out of New York--appear to be exceptions to the rule though, both reinventing power-pop with cavity-boring sweetness and lyrics that bite like pitbulls, while Canada’s most valuable export, The Beaches, are bolstering garage rock’s legacy in a singularly feminine and wholly original way. Meanwhile, on the more underground side of the coin are the sixties-influenced Baby Shakes, a band with one awesome album and PONY, fronted by songwriter Sam Bielanski, who pumps songs out like a hook-machine that’s not been fired-up since 1995. We also have go-getter Tamar Berk, a low-profile rocker whose “Shadow Clues” graced my radar in 2020, and has been a heavily-rotated player in my car ever since. The women in this playlist are a ton of fun, and we here at WIDR hope they lead you to some sick new places. Can you hear the harmony? Check out the playlist here!

Last Wednesday at 3:00 I was hosting my show, Rhythm’n’Rhyme on air. Half way through the show, the station phone begins to ring. Much to my delight it was a listener who told me they were enjoying the show, and even made a request! They wanted to hear some MF Doom, particularly from the album “MM...FOOD”. As someone who loves MF Doom, and food, this is by far my favorite album of theirs. So I happily oblige and play one of my favorite tracks, Guinessess. While the song does not feature the Vaudeville Villain’s voice, it showcases artist 4ize on the hook, and Angelika on the verses, with the song produced by MF Doom. The recency of my consumption of the song inspired me to delve further into the themes and motifs presented in the song and the overall album. Guinnesses is a song about the trials of love and struggling to cope with the loss of a lover. The speaker voices her contempt for their partner saying that they “Thought it was love like sent from above you not a soulmate” when their reality is that their partner is “more ways and actions of a primate.” This juxtaposition between what is hoped for and what is hard truth is surmised in the line “Holding onto fantasy, getting bitten by reality” which is a core theme throughout the song. The hook’s opening line “war wound, Purple Heart, love veteran” has many meanings. First, it compares love to war, the emotional injuries being likened to lasting war trauma. Especially in the line: “Morphine, pain killers, drugs and medicine, anything just to forget the hurt.” Purple Heart has a few meanings, obviously being an allegory to the Medal of Honor, but could also be thought of as a bruised heart, that our “love veteran” has from suffering from heartbreak. We see our speaker fall into the use of drugs to cope with their breakup claiming “I shoulda headed it from genesis instead of hitting’ the Guinnesses.” The second verse clears up more about the relationship our speaker had with her partner. She believes her partner is out there “never stop balling women” and this gives us insight into her feelings about this person. Her line “maybe it’s a lack of pigment, loneliness imagine figment” might suggest that her relationship experienced trouble stemming from their racial differences. We even get the clue that their relationship was rather serious in the line “weren’t we supposed to elope?” The speaker is dealing with the pain of heartbreak and seem to be finding their respite in not only drugs, but other people. They claim that “rushing lust and fornication adding to the complication.” They are likely finding the need to experiment, or in other words “get back out there” in order to remedy their condition. It seems like they are beggining to find peace and regain their strength. This is found in the line “gentlemen, my favorite shit, so I’ve never forsaken it” suggesting that while they are in turmoil, they don’t carry any future cynicism that prevents them from being happy. The song encapsulates love in a unique way. Even by focusing on the pain of love, they do not discredit the joy and happiness that can be achieved through the bond of another person. But the picture the speaker paints shows a realistic depiction of love as a war with both successes and defeats .

As I was looking through the WIDR library, I came across this pretty pink package that had yet to be opened, and instantly caught my eye. I opened the package and found what was the Prepare to Apologize album by Trauma Cat, an April 2021 release. The album cover itself was colorful with flowers arranged around a cat's head, which made me like it before I had even listened to it. As I gave it a listen, I found it to be an enjoyable album with many different music genres incorporated - alternative rock being the main one. The intro song “Prepare to Apologize” has a humorous speaking bit in the beginning, and then becomes an acapella song, that you might hear from an acapella group. The next song, “Indivisible” fits the alternative rock genre of this album and has captivating bass and electric guitar sounds, as does the following song “Trauma Cat”, in a much more upbeat way that makes me want to get up and dance. “Joshua” is a song that is relatable for many, as it talks about breaking up with someone who wasn’t quite right for them, but they were a good person who everyone liked. One song, number 8 on the album, “Lob a Grenade” caught my attention, and I think it may be one of my favorites. “Lob a Grenade” reminds me of Vampire Weekend, with its beat and pacing of words, but has more of a rock twist. Another song I thoroughly enjoy on the album is “Freaks With Wings”, it’s slower paced rock song and the instrumentals pulled me in. The last song “Epilogue” is interesting because it seems like a poetry reading over a bed of music. Prepare to Apologize by Trauma Cat is an intriguing album worth checking out, and I think everyone can find at least one song on the album they can enjoy. Plus, it has a fun album cover, so it’s worth checking out just for that

Liv Hunter Hey all! I have created a playlist that has all of my favorite Black artists. It features genres like Punk,Bebop,Blues, and more. You can listen to it on air everyday from 4-5pm. Check it out on Spotify!

WMU saxophonist, composer, and producer Kyle James recently released his debut album, DATUM! To learn a little bit about this awesome album, we interviewed Kyle which you can read below. Be sure to check out the album here and follow Kyle on social media to keep up with his future musical endeavors! Interview with Kyle James What was the inspiration behind this album? A lot of the writing on this album was emotionally rooted in the confusion and anxiety induced by the pandemic. My underlying feelings of uncertainty being a college student and worrying about the future were forced to the surface during the early COVID days. A majority of the songs were started with those thoughts at the forefront. As that specific emotional tone dominated most of the pieces I somewhat forced in moments of peace and resolve, which turned out to be some of my favorite moments on the record. What was your process for creating this album? This being my first album as a composer and saxophonist, I wanted to really showcase my specific style and sound in the jazz world, doing my best to blend my many influences within the genre. The title ‘Datum’ is defined as “a fixed starting point of a larger operation". This album serves as my starting point as an artist, but sonically is only one destination in a much more expansive artistic space. Most of the material on the album was also featured on my senior recital last spring, which was the culmination of the time and studying put in at Western’s jazz program. How did you first get involved playing music? Music’s been a part of my life ever since I could remember. My parents always had music playing in the house, anything from Bob Marley to Thelonious Monk. I started taking piano lessons at a very early age and that was really my foundation once I got older and more interested. I for some reason chose the saxophone in the school band in 5th grade, and from the second I started playing it I felt a connection to it. What other musicians/bands have you taken inspiration from? One of my biggest current inspirations is saxophonist and composer Immanuel Wilkins. His writing and playing is so honest and visceral. I listened to him a ton in preparation for the recording session, trying to replicate his fearlessness. My musical inspirations range pretty drastically, but Immanuel, and also Joel Ross, were pivotal artists that I drew from on this album. What is your favorite song on the album and why? My favorite song on the album is probably "Ordinance". It goes to a lot of different places. It was the first song on the album I wrote, and I started it while I was living back home in Iowa for a month during the summer. I find I always write differently when I’m in different environments, and I think that gives it a unique sound compared to the other songs. It’s also probably my favorite to play. Do you have anything coming up that we should look out for? Yes! The album is available to stream, but I’m having a formal release show on March 3rd at 7:30 PM at the Crawlspace Comedy Theater downtown. My band and I will be performing the album from start to finish, and stretching the tunes out a bit to let loose. It’s gonna be special. I’ll also have CD’s available for the first time at the show. For those that can’t make it in person there will be a live stream link on my Facebook page. Is there anything else you would like to share? I’m currently working on my second album which will be completely different from this one. Eyeing a Fall release for it. Very thankful for everyone that made DATUM possible!

In the history of the blues, there are few to none who match Chester Arthur Burnett’s musical talent. To this day he is regarded as one of the best blue’s singers of all time. Burnett, better known by his stage name, Howlin’ Wolf, is an American musician who blazed trails socially and musically. He is renowned for his particularly unique voice which gave him the denomination of “Howlin” it is likely the “Wolf” part of his nickname was given by his grandfather who called him “The Wolf.” Burnett was born in Mississippi in 1910, to an eclectic family. As a young man, Burnett sang in a Baptist Church in Gibson, Mississippi. It is here where Burnett claimed to have received his musical talents. At this time, he was kicked out of his home, and forced to move in with his abusive great-uncle. While living with his uncle he did not receive a formal education, and remained relatively illiterate until his 40s. He was also working just to feed himself and for his stay, effectively in a system of sharecropping. It was in the 30s where Burnett’s musical path would begin to flourish. Burnett idolized Charley Patton, a popular blues artist known for his eccentric showmanship, which later inspired Burnett’s act. It was from Patton that Burnett learned how to play the guitar, and together they performed across the Mississippi Delta. Throughout the thirties Burnett was a fixture across the southern blues scene. He played alongside his own inspirations and the renowned talents of that time. After serving a brief term in the military during WWII, Burnett produced a few songs for the Memphis Recording Service putting him on the map of the national music scene. Around this time Burnett starting forming a band which frequently changed in its members, but their sound was memorable and impactful to the people who listened. Throughout the 1950s, Howling Wolf performed in Chicago, establishing a familiar association with the Windy City. He also returned to his education, achieving his high school GED and later put himself through higher education focusing on business. It wasn’t until the 1960s where his music began reaching the Billboard National Charts, with his most famous song, “Smokestack Lightning” being one of the first. He saw his health declining around this time, and he had to limit his performances and the amount of shows he could do. However he was able to keep his notable fervor with which he performed. Burnett passed away in January of 1976, at the age of 65. He is remembered for being a powerful performer and unparalleled musician. It is also notable that he was born into a society marred by segregation and unequal opportunity, only for him to rise up, escape the limits of society, ascertain an education, and make a name for himself worldwide.

Ever since my senior year of high school, I have taken a fascination with the Robby Hunter Band. Back in those days, Magic City Hippies was an album and not the well-rounded band existing now. Their musical concoction has not changed much, including on-brand Miami funk that incorporated bossa nova, hip hop, soul, and other delicious sonic entities into their recordings. Fast forward nine years from the Robby Hunter Band days, and the Magic City Hippies just dropped an album of the year contender. Water Your Garden celebrates the struggle of life, designed to make you dance, party, and question why you are sad. These are historically depressing times, and the Magic City Hippies want you to pretend you live in Florida even though you likely live in a frozen state like Michigan during the winter. Every time I listen to this band, I get high from the euphoria that these tunes produce in my body. The album starts with a classic hippie opener: “Garden Friya” a modal groove with the spoken voiceover of Robby Hunter himself, entrancing the listener in a daze. “Diamond” was one of the earliest singles that dropped in 2021. The tune surprises you with an unacceptably nasty drum and bass outro that made me nearly cry the first time I heard it. “Queen” feels like it could be the background music for a music video collaboration between Quentin Tarantino and Melanie Martinez in a weird ecstasy of color and groove. “High Beams” keeps it at that nerdy low volume brand of funk, similar to Vulfpeck, but has moments of combustibility. “Champagne On The Rider” feels like a distinct sequel to “Hush”, one of their earlier singles that could easily be inserted into a Netflix rom-com show. “Hangunder” seems to be a play on words in terms of the title, but also serves as a lovely interlude into “Ghost On The Mend”, which builds upon the tempo and feel of “Queen”. “Water Your Garden” is the infamous album title and song that features the silky smooth vocals of maye. The closing three tracks, “Atlantis / DM”, “Therapy”, and “High Above The Sun” are the remaining unheard tracks that tie the album together in a gorgeous knot of tasteful guitars, vocals, and reverb. With features from Tim Atlas, maye, and Nafets, this album provides a funky outlook on life in an otherwise dismal society. It becomes so easy to feel at ease with this album. One simply cannot feel sad while listening to this album because it validates your sadness and does not care. It continues to move and groove into a beautiful crevasse of sonic gluttony. Water Your Garden is a worthy follow-up to Modern Animal and should be shared everywhere among the people.

During winter break I traveled to the south for a vacation with my partner and their family. While we were passing through Kentucky, I sat in my seat gazing out the window, reading each street sign for a respite of some kind of entertainment. During my little game of “read the sign” I noticed a familiar sounding name of “Muhlenberg County, Exit 96” or something to that effect. That sounded so familiar. Where have I heard of Muhlenberg County before? It couldn’t have been some past internet tangent that lead me to central counties of Kentucky, as that’s not something I usually tend to devote my time towards. This was also my first time visiting the south, so it wasn’t a physical familiarity, but rather just those two words that moved my curiosity. Something about that sign triggered my brain to subconsciously scour every inch of my memory. My brain must have found the file because a few minutes later, I found myself with a seemingly unrelated melody at the forefront of my thoughts. The way music passively remains in our minds truly amazing. Subconsciously I began to sing a measly song under my breath. It was then I realized my ear worm had been solved. I successfully recalled my familiarity of Muhlenberg County for it was featured in the chorus of “Paradise” by John Prine, which goes: “And daddy won't you take me back to Muhlenberg County, down by the Green River where Paradise lay.” John Prine’s music was quite pervasive throughout my childhood, with my parents being exceptionally devote fans of his. Even now, as I told them of me writing this, they took it upon themselves to tell the stories of concerts, and their close memories they have with his music. It is clear to me that his work is exceptionally meaningful to those who listen. My being around the environment that inspired some of John’s music was enlightening and interesting to experience. And I’m sure the wintered landscape didn’t do it justice. Because of this, I felt inspired to listen to a few of his albums to accompany the scenery and pass the time. I felt it was necessary to give a listen to the song that started this whole fiasco, and so I popped in Paradise on my phone. According to John Prine, the song was written for his father, and his family’s memories of the “backwards old town” of Paradise, Kentucky. The song appeared on his debut album in 1971. Hearing his lyrics it is clear the themes he presents in his song are still vitally relevant to our world, more than fifty years later. In the song, John recalls his memories of his family’s time in Western Kentucky. John is speaking through his younger self, asking his father if they can go back to Paradise, Kentucky where they shared so many wonderful experiences; like traveling along the green river, or practicing shooting “but empty pop bottles was all we would kill.” His father has to tell John : “ I’m sorry my son, but you’re too late in asking Mister Peabody’s coal train has hauled it away.” This metaphor is referencing the Peabody Coal Company’s fossil plant in Paradise, Kentucky. The town relied on the the PCC’s employment at the local Paradise Fossil Plant. However due to the decline in coal usage the people of Paradise were left without jobs, that and the neglect from the PCC resulted in large economic disaster that effected the whole town. John described their malevolence as “they tortured the timber and stripped all the land … they dug for their coal till the land was forsaken, then they wrote it all down as the progress of man.” This story’s relevance should not be forgotten. Across the world, the “progress” of large companies (especially that of coal and fossil fuel) are at the expense of the worker and the environment. And as we enter a new age of renewable energy, it’s important to acknowledge that there are communities that are built around these archaic industries. These communities are therefore imprisoned to that system. It is pivotal that the communities must be helped in their transition to new fuel sources, lest they face the same fate as Paradise. And it's important to hold these companies accountable for the mistreatment of their workers and the land. This way, the natural world and the families that live there can remain strong, healthy, and everlasting. So that you can show your kids, your Paradise. John Prine’s lyrics are the epitome of “music for the people” in that he is able to surmise the trials of human condition in his stories. His songs resonate with generations of people, making his music forever prominent. As my father put it: “it’s like it was written yesterday.” John Prine sadly passed away in 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. In the song “Paradise” he states: “when I die let my ashes float down the Green River, let my soul roll on up to the Rochester dam.” His wish was granted and with half his ashes placed “down by the Green River where Paradise lay” with the other half buried next to his parents in Chicago.

Now that winter break is over--if you’re anything like me, anyway--you’re cursing yourself for wanting to cut free of your parents and get back to the grind of essays and classmates thinking they know an ounce about poetry. But enough bellyaching: 2021 was a great year for me, and I’m sorry to see it go. I put my psoriasis in time-out, had a great time at WIDR, and watched some of the greatest movies I’ve had the pleasure of seeing since 2015. What a great year for movies this was! Guillermo del Toro is back on the upswing! Major studios are taking chances on original ideas! Oh, how I've missed the days of quality blockbuster entertainment. I’ve made best-movie-of-the-year lists for years now, swapping with friends to find and recommend films to those with similar tastes, so now that our blog’s hopping, what a great opportunity to share them with you! Here are my ten favorite movies of 2021. 10) Nightmare Alley Guillermo del Toro’s foray into noir after decades of ghost stories and creature-features shows us a homie who understood the assignment. This one boasts his most impressive cast-list to date. Bradley Cooper, Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchett, Willem Dafoe and a handful of other two-bit crooks shine against a beautiful Del Torian 1940s New York. Nightmare Alley follows Cooper’s Stanton Carlisle who learns the con of mind-reading after a stay at a carnival, and falls prey to a mysterious psychotherapist after making a go of it. Even moreso than its sets and del Toro’s character-writing, Nightmare Alley’s strong-suit is a story that’s so unique and unpredictable I was riveted for the whole film. I never read William Lindsay Gresham's 1946 novel, so I never knew what would happen next; I had no clue how it would end! And rest assured, I was more than satisfied. My God, what an ending it is. 9) V/H/S/94 The V/H/S series dates back to 2012, and back in those days served as a springboard for rising talent in the horror-film sphere. It was a series that brought Ty West (House of the Devil), Gareth Evans (The Raid II) and Adam Wingard (You’re Next) and others to prominence, but has always been a divisive series for its portrayal of female characters. Honestly… I can see why. But is the first film in the series since 2014’s Viral--a movie seemingly written with the intent of killing a franchise--and not only is it a massive course-correction in that regard, it's easily the best in the series. Like its predecessors, this one is an anthology with each story (or “tape”) being directed by a different small-time director. This one expands its non-inherently rigid conceit brilliantly, offering a hefty dose of humor with the “Storm Drain” segment, grisly action with Frankenstein’s Army-eque “The Subject” and socio-political satire with “Terror,” all of which being handled with such deftness and passion its hard to not appreciate them. It’s also the first film in the series to have “tapes” directed by female directors, and even those that aren’t are markedly less cruel, proving nastiness is not a trademark of horror as much as an unfortunate byproduct. V/H/S/94 is a frightening film, but moreso than that it’s something we haven’t seen since “Safe Haven”. This movie is tons of fun! 8) Free Guy Free Guy, the outlier on this list, struck me on sight as a thoroughly ill-advised piece of popcorn entertainment. The trailer was funny enough, like something out of Tropic Thunder or Grindhouse, but in no way could I see the concept functioning as a feature. As a mop could guess by its placement, this was my pleasant surprise of the year, and was the best theater experience I’ve had in a long time. Ryan Reynold’s plays Guy, AKA “Blue-Shirt-Guy,” a non-player character in an open-world video-game called “Free City”. Every day is the same in this place until he falls in love with a female player and gains self-consciousness. It’s a simple story, and it’s very funny, but what surprised me most about it was the touching romance at its core. Lil Rel Howery and Taika Waititi also kill it in this one as scene-stealing side characters, but the main plot centering on Jodie Comer and Joe Keery is--for me--what propelled this one from “great” to “fantastic”. Free Guy is a blast. With any luck it will bring more original material to a theater near you! 7) In the Heights With society still riding the high of Hamilton-fever, Lin Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights got its long-overdue adaptation, and as someone unfamiliar with Miranda sans the sub-par Moana and its accompanying “turn-off-your-phones” PSA that plagued Alamo Drafthouses at the time, he appeared to be a man who had sold out. It wasn't that I didn’t like him, but I didn't really respect him either. In the Heights single-handedly changed my mind. This is a masterful movie-musical that will knock you flat. Anthony Ramos’ Usnavi is a charismatic young man fraught with inner-city pressure and a desire to return home to the Dominican Republic where he was born, but while this makes for the crux of the story, every character has their own and these weave together to the point that none ring hollow. Not a single moment is wasted, which many musicals can't say. The music tells the story just as much as the dialogue, and the pumping music and impeccable choreography bolster its theme of community. I have the soundtrack on CD now, and it’s one of the many films here I wish was longer. I never would have seen it if not for my girlfriend, so she gets props. 6) Don’t Look Up I don’t know if Don’t Look Up is my favorite Adam McKay film, but it treads the line between his Anchorman days his Big Short present in a way that--after the eyerolling Vice--I wasn’t even sure he was capable of. Unlike Vice, this film is tactful socio-political satire, following scientists’ sparrs with a boneheaded government and a media that doesn’t dabble in truth. What’s the concern? A meteor is going to smash into Earth in the near future, and will--with ninety-nine percent surety--end all life. The genius of Don’t Look Up is that this movie--in one two-and-a-half-hour swoop--levels all pretenses found in disaster films that humanity could ever come together in the face of destruction. It proves for one hilarious, infuriating watch. Meryl Streep and Jonah Hill kill it as the president and her son, and Mark Rylance’s Elon Musk-inspired Peter Isherwell is face-punchingly loathsome. Don’t Look Up is pure, cinematic catharsis. 5) Red Rocket Red Rocket was the last film I watched for this list, so I’m glad that I waited to write it. Director Sean Baker’s films with college-kid-favorite-production-company A24 have dealt with the fringes of American society in a way that trivializes nothing and glamorizes even less, but I went into Red Rocket not expecting to love it. I was blown away. This is a very special movie, bringing something special to the table that so goes all-too-often unshown in American film. Simon Rex--who will either be known by his adult-film roles or his performance in Scary Movie 3--plays Mikey Saber, a washed-up loser of a porn star who goes back to his hometown to get back on his feet but cannot stop screwing things up there. The movie is hilarious and stunningly real, and the relationships portrayed, just as those portrayed in Baker’s Tangerine and The Florida Project, are lifted straight-out of small-town reality. Down to the dialogue, the casting, the costuming, the homes Baker chooses to shoot in, one feels as though they’re really in Texas City watching Red Rocket. It’s a must-see for anyone who grew up in a small-town. I especially recommend this one to fans of Uncut Gems because, even more than Howie Ratner, this is a protagonist who can’t quit getting in his own way. 4) Last Night in Soho My favorite horror film of the year was Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho. While it’s not necessarily a scary movie, Wright does manage to pump his film full of tension while still retaining that meticulous style of his. I, much like everyone, was wary of the foray Wright was making into more serious filmmaking, but what Soho proved to be was a masterclass in blockbuster horror, depicting the seedier side of showbiz in the sixties. Thomasin Mackenzie (Jojo Rabbit) is fantastic as always as Ellie Turner, a fashion student who moves to London for school and gets caught up in a decades-old mystery nobody seems to be looking into. Without spoiling too much, she dreams of it, and when those dreams start to blend with reality she feels almost responsible and ultimately fears for her sanity. The soundtrack--as per usual in Wright’s work--is a highlight, consisting of forgotten 1960s rock music which builds its atmosphere better than many less-skilled directors would. Last Night in Soho’s blend of 70’s Italian horror, quick British comedy and neo-noir crafts a compelling world and a more compelling argument that being born in the wrong generation may not be the worst thing after all. 3) Belfast I feel that the mark of a good historical film is not so much its factual accuracy as the accuracy of its feeling. I enjoyed Yann Demange’s ‘71 for example, but I left knowing next to nothing about the Troubles. Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast on the other hand is shown through the eyes of a child. It isn’t a war film, but a coming-of-age dramedy set in the same sphere, and when all was said and done I was shattered by humanity's capability for cruelty. Our main character is Buddy (newcomer Jude Hill in an ace performance), a child whose block is descending into mayhem as his Protestant neighbors drive away the Catholics he’s known his whole life. We don’t see the lead-up to the confusion, we don’t hear their reasoning apart from small-talks with those closest to him, so for the most part we’re just as in the dark as he is. It’s ass-clenchingly tense because of that. As nice as one moment is, something nasty is always around the corner. Be it the leader of the gang threatening his Protestant father or his cousin pulling him into that very gang’s fold. Even from a extranarrative perspective, the movie’s a stunner. It’s shot in beautiful black and white, with films and theatre performances providing the only color, and is soundtracked by Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison’s warm, sweet tones. Judi Dench and Ciaran Hinds kill it as usual, and Jamie Dornan finally earns his place in the great actors’ canon. Belfast is a brilliant film, a heartbreaking one, and surely one of Branagh’s best. 2) Benedetta Benedetta for most is going to be a hard-sell, because on both sides of the political coin, there’s something that’s going to raise eyebrows. On the surface, all Benedetta is is a film about nuns having lesbian sex, and I’m not particularly tastefully. Delving deeper though, this one is a film about the rigidity of Catholicism and its inherent distaste for feminine bodily autonomy. Paul Verhoeven is a director known for his sci-fi satire of the 80’s and 90’s (Robocop is objectively one of the ten best movies ever made, @ me) but he’s also known for Showgirls, a cringeworthy erotic drama that frequently makes a nest on worst-movies-of-all-time lists all over the internet. It’s because of this misfire that Verhoeven’s erotic thrillers of the last ten years have been kicked to the curb and thought of as nothing more than him putting his fantasy to screen. Elle pushes some serious buttons, but Benedetta feels like a movie too pure to be provocative. The titular Benedetta (played majestically by Virginie Efira) is a fascinating character. She’s a devout woman who either becomes subject of Divine Intervention or goes insane (the movie spares you the answer) while her love-interest, Bartolomea, becomes a nun to escape her abusive father/husband. It was a different time. Seeing Benedetta grapple with her sexual-impulses is believable not because of the eroticism behind these scenes but because of the rage found in those that bookend them. Their love is made of fear. Their buttoned-up Mother Superior stresses the importance of celibacy and a papal ambassador brings hate (and maybe something else) into Tuscany. Benedetta’s beauty, sexuality, barbarism and frankness are sorely missing in most period films, and it’s refreshing to see one that actually drives home the horror of convent-life in the 17th century. This is a riveting story and an uncommonly tasteful film. Trust me. 1) Licorice Pizza Licorice Pizza is the best movie of the year. I saw it with my girlfriend and a high-school friend of mine, and it shocked me to find after it ended that I was the only one who thought so. The latter texted through the whole movie then proceeded to lecture us on the ethics of a love-story between a 15-year-old and a 25-year-old, and I was left wondering if we’d even seen the same movie. Because it isn’t a love story. Not really. It’s a film about two people growing up in the ‘70s and careening in and out of each others’ lives over the passing years. It’s a film about the parallels between the fast and easy “old days” and those of today. About the parallels between teenagerhood and adulthood. It’s a film about listlessness. It’s a film about the double-standards of the sexes. About how men have fun while women toil. It’s about learning that growing up isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. It’s a film about all of these things, and none of them at all. I was genuinely sad when it was over. Like other Paul Thomas Anderson films, this one is a snapshot of a moment--deftly tuned and perfect--and doesn’t tell a story so much as pull you into a world and hold you in its hug. It's soundtracked phenomenally by Chuck Berry, Nina Simone, David Bowie and many others, is shot on 35mm film so as to provide its distinctive look, and is not only emotional but hilarious (one scene with Bradley Cooper is worth the price of admission alone). As the years go by and nothing seems to change, you really get to care about Gary and Alana (Alana Haim in particular kills it) but neither is perfect. No one in the film is, and its trueness to life almost hurts. Its utter refusal to provide any sense of long-term closure or black-and-white perfection is purposeful unlike what Disney fans might tell you. Its story and characters are as messy as life is and that’s why I loved it. It’s a movie that not only makes you want to see it again but to go out and live and to never grow up. Here are my favorite film soundtracks from this list, and I hope you check some of these movies out! Good luck this semester everyone, courtesy of WIDR FM, and stay tuned for radio evolution! Licorice Pizza Soundtrack Belfast Soundtrack Last Night in Soho Soundtrack In the Heights Soundtrack

To kick off my reviews of trans artists, I’ll be starting with Twompsax: a punk band based in Oakland, CA., whose purpose is to “Play music to inspire transgender people to do whatever the f*** they want.” The band consists of pro skater Cher Strauberry and three of her best friends Izzy, Tris, and Ian. I first heard Twompsax’s debut album I H8 ME in my room a couple years ago & ever since then, it has continuously fueled an anger that I’m not afraid to have anymore. It’s a short, 12 song album that includes 9 minutes of dysphoric rage, existing as a trans skater, and other daily pressures. Cher Strauberry, although she now plays with 3 others, recorded it on a walkman in her childhood friend’s bedroom. She played all the instruments herself. The album starts with the track “dysphoric.” It’s exactly what dysphoria feels like the second you wake up. Like your head’s going to cave-in, chest-on-fire, body screaming til' you’re dead tired, but leaves you with enough energy to stay alive… and by the next song I am reminded just how alive I am. Twompsax pulls their inspiration from punk groups that used to be, and rather than taking them and putting a pop twist- like most groups today tend to do- they keep it hardcore. I’d argue even more so than their predecessors. Their existence within the punk scene is radical enough in and of itself. That’s why "trap" is one of my favorite songs on the album. Cher takes transphobic slurs and “makes them her f****** anthem.” It’s arming yourself with the very words that have oppressed you, reclaiming them, and existing within the spaces that you never thought you’d feel safe in. Because the punk scene/skate scene has never held their arms open to women, BIPOC, etc… Twompsax exists to create that for younger generations. They are the one of the first bands to do it. But, like any riot grrrl would, Cher makes music for herself. Songs like "eight" and "pop s***" have lyrics regarding the places inside your head and wishing they didn’t exist altogether. But personally, what I like about Twompsax is that it all juxtaposes for me. It’s listening to “Mistake” and feeling like you are the biggest, walking disgrace, but throwing on your binder anyway. It’s the actuality of your living, breathing body- no matter how badly it feels like it’s dying. Their music has sountracked my dysphoria for so long, that it has started to relieve it. And although Cher and Tris are both femme presenting women, they’ve taught me to sink my hands and heart into my masculinity and throw the word trans in front of it. I’ve learned to embrace wifebeaters, boxers, baggy jeans, and my beaten boy-girl body. It’s the reinvention of my transness that was crying on the bathroom floor and so now I push it into the pit to riot and rage. So instead of avoiding dysphoria blues, I revel in them. I’ve learned to grasp so tightly to being trans, that I’ll never know how to be perceived as anything but. I H8 Me is mine, yours, Cher’s… It’s liberation.

If you are not a big fan of pop/smooth jazz, Christmas time can feel like a bit of a dry spell for music. While I personally can’t relate to the dislike of traditional Christmas music, I am here to review the most iconic alternative Christmas album ever to exist: Just Can’t Get Enough: New Wave Xmas. This album was the Christmas soundtrack of my childhood and to this day I still just can't get enough - pun intended. If you're looking to have a really fun and slightly weird time as this holiday season comes to a close, this is the album for you. I don't want to spoil all that this awesome album has to offer but I would like to highlight a few of the standout songs. The opener, "Thanks For Christmas" by The Three Wise Men - aka XTC is such a sweet song, sure to get you feeling festive and having a good time. Though you may not recognize most of the songs on this album, it does have arguably the best Christmas song ever to have existed: “Fairytale of New York” by The Pogues. “Xmas at K-Mart" by Root Boy Slim is also quite a standout because who doesn’t romanticize shopping at K-Mart (...in 2021)? If you are looking for a good cry, but with sparkly tears because you know, Christmas, “2000 Miles” by The Pretenders is definitely the song on this album for you. My personal favorite song on this album might be "One Christmas Catalogue" by Captain Sensible. It really feels magical to me and never fails to get me in the festive mood. The last song I feel the need to highlight is “Santa’s Beard” by They Might Be Giants. This song in particular shows just how much this album has grown with me as I distinctly remember singing my heart to it as a child while decorating my house for Christmas before I knew it was about a girl cheating on her boyfriend by making out with Santa (you know, by wearing his beard). No one should have to sacrifice their taste in music to get in the Christmas spirit so hopefully everyone enjoys this album as much as I have 😊. Happy holidays y'all!

Happy holidays everyone! As Christmas gets closer we're here to share a holiday playlist filled with variety to listen to during all of the festivities curated by the DJs here at WIDR! Give the playlist a listen on Spotify here!

This week I was given the honor of reviewing the a local band's new EP. The band, Basic Comfort released their EP: “Visions” on December 10th, 2021. It includes four tracks available for purchase on Bandcamp, here. The group features five members, all with immeasurable talent. Their music is a tremendous vibe, full of grove and wistful melodies. Basic Comfort is showcasing some of the finest rhythms and harmonies paired with excelled instrumental in their new EP, Visions. The titular song “Vision” is upbeat and instantly sets the energy for the rest of the journey, in addition to the fast paced lyrics bouncing on the beat. Transitioning to the rest of the album, their song “U Think U” is immensely groovy paired with beautifully soft vocals. The visual image I get from the music is that of shimmering stars at night. The EP’s journey feels like it starts off high, slows down and is rounded off with “Blindspotting” and “Fed Up” I won’t spoil or try to influence your perception of the rest of the album, but I sincerely encourage you to check out Visions. Together, the four songs feel musically iridescent. Listening to their music I myself feel weightless, and only held afloat by riding the beat, and the dazzling melodies. Please purchase their EP on Bandcamp to help support local music here in Kalamazoo. If you like their music please continue to listen and support by sharing the word with your friends and family.

Anyone who knows me is well-aware that I’m always watching movies. All year every year, I obsessively inhale them and catalogue them. It’s pathetic, really. And December is a special month for Hank. Not just because he gets the treat of watching Love, Actually again with his terrible friends, but because he has an excuse to catch up on all the movies he missed from the rest of the year! And what a plus it is when one’s a pitch-black Christmas comedy! Silent Night has been on my radar for several months, but it’s out now and the other day I took time out of my very busy schedule to watch it. I was floored. It’s difficult to sit through in all the best ways, centering itself on horrible people wrought with horrible angst and misery on what may be the last night of humankind. Now, my girlfriend didn’t care for Better Watch Out--a favorite Christmas movie of mine--but she doesn’t love darkness in her holiday-fare. Believe it or not though, the market for Christmas horror movies is just as big as the same is for Elf and The Polar Express! People like gore as much as others like to smile. And Silent Night’s a rough-go for both camps. And why is that? Well that, my friend, has to do with its roots in dark comedy. Dark comedy is like horror, but it’s far more raw than the fantasies of Evil Dead and The Excorcist, because due to its planting firmly in the soil of social-satire, it hits harder. The Evil Dead is a gateway horror film while Todd Solondz’ Happiness is hard for many to sit through. Robin Williams’ best movie, and many don’t think this, is World’s Greatest Dad. So why haven’t you heard of it? The answer is that people don’t like dark comedy. They think they do, but they think what I’m talking about is Family Guy and South Park, but true dark comedy is the type of stuff that drags humanity into the realm of the absurd, and calls for its viewers to address the darkness in themselves. It finds the inherent comedy in human misery, and people don’t care for that. Now, why am I up on the WIDR blog yammering on about TV and movies? Well, unsurprisingly, soundtracks hit twice as hard for me when they’re in a dark comedy. “Under Pressure” in World’s Greatest Dad and “Strokin’” in Killer Joe are some of my favorite uses of pop music in film, and while The Death of Dick Long forced me to reevaluate Nickelback, Silent Night has done something even wilder: it makes damn-fine use of Michael Buble. In contrast to the songs on It’s Christmas, Silent Night is bleak as they come. It follows a group of friends on what seems to be your standard Christmas Eve. At their estate, Nell and Peter swear like sailors in front of their children as they prep for their guests’--college friends of theirs--arrival. The viewer knows something’s off from the outset, but Michael Buble’s appearance on the radio lightens the mood if only for a moment. All of the characters--we’re talking families in three separate vehicles and a house--have their dials locked on the Christmas station (not one as lit as 89.1 WIDR FM, mind you) and all engage in the singing-along to new song--one possibly written for the film--“The Christmas Sweater” despite some of our characters denouncing it as it begins. But it’s not just the song’s is almost chilling in this one, something that only in this context occurred to me. It foreshadows something hokey and fake is to follow, despite its dark melodic undercurrent. It acts as both a stark juxtaposition of the pitch-black narrative, but also a hint at it. It’s not something that was ever intended by Mr. Buble, I’m sure, but it’s like it was made for this movie. It makes another appearance at the end too, to quite a different effect, and it’s quite a spectacle. You should watch it, because I can’t spoil it. Music in dark comedy--as the youth say--just hits different. I’ll likely continue this series, because this one isn’t the only one that gets the Hank Seal of Approval. As for Silent Night, that kid from Jojo Rabbit is in it and he kills it again, and though it’s not fireside family fare, it really is something special. It’d make a nice companion piece for A Charlie Brown Christmas--the perfect picture of holiday depression. (And while some don’t revel in sadness at this time of year, dark comedies make me feel a hell of a lot better.) So, Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! And if you’re listening to Michael Buble this year, my advice is do so before watching Camille Griffin’s Silent Night.

Hey all! Because Trans Awareness week just passed, I have created a playlist consisting of all of my favorite trans artists… The playlist features everything from Nonbinary lead art pop to Transhardcore punk. These next few weeks I will be writing a blog on each of the artists featured! Check it out!!