Happy Pride Month everyone, I love all of you so much <33 This month we are doing another blog series; talking about some of our favorite/inspirational queer artists. This topic is also near and dear to my heart so I’m excited to be writing up this blog. Arlo Parks, who is openly bisexual, has continued to gain popularity in the indie pop genre with her soft, smooth voice and poetic lyrics. Last summer I created a playlist of Black indie/alt artists, which Arlo is featured on, which you can find at the link here. “Sophie” and “Black Dog” are two tracks on that playlist, and since then, Arlo has released her first full length album in 2021, Collapsed in Sunbeams. Four tracks from this album have already taken over 4 of her top 5 most popular songs on Spotify. Also, at only 20 years old, she won the Independent Music Awards’ One to Watch Category in 2020! Arlo Parks has talked about her interest in conveying mood and emotions rather than telling a coherent story or plot, which ties into her interest in poetry writing and the songs she has written. In her album Collapsed in Sunbeams, she starts with a track that is a poem about self-acceptance, and follows with themes surrounding topics like mental health, body image, addiction, and sexuality. I just love how she speaks so earnestly with her lyrics to try and reach different people. I’m able to listen to her music and really relate to some of the concepts that she brings up. I am so excited to see what Arlo Parks is going to do in the future, I’m already amazed at how much she’s already accomplished at just 20 years old. If you haven’t yet, definitely go check her music out, you won’t be disappointed.

There’s always been this weird stigma I’ve never understood with being straight and liking Pet Shop Boys. What’s that about? After an entire childhood of loathing “West End Girls” with the fury of a thousand suns I decided to give them a chance on a long drive one day, and I’ve never looked back. Chris Lowe’s genius synth-stylings and Neil Tennant’s breathy vocals just paired so well together and stuck out like the sun in the cold industrial wasteland of mainstream pop in the 80s. Before late-eighties greats like The Style Council, Morrisey and Billy Bragg really went to town on Ms. Thatcher, synth-pop was pretty establishment. I know that in particular Duran Duran and Gary Newman were outspoken supporters, but the 80s was a tough time in Britain for everyone, and as you may well know, it was one of the toughest times in history to be gay. Throughout their entire career, Tennant and Lowe have been tapping the highly underutilized market of gay struggle, though in not a manner so grandiose as most singers might, singing of societal oppression and forbidden sexual attraction, but more intimate stories of people who know they’re gay, struggling every day with the everyday tribulations of modern life. And I always knew they were gay, or Neil Tennant specifically, but it wasn’t until I listened to the lyrics of some of their bigger hits that I realized just how much of these problems were pushed to the fore. Like the notion of being trapped in a loveless marriage on “Can You Forgive Her?,” and relationships with men who only want to “experiment” on “Domino Dancing”. To go back to the 80s though, the Pet Shop Boys’ heyday, I’d like to talk about their sophomore album, the groundbreaking Actually, which is an epic synth-pop record from a musical standpoint, but also one that belies any brushing-aside of the AIDS crisis in Thatcher’s Britain below any danceable surface. Unlike Please, their wonderful debut, Actually had much more on its mind. Its big single over here, “What Have I Done To Deserve This?” is a campy, heterosexual love story, but its big single overseas was “It’s a Sin,” which served as Tennant’s grand denouncement of the Catholic church he grew up in. It’s a brave song to release as a single, especially taking into account the cultural rollback of any acceptance the gay community was working to in the 70s as AIDS was rearing its ugly head seemingly on every streetcorner. Reagan in America and Thatcher over there acted as fear-mongers, spreading misinformation and not taking liberties to crack the shell of reality. And the gay community, already sidelined, had no leverage. These scare-tactics blacklisted gay people and made the world wary of them, which contributed greatly to social isolation and poverty in their community. Closing track “King’s Cross” is perhaps my favorite track on the thing, and it tells the tale of a lonely man searching for a job and continually being turned down, eventually winding back up at the King’s Cross train station cruising for sex; and “Hit Music” is a scary club jam that only reading the liner notes gave me indication was also about the crisis, and specifically the mentality of the nightclub being the only place in which gay men were free to live in the moment while outside they were shunned and their friends turned up dead. The most explicit song here though is one called “It Couldn’t Happen Here,” written for a friend of Tennant’s who’d died from AIDS (written perhaps about later again in “Being Boring” on their critical darling, Behavior) and humanizing the community in a far more beautiful and poetic way than any songs they’d released up until then had. Unlike most of the other songs on Actually, this one is dreamy and poppy, wistful, which contrasts it even greater with the louder, dancier statements on the album until then. Even the songs that aren’t about AIDS here are important though. “Rent” is about a young man who’s attractive and poor to the point that he needs a sugar-daddy to survive, and “Shopping” is a satirical piece about Thatcher’s government selling national industries and profiting off of the nation’s hard work. That song was later used as a theme song for a mainstream British shopping network. Go figure. But the album, as expected, remains a classic in the gay community for its lyrical courage and hand in the ultimate triumph over Thatcherism. A film, directed by Tennant I believe, came out in the album’s wake too, called It Couldn’t Happen Here, after the beautiful ode at the heart of the record, about those in Britain struggling during and due to the AIDS crisis, and it’s soundtracked with most of the songs from the album. Unfortunately it’s hard to find. But Actually isn’t, and this June you owe it to yourself to check it out if you haven’t already. The Pet Shop Boys are still killing it out there, but this one’s a high-water mark. A powerful statement, and well-deserved classic.

In the early winter of 2019, I was struggling. Having moved to Kalamazoo in the months prior from West Texas, I could not even define what I now know to be seasonal depression, as it was a completely unfamiliar concept to a desert-dweller like myself. While coping with the perils of Michigan Winter™, I was simultaneously going through an existential crisis within my love of music. I was completely out of place and completely out of pocket. My music felt stale, and many of the artists or projects that I would typically listen to in order to cope with these sorts of issues were just not cutting it. This was of course, until my friend Scott introduced me to SOPHIE. I will never forget; we were riding through the Vine neighborhood in his minivan when he mentioned along the way that I “HAVE to listen to this shit,” and blasted "Faceshopping" through those awful Honda Odyssey speakers. It had been so, so long since a piece of music made me feel such an immediate and visceral reaction. It was bold. Audacious. Unique. A BANGER. There are many ways in which "Faceshopping" can be described, but what struck me the most then and today still is how unapologetically individualistic it was. SOPHIE reflected herself through her music in a way that most artists only dream of. I spent the next few months doing a deep dive on SOPHIE’s music as well as some of the genres and artists she influenced. With all of what I was going through at the time, I needed that more than I could even know. Between Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides, "MSMSMSM", "Vyzee", and others, I just could not get enough. Imagine my surprise when I learned that SOPHIE produced one of my favorite hip-hop tracks of all time, Vince Staples’ "Yeah Right". SOPHIE was an incredible artistic talent whose music and legacy will impact for years beyond any of our lifetimes. And lastly, continuing on the topic of impact. SOPHIE was a reserved individual by nature, not even revealing her true identity to the world until her music had already started to gain traction. Eventually she peeled back some of that reservedness, and SOPHIE became known as a strong and proud trans person. Through her music, her voice, and life SOPHIE empowered the LGBTQ+ community in everything she did. She was a figurehead and inspiration to millions of people from all backgrounds, all orientations, and any other “category” we box people into. SOPHIE taught me about individualism and life, and her music helped me through a very difficult time. I hope my LGBTQ+ friends have a wonderful pride celebration this month. SOPHIE would want that 😊.

Happy summer and HAPPY PRIDE MONTH everybody! It’s such a wonderful time of year with the weather finally being warm and all of the summer music releases coming out! It being Pride Month is wonderful too of course, I can’t forget that. Speaking of summer music releases, Michaela Jaé (aka MJ Rodriguez) came out with her first single this past week! I have been following her since I started watching Pose which is when I quickly learned how talented of a singer she is. I have fallen in love with her new song, “Something to Say” and I’m here today to review that for all of you. “Something to Say” is first and foremost a very groovy and funky, high energy song. It’s incredibly fun and great to jam to. The trumpets in combination with the groovy guitar and MJ’s beautiful harmonies make for a very Earth Wind and Fire-esque vibe (not to mention Verdine White, the bassist for Earth Wind and Fire helped write the song). Both musically and lyrically, this song is perfect for Pride Month. It’s all about accepting yourself and coming together with those around you which is what Pride is all about. Pride is also a time of celebration and this song feels absolutely perfect to celebrate to. I really love how this song focuses so much on love and togetherness, sometimes we feel more divided than together and I really feel the love in this song. I can’t recommend listening to “Something to Say” enough and supporting the incredible Michaela Jaé. I will definitely be staying tuned to see what awesome stuff in music she does next and I hope you do too.

Happy Pride Month, y’all! We’ve got some very exciting things coming up to celebrate this month at the station (check out the schedule here) including a new series on the blog! Similar to how we wrote about influential women musicians for Women’s History Month, some of us are writing about influential LGBTQ+ musicians for Pride Month! This is very near and dear to my heart so I couldn’t be more excited that this month has arrived and to be celebrating with all of you! To kick off this blog series, I wanted to talk about WILLOW who has made her way into the music I listen to like so many others have, through TikTok. I am undeniably on the gay side of TikTok and there are so many audios of songs by WILLOW that I hear all the time and it’s wonderful! Obviously I first knew her from “Whip My Hair” back when she was ‘Willow Smith’ but her music has evolved like crazy since then and is fantastic! Her song “Wait a Minute!” is what first made its way onto my (and I imagine many people’s) TikTok which is such a bop! More recently “Meet Me At Our Spot” has made an appearance which I might like just a little bit better if I’m honest. I really love both of the albums that these songs come from, “Wait a Minute!” appearing on WILLOW’s first album ARDIPITHECUS and “Meet Me At Our Spot” being on WILLOW’s most recent album THE ANXIETY which was in collaboration with Tyler Cole. There’s a certain irony to THE ANXIETY which was released right before the pandemic began, and it definitely still feels very relevant as we continue to deal with the stress that COVID-19 has caused. "t r a n s p a r e n t s o u l" featuring Travis Barker has also made its way onto my TikTok which I LOVE. Her albums WILLOW and The 1st are fantastic as well, I can’t forget that! Her music is very emotive with a solid range and always does a great job of showcasing her amazing voice. Part of why I wanted to highlight WILLOW in this blog is because of how much she has accomplished at such a young age. Four full length albums before turning 21, that’s insane! And four incredible albums at that! On a personal level, listening to her experience as a bisexual woman as a bisexual woman myself makes me feel very represented. I haven’t really found many people who make music expressing romantic attraction to more than one gender and being able to jam to music like that feels really great. WILLOW also recently opened up about being polyamorous which carries an extra level of stigma for her as a woman of color. Regardless, it’s great to see her living her truth and helping to destigmatize polyamory. Whether you identify with the LGBTQ+ community or not, I highly recommend checking out WILLOW’s music. She is incredibly talented and you are sure to feel the good vibes if you listen to her. Check out a playlist with some of my favorite WILLOW songs here!

Welcome to WIDR Shuffle, your monthly playlist of new music in the WIDR music rotation and picks from our friendly neighborhood music director, Josh! Check out the first installment of WIDR Shuffle here and check back at the end of every month for the new playlist!

Hi hello everybody! So I’ve been following Tai Verdes since his song “Stuck in the Middle” came up on my TikTok months ago when I immediately fell in love with the extremely chill vibe of his music. Since then I haven’t been able to listen to his music and have it not put me in a significantly better mood. Tai Verdes is the guy to go to if you’re in need of some really feel good music, I guarantee it. He’s been slowly releasing singles leading up to the release of his debut album TV which I had been dying to hear! I was finally able to listen to it today as I’m writing this blog and I’m here to review this masterpiece for all of you, so let’s get into it! We open with “rEaL WOrLD” which really surprised me with the aggressiveness of the lyrics in contrast to the chill vibe of the instrumentals in the best way possible. This song is a great example of what Tai does best - making music that speaks to your soul because it reflects the feelings of life so well. I personally love the half rap/half singing style in the verses of this song that made for even more chill vibes. Next we have “Solamente” which immediately made me smile with the Spanish lyric which works so well among the rest of the English lyrics. Very chill vibes again with this song especially with the pitch bends on the acoustic guitar. Next is “DRUGS” which may be my all time favorite song from Tai. I feel like this song really manages to depict why a lot of people do drugs and in a way destigmatizes it which I love. This song is extremely chill and somehow makes me feel a little bit better about the stress I (and we all) deal with and for that reason this song will be a go to of mine for a long time. “we would have some cute kids.” is the next song which is an adorably romantic song. I wouldn’t normally gravitate towards a song this cheesy but this song is so endearing. This song has some great trumpet lines like many of Tai’s songs which in this case give a great jazzy/bluesy feel to the song. The next song is “Stuck in the Middle” which is the song that started it all and helped Tai absolutely blow up on TikTok. It’s fantastic, there’s no doubt about that. Once again this song takes on a very real life experience that a lot of people have and makes listeners feel a lot better about it. At least I felt better about my shitty feelings about love when listening to this song. This song definitely reflects the contrast of really cheesy, romantic songs and what I would argue are more realistic songs on this on this album. “BAD BAD News” is next which is probably the most bluesy, sad song on the album which normally isn’t my cup of tea but I actually love this one too! I love the contrast between the harder chorus and mellower verses with the gorgeous guitar parts. I love hearing Tai absolutely sing his heart out in this song too, very emotional but we love to see it. Next up is “Something to Cry About” which is another more bluesy song but a bit more chill than “BAD BAD News” was. I feel like I had never really thought about love in this way before hearing this song but boy is it a sad point of view! I mean I guess pain can be a part of love… but I probably won’t be taking this one too much to heart as I'd like to stay a little optimistic. “fake prophet” is next which I really really love. It definitely keeps with the chill vibe the last song reintroduced but this one does feel a little less sad to me despite the bleak message. Actually what am I saying? It’s a heartbreaking message that I feel like a lot of people experience - not believing that you're good enough for your partner and having your relationship suffer because of it. Regardless, it’s a great song that even I as someone who generally avoids sad music, love. “i deserve 2 b alone” is the next song which is surprisingly fun given the title. I don’t even know how to describe this song - it has such an interesting vibe. It for sure feels like a song you could jam to driving in the middle of the night. It feels a little more poppy than some of the others but is very very fun. Next is “FEELING THIS BAD NEVER FELT SO GREAT” which is another great jam because let’s be honest here, who can’t vibe with the lyrics “feeling this bad never felt so great”? A very mellow song once again but still very fun. We also get to hear more of Tai’s falsetto which is just lovely! “Happy til it hurts” is a nice contrast to the last few chill songs by being a bit more of a heavy, bluesy song. The piano part is really gorgeous and does a good job bringing out the emotion in the lyrics. “momma told me imma be” is the second to last song on the album and it’s adorable! It’s very innocent and sweet, capturing a different side of human emotions than the other songs on the album did. Lastly we have “A-O-K” which feels anthemic in a good way and ends the album on a nice, high energy note. It’s nice to leave this awesome album feeling optimistic with this lovely and fun song. After listening to this album a few times now, I really can’t recommend listening to it enough. It’s put me in such a great mood every time and made me feel just a little better about life. So go show Tai Verdes some love and check it out!

HUNNY released a new single at the end of April, and I’ve been jamming to it for the past couple weeks! WIDR actually has a couple HUNNY songs in the rotation, so definitely check them out if you like some alternative/post-punk/pop-punk/electronic kind of stuff. As you can tell, I’m not exactly sure what genre I want to place them in, so you can make up your own mind on that! I saw HUNNY as an opener at St. Andrews Hall back when I was still in high school. Prior to the show I had never listened to them, but when set up was happening I was making friends with some people in the audience that were all really pumped to see HUNNY, so I was excited. I had so much fun during their set, I remember Jason Yarger (lead vocals), climbing up tower of amps and singing on top of them. I can’t remember who the headliner was anymore, but I’m glad I got to discover a new band at that show. Anyway, enough backstory, let’s review HUNNY’s new single, which is called Xbox Luvr. I think this song is a bop. It leads in with some quick drums, adding a bouncy guitar riff that goes for a few seconds, and then the vocals and bass come in. The chorus starts off the song, and I’ll admit it’s a bit repetitive, but the hook into it and the beat are what really make the song. When we slow down a bit to the first verse, we can hear the bassline more on its own, and it really rounds it out. Midway through we get into some electronic and synthy vibes. I think introducing this was a great break to the repetitiveness of the vocals, and gets you pumped up to go back into the groovy bassline and bouncy chorus for the end, with the additional synth and electronic beats. The song is honestly super quick and before you know it, it’s over. Overall, I have really been vibing with it, I think it’s a great bop for the upcoming summer. Go check it out, as well as some of their other stuff! They’ve got one album out (Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.) and a couple other EP’s and singles released too. You can check out the single here!

Alright folks, let’s get this out of the way up front, I like Weezer! I enjoy a lot of both their older and newer stuff because more than anything, I find Weezer’s music to be very fun. In fact I like them so much that on 4/20 I did an hour of Weezer in place of my normal pop variety show to celebrate! Weezer has released a veritable shit ton of music during their 27 years of existence (with a break and reunion somewhere in there) and on May 7, they released their 15th studio album, Van Weezer which I am here to review today. I’d like to start by saying that this album is fun, there’s no doubt about that! This album pays homage to some of Cuomo’s favorite hair metal bands, sometimes more cheesily than others. I’m not going to try to convince you that this album is great, but who really turns to Weezer for top tier, high quality music? I imagine that most Weezer fans turn to them for some fun vibes like me and I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Without further adieu, let’s get into how I feel about the songs on this album! We start with “Hero” with its distinct superhero theme and childlike energy. This song tells the story of someone who wants to be a hero for someone but ultimately walks alone. It’s a bit cheesy but overall a pretty fun opener. Next we hear “All the Good Ones” which sounds to me like it could have been on their White Album with its chill verses and more rocking chorus. Once again the message with this one is pretty cheesy being about all of the good ones being gone… except for the girl this song is about. Next we have “The End of the Game” which I quite like! It gives me big Van Halen vibes with the guitar lines. Despite the rock feel, the lyrics are quite sugary sweet and I imagine would succeed in winning a girl over. More than any other songs on this album, I think that this one will be a staple in what I listen to this summer. “I Need Some of That” is our next song which opens with a pretty dramatic guitar line before very quickly mellowing out in the first verse where the energy builds back up to the chorus. The lyrics in this song are more slice of life than most of the other songs from this album, but it is very fun. Very fun, youthful energy overall. “Beginning of the End” opens with sirens and static before beginning the big build to the chorus. This one goes decently hard… and I really do like it. Fairly cheesy lyrics as per usual, but this time with an apocalyptic twist. This is another fun one that I will be undoubtedly jamming to in the coming summer months. “Blue Dream” is a song that I have strong feelings about, and they’re not great. The instrumentals are just a sample of “Crazy Train” for most of the song and I don’t really think that Weezer adds anything to them. More than anything when listening to this song, I think, “what compelled you to make this?” “1 More Hit” has a distinctly less cheerful feel than the other songs on this album. The “1 more hit” I assume refers to another hit of their drug of choice which doesn’t make for the greatest vibes. For me personally it just wasn't as much of a jam as I was hoping for. “Sheila Can Do It” is a series of… interesting choices. The instrumentals keep the song feeling fun but I’ll admit the lyrics don’t quite sit right with me. The message seems to be that Sheila, this female friend inspires Rivers to do great things since she is doing great things but I think they missed the mark just a little bit and to me it doesn’t quite come off that way. “She Needs Me” has a bit of a cold open before building up the energy. This song feels like an homage to a simpler time with the simple lyrics, “she needs me, she needs me, and that’s why I need her”. This song fits the theme of most songs in this album, which is fun energy but with lyrics that are a bit cheesy and in this case outdated. “Precious Metal Girl” is the final song on the album, ending it on a very chill note which isn’t unheard of for Weezer albums. We lose the electric guitar for an acoustic one and continue with the sweet and sappy lyrics that are consistent throughout the album. Though this time they do feel a bit different with the chill vibe of the instrumentals. Van Weezer isn’t my favorite Weezer album, but it is fun as I think I have said about 20 times at this point. There are some songs that will be included in my summer jams but generally I probably won’t be giving much attention to the lyrics, there’s only so much cheesiness a girl can take after all.

We love a good ole perusal through the Spotify catalogues. In my late days after being Program Director, I have been sporadically applying for jobs and attempting to adult. It has worked, but I’ve also gotten entirely sidetracked finding more math rock albums. Well, in reality mostly sulking about the fact that I missed Chon and Thomas Erak shredding some old The Fall of Troy tunes, which you can check out here. Regardless, I happened to find luminism, a band out of what seems to be one of the music capitals lately: Atlanta, Georgia. I have found so many cool bands from that area, and this is just another addition to the list. luminism defies even math rock genre standards and branches into sounds reminiscent of Hypoluxo, Chon, and Rafa Rodriguez. east coast emo is a journey in itself, perhaps a call for a new movement? Midwest emo certainly isn’t dead, but east coast emo may just be getting established. I kid. But what a dope album title! Each song has its own pop sensibilities that will certainly be accessible to the average listener and even TFOT diehards. So put on your dad hat and strap in for this seventeen-minute ride. Perfect for a quick drive with the homies after a hard day of work. All I am saying is keep luminism on your radar. They might blow up soon and you’ll have heard it from me first.

Happy Mental Health Awareness Month! For so many of us, music is a way to help feel good, and in that spirit we put together a collaborative feel good playlist from us here at WIDR. Check it out here!

Oh, sweet Jesus… where to begin… There’s this meme floating around, right? Very big, very new meme, and this meme is a picture of Sean Bean from Lord of the Rings, right? From that scene where he says “One does not simply walk into Mordor,” and the reason I bring this up is because one doesn’t simply go to college and not be a Guided by Voices fan. It just doesn’t happen. Make that meme happen folks, and check out Rage Comics when you’re done. Now, while Guided By Voices aren’t really a household name anymore, they’re still at it, releasing three albums in 2020 alone and another on April 30th of this year by the name of Earth Man Blues. And while I’ve not heard everything by Guided By Voices, I checked this one out because I’d not heard their new stuff in a good long while. Reviewing a GBV album is a difficult task. Frankly, I don’t know why I’m doing it. Every one of their albums is so all-over-the-place, clashing styles and instruments, but sometimes the formula works. The drive--or rather the magic--of frontman Robert Pollard is his voluminous output. He couldn’t stop making music if he wanted to, and the effect of this massive quantity of music shines through every once in a while. Nobody likes every song the man has written, and you really aren’t meant to. There’s a song out there, and it’s different for every fan, that is going to knock your socks off. For me, that song was “I Am A Tree,” released back in 1997 on the album Mag Earwhig! It’s a blast of power-pop that felt as though it was made for me and me alone, and I’m consistently shocked when people don’t love it half as much as I did the first time I heard it. And it’s upon hearing that song--“that song” being your GBV anthem--that you begin chasing that high that you never quite find again. And here’s my hot-take, folks. Get ready. Guided By Voices have never, in their thirty-some album output, made a perfect album. Their success can only be measured by the ratio of quality to dogshit-nonsense. Now, how does Earth Man Blues bat, you ask? Well, I’m pleased to report that on this album here, some thirty-years on, the average is pretty fucking high. If I was to pigeonhole Earth Man Blues, and I hate to do it, I’d say it’s power-pop, but that’s not entirely fair. The opener, “Made Man,” is a lo-fi spirited indie rock song and “Lights Out in Memphis (Egypt)” is an unconventional rocker that seems influenced by 70’s hard-rock and executed in a way only he could pull off, but every album seems as though it’s been put on shuffle. The order is totally arbitrary and makes for a wild and strange listen. Nothing as good as “I Am A Tree” here, but I’ve long stopped hoping. I was pleased with “Trust Them Now,” a beautiful early single, and that was actually what prompted me to check it out. Many songs on here are like it. “Wave Starter,” “I Bet Hippy,” and “Test Pilot” are all exceptional power-pop bursts clocking in at under three minutes--the foremost almost borrowing the chorus from “ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayitsworldwouldfallapart”--and that’s far more than most of their stuff. There’s a lot of meaningless stuff here though, and perhaps it all is. But that makes the moments of brilliance all the more impressive. Knowing that this profundity was in all likelihood accidental. There’s a song about a kid who hits a baseball so hard it flies forty miles. A weird song about ant repellent. A juvenile poem about a school for dirty kids. And then such profundities as those in “The Disconnected Citizen” come out of nowhere, which envisions what I believe to be a college as a post-apocalyptic wasteland the narrator can’t find peace in--and the simplistic beauty found in “How Can a Plumb Be Perfected?” which examines, simply, the paradox in the idea that if a plumb is imperfect, there would be no way of knowing. And to the untrained ear, this song is the most poetic song on the album. I don’t think so. All of these songs could be poetry, I think, and I’m just not intelligent enough to grasp most of them. What’s more likely though is that none of them are. And I don’t know which possibility I respect more.

So as it stands, it’s not really safe to go to concerts yet at least here in Michigan. Outdoor shows are popping up around the country but I’m personally not comfortable going to that kind of thing just yet at least with the still relatively low vaccination levels. I miss concerts dearly don’t get me wrong, but I personally am still looking for substitutions, at least for now. Tonight I was really in the mood for a concert and so I revisited my all time favorite concert video. That favorite concert video happens to be The 1975 Live at the 02, London. I first watched this video in 2018 during finals week before I saw The 1975 live in person that summer. Now watching this during finals week probably wasn’t the best use of my time, but believe me it was a worthy distraction. Rewatching the video today brought back a lot of the same feelings that I felt watching it for the first time and when I saw them in person, and I’m here today to review this concert video for all of you. One of the things that I like best about The 1975 is how much of a vibe they are and by that I mean that they have a fantastic aesthetic. This aesthetic is very cohesive across their music and appearance and translates very well to the stage. On their album covers for The 1975 and I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It, you can find an illuminated square which they used as the basis for the sets of this live show as well. The sets are relatively simple but the illuminated squares are very visually appealing. The pastel colors in their visuals feel like a reflection of how the music feels which when used in the sets feels like an extension of who they are. And who can complain about each band member’s different patterned/colored suit? Or Matty Healy drinking a glass of red wine while singing and dancing around on stage? Their visual aesthetic is very vibey much like their music is which does wonders for their live performance in this video. I know I started by discussing The 1975’s aesthetic (speaking of British band aesthetics, check out my Britpop Aesthetic blog here!) but even more importantly, their music is fantastic and suits a live show very well. First of all, their discography is pretty damn thicc with a wide range that allows them to put on a well rounded live show. Much of their music is both very high energy and emotion inducing which is what you really want from a live show. Even the more chill songs are still packed with emotion. The 1975’s music always makes me want to cry, not because it’s sad, but because there’s SO MUCH EMOTION it’s crazy! In this show, they did a great job of bringing that emotional energy and I’ve gotta say that I think having a live saxophone player helped a lot. Many of their songs have saxophone solos and gosh darn they are so much fun to hear live! For a few songs at the end they also brought on a group of Gospel singers which was such an awesome addition for the live performance. I also need to talk a bit about their general stage presence. They’re generally pretty chill but Matty Healy can also be hilariously dramatic. At one point in the show, Matty’s cord got stuck and after Chris from the crew helped him get untangled, he gave him a big kiss on the lips. It was adorable! Two people also got engaged in the crowd and they got called on stage, after being complemented by Matty Healy on the song choice of course! More than anything you really feel the love in this show, even when watching through a TV screen. Well, that’s my pitch. I really love The 1975 and this concert video so I hope you’ll take the time to check it out! Fun and love are the buzzwords for this show if that helps convince you any more. A world with safe live shows is in our future, but for now I hope you’ll join me in enjoying the many great concert videos that our favorite bands have to offer on the internet!

Molly (General Manager): Hellooo everyone! My name is Molly, and I have returned for yet another year, you can’t get rid of me yet :) I’m so excited to continue and do some really cool stuff this year with an amazing team. A little about me, I’m an Advertising major and Art minor, and I love music (can’t wait to get back to seeing live shows again). I’m so excited to be a part of WIDR again, thanks everyone for your support! Hank (Program Director): My name's Hank, and despite my newfound busy-boy reputation, I have all the time in the world to do some really cool stuff with programming. I'm super excited to meet everybody and see what we are capable of, because even more than music, my interests lie in the realms of movies and good stories. I have some big ideas and hope to make them happen! With God as my witness I will not stop until radio is the new Netflix! Josh (Music Director): Greetings everybody! My name is Josh and I am WIDR’s new Music Director! We have an amazing year ahead of us; I absolutely cannot wait to work with you all. I can feel it in my bones. My bones I say!! A bit about myself, I am initially from Texas and left the yeehaw state to come kick it with y’all Michiganders up here. I am currently a senior in the MAT program at Western and I’m looking forward to making the most of it as a part of the WIDR team! Liv (Production Director): Hey folks! My name is Liv and I am the new Production Director at WIDR! I am really excited to be a part of this amazing team and to make this station the best it can be! A little about me, I am majoring in Technical Theater with a focus on sound design and I am getting a minor in audio engineering through the MAT program. In my free time, I play sousaphone with the Bronco Marching Band! Thanks for listening! Maggie (Promotion Director): Hey everyone, I’m Maggie the WIDR Promotion Director! I started doing promotions last semester here at WIDR and have been absolutely loving it so I am so thrilled to continue in this position for another year! I basically run all our social media accounts and website. Just a little bit about me - I am an Advertising and Spanish major and I love being outside as much as possible in my free time. Thanks for joining us for the ride and I’m so excited for all that we’ll do this next year at WIDR!

And once again I find myself having to defend Momus in the court of public opinion. He just released a new album, Athenian, at the end of April, and I’m sad to say he’s making this task harder than ever. What are you doing, man? What’s the endgame here? You have an avid underground following, but you aren’t going to be making any big changes here. I feel like at some point someone had to have told you. For those who don’t know, Momus is a poet, and a man out of time. His style has primarily been defined by his provocative lyrics and creepy and unique instrumentation. Since the 1980s, he’s been in the music game, playing the Shakespearean fool, pointing and laughing at mankind while planting himself firmly above them. And it worked. John Cooper Clarke is said to be the “punk rock poet,” but I think that title belongs to Momus--and not just because he is infinitely more talented than Clarke on a poetic level, but also because his songs were far more punk than they appeared. His statements were salacious and uncomfortable, especially on albums like Don’t Stop the Night--which covered every taboo from incest to necrophilia--and Hippopotamomus, which retained a lot of that material, but was done in the pastiche of a children’s album. He was like a Shel Silverstein you’d not want anywhere near your kids. He has garnered his share of controversy for these lyrics as well, and one particularly insensitive song left him bankrupt, which brought about Stars Forever, an album made to pay off his debts, auctioning songs off for 1000 dollars a pop. The result is one of his finest works, and in and of itself is a powerful punk statement on the commercialism of art (or perhaps just a commercialism of art. Who can say anymore?) But Momus’ M.O. has always been positioning himself outside of the mainstream and going for the jugular of anyone in it. But now, with a pandemic and tensions everywhere at an all-time high… Athenian is the last thing we need. Now, anyone who’s heard Momus will probably tell you that it’s difficult to know exactly where the man is coming from when he sings. Whether he’s poking fun at someone by singing as if he were them, singing about them as himself, or just stirring the pot because he thinks both arguments are silly. But “The Existentialist,” coming in at the tail-end of the album, tells a story of a man who almost regrets his hedonistic past. The song is about being young and thinking the world is toxic and why it’s not a good way to live. Much of this sentiment is also present in the opener, “Swansong,” but there it’s hopeful. Here it’s a denouncement. Hearing it at the end recontextualizes Athenian, painting a far dourer picture than any of these lyrics do on their own. There isn’t much explicit imagery here, and while at first that seemed like a mark of artistic maturity, it now almost seems like Momus is vaunting himself to some higher status just because he’s a great writer. The songs are weird and incendiary, like they’re looking to get a rise out of someone, but it’s hard to discern just how much he cares. And these statements are weak. “Chatternooga” likens preaching equality in classrooms to forced conformity in society, and “Zooming” is cryptic as ever, drawing parallels between nudity on a Zoom call to being cancelled for body-shaming(?) I mean, you have to give it to him: he takes you on a walk for that one! Momus didn’t used to be political, is the thing. He used to be wholly himself and apparently unconcerned with the world around him. Here though, his writing has blossomed and his ethos is gone. My favorite tracks here are those that lapse into surrealism and don’t seem so out for a car-keying. “Coco the Clown” is a fun, creepy song about the spirit of a clown telling the narrator facts about life, and “Bus Inspector Bill” is a stripped-down narrative poem about a woman and her late husband’s fights while a bus inspector sleeps with her. It’s all fun, classic Momus, if a little more PG than what we’re used to, but these songs are few and far between. Mostly, Momus is just bemoaning the state of the world today, and the worst offenders in this department are our two closers. “Doomscroll” follows, from what I can tell, a fifty-something Momus complaining about not being able to see any positive things on social media, and “Athenian” takes what once was a one-of-a-kind artist and puts him right at home with Van Morrison in the camp of anti-lockdowners. Why are the older folks so keen on dismissing this? We’re doing it for you! But that’s neither here nor there... And of all of these songs, “Athenian” seems the most tongue in cheek, but given the context of the rest of Athenian, I’m more inclined to believe this album was just born of quarantine-boredom and too much time spent on Twitter. And it’s sad. I love Momus, but this ain’t it chief. Maybe it’s time to go back to your roots. Necrophilia is still an undertapped market.