Arts

Arts

WEEKENDER: Demi Lovato’s ‘Revamped’ and the trend of rerecording music

By Ryan Fairfield | October 5

When Demi Lovato released her album “HOLY FVCK” in Aug., 2022, she bid adieu to her traditional pop style and migrated to the world of rock. While embarking on a tour for the album, Lovato began to reimagine her older pop songs, performing rock covers of some of her classics like “Heart Attack” (2013) and “Cool for the Summer” (2015). The fans seemed to love the new rock versions of the songs, which inspired Lovato to record and release them in “Revamped” (2023).

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Arts

Ed Sheeran’s seventh studio album is an ode to mediocrity

By Abbie Klein | October 5

Ed Sheeran’s newest album, “Autumn Variations” (2023), is nothing special. In fact, the title is apt, since the album is just variations of his previous works (which he happens to be releasing in autumn) but without much panache and experimentation. That may have been Sheeran’s goal, but it doesn’t negate the album’s overall quality.

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Columns

The Power of the Pen: What did Reagan do?

By Odessa Gaines | October 5

While the writers strike of this year has recently come to an end, the actors are still on the picket lines fighting for better pay and protections from big studios. The constant fight in the entertainment industry for actors’ fair treatment has gone on for decades — all the way back to the ...

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Columns

Confessions of a Cooking Fanatic: Introduction

By Elizabeth Foster | October 4

I pride myself on cooking good food. I tell this to my family when I return from college and take over cooking a few dinners a week — tripling everything to account for my “lax-bro” brother and STILL having leftovers. I tell this to my manager when, during my corporate girl summer, he asked if my lunch was homemade (it was). I tell this to myself when I question if my grocery bill could be (should be) any lower for the week.

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Arts

‘Castlevania: Nocturne’ provides revolutionary thrills, but still needs more bite

By Carl Svahn | October 3

A “Castlevania” television show was never supposed to work. The legendary video game series achieved its reputation not through its stories, but through an incredible mix of stylistic, musical and gameplay prowess. To take this kind of setup and create a television show around it ...

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Arts

Indie-rock band boygenius kicks off fall tour at MGM Music Hall

By Chloe Nacson-Schechter | October 2

Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker each have substantial solo careers, but together they have formed an adored triumvirate that has left fans hungry for more. “The boys,” as they and their listeners affectionately call themselves, have been on tour since the release of their first full album, “The Record” (2023) this past March. The album has garnered the group a loyal fanbase who showed up hours before doors opened at MGM Music Hall on Tuesday, Sept. 25 to try to secure a spot close to the stage.

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Arts

Revisiting ‘Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal’

By Alexis Enderle | September 29

The second season of Netflix’s “Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal” (2023) dives deeper into the trial that captivated the U.S. in early 2023 through footage from inside the Colleton County courtroom and interviews with witnesses, prosecutors, experts and friends of the victims.

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Arts

‘Sitting in Bars with Cake’ is the perfect recipe to make you sob

By Odessa Gaines | September 29

“Sitting in Bars with Cake” is a movie partially based on Audrey Shulman’s 2015 book of the same name. The book is autobiographical, about Shulman going out with her best friend in Los Angeles, taking cakes to random bars as a way to meet guys, sharing recipes in between short essays that detail her life experiences over the course of a year.

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Arts

WEEKENDER: Reflections on the return of Mitski

By Erin Zhu | September 28

This month, Mitski, the 33 year old singer and songwriter, released her seventh studio album, “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We” (2023).  Met with critical acclaim, the intensity and intimacy of her lyricism reminds us of her incredible artistry, the path she has taken to get here and who we think she is.

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Arts

Emma Seligman’s ‘Bottoms’ charms its way to the very bottom

By Isabella Teubal | September 28

Emma Seligman’s new satirical, teen, lesbian comedy film “Bottoms” (2023), which hit screens on Aug. 25, might just be the most stereotypically basic feature of 2023. After the release of the two Oscar-worthy films of the summer “Barbie” (2023) and “Oppenheimer” (2023), Seligman’s motion picture comes up short.

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Columns

The Power of the Pen: The strike comes to an end

By Odessa Gaines | September 28

As of Wednesday, Sept. 27, the Writers Guild of America has officially ended their nearly five-month strike against big studios. Most employed writers returned to work later that day. The decision to end the strike came from an agreement made between the union and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. This agreement includes negotiations about payments, staffing, streaming terms and AI use for the next three years — until May 1, 2026. Final negotiations took place over five days with the CEOs of Disney, Warner Bros. and Netflix all in attendance.

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Arts

Reneé Rapp’s ‘Snow Angel’ is a masterful debut

By Natalie Bricker | September 27

“I just want some recognition / For having good tits and a big heart,” Reneé Rapp sings in the best line of “Tummy Hurts.” This song is just one of many hits on her debut album “Snow Angel” (2023). Rapp’s music was already enjoyable, but she truly earns deeper admiration with her new album. Her ability to release a seven-song EP in 2022 and a full 12-track album just one year later is wildly impressive. She seems to be on a song-writing streak!

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Arts

Madison Cunningham astounds while supporting Hozier at Leader Bank Pavilion

By Matthew Winkler | September 27

Madison Cunningham brought her singular artistic vision to Leader Bank Pavilion on Sept. 22 and 23 as the opener for Hozier. At the Sept. 22 concert, Cunningham was fronting lead guitar and vocals, backed by Kyle Crane on drums, Eliana Athayde on bass and Philip Krohnengold on keys. The team is serving as direct support for the entirety of Hozier’s U.S. tour.

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Arts

Sammy Rae & The Friends transport their campground to Roadrunner

By Matthew Winkler | September 26

Sammy Rae & The Friends recently returned to Boston with their musical creativity and all-encompassing positivity. Selling out Roadrunner on Thursday, Sept. 21 for one of the first stops of their fall headline tour, the band played new arrangements of familiar favorites while also trying out new material ahead of a debut studio album. Sammy Rae & The Friends followed opener Britton & The Sting and were backed by the Nebulous String Quartet.

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Arts

Janelle Monáe embraces self-love at MGM Music Hall

By Nate Hall | September 26

Janelle Monáe’s new album couldn’t have come soon enough. After her third album, “Dirty Computer” (2018), released to critical acclaim, Monáe (who uses she/they pronouns) took a break from music to focus on other projects, including film, television and a book of short stories just last year. While her work in acting and writing has only cemented her multi-hyphenate status, it was a joy to see Monáe return to music with“The Age of Pleasure” (2023). 

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Arts

WEEKENDER: Declan McKenna, The Beaches, Juice talk Boston Calling and building a sound

By Matthew Winkler | September 21

Boston Calling, one of the country’s largest metropolitan music festivals, returned for its twelfth edition from May 26-28. The festival, held only a short Red Line ride away from Tufts’ campus at the Harvard Athletic Complex, offered a jam-packed weekend for all music lovers. Headlining the festival were the Foo Fighters, the Lumineers and Paramore. Outside of headliners, a wide array of artists performed from Niall Horan to the Dropkick Murphys to the Flaming Lips to 070 Shake and more. While attending the festival, the Daily had the opportunity to speak with attending artists Declan McKenna, The Beaches and Juice. 

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Arts

Is pink the new black or black the new pink? Dissecting the ‘Barbenheimer’ phenomenon

By Isabella Teubal | September 21

Whether you consider yourself an avid follower ofGreta Gerwig’s quirky, feminist coming-of-age films, an enthusiast ofChristopher Nolan’s mind-bending sci-fi epics or perhaps you fall into neither category, there’s a good chance that onJuly 21, you found yourself in a movie theater.

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Columns

The Power of the Pen: Streaming and residuals

By Odessa Gaines | September 21

If you’ve been paying attention to the world of entertainment over the past several months, you may be familiar with the continuing strikes among film and TV workers. The first domino fell on May 2, when the Writers Guild of America went on strike. Approximately 11,500 screenwriters all refused to continue work until the union’s demands were met.

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Theater

‘Prayer for the French Republic’ tackles antisemitism at The Huntington

By Nate Hall and Odessa Gaines | September 19

When the whole world seems to hate you, where do you go? This is the question that Joshua Harmon’s “Prayer for the French Republic” (2022) seeks to answer. Playing through Oct. 8 at the Huntington Theatre in Boston, the play tells a sweeping, multi-generational story of a Jewish family grappling with antisemitism in France. Directed by The Huntington’s new Artistic Director, Loretta Greco, “Prayer” follows the Salomon Benhamou family through generations of love, pain and difficult choices.

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Arts

Sammy Rae & The Friends want to show you what they’re about

By Matthew Winkler | September 19

Sammy Rae & The Friends, an up-and-coming band focused around camaraderie, classic rock and queer/female empowerment, will perform at Roadrunner in Boston this Thursday, Sept. 21, as one of many stops on their fall tour. On Sept. 6th, the Daily sat down with frontwoman Samantha Bowers, better known by her stage name Sammy Rae, to talk about her songwriting process, upcoming projects and more ahead of the performance. 

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