Artist: The Strokes Album: Angles Label: RCA Release: March 18 Grade: A- After a five-year-long hiatus that was shrouded in mystery save for disquieting reports of tensions among its members, the New York City rockers are back with 10 new tracks, collectively titled Angles. Angles will inevitably raise some eyebrows.
Grade: A- In 16 years, this generation has seen more monsters than any generation previous, and it's all thanks to one Japanese commodity: Pok
Every year, SA is in charge of about $4 million, much of which goes toward Fall and Spring Fests. For this year's Spring Fest, SA is bringing Wiz Khalifa, Nas and Damian Marley, Tinie Tempah, and Big Sean to UB. Wiz Khalifa is best known for his number-one hit single "Black and Yellow." Since first breaking on to the radio, Wiz has garnered a lot of attention from fans and fellow rappers alike. Wiz Khalifa is on a climb to the top of the rap game, which he hopes will be finalized with his first studio release, Rolling Papers, due out March 29. Alongside Wiz are Nas and Damian Marley.
Artist: Sky Ferreira Album: AS IF! Release: March 22 Label: Capitol Grade: C+ Brace-faced teeny boppers nationwide will drool over the first EP of up-and-coming 18-year-old pop sensation Sky Ferreira. AS IF!
Artist: Chris Brown Album: F.A.M.E. Label: Jive Release Date: March 18 Grade: D Say what you will about hip hop and R&B singer Chris Brown, but the man certainly knows a thing or two about beats.
The only thing missing was Fred Savage. On Tuesday night, the walls of the venue/skate park hybrid, Xtreme Wheels, pulsed with the energy of some of the best pop-punk around.
Artist: Avril Lavigne Album: Goodbye Lullaby Release: March 8 Label: RCA Records Grade: C+ Avril Lavigne ? teenage outcast, turned gloomy rebel, turned punk-princess ? is back with her latest incarnation, Goodbye Lullaby, returning as a woman finally ready to leave adolescence behind; at least according to her fourth studio album. However, despite cosmetics' and nature's best effort, the 26-year-old Lavigne neither looks nor sounds a day older than the 17-year-old girl that burst onto the music scene almost a decade ago. This time around, after a piano-driven prelude about her fragrance "Black Star," d
Batman and Robin No. 21 While Bruce Wayne tromps around the world recruiting a legion of heroes, Dick Grayson and his young assassin apprentice, Damian, watch over the streets of Gotham as some seriously sick happenings are slowly eliminating citizens of the Dark Knight's territory. "Issue No.
Artist: R.E.M. Album: Collapse Into Now Release Date: March 8 Label: Warner Bros. Grade: A Collapse Into Now, the 15th album from R.E.M., is one of the strongest efforts of the band's career.
Thankfully, the auto industry doesn't follow video game trends, or else every used car you bought would require you to buy an engine as well. Famed publisher EA Games is spearheading the effort to milk customers for every penny they've got.
Artist: Beady Eye Album: Different Gear, Still Speeding Label: Dangerbird Records Release Date: March 1 Grade: B+ When a band titles its album Different Gear, Still Speeding, it might be assumed that it has recorded before.
Artist: Paris Suit Yourself Album: My Main S***stain Release: Feb. 23 Label: Big Dada Grade: D With atrocious vocals and musicality ever present, Paris Suit Yourself's ironically named album, My Main S***stain, proves to have the perfect title. The songs on this album are not catchy, nor do the words match with the rhythm.
Grade: B Fight Night Champion's added story and expansive online mode should be the one-two punch from Electronic Arts, but in more than a few respects, the game has missed its mark. Fans of the previous Fight Night installment will find little to complain about, as Champion will let players jump back in the ring and get into the fray. The controls are just as tight as Round 4, but the players will find that the essential function of the block button has been completely changed.
The delicately trained toes of young and ambitious dancers kissed the stage and delighted audiences this past weekend in a performance enjoyed by all ages. The Classical Ballet of Western New York paired with talents of the Lockport Classical Ballet to present From Glazunov to Gershwin at the Center for the Arts, a set of three dances featuring music from composers Alexander Glazunov and George Gershwin. Friday night's performance opened with "Pas de Dix," a variation extracted from the last act of the three-act story ballet Raymonda.
Artist: Ron Sexsmith Album: Long Player Late Bloomer Label: Ronboy Rhymes Release Date: March 1 Grade: C He's 47 years old, on his 12th album, and almost unheard of.
Artist: Middle Brother Album: Middle Brother Label: Partisan Records Release Date: March 1 Grade: C- There's an old clich
Chicken wings, losing sport franchises, and music are all things Buffalo can be proud of, and local up-and-comers The Boy and His Machine are continuing the proud musical tradition of Buffalo. The Boy and His Machine is a four-piece pop-punk outfit that first came together in Buffalo nearly six years ago.
Before the last notes of music had left the air, the relatively small audience at Wednesday night's premiere of A Little Night Music spilled forth with thunderous applause and screams of encouragement that filled the Center for the Arts' Black Box Theatre to the bursting point. UB's department of theater and dance has once again outdone itself, performing a rendition of A Little Night Music that would make Stephen Sondheim proud. First premiering on Broadway in 1973, A Little Night Music is a story of love and frustration in turn-of-the-century Sweden.
Artist: Red City Radio Album: The Dangers of Standing Still Label: Paper + Plastick Release Date: Feb.
Artist: Acrylics Album: Lives and Treasure Label: Friendly Fire/Hot Sand Release Date: March 1 Grade: C+ Just about everything to do with Acrylics' debut album, Lives and Treasure, can be described with various interpretations of the phrase "a mixed bag." The Brooklyn-based band draws heavily from a number of different influences.
Solutions by The State News
