Berberian Sound Studio is a 2012 thriller in which a sound engineer is working on a horror movie, which ends up becoming his own reality. I have not yet seen this film (I admittedly never even heard of it until today) until I saw the soundtrack credits – which is helmed by English independent band Broadcast. Totaling 39 tracks under 40 minutes, Broadcast created a haunting, exasperating ride that is as strange as it is beautiful. [Read more...]
Music Review: Twenty One Pilots’ ‘Vessel’
01/07/2013 by 16 Comments
Fueled by Ramen are becoming a very impressive force in the world of pop-alternative music. From last year’s success of fun., plus their other diverse acts including Paramore, Gym Class Heroes and Panic! at the Disco makes them a rather large tour de force. Now it’s time for their newest act, Twenty One Pilots, to shine. However, their debut with FBR, entitled Vessel, is too much of a mixed bag to be thoroughly enjoyable. [Read more...]
Looking Ahead to 2013: 1st Quarter (January – March)
01/04/2013 by Leave a Comment
Now that we’re done looking behind us here at HST, it’s time to ring in the new year by filling our calendars with the upcoming releases (movies, music, TV, and video games) we’re looking forward to most. Big names, big sequels, big comebacks, big excitement. [Read more...]
HST…Best Music of 2012
01/01/2013 by 3 Comments
2012 has been quite a year for music. Alternative darlings broke out in a big way, taking over most of the radio. Giant albums from returning artists gave us critics something to lavish over throughout the year. 2012 was also the year that Youtube became a major player, helping push viral artists like Carly Rae Jepsen and Psy to the forefronts of the American subconcious. Without further ado, here is HST’s favorites of the year. [Read more...]
Music Review: Bruno Mars’ ‘Unorthodox Jukebox’
12/10/2012 by Leave a Comment
Bruno Mars and myself have never really clicked before Unorthodox Jukebox. His freshman album Doo-Wops and Hooligans was full of pop friendly radio songs that would be suited more for Radio Disney than anything else. Add on to that his unyielding love songs, Hooligans was an eye-rolling affair I really just wanted to end. But two years has past, and Bruno is in a different place in his career – even if it is a more refined room he’s placed himself in. [Read more...]
Grammy Awards 2013: Nominees and Predictions
12/05/2012 by 1 Comment
It’s almost award season, and what better way to kick it off than a giant concert! That’s right, the Grammy Award nominations were presented last night (all five of them), and has shown a relatively strong year for alternative music. So what are we waiting for, let’s get right into the big four! [Read more...]
Music Review: Ke$ha’s ‘Warrior’
12/03/2012 by Leave a Comment
Ke$ha is something that I would call “outside of my comfort zone.” Her speak-talk style of singing and dance beats got on my nerves when she first debuted with “Tik Tok” in 2009, and every song after that just felt forced and unapologetically mundane. And then she did a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright,” and REALLY impressed me. But that was then, and Warrior is now. [Read more...]
HST…Mixtape of 2012
11/30/2012 by Leave a Comment
Another year is coming to a close, which means many best of lists are starting to take fruition. And just like last year, I have compiled the best songs of the year into one cohesive playlist now known as the HST…Mixtape! [Read more...]
Music Review: Rihanna’s ‘Unapologetic’
11/20/2012 by Leave a Comment
Doesn’t seem like too long ago when pop star Rihanna bursted onto the scene with her infectious first single “Pon De Replay” in 2005. Since then, she has been turning heads both as an artist and a media headline, with the infamous relationship with Chris Brown overshadowing her most recent albums. Now, her seventh studio album Unapologetic is out, and all the drama following it doesn’t help, hurt, or destroy it at all. We do, however, get an okay pop album. [Read more...]
Music Review: Green Day’s ‘¡Dos!’
11/11/2012 by Leave a Comment
To say I was disappointed with Green Day’s first album in their numerical trilogy ¡Uno! is an understatement. In fact, after a month of sitting on this album, hoping that something in me would help change my thoughts on it. It didn’t happen; it just made the album worse. So going into ¡Dos!, you could say I was incredibly skeptical on what would come out of this album. [Read more...]
Music Review: The Greatest Video Game Music 2
11/07/2012 by 1 Comment
Music and video games have gone hand-in-hand for years. Whenever there’s a good game, there’s always a brilliant score to back it up. It can be just a small yet noticeable chime (Final Fantasy), to a minimalistic score that just hides in the background, making itself known whenever it wants to (Bioshock). Music helps set the moods to the games we play, helping suck our subconscious into the realms we explore. And the London Philharmonic Orchestra are at it again with another collection of beautifully played, well produced video game music for all to enjoy. [Read more...]
Album Review: Kendrick Lamar’s ‘good kid, m.A.A.d. city’
10/30/2012 by Leave a Comment
What does a good movie have to do to engage you as a viewer? Contain a good plot? Some character development along the way? Maybe even some comedic moments sprinkled on top? Now, what makes a good rap album? Some bragadocious rhymes? Rapping about what everyone else in the game raps about? Although sometimes Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar dips his pen into the “good rap album” section of this intro, it seems like he went ahead and penned the next great hood drama, entitled good kid, m.A.A.d. city. [Read more...]
Review of Sad Robot’s ’1.0′
10/29/2012 by Leave a Comment
I almost feel tricked by L.A. trio Sad Robot. Towards the beginning of the television season, the band was featured during a commercial for Season 8 of Bones. The song they played was “Hold On,” a soft, almost acoustic ballad helping prep the emotional return to one of the main characters. The song in question makes the bands latest outing, 1.0, but sounds nothing like it does in the commercial. In fact, the song sets up for a rather loud and noisy bit of blues rock. [Read more...]
Review of P.O.S’ ‘We Don’t Even Live Here’
10/21/2012 by Leave a Comment
2012 has, at best, been a mediocre year for hip-hop. There have only been a couple of albums and mixtapes this year that have actually impressed me (those being Brother Ali’s newest album and that Heems’ mixtape he dropped earlier this year), and the rest has kind of been tossed to the wayside. Even that G.O.O.D. Music compilation was just okay. That’s why I’m excited for Autumn, however, as the biggest hip-hop albums are slated to come out, and why not start with Minnesota’s P.O.S’s newest outing, ‘We Don’t Even Live Here.‘ [Read more...]
Music Review: Death Grips’ ‘No Love Deep Web’
10/02/2012 by Leave a Comment
It’s been quite a year for hip hop trio Death Grips. Their debut album (not mixtape) The Money Store dropped earlier this year, and even though the album kept the obscure, almost threatening, style of music, they recieved a fair bit of positive attention. Even sites like NPR, who stereotypically wouldn’t even touch an album like this, gave it its props. And now, with a bigger audience, released this mixtape – under their own terms. [Read more...]
