Blood On Our Hands — DFA 1979

Logan McMillen
May 19, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

Seven days. If I biked non-stop from Minneapolis to Ketchikan, Alaska it would take seven days total. I'm sitting in a white, damp, box. I'm watching the mold grow on a wall in the basement. I'm waiting seven days for my high school career to end. I'm not biking from anywhere to anywhere because I'm... Read more »

Save the World –- Swedish House Mafia

Logan McMillen
May 17, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

Fluttering synths, high-register vocals, cheesy lyrical content, and a steady four-to-the-floor house beat makes for just another top 40 banger by the most hyped trio of DJ's in the scene.

Wish it Would Rain (Tapedeckbros Remix) — Mayer Hawthorne

Logan McMillen
May 12, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

With indecipherable, modulated vocals, soothing piano chords, and glitchy white noise that helps drive a propulsive sub-bass riff and classic house drum beat, the Tapedeckbros remix of this Mayer Hawthorne classic feels almost cinematic with its overproduced grandeur.

Money — Drivepilot

Logan McMillen
May 11, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

This dirty bass line makes Skrillex look like Katy Perry, the mid-track filter sweep builds on some heavily gated vocal samples from Biggie and makes for one of the most satisfying dubstep drops I've heard in awhile. This song evokes equal parts SebastiAn, Skream, and Justice.  

Pumped Up Kicks (Gigamesh Remix) — Foster the People

Logan McMillen
May 10, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

With snappy, 80's throwback production, piano chords that sound like they were lifted out of a power ballad, and some clever interplay between a twangy guitar and some minimalistic string pads, this nuanced take on an indie rock anthem diffuses some of the hype surrounding FTP and transfers it to the... Read more »

Waiting In The Sun — Lucknow Pact

Logan McMillen
May 9, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

With dramatic vocals, shimmering arpeggios, and Strokes-esque drumming, "Waiting in the Sun" is a perfect summertime jam. At 1:49 seconds, it's worthy of listen after listen.

Broken Lungs (Adventure Club Remix) — Thrice

Logan McMillen
May 8, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

With a minimalist IDM-esque intro, distant, cut-up vocals, and a melodramatic synth pad, this Adventure Club dubstep remix has a smooth arpeggiated drop. If New Order teamed up with Skream this is what it would sound like.  

Airflow (Valerna Remix) — Clockwork

Logan McMillen
May 7, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

With a jazzy intro, clever percussion, and a Basement Jaxx-esque bassline, Valerna’s remix of “Clockwork” incorporates elements of dance-hall, trance, dubstep, and fidget house. An amalgam of dance genres from the last five years.  

Slide — Bantum

Logan McMillen
May 6, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

With minimalistic rain-stick percussion, out-of-tune slide guitar samples, and some metallic, almost industrial clapping, Bantum’s title track (off his latest EP) makes for good studying music.  

Sweet Talk — Reija Lee, Kito

Logan McMillen
May 5, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

An echoing bulid up with orchestral stabs and undulating bass, when it drops a tight clap and modulated sitar perfectly complement the distant vocals of a small-voiced girl.

Unorthodox — Wretch 32

Logan McMillen
May 4, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

With Flux Pavillion-esque bass wobbles, minimalist rapping, and a steady four-to-the-floor beat, Wretch 32’s latest track is a simplistic dubstep anthem.

Take Me Home — Germany Germany

Logan McMillen
April 27, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

With organic white noise, lo-fi guitar echoes, and super snappy hi-hat rhythms Germany Germany carves their own niche in the ever expanding 80’s throwback scene. Their thematic style makes for a satisfying listen again and again.

Say My Name — Porter Robinson

Logan McMillen
April 26, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

One of the better trance drops I’ve ever heard. Nauseating synth pads lull you into thinking this will be some cheesy early 2000’s dance single, but at 2:45 you get an earfull of grotesque bass and abrasive beats. The nexus of dubstep and fidget house.

Minotaur — Kraddy (Stephan Jacobs Remix)

Logan McMillen
April 25, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

With growling sub-bass, experimental tremolo use, and a subtle keyboard motif, this banger of a track is cinematic and slightly off-beat. Think if “The Prodigy” did a dubstep track.

November — The Wilderness of Manitoba

Logan McMillen
April 24, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

With crisp, airy harmonies, a cutting acoustic arpeggio, and ethereal slide-guitar motifs, this slightly over-dramatic song calls to mind the last twenty minutes of any indie film.

Trembling Hands — Explosions in the Sky

Logan McMillen
April 19, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

With distant chants, a snare heavy drum beat, and a smooth, sigur ros-esque guitar motif, this track is a chillwave masterpiece.

The Greeks — Is Tropical

Logan McMillen
April 18, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

With clean arpeggiated rhythms, 80’s type vocals, and a catchy beat, “Is Tropical” releases a stellar debut with “The Greeks.”

Embody — SebastiAn (DJ Premier Remix)

Logan McMillen
April 17, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

With vintage vocoder lines, impressive turntablism, and 90’s throwback hip-hop beats, the DJ Premier remix of SebastiAn’s latest calls to mind greats like Steinski and DJ Shadow. Worthy of multiple listens.

Ransom — Pendulum

Logan McMillen
April 16, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

The definition of drumstep. Thematic string hits cascade into a completely over the top drop, all making for a satisfying, danceable tune.

Anything New — Bibio

Logan McMillen
April 14, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

Sliced up synth jabs, intricate hi-hat work, and cheesy 80's vocals make for an all around rewarding listen. A bubblegum-pop gem to kick off springtime.

Reptile’s Theme — Skrillex

Logan McMillen
April 13, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

Awash in pulverizing bass, 90’s video game samples, and unpredictable kick/snare rhythms Skrillex’s latest track is set to be included in the highly anticipated new installation of the Mortal Kombat franchise. A dubstep triumph.

I’m Just a Balloon — Jeffrey Jerusalem

Logan McMillen
April 7, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

Frenetic, bass pumping, SebastiAn-esque house, replete with distant vocals, a cheesy breakdown, and heavy ballad synth pads. Worthy of multiple listens.

Get to the Point — Excision and Liquid Stranger (Oblivion Remix)

Logan McMillen
April 5, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

Hailing straight from Minneapolis Oblivion remixes this delicate track and adds the filthy bass-lines, odd meter dance beats, and decimated vocal samples that dub-step fans love.

Winter Was Warmer — Little Jungles

Logan McMillen
April 4, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

With psychedelic backwards synths, whispered vocals, nauseating slide guitar and propulsive bass, Little Jungles’ latest track is a lesson in carefully orchestrated chill out music. Enjoy.

Neeve — Woolfy (PVTH Remix)

Logan McMillen
April 2, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

A lesson in multi-layered beats. Combining elements of 80’s pop production with samba rhythms and ghostly vocals, Neeve is a complex electronic tune that’s as catchy as it is intelligent.

Night Drive With You — Anoraak

Logan McMillen
March 31, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

80’s throwback bands have recently come into vogue. The airy, modulated synths, snappy drum beats, and whispered vocals make the super heavy bass pop. Worthy of multiple listens.

Rattling Cage — Schils

Logan McMillen
March 29, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

Distorted bells, spacey drums, discordant riffs, and vocal chants make for an all around interesting listen. The break down at 2:15 is dark and foreboding, making the second half of the track more palatable.

Civilization — Justice

Logan McMillen, Diversions Editor
March 28, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

With discordant wobbling bass, a foreboding hi-hat intro a-la “War Pigs,” and some ultra poppy vocals, the latest Justice single is worthy of listen after listen.

Chillwave rarities make for a good “Companion”

Logan McMillen, Diversions Editor
March 27, 2011
Filed under a&e featured, Music Reviews

In the wake of his ultra successful 2010 debut LP, chill-wave producer Derwin Panda (aka Gold Panda) released a collection of previous EP’s and rarities titled “Companion” on March 22. With over-hyped tracks like “Quitter’s Raga” and seldom-heard demos like (album closer) “Police” sharing... Read more »

Robin Pecknold — Where is My Wild Rose

Logan McMillen
March 26, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

This minimalist folk tune is lyrically dense and aurally biting. Pecknold fronts the group “Fleet Foxes,” and if you’ve ever listened to them, the influence definitely makes sense. Worthy of multiple listens.

You’ll Be Great — Cloud Cult

Logan McMillen
March 24, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

An older song, but it continues to hold that same raw emotional weight that it did upon initial release. The ethereal beeps and blips that open this track give way to a grab bag of different genres, all in the context of a great epic pop tune.

Your nightmare is only getting worse

Logan McMillen, Diversions Editor
March 23, 2011
Filed under a&e featured, Movie Reviews

While many action films hide behind a thinly veiled question to establish their legitimacy as art, “I Saw the Devil” (by director Kim Ji-woon) makes no such attempt. It is pure, raw, grindhouse violence, with no conflict resolution and superb character development. Starring Cho Min-sik (of “Oldboy”)... Read more »

Bobby — Sore Spores

Logan McMillen
March 23, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

The dizzying synth pad, ecclectic percussion and no frills acoustic riff make for an offbeat catchy tune, Sore Spores makes good use of their lead singers with interesting harmonies and distinct boy/girl dynamics.

Na Na Na — Rachel Goodrich

Logan McMillen
March 17, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

The pan-flute synth pad and 50’s Hawaiian guitar tone makes for a memorable intro; Goodrich’s childish, nostalgic lyrics (with help from the youth choir that sings on the chorus) gives the song a distinct playful quality. A great springtime track.

Psychic Chasms — Neon Indian (Anoraak Remix)

Logan McMillen
March 15, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

The wobbling bass and distant out-of-body vocals may remind you of every other 80’s song ever, but Psychic Chasms has a lot more to offer. The buildup of synth riffs at the end makes listening to the rest of the song well worth it.

A Lot Like Love — Diving at Dawn

Logan McMillen
March 12, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

The warm layering of voice over subtle arpeggiation, of out-of-tune piano over sleek synth, gives this track an inexplicably familiar feel. The vocal harmonies may be just a little over done, but they certainly get the point across. A sad song that’s worthy of your time.

Alone at Sea — Two Bicycles

Logan McMillen
March 11, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

8-bit drums make the wonderfully ethereal guitar and synth motifs jump out in the mix. How the track manages to feel so dense with such sparse instrumentation is astounding. Great music for studying or relaxing.

Emotional downpour makes “Even the Rain” great

Logan McMillen, Diversions Editor
March 8, 2011
Filed under a&e featured, Movie Reviews

Director Iciar Bollain’s latest film, “Even the Rain,” is a forceful, Kafkaesque study on the duality of everything. Blurring the line between virtue and vice, past and present, reality and fantasy, Bollain challenges the viewer to reassess our preconceived notions about fundamental beliefs and... Read more »

Truth — Alexander

Logan McMillen
March 7, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

With a whistling melody that puts “Young Folks’” to shame, and a clever rhyming scheme over the gritty acoustic guitar, you get the feel of listening to a talented street performer. A song that you could easily imagine a music video for.

Don’t Stop — Dodos

Logan McMillen
March 6, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

Frantic arpeggiation and eclectic percussion, lush vocal harmonies and sheets of guitar feedback, this distinct mix of styles makes “Don’t Stop” an unforgettable track, worthy of repeat after repeat.

Punch Drunk Love — Star Slinger vs. Teams

Logan McMillen
March 2, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

The dramatic bollywood string samples and vibrato heavy 50’s style vocals give this summery Moby-esque track some real character. Think if Cassius just chilled out in Hawaii for a few months...this is what would come out.

I Do Not Care For The Winter Sun — Beach House

Logan McMillen
February 28, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

This mellow pop track evokes winter landscape imagery, and not just because of the overly overt title. The moaning (almost whining) vocals paired with a simple chord progression and some auxiliary percussion mixed low lets the minimalist pedal steel and piano sections shine.

Photojournalist — Small Black (Star Slinger Remix)

Logan McMillen
February 26, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

A repetitive, hi-hat heavy, two step beat fleshes out this minimalist pop tune. Reverbed out vocals and syncopating “car door ajar” samples gives it an organic quality while the compressed bass motif in the background adds some metallic timbre to the mix. Worthy of multiple listens.

Producer goes out on a limb with “The Branches”

Logan McMillen, Diversions Editor
February 24, 2011
Filed under a&e featured, Music Reviews

A bleak palette of sonic textures, carefully constructed for the attentive listener, a jazz anthology that is easy on the ears (and danceable too), any of these phrases would accurately describe the debut LP of trip-hop/IDM super-producer Long Arms. His carefully placed samples articulate tracks in... Read more »

Coat of Arms — Nosaj Thing

Logan McMillen
February 24, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

Minimalism speaks volumes. I know that’s a cliche, but it’s one you can’t avoid when describing Nosaj Thing’s music. The dark, ethreal sonic landscapes he shapes and molds over the course of “Coat of Arms” makes for great intelligible dance music that’s easy to study to.

New Ceremony — Dry The River

Logan McMillen
February 22, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

I think what this song is missing is some lush, undulating, choral harmonies. If the Killers played southern-tinged indie rock, this is the band they would sound like. They’re making a huge buzz on the blogosphere, so you might as well take a listen.

Colours — Group Love (Captain Cuts Remix)

Logan McMillen
February 20, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

Captain Cuts takes an abnormally poppy, repetitive, smile-inducing indie rock tune with dark lyrical imagery and spins it into a dramatic dance floor anthem complete with a dub-step breakdown at about two and a half minutes in.

I Choose Me — Kai

Logan McMillen
February 17, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

If Adele, Amy Winehouse and the Grizzly Bears got together, that would be about a tenth as awesome as (trendy singer-songwriter) Kai. Plus, it has an upbeat tempo, catchy piano riff and a kazoo solo...what more could you ask for?

Stainted love

Logan McMillen, Diversions Editor
February 14, 2011
Filed under Humor

“Hey, I’m here to drop off my suit. I don’t know how this happened, but there’s a pizza stain on the collar, a white hand-print on the breast, some road-salt on the left cuff, oh, and the zipper on my pants is broken...can I have your number?” No matter how many times I run through the scenario... Read more »

Farewell — Soda Shop

Logan McMillen
February 14, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

This sounds like it could have been lifted from the “Stand By Me” soundtrack or some vintage Ford commercial. The echoing vocals and minimalist underwater drum beats evoke loads of other 50’s style bands, but Soda Shop (by far) is the most talented.

Malerina — Shugo Tokumaru

Logan McMillen
February 11, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

Catchy multi-instrumental riffing with Beach Boys-esque vocals, this sounds like an acoustic cover of “Ca Plane Pour Moi” in Japanese. I think you get the picture, it’s an eclectic, infectious song.

Tuxedo — Christoph Andersonn

Logan McMillen
February 8, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

Replete with palm-muted guitar stabs and vintage orchestral string hits, this song is a throwback to the days of early house music, but with the mindless vocal samples and 808 bass-clap patterns that modern pop fans love.

Sunshine — Ginger Ninja (Eumig and Chinon Remix)

Logan McMillen
February 5, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

It’s always nice to hear a syrupy-sweet, upbeat song in what seems to be the dead of winter. Eumig and Chinon cut up the vocals, keyboards, and bring the bass to the front of this mix, turning what was once just another semi-catchy indie pop song, into a full out fist-pumping house anthem.

Helplessness Blues — Fleet Foxes

Logan McMillen
February 2, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

Is that...is that the Fleet Foxes trying to sound like Mumford and Sons? Their signature lush vocal harmonies take a back seat to some overly enthusiastic acoustic strumming. The second half of the song evokes their earlier style, with rich, hard left and right panned guitars...hopefully that’s redeeming... Read more »

I Look To You — Miami Horror (‘96 Bulls Remix)

Logan McMillen
January 31, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

These guys know how to perfectly administer Justice-esque dirty bass line. They channel Daft Punk and Louis La Roche with their aptitude for sampling great funk tracks. They’re a completely unknown supergroup is what I’m trying to get at. The drop at 1:35 is beautifully understated...sure they’re... Read more »

Crave You — Flight Facilities (Bxentric Remix)

Logan McMillen
January 27, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

Yacht house is one of the newest, trendy, house spin-off genres. It reminds me of Homework-era Daft Punk, condensed, then bred with the type of music that used to play on 102.9 in the late 90’s. It has a glossy feel, but isn’t flashy, more airy, think of that scene in “Waltz With Bashir” where... Read more »

California Special — Data/Debt (E & C Remix)

Logan McMillen
January 23, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

A blast of superficial, disingenuous, bass-slapping, house goodness. What differentiates Denmark’s Eumin and Chinon from their French counterparts like Kavinsky and Justice is that they don’t take themselves too seriously. Their pursuit isn’t about trying to look cool or attaining musical fulfilment,... Read more »

Open Season — High Highs

Logan McMillen
January 20, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

This may be the indiest song I’ve ever heard, and I don’t know whether or not that’s a good thing. With vocal shimmers and catchy minimalist riffs, the High Highs are ripping off just about everyone (Fleet Foxes, Broken Bells, Iron and Wine) who has ever had their music played at an Urban Outfitters.... Read more »

Feel — Brothertiger

Logan McMillen
January 17, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

The 80’s are making a comeback. Chillwave guru and Ohio University student John Jagos is the mastermind behind Brothertiger. His latest release “Vision Tunnels” is a homage to lo-fi, shoe-gaze style dance music. With airy, Crystal-Castles-esque vocals and a keyboard motif that sounds like it was... Read more »

White as Diamonds — Alela Diane

Logan McMillen
January 14, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

One of those under-appreciated gems. Alela Diane sounds like she grew up singing on a porch, her timbre is other-worldy and her lyrical content evokes dry, winter imagery with several allusions to a rough agrarian lifestyle. She calls to mind other great freak-folk bands like The Decemberists, M. Ward,... Read more »

Up Against the Glass — The Botticellis

Logan McMillen
January 12, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

Surf-punk has been making a comeback, twangy-guitars, cheesy synth lines, and super catchy drum beats, what could be better in the middle of winter at the 45 degree latitude line. With relativelly intelligent lyrics as well (keep in mind what genre we are in) there’s not much more you could ask for.

Like This — Girl Talk

Logan McMillen
January 10, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

Call him a pirate, call him a mash-up king, a scofflaw, brilliant musician, enemy of the music industry, call him whatever you want, you can’t deny that Girl Talk is making a huge buzz. Sampling everyone from Metallica to Rick Astley to Lil’ Mama this track perfectly defines Girl Talk’s style,... Read more »

Grasping for Thoughts — Utidur

Logan McMillen
January 8, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

Coming at you all the way from Iceland. Sparse keyboards, a whispered falsetto, Charlie Brown Christmas-esque choir backing and a few down-tempo beats, string solos, melancholy brass motifs, etc. evoke cleverly orchestrated pop bands like Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, or Belle and Sebastian.... Read more »

When I’m Small — Phantograms

Logan McMillen
January 7, 2011
Filed under Featured Songs

A surprisingly fresh take on the neo-soul bandwagon. Syncopated echoes and vintage lp crackles make for a fifties-esque dance track that’s equal parts dark, hypnotic, and infectious. Singer Sarah Barthels ethereal, laid back style sounds like the by-product of a tryst between the vocal cords of Dan... Read more »

Pass up this new mash-up

Logan McMillen, staff writer
January 2, 2011
Filed under Music Reviews

The “blender” metaphor is so cliche, but I don’t think I can help but use it when talking the newest Girl Talk album, a nonsensical juxtaposition of top-40 samples and ultra-catchy dance beats aptly titled “All Day.” If you don’t know who Girl Talk is, then there is something wrong with... Read more »

He said, she said: A holiday ball tale

Shannon Cron and Logan McMillen
December 27, 2010
Filed under Humor, Top Stories

He said I could outlast her, this was a mind game and I knew she would cave before me. The chicken didn’t look appetizing in the least, but I was hungry...she couldn’t hold on any longer, she took the first bite. I won. Yes, school dances are made up of little awkward moments like these, but this... Read more »

Dub+Pop/Punk = “Spooks,” The Beautiful Girls Latest Release

Logan McMillen, Diversions Editor
September 8, 2010
Filed under Music Reviews

“Hot pot,” Mat McHugh told me. His band (The Beautiful Girls) was like hot pot. An ancient Mongolian dish, hot pot is an egg dumpling that’s boiled in a soldier’s helmet. “Were not sound bite artists,” he said, “it takes awhile to fully understand the flavor of something.” A clever... Read more »

The Black Keys breakout with new album “Brothers”

Logan McMillen
June 2, 2010
Filed under Music Reviews

A grungy, dingy, dirty, overly-sexualized stomp of a back beat opens the Black Keys latest album, "Brothers." The cooler, younger sibling of the famously overrated White Stripes may finally eclipse the band that launched quirky, blues-rock back into the (relative) mainstream. When they broke onto... Read more »

“On The Edge” won’t leave you on the edge of your seat

Logan McMillen
May 25, 2010
Filed under Movie Reviews

When you download a barely-in-print, fifty minute, documentary by some director with misspelled first and last names you can't go into the experience looking for gloss and glitter. This film is gritty, replete with cheesy font subtitles, shaky camera action, and over twenty minutes total of ugly crying... Read more »

iPad is iBad

Logan McMillen
May 14, 2010
Filed under News

The early April eruptions of Mt. Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland caused the largest air-traffic shutdown since the end of World War II, but none of that mattered to grounded Norwegian prime minister Jens Stoltenberg, because he was governing remotely, using his iPad. Weighing in at a pound and a half,... Read more »

Have you heard of Justice?

Logan McMillen
May 5, 2010
Filed under A&E

It would be surprising to most that (electro-house masterminds) Justice haven’t released an album in three years. Why? Because they are fresh off their first Grammy win. A brief lesson in music history would tell you that Justice stumbled onto the music scene in late 2003 with a tongue-in-cheek... Read more »

Okapi’s attention to detail makes “Love Him” a stellar debut

Logan McMillen
April 19, 2010
Filed under A&E, Music Reviews

Ever since Girl Talks' third record dropped, the relatively indie Illegal-Art label has been thrust into the spotlight. Founded in 1998 by a man under the pseudonym of Philo T. Farnsworth, the label is working hard to turn mash-up and glitch music into respectable genres. With the expansion of this... Read more »

“Building Your Future” workshop is a reality check for juniors

Logan McMillen
March 18, 2010
Filed under News

Having your future built sounds like a comforting jostle to help ease the stress of making extensive collegiate plans, but year after year students continue to be rudely awakened by the foray into pre-college crunch-time. The "Building Your Future" workshop day has been at BSM since 1995, and it requires... Read more »

Truth about texting

Logan McMillen
March 1, 2010
Filed under Humor

Whenever my phone vibrates, a chill of equal tectonic force runs down my spine. I piece myself together and thumb through the inbox all the way to the tippy top where my new message lies. I quickly double tap the envelope with a loving force. "hey...I'm supr bord...I hate skool." I live for this... Read more »

Top 5 romantic comedies

Logan McMillen
February 9, 2010
Filed under A&E

When Harry Met Sally This movie poses the perfect question for a romantic comedy: Can men and women ever just be friends? I have never learned as much about relationships as I did from this movie. It took me years of re-watchings to finally "get" the famous Katz deli scene. If you don't know what I'm... Read more »

Murder + Pyschedelic World Beyond the Grave; “The Lovely Bones”

Logan McMillen
January 20, 2010
Filed under A&E, a&e featured, Movie Reviews

Both parts "Silence of the Lambs" and "Alice in Wonderland" makes for one confused audience. A lesson in cinema for what works and what doesn't. Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan) is an innocent fourteen year old girl living in a suburb of Pennsylvania. Little does she know that one of her neighbors has... Read more »

Sadie Hawkins teaches respect to guys

Logan McMillen
January 18, 2010
Filed under Humor

Sadie Hawkins and its religiously affiliated cousin Holiday Ball mark a time in the year when guys can just sit back and relax...right? "Morp" students at Anoka high school were subjected to this concept junior year. Morp (being the back-words translation of prom) was best explained to me by my cousin... Read more »

Songs Necessary for Your Ipod

Logan McMillen
January 11, 2010
Filed under A&E

Buster Voodoo -- Rodrigo and Gabriela This song is perfect for doing homework to. This track keeps perfectly balanced between catchy Latin flair and meticulous guitar parts, this one is sure too keep you halfway between chair dancing and studying throughout. Drain You -- Nirvana This classic song... Read more »

Strawberry fields forever

Logan McMillen
December 11, 2009
Filed under Humor

I've never really cared for fruit salad-I'm more of a veggies guy. However there was a time in my life, this summer, when I had to eat from the forbidden fruit (salad) to resist the temptation of someone else. During July and most of August I went to a liberal arts camp in Maine, one with very overactive... Read more »

More awkward encounters

Logan McMillen
December 7, 2009
Filed under Humor

A romantic comedy is perhaps the most powerful tool a woman playing hard-to-get has at her disposal. It keeps you in a crying/laughing dichotomy, which makes it almost impossible to plan out the next move. First I'm crying because some chick never knew her father, then I'm laughing because she gets tackled... Read more »

Cobain ressurrected with “Live At Reading” concert DVD

Logan McMillen
December 7, 2009
Filed under A&E, Movie Reviews

If you saw a strung out heroin addict in a hospital gown tipping over towers of amplifiers, chances you were at one of two places. The Schmitt Music in Roseville or at home watching "Live At Reading," the newest Nirvana bootleg turned formidable rock DVD. It was ranked by Kerrang! as the most important... Read more »

Prepping for the pre-pre-SAT

Logan McMillen
November 3, 2009
Filed under Humor

The preparation juniors are going through this year for the infamous Greek god of tests known as the SAT is single-handedly killing the rain-forest. I have never seen so much paper in my entire life, but that's not my main complaint about this mindless preparation. What is really upsetting is the misguiding... Read more »

10 a.m. Automatic -– Black Keys

Logan McMillen
November 2, 2009
Filed under Featured Songs

It’s been five years since the Black Keys' major breakthrough, and I’m sick of people not knowing who they are. Here is the song to help you get into one of the most creative garage rock bands out there. The fuzzy guitar sound and 50s style dance drumming keeps it fresh and catchy, while the singers... Read more »

“It Might Get Loud” brings together three of rocks greatest contributors

Logan McMillen
October 19, 2009
Filed under Movie Reviews

Standing up after, "It Might Get Loud" I noticed that the fan base at the theater was as eclectic as the musicians who had just graced the screen. There were the leather-clad hardcore Led Zeppelin fans, the wanna-be hipster White Stripes fans, and the eggheaded, flatlining U2 fans. The whole audience... Read more »

Awkward encounters with the opposite sex

Logan McMillen
September 21, 2009
Filed under Humor

Let me just start by saying hormones and darkness don’t work well together. Last year, I was stuck in a nasty basement, with breath that smelled like sour cream and onion potato chips, pursuing a girl that was barely distinguishable from the rest of my friends; it was not necessarily the most romantic... Read more »