THE ITHACAN

Pearl Jam’s sonic evolution as it fusions grit and grace in ‘Dark Matter’

By Billy Wood, Sports Editor • April 25, 2024

Despite critical appeal never being lost for grunge icon Pearl Jam, 2020’s “Gigaton” was a commercial disappointment, becoming the band’s first album since 2002’s “Riot Act” to not chart at No. 2 or higher in the United States. Seeing this, the band decided to bring on GRAMMY award-winning producer Andrew Watt to help infuse modern magic into the band. This resulted in Pearl Jam’s 12th studio album “Dark Matter” which was released April 19. While the hard guitars and Vedder’s unique vocals are still present, Watt’s history of producing for pop stars is shown through the tendency to opt for more light instrumental starts.

Even Nicolas Cage could not save ‘Arcadian’

By Rua Fay, Contributing Writer • April 23, 2024

This year’s South By Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas was filled to the brim with incredible new projects. Festival goers were able to get first-looks at Alex Garland’s “Civil War,” Dev Patel’s “Monkey Man” and Amazon Prime’s new “Fallout” series. But every large media festival is bound to have some less than satisfactory projects, and SXSW is no different.

Wounds exposed and mended in ‘The Tortured Poets Department’

By Georgie Gassaro, Staff Writer • April 23, 2024

After accepting the GRAMMY for Best Pop Vocal Album for “Midnights,” Taylor Swift surprisingly announced that her next album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” would be released April 19. Anticipation for Swift’s next studio album was already high, given its classification as the first “breakup” album since her 2012 album, “Red.”

Girl in Red explores self-love and confidence in “I’M DOING IT AGAIN BABY!”

By Ava Suffredini, Staff Writer • April 18, 2024

Marie Ulven Ringheim, better known as indie pop artist girl in red, takes a big leap with the release of her sophomore album “I’M DOING IT AGAIN BABY!.” Released April 12, this album follows the legacy of her first studio album “if i could make it go quiet” released April 30, with elements of indie pop and rock.

Maggie Rogers ensures that she’s not forgotten

By Syd Pierre, Editor-In-Chief • April 18, 2024

Maggie Rogers goes back to her past, both lyrically and sonically, with the release of her third studio album, “Don’t Forget Me.” The brief 35-minute, 10-track album was released April 12, following her 2022 album “Surrender” and 2019 album, “Heard It In A Past Life.” Rogers, arguably most known for getting “discovered” by Pharrell Williams when she was a student at NYU, said she wrote “Don’t Forget Me” over a five-day span.

‘Civil War’ leaves much unexplored and unclear

By Matt Minton, Senior Writer • April 17, 2024

In director Alex Garland’s raging, uneasy portrait of the United States’ near future in “Civil War,” the finite details of what issues people are fighting for are intentionally left unclear and unexplored.

Conan Gray transitions to glam rock in ‘Found Heaven’

By Sammie Macaranas, Staff Writer • April 15, 2024

On April 5, American indie pop singer/songwriter Conan Gray released his third studio album, “Found Heaven.” He amassed a large fan base after the release of his extended play, “Sunset Season,” in 2018, featuring the iconic songs “Crush Culture” and “Generation Why.” In his new album, “Found Heaven,” Gray keeps his emotional tone, but sings over a new sound inspired by the pop music of the ’80s instead of his usual guitar centered songs.

Action-revenge and Hindu legend in ‘Monkey Man’

By Atticus Jackson, Contributing Writer • April 14, 2024

“Monkey Man” is a bloodthirsty, action-revenge story following the emotional crux of class struggles in modern-day India but painted parallel against the echo of a mythical Hindu legend. Being the long-awaited directorial debut of the British filmmaker, actor and writer Dev Patel, the film explores many angles of its protagonist’s emotional journey and the thematic developments that infuse it, but where it really shines is in its absolutely subversive action.

Lizzy McAlpine shows that her sound truly is ‘Older’

By Julia Hargreaves, Social Media Manager • April 14, 2024

Almost exactly two years after her second studio album, Lizzy McAlpine released her newest record April 5, titled “Older.” In what feels like a testament to her earlier work, McAlpine solidifies her sound and captures listeners instantly through unique melodies, beautiful lyrics and captivating musical builds.

‘Cowboy Carter’ is a love letter to Beyonce’s southern roots

By Jadyn Davis, Senior Writer • April 5, 2024

Beyoncé made history on Feb. 5 by becoming the most decorated artist at the Grammys with 32 wins at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards. However, many think that the momentous achievement is diluted by Beyonce’s loss of Album of the Year for her dance album, “Renaissance.”

‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’ brings monster brawls and little else

By Nolan Sheehan, Staff Writer • April 5, 2024

Fresh off the heels of Oscar-winning “Godzilla Minus One,” the monster-movie genre is brimming with a newfound sense of potential. It is up to any director to capitalize on a possible revitalization, and Adam Wingard is seemingly up to take a chance with “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.” Written by the trio of Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett and Jeremy Slater, this kaiju throwdown released March 29 for an Easter Sunday box office hit.

‘genre: sadboy’ captures artists out of their depth

By Billy Wood, Sports Editor • April 4, 2024

Ever since Machine Gun Kelly released “Tickets To My Downfall” in September 2020, the once-hardened rap star has been imitating a pop punk sound that has granted him great commercial success. This has spawned a wave of new age artists, obsessed with bridging the gap between pop punk and emo rap. One of those artists, Trippie Redd, has collaborated with Kelly on numerous occasions but never in the volume of their new collab EP, “genre: sadboy,” which was announced via a surprise social media snippet March 23 and the full 10 song EP was released March 29. While the album attempts to capture the sound of emo rap, the only thing it captures is the sound of two artists that are far out of their arena.

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