Johanna

I don’t feel like it’s an exaggeration for me to say I’ve listened to this song 100 times since finding it a few days ago. “Shark Smile” grabbed me on the first listen as appearing to be  something I could grow to really like, which manifested into an intense need to hear it by that same night. It’s a simple song, three verses interspersed with the same chorus only lasting a little more than three minutes. The drums remain the same throughout the entire track, steady eight notes that set it’s foundation. Big Thief, a four-piece band from Brooklyn, put this number out as a single from their sophomore album “Capacity” in 2017.  So, why is this song so memorable? Let’s start with the lyrics. The speaker in this runaway tale starts the first verse by introducing the love interest, Evelyn, by saying she “was quiet as a roses sting,” a beautiful simile to depict the characters silently alluring, but deadly nature. Perhaps the most dreamy lyric of the song shortly follows: “It c...

I AINT GOT TIMEEEE! I can firmly say this is the first time a recording artist I’ve seen in concert has gone on a five-minute rant about the greatness of Wegmans grocery stores while on stage. Tyler the Creator performed in the Main Street Armory in Rochester February 21, proving to be the best rap show I’ve ever attended. To be fair, I’ve only been to three. He played around 18 songs, and almost every track off his latest release, “Flower Boy.” Although lasting over an hour, the show seemed like 20 minutes as a result of the constant intensity and engagement, I truly never wanted it to end. This was in sharp contrast to the opening act, Vince Staples, someone I am personally not a fan of and whose set seemed to outlast it’s welcome. Tyler opened by appearing at the top of a large suspended staircase disguised as a tree, and placed within a forest-y stage to fit the nature themes of the album. He launched into the reoccuring opening number “Garden Shed,” which got audien...