Soil Compilation

Sports
Trapped in the Box

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The Hawkeyes fell three points short in Ames, trapped in the same box they’ve always played in. Cautious routes and a passing game that refuses to breathe. Even glimpses of promise, like Gronowski’s 22-yard completion, couldn’t break them free from their rectangle of comfort.

Sports
Iowa Falls to Iowa State 16-13 in Annual CyHawk Series Matchup

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The Hawkeyes came up just short in Ames, falling 16-13 to No. 16 Iowa State in a rivalry game that slipped away in the final minutes. Despite a strong defensive showing and improved play from QB Mark Gronowski, Iowa’s offense couldn’t find enough answers as the Cyclones snapped the Hawkeyes’ six-game win streak at Jack Trice Stadium.

Music
Iowa City Songwriters Festival Preview

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The Englert Theatre will host the inaugural Iowa City Songwriters Festival, headlined by Jeff Tweedy and Joy Oladokun, this weekend from September 4-6. Sprawling across many of Iowa City’s favorite venues, this town wide event is bound to be memorable.

Online Content
Hinterland 2025 Recap

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From August 1-3, Hinterland Festival returned to the fields of St Charles, Iowa, as a resounding success. After a sweltering-hot 2024, Hinterland rebounded and restored fanbase trust for many years to come.

Sports
The Grayt Team: Grayson Chapeau’s Story

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At just 15 years old, Grayson Chapeau has spent nearly his entire life in a fight he never chose, against an inoperable brain tumor. But in the stands of a summer-league baseball team, he’s become something more: a symbol of joy, resilience, and a small town’s beating heart.

Music
Album Review

Album Review: Ion – Coordinates

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By Christian Craig Hip hop has, in recent years, evolved into a beast of over-accessibility. The fabled street corner has been replaced by a SoundCloud account and it often seems that anyone with a Logic torrent is busy tweeting about their upcoming mixtape. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing – Odd Future, Main Attrakionz and A$AP Rocky all owe their fame to the Internet and it’s becoming increasingly easier to suss out the next big thing. It’s also getting harder to keep up – trends in sub-genres have the shelf life of about an hour and whether you’re a fan … Continued

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Album Review: Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All – The OF Tape Volume 2

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By Christian Craig Collaborative rap crew albums are a tricky thing to get right – We Are Young Money was laughable, Wu-Tang hasn’t done anything worth talking about since 8 Diagrams, and if you know of a Dipset tape that you’ve made it through without your finger on the skip button, I’d love to hear about it. Collab albums have listeners wading track after track, waiting for a heavy hitter and suffering through Lil Twist and Cappadonna in the meantime. So, coming into The OF Tape Volume 2, some skepticism is a warranted. It’s been almost impossible to avoid at … Continued

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Review: Chiddy Bang – Breakfast

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By Keith Evanson Hip-hop duo, Chiddy Bang, have taken their underground hype into the mainstream. After nonstop touring, mixtape releases, and record label signings, they have now settled down to release an official album. Band members, Chidera “Chiddy” Anamege and Noah “Xaphoon” Jones Beresin, use a successful formula to stimulate the ears of as many listeners as possible. Combining elements of hip-hop, electronica, and indie, they have displayed how versatile rap music can be. Xaphoon Jones shows a lot promise as a producer, there is no doubt about that. He has made a lot of interesting choices in the samples … Continued

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Review: Heartless Bastards – Arrow

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By Gabrielle Pawlikowski Say what you want about the Heartless Bastards, but don’t deny Erika Wennerstrom’s vocal talent. As the only consistent member in the band’s ever-changing lineup, Erika’s masterful singing never fails to enrapture. And don’t let the name of the band fool you – these bastards are in fact full of heart. The band’s fourth release, Arrow, is firmly rooted in southern blues rock – gritty yet sentimental. Also their debut from Partisan Records, the album falls short lyrically. But its stripped- down instrumentation showcases Erika’s voice, and that’s enough to guide any music fan through the ten … Continued

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Review: Cursive – I Am Gemini

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By Shari Jaffri After many hiatuses, members leaving, calling it quits several times, several triumphant albums, solo explorations (or at least for frontman Tim Kasher, a.k.a.The Good Life) and the likes, it can’t be denied that Cursive has been through a harrowing journey since their first debut in 1995. With their managing to stay intact as a band definitely deserving of a solid thumbs up, Cursive once again takes the concept album route, a familiar road which they have taken many times after winning critics over with past concept album releases, The Ugly Organ (2003) and Happy Hollow (2006). The … Continued

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Review: The Pines – Dark So Gold

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By Mike Saponaro The changing landscape of the Midwest and its loss of the yeoman farmer carries somber tones that resonate well with Iowa natives The Pines. Band members David Huckfelt and Benson Ramsey are well-versed in traditional music, and their newest album Dark So Gold incorporates contemporary indie-folk instrumentals and stark-country vocals. While not all listeners will enjoy the alt-country feel, fans of southern-folk bands like Lost in the Trees and You and Your Effects should appreciate the distinctive mix of acoustic guitars, banjos and haunting lyrics. The album’s instrumental tracks “Moonrise, IA” and “Grace Hill” convey ethereal and … Continued

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the pines dark so gold

Review: Porcelain Raft – Strange Weekend

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By Shari Jaffri Mauro Remiddi, or better known as his moniker Porcelain Raft, is a multi-talented man. With an impressive repertoire right down his belt having traveled to many lurks of the world (the dashing Italian lad has worked off Broadway, joined part of a traveling circus in Germany and was part of a choir in Korea — imagine that), Mauro unremittingly stuns with his first full-length album, Strange Weekend. Released by the label Secretly Canadian, Strange Weekend is a wonderful and magical collection of songs. It begins with the woozy track, ‘Drifting in and Out’. With an opener like … Continued

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Review: A Place to Bury Strangers – Onwards To The Wall

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By Gabrielle Pawlikowski A Place To Bury Strangers’ eighth EP, Onwards To The Wall, is a fifteen minute maelstrom of industrial noise. Against a percussive backdrop of repetitive pummeling, distorted guitars ferociously wail and Oliver Ackermann croons of lost love in a manner so bleak it is almost deadpan. The result: a visceral unleashing of emotion that is both defiant and triumphant. The EP is drenched with the band’s characteristic use of feedback and reverb, stemming from effect petals custom made by Ackermann. The innovative effects are tightly coiled to create five nuggets of post-punk inspired melodies wrapped in an … Continued

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APTBS

Review: High Highs- High Highs EP

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By Keith Evanson If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere. Lately, this has been the case in the indie world. Musical acts Rubblebucket, Cults, and Battles can all testify to this statement, as they have gone from dominating the New York City music scene to now conquering the rest of the country, as well as the blogosphere. High Highs have a lot to be happy about. The past couple of years they have taken over the New York underground music scene. At SXSW last year, they completely killed their set. Now they have just … Continued

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