Soil Compilation

Music
Gin Blossoms Live at Hy-Vee Ampitheater

On a cool night, somewhere in between the last days of summer and first days of fall, the finale to the Hy-Vee Ampitheater’s inaugural season took place. Starring Arizona’s Gin Blossoms, hundreds turned out on their feet for the band in North Liberty’s newest venue.

Sports
Around the Big Ten – Week Three

Week two of college football gave us a pair of early Game of the Year candidates. Unfortunately for the Big Ten, those games came at their expense. This week, we’ll take a look at Iowa’s cathartic win over Iowa State, Oregon’s early-season struggles, and Ohio State’s meltdown against Texas.

You may have not heard of the Minnesota based, indie pop band The Role Call yet, but it’s only a matter of time before they’re on your radar. As I waited in the cold outside The Rave in Milwaukee last weekend for a concert, I met the band and listened to a sample of their music. I instantly gravitated toward their fresh alternative pop sound. “Find Your Way” is my pick for track of the week, because it’s a song we all can relate to, and enjoy while doing it. The song is about a troubled relationship, and the confusion that that involves. Singer and songwriter … Continued

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The Mountain Goats are an American folk band that was created by John Darnielle in his small studio apartment with nothing more than his poetry, a dual-cassette recorder, and a guitar that he got for a couple dollars up the street. He went on to share his poems with his friend Rachel who just happened to play the bass. They went on to tour the US and Europe, along with the Midwest and San Francisco. Then in 2001, when asked if he’d like to make records, John called his friend Peter and the two went on to make Tallahassee, We Shall All Be Healed, … Continued

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Flying Lotus describes “Tiny Tortures,” one of the standouts from his recent (and excellent) Until the Quiet Comes, as his “mischevious song,” a song he made quietly around other people so no one else could hear him play. If there really is mischief here, though, it’s buried pretty deep. What “Tiny Tortures” does show is a producer that considers his work so delicate that another person’s breath might knock the whole thing over. It’s a dreamy track, sparse enough to almost see through, but rich with foggy, internal dialogue. A muddy bass snakes its way through a pencil-thin drum program like … Continued

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Last March, Ellie Goulding’s long-awaited first full album Lights was released. Only a year and seven months later (Tuesday, actually), Halcyon hit the stores. Personally, I have only ever been a fan of a few of Ellie Goulding’s covers, and I never really got into Lights. However, Halcyon has a slightly different feel to it. The pop, almost techo vibe of Goulding’s previous work is still present, but there is a new hint of alternative that really has me hooked. It is most apparent, to me, in the more laid-back track “Dead in the Water.” The first two minutes of the … Continued

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