Soil Compilation

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Interview: KRUI With The Plain White T’s

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At When We Were Young 2025, fellow Chicago area natives Plain White T’s sat down with me as we discussed how the local scene has changed, their tour with We The Kings, and how Las Vegas scares us all the slightest bit. We started the conversation out by sharing a mutual love of Death Cab for Cutie:

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Iowa Baseball Opens the Season with a Weekend Sweep

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Head Coach Rick Heller and the Iowa Hawkeyes opened their season this past Friday with a 12-2 win down in Charleston, South Carolina against the Air Force Falcons. Air Force is predicted to finish third in the Mountain West, after securing their first ever winning season in conference play last season. (Image via Hawkeye Sports)

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The Best Releases of January: Music Staff Picks

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Earl Sweatshirt – SICK! On the newest album from Earl Sweatshirt, the rapper continues his streak of thoughtful and melancholic bars–this time with a slightly more approachable selection of beats, supplied by the likes of The Alchemist and Black Noi$e. Avant jazz is still a key piece of the production, though some of the pianos here have a midi sheen to them, and some of the trap-influenced drum tracks will be familiar to fans of contemporary hip hop. One such track featuring this style of production is “2010”, with a bright, yet off-kilter synth loop. Here, as with many spots … Continued

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The Best Releases of October: Music Staff Picks

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The Body & BIG|BRAVE – Leaving None But Small Birds  The Body and BIG|BRAVE have each earned their tenure in metal, but together they have created an album that defies any preconceived notions one might have had for them. On Leaving None But Small Birds, both bands veer into a brand of folk rock that is rife with an eerie grit. Twangy layered strings mesh with the heavy distortion of guitars that both The Body and BIG|BRAVE are known for, creating a delicate and foreboding atmosphere. Similarly, the guttural shrieks and growls of The Body are replaced by the haunting croons of BIG|BRAVE’s lead vocalist Robin … Continued

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The Best Releases of August: Music Staff Picks

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Tropical Fuck Storm – Deep States Aussie noise rock band Tropical Fuck Storm’s third album, Deep States, is as messy and disorienting as the doomed political landscape it was birthed out of. Reflecting mind-poisoning social media discourse twisted through the filter of a distortion pedal, vocalists Gareth Liddiard and Fiona Kitschin deliver some of their most compelling melodies over lacerating guitar and synth lines. The opening track, “The Greatest Story Ever Told”, writes from the perspective of Jesus’ second coming to Earth to proclaim in a grand chorus “There ain’t no end of days.” Even at its loudest, a sense … Continued

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