The Cardiac Bears did it again. As they move onto round two of the playoffs, they send their rivals, the Green Bay Packers, back to the offseason training.
After discovering The Hold Steady at Riot Fest, Logan Melia sits down with Craig Finn to discuss his new solo record Always Been, the evolution of narrative songwriting, and finding meaning in modern American life. From faith and mental health to baseball heartbreak, the conversation spans far beyond music.
Even after a valiant fourth quarter comeback, the Chicago Bears fell short of the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field. Heading into the playoffs, they’ll once again face off against a bitter rival: the Green Bay Packers.
For nearly 40 years, Jhe Russell needed to be perfect. After all, his dance career demanded it. But when injuries and the chaos of life took him in a different direction, he found peace in a job he never expected.
KRUI is pretty special, not only do we like music, but we also enjoy other things! From movies, video games, a DJ set, and sports, here’s a list of some of our KRUI picks from all things media that we loved to see in 2025.
No. 23 Iowa closed the 2025 season with a statement win, knocking off No. 14 Vanderbilt in the ReliaQuest Bowl behind a clutch performance from senior quarterback Mark Gronowski. The victory snapped Iowa’s long skid against ranked opponents and served as a fitting sendoff for a senior class that chose loyalty and one last ride together.
Music director Max Johnson reviews the debut album “The Endless Prom” from Iowa band Trouble Lights.
Grizzly Bear is one of those bands that continue to stand out by creating an engaging auditory experience. Their breakout album Veckatimist was lauded by music fans and critics alike, and it is probably safe to say Shields will follow suit. Shields is unique in that it doesn’t have a standout track, the quality is inherent in every song; each has its own handsome virtues. The single “Yet Again” is arguably the most accessible song on the album, but it still maintains the haunting aura the album strives for. From the moment the album begins with “Sleeping Ute,” it is … Continued
Somewhere on the spectrum between Bjork and Braids lies Purity Ring, whose debut album “Shrines” was released on July 24. Give a listen to our track of the week, “Fineshrine.”
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 The fabled street corner has been replaced by a SoundCloud account and it often seems that anyone with a Logic torrent is busy tweeting about their upcoming mixtape.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
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
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
KRUI staffer Keith Evanson reviews “Some Nights”, the latest album from Fun.
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
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
By Keith Evanson Straight outta Des Moines, Iowa, Bright Giant exists to fill your ears with fuzzy distortion and crunchy guitar licks. Front man Josh Davis, who founded The Josh Davis Band, an alt-country band active in the early 2000s, has now broken out of his country shell (mostly), and created a new monster: Bright Giant. The local band released a 5 track EP in the summer of 2010, and since then they have been writing new material for their breakout album, “Kings and Queens of Air.” I can’t really describe the LP more accurately then by simply stating the … Continued
