Enter the Badlands
by Trig Scott
Black Foxxes are an English emo/indie rock band formed in Exeter in 2013. They began as a trio of Mark Holley (vocals, guitar), Tristan Jane (bass), and Anthony “Ant” Thornton (drums) after each had previously played in other bands around the Exonian music scene. In late 2014, they independently released their debut EP Pines, which earned them a deal with Search and Destroy Records in mid 2015. A year later, they released their debut album I’m Not Well, featuring reworked versions of three tracks from the Pines EP, and the singles “Husk,” “I’m Not Well,” and “Whatever Lets You Cope.”
After touring for much of 2017, the band wasted no time getting their second album out into the world. Released in March 2018, the album was greatly inspired by the time Mark Holley spent in Iceland. This is reflected in the album’s title--Reiði (the Icelandic word for “rage”), and the title of the lead single—“Sæla” (meaning “bliss”). The album maintains many of the debut’s defining characteristics, however the Foxxes also begin to experiment with several new sounds on Reiði, displaying some underlying influences from pop, alt-country, and shoegaze.
In March 2020, Ant Thornton and Tristan Jane announced that they would be parting ways with the band, with the former stating on social media: “To me the band was the three of us and I wanted to respect what we had achieved and made. We did some good work and the intensity we stirred up together was something that will stay with me forever.” Soon after this, Mark Holley released a solo EP under the moniker Sunflower. In an Instagram post announcing this, he assured fans that Black Foxxes “is, and will always be, [his] number one priority,” and said “You’re gunna get your weird, punk, abstract third record, and it’s f---ing incredible, and I’ve never been more proud of anything in my life.”
On July 17, 2020, the first single from this upcoming third record was released: “Badlands,” featuring the band’s new lineup of bassist Jack Henley and drummer Finn Mclean joining Holley’s vocals and guitar-work. Clocking in at over eight minutes, “Badlands” was the longest song the band had ever released. Beginning with a bluesy guitar riff and a tightly-knit rhythm section, then evolving into a progressive shoegaze epic, the song highlights that even reduced to only one founding member, the band still holds onto its most recognizable features, while also growing and expanding upon the foundation Holley had established with his previous bandmates.
A month later, Black Foxxes released a second single entitled “Swim” alongside the official announcement of the title and release date of their third album, the eponymous Black Foxxes. After two more single releases—the PJ Harvey/Billie Eilish influenced “Drug Holiday” and the soaring, trumpet-laced heights of “Jungle Skies”—the album was released on October 30, 2020.
The first lines of the album are nearly inaudible: “I’m, like, shaking from adrenaline,” Holley says, before the opening riff of “I Am” slowly creeps in. As he sings, Holley is eventually joined by bass and drums that build in intensity before dropping out completely under a lyric referencing one of the band’s oldest songs, then returning in full force as Holley repeatedly screams out “I am alone.”
The next non-single track “My Skin Is” begins with another prominent bass line at the forefront, which remains as a driving force throughout much of the song.
This is followed by “Panic,” which would later become tied with “Badlands” for the title of my personal favorite song on the album, despite the two being near polar opposites. Panic begins slow and somber, and slowly builds into a beguiling outro featuring distorted vocals, dazzling guitar tones, and an abrupt full-stop ending that leaves listeners in a few seconds of eerie silence before the next track begins.
Following the other two singles, “Pacific” attacks right out of the gate with a wild drum intro over more heavily reverbed guitars. Listeners may hear this and expect a full song of high intensity reminiscent of the band’s earlier work, until twenty seconds later when the drums slow to little more than a marching snare beat. Holley’s vocals are introduced alongside a trumpet line that carries the song forward into another slow build up to a resounding climax, ending the song with a punching intensity just as it began.
The album’s closing track “The Diving Bell” runs one minute longer than “Badlands,” stealing the title as the band’s longest song. Its refrain of “We could do better” ends the album on a feeling of hope, rather than despair, as Holley’s past lyrics had usually implied.
In August 2021, the band announced that they would be releasing an extended version of the album featuring four new tracks, having originally planned for a total of thirteen, but cut down the initial release to shorten its runtime. The first new track to be released was “45,” the origins of which dated back to the band’s original lineup. The other three—“End Of,” “Witch Mountain,” and “Use Me”—arrived the following month, all of which undoubtedly achieve the same standard of quality held by the original release.
Black Foxxes have already begun work on their next record, with the band’s Instagram page featuring several recent posts of Mark Holley experimenting with new sounds, and workshopping his lyrics. This fourth album, Holley hopes, may arrive sometime later in 2022.
by Trig Scott
Black Foxxes are an English emo/indie rock band formed in Exeter in 2013. They began as a trio of Mark Holley (vocals, guitar), Tristan Jane (bass), and Anthony “Ant” Thornton (drums) after each had previously played in other bands around the Exonian music scene. In late 2014, they independently released their debut EP Pines, which earned them a deal with Search and Destroy Records in mid 2015. A year later, they released their debut album I’m Not Well, featuring reworked versions of three tracks from the Pines EP, and the singles “Husk,” “I’m Not Well,” and “Whatever Lets You Cope.”
After touring for much of 2017, the band wasted no time getting their second album out into the world. Released in March 2018, the album was greatly inspired by the time Mark Holley spent in Iceland. This is reflected in the album’s title--Reiði (the Icelandic word for “rage”), and the title of the lead single—“Sæla” (meaning “bliss”). The album maintains many of the debut’s defining characteristics, however the Foxxes also begin to experiment with several new sounds on Reiði, displaying some underlying influences from pop, alt-country, and shoegaze.
In March 2020, Ant Thornton and Tristan Jane announced that they would be parting ways with the band, with the former stating on social media: “To me the band was the three of us and I wanted to respect what we had achieved and made. We did some good work and the intensity we stirred up together was something that will stay with me forever.” Soon after this, Mark Holley released a solo EP under the moniker Sunflower. In an Instagram post announcing this, he assured fans that Black Foxxes “is, and will always be, [his] number one priority,” and said “You’re gunna get your weird, punk, abstract third record, and it’s f---ing incredible, and I’ve never been more proud of anything in my life.”
On July 17, 2020, the first single from this upcoming third record was released: “Badlands,” featuring the band’s new lineup of bassist Jack Henley and drummer Finn Mclean joining Holley’s vocals and guitar-work. Clocking in at over eight minutes, “Badlands” was the longest song the band had ever released. Beginning with a bluesy guitar riff and a tightly-knit rhythm section, then evolving into a progressive shoegaze epic, the song highlights that even reduced to only one founding member, the band still holds onto its most recognizable features, while also growing and expanding upon the foundation Holley had established with his previous bandmates.
A month later, Black Foxxes released a second single entitled “Swim” alongside the official announcement of the title and release date of their third album, the eponymous Black Foxxes. After two more single releases—the PJ Harvey/Billie Eilish influenced “Drug Holiday” and the soaring, trumpet-laced heights of “Jungle Skies”—the album was released on October 30, 2020.
The first lines of the album are nearly inaudible: “I’m, like, shaking from adrenaline,” Holley says, before the opening riff of “I Am” slowly creeps in. As he sings, Holley is eventually joined by bass and drums that build in intensity before dropping out completely under a lyric referencing one of the band’s oldest songs, then returning in full force as Holley repeatedly screams out “I am alone.”
The next non-single track “My Skin Is” begins with another prominent bass line at the forefront, which remains as a driving force throughout much of the song.
This is followed by “Panic,” which would later become tied with “Badlands” for the title of my personal favorite song on the album, despite the two being near polar opposites. Panic begins slow and somber, and slowly builds into a beguiling outro featuring distorted vocals, dazzling guitar tones, and an abrupt full-stop ending that leaves listeners in a few seconds of eerie silence before the next track begins.
Following the other two singles, “Pacific” attacks right out of the gate with a wild drum intro over more heavily reverbed guitars. Listeners may hear this and expect a full song of high intensity reminiscent of the band’s earlier work, until twenty seconds later when the drums slow to little more than a marching snare beat. Holley’s vocals are introduced alongside a trumpet line that carries the song forward into another slow build up to a resounding climax, ending the song with a punching intensity just as it began.
The album’s closing track “The Diving Bell” runs one minute longer than “Badlands,” stealing the title as the band’s longest song. Its refrain of “We could do better” ends the album on a feeling of hope, rather than despair, as Holley’s past lyrics had usually implied.
In August 2021, the band announced that they would be releasing an extended version of the album featuring four new tracks, having originally planned for a total of thirteen, but cut down the initial release to shorten its runtime. The first new track to be released was “45,” the origins of which dated back to the band’s original lineup. The other three—“End Of,” “Witch Mountain,” and “Use Me”—arrived the following month, all of which undoubtedly achieve the same standard of quality held by the original release.
Black Foxxes have already begun work on their next record, with the band’s Instagram page featuring several recent posts of Mark Holley experimenting with new sounds, and workshopping his lyrics. This fourth album, Holley hopes, may arrive sometime later in 2022.
2Cellos
By Marc Apple
“Classical music is boring!” Ever heard that before? We’ve all heard this and many more stereotypical comments regarding classical music and those that play and enjoy it. But classical music today is changing and becoming much more mainstream, and the musical group at the
forefront of this new movement is 2Cellos.
2Cellos are a Croatian duo of Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser who met at a master class for cellists in Pula, Croatia, in the late 2000s. Both have been trained and educated at the Academy of Music in Zagreb and initially were rivals despite their friendship.
But in 2011, the two decided to put their rivalry aside and join forces to reinvent classical cello music by playing instrumental versions of well-known pop and rock songs mixed with classical elements. In 2011, the duo released their version of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” on
YouTube and received over three million views in just the first two weeks. (Currently that number is over 38 million views as of March 2022!)
This internet fame caught the attention of a major recording label, SONY Masterworks, and their eponymous first album was released in
July of 2011. That same summer, 2Cellos was invited to tour with Elton John after he had seen their “Smooth Criminal” video as well as their appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and at the 2011 iTunes Festival in London, England. This was the beginning of a five-year relationship between 2Cellos and Elton John that included several hundred LIVE performances at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.
The pair have also appeared on the television show Glee and have even performed at Buckingham Palace in Queen Elizabeth the Second’s Diamond Jubilee Concert of 2012.
After a two-year hiatus, 2Cellos current album, Dedicated, was released in 2021 and features their unique versions of songs such as Guns ‘N Roses “Sweet Child of Mine”, Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer”, and Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” among others.
In 2019, the two parted ways after eight long years of making music and being on the road. “We really overdid it. 200 flights a year, constant concerts, traveling on all continents and filming,” Hauser said at the time. But they decided to get back together for one last album and
concert tour.
Currently, 2Cellos are on a world tour and are right here in the United States before heading back to Europe. Their final US shows will be at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on April 16, 2022, and the Concord Pavilion in Concord, California on April 17 before they return to Europe for shows in late May and early June.
Their last concert will be held at the SSE Arena in London on June 2, 2022.
2Cellos has bent the rules of classical music to bring us a fusion of pop, rock, and classical that has shaken up the world of music forever. Here’s one fan that hopes that despite their claims that this is their last tour, we have more 2Cellos to look forward to in the future.
By Marc Apple
“Classical music is boring!” Ever heard that before? We’ve all heard this and many more stereotypical comments regarding classical music and those that play and enjoy it. But classical music today is changing and becoming much more mainstream, and the musical group at the
forefront of this new movement is 2Cellos.
2Cellos are a Croatian duo of Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser who met at a master class for cellists in Pula, Croatia, in the late 2000s. Both have been trained and educated at the Academy of Music in Zagreb and initially were rivals despite their friendship.
But in 2011, the two decided to put their rivalry aside and join forces to reinvent classical cello music by playing instrumental versions of well-known pop and rock songs mixed with classical elements. In 2011, the duo released their version of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” on
YouTube and received over three million views in just the first two weeks. (Currently that number is over 38 million views as of March 2022!)
This internet fame caught the attention of a major recording label, SONY Masterworks, and their eponymous first album was released in
July of 2011. That same summer, 2Cellos was invited to tour with Elton John after he had seen their “Smooth Criminal” video as well as their appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and at the 2011 iTunes Festival in London, England. This was the beginning of a five-year relationship between 2Cellos and Elton John that included several hundred LIVE performances at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.
The pair have also appeared on the television show Glee and have even performed at Buckingham Palace in Queen Elizabeth the Second’s Diamond Jubilee Concert of 2012.
After a two-year hiatus, 2Cellos current album, Dedicated, was released in 2021 and features their unique versions of songs such as Guns ‘N Roses “Sweet Child of Mine”, Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer”, and Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence” among others.
In 2019, the two parted ways after eight long years of making music and being on the road. “We really overdid it. 200 flights a year, constant concerts, traveling on all continents and filming,” Hauser said at the time. But they decided to get back together for one last album and
concert tour.
Currently, 2Cellos are on a world tour and are right here in the United States before heading back to Europe. Their final US shows will be at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on April 16, 2022, and the Concord Pavilion in Concord, California on April 17 before they return to Europe for shows in late May and early June.
Their last concert will be held at the SSE Arena in London on June 2, 2022.
2Cellos has bent the rules of classical music to bring us a fusion of pop, rock, and classical that has shaken up the world of music forever. Here’s one fan that hopes that despite their claims that this is their last tour, we have more 2Cellos to look forward to in the future.
Khaild
by Elise Miller
Khalid rose to fame with his debut R&B album “American Teen” in 2017, which brought his fans such hits as “ Young Dumb & Broke” and “ Location”. The young artist wrote this album fresh out of high school. His other works include the albums “Free Spirit” and his latest being “Scenic Drive (The Tape)” and singles with a variety of famous artists and producers.
Khalid Donnel Robinson grew up with his mother Linda Wolfe who traveled a lot due to her military career. Originally from Fort Stewart, Georgia, his mother’s work brought them to other military bases in Kentucky, New York, Germany and, finally, El Paso, Texas.
While he was traveling around for his mother’s work, music remained a big part of his life, especially seeing his mom perform in the U.S. Army Chorus.
While in El Paso, the supportive environment helped to spark his creative juices and gave him the safe space to gain the confidence to release a few singles while still in school, which led to a record deal at RCA in 2016.
Many other people have recognized Khaild’s great works over the years. He has won a Grammy, an MTV Music Award, multiple American Music Award, multiple Billboard Music Awards, NAACP Award for his work on the Black Panther movie soundtrack, multiple iHeartRadio Music Awards, a Much Music Video Award and a Soul Train Music Award. He has also had many, many nominations for various awards.
Khalid's first album “American Teen” released in 2017 with 15 songs, many of them are his most loved songs. This album has a very fun, upbeat and cheery vibe to the majority of the songs which is a view of how the teenage years of one's life are lived.
My favorite songs of the album are “ American Teen” for the carefree energy the song has, “8TEEN” and “Keep Me”. These songs use the beat to bring the listener to a very carefree state and his pitch and tone are on point for the whole album. This album is extremely good and totally encapsulates the teenage spirit.
“Free Spirit” was released in 2019 and has 17 songs. This album has my personal favorite song “ Outta My Head” featuring John Mayer. This song gives carefree feeling and is a perfect song for a summer drive with the windows down. The song's lyrics entice the listener to their full attention to the song.
I really enjoy the calming vibe of the entire album especially with songs like “Saturday Nights”, “Bluffin’”, “Don’t Pretend”, “Better'' and “My Bad.” The album also has a nice mix of more melancholy songs like “Self”, “Alive” and “Heaven”. This is a “no skip'' album and that every person who listens to it should listen to every song from start to finish.
The aesthetic of Khaild’s third album “Suncity '' is more slow and melancholy than the previous albums but the change of pace is very refreshing especially with the attention grabbing interludes throughout the run of the album. My personal favorite song is “Suncity” which has a salsa dancing vibe.
by Elise Miller
Khalid rose to fame with his debut R&B album “American Teen” in 2017, which brought his fans such hits as “ Young Dumb & Broke” and “ Location”. The young artist wrote this album fresh out of high school. His other works include the albums “Free Spirit” and his latest being “Scenic Drive (The Tape)” and singles with a variety of famous artists and producers.
Khalid Donnel Robinson grew up with his mother Linda Wolfe who traveled a lot due to her military career. Originally from Fort Stewart, Georgia, his mother’s work brought them to other military bases in Kentucky, New York, Germany and, finally, El Paso, Texas.
While he was traveling around for his mother’s work, music remained a big part of his life, especially seeing his mom perform in the U.S. Army Chorus.
While in El Paso, the supportive environment helped to spark his creative juices and gave him the safe space to gain the confidence to release a few singles while still in school, which led to a record deal at RCA in 2016.
Many other people have recognized Khaild’s great works over the years. He has won a Grammy, an MTV Music Award, multiple American Music Award, multiple Billboard Music Awards, NAACP Award for his work on the Black Panther movie soundtrack, multiple iHeartRadio Music Awards, a Much Music Video Award and a Soul Train Music Award. He has also had many, many nominations for various awards.
Khalid's first album “American Teen” released in 2017 with 15 songs, many of them are his most loved songs. This album has a very fun, upbeat and cheery vibe to the majority of the songs which is a view of how the teenage years of one's life are lived.
My favorite songs of the album are “ American Teen” for the carefree energy the song has, “8TEEN” and “Keep Me”. These songs use the beat to bring the listener to a very carefree state and his pitch and tone are on point for the whole album. This album is extremely good and totally encapsulates the teenage spirit.
“Free Spirit” was released in 2019 and has 17 songs. This album has my personal favorite song “ Outta My Head” featuring John Mayer. This song gives carefree feeling and is a perfect song for a summer drive with the windows down. The song's lyrics entice the listener to their full attention to the song.
I really enjoy the calming vibe of the entire album especially with songs like “Saturday Nights”, “Bluffin’”, “Don’t Pretend”, “Better'' and “My Bad.” The album also has a nice mix of more melancholy songs like “Self”, “Alive” and “Heaven”. This is a “no skip'' album and that every person who listens to it should listen to every song from start to finish.
The aesthetic of Khaild’s third album “Suncity '' is more slow and melancholy than the previous albums but the change of pace is very refreshing especially with the attention grabbing interludes throughout the run of the album. My personal favorite song is “Suncity” which has a salsa dancing vibe.
The Black Keys - "Let’s Rock"
by Luke Doran
The Black Keys are an American rock band formed out of Akron, Ohio in 2001. The artist consists of iconic duo Dan Auerbach on vocals and guitar, and drummer Patrick Carney. The following years consisted of almost yearly album releases as the two honed in the sound many would come to know and love. It wasn’t until 2010 when their album “Brothers” became a breakthrough hit, popularizing the distinct and old rock sound The Black Keys have.
When their 2014 album “Turn Blue” released, many criticized a change in sound that the group was not known for, having stayed relatively true to their prior inspiration. It was following this that they took a five year break, the band stated they were burned out. Both head musicians
kept creating music on their own terms.
In late June of 2019, The Black Keys made their long awaited return by putting out “Let’s Rock”, an album that truly embraced the original sound that they became so known for, a classic southern take on rock with fused themes of blues and alternative rock. The release of the album during the first part of the summer couldn’t have been better.
Summer is arguably the perfect season for this piece of art to have been released. It’s the type of southern sounding rock that you’d listen to while driving to the beach on a hot day, or while getting together with friends at the lake.
I happened to go on vacation for a week following the release of this album, which gave me a prime opportunity to fully immerse myself in the sound of the album.
Tracks like “Go” and “Get Yourself Together” bear a sound reminiscent of the band’s albums that were released around a decade ago, when they arguably hit the most fame for albums “Brothers” and “El Camino”. The song “Lo/Hi” achieves a catchiness the artist is known for yet
incorporates a more modern sound that was, for them, more controversial among fans just five years prior.
With the new album pulling old fans back in, 2020 was meant to be the big tour year. The unforeseen pandemic led to the cancellation of their summer tour, including their appearance at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, which I had already purchased tickets for. Although this news was incredibly unfortunate, now that the pandemic is more under control, The Black Keys have planned their 2022 tour to be a make-up for the lack of a 2020 tour.
The Black Keys didn’t stop at “Let’s Rock”. Two years later, during the second year of the pandemic, they released their new album Delta Kream. Continuing their dig into the past, Delta Kream heavily draws from blues that stem back over half a century ago.
With a new single released earlier in March, The Black Keys are expected to have a new album on the way for either late 2022, or possibly early 2023. Even after a few years apart, the future seems bright for The Black Keys.
The Black Keys will be performing at SPAC in Saratoga Springs on Wednesday, July 20th.
by Luke Doran
The Black Keys are an American rock band formed out of Akron, Ohio in 2001. The artist consists of iconic duo Dan Auerbach on vocals and guitar, and drummer Patrick Carney. The following years consisted of almost yearly album releases as the two honed in the sound many would come to know and love. It wasn’t until 2010 when their album “Brothers” became a breakthrough hit, popularizing the distinct and old rock sound The Black Keys have.
When their 2014 album “Turn Blue” released, many criticized a change in sound that the group was not known for, having stayed relatively true to their prior inspiration. It was following this that they took a five year break, the band stated they were burned out. Both head musicians
kept creating music on their own terms.
In late June of 2019, The Black Keys made their long awaited return by putting out “Let’s Rock”, an album that truly embraced the original sound that they became so known for, a classic southern take on rock with fused themes of blues and alternative rock. The release of the album during the first part of the summer couldn’t have been better.
Summer is arguably the perfect season for this piece of art to have been released. It’s the type of southern sounding rock that you’d listen to while driving to the beach on a hot day, or while getting together with friends at the lake.
I happened to go on vacation for a week following the release of this album, which gave me a prime opportunity to fully immerse myself in the sound of the album.
Tracks like “Go” and “Get Yourself Together” bear a sound reminiscent of the band’s albums that were released around a decade ago, when they arguably hit the most fame for albums “Brothers” and “El Camino”. The song “Lo/Hi” achieves a catchiness the artist is known for yet
incorporates a more modern sound that was, for them, more controversial among fans just five years prior.
With the new album pulling old fans back in, 2020 was meant to be the big tour year. The unforeseen pandemic led to the cancellation of their summer tour, including their appearance at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, which I had already purchased tickets for. Although this news was incredibly unfortunate, now that the pandemic is more under control, The Black Keys have planned their 2022 tour to be a make-up for the lack of a 2020 tour.
The Black Keys didn’t stop at “Let’s Rock”. Two years later, during the second year of the pandemic, they released their new album Delta Kream. Continuing their dig into the past, Delta Kream heavily draws from blues that stem back over half a century ago.
With a new single released earlier in March, The Black Keys are expected to have a new album on the way for either late 2022, or possibly early 2023. Even after a few years apart, the future seems bright for The Black Keys.
The Black Keys will be performing at SPAC in Saratoga Springs on Wednesday, July 20th.