[email protected] (Limelight Editor)

Hippo Campus – “Landmark”

I first heard friends talking about Hippo Campus towards the end of 2015, but 2017 was the first time that I actively sought out the group when they released their debut LP in February.

It was a sunny, unexpectedly warm day when I first heard “Landmark,” the snow was melting as the slacker-pop vibes of “Way It Goes” scored my walk across central campus. The weeks to follow were soundtracked almost exclusively by the band.

A diverse set of songs is brought together under the same umbrella by a group that has a tight, focused sound. The playful “Western Kids,” timid “Monsoon” and liberating “Buttercup” could potentially come from three different records, but Hippo Campus bring them, and the rest of “Landmark,” together to form one tight, cohesive package.

A package that had a tight grip of me all of 2017 as I traveled to see them in both my favorite city and one of my favorite festivals, shared their music with the youth at a summer camp I worked at in the band’s home-state of Minnesota, and made multiple (hopefully) life-long friends with little initially in common besides the fact that we both liked “that one Hippo Campus record.”

No other 2017 release brought me as much joy as “Landmark.”

Dryjacket – “For Posterity”

On the other end of the spectrum, no other piece of music brought me as much solace as this New Jersey-based emo/pop-punk outfit’s debut LP.

Wow, is this thing poignant. Maybe it’s because each song seems like something your friend could have written over an especially isolated weekend. That, and the production is spot-on. The performances are tight, but not suffocated, and the overall sound of the record is clean and roomy, not sterile.

The lyricism is phenomenal, giving the group it’s own identity through it’s own way of storytelling, unique to other acts in the genre.

“Maybe I’m wrong but now look, the sun is falling / Most of our day-to-day choices are appalling / Understand that my last words are gonna mention you / Misused adrenaline, you win,” sings lead-vocalist Josh Junod on “Misused Adrenaline.

The music isn’t lacking either. “Wicker Couch” and “Epi Pen Pals” throw early punches, both emotionally and physically respectively, and “Spelling Era” and “Patron Without Funds” keep the listener on their toes with naturally-flowing passages of both laid-back and driving compositions.

“For Posterity” came out in the first two weeks of January, but don’t let it fall behind in the excellent year of music that was 2017.

[email protected] (Film/TV Reporter)

Run The Jewels – “Run The Jewels 3”

Rap-duo Killer Mike and El-P had a lot to live up to after 2014’s “Run The Jewels 2,” but “RTJ3” does not let down. Every track on “RTJ3” is hip-hop perfection. The angry, politically charged lyrics are reminiscent of Rage Against the Machine, Zack De La Rocha even has a hidden feature in “A Report to Your Shareholders/Kill Your Masters.” El-P’s production is some of the best in the industry, with up-tempo, sci-fi synth-heavy beats that flow flawlessly from one track to the next.

Queens of the Stone Age – “Villains”

“Villains” is far from the best Queens of the Stone Age album, but even a 6/10 Queens album is still a 9/10 by industry standards. Villains is the most fun album Josh Homme and company have ever produced, tracks like “Feet Don’t Fail Me,” “The Way You Used to Do,” and “Head Like a Haunted House,” are hard not to dance to. That doesn’t mean “Villains” is without the standard Queens rock-epics. “Un-Reborn Again” and “The Evil Has Landed” are dense tracks that will have you coming back to “Villains” for another listen.

[email protected] (News Editor – Student Life)

Lorde – “Melodrama”

“Melodrama” is the sophomore album from Lorde, and follows the fall of one relationship into the rise (and fall) of a new one. The album is pretty linear in its tracklist, with the opening “Green Light” being an anthem to the girl crying in the club over her ex, followed by “Homemade Dynamite” and “The Louvre”, which are at the same time light and dark, following the same person falling for someone new and thinking that their relationship is a masterpiece. 

The most vulnerable tracks on the album are “Liability” and “Hard Feelings/Loveless”, as the quiet power of the former acknowledges Lorde’s own shortcomings, and the latter desperately seeks to repair a relationship that is beyond repair.

The tracks between further the carefully constructed story of Lorde’s life, ending the album with the triumphant and resolved “Perfect Places,” which sings to a time gone by a time when we were eighteen and vulnerable but in pursuit of that which excited us, destroyed us and set our hearts on fire. 

Caroline.Shaw@iowastatedaily (SUB Reporter)

Our Last Night – “Selective Hearing” (EP)

“Selective Hearing” is a new EP from post-hardcore band Our Last Night.This project showed that Our Last Night has stepped up their game in a huge way. 

When their last LP, “Younger Dreams” came out, the band played one of the small stages on the Vans Warped tour. This year, Our Last Night accompanied their release with an all-summer run on the main stage. Their rapidly growing fanbase is a direct reflection of the band’s improvement and growth.

“Selective Hearing” is a collection of seven songs that cater to all Our Last Night fans. Songs like “Caught in the Storm” offer a purely melodic rock vibe while songs like “Ivory Tower” offer something to the heavier side. “Tongue Tied” is one of the strongest songs because it brings both sides of the spectrum, many different emotions, and a fluctuating pace together into a masterpiece of a track.

The EP shows the increased strength of the individual members with increased musical complexity and finesse. Frontman Trevor Wentworth has become stronger not only in his screaming, but also in his melodic contributions. Guitarist and vocalist Matt Wentworth continues to impress with his beautiful range and spot on guitar riffs. Drummer Tim Molloy continues to be a beast behind the kit, but never oversteps to a place where drums take over the track. Bassist Woody Woodrow masters increasingly musical bass lines that tie the songs together. 

[email protected] (Music Department Reporter)

Vince Staples – “Big Fish Theory”

After the first few tracks, “Big Fish Theory” stops being a hip-hop album and instead pushes into more experimental, electronic dance-music realms. With Flume, Jimmy Edgar, SOPHIE and others on the productions, they create a dark and cold soundscape. Staples’ scattered rap style works well with many of the non-traditionally structured beats.  

“Big Fish Theory” becomes even colder and darker the longer it goes on. “Samo” and “Yeah Right” are especially icy. Tracks like “Homage” and in particular “BagBak” sound like they have some Grime influences in them, which I absolutely love.   

I want to see Staples continue this trend of rapping over more electronic/dance production. It’s also a sound I want to see gain traction in the rest of the rap world. “Big Fish Theory” certainly has the quality to influence other rappers and make that happen.