Melissa Kacar

"Mr. Mountebank" by Djo The Crux (Deluxe) gives so much more insight into the journey Djo took while writing this album and all of the different directions he could've taken with it narratively. It's more than just a regular deluxe album, it's more so a companion project of twelve songs that were written during the same creative period as The Crux , but didn't make the initial cut. That said, they don't feel like leftovers. Each track truly feels like a natural expansion of the time in his life that inspired this music, and collectively, they feel like a culmination of some of the more unhinged parts of himself that he had to work through to arrive at the final version of The Crux . "Mr. Mountebank" is one of my many favorites, he goes fully Djo XCX on it, diving into a wild and abrasive hyperpop sound that's completely different from anything he's made before. It offers a sharp commentary on fame and virality, especially in the wake of ...

As a part of her seven-date record store promo tour celebrating the release week of her long-awaited sophomore album Am I The Drama? , Cardi B made a stop at one of my favorite local record stores for a special meet and greet event. Spin Me Round, located in the Palmer Park Mall in Easton, Pennsylvania, was the second stop, the day after her album was released. It was so exciting to see one of my favorite local record stores included on this tour and I couldn't believe that she was actually in person for this event! Spin Me Round has built a massive platform across TikTok and Instagram and have definitely garnered a reputation as one of the most popular independent record stores in the North East. This is always one of my go-to record stores to visit for Record Store Day , early listening parties, and vinyl shopping in general, so it was cool to be able to see an artist as big as Cardi there! The price of admission was only about $15 and preordering a CD copy of Cardi's new al...

Music's biggest night was filled with unforgettable performances and served as a celebration of some of the best art released in the past year. The competition was very tight this year, every category had several nominees that were equally deserving of the night's biggest honors. This past year was so great in terms of new music releases, it has been so much fun to be a fan of all of these artists. There was a very diverse range of artists celebrated, which was so great to see.  The entire show was dedicated to fundraising for the communities in Los Angeles that have been affected by the devastating wildfires last month, which is such an important cause to bring attention to. Los Angeles is home to such a vibrant artistic community, a city that is intertwined with the history of so much of the best art and music of our time. Many small businesses were highlighted throughout the show as well as tributes to the victims of the fires, the firefighters and first responders that put...