This story was published in The Weekly, a supplement to The Daily Northwestern.
Low Brow – Glee/”Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers”
Glee’s newest soundtrack, “Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers” showcases a series of strong solo performances and group harmonies. But even though the cast is wildly talented, it attempts to take on some classics it shouldn’t have touched, such as The Beatles’ “Hello, Goodbye” and Frank Sinatra’s “The Lady is a Tramp.” The cast falls flat on Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” and somehow makes “The Safety Dance” sound even more comical than it is supposed to but gets it right with some songs, such as Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful.” Like the other Glee soundtracks, “Showstoppers” is a tad too theatrical to take seriously but still fun.– annie chang
Mid Brow – The Black Keys/”Brothers”
“Brothers” is the Black Keys’ sixth album, and though it isn’t revolutionary, it gives veteran fans some satisfying new sounds. Dan Auerbach’s forays into his upper range on “Everlasting Light” and the cover of Jerry Butler’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” are surprising tracks, especially against the muffled and echoing vocals on “Too Afraid To Love You” and “Ten Cent Pistol.” Despite some innovations, Brothers retains its signature blues sound on singles “Next Girl” and “Tighten Up.” At 16 tracks, though, the album could have trimmed some of the same-old sound and stuck with the more interesting material.– katherine bernot
High Brow – Male Bonding/”Nothing Hurts”
While a lot of popular indie music has been veering toward the experimental, bands like Male Bonding are bringing the genre back to loud guitar basics. “Nothing Hurts” is low on lyrical comprehension but big on rollicking guitar and muscular bass. The sound isn’t mindblowingly original, but the songs are tighter than your average garage band, making up for lost concept with huge hooks. Tracks range from anthemic-lead single “Years Not Long” is punk rock montage music-to wistful, like the tender acoustic closer “Worse to Come.” The parts are louder than they are specific, but it’s a gem of a record. – jeremy gordon
