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Online news & entertainment magazine at UT Austin

BurntXOrange

Online news & entertainment magazine at UT Austin

BurntXOrange

Online news & entertainment magazine at UT Austin

BurntXOrange

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ORANGE Music Roundup: Best Breakup Song

April 24, 2015

There’s something about raw, unadulterated pain that inspires the greatest art. It’s no secret that countless songs have been inspired by breakups, and often go on to become some of the artists’ biggest hits. It almost seems unfair — and maybe even voyeuristic — that we, anonymous listeners, could have such a personal glimpse into their personal lives. But if the process is cathartic and they’re willing to share these songs, we might as well enjoy. And somedays, we may be the ones who need them.

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ORANGE Music Roundup: Artists Who Successfully Blend Genres

April 17, 2015

What’s the deal with labels? It seems like people can’t enjoy a piece of music until they’ve micro-analyzed and compartmentalized it. This makes it all the more satisfying when an artist comes along and completely defies all conventional genres. 

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Through the Lens: Texas Independence Fest

April 13, 2015

Texas Independence Fest took up residency at the Empire Control Room & Garage this weekend, boasting an impressive lineup of metal bands that ran the gamut from thrash legends Death Angel to modern deathcore forerunners like Oceano and Whitechapel. 

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ORANGE Music Roundup: Local Bands To See At SXSW

March 13, 2015

Call it “The Great South By Southwest Paradox.” A festival initially founded to shed light on local artists has slowly become overrun with superstars and big-budget sponsors. Its current form is unrecognizable from its humble beginnings. It was bound to happen, but don’t let that dissuade you from taking a chance on some of this city’s finest homegrown talent. Sometimes it pays to skip the three-hour lines, stop refreshing Drake’s Twitter and mosey into the charming dive bar you’ve been meaning to go to. You might find that your new favorite artist comes from your own city.

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ORANGE Reviews: ROXY ROCA’s “Ain’t Nothin’ Fancy”

March 9, 2015

In the post-“Uptown Funk” world we’re living in, big brass and a Morris Day attitude are all the rage. And “Ain’t Nothin’ Fancy,” the latest effort from local band ROXY ROCA, fits the bill quite nicely.

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ORANGE Music Roundup: Favorite Music Videos

December 1, 2014

Remember when MTV actually stood for “Music Television”? No? Well, the ORANGE Music staff does, and we’re still bitter about the change. At a ripe average age of just 20, we might be dating ourselves this week, but we consider these music videos game-changers in a field that is rapidly becoming a dying art.

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ORANGE Music’s Best Overlooked Artists

November 24, 2014

Fame is fickle. Often the ones who are most worthy of the spotlight will go through their careers without ever reaching it. For some reason or another, these artists have yet to be embraced by the mainstream on the scale that we think they deserve. But at least we know they’re great, and our fingers are crossed.

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ORANGE Music’s Favorite Guilty Listening Pleasures

November 17, 2014

One of the prerequisites for being a music writer is believing in your own impeccable taste. If we have the potential to influence the public’s perception and consumption of new music, we have to like stuff that doesn’t suck. Still, we’re only human, and we all deserve a few get-out-of-jail-free cards. We can hold on to our favorite guilty pleasures without owing anybody an explanation. It could be worse. It could be Nickelback. 

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Music Staff Selects: Best Movie Soundtracks

November 10, 2014

A proper movie-watching experience goes far beyond the visual appeal. A good soundtrack heightens the viewer’s enjoyment and understanding of the film, articulating the emotional impact of a scene when words might fail. Our favorite soundtracks do just that. They elevate their respective movies from mere entertainment to true art.

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Music Staff Selects: Best Music Collaborations

November 3, 2014

Not all great things go well together. Think peanut butter and Sriracha. But sometimes two things blend so beautifully that it's nearly impossible to remember life before the combination. Musical collaborations are no different, and we've compiled a list of artist fusions that are so seamlessly brilliant, they outshine the individuals. They're the peanut butter and chocolate of collaborations, if you will.

Music Staff Selects: Best Halloween Songs

October 26, 2014

If you threw a Halloween party that didn’t have a badass playlist, did you really throw a Halloween party? The ORANGE Music staff doesn’t think so. To help you out, we present our top picks for a haunted soiree that’s so devilishly fun, it’ll wake the dead. Spoiler alert: “Monster Mash” is noticeably absent.

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It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World: A Look at the Experience of Female Rock Musicians

October 12, 2014

Women have always played rock and roll. From ‘60s wailers like Janis Joplin, to ‘70s punk legends like Patti Smith, to ‘80s guitar wizards like Joan Jett and Lita Ford, all the way to ‘90s alt-rock darlings like Courtney Love, each decade has seen some key female artists in the genre. Still, the fact remains that rock and roll has always been almost exclusively an all-boys club. For example, less than 20 percent of the bands on the most recent Warped Tour roster included at least one female.

As for the reason why? That’s where it gets tricky.