There are few bands that have maintained such a monolithic presence and influence in music as a whole, as Melvins have. Melvins emerged in Washington in the early 80s, playing live shows before ever entering a recording studio. They immediately set themselves apart from the norm by playing atypically slow and heavy music in an era when speed and energy were the key to success. Their endless inspiration to musicians and bands, both then and now, is a phenomenon worthy of its o

Mojave 3 takes a rustic angle in “Spoon and Rafter” As long as I've been a fan of Mojave 3, I've noticed that most discussion about the band ends after their third album “Excuses for Travellers.” While I somewhat understand why, Mojave 3 does have some criminally underrated work past “Excuses for Travellers.” A lot of it comes from their fourth album “Spoon and Rafter” that came out three years later. “Spoon and Rafter” is very unique from its predecessors. Once again, the

You don’t need an excuse to listen to “Excuses for Travelers” Before the turn of the millennium, Mojave 3 had already released two country-tinged and dreamy albums for the world’s listening pleasure. While both were similar in a broad sense, both albums were in different neighborhoods. Their debut “Ask Me Tomorrow” was slower and more ethereal, leaning heavily into dream pop, while their second album “Out of Tune” explored faster speeds and leaned closer to country and rock

A rising trend has become apparent where bookstores and newer generations of readers are gravitating toward some genres and leaving others in the dust. Genres like romance, manga and pop-fantasy are all rapidly gaining traction over genres like sci-fi, horror and philosophy. The differences have an impact on what audiences read, as well as what the substance of not only the books within the genre hold, but also all of the other genres. Writers become accustomed to writing a

This review is an outlier compared to my usual pattern. I’m not reviewing a game that’s at least a decade old. For once, I’m striking while the iron is hot. That pun is intended, as the subject of this review is Dressmaker. Released on Sept. 21 of this year, Dressmaker is an indie darling that made waves in the cozy gaming community. I haven’t been able to put it down since I purchased it! As always, a minor spoiler warning for those that have yet to play the game. Graph

Pokemon is one of the most prolific and extensive multimedia franchises to date with movies, TV shows, trading cards, plushies and video games. It has an extensive history, dating back 30 years and is successful all over the globe. In November of 2022, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet were released to the Switch. Now that its hype has died down after four years, is it worthy of its tremendous legacy? Here’s a minor spoiler warning for those who haven’t played yet. I would also

It’s often said that too many cooks can spoil the broth. Faith No More proves just how untrue that can be. For their album Angel Dust, the group was comprised of the legendary vocalist Mike Patton, guitarist Jim Martin, keyboardist Roddy Bottum, bassist Billy Gould and Mike Bordin on drums. Any of these talents alone would be striking, but together, they are a force of nature and one of the most unique mainstream bands to emerge in the 90s. Angel Dust is a marathon rather t

“Opal” is a film by Jack Stauber, a musician, filmmaker and internet personality who made a wide variety of short films with mixed media animation ranging from claymation and live action to 3d polygonal computer-generated images and distorted, brightly colored drawings. Opal was made October 30, 2020, and was featured on Adult Swim, as well as appearing on Stauber’s official YouTube channel. The film “Opal” focuses on some of the most common forms of child neglect, and atte

The Black Sabbath influence on “Nola” by Down is like an answer to the question of whether God directly interacts with our world or simply set the dominoes up and is watching them fall into place. Down is evidence that it’s the latter; Black Sabbath set the course for metal and Down is just the pinnacle of 25 years of Black Sabbath’s endless reach in the landscape of metal. This album is nothing short of worship, an unrelenting prayer. It’s the lord (Ozzy Osbourne for sake

Cozy gaming is a relatively new term in the gaming community used to describe low stakes, relaxing games. One of the most popular and defining titles of the pseudo-genre is Stardew Valley. Released officially in 2016, and still receiving updates, Stardew Valley dominates the cozy gaming community from console to pc to mobile. As per usual, dear reader, there will be a handful of spoilers, so consider yourself warned. Graphics: 5/5 Stardew Valley features a classic two d

Novig, a no-name sports betting app launched in August, is anything but that. Novig released their Just Sports campaign Sept. 9 with strategic partner and equity holder, Sydney Sweeney, stark naked and talking about “sports” for an entire 58 seconds. As a girl who was raised in and around sports, actively works in sports and has no thoughts of backing down anytime soon, it enraged me. So much so, I decided to put down my camera for the week and address the video. With the

Have you ever questioned the morality of your everyday choices? It can be quite the revelation when one comes to find that many of their everyday choices do not reflect the person they thought they were. We may simply be a product of the society we live in, but for those who take a step back and look at what their actions contribute to, we start to see the mess we have made. According to a paper entitled “Famine, Affluence, and Morality,” written by Peter Singer, and publish

If you were alive and conscious during the 2010s, it’s impossible that you are not, on some level, familiar with the Arctic Monkeys. Their chart topping single, “Do I Wanna Know?” was harder to avoid than the omicron strain of COVID-19. Despite this fact, the pre-AM portion of their catalogue is rarely brought up or recognized. This is especially true for their debut album, “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not,” which was released in 2006 when the band was freshly o

Mojave 3’s album “Ask Me Tomorrow” was a great exercise in combining elements of dreaminess,the ethereal and tinges of country music. Mojave 3 had created a sound that embodied the melancholy feeling of a wide-open desert night. Their second album forged a sound similar in its dreaminess and tinges of country, sure, but it also finds a way to flip the vibe on its head, reminding the listener of waking up and driving down to the gulf at sunrise. By 1998, Mojave 3 added two ne

Very few singleplayer games have frequent maintenance updates 12 years after release. Even fewer have consistent new content. The Sims 4 is one of these with new downloadable content (DLC), collaborations, limited time events and new basegame additions nearly every other update. I personally have spent over 1,500 hours on the game and have put hundreds of dollars into it. Despite such a huge investment, or perhaps because of it, The Sims 4 is the first game I’ve played that

Kathryn, deep in the theatre kid trenches. Contributed photo Cringe culture. Making fun of others for liking something that has been deemed by popular demand as “cringey.” Targeting individuals for expressing themselves in an unconventional manner or style. Causing people to fear authenticity. One of the cheapest attempts at humor. I’m so over it. Growing up a weird kid, theatre kid and art kid in middle and high school made me highly susceptible to falling victim to crin

Pictured: Members of Mojave 3 After they were dropped by Creation Records in 1995, the members of Slowdive decided to go in different musical directions. Three of those members, however, decided to keep recording music together. They changed their sound from the ambient-ish brand of shoegaze that Slowdive was known for, to a dreamy, country-tinged sound, ultimately foregoing all shoegaze. These members, Neil Halstead, Rachel Goswell and Ian McCutcheon, formed the band Mojav

In December of 2018, Hades entered early access. About two years later, in September of 2020, it was fully released. Greek Mythology re-imaginings and re-tellings are a dime a dozen. Despite that, Hades sets itself apart. The aforementioned fourth title from Supergiant Games earns its place as one of the favorite games I’ve ever played. Please note, there may be very minor spoilers throughout this article. Read at your own discretion. Graphics: 5/5 Hades boasts highly styl

"To Bring You My Love" Album Cover t’s not uncommon for a single track to get taken out of context of the album it’s plucked from. The track that receives this sort of attention is usually exceptional to the rest of the album and because it stands out is the reason it’s taken out of context. What sets “Down By the Water” by PJ Harvey apart from these songs is that it’s an apt representation of the album it hails from. It features the same buzzing distorted guitar drone in

Capcom has a diverse repertoire of franchises, everything from Resident Evil to Streetfighter to Ace Attorney. In August of 2001, Devil May Cry joined their extensive roster on the PlayStation 2. Devil May Cry is widely considered the first true character action game, a sub-genre of third person action defined by high-skill melee, dramatic flair and intricate combo systems. Graphics: 3/5 The set design is gorgeous, but the graphics are quite dated. Excellent for the time

From Death’s Dynamic Shroud: Specialization in samples Death’s Dynamic Shroud normally specializes in sampling music in unique and creative ways. Sometimes these samples are almost completely plundered (“Regret When it was Lost,” “RPG Windows Vista”), and other times they use these samples to add to their music (“You Like Music”). Death’s Dynamic Shroud always seems to find creative ways to pilfer other songs to form something unique. One of the biggest things that Death’s

In their heyday, Depeche Mode kept making album after album of fleshed out, moody worlds that felt both lush and murky. Leading up to their peak, though, Depeche Mode had one highlight of their early career that kickstarted a more atmospheric and lush sound. That album is “Black Celebration.” As they were developing their sound in their early career, Depeche Mode started heavily using industrial-sounding drums and brooding melodies. You can hear these ideas shine through in

The massacre in Darfur is a prime example of the corrupt leadership and political issues happening in Africa. According to Julia Steers, a correspondent for Fault Lines, in 2019 Sudan’s president of 30 years, Omar Al-Bashir, was ousted. He was replaced by a traditional council led by two generals, one from the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the other from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The leader of the SAF is General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and the leader of the RSF is Moham

On June 19, 2016, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers walked into the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California where they faced the 73-9 Golden State Warriors for a Game 7 contest. This same Warriors team held the best record in NBA history and held a 3-1 lead against the Cavs in the finals. This Cavs team had an impossible mission to complete, finishing the 3-1 comeback. It had never happened before. Following an incredible play by Kyrie Irving, crazy defense by James and s

Album Review: “Tin Cans With Strings To You” - Far (1996) I decided some time ago I had listened to all the 90s alternative rock albums that were worth listening to and abandoned the genre almost entirely. Perhaps good, original 90s alt-rock music is like love; you find it when you stop looking for it. Well, I had certainly stopped looking for it, and it certainly found me. It found me in the most unlikely place—Buffy the Vampire Slayer, season one, episode six, “The Pack.

I'll be playing it... until dawn Interactive games aren’t a new concept, but they’ve certainly seen many different iterations. From live moderators and red-green buttons to laserdisc, choice-based storytelling, interactive games evolved into something far more intuitive than predecessors 11 years ago. Until Dawn released in 2015 and caught like wildfire; but does it still hold up against today’s standards? Graphics: 4/5 Until Dawn was one of the first games to introduce th

Resident Evil (1996) was the start of not only one of the most successful gaming and multimedia franchises, but a gaming revolution and a new genre. In almost every game out there, you can see its touch. Thirty years is a long time. Can a game that old hold its own in the modern age? Minor spoiler warning: While the game is 30 years old, I’ll try to refrain from spoiling it too much for those who haven’t interacted with the series before. Graphics: 4/5 stars The graphics a

Mental health in school is something many people find important throughout their college careers. Mental health, while we are told it is important, is not treated as such. Can you actually follow what they tell you about mental health? How many of you have stress balls you squeeze to help you relax? Do you take mental health days to give yourself a chance to breathe? In high school, we are told a lot of what we did when we were younger won’t fly in college, that we have r

Creativity suffers at the mechanical hand of AI; it’s a waste of precious water in our warm state The world, or humanity, is constantly changing, like the ebb and flow of the tides. The changes that happen always have repercussions, but whether society deems these repercussions as important is the problem. The newest change humanity has seen is the sudden influx of AI. Data centers, chatbots and surveillance,are AI powered and pushed into the faces of citizens. They are ma

On the first day of class, I walked into Saga for Fried Chicken Wednesday. I got my plate and headed over to the drink machines to get my Dr. Pepper, only to be met by a devastating sight. Mr. Pibb had taken Dr. Pepper’s place. I was shocked; however, after thinking it over, the decision was not surprising. Troy is a Coca-Cola school. At every athletic event, in every vending machine and even in the Trojan Center, you will find Mr. Pibb instead of Dr. Pepper. Some will see

Reflection by Father2006 is an ambient album released in 2016.It is one of the strongest examples of music expressing strong and complicated emotion while being minimal in presentation. Despite how minimal the presentation and concept may be, Father2006 still finds a way to inject feelings of depression, anxiety and comfort throughout the album. “Reflection” first and foremost has a couple of contradicting feelings within it, with the most overwhelming being how the music i

Have you considered cutting all your hair off before? Been there. And now, for the past year, done that. Here’s my honest review of having short hair for the first time since being victimized by a bob in second grade: Just do it. Is it going to take some time to find your style? Sure, but it is sooo worth it, and it’s been my favorite hair-related decision so far. I grew my hair out and kept it relatively long for a long time. In my memory, it was only really short twice– i

As a person who had never left the country, I had no idea what to expect when I boarded my flight to Egypt. I knew I would seethe historical monuments, explorethe cities and trynew foods. What I did not expect was how traveling to a new country would change my perspective, push me outside of my comfort zone and make me more grateful for the life I have. Exploring the rich culture and historical roots gave me experiences of a lifetime. All I knew about Egypt before I left was

When I was about to leave for college, I heard from almost every adult in my life: “Those four years will be gone in a blink of an eye.” To 18-year-old me, that seemed impossible. I didn’t realize how true it really was until that cap and gown were sitting on my bed, staring me down. I mean, just yesterday, I was moving into my freshman dorm and going to every Welcome Week event that was offered. I was learning the ropes of campus and getting used to a college class schedule.

Well, here I am. The end of the road. I came to Troy as a junior in the fall of 2024, transferring from the University of North Alabama. Stepping onto campus, I only knew two people, and neither were students in the Hall School of Journalism and Communication. I knew starting a new school where I hardly knew anyone was going to be a challenge. The main reason I decided to transfer to Troy was to pursue TrojanVision. I originally had no intention of writing for the Trop

A lot can change in four years. When I stepped on campus in August 2022, I couldn’t have envisioned what my life and time at college would look like today. As a nervous, socially anxious freshman, I never would’ve imagined I could be the slightly less nervous, socially anxious senior I am today. In all seriousness, my entire worldview and perspective on life have changed at college, and I’m so grateful to this period of my life for helping me figure out who I am. My first spo

When I came to Troy as a freshman, I declared my major as English and was intent on becoming an English professor someday. I had never once planned to become a journalist –but oh how plans love to change. I remember taking a job assessment quiz in eighth grade and one of the recommended jobs was journalist. I thought, “Yeah right, all journalists do is talk about politics and murders. That’s way too grim for me.” It wasn’t until I came to Troy and met Dr. Stefanie Hicks East

How can one simply jot down two years? My time at Troy University is coming to a rapid close, and I just have so much to say. When I arrived here as a transfer student from Wallace Community College, I never expected what this place and the people in it would mean to me. As a student in the English department, I have had the unique honor of coming to know some of the hardest working, supportive, encouraging faculty in all of our school. Thanks to these professors who believed

If Barbie truly can be anything, I guess I am living it. I started my college career at Troy as soccer Barbie, complete with cleats, gloves and my emotional-support water bottle. Then, I became nursing student Barbie, pink stethoscope and caffeine in hand. When I entered the Tropolitan Dreamhouse, I wasn’t sure where I fit in. My roommate encouraged me to join the Trop, but I still couldn’t picture myself writing news. Could I really be journalist Barbie? I remember my first

Growing up, all I have ever known is sports. It’s all I’ve talked about my entire life. From obsessing over stats and scores, to attending as many events as possible, it is an obsession. What better way to use that obsession than to write about it? Being able to cover Troy Sthletics has given me remarkable experiences. I covered multiple Sun Belt championships for men’s basketball and have traveled to several states to cover the “school we love.” My favorite thing about being

I never thought I could write for a newspaper. Coming into college, I thought my opinions and beliefs were unimportant, small and not worth articulating. After all, who cares what a teenage girl from rural Appalachia has to say? Emily Mosier, a previous editor-in-chief for the Trop who I had the honor of competing alongside on the debate team, encouraged me to start submitting opinions, and eventually to apply for a scholarship with the paper. Nervously, in January of 2025, I

As my time at Troy comes to an end, I have begun to reflect on all of the amazing memories I have made here. Cheering at the collegiate level for the first time, finding my people in a new place, winning the Sun Belt in football, cheering to a bowl game, competing on a national level and so many other moments have made my time here unforgettable. There are a few moments that are truly more memorable than any of those things. My journey to journalism was not conventional. When

As my Troy career ends, I’ve reflected on all my achievements, and working on The Tropolitan is one of my biggest. The journalism department has been nothing but supportive all four years, but this past semester working as copy editor has brought me closer to my peers, given me insight into the industry and prepared me for future opportunities. If I had to give advice to a freshman me, I’d tell myself to get involved with The Tropolitan sooner— it’s an experience on campus un

The Beach Boys are a band I have been listening to my entire life. There was a time in high school where I was listening to them religiously, and I can easily point to a few albums in their career I thought they were at their best. I still have the same opinion today. One of those albums is “Sunflower,” released in 1970, after Brian Wilson’s perfectionism and mental decline during the making of “Smile” but before their descent into baiting nostalgia in the late 1970s. “Sunfl

With everything going on in the news nowadays, it is seemingly difficult to keep track of what is going on in the Middle East. According to www.bbcnews.com, America and Israel launched an attack on Iran. Why did they do this, and is it a good thing? According to state.gov, Secretary of State, Marco Rubio explained the whole point of attacking Iran was to make sure they could not build a nuclear weapon. As soon as the attack happened though, Americans felt the effects. Accord

High speed races, fun circuits, cars-- is there really a difference is Formula One and NASCAR? The answer easy answer is yes-- here are many differences between the two racing worlds. To start off, the two cars are completely distinctive styles. NASCAR races with what is called a “stock car,” which is designed for high contact, bumper to bumper racing. F1 races with open wheel/open cockpit cars, which are made for more high-speed, curvy tracks.The tires of the F1 car are

President Trump posted a Truth Social post last Sunday where he lashed out at the first American Pope, Leo XIV, for criticizing the Trump Administration’s foreign policy and recent actions in Iran. In his Truth Social post, Trump stated the pope should not criticize war, but that instead, “Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician. It’s hurting him very badly and, more imp

Exploring the basics of Formula One High-speed races, dangerous crashes and an exhilarating battle for the championship title — this is the world of Formula One. Allow me to break down the world of F1 in a way most beginners will understand. Twenty-two drivers are racing for their spot as the 2026 World Driver Champion (WDC), all while the 11 teams are fighting for their spot as the constructor champion. Drivers receive points for each race they win, with positions one

Country music is an odd conversation topic with many music fans online and in person. I have heard the phrase: “I like all types of music except for country,” many times. Honestly, it makes sense. Most people base country music off only the stuff they’ve heard on the radio or though TikTok. I am here to prove that country music should be given a chance anyways. The first thing that I point to when defending country music is that like most genres, country music has a deeper

As graduation looms ever closer, I have reflected on my college experience. Specifically, I’ve considered what I’m glad I did, and what I wish I had done differently throughout my time at Troy. One of the things in college that I am most proud of is being heavily involved on campus. I urge you to get involved on campus. Talk to the people next to you in class and join different clubs and discover your passions. Do not fall into the routine of just going to class and then