Arts & Culture

Chances are you've heard her but you just don't know it. At 51, Sade Adu has been making music for 25 years, during which her music has been played in drugstores, dentist's offices, jazz clubs and elevators. Soldier of Love is no exception to the type of neo-soul, jazzy music she has been creating over the past years, with even a touch of reggae in \

Formerly known as Alphababy, Yukon Blonde changed their name, packed up their van and moved their belongings, band-mates and production from Kelowna down to Vancouver, Canada to head into a new musical generation.

The Glasgow trio Zoey Van Goey released two singles - "Foxtrot Vandals" and "Sweethearts in Disguise" - in the past few years with the help of Belle and Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch. Last year they self-released The Cage Was Unlocked All Along, produced by Paul Savage (Delgados, Mogwai), which was re-released by Chemikal Underground in January.

Newly formed super group Them Crooked Vultures turn out their own blend of vintage rock and roll with a soothing melodic twist that will bring music fans to their knees on their debut self-titled album.

With the expansion of urban development, radio stations are constantly working hard to expand coverage and improve communication through their broadcasting network in metropolitan areas.

MUSIC

If some musician's music can be classified as a self-portrait, The Album Leaf's music is a beautiful landscape painting. If not edgy, Album Leaf's songs are soft and soothing. They don't strive to make you dance, nor do they incite mosh pits. Rather, the cathartic instrumentals are the defining ingredient of their music. From start to finish, the song names read like chapters in a book that portray man's path through life using the metaphor of naturalistic forces. The album's first chapter begins with "Blank Pages," and ends with "Tied Knots" - an appropriate way to end the album, because it is simultaneously melancholic and hopeful.

Corinne Bailey Rae's sophomore album is just what its title implies. It's softer and smoother, and like most second albums, it explores a more emotional and deeper level of the artist.

For an artist that's seemingly been featured on every hip-hop track since 2007, Lil' Wayne is surprisingly able to make progressively worse and worse music. With his generic auto-tune vocals and poorly thought out raps, this cross-over rock-rap album belongs less on someone's iPod and more in Sparta's pit of death.

Bernard Farley, better known as Outputmessage, has been making his name in the DC music scene for the past few years. After being featured on Idol Tryouts: Ghostly International Vol. 1 (2003) and Vol. 2 (2006), Farley became heavily involved in various new projects including two DJ nights called Marquis and Flat Out!, a collaboration with electronic pop group New Models and a disco-house outfit, Dmerit, consisting of Micah Vellian and himself. URB Magazine also described him as "the good parts from Kraftwerk, Aphex Twin and New Order" in their Next 100 Top Artists list in 2006.

MUSE profiles the work of local artists whose art is displayed at two downtown Davis cafés. Check out our article next week for a continuation of the series.

In California, prisoners, the arts and UC Davis have two things in common: the ubiquitous presence of budget cuts and license plates.

After suffering heavy losses in recent budget cuts, UC Davis design students still manage to rank highly among industry competitions.

On Wednesday night at 8, I was fortunate enough to enjoy an eye-opening (hence the title) and truly touching THIRDeYE Festival at the Wyatt Theater.

On Feb. 9, the spirit of the Himalayas will come alive at UC Davis. Nepali poet and author Yuyutsu Ram Dass Sharma will hold a poetry reading and workshop from noon to 2 p.m. in 126 Voorhies. The event will primarily concentrate on his new book, Way to Everest, a collection of his poems and photographs by Andreas Stimm about the culture of the Himalayan Mountains.