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Friday, April 25, 2025 — Houston, TX

Arman Saxena

A&E 4/22/25 11:07pm

2025 Albums of the Summer

By Arman Saxena

From long‑rumored comeback records to underground favorites ready for a breakout, this summer is stacked with new music that could soundtrack every pool day, road trip and late‑night study session you have planned. Here are nine projects we’ll be spinning the moment they drop.

A&E 4/15/25 10:44pm

Media to celebrate Arab voices this month

By Arman Saxena

This month is Arab American Heritage Month  — so what better time to highlight media created by and about the Arab world? Here are some of the best works by Arab filmmakers, musicians and writers that showcase the diversity and complexity of Arab experiences. 

A&E 4/8/25 11:27pm

Review: “Lonely People With Power” merges blackgaze fury with dreamy introspection

By Arman Saxena

Fifteen years into a storied career that’s crisscrossed the boundaries of black metal and shoegaze, Deafheaven has found a way to once again outdo themselves. “Lonely People With Power” feels like a triumphant return to the band’s blackgaze roots, fusing massive walls of guitar-driven sound with whispery dream-pop interludes, recalling their classic album trio of the 2010s (“Sunbather,” “New Bermuda” and “Ordinary Corrupt Human Love”). It also bears the learned refinements of “Infinite Granite,” the 2021 album where they dabbled more boldly in cleaner vocals and atmospheric passages. 

A&E 4/8/25 11:17pm

Arts and entertainment courses to keep you sane this fall

By Arman Saxena

Another course registration period – closing this Friday – has forced us to contemplate whether to drop a major or drop out altogether, but no worries: to assist you in considering your options, the Thresher has compiled a list of unique classes offered this fall semester.  

A&E 4/1/25 11:16pm

Review: “Dead Channel Sky” sees Daveed Diggs and clipping. enter electronic utopia

By Arman Saxena

Even if you weren’t annoying in middle school, the first thing that probably comes to mind when you hear the name Daveed Diggs is “Hamilton.” But before Diggs made his debut as Thomas Jefferson and the Marquis de Lafayette on Broadway, he was creating dark and mechanical soundscapes as the lead vocalist of the experimental hip hop outfit “clipping.” along with fellow musicians William Hutson and Jonathan Snipes. 

A&E 3/25/25 10:33pm

Playboi Carti’s “MUSIC” is a whole lotta meh

By Arman Saxena

After nearly five years of canceled release dates, cryptic livestreams and scattered singles that never quite materialized into anything more than music videos, Playboi Carti’s “MUSIC” is finally here. The album, stuffed to the brim with 30 tracks, is both proof of Carti’s magnetic presence and a stark reminder that bigger is not always better. 

A&E 3/4/25 11:06pm

R&B legends electrify Toyota Center on Mary J. Blige’s “For My Fans” Tour

By Arman Saxena

A sold-out crowd at Toyota Center witnessed three R&B legends combine forces on Feb. 18, delivering a night that was equal parts nostalgia, powerhouse vocals and pure soul. Titled the “For My Fans” Tour, Mary J. Blige’s first major outing since her Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction felt like a homecoming of sorts — not just for Blige, but for openers Mario and Ne-Yo, who brought their own timeless hits and crowd-pleasing flair to the stage.

A&E 2/25/25 11:47pm

With ChòpnBlok, Ope Amosu centers flavor and community

By Arman Saxena and Juliana Lightsey

Ope Amosu used to host small dinner parties out of his friend’s apartment by the Galleria, serving a menu of his own West African fusion recipes. His intention was to have a completely new guest list at each dinner, in order to get a diverse variety of feedback on his food – but people kept asking to come back.

A&E 2/18/25 10:38pm

Review: “I’m Still Here” is a defiant and intimate portrait of a family under dictatorship

By Arman Saxena

Nominated for three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, “I’m Still Here”, arrives with plenty of buzz, positioning director Walter Salles’ film squarely in the spotlight. It’s not exactly surprising: This is the same Salles who helmed “Central Station” and “The Motorcycle Diaries”, both lauded for blending socio-political commentary with humane, character-driven storytelling. In “I’m Still Here”, he returns to these strengths, exploring one of the darkest chapters of Brazilian history — its 1964-1985 military dictatorship — through the intimate lens of a single family. 

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