Jacob Duff

A&E 3/2/21 9:10pm

‘The United States vs. Billie Holiday’: Andra Day shines while others are left behind

By Jacob Duff

It can be hard to imagine that Andra Day, who plays legendary jazz singer Billie Holiday in “The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” has never played a leading role before. Better known for her success in the R&B music scene than on the silver screen, Day beautifully captures the spotlight and Holiday’s essence: her swagger, her love for gaudy jewelry and clothes and especially her voice. The same success, however, cannot be said for the rest of the movie, directed by Lee Daniels and written by Suzan-Lori Park. Though it boasts a talented star-studded cast, "The United States vs. Billie Holiday" largely fails to do justice to Holiday's life and legacy due to shallow writing and confusing plot development. 

A&E 11/3/20 7:47pm

Review: Gorillaz’s new audiovisual album is a chaotic masterpiece

By Jacob Duff

In an age where the once-rigid barriers between virtual reality and real life are becoming blurred, Gorillaz’s new album, “Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez,” sits on the precipice of what albums of the future may begin to look and sound like.   

A&E 10/27/20 11:05pm

Rice Opera to hold first ever virtual production

By Jacob Duff

When ground broke in 2017 for the construction of the Brockman Hall for Opera, no one could have predicted that the first show in the new hall would be one without an audience. The new hall, equipped with a three-tiered, 600-seat European-style theater, the first of its kind according to the Shepherd School of Music’s website, amongst all U.S. conservatories and universities, will be completely empty for its pre-recorded and lip-synced showing of the little-known chamber opera: “Der Kaiser von Atlantis.” 

A&E 9/29/20 7:54pm

Review: Sufjan Stevens’ “The Ascension” Lacks Musicality but Excels in “Sufjan-ness”

By Jacob Duff

Even Sufjan Stevens, known for his gentle voice and poetic lyrics layered over simple acoustic guitar, could not help but bow to the wave of technological dependency required of everyone living and working during the COVID-19 pandemic. His new album “The Ascension” starkly contrasts his previous works with the addition of what seems to be MIDI keyboard beats and electronically altered vocals paired alongside his classic angsty lyrics.  

A&E 9/15/20 10:46pm

Sleepy Cyborg Galley kicks off semester with virtual exhibit, “Quaranzine”

By Jacob Duff

In a world becoming increasingly dependent on dual-delivery, one has to ask how visual art, a mode of communication previously relegated mostly to the physical, is adapting to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.  An example of this dual-delivery form of visual art can be found at the newly renamed, student-run Sleepy Cyborg Gallery in their first exhibition of the year called “quaranzine.”