Page 7 - Lions Pulse - December 16, 2011

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

The musical underground of MPC
APRIL BARRETT STAFF REPORTER
Everyone listens to music; it is one of those basic yet brilliant things we all have in common. Whether you dedicate your life to your favourite band, or you happen to catch whatever is on the radio, there is this universal enjoyment of music and it is pretty much unavoidable. There is something about music that is therapeutic. It does not necessarily have to be deep or poetic to get your attention and keep you listening. Whether it is making you cry or making you dance, music just has to speak to you. If we can experience all these awesome and powerful emotions just by listening to music, we have to consider how awesome and powerful making music can be. It is the expression of music, as much as any other art form, which is understood. Take it from the guys who jam in the music room after school. They have been coming in almost every day after school for a year now, and not only are they having fun through their music, they are using it as a serious outlet. The band, yet to be named, is comprised of Avery Cieszynskion on the guitar, Peter Tran on the drums, and Connor Baker on the bass. They have not really ventured out of the music room yet (other than playing at the talent show last year), but they have got plans for songs and a shared interest in alternative rock. Los Campesinos!, The National, Joy Division, and Everything Everything are a few of the bands that these guys are listening to. Like all great bands before them, the guys are in what can be called their underground phase. We dont have screaming girls at the door yet, says Avery. But for these guys that is not the focus; the hanging out, the practicing, and the jam sessions are a big part of the process too, and that is where the music room comes in. So what draws these guys and the other hidden musicians of MPC to the music room? Primarily, the instruments. The drum set was a must have and was something that the band would be lacking without the schools kit. Secondly, a big, open, and most importantly, quiet space. It is seriously difficult to find a large enough space that is free from intrusion, the possibility of disturbing neighbours, and thats free of charge. A lot of the time bands have to rent out studios or find a common meeting place just to practice. As Sebastian, their friend and occasional keyboardist points out, Since were already in school, its just a good resource to make use of. It is not just this band that is making use of the resource. Some students come in after school everyday and play piano, and some students, such as Chris Knipe, come in during their spares just to chill for a while and practice. So if you are one of those dedicated musicians, an artist of an instrument, or even just a music lover, make use of the resources available and the comfortable vibe of Monarchs musical department. Monarchs musical underground is home to some true artists,where talent is just waiting to shine.

elizabeth hawtin/the lions pulse

Avery Cieszynskion (top left), Connor Baker (top right), and Peter Tran (middle) pictured in the music room.

The Lions Beat

JAKE NORRIS STAFF REPORTER
Jay-Z & Kanye West - Watch the Throne Roaring Track: New Day Watch the Throne is a great album because it is an anomaly. We expect to see a handful of cameos on a Jay-Z album, and ominously dense themes on one from Kanye West, but thats not what we get. Instead, the album is home to Odd Futures Frank Ocean in the chorus spotlight, a Will Ferrell excerpt from Blades of Glory, and, along the way, shows that dubstep-rap may just be the next big subgenre. Jay and Kanye are renown for their boasting, and by listening to tracks like Otis, Who Gon Stop Me, and Why I Love You, you can tell that this persona is no different on Watch the Throne. Now, although the bulk of the album is great fun filled with Jay and Kanye either talking about their greatness or dropping explicit rhymes in English and sometimes even Pig Latin this isnt the albums peak. What works best on Watch the Throne is when the duo comes across as modest, humble, and even remorseful. New Day is a chilling message of regretting fame to their future sons. Im sorry Junior, I already ruined ya/ cause you aint even alive paparazzi pursuin ya pleads Jay. Looking back on the hype that developed in early November 2010 that Jay and Kanye had started recording their collaboration, we can safely say it was well deserved. But in the end, its exactly what youd expect from two of hip-hops biggest names and best friends. James Egbert - Blackhawk Roaring Track: Isle of Capri While house and dubstep are associated with the live atmospheres of sold out arenas, what seems to have been forgotten is that its still a very underground genre. Artists like Deadmau5 have shaped the more mainstream end of the spectrum, but the majority of the genres talent still thrives in basements and college dorm rooms. Cue James Egbert. With just a few likes past a thousand on his Facebook page, comes the young and talented Denver, Colorado native with his first EP. Blackhawk is an album that establishes Egberts originality while playing homage to some of the more renowned sounds in electronic music. From the growling dubstep bass of Skrillex, to club-worthy synths that would up-stage Tiesto, Egbert ties it all together in his own way. What really stands out on the EP is that it spends time playing on trance, heaving-hitting drops, and dance. Blackhawk pushes past the confines of a single genre, sound, and even what our ears are expecting. Like any great diplomat, James Egberts Blackhawk brings a little bit of everything together. St. Vincent - Strange Mercy Roaring Track: Cruel Dropping out from the prestigious Berklee College of Music is an act usually seen from the likes of John Mayer, mainly because it fits their arrogant personalities. A Berklee dropout, however, would not be your first impression of St. Vincents Annie Clarke; she comes across as far more innocent. St. Vincents latest release however, Strange Mercy, gives face to Clarkes deeper, less angelic, side. Its a mysterious album that presents Clarke as a far more sinister being than meets the eye. Listening to songs like Chloe in the Afternoon and Dilettante, Clarke offers themes quite cryptically; we are unsure whether these are love songs or just the tale of another day-in-the-life. Strange Mercys sound develops the trebles of guitar and haunting vocals. But the album also presents far more complicated sounds similar to the Talking Heads 1980 release, Remain in Light. Surgeon is one of St. Vincents most experimental songs yet, combining guitar-esque keyboard with smooth and complex bass patterns. As a whole, Strange Mercy has a delicately dark feel, like a Tim Burton rendition of Taylor Swift.

Washed Out - Within and Without Roaring Track: Echoes Washed Out, the solo project of Ernest Greene, falls under the genre of chillwave. The only real problem with this, is that not even the genres title conveys how truly chill Greenes sound is. His first studio release, Within and Without, is an easy listen. The synths are complex, but the vibes are relaxed. The audience is tackled with mesmerising tones and subtleties in production that create an album with quite modest features. Washed Outs sound, instrumentally, shows similarities to British electronic soloist Four Tet, though Greene uses lyrics in ways that separate the two substantially. The themes are very melancholy and portray the classic lost love scenario, but Within and Without beautifully captures something far more complex than that. In todays music, artists position their albums to live off a few hits. Within and Without however veers in a different direction, with each song cycling smoothly into the next instead of falling flat until the next showstopper. There are no real hits, but the synergy of such mellow tunes as Soft blending into Before proves that one wouldnt even fit. It really is the albums steadiness that keeps us so intrigued by the chillness of Greenes work.