ARTS & LIVING

Photo courtesy of The Guardian

For Olive Amdur '23, David Berman's 2019 song "Snow is Falling in Manhattan" has sparked new appreciation for chilly Amherst winters and the beauty of slowing down.

Until recently, my most potent memory of snow was a surprise blizzard sometime in December 2016. My grandfather had tickets to a musical in the West Village, and I was tucked next to him in the windowless theater when the storm began. At intermission, we stood to stretch our legs in the lobby and found all of Manhattan bright white through the wide windows. We watched the snow fall in sheets, emptying sidewalks, burying cars, and slowing the city down, still and quiet.

Since fall of last year, WAMH and the music blog have been putting together playlists of music recommended by DJs for each season, so these last months I’ve been editing blurbs and listening to all the songs recommended for the winter. Before, I would have told you that all I wanted when the temperature dropped was a song that reminded me of warmth — sun, hot weather, summer — but since December, I’ve been struggling to figure out what winter music this year means to me.

This winter is the first I’ve spent at Amherst and the first time I’ve found myself enjoying the cold: being attentive to it, embracing it, getting out in it. Instead of rushing from inside place to inside place, I wear my fall coat most days and keep my window open. I take long runs and walks on the streets through town at sunset just to feel the freezing wind on my cheeks and ears. Instead of wishing for the months to hurry by, I have been trying to slow the winter down and, more than ever, slow myself down in it.

There is one song that has helped with this: “Snow is Falling in Manhattan” from David Berman’s “Purple Mountains,” the last album he recorded before his death in 2019. “Purple Mountains,” and the project of the same name, was a collaboration between Berman and members of the folk rock band Woods. There are 10 songs on the album, all of which Berman wrote in the decade after the dissolution of his indie rock band, Silver Jews. Over the course of this decade, Berman fell deep into debt, lost his mother, and separated from his wife of 20 years. The album is saturated with this hurt. Nevertheless, most of the songs maintain Berman’s classic combination of light, upbeat guitar lines with mordant lyrics.

“Snow is Falling in Manhattan” is the fourth song on the album and perhaps the only song on it I find still and quiet — peaceful even, though a bit lonely. “Snow is falling in Manhattan / In a slow diagonal fashion,” Berman sings, “The good caretaker springs to action / Salts the stoop and scoops the cat in.” Berman watches the snow fall over the city, and listens to the sudden silence of the storm. In the chorus he softly exalts, “Snow, oh!” over and over. My favorite line in the song is: “It’s blanketing the city streets / And the streets beneath are fast asleep.”

Although I’ve listened to the album many times, I only really found myself noticing this song for the first time a few weeks ago. It was one of those deep gray January days and I was on a hill in Wildwood Cemetery, above and behind the center of Amherst. I had been walking quickly to the rhythm of the first three songs on “Purple Mountains,” but when “Snow is Falling in Manhattan” began, I found myself slowing down. I listened while looking down past trees and gravestones to the ice- or snow-coated roofs of the houses in town, feeling acutely the quiet of Berman’s scene.

Last winter, I took an art class called “Image & Text” over interterm. We began each class with something our professor called “slow looking.” He would put an image on the Zoom screen and we would sit with it for five minutes, and then talk about what captured us — what we noticed, what we couldn’t help but notice. I would look and think to myself in the moment how good it felt to look, be still, and then go about my day as usual — quickly.

“Songs build little rooms in time,” Berman sings just after he tells us of those sleeping city streets. This song is a pocket of quiet in an album overwhelmed with grief, dark humor, envy, and loss. It is a moment where Berman looks out to the world, watches closely as it moves, and allows himself to rest with it. My attempts to slow down this winter haven’t been constant, or always successful, but I have been trying to hold the moments when I feel myself walk, look, or listen my way into some kind of stillness. So winter music, this year, is the music that helps me do just this. “Inside I’ve got a fire crackling / You’re the old friend I just took in,” Berman sings in the last line. It’s a winter song.

My most potent memory of snow, recently, is from the walk home from the cemetery that day. I had “Snow is Falling in Manhattan” on repeat because I wanted to keep its stillness with me, and was moving slowly downhill on the long streets. It was getting dark, and warm lights began to turn on in the living and dining rooms of houses. When I got to the spot where the train tracks cross the road, I stopped and realized it was snowing: lightly, not in Manhattan, not in Berman’s slow diagonal fashion, but snowing all the same. I stopped again, looked, and listened, in no hurry.

WAMH X THE STUDENT

Brought to you by the WAMH blog, where it can be found, and The Student’s Arts & Living section. Written by WAMH Music Blog Director Olive Amdur ’23.

The Amherst Student • February 23, 2022

Arts & Living 15

“Ants From Up There”: A Fulfilling Final Album

Miles Garcia ’25

Staff Writer

Black Country, New Road (BC,NR) has been busy this past year. Just a day shy of one year after releasing their debut album, “For the First Time,” they’ve already released their second, “Ants From Up There.” The albums are distinct from each other and from the works of other British experimental rock bands — namely Squid and black midi — that have been crawling their way to the top of the indie ranks over the past few years. The brooding aura and chaotic math rock of “For the First Time” put BC,NR on the map as a confident, well-rounded, and creative band (boasting seven members including a violinist and a tenor saxophonist). However, “Ants From Up There,” which marks the end of frontman and lyricist Isaac Wood’s time with the group, takes a decidedly brighter tone that favors naivety and grandiosity all at once, juxtaposing Wood’s melancholic lyrics with a sprightly, theatrical, and at times harrowing backdrop of instrumentation.

“Ants From Up There” sounds like either the triumphant opening to an original Broadway musical or the grand opening of the gates of hell. Each song seems to construct itself in real time with great precision, making its melody known before evoking a wave of emotion through brilliant, glistening walls of sound. The live, organic feel of the instrumentation certainly adds a visceral flow to the tracks, whose sometimes daunting lengths are balanced out by the density of impressive musical ideas and fearless execution that the band keeps consistent for 59 glorious minutes.

Each track has a unique personality that shines through. Whether it’s the string-plucked flourishes on “Concorde” that sound like they came from the latest Animal Crossing title or the skeletal backbeats on “Good Will Hunting” that bend time signatures and saunter along like

Photo courtesy of Lalineaonce.altervista.org

Experimental rock group Black Country, New Road recently released "Ants From Up There," an album that marks the end of frontman Isaac Wood's time with the group. Miles Garcia '25 breaks down the ethereal and intense album.

a stumbling body, BC,NR has a strong affinity for giving life to each composition. The purely instrumental songs “Intro” and “Mark’s Theme” make a strong impact even in their brevity: “Intro” sets the tone for the album’s madness with a 54-second romp that features complex wind-instrument harmonies sailing across an agitated drum pattern, while “Mark’s Theme” could easily be played at a downtown jazz bar.

The album’s instrumentals provide a perfect backdrop for its earnest, somewhat conceptual lyrics. The playful splashes of saxophone against jittery piano chords on “Chaos Space Marine” create the adventurous image of a cunning stowaway gliding gleefully through a field, far from their hometown. This matches the song’s lyrics, which chronicle Wood leaving his body and turning into a worm who won’t face the realities of his world, wanting autonomy, or a pure, naturalistic escape from his emotional turmoil. Meanwhile, “Bread Song” has a chorus — seemingly without a time signature — whose quiet and swirling swells of cymbals and strings cushion somber lyrics about a waning connection between Wood and his lover. “Haldern’s” conceptual focus on spatial and temporal distance between two people is complemented gently by luscious piano keys that glitter like stars above Wood’s singing.

BC,NR truly flex their muscles on the final three tracks, which take up about half of the album’s runtime. “The Place Where He Inserted the Blade” takes the childlike flare of “Concorde” and increases it tenfold, telling a thematically charged story about the passage of time and the act of looking back on one’s mistakes, or past selves, in the context of another heavily idealized partner. Complete with an intro reminiscent of the best parts of My Chemical Romance’s “The Black Parade,” the song’s sing-along background vocals and deceptively breezy instrumentation round out its passionate edges, like witnessing tragedy from a comfortable view on top of the clouds. It’s perfectly ephemeral, like the best dreams.

Then “Snow Globes,” already coming after one of the album’s highest highs, manages to take things up a notch. Its three-minute introduction feels expansive, like the prologue to an epic poem. About halfway through this nine-minute behemoth, the drums fully disconnect from the other instruments as though there are two songs going on at once. Drummer Charlie Wayne transitions from using simple embellishments on the toms or cymbals into a full-on temper tantrum whose chaos acts as a climax — the harsh comedown of the blizzard alluded to in Wood’s snow globe metaphor.

And just in case you didn’t think the album could get any more intense than that, the closer “Basketball Shoes,” nearly 13 minutes in length, takes all the best parts of the album and pushes them to their limits in a chilling finale. The song is separated into sections that act as either digestible pockets of groove or an ominous crescendo of noise that might populate an otherwise empty auditorium. The grand and terrifying guitars welcome the listener into the band’s dungeon of sound, which eventually culminates in the hardest blow BC,NR delivers on the album. The squealing background vocals add immense humanity to the crushing, explosive, warped instrumental void that arrives in the song's final two minutes. It wraps you in either the strongest hug of love or the harshest cries of pain before death.

The end of the album is apt given its lyrical and musical themes, which ebb and flow between childish fantasies and the eruptive swarm of social and romantic anxiety. Neither side of its optimism or its pessimism takes full rein — “Ants From Up There” displays the band’s emotional versatility as well as their musical talent and range. By the end, each instrument has a personality and a calculated purpose that moved me. Black Country, New Road has already achieved respectable status, but I wouldn’t say they necessarily have “potential” as a band — the kinetic energy on display here suggests they are already operations at maximum capacity.

Sports

Ephs Best Mammoths in Tight NESCAC Quarterfinal

Ian Donahue ’24

Staff Writer

A marquee matchup in the NESCAC men’s basketball quarterfinals between two of the oldest collegiate rivals in the country went down to the wire on Feb. 19, with the Williams Ephs barely outlasting the Mammoths in a 70-66 nailbiter.

After both teams had bypassed the first round of the tournament with a bye, the fifth-seed Mammoths faced off against the fourth-seed Ephs for the third time this season. The two teams held an even 1-1 season split against each other going into the match. Amherst entered boasting a 15-8 record, having defeated the Ephs in their first matchup 73-65 — handing Williams first loss of the season. The Ephs came in with a 15-3 record, having emerged victorious in their most recent matchup against the Mammoths.

The Ephs shot out of the gates following the opening tipoff, going on an 11-4 run in the first five minutes by capitalizing on multiple offensive rebounds and putbacks. Meanwhile, the Mammoths offense struggled early, missing seven of their first nine field goal attempts. Buoyed by back-to-back threes, Williams later extended their lead to 11 halfway through the first half. However, the Mammoths responded powerfully, scoring nine unanswered points in just over three minutes to bring the game to within just two points with 6:46 remaining in the frame. Amherst’s explosive run was led by senior captain Tim McCarthy’s ’21 five points and was helped along by four assists from fellow captain Grant Robinson ’21. As the first half came to a close, Williams’ early lead shrunk to just four points, with the score sitting at 31-27. Williams shot a remarkable 42 percent from three in the first half. Amherst kept pace with Williams’ shooting barrage by means of their superior work on the glass — outrebounding Williams 20-17 — and by forcing turnovers, collecting five steals in the first half alone.

The second half began in an eerily similar fashion to the first, with Williams going on an extended run spearheaded by an even diet of inside penetration and outside shooting. Conversely, the Mammoths struggled to maintain their offensive rhythm from the end of the first half, converting on just five of their first 15 shots. With 9:43 on the clock, the Ephs drilled back-to-back threes to take a commanding 52-39 lead midway through the second half.

Once again, Amherst responded emphatically, orchestrating their most dominant stretch of the game. Starting with a made jumper by Garrett Day ’21 with 8:30 remaining in the game, the Mammoths put together a 13-1 run marked by two 3-pointers from McCarthy, along with relentless work on the glass by Ryker Vance ’25 en route to two offensive boards. On the other end of the floor, aside from one made free throw, the Mammoths held the Ephs scoreless for three and a half minutes, blending together their best stretch on both defense and offense. After McCarthy’s second 3-pointer in just over two minutes, the score sat at 53-52 with 5:10 remaining.

Following a made basket by Williams, a nifty layup by Day again brought the Mammoths within one point with 3:05 remaining. Foul trouble, however, would halt the Mammoths’ run, as the Ephs refused to relinquish their lead. Five consecutive fouls on the defensive end would prove costly, as Willaims would go on to convert nine of 10 free throws, extending their lead back out to nine points with 41 seconds left. Despite a valiant effort that brought the game back within two points with 18 seconds left, the Ephs continued to sink their crucial free throws until the clock wound down with the final score sitting at 70-66.

McCarthy paced the Mammoths’ offense with 14 points, while Vance and Day each tallied 12 points of their own. Vance stuffed the stat sheet further, recording an additional six rebounds and two blocks. Robinson totaled a team-high nine assists, in addition to a team-high (tied with Vance) six rebounds.

The Mammoths are now forced to wait and see if they are selected as one of 20 at-large bids among the 44 conference champions in the NCAA Division III Tournament. The tournament selections are expected to be announced on Feb. 28. Meanwhile, the Ephs will advance to the semifinal round of the NESCAC tournament to ultimately decide the conference champion.

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Senior guard Garrett Day '22 takes a shot in an earlier game against Williams.

Women’s Hockey Bags Top-10 Win, Quarterfinal Home Ice

Mike Schretter ’23

Staff Writer

The women’s hockey team had a stellar weekend up in Waterville, Maine, as they tied Colby 1-1 on Saturday, Feb. 19 and won 4-1 on Sunday, Feb. 20 to earn the third seed in the upcoming NESCAC tournament. Their recent run of play has set them up with home ice in their quarterfinal game against Bowdoin on Feb. 26. Colby, who was ranked No. 8 in the most recent rankings, could not keep up with the Mammoths, who were able to get three wins and a tie in their last four games to close out the regular season.

While the two games looked very different on the scoresheet, they were equally thrilling. On Saturday, the first period was marked by a quick start for the Mammoths, as Carley Daly ’23 scored off assists from Kate Pohl ’23 and Elizabeth Holubiak ’22 with 7:46 left to give the Mammoths a 1-0 lead heading into the second period. Unfortunately, that lead did not last long, as the Mules responded with a goal from Madi Aumann to even the score up at one apiece.

The third period saw Colby try to capitalize on a slew of opportunities, but their shots were stifled by the great play of Mammoths goaltender Caitlin Walker ’22, keeping the game at 1-1. With a tie against a top-10 opponent in their back pocket, the Mammoths were able to gain both confidence and momentum heading into Sunday’s important contest.

After a low-scoring grudge match on Saturday, the high-flying Sunday contest was an unexpected change of pace for the Mammoths, who were able to dominate the Mules 4-1. The scoring barrage started with Daly once again, who scored only nine seconds into the game. The Mammoths controlled the opening faceoff and quickly made their way up the ice before Pohl connected with Daly for the tally. Colby responded only 52 seconds later with a goal from Meg Rittenhouse to even the score. However, the Mammoths responded with another goal from Alyssa Xu ’25 coming after only another 46 seconds had ticked by to give the Mammoths the lead for good. The first period would end with no more scoring, with the game at 2-1 in favor of Amherst.

No goals were scored in the second period by either team, but the third period saw another offensive explosion from the Mammoths. Pohl started the two-goal spurt with a goal off an Angelina Wiater ’22 pass that deflected off a Mules defender’s skate to give the Mammoths a 3-1 lead. The Mammoths capped off the scoring with another goal from Daly, who converted an empty-netter with 1:30 remaining in the game to make the final score 4-1.

Because of the restrictions that Covid has put on the 2021-22 season, every team in the NESCAC will advance to postseason play. With their recent run of good form, Amherst was able to earn home ice for the quarterfinal round of the tournament, which they will go into as defending champions — the Mammoths won the last edition of the tournament in 2020. The Mammoths will begin their title defense on Saturday, Feb. 26 against Bowdoin, with the puck dropping at 3 p.m.