Issue 60: The South Got Something To Say: an Outkast Discography

From Groupieof Freaks to Tumblr Geeks The Future Funky:| A28 History of Afrofuturism | 08 | 18 | 40 in Music | 20 Musicians the Silver Screen Eurovision GoesIsGlobal Beabadoobee

northeastern students on music

The Revival of Pop Music | 43

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E-Board President Kristie Wong Editor-in-Chief Nikolas Greenwald Art Directors Stephanie Miano Angela Lin Promotions Director Emily Harris Photo Directors Lauren Scornavacca Rayven Tate Rayn Tavares

Staff Features Editor Grant Foskett Reviews Editors Emma Turney Maya Dengel Interviews Editor Max Rubenstein Social Media Directors Hannah Lowicki Sofia Maricevic Outreach Coordinator Emily Greenberg

The Team Staff Writers Amanda Lavery Asher Rappaport Brad Beckert Bryan Grady Carleigh Sussman Chelsea Henderson Chris Mahir Chuck Stein Desmond LaFave Drew Quercio Emma Turney Ethan Matthews Fisher Hunnewell Grant Foskett Jessica Gwardschaladse Josh Stone Kaitlin Kerr Lacie Foreht Livi Hally

Max Rubenstein Maya Dengel Michael Hrinda Miles Kirsch Mona Yu Neeloy Bose Nell Snow Nikolas Greenwald Nora Holland Rachel Cerato Rayven Tate Sabrina Zhang Shalona Williams Sonia Popovic Terrance Dumoulin Theodore Kypreos Willa Shiomos Art & Design Alix Heudebourg Angelina Han Anna Rowley Brooke Elmore Ellie Johnson Gabrielle Bruck Gayathri Raj Hannah Jean Ahn Jenny Chen Jessica Brown Megan Lam Nicholas Alonzo Norman Zeng Roman Distefano Sadhana Pakala Sarah Gordon Verena Calista Irawan Promotions Alayna Thomas Amanda Stark Angela Lin Anita Shanker Ashley Own Camron Nodoushani Chelsea Henderson Desmond LaFave Emily Greenberg Emily Griffin Emily Harris Emily Huang Grant Foskett Hannah Lowicki Jenny Chen Jessica Gwardschaladse Joseph Handel Josh Stone Joshua Erickson Kristie Wong Matthew Rose Ryan Lewis Serena Werner

Shalona Williams Sofia Maricevic Spencer Haber Upekha Samarasekera Verena Calista Irawan Photography Alex Pesek Alex Sumas Amanda Stark Angela Lin Annina Hare Brandon Yap Cali Cardenas Casey Buttke Casey Martin Emily Greenberg Emily Gringorten Emma Turney Evan Daniels Frances Lee Graham Moitoso Hang Nguyen Hannah Lee Izzy Harris Josh Rosenberg Josh Stone Julia Aguam Kelly Thomas Kimmy Curry Kristen Chen Lauren Scornavacca Matt Streibich Michelle D’Alessandro Mikhail Dorokhov Natalie McGowan Nicole McNamara-Marsland Randall Gee Rayn Tavares Rayven Tate Reine Lederer Risa Tapanes Ryan Lewis Saakhi Singh Sadhana Pakala Sadie Parker Sammie Cirillo Shalona Williams Sydney Lerner Verena Calista Irawan Nicholas Alonzo Kaline Langley Risa Tapanes Anthony Mao Emily Gringorten Christian Gomez Rayn Tavares Web Jessie Yang Sophia Thomas

Meet the Staff

About Kristen Chen Position Photographer Major Environmental Studies Graduating 2021 Favorite Venue The Sinclair Tastemaker Since Fall 2018

Listening to

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard “Sense”

Quote

“Probably baking banana bread.”

Snarky Puppy “Sing to the Moon” Khruangbin “Cómo Me Quieres”

Angelina Han Position Designer Major Computer Science and Design Graduating 2023 Favorite Venue House of Blues Tastemaker Since Fall 2019

Matthew Rose Position Promo Major Communications and Media and Screen Studies Graduating 2023 Favorite Venue Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn Tastemaker Since Fall 2019

Grouplove Healer

“What typeface is that?”

Kiltro “Ofelia” Mt. Joy “Dirty Love”

Greyson Chance “Dancing Next to Me”

“Alexa, play Disturbia.”

Betcha “If That’s Alright” Taylor Swift “Cruel Summer”

Chuck Stein Position Staff Writer Major Computer Science and Music Composition/Technology Graduating 2022 Favorite Venue Paradise Rock Club Tastemaker Since Fall 2018

Danny Brown XXX Bjork Vespertine Hiatus Kaiyote Choose Your Weapon

“Charles Mingus invented the ad-lib.”

Michael Kiwanuka, Royale

Photo by Kristen Chen (Environmental Studies)

Table of Contents Cover Story

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The South Got Something To Say: an Outkast Discography Look back on the career of Outkast, the vivacious duo of André 3000 and Big Boi who put Southern hip hop on the map and changed the genre forever.

Etcetera

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Features

Editorials

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Treble O’ Seven

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WTF Is Habibi Funk?

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Eurovision Goes Global

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Beabadoobee

More and more movies are being made about the lives of various musicians, but where did this trend start, and what does the future hold for it?

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Music & The 2020 Election

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Guitar’s Fallen Angel

In Defense Of Even if you’re not quite a fan of her music, you have to admire how Danielle Bregoli turned fleeting meme success into a real music career.

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Tastemakers Dissects

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Local Talent

A deeper look into the story behind Neck Deep’s “A Part of Me” featuring Laura Whiteside.

Musicians of the Silver Screen

Music and politics have always been intertwined, but recently in the shadow of the 2020 election, the influence of music, and musicians, on politics has surged.

A history of the American classic guitar and symbol of heavy metal and hard rock: the Gibson SG.

Interviews

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Learn more about Local Talent Gatch, Northeastern’s own songwriting star.

An Interview with Mavi Up-and-coming rapper Mavi talks about growing as a performer and his fantastic debut album, Let the Sun Talk.

Reviews

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Local Photos Activities

Album Reviews Justin Beiber, Allie X, Beach Bunny, and Grimes

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The original is one of the most recognizable songs of all time and performing a theme has become the peak of many an artists’ career, here’s the history of the James Bond theme song.

Read about the record label preventing music from being forgotten forever by highlighting hidden gems of the physical era.

Eurovision is finally reaching a global audience, and if you’re not familiar, it’s time to get acquainted.

The story behind bedroom pop songwriter turned indie sensation, Beabadoobee!

What Happened to the Black Eyed Peas?

Well, what did happen to the Black Eyed Peas? Let’s start from the beginning...

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Boston Calling May 22–24 @ Harvard Athletic Complex

Canadian indie pop band Peach Pit is coming down to Boston to tour their sophomore album, You and Your Friends. With their breezy guitars and relatable lyrics, you and your friends will have a (Tommy’s) Party at the show.

For those co-opers, Summer 1 peeps, and locals looking for something to do Memorial Day weekend, Boston’s most famous music festival is back for its 11th time. Come for headliners Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rage Against the Machine, and Foo Fighters and a chance to be outside for a prolonged period of time after the long, not-so-cold spring semester; stay for acts like Banks, The 1975, Girl in Red, and more.

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Come see Kesha at the Rockland Trust Bank Pavilion on May 31st. Relive your childhood while rocking out to “TiK ToK”, AND see her growth after leaving rehab and her record deal with Sony. The party will NOT start until you walk in.

In support of the release of their new album, and their first time releasing new music in four years, Car seat headrest will be returning to Boston this summer!! They’ll be joined by Twin Peaks and you shouldn’t miss this epic night of dancing to indie rock!

Emily Greenberg (Undecided) Kimmy Curry (Architecture)

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Speing 2020

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Every year, dozens of movies flood the box office. Audiences eagerly await the release of original movies that they’ve been seeing trailers of for months with the hopes that those feature films go on to gain recognition and win during the awards season. In recent years, it’s become a trend for filmmakers to create movies about the lives of various musicians and artists. Just to name a few, Amy Winehouse, Judy Garland, and the Jersey Boys have all had some exposure in the film industry. Some of the more notable and easily recognizable of these recent biopics, however, have been Straight Outta Compton (2015) about N.W.A., Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) about Queen and Rocketman (2019) about Sir Elton John.

One could argue that the whole trend of musician biopics really started with Straight

Outta Compton in 2015. This biographical drama depicting the rise and fall of rap group N.W.A. was an iconic statement of the time.

Released in the year following the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, Straight Outta Compton depicts a perspective of police brutality against African Americans before the height of the Black Lives Matter movement.

N.W.A.’s members–Eazy-E, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, DJ Yella and MC Ren–were constant targets

for police harassment because of their race.

They engaged in activities that caused the press to label them as “gangsta,” and while this could be seen as a negative portrayal of the group, they are necessary details that help to explain the complicated lives they lived before attaining success. The movie didn’t glorify or condescend these behaviors, rather it explained them in a relative light. The events of their lives were essential in their development as a group, and the depiction of them in Compton was overall necessary to explain their background and motives as a group.

Straight Outta Compton fueled a sudden interest in the lives of musicians because it helped to show audiences that their favorite artists are not perfect. Its success led to the creation of movies such as Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman.

Bohemian Rhapsody not only recounts the story of how Queen became the band that reached international fame, but also the story of lead singer Freddie Mercury’s struggles with his sexuality and drugs and alcohol. The movie shows the complexity of relationships for band members and the influence that success can have on these relationships, both of which are concepts that can be difficult for audiences to understand. The film does a good job of depicting Mercury’s use of drugs and alcohol without glorifying it. It is meant to show how low he was feeling in addition to the pressures

of the music industry and accurately reflect the true events that occurred in Mercury’s life when he briefly left Queen. Similarly, Rocketman, the biopic of Sir Elton John, tells the complicated lifestyle of a rockstar. John had a poor home life that impacted him at an early age, and as he grew up, he struggled with his sexuality. He later became addicted to alcohol, cocaine, shopping, and sex. The pressure of the music industry definitely took its toll, and it was evident when he was forced to perform at a show following a suicide attempt. Despite these movies’ strengths, both biopics have been called shallow by critics. Though Bohemian Rhapsody does a good job celebrating Queen’s prominence and significance in the music industry, it lacks specificity and fails to show the true complexity behind Mercury and his life. It also cannot fully capture Mercury’s talent because he truly was a one-of-a-kind artist. Rocketman, while it feels slightly less superficial, has more musical performances that make it seem like a jukebox musical. When addressing why the biopic doesn’t mention how John is sober and happily married now, Vulture said “it might be that Oscar bait music biopics don’t how to handle joy unless it’s part of a larger victimization.”

Other platforms have taken to this trend as well. Netflix has released Gaga: Five Foot

Two (2017) about Lady Gaga, Homecoming (2019) about Beyoncé, Everybody’s Everything (2019) about Lil Peep and Miss Americana (2020) about Taylor Swift. Amazon Studios also released Chasing Happiness (2019) about the Jonas Brothers. All of these are more documentary-style than biopic, but they fulfill the same purpose in a less dramatized way.

Gaga gives the audience an unfiltered view of Lady Gaga during the production of her album Joanne. It shows the challenges of balancing a musician’s personal life with their professional life. For Lady Gaga specifically, she had to deal with the symptoms of fibromyalgia while simultaneously writing an album, filming for the sixth season of American Horror Story and interacting with overeager fans. Similarly, Miss Americana depicts the progression of Taylor Swift’s career, including a variety of

“In the age of fleeting images, movies are eternal.” interviews, home videos, concert recordings, and more. It was made during the time she was writing her latest two studio albums, Reputation (2017) and Lover (2019). It’s an exploration of the various events of her career and the personal events that simultaneously took place, like her eating disorder, body dysmorphia, and mom’s cancer diagnosis.

While critics admit that it is an insightful story of how a pop star grew and learned to speak her mind, they say that it fails to go super in-depth with all of the topics mentioned in the short documentary. Everybody’s Everything follows the life of Gustav Ahr, professionally known as Lil Peep, leading up to his untimely death in 2017. It’s a documentary that humanizes him and celebrates who he was as an artist and person. Rolling Stone has called Ahr a “creative dynamo,” and this

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documentary is a heartbreaking look at his life and all that he could have accomplished Rocketman in the future. Fans and critics of Lil Peep alike feel the loss of the music industry when they watch this documentary.

Fri Homecoming differs slightly from 07:30P these three documentaries, however, 05/e31/ 201 9 $9.00 ma because it focuses on the preparation ers Cin astemak T of Beyoncé’s two Coachella pt tta Com u O performances in 2018. Woven into the t h g Strai narrative of her Coachella performances are clips of her talking about her 05:15P experience of being a black woman in the i 00 Fr $9.Cinema Tastemakers music industry. Finally, Chasing Happiness 5 1 0 2 / 08/14 on Amazon Video documents the Jonas Bohemian Rhapsody Brothers as they are deciding to reunite and begin making music together again. At the start of filming the documentary, the brothers 02:40P Tue just wanted to make the documentary to discuss their childhood in the entertainment $9.00 02/12/2019 industry. After having a deep heart-to-heart about why they stopped making music together in the first place, they decided they glorify them when they’ve done bad things. had spent enough time apart growing as Though there’s still no definite reason as to musicians and were ready to get the band why this trend has emerged, the fascination back together. It was an enlightening look into with celebrities and musicians is not a new the impact of the entertainment industry on phenomenon. It has just manifested itself in a their childhood and its lasting effects even into more concrete way in the past few years. In the their adult lives. age of fleeting images, movies are eternal.

This trend of biopics and documentaries seems like it won’t die down anytime soon, • Chelsea Henderson (Undeclared) considering that in October 2020, Respect, a movie about Aretha Franklin, will also be released. To some movie consumers, this trend can feel somewhat unoriginal and repetitive. However, artists have such different stories that it’s important that filmmakers tell the stories they feel that audiences need to hear. It’s important to depict artists’ lives to explain their complicated motives and backgrounds, but it’s important to not

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music&

2020 election

the

Designer: Brooke Elmore (Design)

invested in Yang’s platform of universal basthat he joined his team to act as Yang’s “Creative Consultant,” and eventually collaborated to create a popup shop full of campaign merchandise to be sold with Glover’s name across it.

Glover’s name recognition pulled in an audience that Yang might not reach, and also helped raise money for his trailing campaign. What started as Glover endorsing Yang’s political policies grew into a cultural and economic elevation of Yang’s message, giving an avid Childish Gambino fan the same access to and understanding of democracy as a fully fledged Yang canvasser.

Beyond just endorsements from musicians, politicians must get creative about how they want music to play a role in their elections. Perhaps the most savvy candidate in using music throughout this election was Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Sanders aptly invigorated his young base through inviting artists that support his campaign to perform at rallies. The number of artists who have performed at a Bernie rally far outnumbered those of any other candidate; the Senator drew a wide variety of artists including Vampire Weekend, The Strokes, Bon Iver, Soccer Mommy, and Lucy Dacus. Even as the nation was self-quarantining due to the coronavirus outbreak, Sanders held virtual rallies, featuring the Free Nationals and Neil Young. Bernie’s ability to attract artists to come to his rallies not only had the effect of galvanizing his own base, but also attracted people that might not otherwise feel the need to attend a Bernie rally. Perhaps a Biden-supporting Vampire Weekend fan came to the Bernie

Designer: Brooke Elmore (Design)

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Politics and music have been symbiotically intertwined for ages. Musicians use their music to speak toward political reform and advocacy, creating music about socioeconomic issues, racism, sexism, war, etc. Politicians, in turn, have used such political messaging through music to affect their own platforms, and uplift their campaigns for office. Most recently, in the 2020 presidential election, there has been a surge in the influence of music in campaigns as a way to appeal to a younger base of voters, and keep up with the rise of technology and social media that has brought music and its messaging to a powerful forefront of American politics.

Musicians can use their voice through song, but also through another political tactic: endorsements. In the early stages of the race, former candidates received a wide range of support from artists in the early stages of the campaign: Bernie with the likes of Cardi B and Ariana Grande; Joe Biden and Cher; Elizabeth Warren and John Legend, and even Tom Steyer with TLC. Each candidate uses music to capture a different demographic, and reach audiences he or she might otherwise not get full access to. In this way, music can play a part in politics through musicians giving endorsements, candidates hosting musical rallies, and even through adopting songs as their campaign’s anthem.

One former candidate in particular, Andrew Yang, took an endorsement to the next level, by allowing it to shape his campaign. Early in his run for president, Yang received an endorsement from Donald Glover -- or as he’s known in the music world -- Childish Gambino. Glover became so

rally to hear them play, but stayed long enough to be inspired

by Bernie’s message and left with a newfound appreciation for Medicare for All.

Bernie was far from the only candidate to do this. In the general election in 2016, Hillary Clinton gathered an impressive crew of talented musicians to perform for her and back her in the election, with the likes of Jay-Z and Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga, Chance the Rapper, Bon Jovi, and more. Obama did the same in 2008, and now in 2020, candidates like Tom Steyer tried to imitate the fanaticism these rallies facilitate with a concert by supporters TLC. While these events often serve the vital purpose of increasing voter turnout, particularly amongst young people, opposing sides often weaponize them. In 2016 particularly, an obsessive talking point of the right was the idea of the liberal elite, and constant critiques with each endorsement a Democrat received from a musician, actor, or any established celebrity.

Beyond endorsements and concerts, music still remains an aspect of campaigns that stands to have a magnetic effect, both performatively and politically. One way it seeps through is the songs that candidates choose to represent their campaign, whether on purpose or inadvertently. For years, this has manifested through their “walk-out” songs at rallies, and, more recently with the rise of technology, candidates often curate playlists that reflect their campaign and its ideals.

As each candidate tries their best to differentiate themselves from others, with messages of unity, triumph, or perseverance, music can be a subtle way to emphasize the core of their campaign. When walking out onto the stage at a political rally, Senator Elizabeth Warren blasted a blue-collar heavy “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton, complimenting her campaign’s focus on uplifting the working class and taking on big businesses. Similarly, Sanders’ campaign aptly plays “Power to the People” by John Lennon as he lumbers across the stage, highlighting his campaign’s grit and fervor in returning power to the people who have been historically disadvantaged in this country.

Each way that music pervades political campaigns, whether it be through endorsements, concerts, or songs at rallies, has an unintended effect of catalyzing the sensationalism of the political process. While it has, in some ways, galvanized certain bases to vote and become more interested in politics, it also can distract, and misguide voters that candidates are more or different than what they actually are. Candidates are meant to lead a broad coalition of voters and Americans, they have a demonstrative effect over where you live, if you can afford healthcare, and if our planet survives. Through music, candidates find ways to connect to different pockets of the country, and if we let it, music and the artists that make it can play a part in shaping our political leanings and desires.

• Livi Hally (Political Science and International Affairs major)

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an interview with Interview

TMM: What are you listening to right now?

MAVI: Girl rappers. Hook, BK the Ruler, Baby Sosa. Those are like my favorite rappers right now. I listen to my friends a lot… Baby Mother. As far as shit that I’ve been listening to, it’s just unreleased continuation shit by my friends cause my friends are my favorite artists. And then I want to be friends with my favorite artists.

TMM: Have you become friends with an artist that you like after you liked their music?

MAVI: Yes! I’ve made a lot of friends just through music. It’s been such a blessing to find family in the thing that you like doing because that can be isolating so often.

TMM: There’s this video on YouTube of you rapping about the nervous system in 7th grade. Do you remember that?

MAVI: Yeah, I do.

TMM: So in the video there’s a couple of kids and you’re kind of the shyest or the most reluctantMAVI: I was angry. I was really angry, I was holding back tears because the two other boys kept fucking up their verse and we had to keep doing it over, I was so mad. And I wrote the whole thing and they kept fucking it up.

TMM: Back then did you have stage fright or were you nervous?

MAVI: I was mad. I just didn’t really wanna be on camera. Sometimes I still don’t want to be on camera. I don’t know, bro. Like, I like people, I’m Spring 2020

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an extrovert, and I like to talk and shit but n***** be like butterflies like as far as flying flower to flower. I’m just not that, socially sometimes.

TMM: Now you’re a confident performer, you command attention on the stage. Have you had to develop your stage presence or your performance skills? Did they come naturally or did you work on them?

MAVI: That came really naturally just as I gained a better grasp of the music. You don’t really realize that writing a song is a learning experience. The first draft of the song is the truest form of it but it’s the truth that you won’t hear until you listen to the song a million times. On the millionth listen I know exactly what I’m saying, what I’m trying to get you to feel, or where I’m going. I know that before I even play a song and so you can walk on the stage differently once that’s the case.

TMM: You’ve said you first started rapping by remixing Isaiah Rashad’s song Menthol. Isaiah’s from Chattanooga, which is close to Charlotte. Do you have any other local influences from what you were listening to when you were a kid?

MAVI: Yeah. Definitely like Young Dro. DG Yola, Future, Jeff (Young Thug), the whole YSL really. Mad shit bro. Not so much Charlotte shit specifically but like mad Southeast, Mid Atlantic shit.

TMM: So you’ve been able to continue making music and playing shows and growing while being a student at Howard, right?

MAVI: No, well I am a student but I’m not taking classes.

TMM: So you’re not taking classes anymore?

MAVI: Not right now.

TMM: That’s a long time to wait to have it mixed, that must’ve been awful.

MAVI: I plan on finishing. I plan on finishing everything I start.

MAVI: Yeah, it made me cry.

TMM: Before you stopped taking classes, how had you been able to balance doing both school and music?

TMM: Going along with tracks outside of the album, before and after it was released you had tracks with Medhane, Earl Sweatshirt, and other artists that seem to be pioneering a similar sound to you right now.

To what extent would you say that as a group of artists with unique but semi-related sounds and ideas, you’re able to benefit from the frequent collaborations that you undertake?

MAVI: My dad told me one time, like my friends got on heavy anticapitalism shit. This is one of the best things he ever taught me. He was like ‘no matter what system you born in to, you, Omavi, you gotta dominate it.’ That was a mandate. And then, I just take that with me like I don’t be trying to do no shit to like, not do it good like that, if I’m gonna do it. And then I didn’t want to rap bad, didn’t want to be a dumbass so I just kept going, TMM: We know a lot of students that are also trying to start a music career while in school. Do you have any advice for them?

MAVI: Perform a lot. You have a captive audience. Don’t pay to perform.

Don’t accept step-by-step guidance from someone who hasn’t completed the steps.

TMM: Let the Sun Talk has a very unique cover-it’s beautiful! What was the inspiration for the art, and how did you get it made?

MAVI: I think I was the inspiration for the art- it IS gorgeous- but nah that was just from a photo that my friend Alana gave to me, and I sent to my friend Adrian who’s a painter, and he painted it for me. I basically just gave him the guideline to invoke that it’s a skyline. It’s very radial, but with a horizontal base that evokes sunrise. It’s meant to be iconic as the sun in the sky, and similar to the icon of the Japanese flag- the Rising Sun. I tried to push the contrast of blue and yellow, and then he just knocked that shit out. The emotion, the tonality that he was able to put in my face was just so amazing, I appreciated it.

MAVI: Yeah, I benefit from collaboration because you always learn from working with somebody else.

TMM: Absolutely! I guess you already answered this in some form, but in a past interview you said that you try to just focus on the present and setting foundations for the future. What can you tell us about the future of your music?

Designer: Angela Lin (Business Adminstration and Design)

TMM: So are you putting it on pause for music? Or do you plan on going back?

MAVI: It’s not always just gonna be like, “Oh... I’m introspective.” I feel emotion, emotion that’s not always as reasonable or rational as Let the Sun Talk is, but I’m always attempting to rationalize them in some way.

But it’s fun, it’s always gonna be a fun ride through this life.

• Desmond LaFave (Journalism and Media Screen Studies) and

Terrance Dumoulin (Civil Engineering and Architectural Studies)

TMM: That’s really cool! So, to what extent would you say the various spoken word samples you use within Let the Sun Talk influenced the music itself ?

MAVI: Highly, highly. I heard those things before I made the album, before I wrote the songs. Basically, I wanted to tell the nation’s and god’s and Earth’s cosmology of the sun, moon, and stars through a rough folktale: just amalgamate all of these spiritual practices into that greater purpose to reflect what spiritually being a black man in America is, and the self-sustenance it requires.

TMM: So, kind of going along that line, what was the process of actually getting the album recorded and finished?

MAVI: It was so frustrating.

It took me a year to get it because no one would mix it.

A year before y’all heard it.

out It was done

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Designer: Megan Lam (Architecture)

Cover Story

OutKast is a vivacious duo hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, composed of André “André 3000” Benjamin and Antwon “Big Boi” Patton. The two formed their group in 1992 and dropped their debut album in 1994. While southern hip hop wasn’t as big at the time, it was on the rise and OutKast helped put it on the map. Southern hip hop as we knew it at the time all followed the same musical formula. When OutKast came onto the scene, they pushed the boundaries of what was considered “traditional” and showed that you could incorporate and draw from many different genres. They had elements of psychedelic rock to sticking their southern roots and weaving in gospel sounds to their music. André 3000 and Big Boi took us on a lyrical journey throughout their musical career as they painted a picture of their lives as kids and where their music took them. They showed us the world around them through their rhymes and provided us with a social commentary on the state of the world and how it affected them.

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Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik is OutKast’s first studio album which they released in 1994 with the help of their producers Organized Noize. The duo dropped this album when they were only 18 which was quite the feat considering how high it rose on the charts. This album is very raw, as the two artists use this project to speak on their coming of age and the African American experience in the South. OutKast had a major hand in bringing the attention to the rap scene in the South and the two didn’t hesitate to remind you of where they hailed from. Southern slang and references are common throughout this album, which we can see in the beginning of the song

OutKast returned with their sophomore album ATLiens in 1996 again partnering up with Organized Noize for help with the production throughout the project.

After Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik was released, not everyone was on board with OutKast and didn’t think they possessed the prowess needed to consider themselves talented rappers. They viewed that experience as a motivator and used ATLiens

“Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik” where Big Boi says “Catfish and grits is how my flow flow” referencing a popular Southern meal.

Later on in the song he says, “So copy my slang and bite my shit but don’t try gaffling me/’Cause sleep and you’ll get served with some Southern hospitality” which I feel like speaks for itself.

Recommended Tracks: “Ain’t No Thang”, “Hootie Hoo”, “Git Up, Git Out”

as a way to “rebrand” themselves and prove that they were capable of delivering a project that was creatively and technically stunning (which they definitely did as it went multiplatinum). André 3000 and Big Boi were no strangers to being seen as different and they really played on that theme throughout this album, as can be seen right away from the title. The project speaks on the duo’s upbringing in Atlanta and how they felt like outcasts throughout their lives and how certain aspects of their childhood would bring them grief socially. In the aptly named “Elevators (Me & You)”, André and Big Boi juxtapose their experience from only a few years ago riding the MARTA in downtown Atlanta to now where they’re riding in a Cadillac. The theme throughout the song

shows how far they’ve come and where they’ve yet to go. Big Boi says “We went from ‘Player’s Ball’ to ballers” referencing their previous song on the album that helped them rise to stardom and later says “We moving on up in the world like elevators”.

Even though the two are finally starting to see their careers pay off, André 3000 makes it known that this is only the beginning.

Toward the end of the song he says “I live by the beat like you live check-to-check/ If it don’t move your feet, then, I don’t eat, so we like neck-to-neck” meaning that music is his be-all and end-all and is vital to maintain this new rhythm of his life.

Recommended Tracks: “Babylon”, “E.T. (Extraterrestrial), “13th Floor/Growing Old”

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Aquemini is special because this album solidified that Big Boi and André 3000 were here to stay. After winning an award for ATLiens, the two had established their place in Southern hip-hop and showed the world just how versatile it could be. This is the album where they began to become more experimental with their sound as they incorporated live instrumentation into their tracks. Aquemini came out 2 years after ATLiens and continued on the alien theme of their previous album. Just as the last album’s name was a combination of words, this album is also a combination of the two members’ zodiac signs. The use of their zodiac signs in the title alludes that this album will contain a lot of introspection and commentary on André 3000’s and Big

Boi’s personal feelings in regards to where they were at in life. They both talk about their feelings on the state of the world throughout this album as well. At the time of this album, mass incarceration of Black men in the country was a major problem and this is something that the duo addresses in the song “Slump”. On this track they’re joined by Backbone and Cool Breeze from Dungeon Family and on the first verse, Backbone says “Plus that crooked cop Brock think we blow slangin’” alluding to a cop that’s quick to assume that they’re selling drugs and ready to lock them up. This album dropped 5 years after the Three Strike Policy was announced and as Big Boi says “But legislation got this new policy: three strikes and you’re ruined/ Now where your crew at?” This is what’s aiding in getting Black men locked up at an alarming rate. Throughout the album we see recurring themes of how the world is treating

When Stankonia came out, OutKast no longer had to prove to the public that they were talented musicians. They had since made a name for themselves with their previous albums, which gave them room to expand their sound even more.

This album is experimental in terms of sounds as it explores different elements of sound and it almost leans into pop without completely compromising the vibe (for lack of better word) that OutKast was known for. Their previous albums were rooted in the dirty south sound and this album deviates from that by upping their overall tempo and incorporating a lot of funk and techno beats. André and Big Boi weren’t shy when it came to speaking on social issues or getting political on their album and Stankonia wasn’t an exception

to this. The album touched on the social and political climate at the time which we can see in certain songs on throughout the project. The track “B.O.B.” stands for Bombs Over Baghdad and while the title suggests it’s about the political unrest between the US and Iraq, it’s actually providing a view on the conditions of the ghetto in America.

The song really delves into how kids growing up in the ghetto have to deal with a slew of issues like drugs, the prospect of ending up in jail, and wondering how they’re going to bring home money. The topics discussed in the song were seen as too controversial and ultimately got the single banned from playing at some radio stations. The album continues to explore topics like the acceleration of drug use in America as well as teen pregnancy which can be heard on the track “Toilet

Black men and André 3000 and Big Boi pour their frustrations out into these songs.

On the track “Nathaniel”, an acquaintance recounts his experience locked up in jail and it’s followed up with “Liberation” which talks about the feeling of being free from the societal burdens Black people often face. This song brings in the talent of Erykah Badu, Cee-Lo Green, Big Rube as they all help convey André 3000 and Big Boi the message of pain they’ve felt and how they’ve all come to find their feeling of freedom.

Recommended Tracks: “Aquemini”, “Da Art of Story Tellin’ (Pt.1), “Liberation”

Tisha.” Stankonia has rightly earned the title of OutKast’s best albums from many people. They marry upbeat instrumentals with smooth delivery of their verses all while encouraging discourse about the state of the country at the time.

Recommended Tracks: “Ms. Jackson”, “B.O.B.

One of the most revered of the albums, Speakerboxx/The Love Below boasts some of OutKast’s biggest hits. André 3000 and Big Boi deliver two solo albums wrapped up into one big project, with Speakerboxx being Big Boi’s half and The Love Below being André 3000’s half of the album. On Big Boi’s album we hear a lot more rapping than in André 3000’s album. Big Boi delivers heaters such as “Flip Flop Rock” where he’s joined by JAY-Z and Killer Mike to give us a track that almost seems like it’s all over the place as it’s about different afflictions each rapper has gone through. On André’s half of the album, he delivers many tracks where he’s singing and we get the funky sound elements and a lot of instrumentation.

“My Favorite Things” samples the chord

progression from the chorus of “My Favorite Things” by Coltrane while incorporating the stylistic choices of jazz piano and sax over a speed drum pattern. One thing about this album that I particularly find interesting is that its popularity seems to transcend generations. Adults and children alike enjoyed the singles that would play on the radio such as “Roses!” and “The Way You Move”. Even now, “Hey Ya” transitioned from playing on radio stations in the early 2000s to being played in living rooms while kids danced along to it in Just Dance 2.

The popularity of certain songs from this album doesn’t seem to decline across 3 generations and it doesn’t seem as though it’ll lose its prestige any time soon.

Recommended Tracks: “Flip Flop Rock”, “Roses”, “Hey Ya”

OutKast’s final studio album was released in 2006 accompanying the HBO film of the same name. Idlewild was set in 1935 and followed a narrative based around a jukejoint in Idlewild, Georgia, that was in danger of being overrun by gangsters. This album pays homage to soul, jazz and blues as it incorporates the southern themes of the film into it. ‘Mighty “O”’ uses the composition of Cab Calloway’s “Minnie the Moocher” in its hook. “Idlewild Blue (Dont’chu Worry ‘Bout Me), as suggested by the title, ties in elements of blues like the slide guitar and the

harmonica while still sticking to the OutKast sound by ending the track with the ringing sound of a synth. The album also includes dialogue from the film which we can hear on some tracks like “Call The Law” and “PJ & Rooster”.

Recommended Tracks: “Idlewild Blue (Don’tchu Worry ‘Bout Me)”, “PJ & Rooster”

• Rayven Tate (Mechanical Engineering)

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In Defense of: Etcetera flow complements the iconic lyrics in what could never have been anything except a massive hit. The music video is impressively selfaware, where Bregoli represents a common belief of her negative influence and the evolution of a stereotypical nuclear home as changed by her persona.

Nonetheless, “Gucci Flip Flops” and nearly every other song on the record presents the same overconfident and self-important narrative. However, the album at least attempts to tell a narrative.

Besides being essentially just a reflection of her personality, tracks like “Bhad Bhabie Story (Outro)” are vulnerable and real, breaking past her invincible facade and providing an outlet for her emotions and humanity. This track shows genuine maturity and her desire to remain an independent artist not bogged-down by the mainstream.

Additionally, the fact that most tracks oscillate around two minutes and the repetitive mixing and generic baselines show that 15 is not yet a full body of work, but is instead a way to introduce her into an unforgiving industry.

If not respect, Bhad Bhabie should at least be met with admiration. This teenager capitalized on her fleeting meme status, greatly outliving her retired “cash me ousside” catchphrase and birthing an already impressive rapping career. Her debut single “These Heaux” made her the youngest rapper and second youngest female artist ever to debut on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at 77.

• Ethan Matthews (Architecture)

Designer: Anna Rowley (Game Art and Animation)

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Danielle Bregoli is more than her September 2016 “cash me ousside” Dr. Phil quote turned meme. Bregoli is Bhad Bhabie—a bona fide artist who has only just begun her career.

To understand Bhad Bhabie, we need to go past her music and into the real substance of her career. She is a personality, a taunting, aloof figure unparalleled in enigmatic infamy in the music industry. This refined image is extremely well translated in her music, inherently giving her a “brand.” Early tracks like “Hi Bich” and “These Heaux” functioned as her introduction into music, and carry with them her recognizable personality at that point in her career. Instead of her stardom coming from musical innovation or vocal quality, it stems from the catchy and iconic, although slightly imbecilic, lyrics.

Ok, so what was next for Bregoli after these two introductory tracks? Well, more of the same. By the time she released “Whatchu Know” and “I Got It,” consumers were getting tired of her generic trap baseline and unimpressive emblem of the toxicity of flex culture.

We get it Danielle, you’re rich and we could never understand how famous and cool you are. It seems like the teenager at least partially got the message, as she excluded all previous singles, with the exception of “Hi Bich,” from her 2018 debut album 15. Well… maybe not. “15 (intro)” gives the opposite impression, which, although presenting some creative lyricism, is another uninventive flex track, and the subsequent “Juice” is the same. However, Bregoli’s following “Gucci Flip Flops” is easily the most impressive track on the record.

In a perfect representation of wealth in pop culture, her impressive

Album Reviews Justin Bieber Changes Released February 14, 2020 Label RBMG/Def Jam Genre Pop Tasty Tracks None

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Rotten

Even the features, some of which include the likes of Travis Scott and Kehlani, add nothing to the overall listening experience. It’s as if through sheer will, Bieber was able to make these artists sound exactly like him.

This trend of monotony leads into Bieber’s lyrics, which are mostly indecipherable to the ear. But the few lyrics that you can pick out amongst this sludge of vague melodies and beats are downright baffling and uncomfortable. The track “Yummy” is a great example of this. The verse, “Yeah, you got that yummy-yum / That yummy-yum, that yummy-yummy”, seems to hint at some kind of romantic intent but at the same time the phrase itself is so strange that the song ends up coming off as less affectionate and more concerning instead.

This trend leads into other songs as well, such as “Come Around Me”, which consists of Bieber venting his sexual frustrations for three minutes straight. There’s nothing wrong with this, but when Bieber coyly sings “Who taught you how to drive stick? / You a fool with it, love the way you fool with it”, there’s a lingering sense of discomfort left

by those lyrics. This feeling only magnifies the more you listen to the album, such as in his track “Intentions” which romanticizes gender cliches. In fact, the lyrics “Stay in the kitchen cookin’ up, got your own bread / Heart full of equity, you’re an asset” are just subtly demeaning. For someone who claims to have found the love of his life, the way he describes his passion is disappointing, and incomprehensible.

Given the wide variety of spectacular pop releases from the likes of Ariana Grande to Carly Rae Jepsen, the modern pop music scene is alive and thriving. Bieber’s Changes then is disappointing, and presents itself as a singular note of mediocrity, and nothing more. In fact, the only moments of enjoyment that can be derived from this album is in insulting it.

Mona Yu (Computer Science and Criminal Justice)

Designer: Sadhana Pakala (Business Administration and Design)

Released on Valentine’s Day as an ode to his wife Hailey, Justin Bieber’s latest release, Changes, makes marital bliss seem like a descent into existential nihilism and endless monotony.

As a veritable pop icon in modern music, Bieber’s music has always resonated with a large majority of mainstream music listeners.

Whether it be his early tween heartthrob years, or the moody bad boy era of his career, Bieber has always managed to release pop music that has some memorable quality to it. Everyone knows “Baby”, everyone knows “Boyfriend”, and with his previous album Purpose, there were some honestly catchy and appealing tunes among the mix. It was music that capitalized on the fundamentals of pop, and perfected them. However, Changes is a complete departure from his previous work, and not in a good way.

Coming out at a lengthy 51 minutes, every song bleeds into the next. The first three songs, “All Around Me”, “Habitual”, and “Come Around Me” sound so alike that as a listener, I thought the album’s first track lasted for a full eight minutes. Additionally, beats that are at first interesting and seemingly innovative are quickly dashed away by Justin’s mindless and indecipherable drawl, which never seems to change in tone or pitch. “Running Over” begins with a surprisingly upbeat tone, the underlying chords are musically engaging and enjoyable to listen to. But the moment Bieber begins to sing, it’s flat and uninteresting. The beat is stagnant from that point on, and with this in mind, one of the biggest flaws in this album becomes starkly clear.

There’s an expectation for the songs to go somewhere, but the moment Bieber begins to croon and whine, the song descends into a loop of monotony. There is no building momentum in any of the songs, no climax where listeners can identify some kind of peak or expressive highpoint.

Instead, every song is like laying in your own coffin, or eating the leftover crusts of someone else’s sandwich. The album is overarchingly bland, and irreparably boring.

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Allie X Cape God Released February 21, 2020 Label Twin Music Inc Genre Pop Tasty Tracks “Fresh Laundry,” “Regulars,” “Susie Save Your Love,” “Life of the Party” At the intersection of untold childhood traumas and current-day drug crises, pop witch Allie X found the inspiration for her most powerful work to date. Originally planned to be a counterpart to her 2018 release SuperSunset, the record unfolded into an entire world of its own after Allie X connected her emotional viewing of an HBO documentary on Eastern Massachusetts’s fentanyl crisis titled Heroin, Cape Cod USA with her own personal experiences. Out came the noir-laced, 12-track project that communicates Allie X’s most compelling stories in ways her catalogue hasn’t quite grasped in the past. Between her confessional delivery and the spot-on production of Swedish producer Oscar Görres, the approach comes across as both fresh and intriguing.

One of Cape God’s greatest successes is the way it blends engaging storytelling with the refined Allie X sound. The project is dense with unique content from the opening line “I want to be near fresh laundry” which grasps for the unattainable, romanticised elements of the past to the somber struggle for authentic familial love in “Love Me Wrong” with long time collaborator, Troye Sivan.

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Funk-infused track “June Gloom” details Hughes’s experience living as a boarded up teenager as she struggled with a debilitating autoimmune disease. Clearly, the thematic element of being an outsider runs deep in Cape God. This was potentially dangerous, as Allie’s past projects (specifically Collxtion I and Collxtion II) grappled with identity as well. However, the diversity of content as well as the more refined melodic approaches and signature production elements create a convincing and emotionally driven narrative that’s hard to poke many holes in. In other words, she doesn’t reinvent the wheel with this record, but she does some pretty damn good things with it. Where the elements of fear and rejection may be a bit repetitive and exhausting upon first listen, her decision to toy with tone prevents it from being beat to death. Serious takes like “If I’m aimless, am I blameless / When I hurt someone?” in “Learning in Public” vs. the sarcastic and offhanded “Oh, doom doom,” in “June Gloom” offered earlier in the record pose these emotions in both cutting and comedic forms.

Stories of teenage social experimentation have already been knocked out of the park before (think Lorde’s Pure Heroine). Rather than trying the same angle, though, Allie X tells it from the perspective of the pained outsider who watched it all happen from her bedroom window while never saying a word.

Beyond lyrical content, each song’s arrangement and structural approach finds listeners experiencing the thematic elements from a completely new perspective. For example, “Sarah Comes Home” places her in the catchy-pop league of Carly Rae Jepsen (a very high compliment) while the unhinged and alluring “Devil I Know” could soundtrack any modern murder mystery. The record has a spoken word party anthem begging for viral attention, a track with a swung beat drop and even a cinematic and ethereal piano/strings ballad. It isn’t on many modern records that operatic vocals, throwback synths and modern rhythmic elements are blended so delicately.

Cape God can be summed up with a reference to its cover art. This record is a fantastical representation of the natural and often blinding aspects of the human experience chopped up into accessible,

thought-provoking and bass-infused entries.

Using the stories of documentary characters and her own harbored experiences, Allie X reveals more about who she is than she ever has, despite the blurring of the line between the two parties throughout the record. Not only is this food for thought to audiences, but it is also a true testament to the direction of pop music right now. By confronting her teenage shame and confusion almost two decades later, Allie X crafted a full and artistic coming-of-age experience at the age of 34, defying the structure of pop and those who are expected to be delivering it.

Drew Quercio (Music Industry)

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Beach Bunny Honeymoon Released February 14, 2020 Label Mom+Pop Music Genre Indie Pop Tasty Tracks “Ms. California,” “Promises,” “Dream Boy” “Next journalist to say we’re a tic tok band gets punched,” tweeted indie pop band Beach Bunny after the release of their first full-length album, Honeymoon. It’s true, the band has become known mostly for their song “Prom Queen,” which became a viral sensation on TikTok. Honeymoon, however, proves that Beach Bunny can do more than a few catchy lines on social media. Their debut album, released on Valentine’s Day but not as cheesy as the title and release date would suggest, is short, sweet, and utterly relevant to anyone who’s ever struggled with love, heartbreak, or any type of “it’s complicated” feelings.

The second track on the album, “Cuffing Season,” declares “Sometimes I like being on my own / I’m afraid of winding up alone,” a contradiction that summarizes the album. Over the course of nine songs that cover the full spectrum of love to break-ups, lead singer Lili Trifilio manages to bring a sense of genuine honesty to the album.

Part of Honeymoon’s charm is how personal it feels. There is no attempt to hide how confused, or insecure, or even happy Trifilio can be – she lays it all on the line for anyone to hear.

Beach Bunny has a very specific style, and every song on the album follows a similar mix of vocals, guitars, and drum parts that all seem to stick to what they know, and not much else. Many of the tracks keep to a pattern of mellow, vocal-based verses, with all the instruments coming together and the vocals picking up for a brief, poppier chorus, before settling back down. It doesn’t not work, but it becomes repetitive.

It can be hard to distinguish some of the tracks on the album from each other, and they’re not all memorable. There aren’t any truly bad songs, but there are songs that blur together too much to actually be groundbreaking (back to back songs “April” and “Rearview” are an easy area of the album to start letting your thoughts wander off ). By the halfway point, there is a sense of what Beach Bunny can do (half-cute, halfsad pop), and they don’t really do anything else. However, Honeymoon’s saving grace is the length of the album. At only 25 minutes total, Beach Bunny doesn’t demand your attention for longer than they can hold it.

None of the tracks even hit 4 minutes which is just as long as they need to be. And while not every song makes a lasting impression, there certainly are a few (“Ms. California” first and foremost) that will end up stuck in your head for days to come. Honeymoon is full of songs that are fun enough to dance around the house to, while still being personal enough to imagine hearing the album for the first time at a local open mic night. There is always going to be a need for female-fronted, fun-but-emotional, indie pop albums, and Beach Bunny does their job in providing that.

Beach Bunny may not venture outside the box, but they don’t claim to, either. For what it is – a quick, heartfelt confession of how confusing love can be – it works, and it doesn’t try to be anything more. When the album’s opening song, “Promises,” desperately admits “Part of me still wants you…part of me still hates you,” it’s impossible not to feel for Trifilio. Honeymoon is an easy listen that feels like reading someone’s diary – with permission, and without any of the guilt. If Beach Bunny wanted to prove they were more than a TikTok band, they did. They may not be

reinventing the wheel (yet), but their album stands up on its own, and promises that they’re worth a shot.

Amanda Lavery (Music Industry)

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Grimes Miss Anthropocene Released February 21, 2020 Label 4AD Genre Dance/Electronic Tasty Tracks “4ÆM,” “So Heavy I Fell Through The Earth - Art Mix,” “Violence - Original Mix”

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Some people just want to watch the world burn. In the press leading up to the release of Grimes’s fifth album, Miss Anthropocene, she claimed to be one of them. The Canadian artist, born Claire Boucher, has always had an acute concern for persona, particularly how the media obscured the versions of Grimes she developed, then demolished. She has written songs from the perspective of vampire mob bosses and Marie Antoinette, attempted to rename herself c, as in the speed of light, and most recently, created a digital avatar named WarNymph to stand in for her at photoshoots: all measures that render Grimes, the character, a rather bizarre, but abstract entity. Probably the most consistent aspect of the Grimes thesis (and likely the aspect closest to Claire herself) is the reiteration of her auteurism, a protective but apt gesture in hopes that the media is concerned as much with her art as with her antics. This dualism has made her partially into a critical darling, but more familiarly for most, into the pop star she was once obsessed with becoming.

Perhaps what best defines pop stardom is public interest in the construction of such an artistic persona, and in the case of Grimes, the public is certainly interested. The artist’s relationship with tech mogul Elon Musk is eccentrically hilarious in a tabloid sense, but morally foul, given his billionaire status and noted fiscal conservatism. This leaves Grimes to occupy a dubious political space, one in direct opposition to her previous leanings

and the larger majority of her most devout listeners. In this sense, Grimes claiming her album was a high concept project about an “anthropomorphic goddess of climate change” that “aims to make climate change fun” can feel taunting and insular. After all, it will be the wealthy who will have the greatest ability to evade global warming as survival resources become increasingly privatized; it was only a couple months ago that the rich were hiring their own crews to fight the California wildfires threatening their properties. Only, it’s not that Musk’s influence has suddenly made Grimes’s indulgences ethically outrageous, as they have always somewhat been, but rather that this visible association with power contextualizes her off kilter declarations, situating them as conceivably something a great deal more sinister.

If you go into Miss Anthropocene looking for its high concept of environmental mythology to be fulfilled, you will certainly be disappointed, but you may also be solely misguided. Grimes’s music has never been so much academic as it is an aesthetic exercise.

The atmospheres she crafts are precise and exhaustive, always anchored by her ethereal voice and a dark, foreboding underbelly. Her lyrics, therefore, are often obscured to create such atmosphere, inarticulate and cyclical in their ambience: difficult circumstances under which to fully materialize such a specific and succinct premise as a literal global warming god.

Still, the record’s most feasible character is that of the villain, a role Grimes herself has referenced playing as a means to satirize her current press image. Club banger “Violence” sounds like the theme song for a sadist rave, partly dystopian in its purported sleekness even as it parodies it. “You wanna make me bad?” she snarls in the refrain; it’s less a question and more a statement of conception.

On “My Name is Dark,” a song that personifies a sort of psychedelic menace, she deadpans that “imminent annihilation sounds so dope” as if she’s overlooking the kingdom she’s about to detonate. Countless pop stars have tried to reclaim their public reputation by artfully “becoming” it, but few have reveled in the physical destruction that can come along with such villianhood.

Still, for someone so purportedly optimistic about destruction, Grimes seems quite preoccupied with mortality. “Delete Forever,” the album’s most contrasting stylistic moment, is an acoustic, country influenced ballad about lost friends in the opioid crisis. The track is relatively sunny for

its dejection, its brutal core only escaping lyrically. Meanwhile, “Before the fever” imagines the emotional cycles that one experiences when facing imminent death, a passionate anxiety giving way to utmost tranquility. Here, the characterization of death becomes a mechanism for Grimes, where in inhabiting it can make it less fearful.

Miss Anthropocene does feel partially fragmented in that it doesn’t ever reach some collective artistic thesis, which could be partly to blame on its extended roll out.

Still, the record never achieves the resonance of her previous work: neither the haunting, innovative dissonance of Visions nor the concise, present melodies of Art Angels.

And occasionally, the production on Miss Anthropocene is excessively varnished, so compound that it becomes overengineered, resembling the gloss of the Dance Dance Revolution in-game tracklist (not always a bad thing, and probably not a coincidence, Grimes is a noted fan of Japanese culture and video game music). Yet, no one has quite accomplished the bounding elusivity that Grimes has, the precise form of cutting bliss she discovers in the most impending of darknesses. Every moment in her music either transcends simulation entirely, or becomes its greatest and most model entity, a quality that allows her to offer a particular kind of comfort in life’s grand obscurity. “You’ll miss me when i’m not around” she asserts on the aptly titled track of the same name: this is the plainest, most accurate truth the record finds.

Willa Shiomos (Computer Science and Design)

Dissection of Neck Deep’s

“A Part of Me”

“A Part of Me” tells the story of a relationship over, but not lost. Neck Deep’s Ben Barlow pairs up with Laura Whiteside to illustrate this emotional passage through the use of telling lyrics and attention to contrasting vocals.

This song tells the story of a bittersweet conclusion- one that, at first, is full of frustration and confusion, but is then followed by acceptance and appreciation. The lyrics bring this journey towards acceptance to life. With Barlow and Whiteside acting as

each have their own verse in which they look back on the times they were together.

While each verse starts with remembering how and why they fell in love, each also ends with admitting that their relationship must remain in the past. More literal marks of unison are seen when Barlow and Whiteside repeatedly join for the chorus. These points of unity emphasize the similarities between the two experiences, giving more hope to the situation in terms of knowing both partners are experiencing the same emotions.

The parallelism between the two experiences shines light on the most important line in the song, “She’ll always have a part of me.” With this repeated phrase, Neck Deep draws attention not only to the message of the song, but to how they made the track so powerful. One large reason why people find music so therapeutic is because artists harbor the talent of finding words that symbolize a feeling. Listeners rely on artists to help articulate feelings that are usually difficult to put into words. With this song, Neck Deep does exactly that. What they verbalize is this idea of a subconscious tether that you share with someone with whom you have once been so close. Even subconsciously, this lyric is a hard-hitting fact. It is a widely applicable fact. It can be related to an old friend, a family member, or as the song narrates, a past significant other. Whether it be through direct contact, memories past, or by influencing your current actions their presence always remains. Even with the passage of time, this connection survives.

The tone of the track is another aspect that draws a lot of attention. While Barlow is very much capable of settling his voice, as seen in some of Neck Deep’s other slower

songs (“December,”“I Hope This Comes Back to Haunt You,” etc.), Barlow still opts to belt the song in a more aggressive manner.

On their own, Barlow’s vocals embody the confusion and frustration he experiences when trying to cope with and understand the end of his relationship. The contrast of Barlow’s forceful vocals with Whiteside’s more gentle and tame sound gives the entire song a bittersweet and nostalgic tone. This cleverly created sound carries the song through its story.

Designer: Gabby Bruck (Business and Design)

the two halves of the relationship, listeners hear the equal passage they experience. One very interesting thing about the way this song was drafted is that members of the relationship are not singing to each other.

Through references to each other in the third person, it is obvious that their messages are more directed towards the listener. While their stories are ‘told’ separate from each other, they are still woven together. In some aspects, the unison is more so marked by the similar memories they share. Barlow and Whiteside

(feat. Laura Whiteside)

The powerful lyrics in this track were intentionally complemented with the contrasting vocal pair of Barlow and Whiteside. Together, the lyrics and vocals create a track full of emotion and feeling. With this, Barlow and Whiteside have created a beautiful sounding song, with just as beautiful of a meaning.

• Carleigh Sussman (Biology)

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Editorial Spring 2020

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Let me set the stage: a murdered patron in a smoke-filled room, the tender whispers of a lover’s sweet nothings, staring down the barrel of a gun and shooting straight through it instead. Sure, this might just be a random exercise in free association, but the drama, the audacity, and the gravitas of these scenes are what audiences have simply come to love and expect from the James Bond franchise for decades on end.

The original “The James Bond Theme,” composed by John Barry, has easily become one of the most recognizable soundtracks in Western cinema. From the brassy saxophones to the murky strumming of the guitars to the pulsating orchestral hits, nearly every original song crafted for the Bond Cinematic Universe interpolates at least one facet of Barry’s initial theme.

From the release of the first James Bond blockbuster in 1963, Bond’s persona as a sexhaving, communist-fighting, international super-spy inspired and enchanted audiences across the globe, and the Bond themes themselves seemed to only laser focus his image of hypermasculine patriotism directly into the minds of those who gazed at him in awe. While female songstresses were relegated to yearn for James the proud, loud, and well-endowed over lush orchestral arrangements, male singers were recruited to sing songs of praise to behold the Almighty glory of Bond himself. Typically cast over flourishing symphonies and crescendoing

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balladry, the relentless drama of the early Bond themes makes the unrepentant nationalism that his character existed to serve go down a tad bit smoother.

Yet by the turn of the decade, the James Bond franchise only continued to grow as an entity of commercial and cultural dominance, and studio executives were hoping to feed the momentum of the franchise’s wide-scale appeal and relevance. With the embers of Beatlemania still hot to the touch, Big Bond then recruited Paul McCartney, post-Beatles secession, to create the theme for the 1973 film, “Live and Let Die.” The resulting theme, which united McCartney and his wife as the principal composers, flipped the traditional Bond theme for an anthem crafted with Woodstock in mind—rather than the Duke of Sussex. With soulful orchestra-backed serenading interspersed between punchy guitar riffs and instrumental breaks with enough force to spontaneously vaporize any casual listener, McCartney maneuvered the theme into a show of his own artistry.

As “Live and Let Die” also quickly became the most successful theme of the franchise, while accompanying its most successful film, Bond may have been in for a rebrand, and à la Julie Andrews in The Princess Diaries, Paul McCartney delivered.

As the franchise edged closer to the end of the century, the bravado of James Bond himself became less of a focal point, for both the themes and the films they were

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Ranging from Jack White and Alicia Keys’ alt-rock-R&B fusion duet to Chris Cornell’s grungy crooning to Madonna’s electronica club banger (complete with a shout-out to Sigmund Freud and the shrieks of a small desktop computer being waterboarded), these records delved deeper into facing one’s own mortality, reconciling with artistic integrity, and the paranoia that comes with fame. In essence, Bond seemed to be relegated to the backdrop of his own soundtrack, as artists utilized the platform and distinction of creating a record for the franchise to explore and express their own artistic fantasies.

But to be fair, the James Bond films do seem to mutually capitalize off of the work their artists create. By maintaining a sense of importance over the brand of James Bond, the selection of artists and presentation of a Bond theme becomes a cultural event. In the waning days of Daniel Craig’s gritty portrayal of Bond, newer, upcoming artists have been selected for Bond themes, primarily driven by torrential consumer and critical acclaim: Adele, coming off of the blockbuster success of her sophomore album, 21; Sam Smith, fresh out of their massive debut era; and Billie Eilish, after having become the youngest artist in history to sweep the Grammys.

All of these artists were noted by the Bond camp for their “haunting” and “evocative” performances, and their Bond themes reflected the same somber, affected tones that generated the wave of interest responsible for each of their surges to the forefront of the pop cultural sphere in the first place. Their records, and their respective films, have topped charts internationally, been critically recognized at various major ceremonies, such as the Academy Awards and the Grammys, and grossed several hundreds of millions of dollars.

In a day and age where James Bond is more preoccupied with his own mortality

than he is with Russian communists and dozens of objectified women, his themes seem to represent a key state of disaffection and cinematic dreariness—one that audiences can most likely relate to. Despite the subjectivity on whether a Bond Theme is really the cultural honor it is made out to be, rather than a hollow vessel for promoting yet another blockbuster franchise, the music it produced has resonated with audiences over decades for a reason. Be it the empowering, propaganda-fueled escapism of the sixties or the modern existential dread of a world falling apart around audiences in slow-motion, a Bond theme is a celebration of a franchise’s legacy and ubiquity as a cultural monument— may it leave us stirred, not shaken.

Designer: Jenny Chen (Business Administration and Design)

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constructed for. In the truest British sense, the Bond franchise began to pivot from its storied past of mystery, martinis, and masculinity, in favor of colonizing other genres of cinema in popular culture, ranging from camp to blaxploitation. This seeming identity crisis, coupled with higher-budget blockbusters that favored intensive CGI usage, bled deeply into the music that was crafted for the franchise—to mixed reviews.

Throughout the 1980’s, the menacing swagger of the slow-burning, jazz-influenced themes of Bond’s past gave way to jazzercise.

Recruiting pop artists, such as Sheena Easton, Rita Coolidge, and A-ha (yes, the “Take On Me” A-ha), Bond themes morphed into soaring new wave ballads, packed with synthesized interpolations of John Barry’s original compositions. These romantic themes narrating the ecstasy of love and lust at the cusp of death defined a large portion of the franchise, and they brought Bond to new commercial peaks. “A View to a Kill” by Duran Duran became the first, and only, Bond theme to top the Billboard Hot 100, for one.

Despite this rave commercial success, critics often derided these themes for straying too far from Barry’s original vision—regardless of the fact that he was the principal composer for nearly all of the Bond themes of this era.

Now could this be attributed, in part, to the musical pretentiousness of critics, who held onto a nostalgic longing for the mystical and sexual intrigue of the sax-heavy themes of the sixties? Potentially. Would I still kill for a Carly Rae Jepsen synth-pop take on a James Bond theme? Absolutely.

Already a cultural staple at this point, being chosen to record a Bond theme became an honor that seemed to be reserved for an exclusive tier of star power. Over the next few decades, artists, such as Bono, Tina Turner, Sheryl Crow, and even Madonna, were selected to create an array of Bond themes.

• Neeloy Bose (Bioengineering)

a dissection of

the Bond Theme

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Editorial Designer: Nicholas Alonzo (Architecture) Spring 2020

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I first found myself introduced to Habibi Funk through Hulu’s Ramy, which follows a first-generation Egyptian-American caught between his identity within the Muslim community and American millenial generation. Much of the soundtrack to the first season prominently features songs released by Habibi Funk, such as “Ayonha,” (a pop-funk tune by the Liberian-Egyption artist, Hamid El Shaeri) while mixing in millenial hits like Robyn’s “Ever Again.”

The soundtrack itself perfectly highlights the juxtaposition the main character faces with his identity and, quite frankly, deserves it’s own editorial piece (which will come to fruition in due time). However, the use of Habibi Funk’s extensive collection within the TV series poses a rich history of its own that must first be examined.

Habibi Funk is both a DJ and a record label that reissues compilations of Arabic funk, jazz and soul records from the 60s-80s from the Middle East and Northern Africa. The name “Habibi Funk,” derives from a comment posted by a listener of one of the early mixes online – Habibi being the Arabic word for “darling” mixed with the genre name. Habibi Funk came to fruition in 2012, after co-founder Jannis Stürtz’s (a Berlin-based DJ) visited a hardwarecome-record shop in Morocco, where he uncovered a collection of rare LPs and cassettes. The niche set of records sparked Stürtz’s idea for Habibi Funk, particularly as he came across an arabic cover (titled “Sid Redad”) of James Brown’s “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag,” by an artist named Fadoul. Stürtz then began tracking down his surviving family members in an attempt to license the work. After multiple trips to Morocco and the recruitment of musicians, Stürtz located Fadoul’s relatives and thus began the journey to complete the first of many reissued records. Stürtz’s journey also highlighted the danger some music faces of being forgotten about, as he made his goal to make hidden gems that may have only appeared on vinyl more available again.

“Sid Redada,” perfectly illustrates the foundation in which future records would be compiled for Habibi Funk – a mix of local and regional influences compiled with inspiration from outside the musicians region. Arabic zouk, Algerian coladera, and Lebanese AOR are a few regional styles which can be found highlighted on the curated releases through songs on the various releases. The project has grown, as Stürtz embarks at least once a month to North Africa to DJ and search for new music. Given the 10 releases that currently exist (and can be found digitally on Spotify and Bandcamp), Stürtz has created a network of people dedicated to tracking down musicians and their families and compiling background information about the songs featured on the Habibi Funk volumes.

It’s important to also note the founder of Habibi Funk hails from Berlin, which raises the issue of cultural appropriation and ever present Western gaze evoked onto the Eastern world. Stürtz is completely aware of this, and in being so, is particular in the ways in which he frames the collection of records. Stürtz has noted that the use of the word “discovery” when discussing Stürtz’s compilation of reissued records is a rather loaded term. The music compiled through the Habibi Funk records has always been there. In the context of post-colonialism, there is a complicated form of exchange that has been historically repeated, involving the exploitation of the east at the gain of the west. Running an entity like Habibi Funk requires the label to take on the responsibility of transparency regarding licensing policies and representation of the artist it features. Habibi Funk licenses directly from the artists or their families, splitting profits 50/50. Beyond the financial exchange, Stürtz is also aware of the way in which Habibi Funk represents the cultural goods it contains.

Artwork for all volumes released excludes stereotypical visuals and instead are developed using photos from private family collections, offering a realistic snapshot into the world in which the music comes from. The official releases additionally come with booklets featuring notes, photographs, interviews, and extensive information on the artists included, as Stürtz emphasises telling the stories of the musicians is equally as important as the music itself.

Habibi Funk provides a glance at how musically diverse and vibrant the region arab world was and continues to be. The value of ethical and transparent business regarding cultural goods from a region that is frequently exploited sets a proper example for those possessing the resources and privileges of exchanging goods from a culture that is not their own. Habibi Funk’s curated records are not a rigid representation of Arabic music history between the 1970s and 80s, but rather, a representation of the obscure and (almost) forgotten talent of the region.

• Maya Lucia (Media Screen Studies and Communications)

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The Eurovision Song Contest is celebrating its 65th anniversary this year and it’s finally time for Americans to tune in. Until just recently, Eurovision was only for a European audience but that is starting to change. As Eurovision’s popularity grows and more countries compete, it has started to be broadcasted all over the world. Internationally recognized artists are even performing during the interludes -- Madonna last year and Justin Timberlake the year prior. Now, there’s still a lot of people who have never heard of Eurovision before, and if you’re one of those, your questions will soon all be answered.

The first ever Eurovision was held in Switzerland in 1956 with a whopping seven countries competing. The aim of the music contest was to provide a TV program that

would unite European countries after the devastating effects of World War II. The show was modeled after the Sanremo Music Festival which was a very popular Italian music competition.

Today, there are 41 and counting countries competing, even including countries outside of Europe such as Australia, and putting aside politics for a single evening to enjoy beautiful, cultural, and over the top productions.

In short, ESC is a song contest where each submission is judged on both its quality as a song but also the dynamics of the performance and the staging. There are many different stages of Eurovision so let’s run through a quick summary to get everyone on the same page. First of all, each country

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hosts its own smaller contest to decide on which song they will use as their submission.

The winner of this smaller contest is decided by viewer votes. Then that submission is performed during one of the two semi finals and only 20 make it to the finals. However, there is an exception here, the previous year’s winner and the big five which are Germany, Spain, Italy, France, and the UK automatically make it through to the finals. Yup, there is absolutely no politics in Eurovision (we’ll dive into it later). The finals are a brilliant and magical night of each country presenting its performance in front of the entirety of Europe and a panel of judges from each country.

Interspersed during the four hour finale are presentor monologues, throwbacks to previous competitions, and cultural displays.

Finally, each country’s jury presents the number of points it will give to which country; these range from 1 to 12. Combining the

votes of the audience with the points given by the jury, the winner is finally announced.

The ESC is essentially The Voice combined with the superbowl.

Unbeknownst to Americans, many world famous artists had their big first breaks on ESC. That list includes the iconic ABBA who won in 1974 with “Waterloo,” Celine Dion who represented Switzerland in 1988, and Olivia Newton-John who won for the UK in 1974 and went on to become Sandy in Grease.

Even though ESC may seem like an outdated competition, it is constantly breaking through barriers and challenging gender norms. For countries like Russia that have strict laws against LGBTQ content, ESC is a rare relief. In 2014, Conchita Wurst, a drag queen from Austria, performed, polarizing the participating European countries.

Russia and Belarus even petitioned for her performance to not be included in the tv

showing. However, despite all the criticism that she received, Conchita went on to win the 2014 ESC, claiming Austria’s first victory in almost 50 years and becoming one of the most memorable acts in the ESC’s history.

Eurovision is a place to celebrate diversity and to be proud of who you are. Similarly, Eurovision is also known for combining traditional music with new modern trends.

Romania’s entry in 2017 consisted of a duo with one person yodeling and the other rapping, finishing in honorable 7th position.

In this year’s competition, Ukraine will be represented by Go_A who mixes traditional Ukrainian sounds with African drums and contemporary beats to make a dynamic performance that is sure to succeed.

• Sonia Popovic (Computer Science)

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Local Photos

BAYNK, Sonia

Photo by Angela Lin (Business and Design)

Glass Animals, Sinclair

Photo by Lauren Scornavacca (Industrial Engineering)

Saint Motel, Royale

Photo by Emily Gringorten (Computer Science and Business)

Chelsea Cutler, House of Blues

Photo by Lauren Scornavacca (Industrial Engineering)

Lil Tjay, Paradise Rock Club

Photo by Rayn Tavares (Mechanical Engineering)

Alexander 23, House of Blues

Photo by Lauren Scornavacca (Industrial Engingeering)

Sango, Paradise Rock Club

Photo by Rayn Tavares (Mechanical Engineering)

Zack Villere, Sonia

Photo by Emily Gringorten (Computer Science and Business)

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A HISTORY OF THE GIBSON SG ergonomic, and most importantly, cool looking in order to be popular with new players. So in 1961, a new model was born...that was still under the Les Paul name. There’s debate and conflicting stories about why, but Gibson’s new guitar, with its double-cutaway and thin, fast-action neck, went under the artist’s name until 1963. Some at Gibson claim it was simply because they had a stockpile of “Les Paul” labelled truss-rod covers that they needed to use up. Les Paul claims that he partially consulted on the guitar, and that he disapproved of it, which is why they went on to change the name in 1963. He’s also gone on to claim that they didn’t renew his contract, helping him during his divorce with Mary Ford, which is why the guitar was renamed. Either way, by 1963, the Les Paul was gone completely, and the ruby red lightweight was renamed as the Gibson SG (standing for “solid guitar”). One of the earliest popular electric guitars had fallen from grace, replaced by a lean and mean devil-horned guitar that I can only imagine seemed years ahead of its time.

The very incongruous thing about the SG is that it was created while rock was still evolving past Elvis and Buddy Holly. It was comically aggressive for a period before the Vietnam War, the 1968 DNC riots, and the success of the Civil Rights Movement. The fact that it was intended as the complete replacement for the Les Paul meant that it was picked up by plenty of musicians during that transition phase, guitarists and bands that were far from the metal or hard rock it’s now associated with. Even the Beatles used the sharp-horned guitar, with George Harrison and John Lennon playing SGs on several tracks starting on Revolver.

It quickly became a favorite with the more experimental rockers of the late sixties, such as Pete Townsend of the Who, Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana, and Frank Zappa. The smaller body, great upper fret access, and very (frequently cracking) thin neck of the guitar allowed artists to play even more technical riffs, as well as get creative with tricks such as intentionally bending the neck.

One of the most interesting early adoptees of the SG was a gospel/blues artist called Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who is now often considered one of the early pioneers of rock and roll. While she had an expansive and influential career before 1961, many of her most famous TV and public appearances featured her playing a gleaming white early 60s Les Paul Custom with three gold-plated humbuckers (again, this is when the Les Paul was still the

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When it comes to American electric guitar design, two manufacturing giants reign supreme: Fender and Gibson, with both having histories going back several decades. If you were to ask someone what they picture as the archetypal guitar design, I guarantee they would probably sketch out one of these titans’ models. I suspect that the odds are very high that it would either be Fender’s aerodynamic, vibrato-equipped, triple pickup Stratocaster, or Gibson’s heavy, humbucking, single-cut classic, the Les Paul. Both designs are so well known that they have become practically legal “generic” forms of the electric guitar, with both companies repeatedly failing copyright battles to try and protect their classic silhouettes. However, there is a third American classic, often considered just a bit too ridiculous and relegated only to certain genres, but that saved Gibson and actually outsold everything else they’ve ever made: the Gibson SG, the devil-horned father of heavy metal and hard rock.

There wasn’t always the same competitive harmony there is now between the Gibson and Fender, and the Les Paul and Stratocaster. When the Les Paul first debuted in 1952, it set the standard for what a quality electric guitar looked and sounded like, with beautiful build quality, aggressive P90 single-coil pickups, and a name association with a very popular artist at the time (Les Paul and his wife Mary Ford had several top-ten hits in the early fifties). Its main early competition from Fender was the twangy Fender Telecaster, a guitar which quickly became associated with country music and lacked the same powerful sound as the Les Paul. But then in 1954, the game was changed by the Stratocaster: it was much lighter, cheaper, had a lot of tonal flexibility with three pickups, and had a reliable and musical vibrato built into the bridge.

Once a bespectacled Buddy Holly picked up a Strat, the Les Paul quickly began to drop in market-share.

Despite Gibson’s innovation of pickup design, developing humbucking units which didn’t draw in the same buzzing 60-cycle hum as P90s or Fender singlecoils, they started to be seen as behind the times. They were stuck with the same classical hollow-body electrics and a wooden slab of a guitar named after a jazz and country artist during the era of early rock and roll. What Gibson needed, in this era of year after year growth by Fender, was one thing and one thing only: a Stratocaster killer. It needed to be cheaper to produce, lighter, more

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SG). The devil-horned guitar was used to spread the word of the Lord as well as to play some absolutely shredding solos in between verses.

One of her most well-known performances was a 1964 event at a train station in the UK that was then broadcast on the BBC, going on to inspire several British players, making both the blues and the SG known in homes.

The godfather of heavy metal, and debatably the most infamous SG player, Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath, actually started out with a Stratocaster going into the recording of their first album. He did however own a right-handed SG Special equipped with P90 pickups, that he kept around and rarely played. Part of this was because Iommi was left-handed, in addition to the fact that he was missing fingertips on his fretting hand from an industrial accident during his tough upbringing in Birmingham, England. But, during the recording process, the Strat had a pickup malfunction and he had to switch to the more aggressive sounding SG, flipped upside down and restrung, much like several other lefties of the era had to resort to.

This awkwardness aside though, Iommi was able to lay down some of the most famous riffs all time, with a piercing, mids-heavy guitar tone that essentially birthed heavy metal. He would go on to trade a man for an actual left-handed model, and then on later albums started using custom SGs with humbuckers as well as cross inlays on the fretboard.

I would be remiss in discussing the Gibson SG if I did not mention likely the most iconic player of the guitar, Angus Young of AC/DC. With his schoolboy uniform outfit, (usually cherry red) SG with a wireless system, and Marshall amplifier stacks behind him, Young created the archetypal sound of late-seventies hard rock. The mid-range bite of a humbucker equipped SG, when (at first semiaccidentally) clean boosted by the wireless system, was able to naturally overdrive a Marshall amp while still maintaining clarity and distinction between notes. Yet again, the dapper yet wicked-looking guitar would go on to be tied to the devil himself, being used on such hits as “Highway to Hell” and “Hells Bells”.

Hundreds of famous artists have gone on to play the SG since 1961, and thousands of regular players have picked one up, inspired by its attitude and ease of play. Personally, I always found it a bit ridiculous, until I tried one myself. I knew its visual design was sheer overkill, that it cost more than other choices, but...it called to me, hanging from the wall. The devil tempted me, and ever since, it’s been my favorite instrument I’ve ever purchased. I suspect it was much the same for every player who’s gone on to pick one up. The Les Paul died so that the SG could live, and it’s gone on to raise hell ever since.

• Bryan Grady (Political Science)

 Local Talent

Gatch For Northeastern students, Gatch is not an unfamiliar name. Over the past three years, Tyler Gaccione, otherwise known as Gatch, has deeply embedded himself into Northeastern’s music scene. From Husky Songwriter meetings to house shows to sold out concerts, Gatch has truly begun to leave his mark on the Boston music community.

Not shockingly, Gatch’s musical beginnings started from a young age. Music ran in the family. Starting with piano lessons and then joining the middle school band, Gatch quickly found his musical talent and friends who shared this interest. When looking back on his band’s starting point, he tells me “basically we’ve been doing this together since 6th grade, we didn’t realize how lucky we were.”Having started performing at such a young age during an arts camp, Gatch managed to rid his stage fright quite quickly. “It was the greatest thing on this planet, it was theater, arts, and music, and just everything, it was a really great place. I would dress up for the talent show as a character, Grandma George, then I think 4th or 5th grade, I thought maybe I’ll try to do something real so I did “21 Guns”

by Green Day. It was the last time having stage fright because it was such an unknown and I knew in that moment for sure” he recalls.

Somewhere in the midst of cultivating his style, Gatch coined the phrase “sexy, sad, beach music” as his genre. Having grown up listening to The Beatles and Dave Matthews but then having the exposure to so many different genres in college, Gatch takes inspiration from them all. “I try to pull from everywhere,” he tells me, “the fun of it is seeing how far I can take a song and still have it be familiar.” With how involved Gatch is in the music community on campus, it may come as a surprise to find out that he is not actually studying music, but rather communication. However, he explains how connected the two in fact are, music simply cannot exist without communication. In fact, he explains “that’s what music is. It makes

you think a little more about interrelations and for me that helps me with writing.”

With a focus on communication, Gatch’s lyrics stand out amongst others. Details that bring you to the small towns, brief romances, or 3 a.m. moments he outlines tell a story you won’t hear elsewhere. They are snippets of his life that he recounts over his melodic and familiar instrumentals. While the album title Life From Zhang’s may initially feel oddly specific, it will slowly become a distant memory. Gatch describes his process: “I try to capture moments. A song like “Fade,” the goal was to capture a 10 minute spot in time and save it forever. It’s the closest I can get to remembering how I felt in this moment, any time I replay it I can relive it to any degree that I want.”

“Music is my method of survival,” Gatch adds, “my relationship with it is ever evolving and it’s the way I work through things. I think the most amazing and the reason people are here is to make people feel, that human connection is maybe the most important thing in life.”

 Sonia Popovic (Computer Science)

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Spring 2020

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A fan-uploaded youtube video of a selfrecorded song that turned into a nomination for BBC’s Sound of 2020 Awards; this is the story of how another musically gifted teenager was transformed into the newest addition to the bedroom pop genre, along with artists like Clairo and girl in red.

Originally dubbed Bea Kristi Laus, Beabadoobee is a 19 year old girl-turnedindie sensation. Bea was born in the Philippines but grew up in London, England, where she started recording her music in 2017. Her first song she uploaded, “Coffee,” was a little tune with the self-drawn cover art that she produced for fun. Little did she know it would lead to a record deal with the independent label Dirty Hit.

According to a Jan. 2020 Evening Standard interview with Bea, the artist struggled fitting in as a teenager with

her parents pushing her to succeed at everything. She didn’t even start playing guitar until she was 17, but that instrument changed her entire story.

With her whole music career being recorded online from the very beginning, fans are able to trace her growth as a musician from her lo-fi guitar cover of “The Moon Song” by Karen O from the movie Her to her newer grunge-rock era with songs like “She Plays Bass,” which accompany her soft vocals with heavy drums and guitar. Her transparency in the transition of her music style makes her almost more approachable and reachable, because one can tell she is growing into her label as an artist by listening through the singles and EPs she has released over the past three years.

According to an interview with NME, Beabadoobee gets everything from her

alternative rock music style to her brightlycolored hair and oversized jeans from ‘90s bands like Pavement and Sonic Youth. Her ultimate goal in her music is to pay homage to these bands that shaped her, hence the song “I Wish I Was Stephen Malkmus” in her newest EP titled “Space Cadet,” dedicated to the lead singer and songwriter of Pavement.

Since her music career took off, Beabadoobee was named a Brits Rising Star, toured with the 1975, and has been featured in several big publications including the Rolling Stone and Vogue. But exactly how did a teenager with failing grades creating tunes in her poster-covered bedroom become an artist with over 11 million monthly followers on Spotify? The answer lies within social media.

• Nora Holland (Journalism and English)

Designer: Verena Calista Irawan (Graphic Design)

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Editorial

REPURPOSED COVERS F O E C N A T R O P THE IM

The vast majority of musicians, whether they are at the height of their popularity or just trying to make a name for themselves, cover songs originally produced by other artists. The purpose of this can vary; when done as simply as possible, it’s a way to showcase raw talent with little of the creativity needed to produce an original sound. But covers also have the possibility to transform songs into an entirely different style or genre. This gives artists the ability to take previously created music and transform it into something creative and new.

“Covers also have the possibility to transform songs into an entirely different style or genre.”

Covers are arguably most popular with new musicians trying to get into the music industry. Panic! At the Disco, Dodie, and 5 Seconds of Summer are just a few examples of popular musicians and groups who started their careers with homemade covers of songs created by more popular musicians. But this success is not shared by everyone, and the majority of covers posted to YouTube get lost in the wind. Search “‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ Cover” and the results are virtually endless, creating the monotony tied to the concept of covering songs. Even for those who are noticed amongst thousands of

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cover bands, it can be difficult to establish an individual sound. 5 Seconds of Summer, for example, was criticized for several of their first releases because it appeared that they had copied other artists. Though a major pop icon now, it’s undeniable that their start as a band was a bit rocky due to an apparent lack of originality.

Despite this, relying on borrowed music does not have to be an indication of a lack of creativity. Many, if not most, musicians continue to use covers throughout their careers. Covers appear on setlists for live shows, as singles, and sometimes even are the makeup of full albums. More importantly than their utilization as a grab for fame, covers serve to create a conversation between artists, and bond different genres and eras of music together.

“Relying on borrowed music does not have to be an indication of a lack of creativity.”

Each time a song is recreated in a new fashion, it reaches a different audience and its appeal changes. Covers serve to reintroduce music in a new fashion, sometimes going as far as to rekindle popularity in mainstream media. Take Weezer’s cover of “Africa,” for example. The band’s cover of the 80s hit was originally produced as a joke, but ended up renewing the song’s popularity on the radio.

The track was a part of a larger album full of covers, titled Weezer (Teal Album), in which the band performed songs curated from

covers. With each cover, Bayley expresses something sincere about his own style. The first that he produced, a cover of Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box,” held sentimental value to Bayley, who described the song as the first to introduce him to “proper music.” His most recent production was a cover of Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me.” This came shortly after Withers’ passing, and Bayley expressed his personal admiration for Withers in the video that he uploaded to Instagram to accompany the cover. Each song is produced in Bayley’s own style, combining the work of his favorite musicians with his own artistic vision.

Designer: Sarah Gordon (English and Graphic Design)

different genres and time periods. By doing so, Weezer stepped out of their own typical sound to inhabit that of other great artists, while also drawing those songs into their own sound. The resulting middle ground was an alternative take on classic songs from past decades, reintroducing songs to a new era of music where “Africa” would not receive so much playtime otherwise. Whether or not anyone could actually bear to listen to the song one more time by the end of its popularity with radio stations is a different story, but it still stands that the song was brought to a new wave of listeners.

By reproducing songs from a different genre, artists help music to evolve and change in ways previously unheard. An example of where this is particularly salient is Grouplove’s cover of The Beach Boys’ “Don’t Worry Baby.” The track takes a song out of its time period and transforms it into something new and modern, keeping almost nothing besides the lyrics the same as the original song. That is where covers transform into something amazing- a song is revamped in a way previously unimagined, keeping music created decades ago on a modern radar.

In the midst of a pandemic, covers have continued to prove themselves as a way of connecting artists to one another as well as their fanbases. Isolated from his bandmates, Glass Animals frontman Dave Bayley has adapted to the changes in the music industry by taking this time to produce fan-requested

“In the midst of a pandemic, covers have continued to prove themselves as a way of connecting

artsits to one another as well as their fanbases.”

Music is not something stagnant- tastes, techniques, and styles are constantly changing with time as new genres emerge.

When done right, covers reflect this evolution of music, and allow artists to add to songs that they admire. Though they sometimes tow the line between original and overdone, covers in their best form leave room for artistic creativity to flourish. Music is a conversation between different artists, and when done by a talented artist, covers serve to facilitate this by connecting audiences and genres.

• Jess Gwardschaladse (Undeclared)

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It’s 2009. Obama is president. Velvet tracksuits are still running strong, even though we’re approaching the 2010s. Glee recently aired on TV. You’re still a kid, and your biggest worry is if you’ll get the right color Zhu Zhu pet for the holidays. Life is good.

But best of all, you just recently bought “Boom Boom Pow” by The Black Eyed Peas on iTunes on your family’s desktop. You hear it everywhere you go, and soon start to recognize the distinct sound of Fergie’s belting over will.i.am’s rapping. Before you know it, every song from The E.N.D., their 2009 album is on your iTunes. Who was this iconic band in our childhood and why did they become so relevant so fast?

The Black Eyed Peas seemed to rise to fame out of nowhere, but their origins are much more complex than their top chart singles.

Beginning in the early 90s with will.i.am and apl.de.ap in Tribal Nation, a breakdancing crew, they split into their band Atban Klann.

After parting from Ruthless Records, their original record label, they recruited another member, Taboo (Jaime Luis Gómez), and created the group we know today: The Black Eyed Peas. Originating in LA and debuting their first album in 1998, the group didn’t gain significant success until the addition of Fergie (Stacey Ann Ferguson). Fergie brought soprano vocals and a new social presence in the group, and her first album with the group in 2003 – Elephunk – hit the Top 40. Most notably, this album brought us “Where is the Love,” and “Let’s Get It Started,” which are still frequently streamed today. After Monkey Business was released in 2005 and Fergie’s own album, Dutchess, the group was on a brief hiatus until their return in 2009 with The E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies). This album received six Grammy nominations, won Best Pop Vocal Album, and gave our generation classics such as “Imma Be” and “I Gotta Feeling.” This was, without a doubt, the peak of the group’s fame.

While they topped the charts with hit after hit, starred in multiple commercials, and even became a household name, the Black Eyed Peas didn’t avoid backlash. Their well known track “Let’s Get it

Started” is actually titled “Let’s Get Retarded,” which is certainly not morally aligned with their feel-good “Where is the Love?” Some listeners found the themes of their songs too provocative, especially in the tracks “My Humps” and “Rock that Body.” No matter how much other fans ate it up, critics still bashed the band for their lack of lyrical complexity. While their musical content definitely sparked controversy, it seems people tend to miss the most problematic aspect of the band: the sexualization of Fergie. As the only woman in the band, she brought not only the high vocals, but also the sex appeal. The Black Eyed Peas would not have been as popular without her talent and especially without her looks, but will.i.am tends to get the credit for the band. Without Fergie, the Black Eyed Peas would have been nothing.

July 2011 was the beginning of the end. During a concert at Alton Towers in England, the band announced an indefinite hiatus from making music. They previously had a 4 year break between their Monkey Business and The E.N.D. albums, however it wasn’t as greatly publicized in the media as the 2011 one. Why would they announce a hiatus, especially after their extremely popular album from the prior year? A hiatus from 2005-2009 made sense, as they weren’t at the peak of their career yet. But 2011? Maybe it was because of their poorly rated Super Bowl Halftime Show, which critics called “boring” and “low-energy.” And while their 2010 album was popular among fans, it surely wasn’t as popular as their previous album The E.N.D..

It’s ironic that their final album pre-hiatus was titled The Beginning, especially considering they were so close to the end.

After a 15 year long run with the band, Fergie decided to leave.

She wanted to focus on her solo career more, as most lead singers do… take Justin Timberlake or Michael Jackson for example. This wasn’t the beginning of the end for the band, though, as they hadn’t released an album since 2010, which was 7 years at that point. will.i.am even began to go his own way, releasing multiple singles in the years after The Beginning, as well as his popular album #willpower. The band wasn’t gone forever, though.

In 2018, the Black Eyed Peas released their first full album since 2010 and the separation from Fergie. Masters of the Sun, Vol. 1 is a clear, deliberate separation from the group’s pop success. The first track is literally titled “BACK 2 HIPHOP,” and nothing could describe the album better. A completely different sound from the group we knew in 2010, there’s only a distant resemblance of the techno beats from their previous albums; the Black Eyed Peas clearly returned to their hip-hop roots and want every listener to know that they are not the same band that we knew.

And while this development may be disappointing to fans who grew up with their sounds of “Boom Boom Pow” and other classics, the album is a modern take on their original sound and is what the Black Eyed Peas truly were/are. Changing drastically from what we knew and expected from them, their evolution not only represents their transition from a post-Fergie phase, but also a more mature take on their music by addressing societal issues from gang culture to gun control. It’s a more authentic sound of the original group with a deliberate focus on creating positive discussion.

But why was this album not nearly as successful as their past work? Did the group need Fergie to gain fame? Does their fan base not appreciate their reversion back to hip-hop? Or are they simply just not relevant anymore? Actually, the band is still very much touring and relevant in Europe. Playing upwards of ten festivals starting in June 2020, exclusively in Europe, it seems as though the Black Eyed Peas are not done creating or performing.

For any of us that grew up with their 2000s sounds, it may be discouraging to know that their band is no longer what they were or who we remember. But, the Black Eyed Peas would not be the same regardless of whether Fergie was still a part of the group or they still

based their music in pop roots. That’s why this age is so nostalgic for the 2000s sound, it reminds us of downloading 99 cent songs on desktop computers and hearing “Imma Be” for the first time -most likely the clean version. The Black Eyed Peas were an influential band for the 2000s, and they still are today, but for the 2010s and in Europe. We, as listeners, can either be fans of their current work, or continue to stream the music we personally like. One way or another, The E.N.D. was not the end of the Black Eyed Peas.

• Rachel Cerato (International Affairs and Environmental Studies) and Lacie Foreht (Communication Studies and Media and Screen Studies)

Design: Ellie Johnson (Graphic and Information Design) 45

CROSSWORD DOWN 1. Lake Street Dive album comprised entirely of covers 2. Tastemakers Presents artist of Spring 2018 3. Founder of Brockhampton 6. Last name of the frontman of Tame Impala

ACROSS 4. The award show where Kanye infamously took the mic from Taylor 5. Music festival where Drake was booed off the stage 6. Artist who coined the lyric: “Some call it crack, I call it Diet Coke (oh!)”

7. The oldest music venue in Boston

ZOOMED Can you tell which six album covers we’ve zoomed in on?

7. Orpheum 6. Pusha T TURN OFF THE LIGHT — Kim Petras

5. Camp Flog Gnaw

The Divine Feminine — Mac Miller

4. VMA

Collection — Soccer Mommy

Across:

2nd Row: 6. Parker ye — Kanye West

3. Kevin Abstract

In Tongues — Joji

2. Charly Bliss

Monomania — Car Seat Headrest

1. Fun Machine

1st Row:

Down:

LOCAL PHOTO

Sango, Paradise Rock Club

Photo by Rayn Tavares (Mechanical Engineering)

SPOTIFY PLAYLIST In this issue, writer Rayven Tate explores the discography of OutKast, the iconic rap duo that helped put Atlanta on the hiphop map. Here are some of the songs that showcase the strongest elements of their sound. I can say with confidence that we’ll be listening to them forever, forever ever!

Find the playlist at https://sptfy.com/hAbI • Kristie Wong (Computer Science and Business Administration)

1. “So Fresh, So Clean” — OutKast 2. “Humble Mumble (with Erykah Badu)” — OutKast, Erykah Badu 3. “ATLiens” — OutKast 4. “Roses” — OutKast 5. “B.O.B. - Bombs Over Baghdad” — OutKast 6. “Babylon” — OutKast 7. “Red Velvet” — OutKast 8. “Ms. Jackson” — OutKast 9. “Player’s Ball” — OutKast 10. “The Way You Move (feat. Sleepy Brown)” — OutKast, Sleepy Brown 11. “Ain’t No Thang” — OutKast

FIND FKA twigs We’ve hidden FKA twigs somewhere in this issue. Find her and maybe something cool will happen...

12. “southernplayalisticadillacmuzik” — OutKast 13. “Happy Valentine’s Day” — OutKast 14. “Hey Ya!” — OutKast 15. “Snappin’ & Trappin’ (with Killer Mike & J-Sweet)” — OutKast, Killer Mike, J-Sweet 16. “Int’l Players Anthem (I Choose You) (feat. OutKast)” — UGK, OutKast 17. “Elevators (Me & You)” — OutKast 18. “Rosa Parks” — OutKast 19. “Two Dope Boyz (In a Cadillac)” — OutKast 20. “Liberation (with Cee-Lo)” — OutKast, CeeLo Green

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