Tuesday, September 23, 2014 - The Daily Cardinal

University of Wisconsin-Madison

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Tuesday, September 23, 2014

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Citizens demonstrate for anti-violence

By Laura Grulke THE DAILY CARDINAL

Hundreds of shoes lined the state Capitol stairs representing Wisconsinites who have lost their lives due to gun violence.

Legislators, law enforcement officials and advocates against gun violence met Monday to spread awareness on how to decrease gun fatalities around the state.

The Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort, or WAVE, launched its new tour, Hearts & Soles, in an effort to raise awareness of gun violence through background checks and gun education.

The organization will travel around Wisconsin, setting up a display of 467 pairs of empty shoes, signifying those lost to gun violence. The organization will also campaign in four other Wisconsin cities to advocate for personal and policy changes regarding this violence, Jeri Bonavia, the executive

director of WAVE, said.

According to the WAVE website, enforcing background checks for all gun transactions is an issue the organization endorses and one that state Rep. Terese Berceau, D-Madison, said she is invested in.

In the press conference, Berceau, who is one author of the background check bill, said she and other legislators are building a network of people who are inclined to advocate for background checks and bring up other issues concerning gun violence.

Madison Police Chief Michael Koval said the state is “looking at a public health epidemic.” According to Koval, the number of crimes involving a weapon rose threefold between 1983 and 2014.

Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney brought attention to statistics involved in gun violence sayKAITLYN VETO/THE DAILY CARDINAL

anti-violence page 3

Four hundred and sixty-seven pairs of shoes line the Capitol steps to protest state gun violence.

Legislative Affairs prepares for National Voter Registration Day

By Dana Kampa and Cynthia Smith THE DAILY CARDINAL

Student government leaders discussed the importance of voting and made new members eligible to register students to vote in a meeting Monday.

The new Associated Students of Madison Legislative Affairs members came from various backgrounds of political involvement. One freshman said he had experience lobbying at home, while another said she had no experience.

ASM Chair Genevieve Carter said she lacked handson experience when she first joined UW-Madison’s student government.

However, all the new members expressed interest in getting politically involved.

The new students filed to become special registration deputies in the meeting, meaning they are capable of registering students to vote on campus. ASM currently has 30 to 50 deputies, according to Legislative Affairs Chair Tom Gierok.

Deputies will be available to register students Tuesday, which is National Voter Registration Day. “This is kind of our first practice big blitz day across campus,” Gierok said. “We haven’t done something like this in a long time.”

ASM members have registered between 2,500 and 2,700 people campus wide, and Gierok said they are aiming for 5,000 registrations.

“That’s a good amount of people on a campus of our size,” Gierok said. “That doesn’t seem

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Free student voter ID cards UW-Madison officials made free voter ID cards available to students Monday.

The university is making the cards available following the Sept.

12 decision by federal authorities to lift Wisconsin’s voter ID law stay.

Wisconsin residents do not need the identification card as long as they have a valid driver’s license, U.S. passport or military identification. Outof-state students do need the card to vote if they don’t have a U.S. passport or military identification.

Students can obtain a card at the Wiscard office in Union South from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. Hours are extended to 8 p.m. Tuesday for National Voter Registration Day. DANA KAMPA

City committee approves plans for rooftop restaurant

By Patricia Johnson THE DAILY CARDINAL

Madison’s Plan Commission unanimously approved final recommendations Monday for a rooftop restaurant to be constructed above the Campus Inn. The Dimension Architect group designed a seven-story elevator and stair tower at the rear of the Campus Inn hotel on Langdon Street for patrons to access the restaurant. The hotel owner agreed to convert two guest rooms into a kitchen and outdoor deck that will have a roof canopy and awning.

A large portion of the restaurant is designed with operable glass walls that will provide visibility from the roof when the walls are closed for cold weather.

The main concern among commission members focused on

the use of amplified music since the restaurant will be located in a residential neighborhood. Ald. Ledell Zellers, District 2, recommended the applicants omit amplified music from the restaurant altogether.

“I am very much in support of this project and I think that what they are proposing to do is a good thing for the Campus Inn,” Zellers said. “So I’m pleased that the applicants are happy with adding that [recommendation].”

Since the commission approved the report under a conditional use permit, the owner is subject to potential limitations set up by members.

Restaurant owner Darrell Slomiany accepted the conditions with no opposition. Under the con-

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Victim reports sexual assault in UW-Madison residence hall Sunday

THOMAS YONASH/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Legislative Affairs Chair Tom Gierok said the only way students will be taken seriously is by voting.

Goobernatorial Erection: Do you know who your candidates really are?

+ALMANAC page 2

An unidentified victim reported she was sexually assaulted in a UW-Madison residence hall early Sunday morning, according to a Timely Warning release from the UW-Madison Police Department Monday.

The victim said she was touched inappropriately multiple times without consent, according to the release. She also reported that a similar incident has occurred before and the perpetrator may have previously assaulted others.

While charges have not been filed and law enforcement is

not currently involved, the perpetrator has been identified and the university has begun disciplinary procedures.

The incident marks the fourth sexual assault reported to UWPD since the start of the school year, although this is the first reported assault in university housing.

UWPD alerted students of the incident in accordance with the Clery Act, which requires universities to maintain a public log of all crimes reported to them, including sexual assaults, and issue Timely Warning releases if a crime poses a threat to students.

The Head and the Heart wrap up Live on King

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“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”

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Wedndesday: partly sunny

hi 70º / lo 54º

hi 72º / lo 54º

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

An independent student newspaper, serving the University of Wisconsin-Madison community since 1892 Volume 124, Issue 11

2142 Vilas Communication Hall 821 University Avenue Madison, Wis., 53706-1497 (608) 262-8000 • fax (608) 262-8100

News and Editorial edit@dailycardinal.com

tODAY: sunny

Editor-in-Chief Jack Casey

Managing Editor Jonah Beleckis

News Team News Manager Sam Cusick Campus Editor Adelina Yankova College Editor Emily Gerber City Editors Irene Burski, Patricia Johnson State Editor Eoin Cottrell Associate News Editor Dana Kampa Features Editor Melissa Howison Opinion Editors Ryan Bullen • Cullen Voss Editorial Board Chair Haley Henschel Arts Editors Cheyenne Langkamp • Sean Reichard Sports Editors Jack Baer • Jim Dayton Almanac Editors Andy Holsteen • Kane Kaiman Photo Editors Emily Buck • Thomas Yonash Associate Photo Editor Will Chizek Graphics Editor Cameron Graff Multimedia Editor Alana Katz Science Editor Danielle Smith Life & Style Editor Claire Satterfield Special Pages Editor Haley Henschel Copy Chiefs Kara Evenson • Justine Jones Jessie Rodgers • Paige Villiard Social Media Manager Rachel Wanat Copy Editors Theda Berry • Chris Barry Megan Grove • Kerry Huth

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Editorial Board Jack Casey • Jonah Beleckis Haley Henschel • Cullen Voss Ryan Bullen • Rachel Wanat Michael Penn • Kayla Schmidt l

Board of Directors Herman Baumann, President Jack Casey • Jonah Beleckis Jennifer Sereno • Stephen DiTullio Brett Bachman • Janet Larson Don Miner • Phil Brinkman Jason Stein • Nancy Sandy Jordan Laeyendecker • Tim Smoot Tina Zavoral

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Call The Daily Cardinal office at 608-262-8000 or send an email to edit@dailycardinal.com.

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Almanac’s guide to the goobernatorial erection Answering all your questions about Wisconsin’s candidates for governor, such as “Which candidate will institute a police state?” and “Can we trust these insipid talking heads?”

Tommy Yonash/cardinal file photo

Tommy Yonash/cardinal file photo

Mary Burke

Scott Walker

—Demoncratic candidate for governor of Wisconsin —Former executive at Trek, yeah that Trek —Father founded Trek Bicycle Company —Graduated from Harvard’s School of Silly Business —Not Scott Walker —Has always shown interest in trees —Her name is a palindrome —If elected, would become first woman governor of Wisconsin —Has been 29 years old for decades —Not Scott Walker —Has never plagiarized (honest!)

—Some people really like her —Seems to be mostly human —Not Scott Walker —Parted the Repooplican Sea —An iPhone user —Loves the sound of crunching numbers —Not Scott Walker —Definitely not Scott Walker

—Incumbent Repooplican candidate for governor —Belongs to the same party as other great leaders such as George W. Bush and Herman Cain —You’ve seen his name everywhere —Wants to be president when he grows up —Has the “WOW” factor —Graduated from DelavanDarien High School —Has great hair —Refused role in hit film “Total Recall” —Enjoys a good cigar now and then —Descended from a long line of proud vampires —Knows hoards of uninformed voters worship him —“Glad ta meet ya” —Has lived up to all promises —Just a regular kind of guy —Eats his fruits and vegetables —Hasn’t fucked up THAT badly —Could look sexy with thickrimmed glasses —Will shake your hand if you vote for him —Let’s think about all the good he has done

news dailycardinal.com

Tuesday, September 23, 2014 3 l

Mayor encourages participation despite voter ID law

KAITLYN VETO/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Mayor Paul Soglin encourages eligible voters to send in their ballot for the upcoming gubernatorial election despite the extra steps from the state-issued voter ID law.

Architect explains Phase Two of Memorial Union Reinvestment project Though Phase One of the Memorial Union Reinvestment project is finished, the Union and Terrace will see more changes in the years to come.

UW-Madison students and community members met with MUR architect Nat Stein Monday to discuss the second phase of the project, which includes the brand-new Alumni Park.

Alumni Park will stretch between the Red Gym and Memorial Union and include large green spaces, a water feature and interactive exhibits.

This new addition will raise the land to make it level with the first floor, with the goal of creating an inviting experience for Terrace visitors, Stein said.

Phase Two, which begin June 2015, will also restore and alter other aspects of Memorial Union, including Der Rathskeller, Tripp Commons and other meeting spaces.

Once completed, the Terrace will have a new concession stand and an improved stage with a permanent roof.

Changes to the east first floor will include updated versions of the current restaurants, as well as introducing new food outlets such as Fresh Express, Badger Market and an Italian bistro.

UW-Madison graduate student Margaret Geary said she is most excited about the addition of the Fresh Express restaurant, which will offer fresh salads and madeto-order soups and sandwiches.

“It’s a concept that is really unique in the sense that we don’t have anything like that yet on campus,” Geary said. “[Nothing] that has local ingredients and makes it accessible to students.”

Stein said the Terrace construction will begin after Labor Day of 2015 to allow students to use the Terrace as long as possible.

—Maija Inveiss

anti-violence from page 1 ing domestic violence victims are eight times more likely to be killed by guns in the home, and the most common way to commit suicide is by using a gun.

Mahoney said the end to gun violence requires coordination efforts from both citizens and lawmakers.

leg affairs from page 1 like a lot percentage-wise, but we don’t have easy access to a lot of the population.”

Wisconsin residents need some form of state-issued identification to register to vote, such as a valid driver’s license. Out-ofstate students will need their social security numbers.

All voters need to be registered

restaurant from page 1 ditional use permit, applicants may request alterations to the conditions from the city’s zoning administrator after a year of compliance. Before applicants can

Mayor Paul Soglin made it clear at a press conference Monday that he wants all citizens to vote in November’s gubernatorial election, from students and the elderly, to single parents.

Soglin said he wants to see everyone vote in spite of Wisconsin’s controversial voter ID laws.

“We are going to prove to this legislature, the governor and this particular court that the reason for the American Revolution, the reason we fought two world wars and the reason we’re fighting terrorism today is not going to be wasted on this barbaric act,” Soglin said.

His staff also stressed that every effort would be taken to ensure the elderly are able to cast their vote.

“We are not going to have three or four-hour lines for 90-year-old voters,” Soglin said.

When asked about the costs associated with transporting and supplying poll workers, Soglin said “a considerable amount of money” had been saved during the primary in February and the city has these funds at its disposal. His staff added the costs were estimated at more than $100,000, which includes training for poll workers.

The voter ID issue regained relevance after a federal appeals court permitted the state to ask voters for photo ID before allowing them to cast their ballot. Voters can show nine different acceptable forms of ID, including a Wisconsin driver’s license, passport or a state university or collegeissued, signed ID. The Sept. 12 ruling has been widely criticized by Democrats and the ACLU, among others.

—Siddharth Pandey

“It’s time to get to work,” Mahoney said.

Joy Newmann, a retired UW-Madison professor and member of WAVE who has taught family violence classes around the area, said she is invested in WAVE’s efforts because she is frustrated by the rise of gun violence. Expressing the immediacy of the issue, Newmann pointed out

six shootings in Milwaukee over the weekend and one Monday morning in Madison.

According to Newmann, gun violence is an intersection of issues involving mental health problems, substance abuse, family violence and gun use.

“It’s become an epidemic,” Newmann said, “and I think we need to work hard to stop it.”

at their current address and present proof of residency to the registration deputy.

Students interested in registering to vote can find deputies at 333 East Campus Mall from 12-2:30 p.m. and at Gordon Dining and Event Center from 5-6:30 p.m.

Oct. 15 is the last day residents can register to vote for the November elections.

ASM also worked with uni-

versity administration to extend the hours during which students can obtain a newly available, free voter ID card for National Voter Registration Day. Gierok said ASM hopes to schedule more days with extended hours to accommodate students’ class schedules.

“The only way [students] will be taken seriously is if we vote,” Gierok said.

submit requests, they must consult with the district’s alder.

Ald. Scott Resnick, District 8, said he does not predict the restaurant will cause significant issues in his district.

Amplified music may not

impact the lively nature of the Langdon Street neighborhood, according to Resnick.

The restaurant is expected to be a beneficial addition to the 54-year-old hotel and campus area, according to Zellers.

SSFC approves working students’ eligibility, hears PAVE

By Scott Bembenek THE DAILY CARDINAL

Student leaders decided to finance a group supporting working class students and are set to later determine financial eligibility for a student group combatting sexual assault.

The Associated Students of Madison Student Services Finance Committee voted Monday on the financing eligibility of the Working Class Student Union and heard a presentation by the student organization Promoting Awareness Victim Empowerment.

WSCU is a student organization focused on supporting working class students as well as first generation, nontraditional and transfer students. The organization made a financial eligibility presentation to SSFC last Thursday seeking funding.

SSFC members voiced concerns on which programs in the group’s financial plan, such as a

movie night that involves a dialogue and a working class art night, should be considered core or supportive programming. Members also questioned which events qualified as experiential learning.

Ultimately, committee members determined the WSCU’s plans meet the funding criteria, voting 11-0 in favor of the organization’s eligibility with four abstentions.

SSFC also heard an eligibility presentation by the student organization PAVE. PAVE focuses on preventing sexual assault, domestic violence and stalking. In its presentation, PAVE outlined a number of programs and campaigns it considers to be core components of its financial plan.

Among these programs are events tailored to awareness months like domestic violence in October and sexual assault in February.

PAVE also outlined plans for a bus and poster campaign

aimed at setting a new standard of response and prevention to sexual assault, domestic violence and stalking.

The organization described many of the campaigns and programs as having the educational benefit of providing “civic knowledge and engagement” on the issues at hand.

SSFC will vote on PAVE’s funding eligibility Thursday.

In special orders, SSFC discussed its expectations for what it wants to hear from the Wisconsin Union regarding its budget plans.

SSFC aims to establish expectations for Union financial staff early in the process to avoid later confusion.

SSFC Vice Chair Thuy Pham talked about the importance of knowing how student segregated fees are spent by the Union.

“This committee was put out for a specific reason: So we can oversee the spending of student segregated fees,” Pham said.

THOMAS YONASH/THE DAILY CARDINAL

The Student Services Finance Committee approved WSCU’s financial eligibility and heard PAVE’s presentation.

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Tuesday, September 23, 2014

By Mary Sullivan The Daily Cardinal

“Twin Peaks” is an ABC television drama created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It follows an investigation lead by FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper into the murder of homecoming queen Laura Palmer in the town of Twin Peaks. Its pilot episode was first broadcast on April 8, 1990.

The dudes of Twin Peaks are in no way affiliated with the aforementioned television series, though homecoming and murder are pretty rock ‘n’ roll.

The four kids from the north side of Chicago chose the name because it sounded cool, and sounding cool is, in fact, what they do best.

Twin Peaks meshes British Invasion with early punk, smooth psychedelia with garage rock, to form an addicting sound that flows through your ears, into your bones and out through your groovin’, headbangin’ dance moves.

Cadien Lake James (vocals, guitar), Clay Frankel (vocals, guitar), Jack Dolan (vocals, bass) and Connor Brodner grew up near each other on the north side of Chicago and started playing together at the early ages of prepubescence.

They released their first album, Sunken , in 2013 and played house shows and bars like crazy before graduation. All four members started college in the fall but quickly dropped out to head back mid-East and sell their souls to rock ’n’ roll.

They’ve been touring heavily for the past year, did the festival loop this summer and released their next album Wild Onion on August 5th.

I caught up with Frankel a few weeks ago while they were on a rest from touring. After I had a quick bitch fit about my messed up promo album download, provided by Perfect Pitch PR (it’s my phone’s fault but I wanted to yell at someone anyways), he was surprisingly as gentlemanly as they come (“they,” of course, being

20-year-old rock stars).

We talked Chicago, college, the Beach Boys and all things rock in anticipation of the dudes’ upcoming Madison show.

Catch Twin Peaks this Friday, Sept. 26 at The Frequency, with special guests NE-HI, The Liqs and VARSITY. You won’t regret it, I promise.

Mary Sullivan: Let’s start off with a quick run-down of Twin Peaks—where you’re from, how you met, influences, likes/dislikes, what you’re all about, etc.

Clay Frankel: Oh man that sounds hard. We’re all from Chicago and we’re all 20 years old. We all met at different stages of our young lives in the city, some from when we were little kids and others in high school, so we all more or less grew up together and got to know each other through music.

When we started playing together we all really liked the Black Lips’ style and a lot of Chicago bands like White Mystery and The Funs who all played really heavy, loud rock ‘n’ roll, so we all decided to get to work and rock out a bit. Did I miss something? I don’t know, we’re just four friends trying to make it in this world, ya know?!

MS: You’ve been on kind of a mini break since the album release [Wild Onion], what have you been up to?

CF: Well we did a little 10-day tour out east after Wild Onion dropped with a Chicago band called The Lemons, then we did our very first band flight out to Los Angeles for the FYF Festival and we’ve been in Chicago for a while before we hit the road again. Right now we’re just kinda hanging out, working on new stuff and playing some shows around here.

MS: So I know the week you come to Madison you’re hitting up some Big Ten campuses— do you ever have any regrets about skipping college to live the dream?

CF: Yeah I mean playing at colleges is definitely pretty strange especially because

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we’re all college-aged and we play for these kids and their like “nah I can’t come out tonight I got homework” or whatever, but no I don’t regret dropping out of school. I don’t think everyone should do it or anything, a lot of people love school—I particularly didn’t— but for what we wanted to do I think we made the right choice.

Are you in college? What is it that you’re studying, if you don’t mind my asking?

“[The show’s] gonna be like it’s everyone’s birthday party.”

Clay Frankel vocalist, guitarist Twin Peaks

MS: Business CF: Business! My brother and my sister both studied economics so you know when this rock ‘n’ roll thing crashes and burns hopefully they can help me out with some money, ya know what I’m sayin’?

MS: Have you noticed or been affected by a change in your amount of publicity or “fame” since all of the hype on Wild Onion?

“We all met at different stages of our young lives in the city.”

Clay Frankel vocalist, guitarist Twin Peaks

CF: Yeah I’ve noticed it. I don’t pay too much attention to that sort of thing but yeah I’ll be wandering around in Chicago and some kid will just be like, this just happened to me the other day actually, I was walking around and this kid was like “Hey, yeah, Twin Peaks!” So that’s pretty cool.

I went to a Mac DeMarco show

recently with Cadien and a lot of people were looking at us and coming up to us. I guess that’s pretty obvious at a Mac DeMarco show people would maybe know our music and come up to us. So yeah, we notice it but it hasn’t changed me or us much at all. It’s kinda whatever.

MS: Speaking of the album, every song is really unique and catchy in their own way.

I know three of you each do your own writing, what does that process look like?

CF: Well we all approach it different, me Jack and Cadien all write songs and we all have our own way of doing it but we usually write on our own then bring the songs to the band and work on them together and play around with them.

For me, I usually write the words for but sometimes I’ll write some music first and think of the lyrics later. But yeah I used to just write chords and throw whatever lyrics I had into them later, but lately I’ve been able to just write some lyrics down and actually hear the melodies in my head while I’m going.

MS: And then whoever writes it sings it?

CF: Yeah, that’s always how we’ve done it and I think we’re gonna stick with it.

MS: Were all of the songs on Wild Onion written postSunken or did you dig some up from the vaults?

CF: Well, we wrote Sunken in high school and it took a while for that album to come out so we had quite a bit of time and a crap ton of songs, like thirty or so, but then we just kept on writing songs so we just went with most of the newer stuff that we had written and put it down on Wild Onion.

So yeah it was pretty much all stuff that we had just been writing, a few of the songs we wrote like a few days before recording them so it’s pretty quick turnover with our songs (laughs).

MS: Your two albums are pretty different in terms of the obvious length difference

on Wild Onion, along with its cleaned-up sound compared to Sunken. Did you guys have themes in mind when making the records or do you just attribute the change to your overall growth as a band?

CF: Well, Sunken was both a necessity of how we recorded it because we didn’t have that great of equipment and stuff but it was also a style that we looked at for our music, like we knew how we wanted it to sound when it came out.

You know it wasn’t gonna sound like The Beach Boys or anything, it was gonna sound pretty lo-fi so we just kind of catered to that but we liked it.

This time we had some better gear and a little money from our label for some more equipment so we just looked at what we had and tried to make that sound work for us. We didn’t want it to sound really polished or anything because that’s not how we play, and we all really love the style of 60s music which is often pretty lo-fi.

Speaking of The Beach Boys, I’ve been listening to this record of theirs, ya know [Beach Boys’ Party?] Well that’s literally just a party setting and the whole time there’s bottles crashing and people laughing and screaming at each other and it’s really fun to listen to so I think we wanted something kinda like that where it sounds like a “happening”, something that sounds like somewhere you’d wanna be. So if somebody messed up a guitar part like two minutes into the song, most of the time we just kept it and that’s the way it stayed.

MS: Kind of like a preview of a live show?

CF: Yeah, you know I mean there’s a ton of stuff on there that’s not in our live shows. Our live shows will sound really, really different but we at least feel like the mood is still there.

MS: Do me a favor and describe your live show in one sentence for the eager fans of Madison.

CF: Hmm… it’s gonna be like it’s everyone’s birthday party.

RECORD ROUTINE

Alt-J shrug off the sophomore slump on second album CD REVIEW

This is All Yours alt-J

laborating to create an aesthetic that makes the most sense to them.

This is All Yours completes the journey with “Leaving Nara,” an atospheric tour de force of alt-J’s musical style.

By Paul Blazevich The Daily Cardinal

Alt-J have done it again: released an album that transcends the confines of a genre, conventional lyrical approaches and expected instrumentation. It is easy to call them artrock or avant garde, but when you force yourself to forget the mainstream wisdom usually applied to contemporary music, it appears that alt-J’s This Is All Yours is just the product of three musicians col-

After alt-J released An Awesome Wave, high expectations were immediately bestowed upon them for their second LP. On This Is All Yours, the trio ventures beyond their original sound of strange percussive elements, electronic production and a cappella vocals. We travel with the band through the world of “Nara,” listening to how they

have embraced the meaning of the symbol that their name represents: change.

Every song on This Is All Yours fulfills the presupposed expectations, as each record hails from a different genre and expresses its own completely individual sound.

“Intro” pulls you straight from An Awesome Wave into the new album, with a cappella vocals and an expansive soundscape. Right as you are getting comfortable in your seat and preparing for another An Awesome Wave however, you are taken to the orchestral world of “Nara” and then, immediately following, to the mid-1970s rock world with “Left Hand Free.”

“Garden of England” is an interlude similar to those found on alt-J’s first album: an instrumental track featuring one instrument, in this case a flute, creating

a beautifully natural riff that splits the album perfectly into two parts.

“Hunger of the Pine” imports hip-hop inspired beats and vocal samples, sung by the one and only Miley Cyrus; the next three tracks then taking us to the Midwestern United States styling of folk music, highlighted by “The Gospel of John Hurt” and “Pusher.”

Alt-J have done it again: released an album that transcends the confines of a genre.

This Is All Yours completes the journey with “Leaving Nara,” an atmospheric tour de

force of alt-J’s musical style. The band gives us the orchestral conclusion to their second album, leaving listeners begging for more and, once again, awaiting the next album.

The contrast used throughout This Is All Yours is the factor that sets alt-J apart from the clogged avenue of alternative bands. Like all great musicians, the usage of dark and light, loud and quiet from one track to the next and even within each track proves that This Is All Yours deserves to be considered one of the best releases so far this year.

With This Is All Yours, alt-J hands anxiously awaiting fans a sincere message: they are not afraid to embark on a journey of change and exploration of sound.

Rating: B+

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Tuesday, September 23, 2014

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The Head and the Heart close out concert series

By Robert Vanderwist The Daily Cardinal

On Friday, Sept. 19, the Capitol Square was alive with music as Madison enjoyed the final installment of this year’s Live on King Street concert series, featuring Seattle indie-folk band The Head and the Heart, with support from Bare Mutants and Count This Penny. The weather was perfect for the occasion; a cool evening with temperatures in the low sixties helped usher in the fall and allowed concertgoers to showcase their best sweaters, flannel shirts and beards.

Count This Penny, a Madisonnative folk group led by Amanda and Allen Rigell, opened the show and greeted the gathering crowd with a balanced set featuring upbeat folk anthems as well as slow, emotional ballads that brought out their apparent southern influence, especially in Amanda’s singing.

The crowd was pleasant and peaceful, and the show was a great way for Madison to finish off a great summer of music.

I was enamored especially by the energy of Count This Penny’s faster songs, such as “Medicine,” a song carried by a driving, forceful tempo, giving its minor key an interesting sense of emotional urgency that reminds me of alternative folk artists like Frank Turner whom I have fallen in love with over the years. Amanda and Allen Rigell shared very

photo by will chizek/the daily cardinal

The Head and the Heart closed out this year’s Live On King Street series with a warm, stirring set that touched on every facet of the Seattle folk group’s career, ballads and ramblers alike. finely tuned vocal harmonies that lent even more emotional drive to Count This Penny’s set.

As the sun finished setting behind the stage, Bare Mutants stepped up to bring an interesting change of pace to the show. Easily the most energetic band on the bill, Bare Mutants’ sound extends beyond the typical prototype of “indie rock.” Their use of laid-back synth melodies and a shaking tambourine hinted at a psychedelic influence. However, their songs were laden with grungy, distorted guitar lines, reverb-heavy vocals and their sarcastic, tongue-incheek lyrics reminded me of the new surge of surf-rock bands that

has hit the scene over the last couple years. Bare Mutants’ performance “I Suck At Life” made me feel like I was listening to some sort of hybrid between The Doors and Wavves.

The weather was perfect for the occasion.

This, to me, was refreshing and I believe that the risks that

Bare Mutants have taken were successful in creating a unique and intriguing sound.

When The Head and the Heart took the stage, the crowd had been growing steadily for hours, and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard was packed. The crowd was backed up all the way to the Capitol Square. It was definitely a great idea on the part of the event’s organizers to move the concert from King Street, its original location.

Despite the large turnout, however, a very relaxed and comfortable crowd set the stage for a mellow and intimate show. The Head and the Heart opened with “Cats and Dogs,” the opening

Weighing the worthiness of concepts on concept albums Brian weidy weidying out the noise

W

hen one listens to noninstrumental music, the point (sometimes) is to tell a story. While one could spend all day looking for a real story in Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy,” you already know that she’s in the fast lane between California and Japan. The song is remarkably catchy but one isn’t looking to Ms. Swaggy P for an investigation into post-racial discourse in the 21st century.

When one puts on Bob Dylan’s “Hurricane,” for more than eight minutes, you are taken through the trials and tribulations of Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, a champion prizefighter who was falsely accused and then convicted of triple-murder.

While the trial made headlines, it was the song that brought the case to a wider audience.

And such is the power of music, to tell a story if you so choose. And those that do so for an entire album have a chance to put together a cohesive narrative akin to a musical novel, where you can clearly see the parts being played in your head.

While sometimes it doesn’t work at all—yes, I’m looking at you Lulu, the ill-fated concept

album created as a collaboration between Lou Reed and Metallica—when well executed, it can create a perfectly crafted hour or more of music that can make you laugh, cry and everything in between throughout the course of the album.

To open the discussion of greatest concept albums, one has to start with Pink Floyd. Arguably— no, not arguably—THE two best concept albums came from Pink Floyd, starting with 1973’s The Dark Side of the Moon.

The Dark Side of the Moon takes you through the full life cycle in under 45 minutes, with every song seamlessly segueing into the next and featuring the best closing sequence of songs in “Brain Damage” into “Eclipse” to close an album on this side of the moon.

But, to find the real best concept album, one needs to jump to 1979, to the release of The Wall. Centering around the life of Pink, this more than 80-minute rock opera takes us through all of the dark and depressing things that happen to him as he builds a metaphorical wall around him.

This incredibly dark album features outstanding songwriting from Roger Waters, who either wrote or co-wrote all 26 songs on the album, a remarkable feat itself, but made all the more impressive by the album’s cohesion.

While concept albums usu-

ally lack a lead single, The Wall featured three: “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2,” “Run Like Hell” and “Comfortably Numb,” which features one of the greatest guitar solos in rock music history.

But bands beyond Pink Floyd have mastered the concept album.

The Who’s Tommy had an exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when I visited nearly a decade ago. While the movie version is certainly worth seeing—mostly because of Elton John playing the local pinball champion—it is the original concept album, which came out in 1969, years before either The Dark Side of the Moon or The Wall that got me hooked on the concept album.

And such is the power of music, to tell a story if you so choose.

While I could write about Frank Zappa’s Joe’s Garage or Genesis’ The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, instead, I’ll focus on two modern day examples of the concept album done exceptionally well.

In 2010, Arcade Fire released their third studio album, The Suburbs. While The Suburbs is not a concept album the way

The Wall or Tommy is in terms of telling a single, cohesive story throughout the course of the album, there is a narrative thread that runs in each and every one of the tracks on the album, focusing on the titular character, though this one requires a little bit of an artistic leap to personify Win and Will Butler’s hometown outside of Houston, Texas into a character.

To close this column out, let’s look at the best concept album of the 21st century, Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city. While the rest of the albums listed throughout this column fall under at least the broad definition of rock, Lamar’s hip-hop opus, his second album, is a masterpiece that could only be construed as a concept album.

As the album progresses, the autobiographical (with some liberties taken) story of a 16-yearold Lamar brings you into the backseat of his car and doesn’t let you out for the more than hour-long album. In an era where everything needs to be “Fancy” and music is “All About That Bass,” it’s refreshing to see a concept album go platinum.

While certainly not for every musician to try, a well-crafted concept album can transcend time and make a more than 40-year-old album seem brand new.

Do you think concept albums fall flat? Email Brian your opinion at weidy@wisc.edu

track from their 2010 self-titled album. I found the song was a great way to open the set, starting with a shaker and building into an upbeat tune with extremely catchy vocals, tight instrumentals and impressive harmonies from the band’s two vocalists.

I was happy with the band’s decision to go straight from “Cats and Dogs” into “Couer d’Alene,” the next track on their self-titled album. The transition is perfect on the album and translated well in their live show, moving seamlessly from the building energy of the first song to the bouncing, driving piano and guitar melody that had the whole crowd bobbing their heads and tapping their feet. The band continued with this energy, playing many upbeat tunes from both their self-titled album and 2013’s Let’s Be Still. Stylistic differences from one song to the next allowed each member of the band to showcase their talent.

I was extremely impressed by the technical skill of pianist Kenny Hensley on “Ghosts,” which features a jazzy and haunting piano melody with bouncing chords and a walking bass line from the pianist’s left hand. The pleasant vibes of the night culminated with the band’s closing song “Rivers and Roads.” The band slowed it down one last time with mellow acoustic verses, while also giving the crowd one last chance to sing and rejoice to the song’s chorus.

Ultimately, Live On King Street proved itself to be a great event for our city that I hope continues in the coming years. The crowd was pleasant and peaceful, and the show was a great way for Madison to finish off a great summer of music.

PLAYLIST Get in touch with fall with these autumnal tunes!

The Beatles “You Won’t See Me” Crisp and brisk, like a leaf-laden wind.

Modest Mouse “Autumn Beds” For all your banjo jangle needs.

Madvillain “All Caps” “Shots of the scotch from out of square shot glasses.”

The Rural Alberta Advantage “Four Night Rider” Chilling bike adventure across the Canadian wilds.

opinion 6

l

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

dailycardinal.com

Expectations for a perfect roommate remain foolish LILLY HANSON Opinion columnist

R

oommates. You can’t live with them, and with a poor college student’s budget, you can’t live without them. Usually it just feels like the first. But there has to be some sort of positive to go along with all the negatives.

The pros and cons list in your head, that is kept up to date with every communication and confrontation, must be somewhat balanced.

Freshman year of college means moving to a strange environment where you don’t know many people­—if any at all.

Juggling roommates, new friends, clubs, class and everything in between is just a normality of campus life. If there is one thing you are most anxious about, it’s about meeting your new roommate. What will he or she be like?

Will we get along? What if we are complete opposite?

Everyone has heard the horror stories of the party animal roommate never in the room or the exact opposite: the vampire roommate who never leaves the room. In dining halls and classrooms you hear bragging of “the worst roommate story ever” as people huddle to listen to the “one-upper” who prefaces every story with “you’ll never believe what my roommate did.” The bad roommate is a rite of passage in the college world and part of college is learning how to tackle tough issues. But is it really worth it to wish for the perfect roommate?

Fast forwarding a year to sophomore to senior students not living in dorms, there still comes issues with roommates. Apartment advertisements nowadays are practically screaming for the perfect roommate. “Wanted: person who doesn’t like conflict, always cleans up after themselves and loves puppies.” Apart from finding the person who loves puppies, which would be quite easy, is it so easy to find someone who you click with 100 percent of the time, perhaps even 110 percent?

If there is one thing that you are most anxious about, it’s about meeting your new roommate.

Looking at yourself you might see yourself as the perfect roommate, the one that your roommate is lucky to live with. You don’t snore, you do your laundry once a week (or every other week) and have no strange habits. But is this really just part of your imagination?

The idea of the “perfect roommate” needs to be abolished from the dreams from college students nationwide. There is no such thing. While fulfilling everything on your Bucky List, making the passing grade in your classes and preparing for the world outside, living the college lifestyle doesn’t exactly

GRAPHIC BY CAMERON GRAFF

have room for being the perfect roommate yourself.

It seems tedious to remind your roommate every day that dishes have to be washed before they are put back into the cabinet or that 4 a.m. is not the time to be testing out their new speakers (especially the day before your huge Psych test), but remember that we are all humans and have our faults. As cheesy as that sounds, I think we need to remember that your

roommate won’t know you hate what they do, unless you tell them. Though the university suggests RA involvement, sometimes the easiest thing is simply to tell your roommate what is going on. You and your roommate don’t have to be on the best of terms, but you should at least be able to feel like your dorm (or apartment) is home. For the 9 months of school, that is.

While the horror stories are fun

to share, perhaps we should stick to making fun of our own silly habits.

After all, you still probably haven’t done your laundry for this week.

Do you remember your roommate from Freshman year? How has your experience with roommates been during your time here at UW-Madison? Were you the good, neat roommate or the one of horror stories? Tell us all of your roommate tales and please send all feedback to opinion@ dailycardinal.com.

Social media app Yik Yak continues to draw controversy and praise MILLER JOZWIAK Opinion columnist

S

ome students have become familiar with the app Yik Yak as a new form of social media. For students who are not familiar, it is similar to an anonymous Twitter, or as one yaker described it, “Yik Yak is the virtual version of bathroom graffiti.” Tyler Droll, the founder and CEO of Yik Yak describes the website as “a city’s central plaza or a campus bulletin board.”

With people like Dr. Keith Ablow calling for classaction lawsuits against the creators, it is unclear how long we will be able to yak.

Some have criticized the app, but I believe it’s an innovative form of social media for free thinking college students to post their thoughts, no matter how philosophically deep,

or drunkenly vulgar.

The app does not have accounts, so no posts have usernames. The posts by others that are seen on the page are

Some have criticized the app, but I believe it’s an innovative form of social media for free thinking college students to post their thoughts, no matter how philosophically deep or drunkenly vulgar. from within a 1.5 mile radius of other users. Users can up vote or down vote a yak. A post can be uploaded an unlimited amount of times, but if it is down voted five times it will be erased from the feed.

The app asks users to “Post your jokes, thoughts, observations, questions, etc.,” then lists a set of rules on its info page. Rule number one is “You do not bully or specifically target other yakkers,” and rule number two is “You DO NOT bully or specifically target

other yakkers.”

However, some experts have said the app is actually a dangerous form of social media, with one psychiatrist, Dr. Keith Ablow, even calling Yik Yak the “most dangerous app I’ve ever seen.”

Ablow also said in an opinion piece for Fox News, “Anyone using Yik Yak can turn a school into a virtual chat room where everyone can post his or her comments, anonymously.” He goes on to cite how a Massachusetts school “experienced a 24-hour onslaught of ugly rumors and comments about students and administrators,” Ablow goes on to say, “The person or persons who were responsible for all the ‘yakking’ were never discovered. No one could be punished.” The doctor continues his clearly educated and scholarly article by saying, “The creators of Yik Yak decided to disseminate the technological equivalent of crack cocaine on America.” Doctor Ablow concludes his article with “I hope the app’s creators go bankrupt.”

Ablow does not seem to be a

fan of the app. However, he understands very little about the app itself. Under the apps rules and info page it provides a quick metaphor to help users understand the rules of the app. The page says, “Herds of yaks are strongest when they work together and watch each oth-

“The creators of Yik Yak decided to disseminate the technological equivalent of crack cocaine on America ... I hope the app’s creators go bankrupt. ” Keith Ablow Pyschiatrist Fox News Contributor

er’s backs. Yaks should not join a herd until old enough, so no one under college age should be on Yik Yak.” Ablow failed to mention this when discussing the school in Massachusetts. The app is a forum for a community’s freethinkers to congregate anonymously, it is not the “technological equivalent of crack cocaine” as he makes it out to be.

In addition, he said administra-

Have an opinion?

Let us hear it.

Write for The Daily Cardinal.

tors were not able to locate the bully in the Massachusetts school as if it were the fault of the app. Recently, a terror threat on the University of Georgia campus was made through the app. Ariel Omar Arias was arrested and charged on 19 Sept. with two felony counts of terroristic threats for threatening to blow up the Zell B. Miller Learning Center.

This case proves the app has checks for those who decide to abuse it.

The app is a great system for students to share their thoughts and stories without fear of being cyber bullied in response. Responsible users ensure that the feed stays fresh with interesting yaks, rather than inappropriate lies. For these reasons I encourage students to “yak it up” as long as it is here. With people like Doctor Keith Ablow calling for class-action law suits against the creators, it is unclear how long we will be able to yak.

Do you “Yik-Yak”? How do you feel about the app’s popularity and what are some of the problems that can be raised by submitting posts randomly without any accountability? Tell us how you feel about it and please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.

comics

Well, it’s never stopped me before: The average container of movie theater popcorn is marked up over 1250% from its production cost.

dailycardinal.com

Today’s Crossword Puzzle

Tuesday, September 23, 2014 • 7

Not By Joyce

By Sean Reichard sreichard@wisc.edu

Rambling Id classic

By Jennifer Victor graphics@dailycardinal.com

Yourmomeater classic

By Laura “Hobbes” Legault graphics@dailycardinal.com

Answer key available at www.dailycardinal.com 69 LOVE SONGS

ACROSS 1 Millinery stock 5 Noisy fight 10 Three feet 14 Bounce from a bar 15 Coin of India or Pakistan 16 Oratorio segment 17 Be antagonistic 20 Jewish scriptures 21 Mariner’s milieu 22 Jamaican music 23 Inclined (to) 25 1/6 of an ounce (Abbr.)

27 Let go by, as an opportunity 30 “Down Under” tree climbers 33 Maximum degree (Abbr.)

34 Type of rug 37 Book leaf 39 Get a bad situation under control 43 “The Terminator” heroine 44 Aid an arsonist, e.g.

45 Clinger on a hiker’s sock 46 Declare null and void 48 Not in any way 51 “We ___ to please” 52 Playground marble

54 Action film leadspitter 57 Symbol on a black ace 59 Suffix with “red” 63 Come back from “take 10” 66 Weapons, collectively 67 Avian perch 68 Dr. Pavlov 69 End up with a consolation prize 70 Job for Ryan Seacrest 71 One-time emperor of Rome DOWN 1 Talk show moderator 2 Motor vehicle 3 Bygone monarch (Var.) 4 Bathing suit supports 5 Women’s wear item 6 Like some sentences 7 Swiftly, to a bard 8 “What ___ you thinking?!”

9 Musically connected 10 Orange spud 11 Mythological god of war 12 Where a Zamboni roams 13 Spreadsheet makeup

1 8 NO ___ TRAFFIC 19 Dangerous 24 Brightly colored fish 26 Trudge along 27 “___ in Boots” 28 Union platform?

29 Toy or candy outlet 30 Trendy vegetable 31 Suspect’s out 32 Anatomical cavity 35 Flesh-and-blood 36 Flow counterpart 38 Brute of legend 40 Dear old Dad 41 Certain belief 42 Europe’s largest lava-spewer 47 Volt-___ (watt’s equivalent) 49 Suffix with “narc” 50 Entered 52 Specially formed, as a committee 53 Some Canadian fliers 54 River at Orsk 55 World dodo population 56 Distinctive doctrines 58 A little bundle of energy 60 Quintet quorum 61 Jungle sound 62 Year, in Latin 64 “___ it or lose it!”

65 Utilized one’s pie hole

SEE THE MOVIE OF YOUR LIFETIME

I can’t be in love if it’s plastic!

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© Puzzles by Pappocom

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Campus Circle Friday,9/5

Solution, tips and computer program available at www.sudoku.com.

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.

Sports

tuesday, September 23, 2014 DailyCardinal.com

Press Conference

Plenty to look forward to for Badgers

By Matt Davis the daily cardinal

Football

Fresh off its 68-17 rout against Bowling Green, Wisconsin (2-1) will host South Florida (2-2) this Saturday in its nonconference finale.

“It was a very positive game,” said head coach Gary Andersen.

“I’m proud of the way the kids handled it, and it was a good team victory.”

Against Bowling Green, the Badgers rushed for a Big Ten record 644 yards with redshirt junior running back Melvin Gordon leading the way with 253 yards and five touchdowns.

“Melvin was unbelievable.

On some of those runs, he broke three or four tackles, and was very physical and dynamic,” Andersen said. “In this game, he attacked the hole, made people miss and it was great that he had the opportunity to have that game.”

Even though UW has had success running the ball this season, the Badgers need to improve their passing game so they can get the ball downfield more.

“Our ability to take those deep shots is very important,” Andersen said. “When you want to be who we are and run the ball, and you don’t have the ability to throw downfield a few times a game, our offense won’t be as effective.”

Andersen also explained how he hopes redshirt junior quar-

terback Tanner McEvoy can continue to improve and throw to more of his receivers to spread the ball around. “He’s very productive right now and fitting in his role within the offense. I like the direction he’s going in and by no means is he satisfied.”

Women’s hockey

Women’s hockey head coach Mark Johnson likes what he sees as UW gets ready for its season opener at Lindenwood this Friday night.

“I think leadership ... in our business is extremely important and I’m very excited about Blayre Turnbull as our captain this year, Karley Sylvester and Katarina Zgraja as assistant captains,” Johnson said.

“They’ve learned from some of our past captains, and I think they’ll do a great job of providing leadership with this team this year.”

Johnson explained that UW will have some key returning players including goaltender Ann-Renée Desbiens and senior forwards Turnbull, Brittany Ammerman and Katy Josephs.

“We’re also going to add five new freshmen, led by Annie Pankowski who was part of our national team and was one of the last players cut last year for the Olympic team, so with her coming in along with our four other freshmen, a lot of good pieces,” Johnson said. “That doesn’t mean we’re going to automatically win hockey games, so we’ll

start this weekend.”

Johnson also gave his take on UW’s schedule and explains what the key matchups will be for the Badgers this year.

“As far as a look at our schedule, we’ve got Minnesota coming in here early this season and then North Dakota at home the first half of the season,” Johnson said. “We’ll travel out to New Hampshire and play UNH, and then the second half of the season we’ve got Clarkson coming in the middle part of January.

Clarkson won the national championship last year, so that’ll be a good matchup for us on our home ice.”

Volleyball

After splitting matches against Pac-12 powerhouses USC and Washington, the Badgers will face Penn State at home Wednesday night, which will be a rematch of the 2013 national championship game.

“We’re excited about Penn State and we’ve got them coming in,” said head coach Kelly Sheffield. “I’ve been asked to let people know that they probably want to get their tickets ahead of time because it looks like that’s going to be a sellout. They are a great team with a lot of talent.

We’re excited about being home and being able to host it.”

Despite this huge rematch, Sheffield explained that the factor of revenge may not be as important as many people might think.

nithin charlly/cardinal file photo

Head coach Gary Andersen has Wisconsin rolling after the Badgers dominated Bowling Green Saturday in a 68-17 blowout.

“I don’t think that that’s a phrase that our players are using; maybe a few of them.

If that gets them going, that’s fine,” Sheffield said. “Like I said, it’s about this year’s team.

It’s about this match. It’s about one night. It’s about continuing to try to get better. We’re hoping that it’s a match where at the end of it, the fans feel like that was a heck of a battle.”

Despite slow start, Packer offense still has wealth of talent rushad machhi breaking shad If someone had come up to me before the NFL season and told me that the Packers’ offense would be holding them back, I would have said, “Sure, it also looks like hell is about to freeze over.”

Well, it appears that it’s a little chilly down there after this past weekend. Green Bay lost to the Detroit Lions 19-7 Sunday, the lowest point total the Packers have put up whenever Aaron Rodgers has started a full game.

The offense, hyped this year to be one of the best in the league, has inconceivably sputtered in all phases.

I’ll try to break down the unit’s problems here by addressing the concerns of the running game, wide receivers, offensive line and quarterback, and provide a prognosis for each unit going forward.

Running backs

For many seasons it was thought that the one ingredient the Packers were missing to a perfect offensive recipe was a running game. Enter Eddie Lacy, who instilled fear into grown men by bulldozing over anyone in his way. Lacy came to Green Bay last year and wowed by post-

ing the Packers’ first 1,000-yard rushing season since Ryan Grant way back in 2009.

With a year under his belt, expectations were high for the 2014 season. So far, he has completely flopped. In the three games played this year, Lacy has failed to eclipse 50 yards in any of them or achieve even 3.5 yards per carry.

While Lacy has certainly not produced, the rushing attack as a whole, including James Starks and DuJuan Harris, has failed to provide balance. As a team, the Packers have averaged a measly 78.7 yards per game, good for 27th in the league, and are one of five teams who have yet to see a run longer than 20 yards.

As long as Rodgers is under center, performances like those against the Lions should be just mere blips on the radar.

However, the one glimmer of hope is that the Packers have gone up against some of the best defensive fronts in the league.

The Jets and Lions have fearsome defensive lines and have been known to be stout against the run.

The Seahawks just have an overall amazing defense and do not allow big gains of any sort.

This leaves reason to believe that

the rushing attack will improve when not facing three teams who all had top 10 rushing defenses the previous year.

Prognosis: Wait and see. The rushing game has looked bad, but the talent is still there to rebound, especially against weaker fronts.

Wide receivers

The receivers did not have a good day against the Lions, failing to get open on multiple plays against what was thought to be a bad secondary. Then there were also a few key drops, including a killer one on a crucial third down

by Randall Cobb.

However, it’s hard to be perfect all 16 games, and with proven receivers across the board with Cobb, Jordy Nelson, Jarrett Boykin and emerging rookie Davante Adams, this game appears to be more of a fluke than a trend. I expect the receivers to rebound and return to being one of the best groups in the league.

Prognosis: All is good with the receiving corps.

Offensive line

Much has been discussed about the fragility of the Packers’ offensive line, and with injuries already accumulating, the line has crumbled. The unit has already allowed nine sacks, tied for third in the league, and countless other hits and hurries.

Bad line play has also been a leading cause for the subpar running game. Backed up on their own 1-yard line, the Packers dialed up a safe run play to get some breathing room, only to have multiple Lions immediately enter the backfield and take Lacy down for a safety.

The one glimmer of hope is that the Packers have gone up against some of the best defensive fronts in the league.

There was not much Lacy could have done on that play, as the offensive line basically surrendered to Detroit’s defensive front. With the line decimated by injuries already, it could be another rough season in the trenches for the Pack unless someone steps up.

Prognosis: Bleak, the offensive line was a weak point to begin the season and only became worse with the injuries.

Quarterback

The most puzzling part of the offense has been Aaron Rodgers’ confusing inconsistency. Rodgers posted two mediocre games against the Seahawks and Lions sandwiched around a brilliant outing against the Jets.

However, Rodgers has just looked a little off this season.

His pinpoint accuracy has disappeared at times, as he’s failed to complete over 60 percent of his passes in any game so far.

Against the Lions on a fourth down with the game on the line, Rodgers had Nelson open for a touchdown, but missed what has been a routine throw throughout his career. Rodgers has also looked very hesitant this year, with several sacks coming as a result of him just holding on to the ball too long.

However, this is Aaron Rodgers, not Rex Grossman.

Rodgers will be fine.

Prognosis: Sorry for ever doubting you, Aaron, don’t smite me.

The Packer offense has real problems, especially with the offensive line, but that is not a new problem. Head coach Mike McCarthy has frequently had a porous offensive line and still has generated premier offenses.

While the offense may not reach any historical levels this season as projected by some, as long as Rodgers is under center, performances like those against the Lions should be just mere blips on the radar.

Prognosis: God said let there be Aaron Rodgers and an automatic top 10 offense, and it was so.

Are the Packers still an elite offense or is their slow start a sign of things to come? Email machhi@wisc.edu and share your thoughts.