VOL. CLXXVI NO. 123
MOSTLY CLOUDY HIGH 34 LOW 16
NEWS
VENTURE CAPITAL GROUP SUPPORTS COMPANIES ASSOCIATED WITH ALUMNI PAGE 2
OPINION
TUNG: NOT SO FUNNY PAGE 4
COLIN: CONSTRUCTIVE COMPLAINING PAGE 4
ARTS
REVIEW: MAC MILLER’S ‘CIRCLES’ A FITTING END TO A STORIED CAREER PAGE 7
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TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020
HANOVER, NEW HAMPSHIRE
Campus groups gear Sig Ep fraternity, disbanded in up for upcoming 2018, eyes fall return to campus presidential primary B y AMBER BHUTTA The Dartmouth
With two weeks to go until the New Hampshire presidential primary, student organizations — such as the College Democrats, College Republicans and Student Assembly — have mobilized in various ways to prepare for the event. According to College Democrats president Riley Gordon ’22, the club’s preparation for the primary has
focused on informing people on the candidates and encouraging them to register to vote. “We are preparing to get as many students to the polls as possible,” Gordon said. According to Gordon, a number of political campaigns have sent representatives to speak at club meetings, while some campaigns have also provided volunteer and leadership opportunities for SEE PRIMARY PAGE 5
Judge allows bail for suspect in fall 2018 shooting in Hanover B y PIERCE WILSON The Dartmouth
Gage Young, the 23-yearold West Lebanon man charged with the nonfatal shooting of a visiting Providence College student in the fall of 2018, has been granted release on bail by a Grafton Superior Court judge. Young had been held at the Grafton County House of Corrections since Nov. 3, 2018. The conditions of his $100,000
bail require that he must remain in New Hampshire with his family, abide by a 7 p.m.-to-8 a.m. curfew and have no contact with the shooting victim or his family, according to the Valley News. Young is accused of firing a single shot from a passing car on School Street and injuring a non-Dartmouth student who was visiting the College. According to the Valley News, SEE BAIL PAGE 3
SYDNEY GILLMAN/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF
Sigma Phi Epsilon, formerly located at 11 Webster Avenue, is planning a return to campus this fall.
B y ANDREW SASSER The Dartmouth
Male students rushing next fall may have one more fraternity to choose from. After two years of inactivity, Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity intends to return to campus this fall. Office of Greek Life director Brian Joyce wrote in an email statement to The Dartmouth that the fraternity will be working with the College to fully return by next winter. “The Office of Greek Life looks forward to working with Sigma Phi Epsilon and all members of the Dartmouth community for a successful return to campus,” Joyce wrote. SigmaPhiEpsilon’ssuspension in October 2018 came on the
heels of the revocation of its charter by its national board of directors. According to Isaiah Berg ’11, vice president of the Sigma Phi Epsilon New Hampshire Alpha AVC Board of Trustees, this was due to a number of alcohol-related incidents that occurred in the house. Those violations also conflicted with the future goals of the national fraternity, which voted to ban alcohol and other illicit substances at all of its chapters in August 2017. In spring 2018, an effort began to reform the house, including a membership review conducted by the national organization that resulted in the house’s membership being reduced from 102 to 19 members. Following a few months marked
by internal strife with the alumni organization, as well as a legal battle — which alleged that the house’s board of trustees had acted improperly in their authority — the house charter was revoked that October. Berg said that the house will have some difficulties in recruiting new members and competing with more established fraternities, but he noted that the organization has plans to attract new membership. He also said that the fraternity will rely on building personal relationships with undergraduates in the recruiting process. “We will have a full-time staff member from Nashville who will help the chapter throughout the SEE SIG EP PAGE 3
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TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
Venture capital group supports companies associated with alumni B y JACOB STRIER
The Dartmouth Staff
Over the past five years, Green D Ventures has afforded many Dartmouth alumni the opportunity to enter the venture capital market with a Big Green twist, putting forth capital to support emerging companies largely associated with Dartmouth alumni. Green D Ventures managing partner Laura Rippy ’89 said the firm was founded by Mike Collins ’86 to “democratize” access to venture capital — an asset class historically limited largely to institutional investors. The firm, which according to its website takes investments of $50,000 to $1 million, requires that investors be accredited, meaning they have either a net worth of over $1 million or $200,000 in sustained annual income. Rippy said that the vast majority of investors in the firm are Dartmouth alumni, and two-thirds of emerging companies in the firm’s portfolio have a clear Dartmouth alumni connection. “VC firms normally raise funding from endowments, pension funds and insurance companies and the like,” Rippy said. “Mike Collins started Green D Ventures to give access to this venture capital asset class to the average accredited investor.” Rippy said much of the passion at Green D Ventures surrounds supporting emerging entrepreneurs. “We are starting the next great thing,” Rippy said. “The amazing innovations of the last few decades have come about through venture capital.” Gordon Phillips, a business administration professor and faculty
director of the Center for Private Equity and Venture Capital at the Tuck School of Business, said a venture capital firm typically consists of a number of partners or investors who gather money from institutions or individuals to invest in young companies that have very high growth prospects. “Investors can see the potential for high returns and also they can see that public markets have become more and more competitive,” Phillips said. “Going into the private market has a potential for high return. It is very risky, but a large part of the risk when part of a broader portfolio is diversifiable.” According to Rippy, Green D Ventures offers an affinity-based model — a unique angle from which to approach the competitive industry. She said that model has also been successful in other school ecosystems, including Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Yale University. All of these funds, based on Green D Ventures’ model, are now under the umbrella Alumni Ventures Group, which Rippy said boasts some 400 portfolio companies and over 100 staffers under Collins’ leadership. Rippy said that in her role as managing partner, she vets prospective investments, and added that she has spoken with thousands of Dartmouth alumni entrepreneurs alongside her two leadership partners. “We learn about their story, what they are creating,” Rippy said. “A lot of Dartmouth alums have succeeded in the venture capital industry. We cultivate the relationships there.” Rippy said that her work includes connecting the dots for companies
CORRECTIONS Correction appended (Jan. 27, 2020): The Jan. 21 article “Hood exhibit spotlights marginalized narratives through art” originally contained a quote attributed to Jessica Hong as a part of the discussion of the print “Baby Back.” However, she was referring to another work in the exhibit. The quote has been removed from the online version of the article. We welcome corrections. If you believe there is a factual error in a story, please email editor@thedartmouth.com.
in Green D Ventures’ portfolio using Dartmouth alumni connections in order to help them grow, and that stitching together such relationships is part of the unique nature of the Green D Ventures model. “In contrast to traditional VC’s — which sit on boards, lead the rounds and negotiate terms — we bring this community of engaged alums who are excited about helping the company succeed,” Rippy said. Phillips pointed out that venture capital can prove a risky investment, which is part of the reason that it remained within the purview of institutional investors comfortable with the risk and illiquidity for years. Most venture capital investments, he said, are contractually bound to around 10 years before withdrawal, and returns are never guaranteed. However, he said diversification can help investors evade inherent risks, a sentiment which Rippy echoed. Rippy said Green D Ventures and other funds in the Alumni Ventures Group help mitigate risk through intentional diversification “by stage, sector and geography.” “The intent is that our investors get a mix of industry exposure,” Rippy said. According to Rippy, the other key component of attempting to
mitigate risk is Green D Ventures’ policy of acting as a follower to another top-tier venture capital firm. Rippy said Green D Ventures follows a top performing venture capital firm into the investment round, acting as a “follower” investor that can bring Dartmouth connections while the principal venture capital firms assume board positions and other roles. Green D Ventures offers internship and fellowship opportunities. “[Our fellows program] was designed to be an on-ramp that helps address the inequalities in venture capital,” Rippy said. “If you look at the mix of participants, it is basically 50-percent female and a high percentage of persons of color. The venture industry is not that way. We have graduated hundreds of folks through the venture fellow program and they are now taking their journey into the venture, financial and startup worlds.” One such Venture Fellow is Kimmy Paluch ’04, founder and managing director of Beta Boom, a firm which she said serves as a startup academy and pre-seed fund that invests in underestimated founders. Paluch said the fellowship program allowed her to gain experience in the venture capital world.
“My experience emboldened me: I realized there is a lot I can bring to the table as an investor because of my experience in early-product development,” Paluch said. “It gave me the tools that I needed. I saw how you evaluate companies and compare them to others in the landscape.” According to Paluch, part of this company evaluation included filling out due diligence reports to paint a detailed picture of prospective investments for the committee. “You talk to customers, founders and other market experts to understand if it’s a sound deal, where the gaps are and whether or not they are surmountable,” Paluch said. “The report helps inform the investors’ decision.” Rippy said that it is too early to comment on Green D Ventures’ returns, which is private information. She said most venture capital returns happen after seven to 10 years. She said results come at the end, and after putting the money to work, it requires patience. “The beautiful thing about venture capital is that the managers’ incentives are completely aligned with the investors’,” Rippy said. “We all want the really big returns and we’re all rowing in the same direction.”
TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020
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THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
Former Sig Ep brothers Students recall memories of shooting skeptical of revival FROM BAIL PAGE 1
FROM SIG EP PAGE 1
year,” Berg said. “Me and a number of other board members will also be on campus to meet with undergraduates and let them know what Sig Ep is about and what differentiates us from other fraternities.” Sigma Phi Epsilon’s former house on 11 Webster Avenue is now being used to house the Thought Project Living Learning Community. Berg said that the fraternity is currently unclear about whether it will be able to move back into the house. However, he said that he saw this as “a win-win,” in that the College can use the house for the LLC while the chapter rebuilds its membership. Berg also said that Sigma Phi Epsilon will differentiate itself from the “toxic problems” associated with many fraternities. According to Berg, the fraternity will not have a traditional pledge period and new members will receive full membership status upon joining the fraternity. Additionally, Berg noted that all new members must promise to take part in the fraternity’s “Balanced Man” program, which focuses on academic, athletic, professional and social self-improvement. Both the policy of equal membership for new members and the Balanced Man program were in place at Dartmouth’s chapter prior to its charter revocation. “The fraternity is going to look very different from how a traditional
fraternity would look,” Berg said. “By separating from drinking culture, we’re going to get a lot of people who care about our principles — about their own self-development — while also having a positive social experience along the way.” Some former Sig Ep brothers are skeptical about Sig Ep’s return. Dylan Giles ’20 said he was doubtful about the fraternity’s ability to recruit new members. He added that he felt that the national board was “out of touch” with the campus culture at Dartmouth, particularly with regards to alcohol. “I don’t really think it’s going to work out,” Giles said. “They lack an understanding of the context and culture of Dartmouth. Dartmouth isn’t a dry campus.” Giles said that he felt that the national board was also “insensitive” to the chapter during his time at Dartmouth, adding that he felt that the national fraternity falsely placed blame on current members for actions committed by past members. He also said he thinks that the national fraternity treated its members in a patronizing manner not conducive to the success of students. “While the overall goal might be admirable, I think the way they’ve handled communications with this specific campus in the past, and the way they have been inflexible on issues has tainted that goal,” Giles said. “It’s not viable in the way they’re trying to make it viable.”
Superior Court Judge Lawrence MacLeod, who issued the order, wrote that although prosecutors have enough evidence to take Young to trial, several witnesses whose “anticipated testimony the court weighed when considering bail previously” can no longer testify. There have also been significant delays in bringing the case to trial. Strong memories remain on campus from the incident two years ago. “It was really weird because it was so unexpected,” said Selin Capan ’21. “When I think about Dartmouth and I think about Hanover, I think of it as a very safe place.” Capan also said that one of the major issues on campus following the shooting was miscommunication about the safety of campus, especially as rumors spread during the night of the incident. “The flow of information wasn’t good,” Capan said. “The information was very sparse and communication between students made everything more stressful.” Because Safety and Security and
the Hanover Police Department only released information as they learned more details, misinformation and hysteria spread among students between updates. According to Capan, many students attempted to tune into the police radio to remain informed. “Misinformation was being thrown around a lot on GroupMe,” said Thomas Clark ’22, who said he sat on the floor in his friends darkened McLaughlin dorm room during the shooting. In an email statement to The Dartmouth, Safety and Security interim director Keysi Montás noted that the College is continuing to strengthen its planning and training efforts so that it can effectively respond and mitigate emergencies in the future. Clark also said he believes that the College’s new card access policy limiting student access to dorms at night — which was implemented and subsequently changed this past fall — could have been problematic had it been in place at the time of the shooting. “I was personally a member of Allen House, and I lived in the River,”
Clark said. “So, I would’ve had to be let into a dorm, which is really sketchy for someone who lives in McLaughlin to just let someone in when there’s an active shooter on the grounds. I think [the policy] would have just exacerbated the situation.” Maria Trevino ’23, who read about the event on Twitter, echoed this sentiment. “If an emergency happened after 9 p.m., I would like to be able to get into any building,” she said. Despite the strong feelings about the incident, students appear to be supportive of the decision to release Young on bail. “I’m glad he’s getting the help he needs, and it makes me feel a little bit safer that he’s on a curfew,” Trevino said. Capan agreed that she was glad Young’s behavior is being regulated. “I think it’s good that even when they’ve released him there are still some limitations to what he can do,” Capan said. “I guess if they’re controlling his movements this much, it’s not much of a problem in terms of safety, and I would assume that his family would also be keeping a close eye on him.”
RISE AND VINE
LONA GIRARDIN/THE DARTMOUTH
Plants in the Student Wellness Center bask in some rare winter sunshine.
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THE DARTMOUTH OPINION
TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020
CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST GEMMA TUNG ’23
CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST SARAH COLIN ’23
Not so Funny
Constructive Complaining
Social media posts about mental health can harm those who are struggling. As I scrolled through TikTok over winter break, I came across multiple videos of people jokingly expressing how much they want to die or how bad their mental health is. There are even song lyrics repeatedly used to create these videos, which seem to rack up hundreds of thousands of views. After seeing this for the first time, I didn’t know how to react. On a day-to-day basis, I probably hear the phrase “I want to die” more often than I hear someone ask me how I’m doing. I’ll admit, I have also used that phrase in a non-serious context before. Suicide and depression have become so informal and frequently referenced in our generation that they’ve started to become jokes. People have always told jokes about difficult topics like mental health, but social media makes things worse. When we tell jokes to each other face to face, at least we can push back when the jokes are in poor taste. But when memes about depression and suicide go viral on social media, it becomes much more difficult to push back. And once jokes make it to the Internet, it is also much more difficult to control who sees them. Our generation’s informal and humorous attitude toward mental health, particularly on social media, makes it more difficult for those with diagnosed mental health conditions to cope and get better. There are people in this world, this state, and probably on this campus who think every day about ending their lives. Those people are most likely not making TikTok videos
DEBORA HYEMIN HAN, Editor-in-Chief
about how much they want to die. For some people struggling with major depressive disorder, every day is a struggle — the will to live can be a hard thing to come by. If you are one of those people, it can seem callous and dismissive to encounter mental illness and suicide as informal and lighthearted subjects — jokes for people who never have to face the same struggles that you do. Just as many would find it inappropriate to joke about the symptoms of someone struggling with cancer, heart conditions, a brain tumor or Alzheimer’s, I find it inappropriate to joke about suicidal ideation. This is not to say that none of the social media users posting these types of videos are mentally healthy. I am sure that some of them are struggling with mental illnesses. That would make sense — making jokes about your own mental health can serve as a beneficial outlet for those struggling with what can seem like an insurmountable situation. I would agree with those who say that, to an extent. But when it comes to broadcasting our jokes far and wide on social media, there’s another factor that outweighs it. When we post jokes about our own mental state in an attempt to make ourselves feel better, it is also important to consider how it might make others struggling with the same issues feel. Others viewing our posts don’t know our history or anything about the context of our own lives. They don’t know if we really are SEE TUNG PAGE 6
AIDAN SHEINBERG, Publisher
ALEX FREDMAN, Executive Editor PETER CHARALAMBOUS, Managing Editor
PRODUCTION EDITORS TEDDY HILL-WELD & MATTHEW MAGANN, Opinion Editors KYLEE SIBILIA & NOVI ZHUKOVSKY, Mirror Editors ADDISON DICK & JUSTIN KRAMER & LILI STERN, Sports Editors LEX KANG & LUCY TURNIPSEED, Arts Editors NAINA BHALLA & LORRAINE LIU, Photo Editors SAMANTHA BURACK & BELLA JACOBY, Design Editors GRANT PINKSTON, Templating Editor JESS CAMPANILE, Multimedia Editor
ANTHONY ROBLES, Managing Editor
BUSINESS DIRECTORS JONNY FRIED & JASMINE FU Advertising & Finance Directors HIMADRI NARASIMHAMURTHY & KAI SHERWIN Business Development Directors ALBERT CHEN & ELEANOR NIEDERMAYER Strategy Directors VINAY REDDY & ERIC ZHANG Marketing, Analytics and Technology Directors
ELIZA JANE SCHAEFFER, Social Media Editor WILLIAM CHEN & AARON LEE, Data Visualization Editors
SUBMISSIONS: We welcome letters and guest columns. All submissions must include the author’s name and affiliation with Dartmouth College and
should not exceed 250 words for letters or 700 words for columns. The Dartmouth reserves the right to edit all material before publication. All material submitted becomes property of The Dartmouth. Please email submissions to editor@thedartmouth.com.
Can we turn complaining into a good thing?
It is so easy to complain. When something Keeping our worries in perspective is useful, is annoying, all we need to do is voice our but it does little to ameliorate them. When my complaints to the world, and instantly our friend complains to me about how she has to feelings are validated and consoled — so write a 3,000-word essay by midnight — but the line goes. If we get really lucky, someone she also has a cardio conditioning session for might even share our grievances. Then we get club soccer in three minutes but needs to do to relish in the back and forth of complaining an entire Webwork math assignment before with someone else as we unite in self-pity and that starts and by the way she broke up with relieve the burdens of our inner demons. her boyfriend 30 seconds ago — I doubt it And sure, complaining is cathartic. But while would not go over well if I told her to shut up complaining provides short-term satisfaction, and be thankful for her Dartmouth education. constant complaining and catastrophizing We are all immeasurably fortunate just by fosters a culture of unhappiness as we drag virtue of being literate enough to read this each other deeper into the hole of negativity. article — there are countries in which fewer Studies have shown the average person than a third of the population know how to complains about once every minute in read — but that doesn’t make us conceited for a conversation . It’s no feeling normal emotions of wo n d e r why h u m a n s and resentment. “There is nothing we worry naturally slip into these Perhaps the answer is habits — every time we can do about it, so why a middle path of cutting complain, we become bother complaining? back on the frequency of scientifi cally more likely our complaints. There Before voicing a to complain again in the are some things about future . Every time we complaint, we should which there is no point complain, the connection in complaining. Yes, it consider whether between neurons causing is negative five degrees it will add anything us to complain becomes outside, but why do we all stronger and easier to feel the need to complain to our conversation activate in the future . about this at least twice a besides a shadow of day? The cold is just part Over time, this can lead to us developing a default of winter in Hanover, and negativity.” negative disposition in there is nothing we can which positive thinking do about it, so why bother becomes much more difficult. complaining? Before voicing a complaint, we Research shows that complaining may have should consider whether it will add anything even graver consequences for our health. A to our conversation besides a shadow of 1996 study by Stanford University researchers negativity. found that consistent complaining and overSometimes we complain about things that exposure to stress hormones can lead to are in our control. And done correctly, those shrinking of the hippocampus, the region of kinds of complaints can prove beneficial. Every the brain responsible for memory, learning time we complain, we should take a moment and emotions. Complaining also releases to consider possible solutions to our current cortisol, a hormone that sends the body into affliction, or at least how we can prevent it from a “fight or flight” response, which raises happening again in the future. Complaining blood pressure and blood sugar. An excess of about how you need to read an entire book cortisol from a life of complaining can lead the night before an exam is valid. However, to repercussions like diabetes, heart disease take a moment to register your complaint and and high cholesterol. consider how maybe next term you should do Complaining might be terrible, but that’s the reading as assigned each night. not to say we should completely reject it. Most Complaining is undoubtedly bad for our psychologists agree that people who express health, but it is a necessary evil. If we lived their worries tend to end up happier compared lives of perpetual positivity, there would be to those who suppress their emotions in an no opportunity for self-improvement or social attempt to stay positive. reform. Constructive complaining helps us So what are we supposed to do if we need target sources of unhappiness in our lives so to express our worries but can’t complain? we can try to fix them.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020
THE DARTMOUTH NEWS
PAGE 5
Organizations urge student participation in upcoming election FROM PRIMARY PAGE 1
club members. To encourage people to learn more about candidates, Gordon said that the College Democrats have organized watch parties for the Democratic presidential debates and hosted Democratic presidential candidates such as Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Tulsi Gabbard. “We host a lot of candidates so students have a chance to see all the different options they have in the primary coming up,” Gordon said. “It’s an important way of facilitating one-on-one democracy.” Gordon also recommended that students get involved in issue advocacy groups on campus to become informed. “There are all sorts of specific advocacy groups on campus that specialize in certain issues, and for people who have a single issue that really matters to them, I would encourage them to go join those clubs and be involved in that kind of advocacy,” Gordon said. Part of the College Democrats’ efforts to inform people come as a response to New Hampshire House Bill 1264, a law passed in 2018 that altered the definition of a legal resident of New Hampshire by adding new requirements to vote in state. “State officials have been very clear that this law does not prevent anyone from voting,” Gordon said. “There is a lot of information about this law out
there. A lot of it is false. We’re doing our best to get everything out in the open — to talk about how it affects residency and driver’s licenses.” According to College Republicans chairman Daniel Bring ’21, however, HB 1264 has not affected his clubs’ activities — as most of their members do not vote in New Hampshire. “We’ve always been strong supporters of that law and are just as happy to vote in elections via absentee ballots in our home states,” Bring said. He went on to explain that the College Republicans are “not doing very much” in preparation for the primaries, as the club has already endorsed President Donald Trump for reelection. “In terms of the New Hampshire primary, we don’t expect there to be any difficulty for the current president to win the Republican nomination for 2020,” Bring said. “[The Republican primary] is not really a strategic focus for the organization.” Bring said that the best way for students to become involved in the political process was to familiarize themselves with party platforms and attending meetings for College Republicans and College Democrats. In addition to the efforts of partisan groups on campus, Student Assembly also organized two nonpartisan voter registration drives during the current academic year — which occurred on Nov. 13 and on Jan. 22 — during which nearly 400 students registered to vote.
NAINA BHALLA/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF
Student Assembly hosted voter registration drives on Nov. 13 and Jan. 22.
Though Student Assembly will not host another drive before the upcoming primary, students can still register to vote when they arrive at the polls on Feb. 11 because New Hampshire allows sameday voter registration. “We always encourage students to exercise their right to vote and remind students that they can vote in New Hampshire if they so choose,” said Student Assembly vice president Ariela Kovary ’20.
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TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020
THE DARTMOUTH EVENTS
DARTMOUTHEVENTS
TODAY
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Open Forum for Faculty: “Sexual Misconduct Policy and Procedures.” Sponsored by the Title IX Office, Haldeman 041.
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Talk: “Why Plant-Based Eating is Good For You!” with Daphne Logan. Sponsored by Dartmouth Dining Services, Paganucci Lounge.
4:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Talk: “Martha Graham’s Cold War: The Dance of American Diplomacy,” with Victoria Phillips. Sponsored by the History Department, Silsby 28.
TOMORROW 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Exhibit: “The Ties that Bind: Slavery and Dartmouth.” Sponsored by the Library, Rauner Special Collections Library.
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Talk: “Annual Riley Family Class of 2013 Art History Lecture: The Revelation of the Earth,” with IFA/NYU professor of fine arts Alexander Nagel. Sponsored by the Art History Department, Carpenter Hall 013.
FROM TUNG PAGE 4
struggling with mental illnesses, just like we as posters know next to nothing about who our viewers are. Given this ambiguity present on social media, it is important not to go too far in assuming that everyone will be okay with viewing what we post. Joking about mental health might work for some people, but for others it just makes things worse. And within the depersonalized world of social media, it’s almost impossible to control who sees our content. The informality with which our
generation portrays mental health on social media can seep into real life and make one’s struggles with mental illness seem less valid and serious than they really are. Mental health can have a presence in social media — a positive one even. Consider social media content featuring people who share their experiences with mental health and dispelling common myths, for instance. However, when we do decide to post about mental health on social media, we must remember the impact we will have on those actively dealing with a problem that can seem too big to fix.
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TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020
THE DARTMOUTH ARTS
PAGE 7
Review: Mac Miller’s ‘Circles’ a fitting end to a storied career
B y Charlie Palsho The Dartmouth
Mac Miller’s posthumous album “Circles,” released on Jan. 17, is a fitting end to his respected rap career and eclectic body of music. Miller began his career at the age of 15 in Pittsburgh’s hip-hop scene, and over time became an almost entirely different artist. He evolved from his beginnings as a fratty pop-rap artist to boldly experimenting with his sound, all the while growing immensely as a rapper, producer and singer. Miller had been working on “Circles” with esteemed American composer and producer Jon Brion. Brion is an accomplished veteran who has worked with artists like Kanye West and Fiona Apple. Brion completed the album following Miller’s death and also produced more than half of the songs on “Swimming,” Miller’s previous album released a little over a month before his death. Brion had worked closely with Miller while producing “Swimming” and “Circles,” and completed “Circles” based on his time spent and conversations with Miller. In an interview with the New York Times, Brion revealed that, “There were supposed to be three albums: the first, ‘Swimming,’ was sort of the hybridization of going between hip-hop and song form,” Brion explained. “The second, which he’d already decided would be called ‘Circles,’ would be songbased.” “Swimming” and “Circles” were intended to be part of a trilogy, but ended up complementing each other well as companion pieces. “Swimming” was a bittersweet portrayal of Miller coming to terms with heartbreak and depression. The album is relatively slow-paced, but it’s also filled with vibrant inflections of rap, funk and down-tempo cool jazz. Heartbreak and hope are themes that Miller pairs
surprisingly well together. “Circles” is quite similar in style to “Swimming” and builds upon its themes and style more than it represents a culmination of his life’s work or a drastic divergence from his established modes of style. “Circles” is the first song on the album’s track list. The opening line of the song is, “Well, this is what it looks like right before you fall.” This is a beautifully self-aware line to open the song and a creative way to begin the album, almost like Miller saying, “Here goes nothing.” The song has a soft slow tune that contrasts greatly with the album’s next song, “Complicated.” “Complicated” opens up with zingy synths and a strong drum presence. This song features some of Miller’s best vocal work on the album. At the end of many lines of this song he drags out the last note, wearily singing “Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh.” He reflects on life’s many complications and how he feels as though he is too young to be feeling so heartbroken every day. “Good News” is the centerpiece song on “Circles.” It features plucky guitar notes and slow drums. It has an upbeat minimalist style that is Mac Demarcoesque. Miller sings about how he feels like he is just going through the motions in his life and simply wants a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday. He sings, “Got the cards in my hand, I hate dealing, yeah.” He’s capable of getting everything he needs to done, but thinks that merely going through the motions constantly is purposeless and passionless. “Everybody” is a sad piano ballad. It is a lush and melancholic cover of Arthur Lee’s “Everybody’s Gotta Live.” There are some abstract moments of sad vivid images that Miller includes on the song, for example the lines he softly sings about a blind blues musician: “Saw a blind man standin’ on the corner, baby, yeah/And he couldn’t hardly tie
his shoes, yeah/Harmonica and guitar strapped around his neck/But he sure could, he sure could play the blues.” This portrait of a struggling musician just trying to get by is an interesting mirror of Miller’s self-perception as an artist. If Miller was stumbling in some of the more melancholic tracks on this album, in “Surf,” he was flying, singing, “I ain’t coming down/Why would I need to.” “Surf ” is a song full of hope which has light guitar chords and a Jack Johnson kind of vibe. The chorus includes Miller gently singing “There’s water in the flowers, let’s grow.” While other songs may illustrate his struggle with depression and addiction, “Surf ” portrays the progress he has made during his recovery. Miller was a John Lennon superfan, and some of the production in “Circles” — like the T-rex sounding guitar on “Surf ” — mimics the sound of John Lennon’s “Plastic Ono Band.” A John
Lennon and hip-hop connoisseur, it seems as though Miller was reconciling these two sounds before his death and died before he could perfect his sound. Although his attempt to combine these two musical styles is evident on both “Swimming” and “Circles,” he makes far more progress on the latter in creating this kind of sound. Miller’s 2016 album “The Divine Feminine” is perhaps the inflection point in Miller’s long artistic evolution which ultimately culminated in “Circles.” He left the pop-rap sound that characterized his first mixtapes and albums and began to pursue something more jazzy, explorative and unique. That sound was polished in “Swimming”’ and really perfected in “Circles” — a sound that has combinations of jazz, subdued funk, rap and singing. “The Divine Feminine” marked the point at which Miller began experimenting with the sounds that would eventually color “Circles,”
leaving behind the youthful vibe of his earlier work like “K.I.D.S.” Miller died of an accidental drug overdose on Sept. 17, 2018. His legacy continues to be celebrated by his friends, family, fans and other notable artists in the hip-hop community. He had accrued the respect of many legendary musicians. In 2017, Jay-Z tweeted about nearly 100 artists that had inspired him throughout his career. Only two white musicians — Eminem and Miller — were included. One of Miller’s long-time collaborators and fellow rapper, Rapsody, praised Miller in an interview after his passing: “He earned respect. He did everything the right way. He respected the culture, he came in and he would work with legends ... He just did everything right, so he earned that respect.” Miller was revered at the time of his death by the entire hip-hop community, and will be terribly missed. “Circles” is a bittersweet goodbye.
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TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020