Wednesday, November 15, 2023
AJR’s new album shares growth, mastery Hayden Alexander Staff Reporter ONE! TWO! PANdaMOnIUm! AJR’s album “THE MAYBE MAN” is out, and it’s a musical medley of emotions. AJR started in 2005 when the three brothers, Adam, Jack, and Ryan Met, began performing on the streets of New York City. The indie pop trio’s first album, “Living Room,” hit the music scene in 2015. AJR’s music continuously tops the charts and brings in more fans by the minute. Their 2021 album “OK Orchestra” set the stage for bigger things. AJR is gearing up for its first arena tour with over 40 show dates. From the streets of New York to the big stage, “The Maybe Man” is set to be AJR’s most significant album yet. “The Maybe Man” is sitting at the top of Spotify’s alternatives chart, so let’s listen to the music propelling AJR to the arenas. AJR’s music is fluid. It matures as the band matures. Their hearts and souls come through in every chord and phrase. The album continues mashing
Courtesy of Creative Commons AJR started in 2005 when the three brothers, Adam, Jack, and Ryan Met, began performing on the streets of New York City.
emotionally raw lyrics with different stylistic sounds to pick up what the songs can’t say. The album opener, “Maybe Man,” sets up the album with lyrics that are reinforced by each song as the they cas-
cade through the album. It expresses the wants and hopes of the narrator as they long to belong somewhere. Their brutally honest song, “God is Really Real,” acts as a tribute to the brother’s father, who passed away last
July. The piece explores the struggle with religion that many feel in their own lives. Multiple songs on the album focus on the trials and tribulations of growing up or turning out. See AJR on 8
‘Fourth Wing’ offers dragons, fantasy, intrigue Hayden Alexander Staff Reporter
to facing off with hundreds of cadets who aren’t afraid to kill. If the idea of competing in multiple deadly trials wasn’t enough, Violet has to face the task of bonding with a dragon. Dragons This article contains spoil- don’t bond with weak humans, ers. and Violet is physically weak. “Fourth Wing” is the novel Her body is fragile, and her bones that took “BookTok” by storm. bruise and break easily. Six months later, author But it doesn’t stop there. Rebecca Yarros is gearing up for a The son of rebellion leader second book release. Fen Riorson, “The Great BetrayThe sequel, “Iron Flame,” er,” Xaden Riorson, is a third-year is set to pick up right after the dragon rider and wing leader of “Fourth Wing” events and expand the Fourth Wing. Also, a small on the cliffhanger ending. thing: he wants Violet dead. Naturally, this makes him a Synopsis love interest. All of this time a looming Violet Sorrengail is set to threat is growing outside Naventer the scribe quadrant and vare’s borders, but its extent is spend her days buried in history. hidden in political jargon and However, her mom, the General, mystery. decides that Violet will enter the A synopsis can’t do the dragon quadrant at Basagith War novel justice. It’s a novel worth a College. few rainy afternoons, and I’ll tell No big deal, it just switches you why… her whole life plan from reading See Fantasy on 7
File Photo Joe Goodkin performed his 35-minute musical composition based on the popular story, “The Odyssey.”
Mythical music
‘Joe’s Odyssey’ brings ancient tale to life Lauren King Staff Reporter Armed with a guitar and the voice of a bard, Joe Goodkin sang the ancient story of the Odyssey back to life. Goodkin, who created a 35-minute musical composition based on the popular story, “The Odyssey,” performed on Wednesday at
Old Central. Goodkin said this performance was monumental. “Epic heroes don’t believe in coincidences… and this is the 366th performance of this piece… in place called Stillwater,” Goodkin said. “Which, you know, you think about the hardships and Odysseus’ struggles with water, this piece could not [rest in a] better way.” Goodkin has traveled all over the country with the
folk opera piece. His Stillwater performance marked the 50th state he has performed the piece in. “It was developed not long after I graduated and decided to try to adapt ‘The Odyssey; into sort of a song form, the original form we think in which it was created,” Goodkin said. “And what I came up with was this 24 Song interpretation that I’ve now been doing for over 20 years.” See Music on 6
File Photo Rebecca Yarros’ first book in the series, “Fourth Wing,” has set her up for her next book release, “Iron Flame.”