fortnightly student magazine
volume 19 — issue 9
CatVideoFest 2020
p. 7
Q:A: Floodwater Angel
p. 16
An Evening with Gloria Steinem
p. 8
Dear the Ones I’ve Resented...
p. 20
Sex Work and Stigma
p. 11
Six Reviews
p. 22
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Art by Megan Bormann
MAR 30 - APR 13
VOLUME 19, ISSUE 9 EDITORIAL: Editor-in-Chief
Tala Alfoqaha
Managing Editor
Emma Chekroun
Cities Editor
Sylvia Rani
Voices Editor
Esther Chan
Music Editor
Tosin Faseemo
Online editor
Sammi Divito
Copy editors
Autumn Sanders Hannah Haakenson
BMM EBZ
Multimedia Editor
Sebastian Alfonzo
Multimedia Producer
Courtenay Parker
Editorial Interns: Ian Knoll, Isabel Teitelbaum, Megan Bormann, Marley Rich-
mond, Kylie Heider, Prahlad Sankrti, Emma Smisek, Martha Huson, Kinga Mozes, Jemma Keleher
PRODUCTION: Executive Director
Macie Rasmussen
Creative Director
Kiley Nelson
Finance Manager
Nikhil Barr-Saxena
PR/Ad Manager
Claire Redell
Social Media Manager
Madison Amland
Art Director
Morgan Wittmers-Graves
Designers
Kelsey Hanscom Samantha Fischer Ellie Kestner
Web Manager
Juan Rujana
Distribution Manager
Cassie Varrige
Production Interns: Grace Augustin, Skylar Neuber Art Interns: Joe Price, Gavin Schuster, Selena Philaphandeth, Laura Kuchar
THIS ISSUE: Š2020 The Wake Student Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Established in 2002, The Wake is a fortnightly independent magazine and registered student organization produced by and for students at the University of Minnesota.
Writers
Megan Bormann, Esther Chan, Hannah Dove, Erika Ellis, Tosin Faseemo, Evan Ferstl, Hannah Haakenson, Kylie Heider, Ian Knoll, Mitchell Levesque, Naisargi Mehta, King Mozes, Katie Tiffin, Nina
The Wake was founded by Chrin Ruen & James DeLong.
Raemont, Marley Richmond, Avery Wageman, Madeleine Ware
Disclaimer: The purpose of The Wake is to provide a forum in which students can voice their opinions. Opinions expressed in the magazine are not representative of the publication or university as a whole. To join the conversation email eic@wakemag.org
Art
The Wake Student Magazine 126 Coffman Memorial Union 300 Washington Avenue SE Minneapolis, MN 55455
Man Alive, High Fidelty, Unlocked, and Dazzel Ships art from original sources Cover and feature art by Morgan Wittmers-Graves
THE WAKE
1 Morgan Wittmers-Graves 2 Joe Price 3 Meredith Song
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wink! one page magazine
Here at The Wake Magazine, we asked our staff the weirdest questions that they have been asked in an interview. Here’s what they had to say…
Choose the kitchen utensil you’d most like to identify with
You take your car to the mechanic and they give you a quote for 750 for the cost of repairs. When you go to pick up your car from the shop, your bill is double that. Write an email to the owner of the shop?
Explain to an elderly person over the phone how to do a google search without using the words “link” “click” or “box”
How do you feel about data? How many pennies tall is the empire state building? 4
MAR 30 - APR 13
INSIDE 6
Letter from the Voices Intern
7
CatVideoFest 2020
8
An Evening with Gloria Steinem
9
Devil Horns, Spider Eyes, and Other Wonders of the SubNatural World
11
Sex Work and Stigma
16
Q&A: Floodwater Angel
18
19 20
I Fist Bumped An Undergraduate Student Unpacking Internalized Misogyny Dear the Ones I’ve Resented...
Dear reader, Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures. The Wake is no stranger to such times--in fact, our publication was borne out of the aftermath, or in “the wake”, of 9/11. From our conception nearly 20 years ago, we pledged to be a voice for students, all students, and today, we continue to stand by that mission. Therefore, for the remainder of spring semester, all of our operations will be conducted through digital channels, and our issues will continue to be released biweekly on www.issuu.com/wakemag and on www.wakemag.org. Yet in order to do so, we have a request for each University of Minnesota student: we want to hear your voice. We want to see your art. We want to publish your work. Now, as much as ever, we want to be a platform driven by and accountable to the community that we serve. Every other sunday night we will be emailing out a form with pitches from our editors. Anyone can request to write a story. You’ll have until 8pm on that monday night to submit your request. If you have creative work that you would like to submit, please email: art@wakemag.org & eic@wakemag.org If you would like to create artwork for stories, please email: art@ wakemag.org
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Give Yourself a Break
We’re looking forward to making it through this period of isolation together.
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Six Reviews
With love and well wishes, Tala Alfoqaha Editor-in-Chief Macie Rasmussen Executive Director
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Letter from the Voices Intern Hey y’all!
When I wrote this letter, I had no idea that a global pandemic would change the way we currently live our lives, taking many of us away from campus and confining us, for the most part, in our homes. While you may not be walking on the streets of Minneapolis anymore, taking time to appreciate your surroundings—and having a moment to clear your mind—are as important now as ever. I hope you enjoy these stories, this art, and this issue of The Wake. And the next time you take a walk around the block, look up and out at the world around you. Try to listen to your thoughts rather than drowning them out; maybe these stories will help guide you. Lately, I have found myself taking in a near-constant stream of distraction whenever I am doing something mindless. I listen to podcasts, read my email or the news, check social media, and generally distract myself from my thoughts. Maybe it’s because I get bored easily. Maybe it’s just another way to fill up any moment of free time, making sure I don’t waste any of it. Maybe I don’t want to think about whatever is hovering on the edge of my mind. And yes, I enjoy what I’m listening to or reading; there will never be enough time to read all the books, hear all the music, or consume all the media I want to, so why just sit and stare out the window, or go for a walk without my headphones in? This semester I’ve realized there are a lot of reasons to do just that, to find interest along the roads of Minneapolis (or wherever you are), to dive into those pushed-away thoughts, to look up instead of down at my feet when I walk. Before I left campus, I noticed the way the river sparkled under the Washington Avenue bridge and the way the sunset reflected on the Weisman Art Museum. Since returning home, I’ve allowed myself to sift through creative ideas I’d been pushing off for months, and I thought a lot about how much I’ve grown since my Freshman year. Without taking a moment to take in the world around me, I wouldn’t have heard the cacophony of birds outside or noticed the flowers starting to bloom along my block. And as spring comes, there will only be more beauty hiding in plain sight for us all to find. So, when you’re done reading this lovely issue of The Wake, I suggest you put down your phone, take out your headphones. Look up and around, and allow yourself a moment of reflection and a moment of quiet. You might be surprised at the joy you uncover in letting your mind rest. I hope there are countless things that make you smile this semester (wherever you may be) and that you continue to discover more. Enjoy the little things, Marley Richmond Voices Intern
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MAR 30 - APR 13
CITIES
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CatVideoFest 2020
Ever wanted to see cat videos on the big screen? At St. Anthony Main Theatre, you can do just that BY IAN KNOLL The year is now 2020, and the last thing I expected to start off the decade with was cat videos. But, the time has come for this year’s national CatVideoFest, so here we are. Hosted locally at the gorgeous St. Anthony Main Theatre, CatVideoFest is a presentation featuring classic and up-and-coming cat educational films, animations, and—you guessed it—YouTube videos. Entrees ranged from classic series like “Henri, le Chat Noir” and “Simon’s Cat” to hidden gems like “An Engineer’s Guide to Cats,” to simple, short clips lifted straight from TikTok. Each year, a portion of the proceeds from CatVideoFest go to local cat shelters or charities. This year, that was Feline Rescue, a local group who takes in foster, shelter, and stray cats and gives them the necessary care to be put up for adoption. It’s absolutely a worthy cause, and the audience seems eager to support it. But this brings me to my only major complaint: Why do only ten percent of the proceeds go to them? I’m admittedly no expert on the finances of film events, but even if licensing is a factor, I can’t imagine literally pulling videos off the internet is particularly expensive to do. Unsurprisingly, there’s something surreal about sitting in a crowded theater, the same place that’s shown modern classics like “Parasite” and “1917,” watching cats leap cabinet to cabinet on a fifteen foot screen. What was surprising was the reception. Tickets to all six showings were sold out well in advance, and once the projector started rolling, not a second went by without a series of laughter or “aww” rolling through the eager crowd. I thought I was done with cat videos well over a decade ago, but even I found myself bursting with laughter. As odd as it is to say about an event called CatVideoFest, this kind of unrestrained and shared sense of enjoyment is something I often find lacking when I see a movie. All in all, a near purrfect experience.
THE WAKE
You can find CatVideoFest at catvideofest.com, and support Feline Rescue directly at felinerescue.org.
Ballet West’s Crown “Jewels”
Balanchine gets a standing O at Northrop BY ERIKA ELLIS
A great perk of being a University of Minnesota student is the $10 student rush tickets at Northrop. I recently used this opportunity to see Ballet West perform “Jewels,” one of George Balanchine’s most recognizable and iconic works. This ballet is divided into three stylistically distinctive acts with each third representing a particular gemstone. The set was minimalistic; soft gold curtains drawn to each side of the stage and a simple lighting feature that changed shape between acts allowed the dancers and their ornate jewel-inspired costumes to take center stage. The curtain rose first on “Emeralds,” a purely classical piece focused on soft delicacy and romanticism. From a critical perspective, this section was the least memorable of the three, though it was still danced with graceful technique and intricate musicality. The second act was “Rubies.” Completely contrasting with the quiet grace of “Emeralds,” “Rubies” was full of feisty energy and neoclassical movement. In other words, “Rubies” caught anyone who may have been snoozing after “Emeralds.” The choreography in this section is unique and specific but The dancers tackled Balanchine’s tricky precision with ease, nonstop energy, and genuine joy that the audience could feel from their seats. The final jewel, “Diamonds” featured the largest cast of the three and was set to a beautiful Tchaikovsky symphony. The highlight of “Diamonds,” and perhaps the whole show depending on who you ask, was the pas de deux (ballet lingo for a dance between two people.) Performed by principal dancers Beckanne Sisk and Chase O’Connell (who are engaged in real life) this piece was pure romantic elegance. The athleticism and artistry of the dancers made each movement appear light as air. They made it look like breathing, and the audience was completely enchanted. “Jewels” as a whole left me feeling refreshed and inspired. Whether you’re a dance nerd or just looking for something different to do on a Saturday night, catching a ballet at Northrop might be just what you need.
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CITIES
An Evening with Gloria Steinem “We’re all trying to overthrow the patriarchy, racism, monotheism, a few little things like that!” BY NINA RAEMONT 1
The Northrop audience buzzed with excitement as they awaited an extremely special discussion to occur before them. Every seat within the auditorium had been unsurprisingly sold out, and for good reason. After all, it isn’t everyday that a writer, an activist, and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom speaks before a room of Minnesotans. Now, if you read all of that and happen to think that I was speaking of three separate individuals—think again, because that was just the description of a single historical icon, and her name is Gloria Steinem. Steinem has lived 85 years upon this earth, and within those years she has made a prominent figure of herself—not only as an activist, or a journalist, or a leader of human rights, but as all of the above and more. At 34, Steinem co-founded “New York Magazine” and wrote her own column, “The City Politic.” At 37, Steinem founded “Ms. Magazine,” a feminist publication that would act as a mouthpiece for the second-wave feminist movement. After five bestselling books, a handful of documentaries, and the creation of multiple human rights foundations, Gloria Steinem became a household name among political activists, feminists, and “New York Magazine” readers alike. Anyone with a shred of faith in the power of journalism as a tool for political change would be inspired by the mere existence of Gloria Steinem. In fact, each presenter of the night made a point to demonstrate their gratuity over this monumental occasion. Even Dean Bloomberg of the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, touched upon Steinem’s impact on her who, as a little girl, was a devout reader of “Ms. Magazine.” It was evident that many of the audience members as well as the presenters had been inspired by Steinem’s work.
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Once her name was announced, Steinem walked onstage sporting black leather pants and a red blazer while the audience clapped and stood for a moment of appreciation. Steinem, a very humble soul, didn’t absorb the long series of applause; she, too, was clapping, but for the audience! As if we had done any of the historically impactful things that she had, Steinem appreciated our support, and that simple applause was her demonstration of it. The questions of the night were derived both from moderator Kerri Miller as well as audiencegenerated submissions. Steinem answered questions about our current political climate, indigenous rights, and the importance of voting, and she spoke about how inequality between men and women originates within the idea that women are the primary caretakers of the household. The social norm of a woman providing for her entire family, as well as women being subjected to this thousand-year role, disables us to see women as matriarchs in other roles. She believed that if we desire female representation within positions of power, men must start doing an equal amount of caretaking within the family. If we do not see men and women as equals in our own house, we are unable to see men and women as equals in the White House. Lastly, she touched upon the dilemma that is The Donald: She tied the 2016 election results back to the ways in which the imbalance of power between genders has made women not vote in the interest of themselves, but rather the interest of their husbands. What I found most compelling about this event was what was beneath Steinem’s words. Here we have a woman who has spent the entirety of her life learning about the inequality that exists within our world, yet in these moments, past and
present, she still had the will for change. So much of the time, we see our current political situation as the be-all and end-all of humanity and democracy as we know it, and yes, the moment we currently live in requires an immense amount of collective mobilization for change. Among the political polarization and oppression that faces our country, Steinem calmly sits in her armchair and speaks to an audience of thousands with hope in her voice. But it isn’t blind hope. It is hope built on the foundation of action, understanding, and dedication to causes worth supporting. Maybe, as we grow older, that is all that matters: truly believing in things, and supporting them for what they are, discovering the truth, and finding your voice. Gloria Steinem is a testament to all of that and beyond. I left this lecture thinking about the current media climate for women like myself: budding journalists who have lots to say about the world, but at times don’t feel as though their voice is heard. Many of the values I hold near to my heart - those of representation, equality, and the power of the written word - are those that Steinem does too. Who would have known I had so much in common with an 85 year old woman? And who would have known an audience of 3,000 did too?
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CITIES
Devil Horns, Spider Eyes, and Other Wonders of the Sub-Natural World A failed investigation BY KYLIE HEIDER How do you track something that doesn’t have a trail? That is the question I asked myself as I began my search for the message behind the street tags that has been popping up everywhere. They have been spotted at bus stops, under overpasses, bridges, and on the sides of buildings. They vary between black, white, red, and blue, and they look like something different to almost every person you ask. Some say the strange symbols resemble devil horns, while others say bull horns. Some see eyes of Spiderman, or perhaps just an interpretive typeface of two capital “D”s, one facing backward. Some are accompanied by a small “restricted” copyright symbol in the corner, and some are not. Some are large and some small. Tasked with finding a meaning in these tags, I wondered where to start. I debated stalking out a location that the tags were commonly found at, for example, under the 10th Avenue Bridge. However, this was potentially dangerous. I wondered about driving around the city and mapping the tags where I saw them, or where I remembered seeing them, just to get an idea of the scope of the tag. This seemed heavily time consuming and unattainable with my no-car lifestyle and nonexistent knowledge of driving. I resigned to a more homebound sleuthing state: the internet. I was hopeful; these things were all over the place, right? Surely someone would have figured something out. Unfortunately, this too proved to be futile. I searched Instagram, looking up hashtags like “#devilhorns” and “#spidereyes” and “#spidermaneyes,” searching various locations around Minneapolis. Bone dry. I decided to go to the place where mysteries are solved: Reddit. Here, the sole instance of the tag appearing on the internet occured. On the University of Minnesota subreddit, user KingCricket98 published a post that read, along with a picture of the tag, “I’ve seen these on campus and around Minneapolis, any idea what they are?” No one did. The meager comments only took note of how often they are seen around UMN campus and debated the depiction of the tag.
So that’s where my search ended. The only thing I can theorize with confidence is that, based on reports of the tags in and around the U of MN campus area, it is not unlikely that the culprit is a student. Perhaps they are reading this now. In truth, my search was not extensive by any stretch of the imagination. I had never even thought of trying to track down the meaning or origin of graffiti, and I didn’t know where to start. I honestly didn’t know if I should really start anywhere. I wondered about the ethics of it. Was it invasive to try to insert myself in a space where I don’t belong? To try to expose someone who could potentially be prosecuted for doing something illegal like vandalism? While it is not a culture or experience I am privy to, I don’t think the purpose of tagging is for everyone to know who you are. In this instance in particular, the appeal of these symbols seems to come from the tension of its mystery and its commonality. If the average person walking on the street knew the meaning behind these tags, they would probably lose most of their power. This particular tag, and most graffiti for that matter, functions as the disruption of public space. To unravel the intention behind it also unravels this disruption. The tag asks the viewer to reconsider the norms and values that they hold for the physical world as they move through it. It is an expression that relies on slyness and an ironic anonymity, a signature without a body to go with it, the phantom of a person. It transcends other forms of art in that it does not beg for meaning. If you know, you know. So maybe it’s better not to search.
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“And remember loneliness is still time spent with the world” -Ocean Vuong By Kinga Mozes Before the white blanket of the sky untucked itself to darkness I stared at the flakes grated from my raw palms and felt as if the gray low clouds had been torn open. A mouth of blue reached with swollen lips to kiss me back into consciousness. Where I noticed how lonely the streetlight hung above the damp pavement. Where I witnessed gentle fingers push wire-rimmed glasses up a pink sniffly nose. I gave a sigh permission to float me into the sky to fall back down in fleshy shreds and cling to an eyelash curled up to greet me. Even sliced into a million pieces I could make someone feel something. Even if that meant riding the bus home early because I forgot how to introduce myself. It used to be acceptable to beg for shaky embraces on knees bent stiff with remembrance, but there’s nothing holy about slipping sideways into phantom arms. There are branches twisted in my hair, my thighs hot underneath soft snow that fell three months ago and refused to melt ever since.
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MAR 30 - APR 13
FEATURE
Sex Work and Stigma As online sex work emerges, so do negative opinions towards sex workers JEMMA KELEHER
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FEATURE
Whether exotic dancing, escorting, or starring in pornographic films, women in the past were bound to physical spaces and often exploitative middle men in order to do sex work. In recent years, however, a new space has emerged where women can embrace their bodies, interact with people, and make a profit from the comfort of their homes: online sex work. Sites like OnlyFans and Reddit, which are known for online sex work, have soared in creators and subscribers alike. These communities allow women to facilitate and control their businesses easily and safely, which has led to a rise in the number of women who work in the sex industry. For example, in less than a year (from 2019 to 2020), the number of creators on OnlyFans quadrupled from 50,000 to 200,000.
“I feel like a lot of times, people are like, ‘Oh, I’m scared for your safety,’ but they’re using that as a cop-out excuse.” Sex work was commonly thought to only include escorting, but Merriam-Webster has expanded the definition to include anyone, “whose work involves sexually explicit behavior.” While women constitute the majority of sex workers, a 2018 study found that almost one in five sex workers are men. The experiences of male sex workers are important; however, female sex workers often face the pressure of sexism in their work. In addition, March is National Womens’ History Month, so at this time, the perspectives of women should be emphasized.
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Even with the increased number of creators in online spaces, the stigma against sex workers remains. “I feel like a lot of times, people are like, ‘Oh, I’m scared for your safety,’ but they’re using that as a cop-out excuse,” said Meagan Jones, a creator on OnlyFans who has sold nude photos and videos since December 2019. “You’re not actually worried for my safety, you’re judging me.” Jones started her career with exotic dancing, yet the stigma of sex work followed her into her marriage. After divorcing her husband, who didn’t approve of the industry, she moved to only working online. Encounters between sex workers and those who shame them can be frighteningly personal. “I’ve had people message me my parents’ address or the names of my siblings,” said Feryal Bouayed, a student at the University of Minnesota. “I’ve had people, my own friends, turn on me and threaten to send my parents my stuff.” Bouayed sells her content on the side while pursuing a degree in global studies at the University of Minnesota. Her sex work career began with a Snapchat account after her nude photos were leaked without her consent. “It went really viral, so I was getting a lot of followers, and all of these followers were asking me if I sold stuff.” Bouayed made the switch to using OnlyFans in 2017 and continues to work on the platform.
While the guiding principle of sex work may be to sexually please others, feminism is built on the idea of autonomy. Creators choose to put their content on the Internet and make the decision to let others gain pleasure from it. “At the end of the day, sure, maybe a man [is] using my body. But I got to decide that he can,” Cece said. Intersectionality, the idea that feminisim doesn’t only include one type of woman, but every type, has had an impact on how the public views sex work. “Especially with intersectionality and newer feminism, I think it’s because of that that [sex work] is becoming so normalized,” Bouayed said. The task at hand is to support women, regardless of what they choose to do with their bodies. “Women do this as a job. It’s the responsibility of other women to help each other grow and be safe,” said Cece.
A misconception of the sex industry is that women who sell their bodies for men’s pleasure contradict the basic principles of feminism. “I’m a queer person and a feminist, and consider myself politically plugged in and active,” said Cece, who operates her sex selling business through Reddit and asked to be referred to by her online persona. “At the same time, my job is taking my clothes off and making men feel good. There definitely are disparities that I have to reckon with sometimes.”
MAR 30 - APR 13
FEATURE
In addition to supporting those who do sex work, those who choose not to should also be considered. “I think it’s important to stress that as we empower women that are fine with being body positive and making a profit off of it, it’s also important to empower women who don’t choose to do that,” Bouayed said. “They can empower each other, and that’s the beauty of intersectionality.”
The outside world assumes people who sell sex must be societal outcasts, said Cece. “There’s this general idea that there’s the normal people who go on PornHub and watch porn and have sex with their girlfriends,” said Cece. “Then there’s like, the cam girls, and the men cheating on their wives, and they’re all this big group of crazy sex freaks. That’s just not true.” Sex workers make their livelihood from selling sex, but behind the nude photos and videos, they are real people who lead normal lives outside of their work. Just like any other employed person, they don’t see
“At the end of the day, sure, maybe a man [is] using my body. But I got to decide that he can.” their identity as being defined by their job. “I think people are always just sort of shocked to find out that regular people go on the internet for this kind of stuff,” Cece said. “But like, so many regular
THE WAKE
people do.” According to HuffPost, thirty percent of all data transferred on the Internet is porn. The world of online sex selling isn’t as foreign as it may seem. Sites like OnlyFans are equivalent to PornHub or xVideos, the main difference being that workers are profiting from the porn they produce. “This has been the first wave of internet media we’ve had associated with self-production of porn. It’s something we’ve never had. Women’s bodies have literally been in the hands of porn producers for hundreds of years,” Cece said. With the surge of women doing online sex work, an opportunity has been born for women to profit from their bodies, rather than leaving it in the hands of a porn production company. “You’re actually directly supporting that person, not just the porn industry.” In addition to supporting women, clients who frequent self-producing sellers also get the benefit of a more personalized interaction. “You can be into so many things, and when you have someone to do that with live, you can get exactly what you want,” Cece said. Being able to request things that adhere to your kinks is an valuable benefit to some, and it’s a draw to buy content from sex workers themselves. Rather than using free porn sites, they pay for an individualized experience. “People who go on PornHub and watch porn are doing the same thing that my clients are doing, except it’s live,” Cece said. When you boil it down, sex work is just that: work. Women who sell sex online are doing so to make a profit, and that’s what they get. “People don’t see it [like a business] a lot of the time, but that’s what it is,” said Meagan. “If people try to tell me it’s not a real job, I’m like, ‘Fuck you, I pay taxes.’” It comes with the positives and negatives of any job. One of the positives is that many sex workers report feeling more confident in their skin because of their work. “I really don’t think that I would feel
“I grew up with this ingrained shame about my body. My body was supposed to belong to one man when I married him. I think sex work really helped me shed that.” as confident and sexy as I do now if I hadn’t done this,” Cece said. “I grew up with this ingrained shame about my body. My body was supposed to belong to one man when I married him. I think sex work really helped me shed that.” Sex workers feel that they are overthrowing the idea that their bodies belong to other people and are reclaiming what is theirs. “I know this isn’t the most conventional way to make money, but it’s 2020. People are going to do what they want to do, regardless of your opinions,” Meagan said. Whether you choose to uplift women as they move to autonomous forms of sex work or to stigmatize them, sex work is a profession that women have done and will continue to do in the future. Selling sexual experiences is an act of profit and confidence that allows women to support themselves. “These are the opinions of sheep, and I’m over here being a lion. Y’all sheep can stay the fuck over there in your herd, and I’ll be over here making my money,” Meagan said.
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The Theology of a Moth to the Flame By Rachel Aron The girl without vision goes on standing on the wax as her legs burn up, incarnations trembling at the mouth of a volcano, taking her blood and the ability of her scorchedcharred-black fingertips to feel. She dreams sound, a rumbling like thunder that accompanies those seeping tributaries of lightning.
by thinking because you don’t think in tongues; you are too insignificant. There are worms wriggling over the concrete, who knows if they’re drowning or enjoying a swim. Someone said it before like this: the man in ecstasy and the man drowning- both throw up their arms. This nightmare of joy, if an illusion, will end once you’ve been flushed.
Something touches her and she eats it. The wings flutter in anguish now down onto the unnamed place.
At death, you bear witness to the rainbow.
She is whispering to you, little angel drawn to the lapsing light. Come back! But you are rendered incapable. So light that you don’t make a thump on the ancient wood. Your eyes are black, fluid like ink; she wants to blind you, eat the sight that she doesn’t possess, blue with the agony of hunger. Your sight is veiled by black holes, you have forgotten how to breathe. Eaten up until there’s nothing left but shimmering dust and veins shaping its phantom, your right wing writhes from its joint in your back. To have been given the ability to feel was cruel; now you have only a distant, dull, aching wish to not hurt. Now, closer and in focus, above you are my eyes, enormous like marbles of glittering Coca-Cola. My eyelashes descend to blink: I have seen you and am processing my pathetic discovery. You are in misery, prey beneath the girl of hunger and a god removed from your suffering. The flutters of your last wing are desperate, the other side unsalvageable. I watch you struggle until finally, it’s time to put to an end to this scene in her bright glow; you feel my indelicate hold and the tearing of your remaining wing; I have forgotten that this dust is your created flesh. Being skinned, then, you are taken in and out of expansive lighted halls- palaces of blindness- until deliverance above a white pool. I did not give you a voice, so you can’t beg me to have mercy. This is my mercy: to put you out of your misery. In the small moments before you touch the water, you see the rainbow embroidered on my shirt. And behind me in the gateway to this chamber, there are black billowing clouds. Tinged by a delicate quivering window screen, playing in the rain. Flight! They are memories you can’t understand
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But the clouds do not part for the sake of any clear blue sky. When I, possessor of all five senses, notice the smoke and turn, it’s too late. The candle flame from atop my wooden desk impresses upon me like a stamp. I might have regretted the trail of books and papers lining every inch of the walls, a makeshift library so I could learn omniscience. But alas, I am being burned alive, maybe a lamb. With the innocence and desperation that only death remembers. Each of us sacrificed by the other. And I have no mind when I AM GOING TO DIE LIKE THIS I AM GOING TO DIE LIKE THIS WHERE IS GOD WHEN YOU NEED HIM IT HURTS IT BURNS EVERYWHERE I WISH I COULDN’T FEEL OH GOD LET The girl of hunger feeds on the Earth, having escaped her wax prison not in order to be your salvation but to consume a greater mass. It had started with the courage gifted by that brush of wing. Her mouth grows ever wider, grateful to meet and kiss the striker of the match. In those moments of birth when her existence caught fire, would she have imagined how she’d grow in that lifetime? before the firefighters arrive and douse her away in an attempt to recover the corpse of the homeowner. In her ending moments, she felt tremendously full. As for you, a common moth drawn to false light, you do not perish in the toilet bowl. On the surface of the water, you love deeply the relief it has on your singed wing. Around you, framed by an ovular ring of halo, the world is engulfed by the girl who whispered to you in her ecstasy. But to you, there are no revolutions, perhaps no just and unjust, only a half-dead moth gently floating in the toilet bowl of a burned-down house. Little angel, you will have to crawl if you want to survive. That is the way a human and a thought evolve. Creation! Reincarnation.
MAR 30 - APR 13
Her By Prahlad Sankrti Beneath her tranquil gaze I am drawn to an ocean of feeling Our eyes find each other, my pulse quickens For a moment, I am lost I could write pages and pages of prose Describing each glance, detailing each pose Deep within me are pages of verse Deciphering those eyes, the mystery hurts The flame of this passion threatens to consume me From nowhere, a wave washes over, I’m gloomy Tempestuous, fickle, but I know it’s real Her lip quivers, she can’t keep still When I send a sharp look her way She’s an open book, slightly, she sways, She can’t help but turn away Ah, perhaps this street goes both ways
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Q&A
Floodwater Angel BY TOSIN FASEEMO Floodwater Angel is a St. Paul-based psychedelic glam band. It is composed of vocalist Madeline Knorr, bassist Dillon LaFollette-James, guitarist Jack Squier, and drummer Sam Tudor. Keep reading to find out about their musical inspirations.
: Your band name is really pretty; is there a meaning behind it?
: How would you describe your genre of music?
D: When we were picking a band name, we were just throwing a bunch of words around. We really wanted floodwater to be involved. We had this cool idea of ’floodwater angel’ because of that classic painting imagery where someone is drowning in a flood and they look up and see an angel there about to rescue them. We wanted our band to be in a moshpit of ‘floodwater’ with us as the angels.
D: In the good year of 2020, genre doesn’t really matter. We decided that psychedelic rock is a good genre to call ourselves because there are so many different types of psychedelic rock bands. We have a country rock song, we do some glam stuff, we have some classic rock music. We just stick with that psych rock genre because it lets us be more free with what we’re doing.
: How did you all meet? M: I met Sam in orchestra my freshman year. We were both violinists. Then I was friends with a previous guitarist we had who brought in Dillon. We met our current guitarist at a show. D: Jack opened for us as a solo artist, and we were so impressed. We were like, “do you want to play with us?” and Jack said. “Hell yeah.”
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: Are all of you originally from Minneapolis? M: I am from La Crosse, Wisconsin. I moved up here three years ago for school. S: I am originally from South Minneapolis, but I grew up in a tiny town about an hour south of here called Wanamingo. D: I’m from San Jose, California, but I moved to Minnesota in 2002 or so. I lived in Anoka from then
MAR 30 - APR 13
Q&A
people as we can possibly get; usually that’d be at a house show. We can’t stand when our audiences aren’t getting into it. We usually get more rambunctious people at a house show. But we’ve also had great venue shows, like at 7th Street, where we had a bunch of people come out; it’s not so much about the stage. It’s more about the people. until a couple of years ago, when I moved here.
: Is there anything you specifically like about the Minneapolis music scene? S: Everytime I think I have a good grasp on the bands that are around, or playing shows, I always find a whole bunch of artists that I’ve never heard of before. It’s just such a large pool of really talented people. M: I think what’s really cool about Minneapolis is all the different types of venues there are. I feel like there’s a flourishing underground scene in Minneapolis, which is different from other cities.
: Do you prefer house show venues? D: We like playing in front of as many rowdy
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S: The thing I really love about house shows is that you’re so connected to the crowd. I mean, they’re literally two feet away. It’s really cool.
to have nothing else be distracting.
: If each of you had to pick a musical inspiration, who would it be? M: The Grateful Dead. They’ve been a huge part of my musical taste. I definitely try to model some of my solo work off of some of the things they’ve done. S: Musically, my inspiration would have to be Queen. They have such an eclectic music taste, which I think is really cool. D: One of my biggest influences has been the recent reunion with My Chemical Romance.
M: I think house shows are just much more accessible, for a lot of people. If we have three shows in a weekend, it’s nice if they’re at a house because they’re definitely less expensive. It’s really nice.
: What approach do you guys take with live performances? D: Our approach is to be as huge and wild as we can be. We have lights and smoke machines that we work with. We have used TVs to show videos in the past. Our approach is always to be the only thing in a venue you can possibly look at,
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VOICES
I Fist Bumped An Undergraduate Student He is (if I’m guessing right) a sixtyish-years-old history major. BY NAISARGI MEHTA 1
I work at a coffee shop. During my shift, I regularly get this one customer. Every shop has that one person, right? One day, I cross paths with him outside of my shift. If I were in India (my home), I would just politely nod, smile, and keep walking. But this is not India. This is the U.S. and specifically, Minnesota. People are famous for being nice! So I stop for a moment to chat with this customer. My best guess would be that he is a professor based on his looks: two huge binders and a laptop, with a bunch of printed documents and handwritten notes. As it turns out, he is a senior history major, soon to graduate from the University of Minnesota. He is preparing for his midterm. (Don’t we all share that pain?) We talk about our countries; I tell him a little bit about India, and he tells me a little bit about Minnesota. We suggest a book to each other, making it a very pleasant and mutually enriching conversation. At the end of our small chat session, we fist bump, and I leave with an added skip in my step. Back in India, a conversation with an elder person would be pleasant, for sure, and even enriching at times. The end, however, would be a little different. Almost as if I were on autopilot, I would bow down and touch their feet. A gesture of respect in India. I would exit that conversation with a mental sigh of relief for not doing or saying anything “wrong”.
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In Indian culture, there is a pre-established sense of respect for anyone that belongs to a generation older than that of yours, which automatically sets expectations from the younger generation. These sets of expectations are dependent predominantly on the elder generation because they are—by default—more deserving of respect, and hence they make the rules. This goes back to ancient India, where the older generation was literally in power because the oldest man in the family was the king. To this day, India is, at its core, a society where its occupants do as they are told. I know that “obedient” is not exactly how some people would label Indians as, but if you look at the whole community of India, we are generally extremely conscious about our actions around elders. This system has kept hundreds of towns in order for years. But there’s this one minuscule problem I see: the loss of personal identity. I cannot help but ask: Who am I? What do I do? I am a good person according to all of my elders whom I respect. I do what makes them happy; I do what gets me their approval. A significant portion of our lives follows this pattern and set-up-expectations. Recently, however, there has been a gradual rise in the concept of forming one’s own identity in India. We persist with this developing this sense of agency despite those slightly-annoyed voices in the background accusing, “You always do what you want to do!” My reply: Well, yes I do, very much so.
Our efforts towards forming our own individual identities are often regarded as the “western influence” by some respected elders of our country. I did not know what this “influence” was all about, so I flew out to the west. What I am realizing here is that it is not the addition of some new influence. It is the eviction of a semi-toxic cultural influence. There are no expectations for me here, which gives me the freedom to form my own expectations for myself, struggle with the stress of not living up to them, and most importantly, fist-bump this struggle. I can own up to my struggle, my choices, no matter how stupid they may be. The United States of America is a free nation. And technically, so is India. India is a well-knit community of people who like to poke each other more often than not. It’s mostly playful, but when it gets out of hand—we don’t talk about that. The U.S. is a community of people who generally like to mind their own business. If, for some reason you have to make a choice, choose wisely.
MAR 30 - APR 13
VOICES
Food for Thought The case for fusion food BY KYLIE HEIDER When we think of the experience of human culture, one of the first things we think of is food. Food, and the stories and memories associated with it, is central to the story of human life. It is an art form of versatility and spirit, able to capture a moment in time, a spark of joy or little epiphany. In America, a nation bred from oppression and fueled by immigrantion, food is everything. For many immigrants, it is a lifeline of cultural preservation in a place where they are expected to assimilate. “Fusion” food is a result of this mix of a culinary environment. Dishes like burritos, kung pao chicken (and basically anything you can get from your typical Chinese-takeout place) and banh mi’s are among the fusion staples of American cuisine. But in many food circles, this fusion food is seen as a secondary to “authentic” cuisine. While there is inherent value in the continuation of traditional methods and dishes within a culture, it is also important to acknowledge that dishes that result from a hodgepodge of migration, oppression, and hardship are just as valuable to the history of a culture as the dishes “traditional” counterparts. Some may argue that fusion food is assimilation—that these are versions of foods that have been diluted to suit the taste of the white American patron. And yes—fusion food does have the power to be culturally insensitive. When chefs— primarily white chefs—take credit for a dish or profit off kitschy recreations of culturally significant dishes, then, yes, fusion food can be problematic. However, for many more, fusion food is a delicious way of life. While this claim that fusion food is merely assimilation does hold some validity, it does not credit generations of immigrant chefs and cooks who have revolutionized the way we eat food in America.
Unpacking Internalized Misogyny
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A lesson in feminine strength BY MADELEINE WARE Misogyny is everywhere. It’s shouted at frat parties and hides in unwelcome stares. But, whether you notice it or not, it’s also in your disappointment when you step on the scale, or in your thoughts as you privately judge your friend for the number of men she’s slept with. Internalized misogyny, otherwise known as sexist behaviors and attitudes taken on by women, is hard to avoid in a society that pressures women to constantly compete for male attention. We are all familiar with the “not like other girls” personality trope. In movies, you may know her as the mechanic who sexily leans over the hood of a car while explaining complex engine functions. These media tropes, ultimately, are all about male fantasy, and as much as women feel that we can look through the sexist messaging, we might sometimes overlook the possibility that these tropes live inside of us as well. I, like so many others in middle school, tried to shield my insecurities about not being popular by hanging around boys, even when it meant they were talking about girls like they were objects. If I made myself likable to boys, I reasoned, I had more attention from them than the popular girls would ever get, even if it meant allowing myself to be minimized as a woman. What I didn’t realize until later, however, was that by labeling myself as superior in some way to the “popular girls,” I was only enforcing the stereotype that girls are all alike and that they’re incapable of having complex thoughts and ambitions. Not only that, I was disowning the parts of me that were inherently feminine. Denying someone else’s feminine strength should never be an option. Be empathetic. Be kind. Embrace the femininity in yourself. And embrace the femininity in others.
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VOICES
Is there a good side to social media? We hear so much about the dangers of social media, but are there any benefits? BY KATE TIFFIN
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Dear the Ones I’ve Resented… An apology to those you love yet begrudge BY ESTHER CHAN
With social media becoming such an integral part of our daily lives, many people have raised concerns about the ways social media impacts us. Skeptics point out that social media encourages us to design the perfect online lives that foster jealousy among others and has made our generation less sociable. While these concerns have some validity, this is a narrow view. Social media platforms have simultaneously become a useful tool. The ability to connect with people we may otherwise be isolated from has allowed for an exchange of ideas and communication never before possible. In my experience, following activist accounts on Instagram (such as Shawn King or Ronan Farrow) allows me to stay informed on social justice issues or politics that aren’t always discussed in traditional media. Furthermore, Instagram or Snapchat stories allow us to stay updated without texting each other 24/7. And I can not tell you how many times Facebook birthday reminders have saved me from looking like a bad friend.
Resentment is bound to happen with the ones you love because even if you truly love them, the truth is sometimes you just don’t like them. Unfortunately, if you’re like me, you would rather take the easy way out and cut off ties or yank out your own toenails than swallow your pride.
Knowing the good and the bad, how do we find a healthy balance? Well, there is no perfect response to social media. If you feel that social media is hindering you more than helping, try setting boundaries that work for you to limit your use of social media. Instagram allows you to set a time limit you want to spend on the app and will notify you once you reach that limit. Designate a few hours to lock your phone away to do work or spend time with friends in real life. These could help to curb your usage. Social media does not have to be a scary thing, and is certainly not going away any time soon. Why not try to live positively with social media rather than fear it?
You end up regretting the resentment built when your differences created distance and became weapons of strife and apathy. And resentment flourished when you never opened up again because that one misplaced response signified that reality clashed with idealized expectations. You claimed to have forgiven but never did let go. Instead, those grudges led to slammed doors with sideway glances, to emotional shut-downs, and the daily disingenuous, “How are you?”
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Love, in any form, is never an auto-pilot course which means you’ve got to put in the work. This isn’t an advisory to maintain toxic relationships, but it is an apology letter “template” or reflection for if you truly want to work at those tedious relationships in your life. Unfortunately, sometimes that means being first to apologize. And that excruciating first step is admitting your own shit…
You’re sorry that pride held captive your heart. Even now, you cling onto passive aggressiveness like the most precious ring instead of honesty and humility. You were never strong enough to acknowledge the issue, preferring instead to ignore the problem. Because of that, you never offered forgiveness just as you never asked for theirs. You became caught up in whether or not you liked them, never pausing to consider how you still loved them. In each passing “dislike” moment, the resentment prospered and you never thought to still treat them like you love them—more importantly, like they love you. You fed the monster of resentment, and you’re sorry that somehow you still cannot stop.
MAR 30 - APR 13
VOICES
Give Yourself a Break Assessing your priorities can make the grind more manageable—and productive 3
BY MARLEY RICHMOND Whether we call it senioritis (which inevitably starts three weeks into freshman year), burnout, or just exhaustion, there is no doubt that today’s society is overworked. The ever-increasing demands of capitalism, along with increasingly selective requirements to succeed, have created a culture where working hard isn’t enough. “The grind” of twelve (plus) hour workdays, little sleep, and prioritizing work or classes above all else has become the norm. Free time and recreation are seen as a sign that you aren’t doing enough—that time could be used to get ahead (or catch up), after all, and that point of satisfaction or rest is always out of reach. Hard work is important, and pushing yourself to learn and grow is absolutely a good thing. But at some point, the costs outweigh the benefits of all that exhaustion. The hustle is often seen as an admirable lifestyle, a challenge to be proud of rather than a concern. An addicting feedback loop is formed—put in a lot of work on a project, receive praise, feel proud, repeat. The hours you study become a badge of honor; you find yourself in a contest of who slept the least last night, with the depth of your undereye bags indicating your success. Overworking yourself becomes the only way to find validation and self-worth. The issue is, you eventually run into the point of diminishing returns; If it’s been a long time since you took an economics class, that’s when the benefits gained are less than the energy invested. A study from University of St. Thomas professors Monica E. Hartmann and J. Roxanne Prichard determined that students who regularly pulled all-nighters to study actually ended up with lower GPAs than their peers. The study claims, “On average, each additional day per week that a
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student experienced sleep problems ... lowered the cumulative GPA by 0.02,” even when the all-nighters weren’t a result of procrastination but just an attempt to get more done. Running at max capacity every day simply isn’t sustainable, especially when sleep is sacrificed in the process. For years, doctors have raised concerns over the long-term effects of increased stress. Among other serious health problems, the National Institute of Mental Health warns of high blood pressure, heart disease, anxiety, and depression specifically. As if that knowledge lowers anyone’s stress levels! Still, it is valuable to keep in mind that stress can be physically and mentally harmful. Of course, some people have maintained the grind for years and function well under demanding conditions. For some, working two or three jobs while being a full-time student is a necessity, not a choice. Balancing motherhood and classes is a reality for some students, and others may have to finish college in under four years to afford their education. Making time for hobbies, exercise, or other breaks can feel–and be–unrealistic.
priorities can help you find balance, making your relationship with work more beneficial and, almost always, more productive. After all, it turns out that pulling an all-nighter to study won’t necessarily guarantee a better score on the test, but it does mean your work the next day will be harder due to sleep deprivation. It can help to consider your “why.” What makes all this work worthwhile? What are you working towards? Ground the hustle in your own goals, and allow yourself to say “no” to extra work and responsibilities that don’t line up. Take time to rest when you can, and be kind to yourself when you can’t finish your never-ending to-do list. After all, you are only one person. As much as you may want to, or feel like you must, it’s impossible to do everything.
It might feel impossible to break the cycle and reduce your workload. Resisting hustle culture doesn’t have to mean an increase in free time and a decrease in responsibilities. At its most basic, supporting yourself may be practicing selfcompassion and shifting the tone of your internal dialogue from “you aren’t doing enough” to “you’re doing your best and that is worthy of pride.” Your life’s value does not reside solely in your output or achievements, but in your relationships, passions, and joy as well. Giving up the hustle isn’t an option for most people, but examining your
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SIX REVIEWS
Hunters
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Amazon Prime
Man Alive King Krule BY HANNAH DOVE Judging by the lack of paternal sound within King Krule’s third album, “Man Alive!,” you wouldn’t expect him to be a new father. The 25-year-old Londoner comes through with an album that is leaner and meaner than its two predecessors, sporting a post-punk edge to many of the tracks that would not have fit on previous works. Take the menacing bassline on the third track, “Stoned Again,” as an example. This appears to be a change of scenery, but don’t be fooled—King Krule leans heavily on dreary atmospherics and reverberated psychedelia, as he always has. This becomes more evident as the album transitions from its relatively energetic first half into a hushed, soft second half. A jazzy underbelly takes prominence, with some well-timed saxophone in a few tracks, making “Airport Antenatal Airplane” (the song Marshall dedicated to his infant daughter) almost like a lullaby. Admittedly, the middle portion can get a bit bogged down, shrouded in too much fog; one can get enveloped in the rainy mood that King Krule presents, even if the song isn’t top-quality. Yet there’s a lot to dig through, even in the album’s weaker moments. Luckily for us, the quality picks up towards the end of the album, with songs like “Theme for the Cross” and “Underclass.” A man alive perhaps, but drifting out to sea.
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BY MEGAN BORMANN Amazon Prime’s newest series is the fictional story of Jonah Heidelbaum, a young Jewish boy living in New York City in 1977. Jonah is an orphan and resides with his grandmother, Ruth, a Holocaust survivor. Jonah witnesses his grandmother’s murder and starts an investigation that leads him to a team of Nazi hunters led by Ruth’s friend Meyer Offerman. Logan Lerman stars as Jonah and offers an agitated persona to a youth struggling to find his place in a country that has a history of persecution and oppression. The show also stars Al Pacino as Meyer Offerman, a soft-spoken but fiercely loyal Nazi hunter devoted to ridding the world of people who escaped justice for their crimes. His character provides a gentle father figure for Jonah after he loses everyone he’s ever loved. The plot of the show could be construed as problematic. The story features a blend of badass action sequences, heartwarming familial moments, and graphic scenes depicting fictional events from the Holocaust. Critics have pointed out that the plot struggles with fact versus fiction and could lead to serious misconceptions about concentration camps and the Holocaust. The actors’ performances are the most notable aspect of the series. Lerman and Pacino are passionate about their mission and the rag-tag bunch of hunters gives the audience a feeling of kinship and sacrifice that is much needed in today’s world.
Love is Blind
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Netflix BY HANNAH HAAKENSON “Is love really blind?” This intriguing question, posed by hosts Nick and Vanessa Lachey, is what initially drew me into Netflix’s “Love Is Blind.” The show is built off of an experiment that tests the hypothesis that love is blind, meaning you can form an emotional connection with someone before you see them. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not a superficial person. However, I like looking at nice things, which means I’d like to have a good-looking boyfriend (spoiler alert—I do, and he’s a cutie). So this premise that an emotional connection can override a physical one seemed a bit farfetched to me. The men and women meet in “pods” (a literal blind date) to talk to the person who is sitting on the other side of the wall. Some conversations stayed at the surface level while others quickly dove deep into an emotional field of heartbreak, jealousy, and daddy issues. Surprisingly, a man chooses to propose after only FIVE days. Drunk on the idea of love and lifelong happiness, these two people, strangers to each other’s looks, are now engaged. Only after that commitment are they allowed to see each other. Although I haven’t experienced it myself, I believe that people can have a “love at first sight” moment. But this? It reminds me of “The Office” episode when Michael thinks he’s in love with Holly: “It was when I heard her voice. It was love at first see with my ears.” I don’t know about you, but to me, that just doesn’t add up. This show is a bit of a roller coaster, but if you enjoy the dramatic, entertaining trash that we call “The Bachelor,” then I highly recommend you add “Love Is Blind” to your Netflix list.
MAR 30 - APR 13
SIX REVIEWS
High Fidelity Hulu
Unlocked
BY AVERY WAGEMAN
Denzel Curry
Hulu recently released the first season of “High Fidelity,” which follows Rob, played by Zoë Kravitz, as she reflects on her list of “Top Five Heartbreaks” and navigates new relationships. Rob runs a struggling record store in Brooklyn, along with her friends Simon—who is among the five heartbreakers—and Cherise. The series picks up a year after her last breakup. Rob has not dated since, but she decides it’s time to get back in the game.
BY KINGA MOZES
Because the show is set in a record shop, one would expect it to have a great soundtrack, and it does not disappoint. It consists of a diverse range of music from Fleetwood Mac to The Notorious B.I.G. The soundtrack, along with Rob’s love for playlists, which she considers to be a “delicate art,” makes you want to log on to Spotify and start making your own moody set of playlists. Throughout the episodes, Rob provides fourth-wall-breaking narration that makes the story feel personal and intimate. One of my favorite episodes hands off the narration to Simon, which creates an interesting opportunity for more characters to get similar episodes if the show gets a second season. I think the highest praise I can give a show depends on how bingeable it is, and I watched season one of “High Fidelity” in one night.
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It’s undeniable that rapper Denzel Curry is one of the best lyricists of his time. On his new EP, “UNLOCKED,” his skill shines, and the influence of the Wu-Tang Clan and other old school rappers is present. Curry also sought approval from other artists like Madlib before he released the EP, and he received it. Despite this, the EP did not do it for me. Although the sampling from the 1980s film “Shake Hands with Danger” is impressively layered, the beats are somewhat lackluster and don’t do Curry justice. The EP was assembled by Kenny Beats and Curry in a matter of days, and it shows in the production. It feels rushed and doesn’t match the raw emotion Curry brings to the EP, especially on the song “Take_it_back.” Curry references the Civil Rights movement, and the track doesn’t evolve further until a minute in. Each song is only a couple minutes long, which makes it difficult to add in beat drops and shifts, but it would be worth it to make this EP feel less choppy and more like a cohesive narrative. Curry shows maturation from “TA13OO” to this EP, and one has to appreciate his willingness to take risks. “TA13OO” was an amazing album that many people loved; Curry used that momentum to challenge himself by not catering to a specific audience. “UNLOCKED” gives voice to all of Curry’s personas, which have been growing since he started writing poetry in elementary school.
Dazzle Ships OMD BY EVAN FERSTL It’s rare that an artist loses 90% of its audience with one album, but that’s exactly what happened when OMD released “Dazzle Ships” in 1983. The groundbreaking synth-pop band lost their momentum from their previous release, “Architecture and Morality,” an album that rightfully gave them commercial and critical success. Viewed as the ultimate commercial suicide, “Dazzle Ships” experimented with Cold War themes by creating cold, robotic music that was more metronomic than melodic. Unsurprisingly, nobody wanted to listen to it. The album uses mechanical atmospherics and forays into dated technology to give the album a distinctly anachronistic, Communist-Bloc-feel. Even the two singles on the album, “Genetic Engineering” and “Telegraph,” deal obsessively with these themes despite almost sounding like normal songs. Others, like “International” and “Silent Running,” mask their quirks behind sweeping electronic soundwaves. Finally, songs like “Time Zones,” “ABC Auto Industry,” and the opener, “Radio Prague,” drop pretense entirely. These short, oddball songs have no lyrics apart from disjointed radio splicings and emotionless repetition. “Dazzle Ships” closes with “Of All the Things We Made,” which stands apart from the rest as the most mesmerizing, beautiful song of OMD’s career. Though not as good as its predecessor, “Dazzle Ships” marks the peak of OMD’s cerebral nerdiness and the dazzling power of electronic music. Though the commercial failure of the album scared the band into making straightforward electropop, and although they’ve successfully continued with that formula into the present day, this album is a fascinating artistic triumph that combines weird and wonderful.
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