Six Reviews

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Let It Snow

Looking for Alaska

Based on the John Green novel, the new Hulu series “Looking for Alaska” tells a beautiful and bittersweet story of love, loss, and friendship. BY ERIN WILSON

The show follows a high schooler named Miles (Charlie Plummer) who transfers to Culver Creek Preparatory High School, where he hopes to find his “Great Perhaps.” He finds a new circle of friends, including an enigmatic girl named Alaska (Kristine Froseth), whom he falls in love with. The group gets caught in a prank war with other students, which ends when tragedy shakes the school.

Poetic and insightful, the show captures the aches of young love and the numbing devastation that follows the death of a loved one. Plummer, Froseth, and Denny Love shine in their roles as Miles, Alaska and Chip, expertly depicting the nuances and intensity of teenage emotions. Tracks such as Kat Cunning’s cover of “Orange Sky” and Iron & Wine’s cover of “Such Great Heights” amplify the melancholy tone of heavy scenes in the show. The cinematography, with its warm lighting and slow shots of characters in the surrounding forest, contributes to the show’s distinct sense of nostalgia.

Angel Olsen

Under swooping crystal garlands, Angel Olsen’s haunting voice left no one untouched at First Avenue on November 12. She gazed out at the crowd under chunky winged eyeliner with a serene expression, comfortably lost in the complex emotions of her music. Yet somehow, as she was transfixed in her memories, she reached deep, provoking our own buried reflections on love. BY KINGA MOZES

The opening band, Vagabon, deserves an appreciative nod, their sound characterized by refined production and the raspiness of their lead singer, Laetitia Tamko. Netflix is straying into Hallmark Channel’s territory with its newest holiday movie, “Let It Snow,” directed by Luke Snellin. The film features many actors, including Kiernan Shipka, Shameik Moore, Jacob Batalon, Mitchell Hope, and Joan Cusack. One thing I appreciated about this cast was its inclusion of racial and LGBTQ representation. BY MEGAN BORMANN

The plot itself is rather sweet but unfeasible. Shameik Moore plays a lonely teen pop star and Isabela Merced a small-town girl with a sick mom, and they fall in love within the course of one Christmas Eve. Kiernan Shipka and Mitchell Hope portray childhood best friends who realize their true feelings for each other on the very same evening. All of the teens eventually meet up with their love interests or BFFs at the party of the year, hosted by Jacob Batalon’s character at the Waffle House.

Olsen’s performance was powered by versatility. Each note was purposeful and the band was a set of interacting parts guided under her steady hand. A transcendent violin and cello accompaniment swelled with the stage lights shifting from red to white on the opener, “Lark.” An urging nod exchanged with her guitarist led to a spontaneous duet in mutual anger on the track “Impasse.” She held her own on “Acrobat,” her voice displaying its astonishing instrumental elements with a ringing operatic quality. Throughout the show, Olsen switched seamlessly between electric guitar and piano, balancing her somber lyrics with witty interactions with the audience between songs. She laughed off someone who shouted, “I love you, Angel,” blushing as she said it back. “Let It Snow” provides a wholesome romantic

story, though the writing and the plot are a tad elementary in their development. There’s also the standard cliches of teen rom-coms present throughout. It might have been interesting to see at least one of the characters not get the ending they wanted, but it seems that the writers wanted to give the audience closure, wrapped in a big Christmas bow. “Let it Snow” wasn’t life-changing in its emotional depth, but can be watched on a snowy night with friends during this holiday season.

22 The show poses philosophical questions about the human condition that both add another level of depth to the show and ask audiences to consider the same questions. Heartbreaking, lively, and evocative all at once, “Looking for Alaska” is a vibrant adaptation of the novel. Olsen mostly played songs from her newest album, “All Mirrors,” but she squeezed in a few older crowd favorites, such as “Shut Up Kiss Me,” that had every bespectacled hipster awkwardly dancing. This performance was a defining moment in Olsen’s career, and those of us who were in the audience hope she flies to the Twin Cities again soon.

Touch

Eurythmics

Eurythmics, the London duo consisting of vocalist Annie Lennox and guitarist Dave Stewart, released two albums in 1983. These seminal albums would cement their place as one of the New Wave’s most fondly remembered acts. After establishing their synth-pop credentials with “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” they released “Touch,” a daring album that builds off their previous success and breaks new ground. BY EVAN FERSTL

Not content to build the album off of the pop sensibilities of the opening track, “Here Comes the Rain Again,” Lennox and Stewart use the rest of their time to build a world of their own, which results in an incredibly challenging, albeit rewarding, listen. While not every song hits home emotionally (“Right By Your Side,” for example, is too upbeat for its own good), all are interesting and complex enough to warrant constant relistening. “Touch” has one standout track, “Who’s That Girl,” a haunting, majestic anthem of jealousy and suspicion. “No Fear, No Have, No Pain (No Broken Hearts)” and “Paint a Rumour,” the two songs which close out the album, also showcase the band’s strengths, especially Lennox’s ability to be soulful and earnest one moment and icy and detached the next. Throughout “Touch,” she proves herself time and again as one of the genre’s most confident and unconventional performers.

Eurythmics have always been well in control of their image, and on “Touch,” they accomplish exactly what they set out to do. Powerful vocals and intriguing arrangements combine to make “Touch” a work of art.

THE WAKE The Script Sunsets & Full Moons BY AVERY WAGEMAN

The Irish rock band The Script released their newest album, “Sunsets & Full Moons,” early in November. The album consists of nine tracks that are a combination of alternative rock, R&B, and pop. The album’s single, “The Last Time,” begins with the band’s recognizable piano sound, acoustic guitar, and the soft but raspy vocals of lead singer Danny O’ Donoghue. The song eventually crescendoes into the chorus with an electronic beat, demonstrating the album’s pop and EDM sound. The Script’s sixth album takes a turn from their usual indie rock, delving into pop.

Hot Pink

Doja Cat BY MADELEINE WARE

Just a year after her debut album, “Amala,” and viral meme sensation, “MOO,” R&B artist Doja Cat is back on the scene with her sophomore album, “Hot Pink.” As the name implies, the album is a bubbly yet intense and passionate tribute to themes such as sexuality and self-confidence. The album opens with “Cyber Sex” and “Won’t Bite,” tracks with quirky vocals that announce the return of Doja Cat’s alter ego, which she describes as a “middle-aged African auntie.”

The album is a delightful blend of all kinds of genres and moods—from the ‘90s hip hop vibes of “Like That” to the slow trap beats of “Streets.” As usual, Doja Cat’s versatility and talent are undeniable as she delivers silky vocals and clever rapid-fire rap verses. Her wordplay is endlessly entertaining and keeps listeners on their toes. “Hot Pink” provides a more unified quality than her previous album, “Amala,” which felt slapped together at times. This time, Doja Cat crafted an album where each track has a unique purpose and voice. Guest talent includes Smino, Gucci Mane, and Tyga, although Doja has proven that she doesn’t need featured artists to create good music. This is evident in the track “Juicy,” which almost sounds more cohesive without Tyga’s verse. Doja Cat’s “Hot Pink” is a self-confidence anthem of an album, with tracks that will make you want to mouth the lyrics walking between classes and dance in front of your bedroom mirror. “The Last Time,” “The Hurt Game,” and “Something Unreal” derive from The Script’s previous hits, such as “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved” and “For the First Time,” while the majority of the remaining songs emphasize an unfamiliar sound for the band: EDM, autotune, and electronic beats. The tone of the album is soothing and relaxing, easy to listen to if you’re in need of background music. In comparison to The Script’s previous albums such as “#3” and “Science & Faith,” “Sunsets & Full Moons” lacks lyrical depth; none of the songs have the gut-punching lines of their older hits. While the pop sound is new and unconventional for the band, the lyrics are safe and indistinguishable from many other pop songs on the radio today. Despite the disappointingly unoriginal sound and lyrics of “Sunsets & Full Moons,” I would encourage exploring the band’s earlier, more poignant albums.