Since Sheryl Crow debuted in the mid ‘90s, she has tried on a number of different personas: earnestly personal, politically charged, and now—with her latest offering, Feels Like Home—folksy country.
Arts & Entertainment
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Album Review: Man Man – On Oni Pond
The more their career has progressed, the more Philadelphia-based experimental rock band Man Man has reined in their sound. Whereas their first LPs, The Man in a Blue Turban with a Face and Six Demon Bag, were full of frenetic yelps and bursts of energy, their latest release, On Oni Pond, finds the band following the polished direction of 2011’s Life Fantastic.
McGill alumnus Mary Alouette explores gypsy jazz on a lark
What would gypsy jazz and electronic music sound like together? Singer-songwriter Mary Alouette provides the answer on her latest EP, The Lark.
Blue Jasmine : a riches to rags story
Jasmine French—the character that Cate Blanchett is already generating serious Oscar buzz for portraying in Blue Jasmine—behaves like she could have been plucked right off the set of another Oscar-caliber film: Titanic. Jasmine is an obnoxious, narcissistic social climber who, like the Titanic itself, is sinking dramatically throughout the movie.
Despite ethereal visuals, Gravity is full of narrative antimatter
For a space film, Gravity is fairly un-spacey. Sandra Bullock and George Clooney star as astronauts who must struggle to survive when a space mission goes horribly wrong. Gravity doesn’t disappoint visually—director Alfonso Cuarón’s famous long takes seem particularly amiable to outer space—but the film repudiates much of the intellectual legwork done by previous sci-fi masterpieces. Insofar as Gravity’s message is being reduced to humanity finding itself in adversity, the film is as thematically sophisticated as a made-for-TV space horror. But such a criticism may mean little to some. As a straightforward action flick, Gravity is certainly meritorious, with some flashy technical bells and whistles thrown in.
The sounds of OAP
Over the past two weeks, you’ve probably run into nearly everyone you’ve ever met in Montreal at Open Air Pub (OAP), a beloved campus fixture that seems to define the beginning of each school year. Cheap food, plenty of beer, and live music keeps OAP secure in its status as the place to be every September for McGill students—and the lineup never disappoints. Featured below is a glimpse at some of the bands you’ve been listening to, just in case you feel like updating your playlist.
Jenn Grant sets off into the wild
It takes a lot to ruffle Jenn Grant’s feathers. The singer-songwriter from Nova Scotia seems to take everything in stride, whether it is her upcoming show in Montreal or her future collaboration with Ron Sexsmith. Despite being a longtime fan of Sexsmith’s, Grant speaks nonchalantly about being approached by the Juno award-winner to perform together on tour this October.
6Party documentary examines the morning after
Shutting down university parties is something that police officers are well accustomed to, but the 6Party occupation brought them face-to-face with an unorthodox gathering that only some could describe as festive. In 6Party and The After Party, an hour-long radio documentary written, produced, and co-narrated by fourth-year arts student Davide Mastracci, that exact group takes the spotlight in this revisiting of the event.
An eclectic phaeleh
Under the stage name Phaeleh, Bristol-native Matt Preston creates and performs electronic music of an indeterminate genre. Also indeterminate, for some, is the pronunciation of his stage name. Matt corrected my initial pronunciation of Phaeleh to “fella,” although he added, “I did not have a certain pronunciation in mind when[Read More…]
Juicy J: Stay Trippy
For Juicy J, being ‘trippy’ is both a state of mind and a lifestyle, and in Stay Trippy, he raps about living it for 20 years. Throughout, the former Three 6 Mafia member condones codeine, crime, and cannabis, detailing his experiences with each. Dipping between tempos, he will rap pointedly over a beat and then continue in double-time. In his intro, ‘Stop It,’ he speaks of “getting high like I’m eighteen but I been rich since the late eighties,” and continues to reference themes of intoxication and career longevity throughout the album.
