When Adam Gopnik was growing up in 1970s Montreal, he chose to steer clear of CEGEP. Instead—like Will Hunting—he simply went to the library and read. The choice appears to have paid off. Since completing his BA in Art History, the McGill alumnus (’80) has become an esteemed author, with[Read More…]
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TNC Theatre’s latest production hits close to home
Highly character driven, Based on a True Story follows the lives of ‘troubled’ youths and the biases attached to their lifestyle. Director Isaac Robinson and his talented ensemble examine human problems in this piece of devised theatre, as the cast animate semi-fictional characters that they each helped to write. The[Read More…]
Suuns: Images du Futur
Suuns’ lead singer Ben Shemie refers to the environment in which his Montreal band recorded Images du Futur—the Quebec student protests of last year—as, according to the press release, “a climate of excitement, hope, and frustration.” But if the album is a political statement, it would be best described as[Read More…]
Brighton MA: Oh Lost
“We weren’t built to last; we were built to explode,” croons Matt Kerstein. The lead singer of Chicago-based quintet Brighton MA delivers the line evocatively in “Bulletproof,” the opener for the group’s sophomore release Oh Lost—and at first, one is tempted to believe him. Unfortunately, the sonic vitality seen in[Read More…]
Foals: Holy Fire
With Foal’s newest release, Holy Fire, the British indie rockers have succeeded in producing a multitude of tracks that emphasize their unique sounds. Although it does not quite reach the sheer magnitude of their masterpiece “Spanish Sahara” from their previous album Total Life Forever, they have still created a fantastic[Read More…]
Snowbirds in the wild
Last week, the one question that inevitably dominated casual conversations among McGill students was where everyone spent their reading weeks. A lucky few had the opportunity to travel south and enjoy warmer weather, staying in the West Indies or even Florida, a traditional destination for March break. While we’re all[Read More…]
In synth we Trust: interview with Robert Alfons
‘Winnipeg’ and ‘vampiric slouchy dance-pop’ might not normally be used in the same sentence, but they describe Robert Alfons, the man behind Trust, one of Canada’s recent breakthrough indie acts. Alfons has been on the road almost continuously since the release of 2012’s TRST, his band’s debut full-length album. Working[Read More…]
Fanning the flames of violence
I loathed Django Unchained—Tarantino’s masturbatory exercise in self-aggrandizement. Yet even I can admire the beauty of one particular shot from the film, when a rich ruby blood spurt sprays across a field of snow-white cotton. Not only did this visual reinforce the horrific human toll of commodification—it also looked downright[Read More…]
Demystifying the Mathematician
In honour of “Women’s Month.” Each week , in March, the Tribune is profiling different female researchers at McGill, and the story behind their work.
Neuroimaging allows scientists to see thoughts
Scientists are getting closer to something mothers have been doing for years: knowing what we’re thinking. The development of neuroimaging technology—various techniques used to directly and indirectly image the brain—has shifted our understanding of how the brain works. Recently, two studies utilized technology to visualize brain activity associated with the[Read More…]
