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Enya Dark Sky Island
a, Arts & Entertainment

Album Review: Dark Sky Island – Enya

by Jack Neal on

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Irish singer-songwriter, Enya, is all alone. In a music industry filled with electronic, pop, and alternative sounds, each battling for their right to be heard by an audience intent on new, it’s a breath of fresh air when recording artists who sound like absolutely nothing else are still making music. It’s amazing how timeless Enya’s sound is: Above a whimsical mix of Celtic and New Age-revival, her ethereal vocals float through the songs like clouds through the skies.

Enya’s new album, Dark Sky Island, is her first album in almost seven years. After the trainwreck that was And Winter Came (2008)—a collection of unconnected songs that sounded only vaguely like Christmas—Dark Sky Island is a return to form for Enya. The album is a seemingly intentional attempt at recreating her previous sound on albums such as A Day Without Rain (2000), or the brilliantly mesmerizing Paint the Sky With Stars (1997). The inclusion of elements such as the piano-driven chorus during “Echoes in Rain” or the staggered drums on “The Loxian Gate” feel almost directly taken from her 1997 song, “On My Way Home.” But by doing so, Enya has placed Dark Sky Island in exact alignment with her earlier albums. Against such stiff competition, this latest album simply pales in comparison.

As a standalone project, this album is about as ‘Enya’ as an Enya album can be. As always, the natural world and its general phenomena are her lyrical inspiration. Drawing from the water—oceans, to be exact—the sky, and the moon, Dark Sky Island drifts through its 11 songs effortlessly; however, while Enya has always provided the airiest of melodies, the perceived ease of the album’s tracks could be taken as a lack of originality as Enya runs out of ideas. After all, there’s only so much one can sing about when it comes to the sea, and on Dark Sky Island it seems that she’s hit the ocean floor.

Nonetheless, the songs, while a tad restrained, are meticulously crafted—as are her vocals—and the general vibe of the album is, as always, other-wordly. But the nagging issue with the Dark Sky Island as a whole is its tendency to float along the easy road instead of Enya pushing herself in any new musical or lyrical direction. And while already regrettably using such a common phrase for an album this out-of-touch with modernity, it is a classic case of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’

She’s aware of that, though: With aptly-titled songs such as “I Could Never Say Goodbye” and “The Humming…,” Dark Sky Island is Enya returning to claim her territory in the music industry. The problem, though, is that with no one there to compete with, she’s allowed to go along uncontested—overshadowed only by her sole competitor: Herself.

Standout Tracks:

“The Humming…,” “Even In the Shadows,” & “Echoes in Rain”

Best Line:

“Even when I whisper / The winds will come / To steal the words I say.”

Sounds like:

An uninspired Enya; defined by self-imposed limitations of her previous self.

a, Arts & Entertainment, Theatre

Horror and hilarity converge on TNC stage in Blue Heart

by Stefan Zajdler on

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Strange and elusive energies crackle with abandon on the Tuesday Night Café (TNC) stage in Caryl Churchill’s unnerving Blue Heart, a production of two one-act plays performed as a set. Teasing apart cruel dimensions of language and longing in a theatrical experiment in form, the self-sabotaging construction of the play suggests dark avenues of fear and confusion, and watching it conjures the inconceivable giddiness of absurd hilarity.

If there is connective tissue between the two acts, it’s dark and anguished. The first act, “Heart’s Desire,” is a shifting, swirling melodrama where a family is unlatched from time and sent swinging along its own track, careening into countless futures with each buzz of an offstage buzzer. The light falls, and the scene resets,drafting versions the play might take up sometimes sped up, sometimes in halting phrases, and discards each in turn.

The first act tells the unraveling story of a married couple–Brian (Max Katz) and Alice (Amalea Ruffett)—as they wait with Brian’s sister, Maisie (Sasha Blakeley), for the return of their daughter, Susy (Natalie Liconti). Almost at once the marriage seems on the point of collapse, as the play retreads the same scene countless times, to dizzyingly different results. All of this occurs in a perpetually melodramatic arena: The kitchen. Set Designer Chip Limeburner’s spare set conjures abstractions of unrest.

Visitors arrive to disrupt the scene. An alcoholic son (Martin Seal) emerges from a drunken stupor to terrorize the family, ski-masked and gun-toting thugs arrive to assassinate everyone, and a giant bird unfolds from the doorway. The gaze of the characters intrudes as well; a sudden hush gives way to unsettling stares turned towards the audience. An unmistakable strain of absurdity endures throughout. Thus the spirit of this act is one of preoccupied horror, braced by the unmistakable need to laugh out loud.

If there is a moment that most clearly treads the thin line between hilarity and horror, it’s the sudden fantasy that Brian unleashes on his shocked sister and wife. Katz is appropriately intense in this sequence, confessing his desire to eat himself up, bit by bit, body part by body part, leaving nothing but a mouth. He then questions whether the mouth can consume itself. The language-cannibalizing second act may offer answers.

In “Blue Kettle,” the second act, a confused young man witnesses language becoming suddenly, irrevocably unhinged. As though revealing the mutative influence of an inexpressible core, the words of the title, “Blue Kettle,” begin to infiltrate speech, substituting nouns, verbs, adjectives, until a final, wrenching scene where two characters speak haltingly in the shattered syllables of the title.

The confused man is Derek (Seal), a 40-something-year-old con man playing a strange and inscrutable game—tricking women into believing he is their long-lost son. To what end? Be it money, or a substitute for his own ailing mother, it seems not even Derek is sure. Limeburner splits the stage into three smaller sets, isolating the players within pools of light. It pulls the frenetic energy of the first half into a far more contemplative place.

Director Johanna Ring creates a more static second act as well, mostly consigning itself to calmer two-person scenes. Derek is paired his presumptive mothers, or his girlfriend Enid (Liconti), allowing subtler performances to emerge. The women are drawn into Derek’s odd orbit, but it is clear that each possesses an odd core of their own. Derek’s real mother (Kelly Lopes) delivers a quivering, fractured performance, and Blakeley forms her Mrs. Oliver at the converging vectors of shame and anxiety.

Churchill is a veteran playwright of prodigious talents and roving insight, possessing an imagination that seems both at once capricious, and laser-focused. She has written an extensive catalogue of experimental productions that hint at a restless and unsatisfied mind. In Blue Heart, this restlessness catalyzes in strange devices fixed to plot and language, causing these to become unstuck and free flowing, unraveling even as they reveal their construction.

There is a sense of pervasive dread to Blue Heart, a subtle violence that lingers in the brain long after leaving the theatre. And yet, the play’s vibrancy is unmistakable; this is not a sinkhole of doom and gloom. The aura of unease is palpable in the lobby, and yet so is the fierce glow of anarchic exhilaration. Blue Heart sticks.

Blue Heart runs from Nov. 18-21 and 25-28 at 8 p.m. at TNC Theatre in Morrice Hall.Tickets are $6 for students.

Adele 25
a, Arts & Entertainment

Album Review: 25 – Adele

by Jack Neal on

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Some singers shoot for critical reception; others for commercial success. Some aim for none, some for both… and then there’s Adele. The British sensation—officially Adele Laurie Blue Adkins MBE (yes, she’s an order of the British empire now), literally started from the bottom. Born in Tottenham, U.K., and raised by a single mother, Adele has since sold over 30 million albums worldwide and won more awards than could possibly fit on the mantelpieces of her extensive property portfolio across the world.

Her previous two albums, 19 (2008) and the ever-infamous 21 (2011)—now one of the best selling albums of all time—catapulted her to what could be argued as the pinnacle of the 21st century music industry thanks to her simple but universal songs. However, despite their unparalleled success, both albums suffered from cases of filler and mediocre ballads, and unfortunately, 25 simply delivers more of the same.

Beginning with the chart-topping, Vevo-record-breaking lead single, “Hello,” Adele sets the premise for what is ultimately an album of apologies: Apologies to an ex-lover (“All I Ask”), to an ex-friend (“When We Were Young”), and to her younger self (“Million Years Ago”). She’s also sad, reminiscing on both her past friendships (“Hello”), and she’s mad about growing older (“River Lea”).

It’s a neat concept—Adele imagining the conversations she envisions herself having in the future with people she predicts she’ll grow apart from—but even over a mere 11 tracks, her apologies grow as thin as the heartache she wallowed in on 21. There are bright moments—moments of utter brilliance and clear examples of a more daring and exciting musical direction that she could have taken this record in. The stunning Jessie Ware-esque “Water Under the Bridge”—easily one of her finest songs—mixes pulsing beats and galloping drums that escalate to a crescendo finale with a backing choir, raising the song to an almost gospel level. Despite the plodding name, the sun-kissed “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)” is the simplest and most carefree that Adele has sounded on record with a bubbling guitar and clapping supporting her surprisingly upbeat vocals, and “When We Were Young” is a moving nod to a life she once lived. 

Elsewhere, though, the songs drag tremendously. “Remedy” is a faceless ballad about yet another ex-lover, while somewhere during the album’s back half—when “Love In the Dark” unnoticeably becomes “Million Years Ago," the underwhelming finale, “Sweetest Devotion,” comes to a close—and 25 is simply over. There is no tongue-in-cheek “Rumour Has It” equivalent; definitely no beautiful-restraint that was “Make You Feel My Love,” and nothing that comes close to the heartbreaking levels of “Someone Like You.” And while it would be unfair to expect another 21—she certainly would have been critiqued if she had merely replicated its sound—for a singer who rests on her emotional appeal, 25 falls heartbreakingly flat.

There is no doubt that Adele is unprecedently talented, and that she has one of the most powerful, unique, and recognizable voices that have shaken the music industry in the past decade. 25 will sell an unimaginable amount of albums in its first week—sales are currently being forecasted as being a record-breaking 2.9 million, and will thus most certainly allow Adele to grace the stage of the 2017 Grammys to pick up some coveted awards. Despite this, there's the nagging feeling that, on 25, she's played it a tad too safe. Aside from the aforementioned standout tracks—as well as the fantastic, 50s-esque "Why Don't You Love Me" on the deluxe edition of the album—25 sees neither vocal nor lyrical progression from 21, allowing itself to get dragged down relentlessly by the soggy piano ballads that Adele too-often falls back on. It’s a shame; “Send My Love” and “Water Under the Bridge” are glimpses into the more daring, upbeat, and ‘fun’ side of Adele. But as it stands, Adele should not only be apologizing to her former lovers and friends on 25, but to the music industry—heck, the world—for delivering another middle-of-the-road record.

Standout Tracks:

“Hello,” “Send My Love (To Your New Lover),” & “Water Under the Bridge”

Best Line:

“If you’re not the one for me / Why do I hate the idea of being free?”

Sounds like:

An off-peak Adele and gospel-turned Jessie Ware

a, Arts & Entertainment, Theatre

Shaking up Shakespeare: Players’ Theatre gives new spin on timeless classic in Fortinbras

by Luka Ciklovan on

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Centuries after its composition, William Shakespeare’s Hamlet remains a powerful cultural force in the world. Its oft-quoted words, “to be or not to be” are particularly salient with the approach of final exams. The breadth of its impact on popular culture, ranging from James Joyce’s Ulysses to Paul Cernea’s Hamlet RPG, stand as testaments to the pervasiveness of Shakespeare’s work. Yet, despite its influence, the dramatic, dated language of Hamlet is nonetheless somewhat of a barrier to modern audiences. This barrier is precisely what Players’ Theatre latest production, Fortinbras, seeks to dismantle. Directed by Claire Hill, Fortinbras presents itself as an ‘unofficial’ sequel to Hamlet. The show attempts to explore the themes of truth and action present in Shakespeare’s work in a more modern and accessible way involving a mix of comedy and more colloquial, 20th century diction.

Beginning with the final scene of Hamlet, Fortinbras is centred around the Norwegian prince, Fortinbras, and his recent acquisition of Elsinore Castle, the residence of Hamlet’s now deceased family. Hamlet, along with his dead relatives, however, return as ghosts to haunt the halls of Fortinbras’ castle, and hilarity ensues. While the cast comically questions the potential absurdity of Shakespeare’s original tale, they still take the time to muse on deeper, philosophic questions. Fortinbras rides a fine line between comedy and drama, and Players’ Theatre, mainly through their strong cast and solid direction capitalizes on this notion.

Oscar Lecuyer (Fortinbras) brilliantly captures and displays both the comedic and serious dimensions wrapped up in the character of Fortinbras through a mix of his commanding voice and quirky body language. Alexander Friesen (Osric), perhaps the comical highlight of the play, often provides great comical relief through his twitchy eye and facial movements and is elegantly foiled by Maka Ngwenya’s (Horatio) calm and composed demeanor. Seb Mattey (Hamlet) likewise demonstrated a strong performance, consistently capturing the melancholic anger of Hamlet through clear and sharp diction in the face of the surrounding comedy.

Hill’s decision to incorporate the extras carrying props and set pieces into the scenes themselves was also a great use of her cast, as it simultaneously justified the presence of otherwise seemingly random prop holders and heightened the comedic effect of certain scenes. Having Hamlet acknowledge and curse out the two extras holding the castle walls in place post monologue, for example, was a surprising burst of comedic relief and continued the breakdown of traditions pervading the play; however, these same extras also hindered the play quite significantly at times, as they literally blocked the main actors in the foreground. Such blunders ultimately hindered the suspension of disbelief at times, as the staging directly blocked the audience’s access to the narrative.

Nonetheless, in addition to a strong cast, Hill’s spin on the production through her direction allowed it to truly come alive for the audience.

“I first became aware of this play in my freshman year of high school during a one-act theatre competition,” Hill said in an interview with the Tribune. “Fortinbras gives me the opportunity to poke fun at Hamlet while reinforcing Shakespeare’s fundamental messages regarding the importance of truth and action.”

Hill developed multiple clever ways to modernize the performance. For example, the fear encapsulated in the opening scene, where Hamlet’s family lies murdered, is augmented through the use of radio static that accompanies the arrival of Fortinbras’ army. Similarly, whenever characters experienced moments of revelation or grief, an accompanying contemporary song, usually a widely known Red Hot Chili Peppers song, would fade in with the revelation, thus using relatable exposition to explore underlying themes. Despite the aforementioned minor set problems, Players’ Theatre’s latest production is a hilarious success.

Fortinbras runs from Nov. 18-21, and then from the 25-28, 8 p.m. every night at Players’ Theatre (3480 Rue McTavish). Tickets are $6 for students, $10 general admission. Email [email protected] for reservations.

Ellie Goulding Delirium
a, Arts & Entertainment

Album Review: Delirium – Ellie Goulding

by Jack Neal on

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Ellie Goulding is no stranger to the pop music scene in which she seems so steadfastly stuck. While Halcyon (2012) was released to to commercial adoration, Goulding failed to properly carve out her own unique space within pop; unfortunately on her latest album, Delirium, she just sinks herself further into a mess of unfocused music that tries far too hard to cover the pop bases for mass listenability.

While Halcyon was a striking—albeit conservative—record, it was at least interesting in its unique sound. Delirium, on the other hand, suffers from a dire case of being totally mundane. Beginning with the rather unconventional, “Intro (Delirium)”—a song consisting of a wailing Goulding multilayered to create a supposed atmospheric sound—ends up sounding like something that would feel at home on a B-side album of a corny knock-off Lord Of the Rings soundtrack. In its attempt to take itself too seriously, it loses any credibility and instead becomes almost laughable.

What follows are 16 tracks—a pompous and unnecessary 25 on the deluxe edition—that are, at large, so utterly unmemorable that they verge towards being offensive due to their total lack of creativity, personality, or even likeability. Lead single, “On My Mind,” starts off okay—the ’80s-esque guitar riff wouldn’t sound out of place on a La Roux album—but then Goulding begins to sing, in her typical whisper-come-annoyingly-quiet-voice, before the chorus hits, in which she unemotionally says, “Boy I got you on my mind,” a total of eight times. Eight. This use of repetition is something that heavily plagues the album: More than half of the songs force the listener to sit through choruses that offer nothing more than repeating its’ title over and over. Delirious? After mindlessly repeating the same words, it’s not surprising that she was.

The only obvious highlights—“Something In The Way You Move,” Lost And Found,” and Goulding’s contribution to the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack, “Love Me Like You Do”—stand out for their sheer simplicity. The latter of the aforementioned three highlight tracks sees a surprisingly direct vocal transform from barely a whisper over a pulsating and skeletal beat, to a crescending epic final chorus in which she lets it all go, introducing layered background vocals and echoing drums. By not sounding like the rest of the album, it stands out as a winner, avoiding the ‘anti-pop’ mentality that plagues every other track.

Though the songs provide a hopeful glimpse into a possible future Ellie Goulding—someone who is in command of her own music, finally letting the lyrics do the talking while avoiding getting so caught up in being ‘pop’ that it erodes her own artisticity—it’s hard to actually conceive how she made a record this arbitrary and faceless. There are so many topics to sing about; so many production tricks—heck, even Katy Perry succeeded in creating a more interesting collections of songs on her 2013 album, Prism, than this.

Put simply, the album already feels dated. And annoying. And utterly pointless. For an artist who claims to “have big dreams, baby,” (see “Holding On For Life”) she should have actually acted on them. Instead, she’s left tirelessly belabouring “I got you on my mind,” but after listening to this record, it’s anything but what listeners should want to have on their minds

Standout Tracks

: “Something In The Way You Move,” “Love Me Like You Do,” & “Lost And Found.”

Best Lyric

: “I get so caught up in the city cloud / But this place is still my first love.”

Sounds Like

: A lost and lifeless Ellie Goulding.

a, Hockey, Martlets, Sports

Hockey: Martlets power past Ravens to move above .500

by Zikomo Smith on

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McGill Martlets
2

Carleton Ravens
0

The McGill Martlets (4-3-0) finally broke out of their power play slump when senior defenceman Brittney Fouracres second period slap-shot found the back of the Carleton Ravens’ (2-5-0) net in McGill’s 2-0 victory on Sunday at McConnell Arena. This is the first time McGill has scored in their 24 power plays this season.

“Honestly, [this season] our power play has been good, we just haven’t put the puck in the net,” Head Coach Peter Smith said, “We finally got a power play goal and I think the girls deserved that.”

McGill avenged its 1-0 loss to Carleton on Friday—the second time the Ravens had beaten McGill in their head to head history.

“Carleton, they play hard, they clog up the middle,” Smith said.

McGill, however, showed flashes of being their dominant selves. They outshot Carleton 44-12 over the game, they were perfect on penalty kills, and senior goalie Taylor Hough registered her second shutout of the season, including a sensational save with her right leg three minutes towards the end of the third period. McGill’s transition defence was excellent—Fouracres in particular was effective in getting her body behind Ravens counter attacks and shutting them down.

“Our transition game was good,” Smith commented.

On offence, McGill moved the puck efficiently on offence. Their puck support was disciplined and energetic. The second half of the first period saw an exhilarating passage of inter-passing. senior forward Gabrielle Davidson and senior centre Melodie Daoust slalomed down the sideline, using the sideboard to deke past Carleton defenders and keep control of the puck. McGill moved the puck so easily and gracefully, it was a surprise they could not find the back of the net until the second period.

“I think there is flow that occurs in any game,” Smith said. “I think when you have a real good shift—and I thought we had a couple of real good shifts towards the second half of that first period—[…]hockey is such a momentum game and when you gain the momentum everybody is golden. I thought we kept our feet moving and lots of good things happening.”

The second period saw Carleton clog up the middle portion of the rink and the area around their goal, but McGill still managing to find the back of the net on Fouracres’ shot. McGill dominated the third period—it was capped off by Davidson’s goal in the 10th minute of the stanza after a series of passes between sophomore forward Marie-Philip Lavoie and Daoust.

McGill will play Concordia (3-2-1) next week on Nov. 20.

Quotable

“We’ll continue to work on our offensive zone. We scored two goal today and we had lots of chances, we’ll look to put more pucks in the net and we’ll continue to work on that.” – Smith on McGill’s focus in the upcoming weeks.

Stat corner

McGill now have a record of 83-2-1 against the Carleton Ravens.

Play of the game

Taylor Hough’s save with three minutes left in the game was sensational. She was drawn right of the goal as a Carleton attacker twisted the puck towards the middle of the net. Hough dropped down and extended her leg to stop the puck inches from the goal line

NFL Fantasy Football
a, Football, Sports

Fantasy football: Week 10 Takeaways

by Josh Blatt on

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Week 10 in the NFL was another reminder, as if fans needed one, that football is an unpredictable and heartless sport. The Green Bay Packers fell to the Detroit Lions, the New Orleans Saints to the Washington Redskins, the Denver Broncos to the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Cincinnati Bengals to the Houston Texans. Most notably, Broncos future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Peyton Manning was benched and will not start in Week 11, sending many fantasy football owners scrambling for a replacement. Let’s turn the attention to some key fantasy football takeaways:

A tough break for Julian Edelman

Only a week after losing running back Dion Lewis, the New England Patriots find themselves mourning the loss of sure-handed wide receiver Julian Edelman. Edelman broke a bone in his foot during Sunday’s tilt with the New York Giants and will be shelved for the remainder of the regular season. Though the Pats sit at a perfect 9-0, this is a huge blow to the team’s red-zone offence. The lifelong Patriot finishes the season with 61 catches, 692 yards, and seven touchdowns. Wideout Danny Amendola will slide into Edelman’s spot and possess instant fantasy value with quarterback Tom Brady at the helm.

SuperCam stays hot

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton carried his team to another win this Sunday against the Tennessee Titans to climb to 9-0 on the season. The fifth-year signal caller threw for 217 yards and scored two all-purpose touchdowns. Newton has continued to put up big numbers this year despite playing with arguably the worst receiving corps in the NFL, Carolina currently ranks 28th in the league in passing yards. He should continue to roll with upcoming matchups versus some of the league’s weaker defences (Redskins, Cowboys, and Saints). He is a no-brainer, top-five play.

The Green Bay Slackers

Following the Packers’ third loss in as many weeks, people are asking “what’s wrong with Aaron Rodgers?” Rodgers has seen his numbers drastically decline over the course of the season—the team has not scored more than 30 points since Week 3, and have failed to reach 20 points in two of their last three games. In Week 10 against the abysmal Lions, Rodgers consistently failed to move the chains due to sloppy catching and poorly placed throws. Though it’s hard to lose faith in Rodgers, fantasy football owners can only hope that Head Coach Mike McCarthy improves his offensive game plan.

Captain Kirk

Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins obliterated the Saints for 324 yards and four touchdowns in a 47-14 blowout win. He notched a perfect passer rating and season-best 80 per cent completion mark against the historically bad Saints defence. Cousins has also shown good chemistry with oft-injured tight end Jordan Reed—they’ve connected for five touchdowns in the last three games. Facing the undefeated Panthers in Week 11, however, Cousins is better off left on fantasy benches.

Joshua Hyslop
a, Arts & Entertainment

Album Review: In Deepest Blue – Joshua Hyslop

by Patrick Drummond on

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In Deepest Blue is the new album by West Coast singer-songwriter Joshua Hyslop. It follows his 2012 debut, Where the Mountain Meets the Valley, and does not stray from his well-established mellow indie folk sound. The cover art for the album is an appropriate depiction of the music within: A steel-blue watercolor painting of the shore with dark clouds on the top and few rocks at the bottom. Like the music, it is very pretty and very soothing, but also empty. In Deepest Blue presents itself as a raging swell, but in reality is more of a puddle.

The album opens with gentle plucked acoustic guitars and mandolin melody in “The Flood,” before Hyslop’s breathy vocals enter with lyrics about love and loss. Track two, “Falling,” follows the same formula, but with the addition of a haunting pedal steel guitar. Hyslop is a very technically talented singer, with light, breathy vocals reminiscent of Belle and Sebastian or Nick Drake. His vocals add gentleness and warmth to the songs, but they are also one of the albums largest flaws. Hyslop sings about complex topics, but he does not have the vocal compassion and charisma to sound convincing. This results in songs that sound shallow and clichéd instead of nuanced and heartfelt. His lyrics also rarely dive deeper into the subjects he’s singing about, and as a result, when he claims that “I’ve loved, I’ve lost,” it is hard to believe him.

Though In Deepest Blue is far from perfect, it does have many good moments: Chiefly the production, which is easily the highlight of the album. Hyslop takes advantage of a huge variety of instruments, including the banjo and organ, and blends them together to create a soothing folk sound. Also, tracks such as “Living and Dying” and “Instrumental” feature gorgeous intricately fingerpicked guitar parts that are sure to appeal to musicians and folk fans.

In Deepest Blue exhibits Hyslop’s strengths and potential as an artist, but it ultimately falls short of its target. Hyslop’s songs are pleasantly folky and easy to listen to, but they lack the passion and emotional depth that a singer-songwriter needs in order to be memorable and sing with conviction. The juxtaposition of the flat vocals with impersonal lyrics just makes Hyslop not much more than a guy at the open mic who takes himself far too seriously.

Standout Track:

“Gone”

Sounds Like:

The Tallest Man on Earth, Bon Iver, Nick Drake

Would be better if:

Hyslop put more emotion into his vocals

a, McGill, News

McGill student sued for destruction of masters thesis

by Laura Hanrahan on

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On Wednesday Nov. 4, McGill alumnus Elias Gedamu M.ENG‘11 was brought to court by NeuroRx Research Inc., a research organization that images the central nervous system, where he completed research for his Masters of Engineering thesis. McGill Professor Dr. Douglas Arnold, president of NeuroRX, supervised Gedamu’s research and was the representative for NeuroRx present during trial proceedings. In a statement of claim, served on April 9, 2013, NeuroRx called for the destruction of Gedamu’s already published works, including his thesis.s

“NeuroRx […] asks this Honourable Court to issue a permanent injunction, enjoining [Gedamu] to destroy all papers, writing and publications (past, present, or future) in which he has used, uses, or will be using, directly or indirectly, any confidential data and information obtained during his employment at NeuroRx Research Inc. and/or in the context of his work and research as a student at McGill University,” the statement read.

Following a lengthy discussion outside of the courtroom, both parties came to a settlement, the details of which have not been released.

 

Lack of protective policies

 

Currently, McGill has no clear policies in place to address a student whose thesis is called upon for destruction, even though the univeristy customarily retains ownership and copyrights of theses published by its students. According to Gedamu’s lawyer, Julius Grey, this is an area that needs to be addressed at the university level.

“It is clear that some new policy must be adopted by Canadian universities to regulate in the interest of both teachers and the use of material that student uses for his or her Masters,” Grey said.

Masters of Physiology student, Ali Gariépy expressed concerns over the ability of students to legally defend themselves against professors or large companies if they were to find themselves in a similar situation.

“Masters students don’t really have the means [to defend themselves], whereas a professor has the university behind them I guess, which would make it a little difficult,” she said.

 

Data confidentiality

 

NeuroRx describes the use of confidential information and data in Gedamu’s thesis as a driving force behind their motivation for its destruction.

“That data and information are strictly confidential and belong to NeuroRx’s clients, partners, and sponsors,” the statement reads. “[It is] not meant to be revealed, published, distributed, disclosed or used without prior approval from NeuroRx and its clients, partners and sponsors.”

According to Arnold, while client consent may have been given for information to be used for clinical research purposes, no consent was given for its publication.

“The use of confidential data in research is a very sensitive topic, but an extremely important one,” Arnold said. “There are several reasons why the use and publication of confidential data require approval. One example is that the informed consent provided by patients may not have included the use of their protected personal health information for anything other than the original purpose that they consented to. Another is that that the owners of confidential data have a legitimate interest in what is done with their data, and may place contractual restrictions on redistribution of their data to third parties.”

While conducting research with NeuroRX, Gedamu received a Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) scholarship. An agreement signed between Gedamu and NSERC stipulates the use of research results for publication as a requirement of the scholarship.

“It is the intention of the parties that the students [or] post-docs publish the results of the research activities for the purpose of the students’ [or] post-docs’ thesis, research paper, patents or, more generally, scientific literature,” the agreement reads.

Additionally, Gedamu’s statement of defence claims that NeuroRx was made aware of his intention to publish his findings prior to their publication.

“[NeuroRx]’s representative (Dr. Douglas Arnold) and [Gedamu’s] supervisors (Dr. Douglas Arnold himself and Dr. Louis Collins) were clearly aware of [Gedamu]’s intent to publish his findings and agreed with the idea, the whole appears from e-mail exchanges,” the statement read.

Gedamu has previously published three research papers from 2008, 2009, and 2010 respectively, all of which list Arnold and Collins as authors.

 

Employee status

 

A secondary area of contention in the lawsuit is the status of students as employees of the companies where their thesis research is completed. NeuroRx claims Gedamu as a former employee; Gedamu’s defence, however, states this was not the case.

“He was not an employee of [the] Plaintiff, but a graduate student sponsored by [NeuroRx] to pursue research activities pursuant to two successive NSERC Agreements between [Gedamu], [NeuroRx] and McGill,” the defence reads.

The defence additionally claimed that any contracts entered into between Gedamu and NeuroRx after the NSERC agreements had been signed, including agreements concerning confidentiality and disclosure of client information, were void as they went against the NSERC agreement.

“The non-university partner will not ask the student [or] post-doc to sign any agreement or contract without obtaining the university’s consent to such agreement,” the NSERC agreement reads. “Failing this, any other consent will be void, irrespective of the date of signature.”

a, News, SSMU

CKUT fee increase fails in SSMU referendum

by Shrinkhala Dawadi and Laura Hanrahan on

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The results of the 2015 Students’ Society of McGill University (SSMU) referendum were announced on Nov. 15. All referendum questions passed, with the exception of the CKUT fee increase.

 

The Safety Network fee

 

The first referendum question, which proposed the creation of a SSMU Safety Network Fee passed by 75.3 per cent. The non-opt-outable fee, which will charge students $3.97 per semester, will be used to collectively fund the services of the SSMU Safety Network: The McGill Students’ Emergency Response Team (M-SERT), DriveSafe, WalkSafe, and the Sexual Assault Centre of McGill Students’ Society (SACOMSS).

The Safety Network fee will replace the old fee structure, where M-SERT was funded by a non-opt-outable student fee of $0.50 per semester, and SACOMSS was funded by a non-opt-outable student fee of  $0.75 per undergraduate per semester. WalkSafe and DriveSafe were funded by a $0.05 and $0.25 per student per semester fee respectively, allocated to them by SSMU from the SSMU base membership fee. SSMU Vice-President (VP) Finance Zacheriah Houston spoke to the success of the referendum question.

“We’re thrilled that the safety network fee passed,” Houston said. “The passing of this fee means that [MSERT] will have guaranteed funding for the next five years, and is also more transparent to students because they know what they’re paying directly into. SACOMSS getting a fee increase is incredible because they’ll be able to pay their staff, which is something that they need to do.”

The Safety Network fee will be charged to students from Winter 2016 to Winter 2021, inclusively.

 

CKUT fee

 

In the referendum question regarding the CKUT Radio student fee, 54.7 per cent of students voted “No” to the referendum question that proposed increasing the CKUT fee for all undergraduate students regardless of faculty by $1.50.

According to the CKUT’s annual budget for 2015-2016, the radio station is currently running a deficit of $40,251. Chair of the CKUT Board of Directors Cecilia MacArthur spoke to the ramifications of the results.

“The loss has dire effects on our ability to function as a radio station,” MacArthur said. “Still, we will not be closing. As a station, we will continue discussions about new sources of fundings, including restructuring how we sell ads and fundraising in other ways.”

 

Plebiscite questions

 

The vote on the first plebiscite question, proposing that SSMU increase its focus on developing projects that alleviate the cost of commodities, like housing and food, for students, saw 79.0 per cent of students in support.

“Do you support the SSMU focusing more of its energy on developing projects to increase the financial accessibility of commodities, such as student housing and food cooperatives, for students?” the plebiscite question read.

SSMU President Kareem Ibrahim expressed his excitement about the opportunities that the results of  this plebiscite has presented.

“I’m definitely excited to see that students would want to see SSMU having a more active role in not only student-run co-ops but also in just making things more accessible to them financially,” Ibrahim said. “There is this student housing that we’re interested in exploring, also making the Nest and the [Student Run Cafe] a bit more student-run, it’s something I think would be of interest to students, and something we could invest more time in.”

In regards to the second plebiscite question, 56.9 per cent of students voted “Yes” to part one, which proposed the creation of a new yearbook fee to fund Old McGill, McGill’s yearbook. For part two of the plebiscite question, 76.6 per cent of students voted “Yes” for which stated that this fee would be non-opt-outable.

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