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Little Bit of Love: Supernatural
Written by: Avery Love
Picture this: You just got home for work with some takeout and you really just want to lay down and watch some Netflix. You’re scrolling through some options when you see a title you’ve heard thrown around before: Supernatural. You decide to give it a try, no biggie if you don’t like it, you’ll just be back to searching. You press play and the first episode starts to play…-
Supernatural is an American TV series. The show focuses around main characters and brothers Sam and Dean Winchester (played by Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, respectively). Their family has been hunting for as long as they can remember, but it’s not animals that they’re hunting. They hunt the supernatural, hence the name of the show.
It’s a refreshing mix of something between horror and comedy that will leave you wheezing laughing, but still not able to sleep at night. The coming season (fifteen) will be the show’s last, leaving viewers all over the world shocked, angry and sad. “Oh yeah,” said 9th grader Olivia Stacey. “I’m still not over it, I’m so mad.” Even though Supernatural was bound to end eventually, fans are so immersed in it that they hate the thought that it’s ending so soon.
People get really invested into the lives of their fictional favs in many ways, including making memes, edits and a very common phenomena called shipping. Shipping is where people choose the two people they think would be good as a couple and they call it a ship! It’s the same thing for Supernatural. The most common ship for Supernatural is Destiel, which is Dean (De) and a character that doesn’t come into the show until Season 4 named Castiel (Stiel). On the topic of shipping, Olivia said “I’m a huge fan of Dean and Jo. I think they’re great together.” People draw fanart, write fanfiction and do many other things to give their ships life. One reason the fanbase is so dependent on the fandom culture is because sometimes (a lot of times) the show doesn’t go the way you want it to. If a character dies or goes through a lot of angst, if your ship doesn’t happen or the creators make an episode that’s completely out of character, fans want to be able to fix it. That’s where things called ‘headcanons’ come in. Canon is the term for what actually happens in the show. A headcanon however is a sort of theory that only happens in your head, or what you wish was real. It helps fans of all ages get deeper into the show and have more appreciation for the characters and their lives.
No matter if you’re a seasoned veteran of the Supernatural fandom or you just decided to watch it last night and you’ve already binged halfway through the second season, the show will pull you in and make you a fan.
Supernatural is an American TV series. The show focuses around main characters and brothers Sam and Dean Winchester (played by Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, respectively). Their family has been hunting for as long as they can remember, but it’s not animals that they’re hunting. They hunt the supernatural, hence the name of the show.
It’s a refreshing mix of something between horror and comedy that will leave you wheezing laughing, but still not able to sleep at night. The coming season (fifteen) will be the show’s last, leaving viewers all over the world shocked, angry and sad. “Oh yeah,” said 9th grader Olivia Stacey. “I’m still not over it, I’m so mad.” Even though Supernatural was bound to end eventually, fans are so immersed in it that they hate the thought that it’s ending so soon.
People get really invested into the lives of their fictional favs in many ways, including making memes, edits and a very common phenomena called shipping. Shipping is where people choose the two people they think would be good as a couple and they call it a ship! It’s the same thing for Supernatural. The most common ship for Supernatural is Destiel, which is Dean (De) and a character that doesn’t come into the show until Season 4 named Castiel (Stiel). On the topic of shipping, Olivia said “I’m a huge fan of Dean and Jo. I think they’re great together.” People draw fanart, write fanfiction and do many other things to give their ships life. One reason the fanbase is so dependent on the fandom culture is because sometimes (a lot of times) the show doesn’t go the way you want it to. If a character dies or goes through a lot of angst, if your ship doesn’t happen or the creators make an episode that’s completely out of character, fans want to be able to fix it. That’s where things called ‘headcanons’ come in. Canon is the term for what actually happens in the show. A headcanon however is a sort of theory that only happens in your head, or what you wish was real. It helps fans of all ages get deeper into the show and have more appreciation for the characters and their lives.
No matter if you’re a seasoned veteran of the Supernatural fandom or you just decided to watch it last night and you’ve already binged halfway through the second season, the show will pull you in and make you a fan.
A Day in the Life of... Bailee Lowe
Written by: Alyssa Manley
Race car driving is a dangerous motorsport that results in many accidents, injuries, and sometimes even death. But this doesn’t faze junior, Bailee Lowe who loves the adrenaline and thrill he gets from racing. He started getting into racing at the young age of six when his father introduced him to it. “My dad was a NASCAR driver and his dad was too... I guess you could say it’s in the blood.”
Almost every weekend since then, he’s been training and practicing hard to achieve his lifelong dream; to follow in his family’s footsteps and be a NASCAR racer. “I swear, there isn’t one weekend he isn’t doing something related to racing,” says Bailee’s good friend, Heath Norman. “If there’s ever a day that he doesn’t talk about racing, I think I might cry with joy.” Although it may be annoying sometimes, his friends are always there to support him. “It’s such a great feeling winning a race and standing on that podium in front of 50,000+ people. It’s even better though when there are specific people in the stands who came just to see you.”
He can’t win every time, however. Nobody likes to lose, but this is especially true for highly competitive people like Bailee. “Man, it’s so frustrating when you lose. I usually get mad, which makes my mom get mad, which makes my dad get mad, and before you know it the entire family is angry all over one single race. It’s pretty intense.” But losing is all a part of the game. “It makes me try harder next time, and really make sure I don’t make the same mistake again.”
Some of his driving mistakes have resulted in multiple incidents that have taken place on the race track. He has gotten in several wrecks throughout his racing career, and each of them he’s been incredibly lucky to have come out of unharmed. “There was this one crash I got into that completely ruined my car. It flipped upside down a couple times and got banged up pretty good on the sides and all. I didn’t get majorly hurt though, and I’m very thankful for that.”
Even with all he’s been through, he’s never taken his eye off the prize. He plans to continue racing throughout his life no matter what. “If I ever have a wife, I hope she likes the race track because that’s where we’re spending most of our time,” he laughs. “I wouldn’t give up racing for anything.”
Almost every weekend since then, he’s been training and practicing hard to achieve his lifelong dream; to follow in his family’s footsteps and be a NASCAR racer. “I swear, there isn’t one weekend he isn’t doing something related to racing,” says Bailee’s good friend, Heath Norman. “If there’s ever a day that he doesn’t talk about racing, I think I might cry with joy.” Although it may be annoying sometimes, his friends are always there to support him. “It’s such a great feeling winning a race and standing on that podium in front of 50,000+ people. It’s even better though when there are specific people in the stands who came just to see you.”
He can’t win every time, however. Nobody likes to lose, but this is especially true for highly competitive people like Bailee. “Man, it’s so frustrating when you lose. I usually get mad, which makes my mom get mad, which makes my dad get mad, and before you know it the entire family is angry all over one single race. It’s pretty intense.” But losing is all a part of the game. “It makes me try harder next time, and really make sure I don’t make the same mistake again.”
Some of his driving mistakes have resulted in multiple incidents that have taken place on the race track. He has gotten in several wrecks throughout his racing career, and each of them he’s been incredibly lucky to have come out of unharmed. “There was this one crash I got into that completely ruined my car. It flipped upside down a couple times and got banged up pretty good on the sides and all. I didn’t get majorly hurt though, and I’m very thankful for that.”
Even with all he’s been through, he’s never taken his eye off the prize. He plans to continue racing throughout his life no matter what. “If I ever have a wife, I hope she likes the race track because that’s where we’re spending most of our time,” he laughs. “I wouldn’t give up racing for anything.”
Little Bit of Love: Fandom Reviews
Written by: Avery Love
Divergent was written by best-selling YA author Veronica Roth. It was released in 2011, with the two sequels Insurgent and Allegiant following in 2012 and 2013, respectively. A movie contract sealed the deal, sending her spiraling into fame. For this week we’ll only be talking about the first book.
Basically, “Divergent” is a science-fiction dystopia novel set in a future version of Chicago. Protagonist Beatrice Prior lives in a society that is divided into five separate factions, each based on a person’s set of core values. Abnegation values selflessness, Erudite values learning and intelligence, Dauntless values bravery, Amity, peace and harmony, and Candor values honesty. Every teenager in every faction takes the aptitude test meant to tell them what faction they’d fit best in on their sixteenth birthday. When Tris finishes her test, she’s told that she’s a Divergent: a person that gets multiple aptitudes, instead of only one. She’s told that a divergent is a dangerous thing to be, and to never tell anyone. Once a year, every year, the 16 year olds of every faction gather to choose what faction they want to be in. They can choose to stay in the faction they’re born in, or switch to another. Beatrice transfers to Dauntless from Abnegation, and as the story progresses, scandals are uncovered about corrupt officials, a political overthrow, and what’s really happening to the Divergents.
There’s a lot of attention-capturing action, heartwarming moments of friendship, and many other parts that make this book amazing, but there’s also a few possible triggers in some parts that you may want to be wary of. There will be spoilers ahead, so please be wary! When Tris, (the new chosen name of Beatrice Prior) is being harrassed by some of the other Dauntless transfers, they pull off her towel, making fun of her naked body, and harassing her. There’s a scene when another Dauntless transfer commits suicide, jumping into a chasm. It doesn’t show him jumping, or the fall, only his broken body being dragged out of the water, but that can still be triggering. There’s also large amounts of blood and gore, so in other words, just be cautious while you read.
However else it sounds, the book also has really good parts! Tris settles in with some of the transfers, and some of the Dauntless-borns and makes a lot of new friends who love her, and they spend a lot of time hanging out. In one scene, Uriah, a Dauntless-born, takes Tris along on a bonding experience with the other Dauntless-born initiates, and she makes a ton of new friends of both kinds of initiates. Another awesome part is when the initiates team up to play capture the flag. They’re waken up and told to get ready for another field trip. They’re split into 2 teams, even with dauntless-born and transfers, with teams chosen by the team captains (Eric and Four). Tris is on Four’s team, and the two of them climb the ferris wheel. They see the other team’s flag, and their team ends up winning!
Overall, “Divergent” is an action-packed thriller, filled with conflict and action, but not lacking for wholesome friendships and happy times. It’s definitely a must-read for sci/fi and lovers of dystopian novels, but if things like this bother you, this might not be the book for you. If there’s any other article you’d like to see, DM us on Instagram and request something!
Basically, “Divergent” is a science-fiction dystopia novel set in a future version of Chicago. Protagonist Beatrice Prior lives in a society that is divided into five separate factions, each based on a person’s set of core values. Abnegation values selflessness, Erudite values learning and intelligence, Dauntless values bravery, Amity, peace and harmony, and Candor values honesty. Every teenager in every faction takes the aptitude test meant to tell them what faction they’d fit best in on their sixteenth birthday. When Tris finishes her test, she’s told that she’s a Divergent: a person that gets multiple aptitudes, instead of only one. She’s told that a divergent is a dangerous thing to be, and to never tell anyone. Once a year, every year, the 16 year olds of every faction gather to choose what faction they want to be in. They can choose to stay in the faction they’re born in, or switch to another. Beatrice transfers to Dauntless from Abnegation, and as the story progresses, scandals are uncovered about corrupt officials, a political overthrow, and what’s really happening to the Divergents.
There’s a lot of attention-capturing action, heartwarming moments of friendship, and many other parts that make this book amazing, but there’s also a few possible triggers in some parts that you may want to be wary of. There will be spoilers ahead, so please be wary! When Tris, (the new chosen name of Beatrice Prior) is being harrassed by some of the other Dauntless transfers, they pull off her towel, making fun of her naked body, and harassing her. There’s a scene when another Dauntless transfer commits suicide, jumping into a chasm. It doesn’t show him jumping, or the fall, only his broken body being dragged out of the water, but that can still be triggering. There’s also large amounts of blood and gore, so in other words, just be cautious while you read.
However else it sounds, the book also has really good parts! Tris settles in with some of the transfers, and some of the Dauntless-borns and makes a lot of new friends who love her, and they spend a lot of time hanging out. In one scene, Uriah, a Dauntless-born, takes Tris along on a bonding experience with the other Dauntless-born initiates, and she makes a ton of new friends of both kinds of initiates. Another awesome part is when the initiates team up to play capture the flag. They’re waken up and told to get ready for another field trip. They’re split into 2 teams, even with dauntless-born and transfers, with teams chosen by the team captains (Eric and Four). Tris is on Four’s team, and the two of them climb the ferris wheel. They see the other team’s flag, and their team ends up winning!
Overall, “Divergent” is an action-packed thriller, filled with conflict and action, but not lacking for wholesome friendships and happy times. It’s definitely a must-read for sci/fi and lovers of dystopian novels, but if things like this bother you, this might not be the book for you. If there’s any other article you’d like to see, DM us on Instagram and request something!
Little Bit of Love: Fandom Reviews
Written by: Avery Love
When you say the words “Harry Potter” or mention something else from the hit series, there’s a 99% chance you’ll be within a stone’s throw from another fan. Since the publishing of the first book, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” in 1997, the series has been a huge hit, churning out movies, games, books, and mass amounts of merchandise. The author, J. K. Rowling is the only author in the world who has hit billionaire status, which goes to show you just how popular the “Harry Potter” series really is. It’s open for a lot of different interpretations from different people and these books are an important part of a lot of people’s lives. This week, we’ll be going in-depth about the magical world of “Harry Potter” so let’s get to it!
Stripped to just the basics, Ava Meigs, a ninth grader, describes “Harry Potter” as “a sort of fantasy world, mostly centered around these three friends who go on adventures to keep the rest of the wizarding world safe from the dark arts.” This holds true throughout all 7 books, with the three friends gaining allies and support along the way, and adventures getting more and more perilous with each book.
Out of the trio of friends, there’s an obvious fan-favorite. Hermione Granger, the strong, smart, book nerd who doesn’t take any crap from anybody. When asked why Hermione was her favorite character, Alana Ray, (9th) said it was because “she’s just really smart and without her Harry would’ve been dead in the first book” while Ava said “Woman power, you know? She just embodies feminism and she’s so strong!” On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have everyone’s least favorite. The one vapid snake we all hated more than we actually hated Voldemort himself! Dolores Umbridge. Alana scowled when the name was mentioned, exclaiming that “She’s just a brat. She tortures children, and she’s just… she’s awful."
“Harry Potter” may have first been published in 1997, but the hype for it is still just as enthusiastic, if not more so than it was twenty-two years ago. The addition of the 8 original and 2 new Fantastic Beasts movies have added new hype, a new viewership, and a new stream of revenue other than just the books. But as good as the movies are, both Alana and Ava agreed that the books were, in every case better, because there’s just some important details you can’t adequately portray in a movie, compared to the in-depth perfection of the original books.
“Harry Potter” is a multimedia global phenomenon, and a big part of many people’s lives. That’s all for this episode of “Little Bit of Love!” so tune in next time for another exciting article. DM us on Instagram to request a TV show, book, movie, or fandom that you’d like to see me review. See you next time!
Stripped to just the basics, Ava Meigs, a ninth grader, describes “Harry Potter” as “a sort of fantasy world, mostly centered around these three friends who go on adventures to keep the rest of the wizarding world safe from the dark arts.” This holds true throughout all 7 books, with the three friends gaining allies and support along the way, and adventures getting more and more perilous with each book.
Out of the trio of friends, there’s an obvious fan-favorite. Hermione Granger, the strong, smart, book nerd who doesn’t take any crap from anybody. When asked why Hermione was her favorite character, Alana Ray, (9th) said it was because “she’s just really smart and without her Harry would’ve been dead in the first book” while Ava said “Woman power, you know? She just embodies feminism and she’s so strong!” On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have everyone’s least favorite. The one vapid snake we all hated more than we actually hated Voldemort himself! Dolores Umbridge. Alana scowled when the name was mentioned, exclaiming that “She’s just a brat. She tortures children, and she’s just… she’s awful."
“Harry Potter” may have first been published in 1997, but the hype for it is still just as enthusiastic, if not more so than it was twenty-two years ago. The addition of the 8 original and 2 new Fantastic Beasts movies have added new hype, a new viewership, and a new stream of revenue other than just the books. But as good as the movies are, both Alana and Ava agreed that the books were, in every case better, because there’s just some important details you can’t adequately portray in a movie, compared to the in-depth perfection of the original books.
“Harry Potter” is a multimedia global phenomenon, and a big part of many people’s lives. That’s all for this episode of “Little Bit of Love!” so tune in next time for another exciting article. DM us on Instagram to request a TV show, book, movie, or fandom that you’d like to see me review. See you next time!
Bi-Weekly Music Reviews
Written by: Chris Bridges
Modular Recordings, 2000
February 8-15, 2019
HOMESHAKE - Helium
Label: Royal Mountain Release Date: February 15, 2019
This is going to be a rather short review because, unfortunately, there just isn’t much to say about this album. I will give a little background, however. HOMESHAKE is the solo musical project of Peter Sagar, a former member of Mac DeMarco’s touring band. He released two albums under the name in both 2014 and 2015 but didn’t exactly break through until 2017’s Fresh Air, an album that offered a little more fun and swagger than I was expecting from his usual brand of hypnagogic pop, veering into more alternative R&B territory, but unfortunately didn’t offer any tunes that stuck with me once I turned it off. It was simply a decent collection of songs to be played in the background and nothing more. With Helium Sagar has delivered another forgettable album, except this time the songs escape your memory seemingly as you’re listening to them. Gone are the grooves and heavy R&B influences that made Fresh Air at least something to bop your head to while writing a paper, as these sounds have been replaced with… well, nothing really. This leads into the main problem with this album, which is that there’s just nothing here to latch onto, nothing to keep your attention, nothing to think about after the album ends or even as it’s playing. It’s the musical equivalent of wallpaper. There’s nothing offensively bad or outstandingly good, it just stands right in the middle of it all, passive and uninteresting. Although there are much worse ways to kill half an hour, Helium is easily the weakest release in a series of albums that weren’t exactly that strong to begin with.
Best Tracks: “Just Like My” / “(Secret Track)”
Worst Track: “Salu Says Hi”
Overall Rating: 5/10
Label: Royal Mountain Release Date: February 15, 2019
This is going to be a rather short review because, unfortunately, there just isn’t much to say about this album. I will give a little background, however. HOMESHAKE is the solo musical project of Peter Sagar, a former member of Mac DeMarco’s touring band. He released two albums under the name in both 2014 and 2015 but didn’t exactly break through until 2017’s Fresh Air, an album that offered a little more fun and swagger than I was expecting from his usual brand of hypnagogic pop, veering into more alternative R&B territory, but unfortunately didn’t offer any tunes that stuck with me once I turned it off. It was simply a decent collection of songs to be played in the background and nothing more. With Helium Sagar has delivered another forgettable album, except this time the songs escape your memory seemingly as you’re listening to them. Gone are the grooves and heavy R&B influences that made Fresh Air at least something to bop your head to while writing a paper, as these sounds have been replaced with… well, nothing really. This leads into the main problem with this album, which is that there’s just nothing here to latch onto, nothing to keep your attention, nothing to think about after the album ends or even as it’s playing. It’s the musical equivalent of wallpaper. There’s nothing offensively bad or outstandingly good, it just stands right in the middle of it all, passive and uninteresting. Although there are much worse ways to kill half an hour, Helium is easily the weakest release in a series of albums that weren’t exactly that strong to begin with.
Best Tracks: “Just Like My” / “(Secret Track)”
Worst Track: “Salu Says Hi”
Overall Rating: 5/10
Xiu Xiu - Girl With Basket of Fruit
Label: Polyvinyl Release Date: February 8, 2019
Xiu Xiu are certainly no stranger to experimentation, in fact “experimental” is pretty much the only way you could categorize them. Since forming in 2002, the band has kept two things consistent: frontman Jamie Stewart being the only consistent member of the lineup, and every album they’ve released under the name have each been a powerful, emotional and uncomfortable experience in their own respective rights. On this album they haven’t changed these foundations of their music, but they seem to have amplified the uncomfortability factor to the point where it is probably the first thing people will mention when asked to describe this album. With a title as innocuous as Girl With a Basket of Fruit, one would not expect this album to be possibly one of the most terrifying musical experiences this half of the decade, but not only is it just that, it is also an electrifying project that is uniquely Xiu Xiu, and easily the best album released in 2019 thus far.
The electronic and post-industrial noise hits you immediately on the opening title track, where Jamie Stewart’s typical yelping and shouting brand of vocal delivery is used to depict a slew of lyrical imagery so surreal and disgusting that it would seem more comfortable on a Pig Destroyer album. Yet despite this, the pulsating electronic instrumental that Xiu Xiu has been utilizing since their inception is noisy and abrasive enough to fit the song’s subject matter perfectly. It’s anxious, disturbing, manic, ominous, and chaotic, and that’s what makes it a perfect introduction to Girl With a Basket of Fruit. These aspects don’t really change up until track 3, “Amargi ve Moo.” On this cut, Stewart sounds slightly more muted, almost as if he is frantically trying to deliver a terrifying message to someone all while attempting to stay hidden from an unknown threat, whispering manic delusions of impending doom to the listener. This all coalesces into the final act of the song, where after Stewart whispers the refrain of “I am not ready and I cannot accept,” the strings that make up the song’s instrumental amplify into a disturbing cacophony, and Stewart does what can only be described as motorboating into the microphone. Listening to this for the first time made my shoulders instantly tense up and the hair on the back of my neck immediately stand on end. This song is a mere microcosm of the unsettling and arresting atmosphere of Girl With a Basket of Fruit, which is ramped up to a 10 on possibly the album’s best track, “Mary Turner Mary Turner”. On this song, the lyrical content is the most cohesive on the album, but that doesn’t make it any less disturbing. This track recounts the true story of the lynchings of the African-American couple Hazel and Mary Turner in Brooks County, Georgia in 1918. The song describes the event in gruesome detail, illustrating the brutality and inhumanity of the lynchings that took place in the American South in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I’m going to spare the specific details, but I will say that “Mary Turner Mary Turner” only further reinforces the violent and nihilistic vibe of this album with its horrific descriptions and its refusal to pull any punches both lyrically and sonically.
Girl With a Basket of Fruit is anything but an easy listen. It’s possibly the only album I’ve listened to recently that can be described as a musical panic attack, maybe with the exception of Daughters’ most recent album You Won’t Get What You Want. This is the highest rating I’m giving to an album in this article, but it is without a doubt the most difficult to recommend. However, that is the reason I recommend it so strongly. It’s so easy to put on a song or album that already fits your music taste and that you likely already feel comfortable with listening to, but the artists who dare to experiment, explore new territory, and thrust the listener outside of their comfort zone are the artists who push music forward. Xiu Xiu have been one of those artists for over 15 years now, and with their newest effort they show no sign of slowing down.
Best Tracks: “Girl With a Basket of Fruit” / “Amargi ve Moo” / “Ice Cream Truck” / “Pumpkin Attack on Mommy and Daddy” / “Mary Turner Mary Turner” / Scissssssssors”
Worst Track: “The Wrong Thing”
Overall Rating: 9/10
Label: Polyvinyl Release Date: February 8, 2019
Xiu Xiu are certainly no stranger to experimentation, in fact “experimental” is pretty much the only way you could categorize them. Since forming in 2002, the band has kept two things consistent: frontman Jamie Stewart being the only consistent member of the lineup, and every album they’ve released under the name have each been a powerful, emotional and uncomfortable experience in their own respective rights. On this album they haven’t changed these foundations of their music, but they seem to have amplified the uncomfortability factor to the point where it is probably the first thing people will mention when asked to describe this album. With a title as innocuous as Girl With a Basket of Fruit, one would not expect this album to be possibly one of the most terrifying musical experiences this half of the decade, but not only is it just that, it is also an electrifying project that is uniquely Xiu Xiu, and easily the best album released in 2019 thus far.
The electronic and post-industrial noise hits you immediately on the opening title track, where Jamie Stewart’s typical yelping and shouting brand of vocal delivery is used to depict a slew of lyrical imagery so surreal and disgusting that it would seem more comfortable on a Pig Destroyer album. Yet despite this, the pulsating electronic instrumental that Xiu Xiu has been utilizing since their inception is noisy and abrasive enough to fit the song’s subject matter perfectly. It’s anxious, disturbing, manic, ominous, and chaotic, and that’s what makes it a perfect introduction to Girl With a Basket of Fruit. These aspects don’t really change up until track 3, “Amargi ve Moo.” On this cut, Stewart sounds slightly more muted, almost as if he is frantically trying to deliver a terrifying message to someone all while attempting to stay hidden from an unknown threat, whispering manic delusions of impending doom to the listener. This all coalesces into the final act of the song, where after Stewart whispers the refrain of “I am not ready and I cannot accept,” the strings that make up the song’s instrumental amplify into a disturbing cacophony, and Stewart does what can only be described as motorboating into the microphone. Listening to this for the first time made my shoulders instantly tense up and the hair on the back of my neck immediately stand on end. This song is a mere microcosm of the unsettling and arresting atmosphere of Girl With a Basket of Fruit, which is ramped up to a 10 on possibly the album’s best track, “Mary Turner Mary Turner”. On this song, the lyrical content is the most cohesive on the album, but that doesn’t make it any less disturbing. This track recounts the true story of the lynchings of the African-American couple Hazel and Mary Turner in Brooks County, Georgia in 1918. The song describes the event in gruesome detail, illustrating the brutality and inhumanity of the lynchings that took place in the American South in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I’m going to spare the specific details, but I will say that “Mary Turner Mary Turner” only further reinforces the violent and nihilistic vibe of this album with its horrific descriptions and its refusal to pull any punches both lyrically and sonically.
Girl With a Basket of Fruit is anything but an easy listen. It’s possibly the only album I’ve listened to recently that can be described as a musical panic attack, maybe with the exception of Daughters’ most recent album You Won’t Get What You Want. This is the highest rating I’m giving to an album in this article, but it is without a doubt the most difficult to recommend. However, that is the reason I recommend it so strongly. It’s so easy to put on a song or album that already fits your music taste and that you likely already feel comfortable with listening to, but the artists who dare to experiment, explore new territory, and thrust the listener outside of their comfort zone are the artists who push music forward. Xiu Xiu have been one of those artists for over 15 years now, and with their newest effort they show no sign of slowing down.
Best Tracks: “Girl With a Basket of Fruit” / “Amargi ve Moo” / “Ice Cream Truck” / “Pumpkin Attack on Mommy and Daddy” / “Mary Turner Mary Turner” / Scissssssssors”
Worst Track: “The Wrong Thing”
Overall Rating: 9/10
Panda Bear - Buoys
Label: Domino Release Date: February 8, 2019
In the world of experimental, cutting-edge indie pop music, Noah Lennox A.K.A. Panda Bear is a celebrity. One of the three members of Animal Collective alongside Geologist, Avey Tare (who also has a solo album coming this year), and Deakin, Panda Bear has also been able to make a name for himself with his acclaimed dreamy psychedelic solo records. From the wondrous soundscapes of the landmark Person Pitch to the more poppy, catchy, and trippy electronic melodies of Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper, Lennox has undoubtedly created a name for himself as Animal Collective’s most prolific member, and for good reason. So it should come as no surprise that many were excited to hear what Buoys would have in store once it was announced late last year, and after waiting until now for it to hit streaming services I can only think, that was a pretty long wait for something this underwhelming.
Person Pitch utilized both electronic sampling and acoustic instrumentation to create incredible psychedelic passages to get lost in, Tomboy took a more accessible approach to psychedelic pop but turned the reverb up to 11, Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper created fun, catchy, washed out electropop, and Buoys does...well...it’s an inventive album in the sense that it’s the first Panda Bear album to do absolutely nothing new. While I was listening to this, I was honestly astounded by how much of a bore it is. Even after listening to it multiple times, I can barely recall a single musical moment off of this thing. Buoys adds absolutely no new or interesting ideas to Lennox’s compelling discography and it’s honestly a shame because it comes from one of indie music’s chief innovators. It’s already 2019’s equivalent of Arcade Fire’s last album. Maybe not nearly as colossally disappointing or polarizing, but still an out of character album for a previously cutting-edge artist.
I gave the HOMESHAKE album a 5/10 because it was simply background music, a title that I could give this album as well, although it’s most definitely a little more instrumentally diverse. However, I believe context is important, and while HOMESHAKE’s discography wasn’t anything special to begin with, Panda Bear has proven with Animal Collective and his solo material that he is a master of his craft and he is far more capable of making engaging, creative music that is far better than this, for lack of a better word, snoozefest.
Best Tracks: I honestly don’t even remember a single one.
Worst Track: All of them, I guess.
Overall Rating: 4/10
Label: Domino Release Date: February 8, 2019
In the world of experimental, cutting-edge indie pop music, Noah Lennox A.K.A. Panda Bear is a celebrity. One of the three members of Animal Collective alongside Geologist, Avey Tare (who also has a solo album coming this year), and Deakin, Panda Bear has also been able to make a name for himself with his acclaimed dreamy psychedelic solo records. From the wondrous soundscapes of the landmark Person Pitch to the more poppy, catchy, and trippy electronic melodies of Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper, Lennox has undoubtedly created a name for himself as Animal Collective’s most prolific member, and for good reason. So it should come as no surprise that many were excited to hear what Buoys would have in store once it was announced late last year, and after waiting until now for it to hit streaming services I can only think, that was a pretty long wait for something this underwhelming.
Person Pitch utilized both electronic sampling and acoustic instrumentation to create incredible psychedelic passages to get lost in, Tomboy took a more accessible approach to psychedelic pop but turned the reverb up to 11, Panda Bear Meets the Grim Reaper created fun, catchy, washed out electropop, and Buoys does...well...it’s an inventive album in the sense that it’s the first Panda Bear album to do absolutely nothing new. While I was listening to this, I was honestly astounded by how much of a bore it is. Even after listening to it multiple times, I can barely recall a single musical moment off of this thing. Buoys adds absolutely no new or interesting ideas to Lennox’s compelling discography and it’s honestly a shame because it comes from one of indie music’s chief innovators. It’s already 2019’s equivalent of Arcade Fire’s last album. Maybe not nearly as colossally disappointing or polarizing, but still an out of character album for a previously cutting-edge artist.
I gave the HOMESHAKE album a 5/10 because it was simply background music, a title that I could give this album as well, although it’s most definitely a little more instrumentally diverse. However, I believe context is important, and while HOMESHAKE’s discography wasn’t anything special to begin with, Panda Bear has proven with Animal Collective and his solo material that he is a master of his craft and he is far more capable of making engaging, creative music that is far better than this, for lack of a better word, snoozefest.
Best Tracks: I honestly don’t even remember a single one.
Worst Track: All of them, I guess.
Overall Rating: 4/10
Avril Lavigne - Head Above Water
Label: BMG Release Date: February 15, 2019
This album is so bad it doesn’t deserve more than one sentence.
Best Tracks: “Bigger Wow”
Worst Track: “Dumb Blonde”
Overall Rating: 3/10
Label: BMG Release Date: February 15, 2019
This album is so bad it doesn’t deserve more than one sentence.
Best Tracks: “Bigger Wow”
Worst Track: “Dumb Blonde”
Overall Rating: 3/10
Ariana Grande - thank u, next
Label: Republic Release Date: February 8, 2019
When Ariana Grande first emerged as a pop star in the earlier part of the decade, her music could be accurately characterized as annoying and insufferable pop music for the lowest common denominator and the top of the Billboard charts. Besides the obvious sins of singles such as “Bang Bang,” “Problem,” and the brain-meltingly awful “Focus,” the former TV actress also seemed obsessed with maintaining a “bad girl” image but doing nothing with her music to warrant it. However, the past year has seen Ariana’s music improve in quality while still maintaining the image of a pop star. With Sweetener being a solid album accompanied by her best songs to date (i.e. “breathin,” “God is a woman,” “No Tears Left to Cry”), Ariana was finally receiving deserved acclaim from both critics and audiences, even those who wouldn’t consider themselves fans of her brand of music, myself included. However, this past year was also a time of distress for Ariana, with the sudden and untimely death of her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller and her rough breakup with Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson, among with having to deal with the spotlight as a result of these events. It was to be expected that her music was going to have some gravity to it, and while that was definitely the case on her last full-length effort, with this album (coming only six months later) she has taken all that pain and instability of 2018 and laid it all bare, while still refusing to drown in it and let it control her.
This album is one of the most genuinely written pop records in recent memory. On thank u, next Ariana peels back the facade that made her earlier work so lackluster and shows her true self and emotions unapologetically. From the tracks that showcase her flaws such as “needy”, “fake smile”, and “bad idea” to the tracks that still show her boldness and independence like “thank u, next”, “bloodline”, “NASA”, and the aptly titled “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored”, what all of these songs have in common is that they show how Ariana is willing to roll with the punches without sacrificing honesty or sincerity. “fake smile” touches on this the most, as Ariana sings “I won’t say I’m feeling fine, after what I been through I can’t lie.” However, despite her vulnerability coming through and her not failing to be romantic like on “imagine”, Ariana still comes through with fierce independence like on “bloodline”, where she’s seemingly letting down a boy who wants something more out of a non-emotional relationship, while she’s rather keep it that way. “Don’t want you in my bloodline, just wanna have a good time.”
If I’m making the themes on thank u, next sound messy and seemingly contradictory, that’s because they are, although this doesn’t really work to the album’s disadvantage. thank u, next is a true reflection of Ariana’s personal emotional state, a complex and messy portrait of her life in 2019. Now, this isn’t a perfect album, it has its weaker moments such as the still laughable faux-rap track “7 rings”, but as a whole this album is an unflinching and emotionally honest work that still manages to be an enjoyable listen.
Best Tracks: “imagine” / “bloodline” / “fake smile” / “bad idea” / “ghostin” / “thank u, next” / “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored”
Worst Track: “7 rings”
Overall Rating: 7/10
Label: Republic Release Date: February 8, 2019
When Ariana Grande first emerged as a pop star in the earlier part of the decade, her music could be accurately characterized as annoying and insufferable pop music for the lowest common denominator and the top of the Billboard charts. Besides the obvious sins of singles such as “Bang Bang,” “Problem,” and the brain-meltingly awful “Focus,” the former TV actress also seemed obsessed with maintaining a “bad girl” image but doing nothing with her music to warrant it. However, the past year has seen Ariana’s music improve in quality while still maintaining the image of a pop star. With Sweetener being a solid album accompanied by her best songs to date (i.e. “breathin,” “God is a woman,” “No Tears Left to Cry”), Ariana was finally receiving deserved acclaim from both critics and audiences, even those who wouldn’t consider themselves fans of her brand of music, myself included. However, this past year was also a time of distress for Ariana, with the sudden and untimely death of her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller and her rough breakup with Saturday Night Live star Pete Davidson, among with having to deal with the spotlight as a result of these events. It was to be expected that her music was going to have some gravity to it, and while that was definitely the case on her last full-length effort, with this album (coming only six months later) she has taken all that pain and instability of 2018 and laid it all bare, while still refusing to drown in it and let it control her.
This album is one of the most genuinely written pop records in recent memory. On thank u, next Ariana peels back the facade that made her earlier work so lackluster and shows her true self and emotions unapologetically. From the tracks that showcase her flaws such as “needy”, “fake smile”, and “bad idea” to the tracks that still show her boldness and independence like “thank u, next”, “bloodline”, “NASA”, and the aptly titled “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored”, what all of these songs have in common is that they show how Ariana is willing to roll with the punches without sacrificing honesty or sincerity. “fake smile” touches on this the most, as Ariana sings “I won’t say I’m feeling fine, after what I been through I can’t lie.” However, despite her vulnerability coming through and her not failing to be romantic like on “imagine”, Ariana still comes through with fierce independence like on “bloodline”, where she’s seemingly letting down a boy who wants something more out of a non-emotional relationship, while she’s rather keep it that way. “Don’t want you in my bloodline, just wanna have a good time.”
If I’m making the themes on thank u, next sound messy and seemingly contradictory, that’s because they are, although this doesn’t really work to the album’s disadvantage. thank u, next is a true reflection of Ariana’s personal emotional state, a complex and messy portrait of her life in 2019. Now, this isn’t a perfect album, it has its weaker moments such as the still laughable faux-rap track “7 rings”, but as a whole this album is an unflinching and emotionally honest work that still manages to be an enjoyable listen.
Best Tracks: “imagine” / “bloodline” / “fake smile” / “bad idea” / “ghostin” / “thank u, next” / “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored”
Worst Track: “7 rings”
Overall Rating: 7/10
Poems by Kylee Plemmons
What she learned the hard way
She sits alone by a window watching the moon reach its peak
Listening to the night and the quiet that it speaks
Wondering when the day will arrive that she is not solemn
For she is a warrior who has risen and who has fallen
And in those great battles that she has fought
She has discovered there is a single recurring thought:
Who is she to need someone else to truly be
Who she is meant to be
For all she needs in this world is to love the girl in the mirror
Because that love is more than any else, stronger, and bigger
At the end of the day you have you, and only you
So the love you need to survive is given by one, not two
High school girls
High school girls fall in line
Conforming to all be one of the same kind
You cut your hair and dress to society’s fads
You smile even when you are down and sad
And it’s because you are told to be pretty
Society tells you these things are measured by popularity
They tell you things to strip away who you are
And if you’re just like everyone then you’re a star
When in actuality
It is not good to pretend and be an absentee
So stand up and be yourself
And not someone else
My last adventure
Memories of days
Written like stories on a page
There was a time when we were carefree
Little did we know everything would be turned into debris
Laughs turn into cries
Now we can’t look each other in the eye
After everything that we built
We are so sad and filled with guilt
Because we couldn’t keep us together
We both pretend and say “whatever”
You used to be my favorite adventure
And now you’re as a cold as December
She sits alone by a window watching the moon reach its peak
Listening to the night and the quiet that it speaks
Wondering when the day will arrive that she is not solemn
For she is a warrior who has risen and who has fallen
And in those great battles that she has fought
She has discovered there is a single recurring thought:
Who is she to need someone else to truly be
Who she is meant to be
For all she needs in this world is to love the girl in the mirror
Because that love is more than any else, stronger, and bigger
At the end of the day you have you, and only you
So the love you need to survive is given by one, not two
High school girls
High school girls fall in line
Conforming to all be one of the same kind
You cut your hair and dress to society’s fads
You smile even when you are down and sad
And it’s because you are told to be pretty
Society tells you these things are measured by popularity
They tell you things to strip away who you are
And if you’re just like everyone then you’re a star
When in actuality
It is not good to pretend and be an absentee
So stand up and be yourself
And not someone else
My last adventure
Memories of days
Written like stories on a page
There was a time when we were carefree
Little did we know everything would be turned into debris
Laughs turn into cries
Now we can’t look each other in the eye
After everything that we built
We are so sad and filled with guilt
Because we couldn’t keep us together
We both pretend and say “whatever”
You used to be my favorite adventure
And now you’re as a cold as December
Poems by Kylee Plemmons
Growing up
The pitter-patter of little feet
Laughs and giggles with no defeat
Kids with sparkles in their eyes
Unlike teens with deep and heavy sighs
Growing up and seeing the harshness
Of a reality of darkness
Seeing the tragedies of poverty and war
The truth that rattles you to the core
Wishing you could turn back the clock
To the days of riding your back around the block
You are afraid your heart may blow up
From the fear of growing up
Fantasy world
You sit in your desk
With ideas oh so burlesque
Your thoughts run wild
Imagination of a child
You see far off places
Seeing and meeting new faces
Dazed as you daydream
In your mind you scheme
Of something new
For you to pursue
To escape normal life
Something in which you strife
At Night
Stars glisten in the night sky
There are so many questions, so many whys
Wondering what lies ahead
What road will I tread?
Laying out beneath the stars
Letting the galaxies mend my scars
I take a deep breath in
Listen to my heart dance and spin
I hear the whispers from up above
Sending wishes of happiness and love
The stars watch over me
And show me who to be
The pitter-patter of little feet
Laughs and giggles with no defeat
Kids with sparkles in their eyes
Unlike teens with deep and heavy sighs
Growing up and seeing the harshness
Of a reality of darkness
Seeing the tragedies of poverty and war
The truth that rattles you to the core
Wishing you could turn back the clock
To the days of riding your back around the block
You are afraid your heart may blow up
From the fear of growing up
Fantasy world
You sit in your desk
With ideas oh so burlesque
Your thoughts run wild
Imagination of a child
You see far off places
Seeing and meeting new faces
Dazed as you daydream
In your mind you scheme
Of something new
For you to pursue
To escape normal life
Something in which you strife
At Night
Stars glisten in the night sky
There are so many questions, so many whys
Wondering what lies ahead
What road will I tread?
Laying out beneath the stars
Letting the galaxies mend my scars
I take a deep breath in
Listen to my heart dance and spin
I hear the whispers from up above
Sending wishes of happiness and love
The stars watch over me
And show me who to be
Poems by Kylee Plemmons
Looking in the Mirror
He calls you “beautiful”
You smile and act bashful
You look in the mirror and what do you see
Someone you think has no beauty
Other people see you and think highly
But you think about yourself imperfectly
Yet the perfection of you is your imperfection
However you fall slave to other peoples inspection
As if their opinions matter
And you only grow sadder
So why let the words of others dictate
Love yourself and take control of your own fate
My Clothes My Body
Waking up to get dressed
You find yourself completely distressed
Do you wear the dress coming to your mid thigh?
Or will people gawk and think that's too high?
How about the strapless shirt?
No. Too much skin. Maybe the long skirt
Now you're dressed time to paint your face
Funny how what you wear is an invite into your personal space
People say that is society for you
But what if instead of changing me, you do
Stop staring at my legs, butt, and chest
And change the society that makes me oppressed
Mom
She is strong and wise
She loves me through her hugs and eyes
She teaches me who to be
And how to open my eyes to what’s around me
All she wants for me is the best
She cries as I leave the nest
Oh mother Oh mother
There is no other
Who could love as you do
You had me as a baby, all shiny and new, but now I am big and grown
And the thanks I have for you will never be unknown
He calls you “beautiful”
You smile and act bashful
You look in the mirror and what do you see
Someone you think has no beauty
Other people see you and think highly
But you think about yourself imperfectly
Yet the perfection of you is your imperfection
However you fall slave to other peoples inspection
As if their opinions matter
And you only grow sadder
So why let the words of others dictate
Love yourself and take control of your own fate
My Clothes My Body
Waking up to get dressed
You find yourself completely distressed
Do you wear the dress coming to your mid thigh?
Or will people gawk and think that's too high?
How about the strapless shirt?
No. Too much skin. Maybe the long skirt
Now you're dressed time to paint your face
Funny how what you wear is an invite into your personal space
People say that is society for you
But what if instead of changing me, you do
Stop staring at my legs, butt, and chest
And change the society that makes me oppressed
Mom
She is strong and wise
She loves me through her hugs and eyes
She teaches me who to be
And how to open my eyes to what’s around me
All she wants for me is the best
She cries as I leave the nest
Oh mother Oh mother
There is no other
Who could love as you do
You had me as a baby, all shiny and new, but now I am big and grown
And the thanks I have for you will never be unknown
Poetry by Kylee Plemmons
Navigating
Looking around to see
Who I am and who I could be
Wondering what life has in store
Dreaming of adventure, something to change my very core
Navigating people and places
To find the spaces
That are the right fit
Where I can drink coffee as I sit
Places that will help me discover
People who are like no other
So I choose who I meet and where I go
In order to find the parts of me I wish to know
Fairytale
Dreaming of that far off place
A perfect ideal i am meant to chase
Thoughts of princes and peas
And everything's always an ease
Just put on the dress and the heels
And have a life of appeals
Dont let him see the strong parts of you
Because he has to save you just as men do
Change what makes you who you are
Or wear your courage like an ugly scar
Being the princess in the castle
Means being perfect and never a hassle
Love for the sea
The deep and dark abyss
Sends the mind to reminisce
Weight pulling you down
You hear nothing, not a sound
The light fades as you go deeper
All you can do is be a believer
Believe in the sea as it pulls you in
Making you never want to see land again
Wanting to be left adrift
And let your love for the sea persist
Navigating
Looking around to see
Who I am and who I could be
Wondering what life has in store
Dreaming of adventure, something to change my very core
Navigating people and places
To find the spaces
That are the right fit
Where I can drink coffee as I sit
Places that will help me discover
People who are like no other
So I choose who I meet and where I go
In order to find the parts of me I wish to know
Fairytale
Dreaming of that far off place
A perfect ideal i am meant to chase
Thoughts of princes and peas
And everything's always an ease
Just put on the dress and the heels
And have a life of appeals
Dont let him see the strong parts of you
Because he has to save you just as men do
Change what makes you who you are
Or wear your courage like an ugly scar
Being the princess in the castle
Means being perfect and never a hassle
Love for the sea
The deep and dark abyss
Sends the mind to reminisce
Weight pulling you down
You hear nothing, not a sound
The light fades as you go deeper
All you can do is be a believer
Believe in the sea as it pulls you in
Making you never want to see land again
Wanting to be left adrift
And let your love for the sea persist
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - F♯ A♯ ∞ [Expanded Version] (1998) Review
by Chris Bridges
The car is on fire, and there’s no driver at the wheel,
and the sewers are all muddied with a thousand lonely suicides.
And a dark wind blows.
The government is corrupt,
and we’re on so many drugs with the radio on and the curtains drawn.
We’re trapped in the belly of this horrible machine,
and the machine is bleeding to death.
The sun has fallen down,
and the billboards are all leering,
and the flags are all dead at the top of their poles.
The world is dying.
Climate change, capitalism, overconsumption of resources, and the ever-present threat of nuclear war all serve as existential threats to humanity, and no matter where you may stand on these issues, there’s no question that civilization as we know it is on a downward spiral, and there’s only a matter of time until it all comes to a head, leading to a complete and total collapse. The question is, what will this collapse look like? Well, it’s impossible to know for sure, but in 1997, an at the time unknown Canadian post-rock band by the name of Godspeed You! Black Emperor released an album that perfectly captured what the impending apocalypse will likely sound like.
F♯ A♯ ∞ was originally released as a 12” vinyl record in August of 1997. It was two tracks (one on each side of the record) spanning across 38 minutes, the first track titled “Nervous, Sad, Poor…” and the second being “Bleak, Uncertain, Beautiful…” (titles that you could only see if you looked really closely at the record itself). After sending this pressing to Chicago-based label Kranky to positive reception, they re-recorded the album and reissued it on CD in June 1998, nearly doubling the album’s length (and in my opinion, increasing its power nearly tenfold). The CD has three tracks: “The Dead Flag Blues”, “East Hastings”, and “Providence”. The first two tracks clock in at just under 20 minutes, while the closer spans a total of half an hour, making the overall runtime of this expanded edition 63 minutes. However, the increased length doesn’t subtract from the experience, but adds so much more to it, giving the atmosphere of the record time to breathe and letting the album’s concepts slowly sink into the listener. The original vinyl version (which I actually own) is definitely a fantastic release, but the 1998 expanded edition is a flawlessly executed and indescribably beautiful album with some of the most haunting soundscapes ever recorded in music.
First off, if you’re looking for something positive or life-affirming then this album is clearly not for you. Ask anybody who has listened to it and most if not all of them will describe it as a soundtrack to the apocalypse, and while that is a cliche description at this point, pretty much every aspect of the album contributes to this theme. The most notable example is the intro of the opening track “The Dead Flag Blues”. It enters with a low, buzzing, almost suffocating drone before launching into two violins building upon each other to create a beautifully haunting harmony, all of this accompanied by a spoken word passage which has become known as one of the most iconic moments in Godspeed’s discography and in post-rock as a whole, The voice drones in a deep, foreboding tone creating vivid imagery of the slow decline of civilization, marked by perpetual disaster and unending hopelessness. Dead bodies litter the sewers, cities crumble into fire and rubble, everyone is drugged up, and wallets are full of blood. However depressing it may be, it serves as a perfect intro for the next hour of music on the album, because the music now belongs to a specific time and place, one that the listener has already been introduced to.
It went like this:
The buildings toppled in on themselves,
mothers clutching babies
picked through the rubble
and pulled out their hair.
Without the spoken word intro, there’s no way this album would be as fantastic as it is, because there are so many moments and musical movements that would normally just seem depressing out of context, but in context with that intro setting the scene, they’re catastrophic. There are several field recordings that show up on the album, for example the sound of a train later on in the opening track. Out of context, this is just some old, low-quality recording of a slow-moving train rolling by and occasionally blowing its horn, but knowing what we already know about when and where this album is set, the train suddenly could be hauling dead bodies, transporting immigrants to work camps, moving nuclear warheads from their bunkers to an air force base, or any number of horrible things that would be at home in F♯ A♯ ∞’s dying world, and suddenly the echoing howling of the train’s horn becomes something harrowing and almost terrifying. That’s not to say that the intro is the only thing that sets this subtle tone of terror on the album, as there are plenty of other moments that contribute to it, my personal favorite being the outro to “East Hastings” (titled “Black Helicopter”), which sounds like an air-raid siren run through a dual resonant filter. This movement is easily one of the most terrifying things that has ever graced these ears, even more so than the noise-rock panic attack of Daughters’s “Guest House”.
The intro is also not the only vocal moment on the album (and yes, I’m going to keep referencing “The Dead Flag Blues” because it’s just that important). There are two vocal samples featured on “East Hastings”, the first one being a shouting street preacher as bagpipes slowly build up and overpower their shouts of “Praise God, it’s only salvation, it’s only Jesus Christ!” The second sample sounds like it’s intended to be communications on a military radio: “They have a large barge with a radio antenna tower on it that they would charge up and discharge.” As this line repeats it creates a sense of overpowering dread, slowly painting a glimpse of a hopeless battlefield in which the enemy has artillery and vehicles so massive and powerful that they defy comprehension, leaving the listener in another pointless battle lost on this already crumbling planet. There are also two samples on “Providence”, one appearing near the back end of the track, and the first one appearing in the intro. The sample in “String Loop Manufactured During Downpour…” is a reverbed and distant version of the line “Where are you going?” from the 1970 musical Godspell. This line repeats until being overtaken by a collage of sounds and drones which is so immeasurably harrowing and hopeless I can’t even put it into words.The aforementioned spoken word passage at the beginning of the track features an interviewer on the street asking Blaise Bailey Finnegan III (a character in Godspeed’s universe that would be much more predominantly featured on their 1999 EP Slow Riot for New Zero Kanada) if he thinks the end of the world is coming. Finnegan answers saying that “the preacher man” has been proclaiming that the end is indeed upon them. The interviewer asks him the question again and this time Finnegan gives a direct answer of “No. So says the preacher man, but I don’t go by what he says.”
The skyline was beautiful on fire,
all twisted metal stretching upwards,
everything washed in a thin orange haze.
I said, “Kiss me, you’re beautiful,
these are truly the last days.”
You grabbed my hand
and we fell into it
like a daydream
or a fever.
While this album may be doom and gloom, with the doom being almost omniscient, it doesn’t wallow in the gloom. There are plenty of moments on the album where Godspeed hints at their more visceral, crescendo-heavy work (work that would be delivered in spades on their follow-up LP Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven), creating momentum with building guitar riffs and accompanying instrumentation building to a head. There’s at least one movement like this on each track. On the first track it’s “The Cowboy…”, on the second it’s “The Sad Mafioso…” (yes, I know a lot of the titles have “...”’s in them, it’s just how they’re formatted), and on the third it’s “Dead Metheny…”, “Kicking Horse on Brokenhill”, and “J.L.H. Outro” (which is a hidden track that follows three and a half minutes of total silence). These are definitely the most accessible parts of the album, as they are the ones that feel purposeful to the casual listener. To those immersed in the album, however, they take on a much more sinister tone. With the already suffocating darkness these movements find themselves in, they feel more like intense final skirmishes on a battlefield already sinking into the ground and being swallowed by the earth. Like I and many others have stated before, this is an album for the end of the world, and once that ball is rolling towards complete and total doom, a few somewhat victorious-sounding crescendos won’t be able to hold it back. That doesn’t make these moments pointless, though. If anything, they serve just as much of a purpose as the moments of unending darkness on this album, as all of these things come together to paint a vivid portrait of crumbling civilization, humanity falling into the inescapable and inevitable void. There’s this distinct air of resignation and defeat that floats through the album, one that permeates through anything uplifting a melody or crescendo might have to offer. As a friend of mine once said of F♯ A♯ ∞, “This album is just one big depressive sigh.”
The end of humanity will be slow. There will likely be no single cataclysmic event that ends it all indefinitely. There will be no final roar before the eternity of silence. There will only be the silence slowly settling in, taking all of human history with it. But even in that downfall there will be beauty. That skyline on fire is undoubtedly a harrowing sight, but the way the orange flames dance over the towers, the way the black smoke billows up into the stars that we will now likely never reach, the way the ash falls from the sky reminding us of what form we all will eventually be reduced to, in all that destruction and darkness, in all the unending hopelessness of humanity’s demise, there is a strange yet undeniable beauty. And as the flames climb higher, you can almost hear something… a glockenspiel, slowly fading in, accompanied by a violin, all backed by an upright bass and reverbed slide guitar as the notes travel up and down. As the outro to “The Dead Flag Blues” plays, there is a sudden clarity. Not quite an epiphany, but a realization of your purpose in this time and place that few in human history will ever get to see, and that purpose is… nothing. The resignation and defeat has settled in at last. You won’t be alive for much longer and neither will anyone else. But if the end is nigh, then so be it. After all, at least the skyline still looks beautiful. Terrifying, but beautiful.
We woke up one morning
and fell a little further down.
For sure it’s the valley of death.
I open up my wallet
and it’s full of blood.
image copyright Kranky 1998
and the sewers are all muddied with a thousand lonely suicides.
And a dark wind blows.
The government is corrupt,
and we’re on so many drugs with the radio on and the curtains drawn.
We’re trapped in the belly of this horrible machine,
and the machine is bleeding to death.
The sun has fallen down,
and the billboards are all leering,
and the flags are all dead at the top of their poles.
The world is dying.
Climate change, capitalism, overconsumption of resources, and the ever-present threat of nuclear war all serve as existential threats to humanity, and no matter where you may stand on these issues, there’s no question that civilization as we know it is on a downward spiral, and there’s only a matter of time until it all comes to a head, leading to a complete and total collapse. The question is, what will this collapse look like? Well, it’s impossible to know for sure, but in 1997, an at the time unknown Canadian post-rock band by the name of Godspeed You! Black Emperor released an album that perfectly captured what the impending apocalypse will likely sound like.
F♯ A♯ ∞ was originally released as a 12” vinyl record in August of 1997. It was two tracks (one on each side of the record) spanning across 38 minutes, the first track titled “Nervous, Sad, Poor…” and the second being “Bleak, Uncertain, Beautiful…” (titles that you could only see if you looked really closely at the record itself). After sending this pressing to Chicago-based label Kranky to positive reception, they re-recorded the album and reissued it on CD in June 1998, nearly doubling the album’s length (and in my opinion, increasing its power nearly tenfold). The CD has three tracks: “The Dead Flag Blues”, “East Hastings”, and “Providence”. The first two tracks clock in at just under 20 minutes, while the closer spans a total of half an hour, making the overall runtime of this expanded edition 63 minutes. However, the increased length doesn’t subtract from the experience, but adds so much more to it, giving the atmosphere of the record time to breathe and letting the album’s concepts slowly sink into the listener. The original vinyl version (which I actually own) is definitely a fantastic release, but the 1998 expanded edition is a flawlessly executed and indescribably beautiful album with some of the most haunting soundscapes ever recorded in music.
First off, if you’re looking for something positive or life-affirming then this album is clearly not for you. Ask anybody who has listened to it and most if not all of them will describe it as a soundtrack to the apocalypse, and while that is a cliche description at this point, pretty much every aspect of the album contributes to this theme. The most notable example is the intro of the opening track “The Dead Flag Blues”. It enters with a low, buzzing, almost suffocating drone before launching into two violins building upon each other to create a beautifully haunting harmony, all of this accompanied by a spoken word passage which has become known as one of the most iconic moments in Godspeed’s discography and in post-rock as a whole, The voice drones in a deep, foreboding tone creating vivid imagery of the slow decline of civilization, marked by perpetual disaster and unending hopelessness. Dead bodies litter the sewers, cities crumble into fire and rubble, everyone is drugged up, and wallets are full of blood. However depressing it may be, it serves as a perfect intro for the next hour of music on the album, because the music now belongs to a specific time and place, one that the listener has already been introduced to.
It went like this:
The buildings toppled in on themselves,
mothers clutching babies
picked through the rubble
and pulled out their hair.
Without the spoken word intro, there’s no way this album would be as fantastic as it is, because there are so many moments and musical movements that would normally just seem depressing out of context, but in context with that intro setting the scene, they’re catastrophic. There are several field recordings that show up on the album, for example the sound of a train later on in the opening track. Out of context, this is just some old, low-quality recording of a slow-moving train rolling by and occasionally blowing its horn, but knowing what we already know about when and where this album is set, the train suddenly could be hauling dead bodies, transporting immigrants to work camps, moving nuclear warheads from their bunkers to an air force base, or any number of horrible things that would be at home in F♯ A♯ ∞’s dying world, and suddenly the echoing howling of the train’s horn becomes something harrowing and almost terrifying. That’s not to say that the intro is the only thing that sets this subtle tone of terror on the album, as there are plenty of other moments that contribute to it, my personal favorite being the outro to “East Hastings” (titled “Black Helicopter”), which sounds like an air-raid siren run through a dual resonant filter. This movement is easily one of the most terrifying things that has ever graced these ears, even more so than the noise-rock panic attack of Daughters’s “Guest House”.
The intro is also not the only vocal moment on the album (and yes, I’m going to keep referencing “The Dead Flag Blues” because it’s just that important). There are two vocal samples featured on “East Hastings”, the first one being a shouting street preacher as bagpipes slowly build up and overpower their shouts of “Praise God, it’s only salvation, it’s only Jesus Christ!” The second sample sounds like it’s intended to be communications on a military radio: “They have a large barge with a radio antenna tower on it that they would charge up and discharge.” As this line repeats it creates a sense of overpowering dread, slowly painting a glimpse of a hopeless battlefield in which the enemy has artillery and vehicles so massive and powerful that they defy comprehension, leaving the listener in another pointless battle lost on this already crumbling planet. There are also two samples on “Providence”, one appearing near the back end of the track, and the first one appearing in the intro. The sample in “String Loop Manufactured During Downpour…” is a reverbed and distant version of the line “Where are you going?” from the 1970 musical Godspell. This line repeats until being overtaken by a collage of sounds and drones which is so immeasurably harrowing and hopeless I can’t even put it into words.The aforementioned spoken word passage at the beginning of the track features an interviewer on the street asking Blaise Bailey Finnegan III (a character in Godspeed’s universe that would be much more predominantly featured on their 1999 EP Slow Riot for New Zero Kanada) if he thinks the end of the world is coming. Finnegan answers saying that “the preacher man” has been proclaiming that the end is indeed upon them. The interviewer asks him the question again and this time Finnegan gives a direct answer of “No. So says the preacher man, but I don’t go by what he says.”
The skyline was beautiful on fire,
all twisted metal stretching upwards,
everything washed in a thin orange haze.
I said, “Kiss me, you’re beautiful,
these are truly the last days.”
You grabbed my hand
and we fell into it
like a daydream
or a fever.
While this album may be doom and gloom, with the doom being almost omniscient, it doesn’t wallow in the gloom. There are plenty of moments on the album where Godspeed hints at their more visceral, crescendo-heavy work (work that would be delivered in spades on their follow-up LP Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven), creating momentum with building guitar riffs and accompanying instrumentation building to a head. There’s at least one movement like this on each track. On the first track it’s “The Cowboy…”, on the second it’s “The Sad Mafioso…” (yes, I know a lot of the titles have “...”’s in them, it’s just how they’re formatted), and on the third it’s “Dead Metheny…”, “Kicking Horse on Brokenhill”, and “J.L.H. Outro” (which is a hidden track that follows three and a half minutes of total silence). These are definitely the most accessible parts of the album, as they are the ones that feel purposeful to the casual listener. To those immersed in the album, however, they take on a much more sinister tone. With the already suffocating darkness these movements find themselves in, they feel more like intense final skirmishes on a battlefield already sinking into the ground and being swallowed by the earth. Like I and many others have stated before, this is an album for the end of the world, and once that ball is rolling towards complete and total doom, a few somewhat victorious-sounding crescendos won’t be able to hold it back. That doesn’t make these moments pointless, though. If anything, they serve just as much of a purpose as the moments of unending darkness on this album, as all of these things come together to paint a vivid portrait of crumbling civilization, humanity falling into the inescapable and inevitable void. There’s this distinct air of resignation and defeat that floats through the album, one that permeates through anything uplifting a melody or crescendo might have to offer. As a friend of mine once said of F♯ A♯ ∞, “This album is just one big depressive sigh.”
The end of humanity will be slow. There will likely be no single cataclysmic event that ends it all indefinitely. There will be no final roar before the eternity of silence. There will only be the silence slowly settling in, taking all of human history with it. But even in that downfall there will be beauty. That skyline on fire is undoubtedly a harrowing sight, but the way the orange flames dance over the towers, the way the black smoke billows up into the stars that we will now likely never reach, the way the ash falls from the sky reminding us of what form we all will eventually be reduced to, in all that destruction and darkness, in all the unending hopelessness of humanity’s demise, there is a strange yet undeniable beauty. And as the flames climb higher, you can almost hear something… a glockenspiel, slowly fading in, accompanied by a violin, all backed by an upright bass and reverbed slide guitar as the notes travel up and down. As the outro to “The Dead Flag Blues” plays, there is a sudden clarity. Not quite an epiphany, but a realization of your purpose in this time and place that few in human history will ever get to see, and that purpose is… nothing. The resignation and defeat has settled in at last. You won’t be alive for much longer and neither will anyone else. But if the end is nigh, then so be it. After all, at least the skyline still looks beautiful. Terrifying, but beautiful.
We woke up one morning
and fell a little further down.
For sure it’s the valley of death.
I open up my wallet
and it’s full of blood.
image copyright Kranky 1998
