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(02/23/11 10:36pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The enigmatic PJ Harvey has always found a way to keep things interesting. In 2004, she recorded one of the angriest breakup albums ever, “Uh Huh Her.” In 2007, “White Chalk” saw the always-evolving recluse playing piano for the first time to accompany bone-chilling harmonies about death and the afterlife. Now Harvey’s back to cause a ruckus. “Let England Shake” has a decidedly revolutionary slant tinged with Beatles experimentalism and fearless songwriting.The entire album incorporates multi-instrumentalism and a cohesive concept that means precisely what the title suggests.“The Glorious Land” fuses chaotic battlefield horn samples with a laid-back ’80s groove. Harvey’s bewitching voice sounds like it’s chopped through a megaphone as she sings call-and-response style about the “glorious fruit of our land” and deformed children. “Written on the Forehead,” the album’s lead single, represents the album’s climax. She croons: “Let it burn, let it burn” amid a dizzying percussive rhythm that might recall images of 1960s race riots and Woodstock. I like PJ Harvey’s choice to make a more political album. After nearly two decades, she’s not out-of-step with the times.
(02/22/11 1:11am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Seven months ago, a yellow-haired, pint-sized superstar with angel wings wrapped herself around me and told me I was special and beautiful. It was the second night of Lady Gaga’s sold-out Madison Square Garden concerts. It was the first night she’d performed in her New York City hometown in a venue about which little girls with karaoke machines only dream.That night of the Monster Ball tour, July 8, Lady Gaga leveled with her fans, her devoted “little monsters.” “Five years ago, I was a girl in the crowd, watching some bitch on stage tell me that I could do anything in this world that I wanted,” she said. “I’m here to tell you that it’s true. No matter where you come from, no matter who you are, whether you’re a freak on the subway or not, you are all superstars.” As a black sheep in my uber-conservative family, I often changed out of my father-approved wardrobe into studded jeans and high-top sneakers in high school. Lady Gaga’s words obviously resonated with me. This past Friday, Lady Gaga debuted the first single from an upcoming album that she is prematurely calling the “album of the decade.” The song and album are titled “Born This Way.” The song begins: “My momma told me when I was young / We are all born superstars.” The rest of it continues like a 2011 update of Madonna’s classic song “Express Yourself” in a musical framework that is rave-y, fearless and unapologetically pro-underdog in a way that none of her songs have been before. Lady Gaga’s 2008 debut album “The Fame” was massively successful with over 3 million copies sold in the U.S. to date. It established her as an underdog soldier with a taste for the superficial. Yet unlike the Ke$has and Katy Perrys of the world, Lady Gaga had a powerful message as an artist. When Lady Gaga wasn’t stomping around in a pair of impossible 10-inch Alexander McQueen heels, she was leading a campaign for the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” a policy that prevents gays from openly serving in the military. Since the release of “Born This Way,” critics and fans have been divided over the song’s political, yet positive, message. Criticism has largely focused on accusations that Lady Gaga might be parroting Madonna.When I first heard “Born This Way,” I was laying in bed with a bout of depression. Upon hearing the lyrics, “Don’t be a drag, Just be a queen,” I immediately jumped out of bed and danced my ass off. To me, there was something powerful about those words. How does Lady Gaga get to be a voice for others? Where does her power lie as an artist? Other current popstresses of the day could easily be singing the same tune, but they aren’t. I talked to Brenda Weber, an IU associate professor of gender studies, for a sharper perspective on all of this. We both agreed that whether Lady Gaga is treading on the coattails of Madonna’s “Express Yourself” or not, clearly “Born This Way” is still something people need to hear. Why does Lady Gaga get to say this? “Part of who gets a say and who doesn’t is simply in who is saying it,” Weber said. “Lady Gaga says what she needs to say without apologizing.” Part of that, Weber said, comes from Lady Gaga’s knowledge of her own star power. Lady Gaga knows the audiences she affects, especially among the LGBTQ community. Think of Lady Gaga as the world’s currently most famous drag queen, Weber suggests, an explicit motif in the lyrics of “Born This Way.” “Part of being a gay icon is in having a secondary story that seems bigger than the person themselves,” Weber said. Judy Garland struggled with depression and thought hope was somewhere over the rainbow. Madonna was a dancer from Detroit who taught us to express ourselves. Lady Gaga’s roots are as a classically trained pianist from the affluent Upper West Side of Manhattan who got her hard knocks on the Lower East Side as a performance artist in dive bars. Estranged from her parents, Lady Gaga had no money and a coke habit. Though many of us don’t grapple with those circumstances, we still relate to others through struggle. Put simply, Lady Gaga is a living example of the American Dream. As a rugged individualist, she emphasizes that we are born with the power to choose, and we are born with the right to express ourselves however we wish.In that respect, “Born This Way” is not a Madonna rip-off; it’s an homage. Let’s face it. Madonna isn’t the true original people claim she is, either. “Born This Way,” like everything Lady Gaga does, is designed to get people talking. Another criticism I’ve heard of “Born This Way” is that the song could be better as a ballad. I talked to a graduate student in the department of communication and culture, Jason Qualls. He is also a Lady Gaga fan, and though he said he agrees there is nothing like hearing Lady Gaga belt out one of her pop tunes on the piano, there is power in the way she frames the music of “Born This Way.” “I don’t think one type of music expresses any given emotion,” Qualls said. “It’s not just about the beat, the key, the tune or the lyrics. It’s about the first place you hear a song. It’s about someone the music reminds you of.” In that instance, Qualls said, Lady Gaga’s club-friendly beats and harmonies extend to straight white suburban girls who also like Taylor Swift. Therefore, Lady Gaga can be a master at telling the stories of others, even as a white, privileged female from the Upper West Side. Lady Gaga’s power also rests in her vulnerability. In a recent “60 Minutes” interview with Anderson Cooper, she cried on the steps of her old Lower East Side apartment building when asked about how much she’s struggled and how far she’s come. Overall, I have faith that “Born This Way” signals a revolutionary step toward the future, despite the criticism against it. However, I will always remember the moment an angel-winged superstar sweating backstage after a sold-out performance at Madison Square Garden embraced me in front of strangers and told me I was special and beautiful. I can’t lie; it was pretty nice to hear that from Lady Gaga.
(02/21/11 6:42pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Catchphrases like “exceptional,” “high level of success,” and “traditions of excellence” accompany some IU scholarship program descriptions. So what’s the common denominator tying the exchange of money and expectations of success together? You, the student. No matter where you stand, whether your parents have you covered or you work 40 hours a week at Subway, the concept of “nothing is free” has never rang more true. Here is the story of three students who understand that a good education sometimes comes with a price tag.A Load of H’sWhen freshman Hillary Anderson opened her nomination letter for the Herbert Presidential Scholar program at IU, she didn’t even know what it was, or more importantly, how she got it. “I just know it sounded really fancy,” Anderson says with a laugh. “My mom and dad rudely didn’t answer my phone call, so I told my grandmother. It was a great day.”Anderson, a graduate of Carmel High School in Indianapolis, says she receives about $10,000 a year in scholarship money.In addition to being a Herbert Scholar, Anderson is backed by the Hudson and Holland Scholars program and the Hutton Honors College. Anderson was excited about the additional support, but intimidated by the “load of H’s.” However, she was assured that there were no required meetings or other explicit requirements for a Herbert Scholar. For Hudson and Holland, however, Anderson says she has to do a volunteer activity each semester lasting from four to six hours. Last semester, she volunteered with the Boys and Girls Club of Bloomington to produce Teter Treat, a Halloween gathering for all ages in the Teter Residence Center. In the fall of their admission to IU, Hudson and Holland scholars are also required to take a course on education. This all seems overwhelming, but it was integral to Anderson’s decision on where to study after high school. The load of H’s validated Anderson’s hard work. “It is so nice to know that IU wants me to be here,” Anderson says. “That’s a very important decision in deciding where you want to go to school.”Though Anderson’s parents can afford to send her to school, scholarships certainly help offset costs. She can live anywhere in town, and at the moment, doesn’t have to worry about finding a part-time job. Though she faces the drudgery of GPA requirements, the most pressure she faces might come from herself. If Anderson did have a rough semester and was in jeopardy of losing her scholarship, she says her worries would be fewer thanks to a supportive family. “My mom, she’d love me no matter how I did in school,” Anderson says. “Ultimately with everything I do in school or otherwise, she just wants me to be happy and healthy.”Money Can’t Buy HappinessFreshman Jordan Vanlandingham is Anderson’s future roommate. And though Vanlandingham’s parents pay for most of her schooling, she had to take out a $5,000 student loan to help pay the difference. Over the summer, Vanlandingham works full-time as a waitress and hostess at Le Peep Restaurant in her hometown, Indianapolis, to save a bit of money. It’s the least she can do to help her parents, she says, but also the least she can do to help herself. “I feel like where I can help, I’m obligated to,” Vanlandingham says. The expenses she is currently paying for include groceries, books, and ink for her printer. With Vanlandingham being able to chip in a bit financially, she says her parents don’t harp on her about school. Vanlandingham is an adult, after all.“If I fail a test, that’s on me,” she says. “But, who wants to be here in school longer than they have to be? I don’t.”Gratitude Is FreeLuke Pacold is on a full ride. Opportunities fall into his lap due to his merit, yet he is constantly appreciative of what he’s been given. The senior from the Chicago area has a dad from the Czech Republic and a mom from Indonesia, who have encouraged him to expand his horizons in college. His experience as a Herman B Wells Scholar have allowed him to do just that. The program, which covers full tuition and fees, nominates those in the highest percentile of their graduating high school classes. As a result, Pacold is expected to perform well in college, academically and socially. Pacold says there isn’t a cookie cutter scholar. “But Wells is a serious name to carry around. You don’t want to dishonor that name.”Wells Scholars must maintain a 3.4 cumulative GPA and take two seminar classes. In addition to his classes, he is a coordinator of WAVE (Wells Activism and Volunteer Effort). For about five hours a week, he helps plan and execute charity functions for organizations ranging from Middle Way House to Pages to Prisoners.To him, the payoff for doing well in school — he’s studying in the multidisciplinary Liberal Arts and Management Program, also known as LAMP — is the wealth of opportunities being a Wells Scholar, and simply being a Hoosier, affords him.Pacold has volunteered in Calcutta, worked in New York City and sat in on economics discussions with Nobel Prize laureates. Plus, Pacold says he loves being around other Wellsies —fellow scholars with eccentricities and interests that excite him. Once he graduates in May, Pacold is going to be involved with the Bank of Montreal investment bank in Chicago this summer, and then after that, who knows. For now, Pacold plans to enjoy what’s left of his free ride, though he says there is no such thing.“Most economics majors would tell you that nothing is free,” Pacold says. “To me, though, the word ‘free’ implies gratitude. If you are given a gift, you have to be thankful for that gift. The greater the magnitude of the gift, the better the display of your gratitude.”
(02/17/11 2:17am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It is said that songwriters tell the stories of others. It seems rare these days that a songwriter with musical capability turns inward. And I mean truly inward, as if using their talents against themselves like weapons. Classic folk rock artists did it back in the day. Introspection from the likes of Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan and Fleetwood Mac’s “Rumours” come to mind. Teddy Thompson, the prodigal son of British folk singers Richard and Linda Thompson, seems to pick up where that tradition left off on his fifth studio album, “Bella.” On the first spin, the album has a country-fried vibe that can either be off-putting or inviting. I encourage you to give “Bella” another spin.What you will find is beauty beneath its original surface studio sheen. On “Over and Over,” Thompson’s guitar becomes menacing, humming low and deep like an engine revving in the night. He sings: “Long time ago, I came up with a plan/Shit on myself so that no one else can.” That kind of brutal honesty takes guts. I wish more singer-songwriters these days could follow suit.
(02/10/11 1:04am)
I’m not a Ricky Martin fan, and I
don’t know much about him. That said, his first album in six years,
“Musica + Alma + Sexo,” (translation: Music, Soul and Sex), gives
me a bit more insight, even if it is in mostly in Spanish - a
language that I admit, I’ve only studied for a few years and haven’t
mastered.
(02/02/11 11:15pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Lia Ices is another singer-songwriter who creates music that is somehow both intricate and sparse with pristine vocals. Imagine a lovechild between Glasser and Zola Jesus, kind of.In that way her second album, “Grown Unknown,” doesn’t cover any new ground. I’ve always said when it comes to these sorts of musical conundrums, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” \Regardless, the album excels. Ices has a vocal elasticity that wraps itself around an eclectic arrangement of sounds. The snaps and slow-burning organ of “Little Marriage” are complemented by occasional music box interruptions. “Bag of Wind” is lovely and forlorn, with stop-start piano chords and minor guitar distortion. Meanwhile, “Ice Wine” waltzes along on strings befitting an Oscar-nominated drama about some royal family. Though all those sounds can seem alienating to the average listener, perhaps the best quality of this album comes from Ices’ voice. It is warm and flexible. The songs are somehow sparse enough to allow her room to shine. Unlike Glasser, whose voice is pretty, and Zola Jesus, whose voice is haunting, Lia Ices has the kind of voice that invites you into her living room. It’s something like catching up with an old friend and hearing how much she’s grown.
(02/02/11 11:13pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The first time I ever listened to singer-songwriter John Vanderslice was when I was an intern at Secretly Canadian, the local label that has distributed his last album, “Romanian Names.” The winter of my junior year was icy and foreign. I craved warmth and familiarity.Vanderslice, a native Floridian, is probably used to such warmth. I was driving around after work with a fellow intern who played “White Dove” from his 2007 “Emerald City” album. The song was packed with sounds — from his gritty voice to the aggressive guitar strumming — and ideas, and though the subject matter was grim, something about it made the icicles on the trees outside disappear.I mention all of that to say that it is fitting that the new Vanderslice album is called “White Wilderness.” Apparently, he recorded it with a live orchestra in just a few days. It’s a strangely cold and distant move for an artist who typically toils over his music to create studio perfection. Vanderslice, whose songwriting is as precise as his vocal and instrumental arrangements, opts to fade to the background, yet the album works well. “Alemany Gap” maintains a controlled strut and sweetness that harkens back to old school Vanderslice. Choral “ahs” supplement a hummingbird melody. “Convict Lake” swells with improv jazz flourishes to Vanderslice’s modest singing. The effect reflects the album’s overall feel — a particular detachment that is oddly heartwarming.
(01/26/11 4:32am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Backstage, Lauren Vogel is obsessing about her hair. The IU Kelley School of Business senior is playing the role of pop star for her first big show at the Bluebird Nightclub, called “Bass, Booze & Skittles.” More than 300 people are attending the event, according to Facebook. It’s the largest crowd she’s performed for as a solo artist. The growing crowd outside is enjoying the Wednesday night special of 15-cent beer and tonight exclusively, $1 Skittles shots. All Lauren can think about is her hair. It is long and brown, often worn down in loose curls off to the side. She scrunches up her face in the backstage oval mirror, which is mounted on graffiti-covered walls with faded band stickers.“Should I wear it up or down?” she asks the room of men. They’re all friends. Seniors Brice Fox and Danny “DJ O” Olson sit on a Sharpied bench across from Lauren. They are performing a few songs with her and don’t seem to be nearly as worried.“Guys like girls with their hair down, but you’re the artist,” Brice says. He pauses for a second to observe her. “You look cute.”“Ugh, no, I don’t,” Lauren says.She darts out the room for the 15th time and returns to open a bottle of Bud Light from the tub of free beers brought in earlier by the club owner. “When I was in Ladies First (IU’s female a cappella group) we used to drink champagne as a toast before going on, so I got used to that, sort of,” Lauren says with a laugh. Lauren’s appearance seems opposite of her actual state. She’s dressed casually in a black leather jacket, a red top and black jeans. Lauren rifles through her makeup bag and decides to apply the Lancome lipstick her mother gave her.The color: visionary.***Lauren’s upbringing in St. Louis provided her the ideal formula for future pop stardom. She practiced singing on a karaoke machine for performances in church, and her parents enrolled her in private voice and dance lessons. Lauren appeared on the local TV station’s version of American Idol for kids and even had a brief stint as an ad model for Kohler, the plumbing fixture company where her dad worked.“I wanted to be like Britney Spears, but brunette,” Lauren says. Lauren learned early on that she had to believe in herself if she wanted to be successful. Her grandmother, a freewheeling woman who was “natural and spiritual,” as Lauren calls her, was a huge influence. Lauren’s grandmother would tell people she’d been to Venus in one of her past lives while had been Native American in another. Apparently, she was even doing splits in the hospital as one of Lauren’s younger sisters was being born.“She was crazy to everyone else, but I thought she was brilliant just because of her mental and spiritual state,” Lauren says. Lauren says her grandmother also believed people could fix things themselves, and as a result, never visited a doctor. Lauren’s grandmother taught her that there was always a way to make things happen, and before she died, she gave Lauren a cross necklace. “‘You’re gonna be a peacemaker,’ she told me. It really stuck with me because she really believed in me.”Lauren’s parents divorced when she was 10 years old, and her father was subsequently diagnosed with kidney cancer. “He had a hard time,” she says. “It’s not my mom’s fault.”Lauren’s aunt lives out in Arizona. Her mother took her daughters (Lauren has two younger sisters, now ages 17 and 20.) there for a few months. Lauren admits to being blind to what was going on. Lauren’s voice hardens, and her bright blue eyes grow coolly reflective. “It was the first time in my life,” she says, “that I had to learn to be strong.” Though Lauren’s father is now cancer-free, it was during this time that she gained strength through music. Her favorite song to sing as a kid was Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” and the pink wallpaper in her room decorated with ballet slippers gave Lauren comfort in dancing by herself. “I discovered during that time that I’ll be happy no matter what,” Lauren says. “If I’m all alone in an apartment at age 60, I’ll be OK.” Lauren pauses a second, picks at her red nail polish and smiles sheepishly.“It’s like music is my boyfriend.” ***The recording studio is Lauren’s “favorite time.” Next to the stage, it is the place where she forgets her fears.Most of all, being in the studio has helped Lauren realize her dream. In high school, Lauren spent long hours in and out of a jazz ensemble and a dance team. In her free time, which was any spare moment, she was writing about the things that inspired her, including every teenage girl’s first moment of angst: having your heart broken by a guy that “turns out to be a huge dick.” Her first song featured lyrics like, “I might not be strong enough, I admit, but everything you gave me could be worth it.” And now, she’s recording a song about a recent heartbreak. Danny, who produces most of her music, is twiddling with knobs and a keyboard that spans the length of a flatscreen television in his bedroom studio. Brice sits on the bed across from Danny and Lauren. Lauren hums the melody to a song tentatively called “Lonely Heart.” The lyrics: “I talked you up / Put you on a throne” were written in Lauren’s messy bedroom. “Does ‘You-know-who’ know this is about him?” Brice asks as Danny pounds out melancholy chords in G major. “It has to be triumphant sounding, though, too,” Danny says, focused on the keyboard. “We don’t want this to be sad.”Lauren stops singing for a moment to ponder Brice’s question. She smiles coyly. “Actually, no. I don’t care,” she says. “I hope he hears it, and it’s like a slap in the face.” The trio switches gears to another track.Lauren seems to be experiencing some writer’s block. She’s throwing around ideas with Brice and Danny, to a club-friendly beat with synths that sound like race cars. Brice begins to howl in a falsetto a la pop band 3OH!3. Danny mentions it reminds him of wolves. The three friends somehow talk about wolves, S & M and malnourished children. As crazy as the conversation is, Lauren seems to be enjoying it. She is smiling, doodling away in the corner of a piece of notebook paper. First a circle, then petals. ***A few odd months ago, a friend of a friend sent Lauren’s tracks to Jack Minihan, an up-and-coming concert promoter, who was working on pop-rap artist Mike Posner’s Midwest tour. Jack contacted Lauren and asked her if she wanted to go to the concert in Indianapolis for free. Lauren didn’t have time to go shopping, so she ran from the business school and grabbed a few of her girlfriends. She borrowed a black dress — “You can never go wrong,” one of her friends advised — and dashed to Indy. After the show, Lauren and her friends were invited backstage to meet Mike Posner. “The keyboardist in his band was Gaga’s or something,” Lauren shrugs. It was one of those moments where Lauren had very little time to think about nerves or the rush of being backstage, getting the VIP treatment. Jack, having heard Lauren’s tracks, asked her to sing for him. Lauren belted Aretha Franklin’s “Chain of Fools.”Jack asked Lauren on the spot if she wanted him to be her manager. Though Lauren didn’t make a hasty decision, the experience was an eye-opener and the best night of her life. “People are hearing me,” Lauren says of her thoughts at the time. “And I’m hearing, ‘You can do it’ from people in the industry who have much more say than I do. That has to count for something. I just can’t wait for the day that I get to work with the people I most admire.”***Lauren is freaking out. Minutes before she is set to go on with Brice, Danny and local artists Lin Z and Broderick Thompson, she asks everyone to leave. Lauren’s still nursing her beer and just had an impromptu prayer circle and a celebratory Skyy Vodka shot with friends who hugged her and took lots of pictures. One of Lauren’s closer friends, Rachel, grabs her by the wrists and says, “You are so beautiful, and you are going to be so very amazing.” Lauren hugs her and leaves the room for one last bathroom break. “Let’s not fuck this up,” Lauren says to herself before she walks on stage. The huge crowd is screaming. The Bluebird hasn’t been this packed in a while. Lauren nervously approaches the stage. The orange-and-blue lighting creates the atmosphere of a hazy basement rave.The beat to “Body Work,” an original song about spotting that lucky boy across the room while dancing, starts to play. It is synth-heavy and, as Lauren would say, “fist-pumping.” Lauren looks out at the crowd. Some have never heard her music. She sees strangers, and she sees her friends. The crowd begins to sway. Lauren runs up to the mic.
(01/13/11 12:36am)
"Hold it Against Me" and "H.A.M." are this week's hit singles.
(12/09/10 1:04am)
Our editors' and writers' picks
(11/16/10 2:21am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The dark green Nissan Pathfinder slows as I walk down Indiana Avenue. The man at the wheel revs the engine as though he’s challenging me to a drag race.Inside the SUV are three other young men. Out of the corner of my eye, I see them high-fiving. My stomach churns. All I can think about is that home is so close. “Faggot!”“You think you’re so cool, don’t you, faggot!”“Nigger, give my sister her pants back!”I’ve just wrapped up my Tuesday morning classes and am headed back to my house to make lunch. The Pathfinder creeps beside me, spewing insults.I feel like I’m about to burst into flames.Ignore them, I tell myself. ***Joyriding is what I call it. All my life, strangers have had fun yelling at me from cars.They catch me off-guard, call me names, try to dissolve me into nothing. Ever since I can remember, I’ve been told that I’m too much. The first thing people see is the color of my skin. I’m African-American, so I can’t master English.I’m gay, so I’m a freak of nature. Even worse, I’m not afraid of who I am. I don’t mope down the street. I strut. A palm reader once warned me that if I didn’t avoid extremes I would perish. That was her word: “perish.” Another time, a friend’s mother urged me to stop being gay in front of her husband and sons.“Can you turn off the sexuality?” she said. “Because it offends the boys.”Her suggestion was bewildering. It wasn’t as if I was prancing around in a tutu.I didn’t buy that attitude then, and I don’t buy it now. Why should I have to hide so other people feel comfortable? It took me forever to get to where I am today. I’m learning how to be myself with all I’ve got.That Tuesday morning, before the jeering from the men in the Pathfinder, I’d been jolted from sleep by Lady Gaga’s voice booming from my phone.My grandmother had taught me to start my mornings with a prayer. So that’s what I did. I thanked God for another day and asked for peace and strength. I made my bed — another piece of my grandmother’s advice. I headed for my closet and debated what look to pull off. Sometimes I’m Lady Gaga’s twin with movie star sunglasses. Or I drape myself in black, like a French fashion designer. I have my Western days, with flannel shirts and cowboy boots, and my Sid Vicious days, with torn T-shirts and high-top sneakers.That morning I chose a sleeveless Sgt. Pepper Beatles shirt, cut-off denim shorts and a worn pair of black boots. The final touch was my eyeliner. I leaned close to my bathroom mirror and held my breath as I traced the dark pencil beneath my eyes. When I was done, I exhaled. Taped to the mirror was a message. Four words formed by letters I’d cut out from Vogue.Show your true colors.***“Faggot’s got a sweet ass in those jeans!” The joyriders have been following me for almost half a block. The Pathfinder stops at a red light. I wait for the signal to turn green so I can cross onto 10th Street. I can’t seem to tune out the taunts.One of my classes that morning was Y100, American Political Controversies. The course focuses on conflicting viewpoints about the death penalty, health care and gay marriage. The point is to understand perspectives you don’t agree with.Waiting for the light to change, I try to apply what I’ve learned. I wonder what it would be like to be one of the guys in the SUV. If I were them, would I do this to me? Would I see someone like me as a threat?The revving of the engine and the jeers are obviously designed to scare me. Does belittling me make them feel bigger? The tension is almost sexual. Are they getting off on this?“Faggot!”I want to play it cool and be above these guys. But I’m starting to panic. My breathing quickens. My jaw tightens.What will happen if I lash out? I’m in public. If I lose it, I’ll look like a lunatic.Suddenly I don’t care anymore. I want to push the Pathfinder over.“Get out of the fucking car, every last one of you,” I roar, “so I can beat your fucking asses!” In the back row of the SUV, one of the men laughs so hard he slaps his leg. I’m still standing there, red-faced and huffing, when the light finally turns green. The Pathfinder screeches off, blanketing me in a cloud of exhaust.Tears sting my face as I head home. I can’t believe I allowed myself to lose control. ***The next morning, I listen to my grandmother. I say another prayer of thanks, make my bed, get dressed. Once again, I gaze at my reflection in the mirror and apply eyeliner. A different shade this time. Mint blue.
(11/11/10 12:59am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>N.E.R.D., an ongoing funk-punk side project of producers the Neptunes, is finally a band with some substance.From uneven skate park sentiments to intergalactic come-ons, N.E.R.D has experienced a rocky, decade-long career plagued with music lacking the maturity and genius of its predecessors (2004’s “Fly or Die” album, with its socio-political themes, is a minor exception). “Nothing,” N.E.R.D’s fourth album, recalls some of those oddities. This time around, the band utilizes the musical smarts Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo were born with.It’s a hypnotic concoction of doo-wop, malt-shop and theater-pop that’s equal parts Queen and the Temptations. “Victory” stirs up the pot with stadium music: “Victory, I can smell it in the air/ Only a champion would qualify.”The Nelly Furtado-assisted single “Hot-N’-Fun” and “Hypnotize U” are album wild cards, backed by smooth funk grooves and seductive lyrics that actually don’t make you wince in pre-pubescent pain.“Nothing” works because it shows that while N.E.R.D may still be skate park kings, at least they’ll don tuxedos when showing off new tricks.
(10/20/10 11:57pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Apparently we are experiencing a resurgence of female teens and young adults with brilliant minds and prodigal musicianship. Since Madonna and the arguably sometimes transgendered glam of David Bowie got old and less bold, the mainstream has been flooded with Gaga-esque phenoms who seem to understand what’s been done before and how to make it their own. The twist involves being ironic as hell. Enter Zola Jesus, the moniker of 21-year-old chamber pop songbird Nika Rosa Danilova. With a string of successful albums and EPs, she has shown much promise with a stellar voice that fills even the most hollow caves and lyrics as creepy as an illuminati dream. Her latest EP, the 4-track “Valusia,” takes what worked from the dark beauty of the “Stridulum” EPs and gives it a beat. Songs like “Sea Talk” and “Poor Animal” swoon in tides of cine-dramatic electronic waves. The rest of the EP inspires cerebral head bobs and hand claps. My only worry: If PJ Harvey’s “White Chalk” album and Bat For Lashes had a baby, “Valusia” would be one haunted, yet wicked smart offspring.
(10/20/10 11:53pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>You may have never heard of Brooke Fraser unless you live near kangaroos. But I’m telling you, it’s time you get familiar. The New Zealand artist is a hybrid of acoustic folk pop, jazz and Christian undertones.Fraser’s songs are carried by her soaring voice, drawing Sarah McLachlan comparisons minus the high cheese factor. Fraser’s spirituality complements her tunes without overpowering them — a rarity in a Christian genre that seems hellbent on warning others of damnation. Her songs are about life and all its gray matter.What has plagued Fraser, however, is her tendency to talk about life in a way that is so introspective and cryptic; she veers into dark territory.“Flags,” Fraser’s third LP, takes the singer to Los Angeles, where she decided to throw some of her rules for songcraft out the window.“Something in the Water” suggests Fraser is at least having some fun as she reminisces about wine nights with friends sung over a beat with an addictive neo-country stomp. Songs such as “Jack Kerouac” and “Coachella” are also sonically intriguing, with the former showing some Rasta-love to a man who inspired her own trip to LA.The album’s closing track, “Flags,” is the thoughtful torch song, as Fraser contemplates why “innocents fall” and “monsters stand.” Underneath the album’s variety in theme and sound stands a woman who doesn’t seem afraid to wave her flags of justice, peace and reflection in a pure spirit of truth and love. That’s far more powerful than anyone who ever preaches on the platform of hate. Consider this album a collection of songs for a renewed world.
(10/20/10 11:24pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It seems as though Antony Hegarty of the New York band Antony and the Johnsons is finally charting his course home.Hegarty is known for penning lyrics about the depths of misery and human suffering, and his voice is of such surreal power that it’s almost cartoonish. On the band’s fourth album, “Swanlights,” the sad singer demonstrates a sense of hope that he alluded to on the closing track to 2008’s brittle “The Crying Light”.“I need another world/This one’s nearly gone,” Hegarty ruminated.These songs focus on the power of love rather than the destructiveness of self-hatred. The single, “Thank You For Your Love,” is the strongest advocate for this message. For the first time in a while, if ever, Antony sounds as if he’s smiling when he’s singing, among a cacophony of horns and free-jazz vocals.The stunning “Fletta,” a standout collaboration (the most eccentric this year) featuring Bjork, has a spacious and emotionally consistent approach, giving Bjork’s big, warm voice room to shine.We should all purchase “Swanlights” and thank Hegarty for learning to love himself and the world around him.
(10/13/10 10:05pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Is it me, or is the general consensus of KT Tunstall that she is a cheesy singer and multi-instrumentalist with a penchant for nonsense?Whether that’s true or not, her third studio album, “Tiger Suit,” is a mesh of the success of innovative alt-rock stompers such as “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” and the floptastic 2007 album “Drastic Fantastic.”The result is a delightful mixture that dabbles in more textured sounds, with Tunstall sinking her claws into music that is equally as light as it is dark (see “Push That Knot Away”). The sound is also a bit more progressive, similar to a lovechild by M.I.A.’s latest venture and anything by Florence + the Machine.In recent interviews, Tunstall talked, with little confidence, about finding a new sound when recording “Tiger Suit” called “nature techno,” which blends electronics, noise and organic instrumentation.“Difficulty” is a strong representation of this new sound, featuring self-effacing couplets such as: “Twisting myself into shapes/ To stop you crying/ What’ll I do if I lose you/ What’ll I do if I lose.”There’s some power in Tunstall’s tiger roar after all.
(10/06/10 9:38pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>From the sound of things, one can tell British DJ-producer Mark Ronson seriously channels his current influences through the records he listened to as a kid.With the moniker Mark Ronson & the Business Int’l, “Record Collection” reaches out to some of those influences. Legendary music heavyweights like Boy George, Q-Tip and D’Angelo play a hand in creating an excellent batch of original songs that manage to shine the spotlight on Ronson’s production abilities.Ronson’s 2007 covers album, “Version,” found him doo-wopping out pop gems like Britney’s “Toxic” to fine effect. Amy Winehouse even recreated The Zutons’ “Valerie” so masterfully that the album got a Brit Award the following year. Win.On this album, Ronson takes that soulful ability and multiplies it by awesome — as in synthier drum loops, punchy ’80s electronics and sweetly-laid harmonies. He even busts out a mic and sings backup on the sparkling “Somebody to Love Me.”Joints like Spank Rock assisted “The Bike Song” cruise on a parade of tricked-out fixies via fresh hip-hop breakbeats. The theme here for Ronson and crew is to have fun and revisit the past. Consider your record collection enhanced.
(09/30/10 12:04am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After a morning tennis workout and a shower with Justin Bieber cooing in the background, Erika Hall decided it was time to get dressed for the day.A lot went into selecting the black Banana Republic skinny dress pants and white sleeveless blouse from The Limited the IU junior chose to wear. For Hall, it’s the right combination of femininity and confidence. (Bonus: The sleeveless blouse allows Hall to show off her guns from working out this past summer.)Part of it is because she wants to go to law school. Another part is because it was the day of her Cox Scholarship ceremony. And another part is due to her position as lectures director for Union Board. Hall said she takes all three very seriously.But more than anything, Hall’s style of dress is the product of her southern upbringing. As a native of Fort Mill, S.C., there was no such thing as leaving the house without a Polo and Sperrys.“You just didn’t look bad where I’m from,” Hall said. “There was no question that you’d be seen when you left the house each day, so you were expected to look your best.”At IU, the culture lends one to believe that girls are to wear leggings and American Apparel.After some dirty looks for her preppy, conservative appearance, Hall tried on an overpriced, oversized T-shirt freshman year.“It just wasn’t me,” she said while conditioning her hair. “I found that being myself is enough. I don’t have to respond to how people judge me for the way I dress.”And while brands such as J.Crew and Banana Republic neatly line her closet, Hall said it isn’t all about the branding. She said she thought it was important to wear whatever makes you feel good.“I love to bargain shop for the looks I enjoy most,” Hall said. “There’s no point in paying $300 for a sundress if you don’t have to.”Margaret Fette, a visiting lecturer in the Department of Apparel Merchandising, has a different point of view. Call her old school, but the grunge of the youth these days is none too appealing to her, mainly because of extremes in fashion. There’s chic and couture, and there’s hipster and hot mess, but there’s seemingly no innovative way to merge the two in a way that makes sense. In terms of dressing to impress, especially for interviews in jobs or internships, a key piece of her advice is this: The person sitting across the desk from you with the fountain pen and paper is more than likely older than you. Translation — your version of what’s casual isn’t always appropriate, Fette said.Fette runs a local business specializing in custom alterations called The Tailored Fit. You wouldn’t believe the lack of fashion utility that walks through my doors, Fette laughed.Aside from potential employees occasionally blurting out personal business in an interview, fashion faux pas really shock her. “All I’m going to say is that deep plunging necklines and short skirts are not flattering on everyone,” she said. “Unless you are a six-pound mannequin, it’s not flattering to most people.”
(09/22/10 10:05pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Brandon Flowers’ solo strike-out, “Flamingo,” takes the ’80s-flavored, dirty disco rampage that has worked with his band The Killers and writes an autobiography. Sort of.Unfortunately for fans of The Killers, Flowers’ lyrics and delivery don’t paint a very interesting picture.The lyrics throughout the album vaguely hint at the euphemisms of The Killers’ 2006 hit, “When You Were Young.” Spoke-sung references to “slipping through time” and “biting off more than you can chew” are juxtaposed with pseudo-zen musical accompaniment. The problem here is no one is sure, in Flowers’ 10-year career as a professional musician, how to decipher what he’s learned from his early days on the Vegas strip. Songs such as “Crossfire” and “Playing with Fire” are burdened with well-intended epithets that somehow fall flat.It’s too bad, really. Flowers — a sexy, stylish Mormon who has been at the center of controversy with statements criticizing Green Day and Panic! At the Disco — actually has a lot to say. This album is an example of what can happen when a lead singer of a hit band breaks out and bites his tongue. At least the album remains true to its title — flamingos are cursed with wings that can’t take flight.
(09/15/10 11:42pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the fact that last Saturday marked nine years since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The music I’ve been listening to this past week has somehow led up to my reflection of this. We are reminded with events in the present-day of just how important it is to never forget that tragedy. The Florida pastor who maniacally planned to burn the Quran comes to mind, as does the nationwide reconsideration of who should always make the no-fly list at airports, regardless of whether or not they’ve committed any crimes. I’ve found it necessary to tune out this hatred with messages of love. For that reason, Antony and the Johnson’s latest EP, “Thank You for Your Love,” is currently resonant with me. For those who don’t know, Antony Hegarty, the lead singer of the dark cabaret, chamber pop collective, has a voice that is other wordly. His message and his lyrics, though often enough to send someone into a wine-fueled tailspin of depression and suicidal thoughts, is ultimately positive. The new EP is a slight departure from what I just mentioned and has a more upbeat quality to it.The title track of the EP is a fine example of this — mixing horn blasts and a flurry of scatted, heartfelt “thank yous.”“You Are the Treasure” is another gem, a pile of affections laid on thick: “You are the treasure/you are the dream/ you are my friend/ you are a river of milk to me,” Hegarty sings.“My Lord My Love” talks about the beauty of having never-failing protection, of always being watched over, with a piano driven melody that sounds similar to a melancholy Christmas.The EP’s tone evokes images of fireplaces, of robust family dinners, of cobblestone streets being covered in leaves of every color. It reminds me of what happens to all of us when the seasons change — we all change in some way and are inspired to dig deeper. As fall approaches, layers of clothing will shield our inner selves, readying us for the iciness of winter. Our moods become stale, as they are fixed on extreme highs and lows. Or, at least that’s what happens to me. So, as I get ready for another change in season and temperament, I will realize that I’m not alone. The growth I experience in this time is a lot like Hegarty’s growth as a person. His earlier songs encapsulated the depths of human suffering — the loneliness, the hopelessness, the romanticism of it all. Nowadays, he seems to be on a track of understanding that in times like these, love, not hate, will be what sets us free. Oh, and saying “thank you.”