Meet Kate Broadwell, Blogger
Kate Broadwell is a Freshman pursuing a major in International Relations. Her ideal future would be to live in a luxurious Paris flat, with a large dog, and furniture from Anthropology. Other than mummifying herself with soft blankets and binging on chocolate, she also enjoys taking photos and hiking.
Album Review: Xiu Xiu’s Angel Guts: Red Classroom
By Evan Mills
Xiu Xiu (the demon-baby of San Jose native Jamie Stewart) recently released their latest album Angel Guts: Red Classroom. It is a comically dark and suspenseful journey into a dank basement of Frankenstein-inspired electronic doom. The slow and simple midi rhythms drip lifelessly like water droplets and splatter into a puddle of cold, stagnant and a-tonal clambering. What Xiu Xiu does well is create a dark and enveloping mood that sounds like something very old and very cutting edge simultaneously. Their music does not follow specific and traditional song structures or have hooks or even distinguishable melodies, but rather generates an ominous vibe. They use repetition effectively and lure their victims/listeners into a cryptic trance. They then assault the unsuspecting listener with ludicrously offensive and vile lyrics that are worked in between the spaces of their electronic pings and drum kit smashes. The vocals give the otherwise soulless music a somewhat human element, so it is not accurate to describe Xiu Xiu as purely electronic. There are elements of traditional songwriting beneath the layers of synthesizer machinery. This album succeeds in being dark and creepy but is also sometimes hard to take seriously. I dig it for its dark, trance-like vibe. But I often grew tired of the over the top ghoul-like ranting.
Meet Evan Mills, Blogger
Evan Mills is a sophomore studying Film and Media Arts at AU. He is originally from Kensington, Maryland. Evan likes music and film and has a North Carolina license plate, a Maryland driver’s license, a Virginia address and a bed in DC. His insurance company hates him. Evan wants to work in visual media one day.
Art Exhibit Review: “Our America: the Latino Presence in American Art” at the American Art Museum
By Ruthie Zeltzer
A refreshing and eye-opening exhibit, “Our America: the Latino Presence in American Art”, celebrates the stories and experiences of American artists with Mexican, Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Dominican cultural roots. All text in the exhibit is written in both Spanish and English. Many of the actual pieces feature both languages and combine Latin and American cultural paradigms. The harmonious blending of cultures exemplifies the notion of shared identity claimed by both the artist and viewer.
Through numerous mediums, the exhibit explores themes such as the journey, heritage, tradition, family, and community. Using a variety of approaches, the viewer catches a glimpse of the cross-section of cultures that influence the artists’ own experiences as Americans. Sometimes painful, sometimes beautiful, and often both–the works evoke strong and sincere emotions.
Graphic Novel Review: Thor: God of Thunder, Vol. 1: The God Butcher
By Nolan Miller
Marvel is commonly considered as lighter, more fantastical, and at times even sillier than the only other comic book publisher that rivals its titanic size, namely DC. However, the company’s relatively new (2012) NOW! imprint (Superior Spider-Man, All New X-Men, Hawkeye) possesses both a darker tone and an exceptionally sophisticated writing style unheard of for Marvel since the beginning of the “adults only” MAX imprint back in 2001. The blonde-mained, Norse god of thunder Thor of recent movie fame was one of the first characters to get his Marvel NOW! reboot with the start of Thor: God of Thunder on November 14, 2012. The New York Times best-selling series is now on its twenty-first issue, published this past Wednesday. This review, however, will focus only on the first five issues, which were collected in the paperback graphic novel released earlier this month titled Thor: God of Thunder, Vol. 1: The God Butcher.
Meet Ruthie Zeltzer, Blogger
Ruthie Zeltzer is a sophomore perusing a double major in Law & Society and Latin American Studies & Spanish, which sounds like four things, but is only two. When she grows up, Ruthie hopes to be a Spanish-speaking lawyer. Some of her favorite hobbies include Harry Potter enthusiasm, working in her community garden back home in Massachusetts, and eating. Most importantly, Ruthie is both a dog and cat person.