Five Cent Sound Vol. 5 Issue 2: Spring 2017

FIVE CENT SOUND Spring 2017

FIVE CENT SOUND i

FIVE CENT SOUND SPRING 2017

SPRING 2017 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Isabella Dionne Assistant Editor-in-Chief: Brad Trumpfheller

PHOTOGRAPHY Photo Editor: Jacob Cutler Photographers: Sabrina Combs, Bobby Weider, Kathryn Garelli, Cody Kenner, Liana Genound, Em Earley, Morgan Sung, Mike Carroll, Kevin Oliveira

DESIGN

Creative Director: Samantha Harton Designers: Mary Duhon, Caitlin Muchow, Alisha Parikh

AROUND THE WORLD

Editor: Suchita Chadha Writers: Nina DeSilva, Rodjyna Beauvile

FEATURES

Editor: Sophie Schoenfeld Writers: Elizabeth Hartel, Lucas Frangiosa

ENTERTAINMENT & CULTURE

Editor: Courtney Major Writer: May Blake, Rebekah Scarborough, Ryan Barnhart, Alexandra Rich

REVIEWS

Editor: Allie DiGennaro Writer: Cameron Fetter, Will Nichols, Rodjyna Beauvile, Peter Henry

LIVE & LOCAL Editor: Jamie Galyas Writers: Graham Crolley, Caitlin Smith, Julianne Giffin

COPYEDITING

Head Copyeditor: Lauren Lopez Copyeditors: Lilly Milman, Nina DeSilva

BLOG

Editor: Nicole Cooper Assistant Editor: Alisha Parikh Writers: Anna Newton, Ronan McGuire, Carissa Dunlap, Brendan Kane

Letter Letter From From the the Editor Editor Dear readers, Five Cent Sound became a part of my life three years ago. Like many freshmen, I had a less-than-vague idea of what I wanted to do, be it at school or after. I knew I liked music, and I liked writing, and I liked working with other people to create meaningful works to share with others.

Joining the school’s only music magazine should have been a no-brainer, but it wasn’t until the close of that first year that a friend gave me a nudge towards Five Cent Sound. I began by copy editing. Three years later, I’ve served my last semester as editor-in-chief.

During this time, Five Cent Sound has brought me to countless concerts across Greater Boston, introduced me to numerous new bands I may never have heard otherwise, and taught me invaluable lessons about hearing music differently, looking at musicians differently, and writing about music differently. I’ve had the honor of working alongside one of the most ambitious, talented, and dedicated staffs at Emerson—without all of their hard work, the magazine you hold now would not exist.

In the past three years, I have learned the ins and outs of the K-pop industry, seen David Bowie’s Blackstar in a new light, and witnessed the birth of emo music in the Washington, D.C. underground—all through being a part of this magazine. That is the power and the end goal of good, honest music journalism. Listen to an album through our ears, and find a new meaning in each song. Travel with us across the globe and learn something—a new song, a new artist, a new genre. Let us walk you through our most beloved stories in music history.

What you read today may be your first issue of Five Cent Sound. It’s the twelfth in the magazine’s history. It is my fourth and last. And though I am sad to leave this spring, I am so proud of what we have accomplished, and what I know Five Cent Sound will do in the future.

With love, Isabella

IN THIS ISSUE LIVE & LOCAL Lady Lamb 4 Spider Rock Rocks 6 Meet Today Junior 7

Entertainment & Culture

Soundracks: the Ultimate Playlist 8 Retrowave 10 The Evolution of the Music Video 12 Performance & Political Power 14

Features

Pink Floyd’s Animals16 The Fall of the Grammy’s 18

PhotoS

Of Montreal 20 Porches 22 Transviolets23 Dashboard Confessional 24 All Get Out 25

Reviews

Tourist in this Town 26 These are the Japandroids You’re Looking For 27 A Frolic Through Music Hell 28 Miss 20 Somethin 29

Around The World

Postcolonial Pop Rock 30 Mbongwana Star 32 The Loss of Nigeria’s Synth Funk Innovator 34 Cover Photo of LANY at the Royale by Jacob Cutler

vv

6 30 10 7

FIVE CENT SOUND 3

LIVE & LOCAL

Lady Lamb 4 LIVE & LOCAL

By Graham Crolley Photo Courtesy of Vortex Music Magazine

L

ast year, Aly Spaltro, the talent known as Lady Lamb, played a show in a movie theater in Massachusetts.

The theater doubled as a small venue, and Spaltro met her fans afterwards by her merch table. The show she had just played was an intimate yet dynamic exhibition of Spaltro’s songwriting and ability to communicate emotion— a group of fans stood as close to the front of the stage as possible to join in the experience. Through her folk-tinged, indie rock, she showcased moments both gut-wrenching and bombastic, as well as more tender instances. In these quieter moments, her concentration and earnestness commanded the attention of the room with the gravitas of a seasoned pro.

Spaltro started recording music in her hometown of Brunswick, Maine afterhours at the video rental store where she worked. She often worked the night shift and would stay up until the morning writing songs. When she moved to Somerville, right outside of Boston, she played local clubs and made enough of a name for herself to win Best Folk Vocalist in the 2010 Boston Music Awards. These days, Spaltro, now 27, has moved from her beginnings to getting even more appreciation from the spotlight— her touchingly honest songwriting has been praised by NPR, KEXP, Pitchfork, and Rolling Stone.

Her debut studio effort, Ripely Pine came out in 2013 and garnered attention for its metaphor-rich lyrics, lush folk rock instrumentation, and Spaltro’s ability to infuse her vocal delivery with human emotion. 2015 album After brought her both laid-back and neurotic sound more into the forefront.

Standout single “Billions of Eyes” manages to convey triumph and confusion, and is probably the only indie rock song that has a lyric about falling into a pile of warm laundry that won’t make you roll your eyes. Her most recent effort, the EP Tender Warriors Club, dropped last December. It’s a seven-song, stripped back, acoustic meditation on the bravery it takes to show how we feel. Each of the songs feature unconventional structures, minimal to no percussion, and heavy emphasis on Spaltro’s signature finger-picking guitar style. The single “See You” brazenly asks, “Have we fucked ourselves over?”

A year back in that Massachusetts movie theater, it was apparent that Spaltro herself was every bit as genuine as her songs, engaging in authentic person-to-person chats with fans after the show. She was noticeably humble, and she accepted praise for the show with an appreciative nature.

Through her genuine attitude, poetic lyricism, and drive, Spaltro is effortlessly bringing her own brand of authenticity into modern folk rock, and she’s doing it just by being her badass self. As she points out in her song Crane Your Neck, “You’ve gotta be starving, you’ve gotta be starving for it.”

FIVE CENT SOUND 5

spider rock rocks

By Caitlin Smith Photo by Shafaq Patel

O

ne could say that Spider Rock redefines the parameters of what is or is not the proper function of a band.

As Steven Collins, a sophomore at Emerson College, describes it, “it almost feels like a collective rather than an official, like, in place band. Whenever we need something, or have a show, we’re gonna come to each other and find how it’s going to work. A collection of people working together to express themselves.”

Collins is the frontman of Spider Rock, the lead man that initiated this endeavor about a year ago along with roommate, Max DiRado. However, a pluralistic artistry the five man band established has given root to a community in which each of the artists can build from and grow singularly. Max DiRado, the guitarist for Spider Rock, has an indie flair while Patrick Swanson, another sophomore at Emerson, is more classical.

Danny Barbati and Andrew Pattenaude, the guitarist and drummer respectively, enjoy the community and opportunity the band provides, functioning as a musical outlet in a differing art focused school.

With different stylistic artists, Spider Rock appears to take on numerous genres. Their upcoming EP, which will be released this Spring, is, in their own words, “a little more sad boy alternative rock” sound. For the next record, however, Collins would like to “get more weird with it,” take on more of an Indie Rock sound rather than the Alternative Rock they’re currently producing.

Before then, however, Spider Rock has officially entered the public venue domain. On February 15th and 16th of 2017, the band headlined for a friend, Morgan Brown in The Amy Incident, at the Middle East, officially breaking the seal from hobbying artists to occupational and productive. Within the short span of one to two weeks, Spider Rock transitioned from dorm room productions to theater wide audiences, scrambling in the means of one day in order to prepare for their newest gig.

6 LIVE & LOCAL

Currently, Spider Rock seems to be ever on the productive incline, taking shows and producing work at a faster pace than previously. But when time has passed, there will be the trail of what they have done in their path, the twists and turns of musical style and stories that are weaved into their music.

What Spider Rock is in ten years will most definitely not be the same as it is now and they are completely content with that. Collins would prefer to see the progression his music has taken, rather than removing it from their bandcamp profile.

The community that is Spider Rock creates an appreciation of something different from their own. For DiRado and Swanson, the future will most likely bring them a more independent musical focus rather than the collective that is Spider Rock. “It’s almost like a base building process,” Collin explains, “where I start the base because I have a lot of attention seeking tendencies and I’ll come to these guys and they’ll make it good. It’s usually how we go about it.” Although the other band members have yet to bring any lyrics to Collins, he is “open to it.” But, DiRado says, “His lyrics are airtight, they’re just beautiful.”

For being mismatched and impermanent, Spider Rock has contributed to the artistry that is music already and will continue to do so. “We all come from pretty different musical backgrounds, which is pretty cool,” says Collins. “So then they’ll add different sides to it. Like, I’ll come to Pat with a very simple chord progression with a vocal melody over it, and he’ll add this beautiful classical piano part.”

Spider Rock is, “Really excited to start releasing full projects, and starting to catch shows around Boston and hopefully turn some heads,” according to Collins. But, all in all, for Collins, “I just want to keep meeting people at shows and get on stage and having fun and great vibes. And I wouldn’t have met these great guys had it not been for this project. I just want to have fun.”

M

meet

eet Today Junior, three The Skinny released in 2013, followed indie surf rockers who by their first studio release Ride The are making waves in Surf in 2015. A good friend of the the Boston music scene. The dudes band, Jack Welborn, co-owner of have a studio space in Brighton Flesh Records, asked the guys to join filled with band posters plastered at the top of 2016. Once joined, Ride over the walls, luminescent lights, The Surf was released on cassette. tapestries, and street signs. All of Joining Flesh Records gave the band their gear and instruments were more of a community, it launched kept in cases on a lofted bunk, them further into the Allston music their upcoming schedule etched scene. The guys are currently looking out on a white board, and VHS for a label with the right fit for them. tapes overflowing out of cabinets.

“We just want to find a label with It’s easy to tell right off the bat, how like minded dudes like us,” Mike says. cool the guys of Today Junior are.

“Out of Reach” off of Ride The Today Junior is a trio comSurf has very melancholic guitar melBy Peter Henry prised of lead vocalist and guitarist odies throughout but especially in the Photo by Bobby Wieder Harry O’Toole, Mike O’Toole on intro. A more lively undertone seeps the drums, and Anthony Ambrose through with the sped up guitar solos playing bass. Brothers Harry and Mike O’Toole formed Toand falsetto vocals. “Lee’s Anthem” off of the Leaving Easy EP day Junior in 2012. The guys crossed paths with bassist Tony starts off with more garagey guitars and includes an insanely Ambrose at a concert in 2013, they cliqued, and the trio was catchy chorus. “It’s not what we deserve, to be second best.” completed. All three of them shared that their favorite thing to The instrumentals are edgy and the lyrics are angsty. Giving do is to go to shows together. Seeing bands like Tame Impala listeners something to relate to. and Phoenix as a band really helped them become a close unit.

You may have seen the guys open up for Homeshake, the “We connected on similar bands and similar goals with So So Glos, or even some of their headlining shows at Great musicianship and it was really a great chemistry vibe from the Scott or the Middle East Upstairs. They expressed an eagerget go,” says Harry ness to headline more known venues around the city like Today Junior takes influence from bands like The Strokes, Brighton Music Hall or even the Middle East Downstairs.

Mac Demarco, and The Ventures .“There is a lot of eclectic inToday Junior are extremely excited for the release of Single spirations that go towards it so it’s cool to think that the music Forever later this year and plan to go on tour to promote the we are making is the music that we want to hear,” says Harry.” album.

They have two full length albums under their belt: What’s

TODAY JUNIOR

FIVE CENT SOUND 7

ENTERTAINMENT & CULTURE

SOUNDTRACKS the ultimate playlist

By Rebekah Scarborough Photos courtesy of Gideon Tsang

I

f Oscar dreams were made of perfectly chosen tracks then 500 Days of Summer would go down in history as (one of) the greatest film(s) ever made. Sadly however, soundtracks seem to live at the bottom of the album totem pole. But why is that when a decent soundtrack can revive a so-so film? Here’s looking at you Saturday Night Fever.

We all know the greats like Dirty Dancing and Little Miss Sunshine. But what makes them worth remembering? A soundtrack’s job is to further the narrative in some way. There is no other song that could have brought Baby and Johnny back together again like The Time of my Life. Every time anyone hears that song they dance with the same joy and freedom as Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey did during the summer of 1963. Tempo, lyrics, rhythm, they all matter because they make us feel more. Sure the movie would end the same way and the audience would still pay attention, but just like french fries need salt to enhance the flavor, movies need music to enhance the moments.

8 ENTERTAINMENT & CULTURE

If there was one new certified classic on the scene it would be La La Land, an original score completely composed by Justin Hurwitz. Oh, La La Land. You made us dance in streets and believe in love again. The jazzy rhythms and hopeful lyrics take the audience on a journey to recapture something they thought was lost- a golden age of cinema’s love affair with song and dance.

If you ever want to feel that way again you don’t have to rewatch the movie over and over you need only listen to the music. You can play it on the way to work or on the train. You hum it in the kitchen or belt it in the shower, either way the music is what sticks with you. It’s what makes you feel like you were there in the jazz club or under the L.A. stars alongside Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling.

Jazz can be swell, but there were other new arrivals this Oscar season like the melancholy elegance captured by Lesley Barber in Manchester by the Sea. The sophisticated soundtrack which features The London Philharmonic Orchestra and Ella

Fitzgerald directly contrasts with the characters of a blue collar New England town. Without the music, moments that made you weep would have otherwise just brought a frown or the few times you laughed may have just made you smile.

Don’t let the title fool you. The Hidden Figures soundtrack is not inconspicuous background noise. It only contains ten songs yet is one of the most powerful compilations of this year.

That in no small part is due to Pharrell Williams who with a handful of other modern artists like Alicia Keys and Mary J Blige took us back in time. The original songs are minimalistic and harken back to the 1960’s when the film takes place without being stuck in the past. The themes of oppression and empowerment are carefully embedded in the lyrics. You’re just enjoying the beat and then suddenly you’re singing out loud for Taraji P. Henderson to take what she wants and what she needs.

When you crave new quality music and the radio lets you down, turn to soundtracks.They give exposure to new artists

that mainstream audiences would otherwise never hear. They are the album embodiment of your super cool friend who only listens to bands you’ve never heard of. Lady Gaga’s first hit “Just Dance” was featured in the dance film Make It Happen, before the song was a top forty hit. We also wouldn’t be blessed with gems like “Young and Beautiful” which Lana del Rey wrote for The Great Gatsby or Simple Mind’s “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” made famous for being featured in The Breakfast Club. Soundtracks predate Spotify and Pandora. They gave us perfectly compiled playlists before we ever thought to make one for ourselves.

Soundtracks are like time capsules. The way photo albums and yearbooks freeze time to a point when we were young, soundtracks capture the music of a year or even a generation.

It’s another way of saying this is who we were back then. Before you put on shuffle mode scroll to various artists or browse the CD aisle at Target and take one home for 5.99. Allow it to narrate your life. Because in a way it already does.

FIVE CENT SOUND 9

RETROWAVE

By Ryan Barnhart Photos by Mike Carroll

10 ENTERTAINMENT & CULTURE

I

magine yourself driving down a highway at dusk. The sky is a mosaic of pastoral pinks, oranges, blues, and violets.

To your right is a small beach and an ocean that stretches impossibly toward the horizon. On your left, an ever-diminishing city, marring the skyline with jagged spires atop skyscrapers. What is playing in your car as you stare down that seemingly endless highway? If you’re like me, only one type of music fits perfectly with this image and can capture the cinematic nature of the moment⎯Retrowave.

Retrowave is subgenre of electronic music that seeks to emulate the film and videogame soundtracks of the 1980s while injecting it with a modern twist. Despite being bred from the music of 80s American pop culture, retrowave––which goes by many other names including synthwave and outrun––has it’s origins with French House artists like College (David Grellier) and Kavinsky (Vincent Belorgey) in the mid-2000s.

With the release of 2011 film Drive by Nicolas Winding Refn, that featured an 80s inspired tone and soundtrack including both College and Kavinsky, the genre exploded in popularity (as did letterman jackets and Ferrari Testarossas, but that’s a discussion for another article).

Jordan Stella, who releases music under the name Yuppie Culture, explained the genre to me as “all about capturing a feeling, impressing a certain sense of nostalgia” and expressed a desire for listeners to be “teleported back to their fondest memories.” With many of retrowave’s prominent artist having grown up in the 80s and early 90s, fond memories and nostalgia go hand in hand with 80s pop culture.

While retrowave is not devoid of lyrics, many retrowave musicians, especially lesser-known acts, are completely instrumental. Many acts, notably those influenced by Kavinsky, will sometimes include sirens as well as fictional police radio static or faux-retro commercials. Retrowave artists tend to fall into one of two categories. They either have a faster, more aggressive sound or a lighter, more open sound.

Artists like Perturbrator fall into the first category. Perturbrator’s music is often fast paced and could be seen as the soundtrack to an action movie or video game (which will not be an adequate excuse when a cop pulls you over for going 90 in a 55). On the other hand, artists like Yuppie Culture feature sounds that are of a “somewhat dreamy, ethereal nature” and fits together with the sunset from the beginning of this article like Michael J. Fox fits together with a Delorean. Of course there is often overlap or divergence between these two distinc-

tions, which is the case with artist Com Truise, whose music borrows much from dubstep.

The 80s aesthetic does not simply end with the music.

Many artists that arose in response to Drive took the 80s aesthetic connected to retrowave and pushed to the extreme, almost bordering on the point of parody. For example, Futurecop! has albums featuring songs with titles like “John Hughes” and “Transformers” and album art that bares striking resemblances the movie posters of The Goonies and Labyrinth. Yuppie Culture’s album Memories features a song titled “Late Nights in Santa Monica” despite the artist candidly explaining that he’s never been there and simply liked the way the title sounded.

Despite constant references to the 80s, Stella admitted “I’m not very concerned with whether or not my songs sound reminiscent of the 80s; I’m much more concerned with making music that drives connection.” It just happens that connection for Jordan Stella is bred by the sights and sounds of the 1980s. Perhaps that is why retrowave is steadily increasing in both popularity and influence a newer generation of artists is drawing on their youth and capturing the beautiful combination of sadness and joy that only comes with nostalgic yearning.

Coming to prominence with the aid of film, retrowave has since seen a return to the screen with films like It Follows, which featured a nostalgic 80s feeling and was scored

by Disasterpeace (Rich Vreeland), an artist considered by some to be a member of the retrowave genre, and the TV show Stranger Things, an unabashed love letter to the horror films of the 1980s. Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, members of the retrowave band S U R V I V E, composed the soundtrack for the popular Netflix show, which garnered a Best Score Soundtracks for Visual Media nomination at the Grammys.

The soundtrack, as well as the show, was met with extremely positive views from both critics and audiences, opening up retrowave to new listeners.

So when you are driving down that long, vacant highway with the windows down and you can smell the ocean and hear the distant sounds of the city and the sun is grasping onto the horizon, trying to hold on for just a few more minutes, and you feel as though all of your memories are brimming in your mind, wanting but unable to come out, maybe you’ll put on a retrowave song and see what a love of the past has in store for the future.

FIVE CENT SOUND 11

EVOLUTION OF THE

MUSIC VIDEO

By May Blake Image courtesy of MTV

B

eyonce’s Formation, was arguably more discussed and distinguished than the song itself. With heavy imagery referencing racial issues in America and police brutality, the video instantly gained global attention and widespread media coverage for its social ambitions, rather than as merely a form of entertainment. It is one of the most recent examples of massive influence through music videos, although this development is fairly recent.

The conception of music began merely as a marketing strategy. With the movement towards a visual age, videos served as promotional content for the artist’s song. Over the past few years, however, we’ve witnessed them transform into a movement of their own. Music videos are now their own production with their own independent goal.

The Beatles began utilizing music videos as a promotional tool, in order to lessen exhaustive marketing strategies, such as touring or television interviews. Their music videos also became more embellished. Rather than simply film them performing the song live, they began to have creative variety and appeared in unexpected settings. The rising success in music videos led to an increase in investments from record labels and bigger budgets were shelled out. David Bowie hopped on the music video bandwagon and released “Space Oddity” in 1969. Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” (which is frequently credited as kickstarting the music industry’s focus on music videos) was such a marketing success, that record labels began to shift their marketing attention more towards visual sharing.

In the 80s, the purpose of music videos began to take a turn. With the progression of technology and increase in accessibility to filmmakers, music videos were no longer a rare commodity. An expensive set and crew were no longer needed to create a quality videos. Videos were no longer exclusive to successful musicians, but rather an accessible tool to all artists. Filmmakers took note of the artistic merit in music videos, and began getting more involved. Spike Jonze and David Fincher worked with artists like Madonna, Beastie Boys, and Nirvana. Music videos started going from a career stepping

12 ENTERTAINMENT & CULTURE

stone to achievements in themselves.

MTV’s inception in 1981 had a significant impact on the widespread popularity of music videos. Nowadays, the history of music is typically by pre- and post- the MTV era, which arguably kickstarted their popularity. Ironically, the first video ever premiered was “Video Killed the Radio Star” by The Buggies. The channel originally began by requesting promotional materials from small record labels. Marketing sales increased along with its viewerships, garnering millions of dollars in advertising within the first year. The channel featured mainly music videos on a constant loop, providing consumers with direct access and making them the standard form of entertainment.

Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” was an integral part of the music industry’s shift in focus to videos. Unlike its predecessors, the video had its own plotline separate from the song itself. Spanning over 13 minutes, and featured one of the biggest budgets in music video history, it was one of the first times that a music video was putting on a production in itself. As part of a deal with MTV, “Thriller” premiered on the channel in 1983 and was scheduled to play several times a day, securing its place in viewers’ homes.

In the early 2000’s, music videos’ rising success began to dwindle as MTV realized that reality TV, like The Real World, garnered higher ratings. This lead to a brief “dark period” until 2005, when YouTube was started, and the new line of entertainment was born. Giving consumers direct and instant access to every music

video imaginable, came a rise in internet spread that has lead to the massive popularity that music videos have achieved. In 2009, Vevo was launched and struck a deal with YouTube. The concept was similar to Hulu, a streaming service intended to provide content alongside occasional advertisements. Vevo’s format directly connected online advertisers to artists, and subsequently garnered greater profits. This marketing format now defines the monetary significance of online views. In the past year, YouTube ad sales have made up to $450 million solely from views.

With newfound and instant access to hundreds of music videos, consumers could watch mass amounts of content at once. Suddenly, they weren’t just promoting the song––they were stories in themselves. Music videos became intentionally more and more controversial, and as a result made headlines with increasing frequency. The standard was set; a song was incomplete without an equally influential video to accompany it.

The “Single Ladies” music video featured a simple premise; Beyonce and two backup dancers, all dressed in matching leotards, performing choreography in a continuous, black and white shot. Despite its uncharacteristically minimalistic style, it quickly gained massive popularity and became culturally omnipresent. The dance became widely mimicked, and was

often parodied by celebrities.

Madonna became better known for her controversial videos than for her music. Britney Spears’ “...Baby One More Time” became a cultural staple, and her schoolgirl outfit is considered iconic to this day. Artists like Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift have become more popularized for their videos than their songs alone. Justin Bieber’s Baby garnered over 1 billion views on YouTube.

The rise of the internet wasn’t without its detriments. YouTube’s large range of content meant artists were faced with a myriad of other content, making consumers’ attention span shorter and fostering a competitive climate. As a reaction to this, artists began to push creative boundaries in their work.

Beyonce released two full length visual albums. Pharrell’s Happy was accompanied by the first ever 24-hour music video. Recently, virtual reality and interactive videos have become more prominent.

The art of music videos has been refined over the years, resulting in a culturally ubiquitous presence in society. Music videos can be used to spread messages and awareness. Music videos heavily shape and influence our culture, and can spread messages and create social change. A song is now considered unfinished without an equally memorable video.

FIVE CENT SOUND 13

By Alex Rich Photos courtesy of Troll 2

A

t this past Grammy Awards, some of the most talked about performances featured artists making either explicit or slightly coded political messages. A Tribe Called Quest and Anderson .Paak, joined by Busta Rhymes, had a standout performance in which they performed “We The People” and invited women wearing hijabs onstage. Busta Rhymes referred to the President as “President Agent Orange” and Q-Tip chanted “Resist” to close out the performance, making an explicit statement about their refusal to condone the Muslim travel ban and the actions of the president, encouraging others to join them.

Katy Perry also made a statement in her opening performance, where she premiered Chained to the Rhythm, by performing in front of an image of the declaration of independence and wearing a bedazzled “persist” arm band. Perry’s performance got mixed responses however; though some appreciated her attempt to say something in light of the attempt-

14 ENTERTAINMENT & CULTURE

ed violations of the constitution, especially because she tweeted “We gonna call this era Purposeful Pop” two days before the performance, others felt that her message was not strong enough and she was simply catering to and capitalizing on her audience’s increased political awareness.

Though these performances were different both in message and effect, they point to a trend of musicians becoming increasing “political”, either with their songs or in their performances. With the government in the state that it is and the political climate heightened so it becomes hard to ignore what is going on, the question of whether musicians have a responsibility to make a political statement comes up.

Bands have been tackling this issue in a variety of ways in the past few months, with larger artists boycotting the Presidential Inauguration or joining music compilations such as Our First 100 Days to benefit charities that aid immigrants or the LGBTQ community, but at a smaller level there have been

Performance & Political Power some admiral examples of what to do with the platform you’re given. In terms of smaller Boston-based bands, Troll 2 has proven that they have something to say, writing folk music with subjects like “The Oligarch’s Lullaby” and “Fuck the Police”.

The band says there was never any other option for them as they “just wanted to stay real and write about our own experiences, and you can’t honestly talk about the world we live in without talking about politics.” However, simply writing music that doesn’t shy away from issues that many artists refuse to broach is not the extent of their activism. The band recently played a fundraiser for DisruptJ20, an organization that helped build the framework for the mass inauguration protests on January 20th and who have a legal organization dedicated to helping protesters who have been jailed.

In the wake of many similar benefits happening around the country, the pressure is on for bands or artists to step up.

When asked about whether they felt a responsibility as artists to make a statement, Troll 2 expressed that everyone is responsible to speak up but “many people are more inclined to listen to a musician, artist, or celebrity than a politician or teacher … so yeah, a certain level of responsibility does fall on us.” When it comes to pop stars, this responsibility is magnified, as they generally have the ability to reach more people with their statements. However, it seems that silence can speak more than words, especially when artists who have notably spoken up for women’s rights remain silent about issues that affect immigrants. Taylor Swift is a name that inevitably comes up; since the release of her latest album she has carefully cultivated an image that is cautiously feminist. By surrounding herself with women and making vague yet generally positive statements about feminism, Swift has set herself up to be criticized when her voice is notably absent from the conversation.

Especially in the months leading up to the election, many peo-

ple noticed and even wrote articles on her lack of discussion when many people’s rights around the country were threatened.

Asking or talking about why Taylor Swift isn’t active in politics feels a bit pointless now; she is a pop star who has fans that are both democrat and republican and clearly does not want to make a statement that alienates people. She is not a person that has made her name by being outspoken about anything and she will most likely never be, but in a better world she should be.

It’s true that there is no good route for Swift to take, as Troll 2 points out when they say, “there’s a difference between being a political artist and using the trappings and aesthetics of resistance to make yourself more popular. Doing the latter does more harm than good.” If Swift chose to make a statement, much of it would most likely result in gain for her and could undercut her message. However, if a pop artist says anything there is the chance to make their fans more aware of a particular issue and “build a platform for those who are actually intelligent on the topic to speak, write, and act.”

What should a musician do, then? Even though it is extremely difficult, especially for popular musicians, it is paramount to use whatever platform you are given to inform others. As Troll 2 states, musicians have a unique ability to reach people and can “break through assumptions in a way that others simply cannot. For us, it’s less about education, and more about setting the table for experts to come in and educate.”

If there is a chance that children saw A Tribe Called Quest’s Grammy performance and saw themselves represented in the women on stage or had the image of women wearing hijabs normalized for them, that is a step towards a more aware future generation. And though it might be nerve-wracking to be faced with this pressure, saying something will only lead to a better conversation. As Zoe Rose de Paz, the fiddle player and vocalist of Troll 2, stated, “If there’s any doubt that’s holding you back, the time is now…Even if you don’t feel quite ready, or if you feel the world isn’t ready, don’t worry about it. Do it.

Stop thinking, start acting.”

FIVE CENT SOUND 15

FEATURES

s ' d y o l F

k n i P

ANIMAls

The timely relevance of and political commentary behind one of progressive rock’s most underrated yet impactful albums

By Elizabeth Hartel Photos courtesy of Billboard

16 FEATURES

O

n January 23, 1977, legendary rock band Pink Floyd released their tenth studio album Animals. The album just celebrated its fortieth anniversary, which showcases its almost unfortunate timelessness. Although it initially served as a mordant jab at Britain, Animals coincidentally now works as the quintessential commentary for the current political climate in the United States.

Animals mirrors George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm. Animal Farm satirizes the Russian Revolution and Stalin’s rule of the Soviet Union, which both took place around two decades before its release in 1945. Animals uses a similar allegorical technique. Through depicting classes of people as types of animals and comparing human behavior to animal behavior, Floyd criticize capitalist oppression in late 1970s England.

Now, those same criticisms prove scarily relevant to those posed against the United States’ Republican administration led by President Donald Trump. Animals’ perennial concept has yet to become irrelevant in a world where politics and big business are not mutually exclusive and are often areas of serious controversy.

Pigs, dogs, and sheep work as symbolical tools on the album; they also serve as titles for the work’s five songs.

On Animals, Floyd depict pigs as disgusting members of society. Although revolting, pigs make up the top societal class. They have the most power and wealth, and in turn are unforgivingly corrupt and manipulative. Pigs get three separate songs on the album. Like some real-life breeds, the dogs depicted on Animals are ruthless and cunning. Floyd use them to satirize nefarious businessmen and other powerful people.

“Dogs” is the longest song on the album. Lastly, sheep symbolize mindless, helpless citizens who give in to anything proposed by those in power. They are the bottom societal class.

Their song on Animals sensibly comes after the introductions of the other two animals.

“Pigs on the Wing” bookends Animals: Part one serves as an introduction to what follows it, while part two works as a powerful conclusion to what precedes it.

Part one barely lasts 90 seconds; it’s short, and coincidentally, it’s also the sweetest song on the album. As a love song dedicated to Carolyne Anne Christie -- Roger Waters’s first wife -- it basically states that Christie and Waters can only trust each

other. They have to watch out for other people, who Waters describes as “pigs on the wing”; a military term about fighter pilots who infiltrate one’s blindside.

The second part of “Pigs on the Wing” resides at the tail end of the album, and like its sister song, it’s also hardly 90 seconds long. Unlike part one, part two is more cynical; however, it still carries forward the theme of love introduced in its earlier counterpart. The last two lines of the song and of the entire album, “And any fool knows a dog needs a home/A shelter from pigs on the wing,” state that even high-power executives need to be sheltered from government scum. Like in Animal Farm, the weakest animals on Floyd’s album end up taking over, and all the animals subsequently band together.

The second song, “Dogs,” sheds light on the corporate world. By explaining the cutthroat nature of business deals and outlining how it feels to live in such a scheme-filled society, David Gilmour hatefully portrays the real-life equivalents of dogs in the first part of the song. Gilmour’s guitar solos make the 17-minute-long track more than bearable to listen to, and Roger Waters’ powerful finish sets the tone for the rest of the album. From this song on, Floyd play no games and take no mercy.

“Pigs (Three Different Ones)” begins with the unmistakable sound of pigs oinking. The song directly attacks Mary Whitehouse, a British social activist who pitted herself against liberalism and mainstream British media. There are clear similarities between Mary Whitehouse and Donald Trump: Since he announced his campaign for president, Trump also passionately spoke out against liberalism. In addition, since his inauguration in late January, he has attacked the media in the United States and dubbed any claim or fact made against him and his administration “fake news.” The main theme of “Pigs (Three Different Ones)” is that Britain’s political leaders are so painfully awful that it’s almost comical.

This song is the most reminiscent of Trump’s presidency.

Its most famous line, “You’re nearly a laugh, but you’re really a cry,” perfectly describes how many Americans felt when the businessman was elected president and how they continue to feel as he makes devastating changes to society.

Over background noise of the fluffy farm animals, “Sheep” addresses blind followers who worship corrupt members of society. Actual sheep are associated with this kind of behavior, so the song’s symbolism is clear and efficient. Ignorant followers in modern United States’ society mimic the sheep described on Animals. The first two lines of the second verse of the track state “What do you get for pretending the danger’s not real/Meek and obedient you follow the leader,” which is what many Americans are doing, whether they are actually Trump supporters or not.

Overall, Animals functions as a fantastically everlasting political commentary. The three comparisons made on the album -- pigs to powerful politicians, dogs to manipulative businessmen, and sheep to ignorant followers -- all perfectly mirror the United States’ current socio political dilemma.

FIVE CENT SOUND 17

the fall of the

GRAMMYS

By Lucas Frangiosa Photos courtesy of Vie de Rêves

“Y

ou got robbed. I wanted you to win. You should have.” Those are Macklemore’s words, yet they have seemingly been repeated by artists at every Grammy Awards over the last five or so years.

Macklemore used those words in a text message to Kendrick Lamar that he made public after his album, The Heist, bested Kendrick’s Good Kid, M.A.A.D City for Best Rap Album in 2014. After winning Album of The Year at this year’s show, Adele’s words were eerily similar to that of Macklemore’s: “I can’t possibly accept this award. And I’m very humbled and I’m very grateful and gracious. But my artist of my life is Beyoncé.” These are not artists just being humble, this is them acknowledging their privilege and the fact that the Grammys is shamelessly either neglecting black artists or prioritizing sales over content-- or, seemingly, both. Whatever the root cause may be, the Grammys have undeniably lost their cultural significance in the ever-evolving music world.

The Grammys, which is run by The National Recording Academy, have been around for fifty-nine years. In those fifty-nine years, only ten black artists have ever won Album of 18 FEATURES

the Year. Since 2013, nine black artists have been nominated for the Grammys most prestigious award, but none have won.

In that five year span there have been some notable snubs.

2013 saw Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange lose to Mumford & Sons Babel and the year following saw the previously mentioned Good Kid, M.A.A.D City fall to Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories. Then Beyonce lost to Beck, Kendrick once again lost, this time to Taylor Swift, and this year’s ceremony saw Adele’s 25 take home the award over Beyonce’s Lemonade.

An obvious trend is presented here showing a preference towards white artists over black and Pop music over Hip-Hop and R&B. Before this year’s ceremony, many artists had already seen enough.

The 2017 Grammy Awards saw one of the largest awards show boycotts where two of the five nominees for Album of the Year refused to show up. The boycott was initiated by Frank Ocean, who, in 2016, released Blonde, his first album in four years, and one of the most critically acclaimed albums of 2016. He decided not to submit Blonde, or his visual album Endless, for Grammy consideration. He called it his “Colin

Kaepernick moment” and said that the Grammys do not “seem to be representing very well for people who come from where I come from, and hold down what I hold down.” His feelings were soon mimicked by Kanye West who said at a show that he would not attend the Grammys if Frank Ocean was not nominated. Well, Frank was not nominated, by his own admission, and Kanye stayed true to his word. Drake and Justin Bieber, who were both nominated, joined in on the boycott and were no-shows at this year’s awards. Even Justin Bieber said that the Grammys were no longer culturally relevant-- now that says something.

Grammy producer Ken Ehrlich and writer David Wild struck back at Frank in an interview with Rolling Stone, claiming that the boycott is Frank’s response to technical difficulties which occurred during his performance at the 2013 ceremony. They completely dismissed his remarks about how he believes “the infrastructure of the awarding system and the nomination system and screening system is dated”. Instead, they insulted his performance from years ago, calling it “faulty TV.” Ocean responded on his Tumblr page, in all caps of course: “YOU KNOW WHAT’S REALLY NOT ‘GREAT TV’ GUYS? 1989 GETTING ALBUM OF THE YEAR OVER TO PIMP A BUTTERFLY. HANDS DOWN ONE OF THE MOST ‘FAULTY’ TV MOMENTS I’VE SEEN.” And he is right. Taylor Swift’s 1989 winning Album of the Year over the absolute masterpiece that is Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly might be the solidifying moment in the fall of the Grammys.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, a couple white guys from Seattle, taking home all of the Hip-Hop awards in 2014 showed that the Grammys did not understand Hip-Hop/R&B. Chance The Rapper having to force the Grammys into accepting free music showed that the Grammys did not understand this digital age of free music and music streaming. But selecting Taylor Swift’s 1989 over Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly showed that the Grammys cannot even distinguish shitty pop music from a musical masterpiece. It showed that the Grammys would rather choose a white pop star with bloated sales over good music. It showed that the Grammys care more about quantity than quality. More about money than music.

More about sales than songs. There are a thousand different ways to say it, but it all really means one thing: the Grammys are no longer relevant.

When an institution repeatedly chooses sales over content

then sales become the only thing that matters. When sales are the only thing that matters, then awards given out based on content don’t matter. And when the awards are the entire institution-- the institution no longer matters. Drake’s Views, and Justin Bieber’s Purpose were both nominated for Album of the Year this year. Beyonce’s Lemonade received a ranking of 92 on Metacritic, a site that compiles music reviews, Drake and Justin Bieber’s albums got a 69 and 62, respectively. When it comes to sales on the other hand, Purpose was 2016’s fourth highest selling album, Views was seventh, and Lemonade was eleventh. The year’s best selling album was Adele’s 25-- the eventual Album of the Year winner.

There is so much music being released on a daily basis that award shows within the industry are becoming outdated. The majority of music being made today is released online for free on platforms such as SoundCloud or Bandcamp. The Grammys did choose to start accepting free music submissions this year, although Chance The Rapper was the only artist with free music that reaped the benefits of this change.

And still, showing that the Grammy voters no longer know what is culturally relevant, Chance The Rapper, who blew up in 2013 after his sophomore mixtape Acid Rap was released, was nominated, and won, Best New Artist in 2017. While the music industry becomes increasingly more complicated with the introduction of visual albums, the increased promotion behind each album release, and the influx of music being created, the Grammys seem to be content doing what they have always done.

While The National Recording Academy is primarily composed of older, white men, and their selections have been observably, well, white, they have dismissed racist claims at every turn. They say their selections are partially based on sales due to the fact that sales directly correlate to popularity. The problem is that sales and popularity are a reflection of the artist, their race, and whether or not their music appeals to a wide enough audience to warrant frequent radio play.

In order to achieve such exposure, the music must then be appealing to a white audience. While Hip-Hop and R&B are quickly becoming music’s most popular genres, Pop, Rock, and Country are heavily associated with white musicians, white audiences, and success at the Grammys.

The Grammys have a serious problem. The show’s producers need to decide how future shows will proceed. Unfortunately, if producer Ken Ehrlich and writer David Wild’s response to Frank Ocean is any indication, they have no plans to change their methods. If Grammy voters just keep selecting the highest selling albums then artists will either have to choose to adjust their musical styles to appeal to larger, white, audiences or simply disregard the Grammys as many have already started to do. When the very people in which the show celebrates no longer respect their decisions, then down it will fall.

“When an institution repeatedly chooses sales over content then sales become the only thing that matters.”

FIVE CENT SOUND 19

OF MONTREAL AT PARADISE ROCK CLUB Photos by Cody Kenner

FIVE CENT SOUND 21

PORCHES at the Sinclair Photos by Kat Garelli

22 FEATURES

TRANSVIOLET AT THE ROYALE Photo by Jacob Cutler

FIVE CENT SOUND 23

DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL AT THE PARADISE ROCK CLUB Photos by Sabrina Combs

ALL GET OUT at the Sinclair Photo by Bobby Wieder

FIVE CENT SOUND 25

Reviews

Tourist in This Town: a Fresh Electricity from an Indie Staple

By William Nichols Photo Courtesy of Jonathan Purvis

2

017 marks a significant transition for 28-year-old Allison Crutchfield. Known primarily for her duo project with her twin sister Katie Crutchfield, P.S. Eliot was a staple in the pop-punk community. The sisters became known solely in conjunction with one another, but in 2011 broke apart to work on their own projects citing creative exhaustion.

Katie formed her own solo project, Waxahatchee, while becoming the frontwoman for the band Swearin’. This year, however, Allison Crutchfield follows in the footsteps of her sister with the release of her first full-length solo album, Tourist in This Town, which brings an exciting new change mixed with traditional Crutchfield style.

Tourist in This Town is a modest ten track, 32-minute fulllength record, but has a serious complexity that is a first in her discography. The songs focus on themes of her transition from being in a band and being around her sister to becoming her own artist––a diegesis perfectly articulated by both her lyrics and her choice in instruments. The most obvious change in her style is the dominant use of synths across the album, a breakaway from her previous music that caters to a more synth pop feel while still providing the same soulful lyrics from her pop-punk roots. Starting with the song “Broad Daylight,” Crutchfield begins with a vocal harmony against a rather minimal synth appearance easing the listener into her new sound, before coming to a full stop and resuming with a synth lead in––establishing that this album is going to be

26 Reviews

filled heavily with buzzing synth chords. This song is followed by synth lead ins on three other songs: “I Don’t Ever Wanna Leave California,” “Sightseeing,” and “Mile Away.” The remaining songs have a steady synth presence throughout, with an exception for “The Marriage”, seemingly a call back to a more traditional pop-punk instrumentation. Also notable is her use of digital drum beats in both “Sightseeing and Secret Lives” and “Deaths,” which while infrequently used in comparison to a rather impactful drum appearance on the album, is a choice that helps confirm the synth pop feel on the most electric songs on the album. Crutchfield’s new instrumentation is fresh and results in a connected and cohesive album that will probably surprise many P.S. Eliot and Swearin’ listeners, but nevertheless, hold their interest.

Crutchfield’s new style represented a risk amidst her dueling success that she received from both P.S. Eliot and Swearin’, but it is because of this change that the album comes off as fresh and inventive amidst a tiring new wave of indie pop.

Crutchfield seems to have taken the strength of her songwriting and the ferocity of her drumming and created a new musical world for herself, a transition that sets her apart from both other indie artists and her sister’s success in acoustic indie music. The two sisters seem to have a knack for delivering fresh and exciting alternatives to the indie scene, and Tourist in This Town is definitely a continuation of this tradition.

these are the

Japandroids

you’re looking for

J

By Peter Henry Photo Courtesy of Resident Music

apandroids is a band that delivers an album full of emotion and celebration every few years before disappearing from the public eye to work on their next big project. Their last album, Celebration Rock, was widely regarded as their best work, putting them on the map and serving as a reminder that a good hard rock album is still possible.

Near to the Wild Heart of Life is instantly a different piece of work, something that’s present from even the plain cover of the album which suggests a more honest and realistic approach to their music. The sound of the album takes a step back from the energy that electrified their previous works for the purpose of making something thoughtful and reflective.

In their last album, Celebration Rock, the band sung of wine and roses, rocking in cities, drinking and partying at all hours of the night, and while this album tells similar tales, it also talks of friends gained––in a way that would suggest they’re distant memories or even folk tales passed down from previous generations.

Even though this change may turn some fans off of the album, it warrants a listening to feel every emotion it’s able to convey. The band is aware of the audience they achieved with Celebration Rock and created a successor that grows along with the group’s followers. Near to the Wild Heart of Life doesn’t simply drop the listener into this new type of sound,

but slowly builds up to it throughout the album itself so that by the last track, the listener has barely realized a shift has occurred.

There’s something in this album that anyone looking for a good time can enjoy. The band first establishes their classic Japandroids sound–especially with the buildup and explosion of rock in the first track and progressively moves towards a point of departure until the middle track, “Arc of Bar.” This is the longest track on the album and by far the biggest divergence from their previous albums. Whereas before they almost exclusively used standard band instruments (such as a guitar and drums) to give off a raw, grunge feeling, Arc of Bar utilizes a more electronic sound, keeping the soul and feeling the same. You can put this album on at a house party, or listen to it alone. This is an album made for those who want to feel passion: something to get them charged in a time of split ideals that have arisen within this country. Near to the Wild Heart of Life talks of traversing the country and finding friends in every corner of the nation, coming back to a lost love, and above all else, not letting dreams die to follow one’s ambition.

Japandroids are the band we need right now, to get us moving, thinking, and fired up.

FIVE CENT SOUND 27

N

A Frolic Through Music Hell

N e i l C i c i e r e g a’ s Mouth Moods By: Cameron Fetter Photo Courtesy of A Grand Quiet

28 Reviews

eil Cicierega’s 2017 album Mouth Moods is a wild and enjoyable romp through a musical trash heap.

It’s Cicierega’s third mashup album, and it definitely surpasses both Mouth Sounds and Mouth Silence in musical brilliance.

The premise of Mouth Moods is simple: assemble iconic bad music from the 90s and early 2000s into extremely catchy mashups. Cicierega readily accomplishes this basic concept, masterfully weaving together many songs to create relentless earworms. For example, the track “Wallspin” combines Oasis’s “Wonderwall” and Dead or Alive’s “You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)” into a whirlwind of melodic genius. The first track on the album, “The Starting Line,” uses sixteen iconic opening lyrics to birth a hypnotic monstrosity of rhythmic chaos. Most tracks on Mouth Moods fit together in a way that defies explanation, like “AC/VC,” which mashes up Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles” and AC/DC’s “Back in Black.”

The genius of the album goes far beyond its catchy tunes, though. Cicierega has an uncanny knack for finding the perfect moment to integrate new musical elements. Lots of comedic mashups suffer from the same problem: they’re one-trick ponies, following the same formula. The creator plays the intro for one song, incorporates a second, and then lets the track stagnate for three minutes. This method makes for lazy mashups because once you “get” the joke of the mashup, it holds no more appeal. There’s no reason for you to continue listening to it.

When it comes to the mashups of Mouth Moods though, Cicierega knows how to keep them fresh and exciting. There can be multiple things to “get” within each track, and in fact, most tracks have three or more songs mashed together, each being introduced one by one.

A fascinating effect of this technique is that Mouth Moods is an album with “spoilers.” There are so many unexpected moments where songs merge in out of nowhere, that it actually does become an experience entirely different from the first time you hear it. I’ve shared this album with many people, and watching them experience it for the first time is always a treat. People will go from nodding their head to groaning and cursing the creator, to complaining “Why is this so good!?”.

The most ambitious and impressive track on the album is no doubt the final track, “Shit.” It eviscerates almost twenty songs and strings them back together in an entirely new and unbelievable way. Somehow it meshes The Offspring with the Black Eyed Peas with Raffi, and so much more. It also provides a finale to the album that resembles an epic closing number in a musical.

I think what makes Mouth Moods so unique and brilliant is the relationship it establishes with its listener. It’s an album full of bad musical references that you’ll be ashamed to understand, but it doesn’t jeer at you. It’s a comforting embrace of musical guilt. It’s alright if you know all the words to Limp Bizkit’s “My Way” or Smash Mouth’s “All Star”; Mouth Moods loves you anyway, and it still wants you to have fun.

SPOTLIGHT

MISS 20 SOMETHIN S

By Rodjyna Beauvile Photo Courtesy of Joininterest

olana Rowe, who many know as SZA, is one of the leading songstresses of the new wave of R&B that has swept away the genre and the music industry with it.

This new R&B wave has brought light to similar artists and other alternative sounds like Kehlani, Zoe Kravitz, Kali Uchis and The Internet. Steering away from jazzy instrumentals and the bluesy subject matter R&B was once known for, the genre has taken on an alternative stroke, merging Hip-Hop, EDM, and Neo-Soul.

Along with the distinctive ambient trap beats, Rowe’s sound, which she describes as “glitter trap,” includes unique vocals Marissa G. Muller of Rolling Stone described as “vapory husk and sky-high falsetto”. She is also known for her open, uncut lyrics like those in her latest single, Drew Barrymore, “Sorry, I just need to see you/I’m sorry I’m so clingy I don’t mean to be a lot.”

Like a lot of today’s trending music, regressing to an underground sound, SZA emphasizes amateurism. Mirroring sentiments of early stages of music that highlights identity and vulnerability, she grows remaining unique to her art yet relatable for the listener. She is the star that is human too. Unlike other stars that coin the phrase “just like you”, when it comes to SZA it is more than true.

In 2013 it was revealed that the New Jersey native, Rowe, signed to Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), a rap collective home to artists Kendrick Lamar, SchoolBoy Q, and colleague Isaiah Rashad who is leading a similar wave of soulful HipHop/Rap. After dropping out of college and a series of odd jobs, Rowe decided to try to “make something out” of the music she recorded with her friends and neighbors. What was

once an accident became the start of a fruitful career that seems only to be going uphill from where it started.

Self-releasing her first EP, See.SZA.Run, SZA followed with her second EP, S. With singles “Ice Moon” and “Teen Spirit” under her belt, the first lady of TDE featured on a variety of songs from her label-mates albums and released her debut studio album, Z, featuring critically acclaimed tracks “Julia”, “Child’s Play” with Chance the Rapper and lead single “Babylon,” with Kendrick Lamar. Z debuted on the US Billboard 200 and peaked at number nine on the US Hip-Hop/ R&B chart. Since then SZA has worked with big names like Beyonce, Nicki Minaj, and her latest big collab with Rihanna on “Consideration,” the first track of ANTI. It has been two years since the release of her debut release Z. However, her fans are a riot since the announcement of her second studio album, CTRL (formerly known as A), on her debut late night television performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

SZA then continued to fuel the fire with the release of her mini-documentary WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN: road to Ctrl, accompanied with a sick interactive website up now on SZACTRL.COM. After several album delays and no official release date, CTRL is expected to come out soon, as speculated by label CEO Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith on an Instagram video captioning, “Watts up world! I just walked in to the offfice.. it’s time to work on my 2017 release schedule... @sza are u ready 2 get them off my head?”

As of the most anticipated album releases of 2017, CTRL is expected to be everything music has been waiting for: saying more than we need to know but being exactly what we need to hear.

FIVE CENT SOUND 29

AROUND THE WORLD

Postcolonial Pop Rock Music of the South Asian Diaspora

By Suchita Chadha Photo Courtesy of Fusion.net

F

or Boston-based artist Tanya Palit-Hussain, her music is as much a fusion of worlds as her chosen stage name: Saraswathi Jones. Where her first name invokes the Hindu goddess of the arts while the latter, a common nondescript name, is an ode to her American upbringing. With globalization and the rapid growth of technology, “fusion” music has become the music of both postcolonial India its diaspora, existing as an entity that is authentically both Indian yet foreign.

30 AROUND THE WORLD

A long history of having varying influences on the music of India has made the nations’ listeners accustomed to certain kind of fusion, to the extent where it is considered a part of Indian music itself, rather than a genre of its own. The Persian and Muslim influences are so integrated into classical music that they have simply become an accepted part of the song, rather than individual foreign elements. While there are no formal rules of fusion music, there is the expectation that you must understand the different styles for a successful fusion of

genres. More importantly, both the musician and the listener must keep an open mind: good music transcends labels.

Saraswathi Jones agrees, but she also admits that people still desire those labels, despite the obvious shortcomings.

Rather than forcing her music in the pre-existing boxes and labels that don’t account for minority voices, Saraswathi Jones identifies her genre as “postcolonial punk,” but it’s a vague and fluid definition, meant to broaden the horizons of her music and her listeners “It’s about creating a box—a category for myself,” she says.

The ambiguity is simply another aspect of her intentions, because “good art starts conversations.”

Born and raised in Michigan to Bangladeshi parents, Saraswathi Jones lives in a kind of multiplicity experienced by many children of immigrants. It’s what she tried to capture in her name and her music.

"I felt in conflict with my body," she says.

However, despite having these experiences all her life, it isn't until she spent a year in Bangladesh on a Fullbright scholarship that she began channelling her experiences into her music.

"It messed with my sense of identity," she says of her time there.

Growing up, there was a wide variety of music playing in her home. From vintage Bollywood on vinyl and Bengali folk music to a collection of American and British pop and rock classics, Saraswathi Jones had one foot in each world. Though she doesn't specifically draw influence from any one or two artists, there is no doubt on the impact it had on her.

“It’s given me broad vocabulary,” she says.

Fusion in this sense—as something blatantly drawing on two or more genres—isn't new to India or the west. Though Western classical music did not prosper on its own while the British were in India, several composers employed the principles of Western harmony to support the main Indian classical or folk sounds.

As things progressed into the late 50s and early 60s, Bollywood music experienced a surge in a number of foreign elements introduced to it. When Ali Akbar Khan, a maestro sarod player performed in the U.S. in 1955, he began a trend of popularizing Indian classical music in the Western world, a feat that was also taken on by Ravi Shankar, maestro sitar player, who began touring Europe and America in 1956. The interest the two of them, among others, sparked in the musicians there began a cross-cultural exchange of artists increasing the level of influence Indian listeners experienced. The product of the collaborations that followed is generally named "world music" but Saraswathi Jones, like others South Asian artists

today, is aiming at something different; a broader label that accounts for the juxtaposition of identities she feels.

“There’s been an utter explosion of hyphenated art,” she says, speaking of the immense changes in the past five years, attributing some of the credit to the internet.

This is true for both the Indian subcontinent and its diaspora across the world. New platforms for independent artists created a niche for fusion, allowing musicians to be even more adventurous than before. The younger and more globally educated generation seems to have a greater appreciation for all the genres, cultures, and languages they are surrounded by.

In recent years, YouTube has become the primary stage for these shows. Music becomes a unifier of peoples, reconnecting them to their pre-colonial roots of shared music, language, and culture.

On the other side of the country, Svetha Rao—who goes by the stage name Raja Kumari—is an Indian-American singer-songwriter from LA who is working to redefine Indian culture in mainstream American music, through her “bollyhood” music. She is specifically creating art in response to musicians who have appropriated the South Asian culture such as Coldplay, Iggy Azalea, and Selena Gomez. According to Raja Kumari, “Our job as South Asian artists is to help them learn more…it’s nothing new with people being interested [in us], it’s just new [that we] have a voice to teach them.”

Correcting and increasing the representation of South Asian in American pop culture is also one of the reasons Saraswathi Jones makes the kind of music she does.

"Where can I make the most impact?" she asks, and it's a question that prompted many initiatives beyond just the music she creates.

Saraswathi Jones has played a role in pioneering the Hindi Rock Fest that takes place in the Boston/Cambridge area every year. While its name is a play on indie-rock, the festival encourages music of all genres by South Asian artists, literally creating a stage where they can have their voices heard and represented. The festival was organized primarily by the members of Subcontinental Drift (SubDrift), Boston chapter, which Saraswathi Jones also had a hand in starting. SubDrift Boston—like its counterparts in New York City, Washington DC, San Francisco, and Chicago—holds regular open mic nights to foster a community of South Asian-Americans.

In today's political climate, a community of solidarity and support in invaluable, as is the assertion of identity. Saraswathi Jones is doing exactly that.

"If I'm [considered] an outsider, I’m going to f***ing embrace it."

"If I'm [considered] an outsider, I’m going to f***ing embrace it."

FIVE CENT SOUND 31

Mbongwana Star

32 AROUND THE WORLD

By: Rodjyna Beauvile Photos courtesy of Florent de La Tullaye and Wikimedia Commons

G

iven a map, it is easy to spot the Democratic Republic of the Congo resting in the heart of Africa. What cannot be seen is its capital, Kinshasa, at a loss from war, chaos, and corruption. Located on the Congo River, the usedto-be fishing village is now an urban area populated with over 10 million people.

The city grew rapidly under dictator and president, Joseph-Désiré Mobutu, drawing people from across the country who came in search of fortunes or to escape ethnic strife elsewhere. Later in his rule a rebel uprising began, which eventually brought down Mobutu’s africanizing regime. However, Kinshasa suffered greatly from Mobutu's excesses, corruption, nepotism and the civil war. Nevertheless, the city has still managed to still maintains itself as a major cultural and intellectual center for Central Africa.

Once a part of Africa’s thriving culture, Kinshasa saw a regression to what the French label “Système D,” which roughly means to demonstrate admirable resourcefulness and adaptability when faced with hardship. Determined to not be victims of circumstance, Kinshasa has continued to stay alive through art and creation. Band Mbongwana Star anchors this city to the shore. With their eclectic fusion of Congolese rhythm and new music they reflect the spirit of the land.

As persevering as the city, the band’s founding members, Yakala ‘Coco’ Ngambali and Nsituvuidi ‘Theo’ Nzonza paved a way for themselves through music. Faced with polio and other health inhibitions in their youth, Ngambali and Nzonza played outside of restaurants with makeshift instruments made from the rubbish on the street. Later they formed a band with other street hustlers, including handicapped and able-bodied persons. After strife and success, the two left the band and began Mbongwana Star. From the ashes arose a 7-piece band including tradi-modern stars Staff Benda Bilili and Parisian producer and musician Liam Farrell aka Doctor L. This new generation of Kinshasa musicians embody the concept of change.

Although critically acclaimed for their fresh sound, Mbongwana Star also reflects the progression of the times.

In a backstage interview with ARTE, a European publication, lead musicians Ngambali and Nzonza revealed their influences of art that were culturally unaccepted, from edgy electronica to provocative cover art. On one vinyl, a woman stood half naked looking daringly into the camera. Although considered shameful, Nzonza expressed an appreciation for what he considered empowering for the women of his town.

Rejected from society because of his disability, Nzonza notes the importance of respect, acceptance and rebellion. This is a quality that is important to them and prevalent in the new

age. It is also unique to their alternative sound that is not different because it is different, but different because it is new.

As ARTE frankly puts, “This troupe of Congolese neo-rumba unlike the others has drowned to get there but now offer a rich and finished version of their art.”

Since it’s creation, Mbongwana Star has seen nothing but success. In 2015, the band released their studio album, From Kinshasa, debuting their revolutionary sound. From Kinshasa received rave reviews from The Guardian, The Independent, SPIN, Clash, and several others. This work also landed on several ‘Best of the year’ lists like The New York Times, NPR, The Wire, and Pitchfork. The band also toured across Europe and made their late night television debut on the alternative British program Later with Jools Holland.

This album was a letter to the world announcing their arrival, telling a more than impressive narrative. Mbongwana Star’s sound is not just a fusion of unexpected instruments, sounds, and lyrics, each song is a performance, a dance, a scene, a story. Each song reveals the artists and the culture, making them one. From Kinshasa sounds like a fire show, with flames of tossed and turned in the air, illuminating the wet skin of its handler, caught unexpectedly--to the surprise of the audience--without harm to the hand that dared to fling the flame.

FIVE CENT SOUND 33

The Loss of Nigeria’s Synth Funk Innovator

By Nina DeSilva Photos courtesy of Affinity Magazine

W

illiam Onyeabor—the man who always wore the wide-brimmed felt hat, the man who became identified as the recluse’s recluse, the man who remained an enigma to many—left his mark on Nigeria’s music front indefinitely.

William Onyeabor, Nigerian synth funk innovator, “died peacefully in his sleep following a brief illness” on Monday, January, 2017, as confirmed on William Onyeabor’s Facebook page. Onyeabor was 70 years old and located in his Enugu, Nigeria hometown at the time of his passing.

In his brief music career, spanning from 1977 to 1985, Onyeabor established a modern afro-funk sound. Synthesized disco bops, emphasized studio production, grooving Motown bass, and a persistent, programmed beat were characteristic of Onyeabor’s instrumentation. His complex, layered sound and innovative production methods pitched him at the forefront of an awakened Nigerian genre: synthesized funk.

Onyeabor borrowed his recording techniques from Stockholm, Sweden, where he studied record manufacturing.

When he returned to his Enugu, Nigeria hometown following his studies in 1969, he used his own state-of-the-art recording equipment, such as 32-track recording, synthesizers, and vinyl disc-pressing machines to produce his own music.

He was the first Nigerian musician to introduce these technological advancements in music, while also single-handedly playing every instrument featured on his albums. Onyeabor’s independent, in-studio music did not popularize outside of Nigerian borders, but his music did attract a niche Nigerian audience.

Not only was Onyeabor’s synth funk instrumentation ap-

34 AROUND THE WORLD

plauded in Nigeria, but his incorporation of often-politicized lyrics also distinguished him among his Nigerian musician counterparts. His lyrics, sung by himself and occasional female back-ups, nodded to the war and oppression Nigeria suffered when he composed his music, namely during Nigeria’s oil crisis. Songs such as “Atomic Bomb” and “Why Go to War” attested to these harsh conditions. Onyeabor’s sound and lyrics were then classified as distinctly Nigerian.

Onyeabor constructed his own home studio and vinyl pressing plant Wilfilms Limited in Enugu, where he recorded his entire discogoraphy. All nine of his released LPs topped popular Nigerian music charts. But it was not until his tracks “Better Change Your Mind” and “Atomic Bomb” were included on a 2010 V/A ‘70s African Reissues compilation that Onyeabor’s music became accessible and attractive to wider African audiences.

By 2010, however, Onyeabor renounced his music career.

After the 1985 release of his final album, Anything you Sow, he stopped recording music and instead pursued other ambitions. He became a successful businessman, marketing for a Nigerian flourmill, internet café, construction company, gas station, and multiple rental properties. He explained that his devout Christian affiliation prompted his voluntary leave of the music industry, claiming that his secular music did not adequately praise God. In a 2014, Pitchfork interview, Onyeabor stated, “I did so many things, but they have nothing to do with my natural talent, because you don’t study talent. Talent comes from God.” In 2013, The Talking Head’s front man David Byrne composed a reissued compilation of Onyeabor’s music career entitled Who is William Onyeabor?, which he released on his

Luaka Bop label. The album was issued in America across all digital formats—the first time Onyeabor’s music reached American ears.

Notable American music reviews—The Rolling Stone and Pitchfork—immediately responded in admiration of Onyeabor’s musicianship. But Onyeabor waived interview requests from these publications, insisting that, as a Born Again Christian, he did not want to recall nor speak on his past music career. Interviewers frankly stated, “[Onyeabor] only wanted to speak about God.” Multiple American musicians acknowledged Onyeabor as an inspiration for their own musical pursuits. American disc jockeys and experimental artists such as David Byrne, Blood Orange’s Dev Hynes, Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor, LCD Soundsystem’s Pat Mahoney, and Damon Albarn from Gorillaz formed the Atomic Bomb Band—a group to tribute Onyeabor in concert performances. They filmed an accommodating documentary Fantastic Man to play during the concerts. Onyeabor refused to perform alongside The Atomic Bomb Band or participate in Fantastic Man’s filming. He, instead, remained in his Enugu hometown a recluse. While he did, clips from Fantastic Man aired on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,

launching Onyeabor further into the American mainstream music scene despite his seclusion.

While at home, Onyeabor dedicated his focus to his prestigious business career. In the late 1980s, Onyeabor was awarded as West African Industrialist of the Year and received the honorary Justice of the Peace title. Less than a decade later, Onyeabor became the President of Enugu’s Musician’s Union and chairman of his city’s local football team--the Enugu Rangers. Fellow Enugu civilians referred to Onyeabor as “The Chief ” for expanding business opportunities within the Enugu community. An Enugu street was named William Onyeabor Street in respect of his accomplishments.

In 2014, after establishing his prominent Enugu business role, Onyeabor admitted in a Rolling Stone interview, “I’m working on new songs, but this time around, I’m talking strictly about Jesus Christ.” Unfortunately, Onyeabor’s illness prevented him from producing this new material.

David Byrne, in response to Onyeabor’s passing in 2017, wrote, “His surprising recordings, his conscious lyrics and messages and his entrepreneurial ambitions were all way ahead of their time. He continues to inspire musicians and fans around the world.”

FIVE CENT SOUND 35

SPRING 2017 Playlist by Isabella Dionne

Whether you’re graduating, getting ready to study abroad for the summer, or just preparing for another year in the life, chances are this spring finds you looking to be out with the old and in with the new. Here are some tunes to guide you through whatever new chapters you might be entering.

ISABELLA

36 AROUND THE WORLD

My Cousin Greg — Houndmouth The Daisy Chain — The Growlers 30 Seconds — ­ Vinyl Theatre Good Girls — LANY Dreams Via Memories — Ceramic Animal Can We Hang On? — Cold War Kids

By Your Side — The 1975 Bartering — The Ballroom Thieves Older — Band of Horses Lifeline — Jule Vera Automobile — Kaleo It’s Only a Dream — Modern Space One of Us — New Politics Wind in Our Sail — Weezer Baby, We’re Refugees! — Jon Fratelli

May Shows 1

2

House of Blues Tycho

3

4

5

6

House of Blues SoMo

Paradise Rock Club The Damned

Royale Real Estate

Brighton Music Hall Parsonfield

The Sinclair Coin (w/ Arizona)

The Sinclair Old 97’s

Paradise Rock Club The Black Angels

House of Blues Dwight Yoakam

House of Blues Mayday Parade

Scullers Jazz Club Ravi Coltrane

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

House of Blues Killswitch Engage, Anthrax, The Devil Wears Prada, and Code Orange

House of Blues Mastodon

The Sinclair Desiigner

Blue Hills Bank Pavilion Ryan Adams

House of Blues Midnight Oil

Brighton Music Hall The Meat Puppets & Mike Watt

House of Blues NF

The Sinclair Rostam (w/ Nat Baldwin)

Middle East Upstairs The Unlikely Candidates

The Sinclair Pond

Blue Hills Bank Pavilion Empire of the Sun ONCE Face to Face (w/ Lost in Society)

Middle East Downstairs Animal Flag and Emperor X

14

15

House of Blues Seether, Letters From the Fire, and Kaleido

17

18

19

20

Brighton Music Hall San Fermin (w/ Low Roar)

Paradise Rock Club Rival Sons

Paradise Rock Club The Record Company

Paradise Rock Club Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors

House of Blues The Pixies

Wilbur Dark Star Orchestra

House of Blues The Pixies

Middle East Downstairs Clark (w/ Roland Tings)

The Sinclair The Growlers

22

Great Scott Happyness House of Blues Billy Currington, Drake White, Tucker Beathard, Trent Harmon, and Carly Pearce

28

29

Royale Perfume Genius

16 Paradise Rock Club Laura Marling

21

The Sinclair Justin Townes Earl

Brighton Music Hall Wavves Great Scott Adult.

Middle East Downstairs Amanda Palmer

23

24

25

26

27

Middle East Downstairs Listener

Royale Mariane Hill

Orpheum Theatre Old Crow Medicine Show

Boston Calling (Bon Iver, the xx, Weezer, The 1975, Major Lazer, & more)

Lettuce, House of Blues

30

31

City Hall Plaza Wolf Parade

FIVE CENT SOUND 37