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October 7, 2010
Music Mailbox: Selena Gomez & The Scene – “A Year Without Rain”
Photo: selenagomez.com
Jeff Payne Editorials Editor I am really excited for this week’s Music Mailbox because it is somewhat of a sequel to a review I wrote last year. Fall semester of last year Selena Gomez and her band The Scene released their debut album “Kiss & Tell.” I absolutely loved the album and gave it a nine out of ten pop tarts. (You can look up at the “Kiss & Tell” review at piercearrownews.com if you wish.) Two weeks ago, Selena Gomez & The Scene released their sophomore album “A Year Without Rain,” and I am thoroughly excited to update you
all on how Selena and her boys have progressed with their second album. Selena decided to switch it up on this album. While her last album was predominately pop-rock she decided that this time around she was going to go for a dance-pop album, in the vein of her most successful “Kiss & Tell single,” “Naturally.” She also delivers a relatively short album with only 10 songs on it. Even the Deluxe Edition of the album only includes a few remixes but not anymore actual songs. The first song on the album is also the album’s first single and Selena’s most successful single to date, “Round & Round.” If you ever turned on the Disney Channel during the summer, you probably saw this music video playing frequently and heard it played on pop radio. Selena made a spectacular choice in releasing “Round & Round” as it is possibly one of the catchiest songs I have ever heard. This song not only makes you want to dance but also gets stuck in your head and will have you humming and singing the words under your breath for
the rest of the day. While “Naturally” remains my favorite Selena song, I cannot deny that “Round & Round” is the one Selena song that I will play in my head over and over again. The second song on the album which is also the disc’s second single, “A Year Without Rain,” is by far Selena’s most impressive vocal performance to date. It is an interesting fusion of a light pulsating dance beat in the background mixed in with a mid tempo lyric and melody. It makes for a unique experience that only enhances Gomez’s stellar vocal performance. The rest of the album for the most part follows the dance format set by “Round & Round,” but it does occasionally switch it up. While the uptempo tracks, the Katy Perry penned “Rock God” and “Sick of You,” are both definitely songs you can dance to, they actually lean more towards the pop-rock feel from Selena’s first album. Selena even has a couple of ballads thrown in for good measure. There is the eerie yet beautiful “Ghost of You” that shows you don’t have to
belt out notes to have a gorgeous ballad. However, Selena does bring out her power notes on the closing ballad “Live Like There’s No Tomorrow,” which was also the theme song to her summer film “Ramona & Beezus.” It’s a song which is not only gorgeous and shows off her vocals excellently. I have also learned that it is a great sing along song to jam out to with your friends when you feel like singing a really cheesy ballad where you get to sing loud. The true highlights are Selena’s dance numbers on the album. While both “Off the Chain” and “Intuition” have mildly immature lyrics that show she’s still a Disney girl, they have such catchy hooks and irresistible beats that it makes no difference and does not subtract from either song. The number one song on the album, however, is hands down the crazy dance-pop jam “Summer’s Not Hot.” While the timing of the song is a little off as we crossed into autumn on the same day the CD was released, it has a spectacular dance beat, really catchy lyrics, and a stunning vocal
performance. This is the type of song that I wish I had seen on Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream.” Selena Gomez & The Scene manage to make what I definitely consider to be one of the best albums of 2010. It is a pure pop record that manages to have not one filler song on the whole album. Her vocal performances far outshine her singing on “Kiss & Tell” and she has successfully made an album that can appeal not only to the Disney crowd, but also to people of any age who just want to listen to music that makes them have a good time. I can honestly say that this is my most highly recommended album of 2010 that I’ve reviewed so far and that it scores my second ever 10 out of 10 pop-tarts!
10 out of 10 Pop-Tarts
Cathedral of the Pines hosts Music Festival and Art Show spots were free, but limited. One artist at the festival, Sarah Sparrow, 25, from Leominster, Mass., had many of her paintings on display. “I’ve recently been trying things out in art because my boyfriend is an artist,” said Sparrow. “I’ve been playing with stuff lately.” Her boyfriend took many photos of the musicians at the show. He also had his prints for sale for $5 each. About 200 people attended the event over the course of the day. Gordon said, “A lot of people were hesitant about it, they thought they were playing at a church.” The Cathedral of the Pines is a public place where people from all faiths go and interact with others. It holds public events, like this music festival Photo: provided by: Anthony Marovelli and art show, to honor service to the Franklin Pierce’s own band, The Mountain Road Ramblers, performed at the nation by promoting peace, interfaith International Day of Peace as part of the muisc festival. Alicia Baldino Arrow Staff The International Day of Peace and its Music Festival and Art Show were held at the Cathedral of the Pines in Rindge on Sunday, September 19. Jonathan Gordon, graduate student M.B.A., organized the event;
he invited local musicians and artists to display their work at the festival. There was a set list for what bands were playing and when. There was one band from Franklin Pierce, The Mountain Road Ramblers. The rest of the musicians were mostly from Massachusetts. The artists were invited to go and display their work - the
Artist in focus: Andrea Borden Amelia Walters A&E Editor
“I try to be a student to aesthetics and then capture it on through my lens...waiting for light to be just right, seeing with a trained eye, and knowing that no one photo makes you a ‘photographer’. It’s not about just opportunities, but really getting intimate with frames of life. I think of myself as an interpreter in some sense. If you speak English and life speaks art, then I have to know both languages to be good at what I do.” Until a couple of years ago Junior Andrea (Andy) Borden wouldn’t have called herself a photographer, but in her first year of college, photography was something that became very personal to her. It was at this time that she started getting really serious about her art. Borden started photography unexpectedly. She was originally interested in video and film making. Her high school video instructor was more of a
Photo provided by: Andy Borden
photographer, and Borden explained that he “challenged me to pay attention to single frames instead of continuous streams.” She started studying more about photography and bought equipment to practice. She does not photograph all of the time, but as often as she can. Photography, Borden explained, “Is an art that is not as simple as many people make it out to be. Photography is a cognitive process.” Borden takes photos with different ideas in mind. She captures real life, no artificial or theatrical photos; they’re just real and natural. She never photographs fashion or sports, or anything offensive. “I try to evoke something that is not felt everyday; peace, or appreciation of life, or the appreciation of beauty,” she said. She shoots outdoors most often and has a general appreciation for nature. One of her favorite things to photograph is waterfalls. Through photography, she gets to know the areas where she lives both in New Hampshire and her hometown of Redding, Calif. She loves capturing scenery, even though she does like to photograph people too. “Scenery is probably my favorite, probably because it’s very objective: ‘here I am, do what you will with me.’ People have a tendency of being so acutely aware of themselves that they sabotage photos. A waterfall doesn’t care if it’s 10:30 at night or 5 a.m. it’s there, it’s ready for me,” said Borden. One of her biggest inspirations is photographer Nancy Brown. Borden has read her books and feels that “her photos are so cleanly executed. She taught me (through her books) that photographs don’t have to be a big
understanding, and respect for the environment. The music performances were divided into three sets throughout the day. The first set included Brian Dickens, Alto Jeffro, and Black Steel Peacock. The second set included Onslo, Ditch Mimes, and The Sharpest. The last set was Black Eyes for Charity, Nobody’s Fat, and The Mountain Road Ramblers. There was a jam session between the second and third set, which was when members from different bands played together. Gordon said, “My favorite part was the jam session, a lot of the musicians from different bands interacted with each other and played some really great music.” The Mountain Road Ramblers consists of three students from Franklin Pierce: Anthony Marovelli, Derek
Sensale, and Joe Mizell. Aside from rocking out at gatherings on campus, this was the first public event where they performed together. “The setting was awesome, we’re The Mountain Road Ramblers and with the mountain in the background, it was great,” said Marovelli. The festival got many local people out to experience the talent of musicians and artists from the area. They also got to experience the Cathedral of the Pines and what it is all about. The members of each band got a chance to interact with the other bands, and some discussed future shows they will perform at Franklin Pierce.
Photo: Alicia Baldino
McDougall inspired by a culture “Born to Run” tried to run more than two miles. Doctors told him he would need the most expensive shoes on the market and shots in his feet every month. The top athletic doctors in the field told him people were not made to run. Not satisfied with this answer, McDougall heard rumors of a tribe of people who run hundreds of miles a day and never have been injured. The author and even Nike shoe Photo provided by: Andy Borden designers throw all the myths about running out the window. For examevent to be interesting.” ple, top of the line running shoes will In the past, Borden has shown exnot save you from injury. On the conhibits of her photography, and “shot trary, runners who wear these shoes for causes.” Last winter she shot for are 123 percent more likely to get inCalifornia State University of Long jured than those who wear $40 shoes. Beach (CSULB) for a campaign called A painful truth yes, but the design of “HeadStrong.” It promoted body imPhoto: http://knopfdoubleday.com/ running shoes has actually made feet age-appreciation. prone to injuries. This is just one of Education is something that is also the things McDougall discovers as to very important to Borden, and she Frangelica Odell why the Tarahumara have the ability came to Franklin Pierce to explore new Arrow Staff to run without ever suffering from opportunities. Although she is curThe idea that humans were born shin splints or cuboid syndrome, even rently undeclared, Borden would like to be a self-designed Political Commu- to run is a bit startling, especially though their trail running consists of nication major. She has an extensive considering most people grumble or leaping over jagged rocks and trying background in communication as well downright refuse to do any shape or not to fall off the side of a cliff. The band of runners that McDouas public speaking, and said that she is form of running. However, in Chris“pretty good at stringing thoughts to- topher McDougall’s book “Born to gall teams up with and the stories gether in a persuasive way that makes Run,” he shares about a hidden Mexi- they tell are entertaining and captisense.” She also loves law and hopes to can Indian tribe, the Tarahumara, vating. The book is both funny and whose whole culture revolves around insightful, giving readers a new outone day end up on Capitol Hill. In comparing New Hampshire to running. In the story, McDougall un- look on running and life as we know her home in California, Borden said ravels the world of running through it. Runners and non-runners alike that there are a number of unique the eyes of a small Mexican Indian will not be able to put this one down, differences, including the approach tribe who do not own Nike shoes, the as it reads like a novel but the scary to politics. “New England tradition- latest sports wear, nor are endorsed and crazy thing about it is that it is all ally has been much more liberal than by any company. In fact, they run in true. “Born to Run” is a national best other parts of the country, which is just sandals over Mexico’s Copper seller for a reason and McDougall’s directly opposite from my hometown,” Canyons and do not stop for days at a adventure is one that everyone will be she said. “Also, I feel as if the option time. Why? Because to them running entranced by. of communities is expanded here tons. is an art and just plain fun. McDougall, a runner himself, The focus on artists and non-conglomerated consumer outlets is also much could not understand why he was always getting injured whenever he more important here.”