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To my fellow co-opers, Hello! As I’m writing this, it’s almost August, which is crazy—and by the time you receive this, it will actually be August (oops), which is even crazier. It was a busy month. The executive committee went on our retreat, where we learned more about how to do our jobs well and got to know each other better. Then we had pride—thanks to everyone who came, and shoutout to Sky if you’re reading this for all the work you put into it! And we have a Vice President of Facilities now—yay Austen! But August is coming, and August is going to be even busier. Interim is approaching (menacingly). And then, move-in time! I’ll be moving into Orion. I’m incredibly excited, but also incredibly sad to be leaving Apollo behind. If you’re moving to a new house, good luck! And if you’re moving out, this issue is dedicated to you. Our little community won’t be the same without you. This month’s issue is Barbie themed because I’m the editor and I can do what I want. Enjoy! And thanks to Kenny for the little graffiti on the cover—may you never be Pine Pressed to death. Catch you next month, Lucinda
PINECONES Pinecones to Ohaus for just being so slay 24/7 -Sky (Orion) Pinecones to Apollo and everyone involved in putting on the garden party -Lily (Beal) Manon- thank you so much for choosing our house and jumping right into not only howlands culture but americas as well. Cate - I cannot believe we have to leave our home in a month. We’ve become sisters. I’m so proud of you. Emily and Claire - I love you both from the deepest part of my heart and it hurts to say goodbye. Clay- you brighten up my day everytime I see you. You are a very special person. -Alayna (Howland) Pinecones to EVERYONE who participated in Punks for Pups!! We raised so much!! ❤️-Katie (Phoenix) Austen, you're quiet but you light up a room when you walk into it. Your fashion sense is immaculate and you rock at bass. I liked getting to hear you sing at the bowie wedding. Alex, you're seeming a lot more confident recently. You deserve it dude, keep it up. Maeve D, your flowers make me smile. You have such kind energy. Never stop shining orange and gold. huge ass shout out to haley and austen for repainting our laundry room for work week!! it looks sick as hell -Sarah (Bowie) lucinda ! you are one of the nicest people i’ve ever met and i’m so psyched to live with you ! <3 -Emily (Orion) Pinecones to my housemates for having my back <3 -Grayson (The Shire) Thank you Rowan, your VISTA is ending but we truly appreciate all you have contributed. Also this wasn't a thing when Ester's VISTA ended I think so shout out to her too. -Clay (Orion)
Hey The cat (Felis catus) is a domestic species of Barbies! small Hey carnivorous mammal.[1][2] It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is Kens! commonly referred to as the domestic cat or Hey house cat to distinguish it from the wild members Allen! Its Clay!of the family.[4] Cats are commonly kept as house pets but can also be farm cats or feral My pronouns cats; the feral cat ranges freely and avoids are Them/They. human contact.[5] Domestic cats are valued by And I am SHC President humans for companionship and their ability to kill Barbie. This is the second vermin. releaseAbout 60 cat breeds are recognized by of this model and my previous various cat registries.[6] models were SHC Vice President ofsimilar in anatomy to the other felid The cat is species: it has Education Barbie and Phoenix's Board . a strong flexible body, quick reflexes, teeth, and retractable claws Representative Barbie I currently livesharp at the to killingto small Orion Dreamhaus but planadapted on returning my prey like mice and rats. Its night and Reboot/Refresh sense of smell are well original Co-op Dreamhaus to help out vision with the process. developed. Cat communication includes This Barbie is studying Arts and Humanities & Social Relations and Policy vocalizations like meowing, purring, trilling, with a minor in Educational Studies. This year I will be utilizing the Board's hissing, growling, and grunting as well as cattheme of "Connection and Conviction in the Community" to make sure specific body language. Although the cat is a that the work we are doing heresocial Co-op Land itisishelping inhunter. "the Real species, a solitary As aWorld" and vice versa. You can check in/offer help/or ask questions predator, it is crepuscular, i.e. most active at about anything in the SHCdawn by emailing at hear sounds too faint or and dusk.me It can president@spartan.coop ortoo hitting upfrequency my high in for human ears, such as those made by mice and other small mammals. discord co_opclay.
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This Barbie (Lucinda from Apollo [any pronouns]),is your Vice President of Education! She is a psychology major at MSU with a minor in Human Behavior and Social Services. She chairs the Education Committee, serves as the editor of the Pine Press, plans educational events and trainings, and helps keep house constitutions up to date. This year she is looking forward to restarting Students for Cooperation, revitalizing the Education Committee, and providing you with plenty of opportunities for learning. In her free time she enjoys comics, playing guitar, and spending time with her friends.
a d n i c u L (Lucinda
This Barbie is Riley from David Bowie Dream Haus (She/her) and is the Vice President of Membership. She loves to create creative, inclusive, and immersive events and spaces so that all dolls can express themselves freely. Her accessories include scuba diving gear, pioneer decks, and lots of colorful clothes to mix and match. She majors in advertising management and minors in entrepreneurship and innovation, studying in the business and communications colleges. This will be her third year living in the SHC. In her position, she will spread the co-op mission and goals to new Barbs, uphold the values of inclusivity, diversity, equability, and cooperation. This Barbie will also make sure all member voices are heard and will strengthen the connections in the SHC community through social media campaigns, fundraisers, workshops, and wholesome events! She is available in all stores, just reach out via email at vpmembership@spartan.coop or discord at rileyjeffery#6172.
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The cat (Felis catus) is a domestic species of Hicarnivorous mammal.[1][2] It is the only small Barbie! species in the family Felidae and is domesticated This commonly referred to as the domestic cat or Barbie house catis to distinguish it from the wild members the family.[4] Cats are commonly kept as Anna of from house pets but can also be farm cats or feral Raft Hill cats; the feral cat ranges freely and avoids (she/her) and a humaniscontact.[5] Domestic cats are valued by Psychology humans Major for atcompanionship and their ability to kill vermin. About 60 cat breeds are recognized by MSU with minors in Women’s various cat registries.[6] Studies and Environmental The cat is similar in anatomy to the other felid species: has a strong flexible body, quick Sustainability Studies. She willitbe sharp teeth, and retractable claws graduating this fall withreflexes, her bachelors adapted to killing small prey like mice and rats. degree. In the SHC, she isItsyour night Corporate vision and sense of smell are well developed. Cat communication includes Treasurer, handling all things finance! She runs the vocalizations like meowing, purring, trilling, Finance Committee, helps draft the final overall budget for hissing, growling, and grunting as well as cateach fiscal year, and helps educate members specific body language. Althoughon thefinancial cat is a social species, is a solitary hunter. As operations of the organization. This ityear, she plans toa predator, it is crepuscular, i.e. most active at expand member education efforts within dawn and dusk. It can hear sounds too faint or the cooperative. too high in frequency for human ears, such as those made by mice and other small mammals. [7] It also secretes and perceives pheromones. [8]
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Hi cat (Felis catus) is a domestic species of The Barbie! small carnivorous mammal.[1][2] It is the only This domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or Barbie is house cat to distinguish it from the wild members Secretary of the family.[4] Cats are commonly kept as Barbiehouse pets but can also be farm cats or feral cats; the feral cat ranges freely and avoids and my name human is Regan I live atcontact.[5] Domestic cats are valued by humans for companionship and their ability to kill Vesta Dream House. I study vermin. About 60 cat breeds are recognized by at MSU, and my majors are various cat registries.[6] The cat is similar in anatomy to the other felid economics and International species: it has a strong flexible body, quick relations because this barbie has reflexes, sharp teeth, and retractable claws big dreams. My accessories include a prey like mice and rats. adapted to killing small Its night vision drink. and sense smell are well tote bag, frog, and Monster energy Asofsecretary developed. Cat communication includes Barbie, I take lots of notes so fellow Barbies can be vocalizations like meowing, purring, trilling, informed. I also run thehissing, yearly election of Barbies. growling, and grunting as well as catbody Althoughto the cat is a My goals for the year tospecific come arelanguage. to continue social species, it is a solitary hunter. As a inform the members and have predator, itais crepuscular, i.e. most active at dawn and dusk. It can hear sounds too faint or super-election. too high in frequency for human ears, such as those made by mice and other small mammals. [7] It also secretes and perceives pheromones. [8]
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Imagine the Angels of Bread by Martín Espada This is the year that squatters evict landlords, gazing like admirals from the rail of the roofdeck or levitating hands in praise of steam in the shower; this is the year that shawled refugees deport judges, who stare at the floor and their swollen feet as files are stamped with their destination; this is the year that police revolvers, stove-hot, blister the fingers of raging cops, and nightsticks splinter in their palms; this is the year that darkskinned men lynched a century ago return to sip coffee quietly with the apologizing descendants of their executioners. This is the year that those who swim the border’s undertow and shiver in boxcars are greeted with trumpets and drums at the first railroad crossing on the other side; this is the year that the hands pulling tomatoes from the vine uproot the deed to the earth that sprouts the vine, the hands canning tomatoes
are named in the will that owns the bedlam of the cannery; this is the year that the eyes stinging from the poison that purifies toilets awaken at last to the sight of a rooster-loud hillside, pilgrimage of immigrant birth; this is the year that cockroaches become extinct, that no doctor finds a roach embedded in the ear of an infant; this is the year that the food stamps of adolescent mothers are auctioned like gold doubloons, and no coin is given to buy machetes for the next bouquet of severed heads in coffee plantation country. If the abolition of slave-manacles began as a vision of hands without manacles, then this is the year; if the shutdown of extermination camps began as imagination of a land without barbed wire or the crematorium, then this is the year; if every rebellion begins with the idea that conquerors on horseback are not many-legged gods, that they too drown if plunged in the river, then this is the year. So may every humiliated mouth, teeth like desecrated headstones, fill with the angels of bread.
Sounds of the SHC SPEAK NOW (TAYLORS VERSION)!!! -Sky (Orion) Deadbeat summer - neon Indian. Since ‘84 Mac Dre Alayna (Howland) Yellow tinkerer by Solas -Patrick (Raft Hill) (1.) Bitter Ends by Feign (2.) Arsenic by Glaive -Katie (Phoenix) 1996 by Wild Child -Zach (Howland) A fuckton. Harley poe dropped a new album, my friends got me to listen to IGOR finally, I rediscovered i want dancing i want hunger by Blue Foster -Fish (Bowie) I LIKE CARS by Caroline Kole -Sarah (Bowie) Saturday by White Reaper -Tyler (Orion) I’ve had L7’s music on repeat recently -Emily (Orion) Okay so I only discovered The Black Parade by MCR now in my 20s but turns out it's fantastic. -Grayson (The Shire) Y’all check out Otyken, great Siberian Indigenous music group -Clay (Orion) D.I.Y Orgasms by Johnny Hobo and the Freight Trains (listen it’s a silly name but it’s so good) -Lucinda (Apollo)
If you could meet any famous person, who would it be? Taylor Swift is my obvious answer. But I think meeting Steve-O would be really cool, I bet he has insane stories. -Sky (Orion) I’m totally gonna ask Christopher Walken if he killed Natalie wood. -Alayna (Howland) the only acceptable answer is Adam Sandler 😂 Danny Devito, I want to smoke a j with him. Or maybe pendleton ward for the same reason. Fish (Bowie) Mark Hamill -Tyler (Orion) Obama. i got a letter back from him once, when i was maybe 11 or 12, but there’s so much i’d want to talk to him about -Emily (Orion) Honestly pretty open. I like meeting folks in general. Maybe Obama because his interviews are at least fun even if you don't agree with everything he does -Clay (Orion)
New Old Soul, Track 1 Some bullshit by Fish For best experience, listen with song on loop. Or don’t, that’s a lot of work. The Theme From Becky by Kae Tempest Touch, people, kindness This theme was given to me by my friend Eagle. They sent it to me in a time that meant more than they could ever know. The somewhat spiteful tone in her voice, but all she spites is the idea of being someone other than herself. Change the pronouns and that’s just my friend Raccoon. I miss him. He ran away from iowa all the way to my home in illinois because he was so dedicated to being himself. I adore him for that. “She was a smart kid, smart girl, took in the hard world and saw it, fast forward.” I was a weird kid. I’m a weird adult. I find that people tend to think I mean something ill of myself when I say I’m weird, but it’s really the opposite. I love being what I am, down to the dirty details, even when it’s hard to. I am kind of gross, I am horny. For fuck’s sake, I’m basically a pubescent boy hormonally. Ugh, it sounds weird to put it that way. Kids are sacred. I shouldn’t talk about them in this. This is adult shit. But still, baby fish knew what he wanted. It was skylanders, monster trucks, roblox, animal jam, disney, buttered noodles, blanket nests, animals, stuffed animals, and being thrown onto the bed by dad. “How to be more than the sum of your parts, she knows how they see her but they don’t know her” I try really fucking hard not to judge others, but that same courtesy hasnt always always been extended to myself. I feel like I’ve always pictured other people’s internal attitude towards me being much like mine. Now though, I’ve adopted a maybe undeserved “fuck you” attitude. I don’t know if the kinds of thoughts I used to have about myself (and still do) are ever in another’s head, but if they are, they’re a fucking asshole! I wouldn’t want to be around them anyways. Yeah, I dress like a hooker sometimes. If you didn’t want to see it you wouldn’t be looking. Yeah I’m a spazz, if you don’t want to be around it, don’t. There’s so much more to me, and everyone around me, that no one can see. That whole shit about judging a book by its cover, it’s cheesy, but it’s true. “She’s making her living and she’s making it safely, better than slaving away in an office” I’ve considered starting an onlyfans a few times. I’ve come to the same conclusion every time, that I’m too young and I can’t know how that would or could fuck me up mentally. I feel like what feels so alluring about it is a combination of a few things. First and foremost, the financial freedom being able to just sell videos of me doing something I already do and finally live my van life dreams. Second, the way
I think it would feel to harness something people have used against me (my sexual nature) and use it to live my life freely. Third, I’m just an exhibitionist. The idea of people getting off to me makes me horny. My friend Mouse once sent me the link to onlyfans as some kinda joke, and I didn’t get it. My answer was “who give a shit”. He said my mom, n I said she’d support me. He said my dad, I said don’t bring him into this. “You cant hear somebody’s tune if you count in your time, you must count their time to enjoy how their mind makes its music.” I love people’s art. Any kind, no matter how good or bad they seem to think it is. A lot of people seem to think they’re not creative, but I find they’re lying every time. My friend Elk says he doesn’t have a creative bone in his body, but if you saw the way he talks about cars, models their engines, loves them like children, you’d know he was lying. It’s hard to listen sometimes, with a brain that’s more reminiscent of a pinball machine than a functioning line of thought. Still though, it’s worth it to sit down and do it every time. Hearing people talk about what they’re passionate about, getting to see the pieces of their souls they’re willing to share, it’s magic, I swear. The conversations I love most are the ones where I forget to plan anything to say in response. Just hearing their music. “But she could feel it pulling at the threads of their tapestry.” I was in a relationship with a straight man for almost 2 years. He was lovely. Kind, sweet, if not angry. So much he needs to face internally. “She’s become displaced, is she herself, or is she the girl he wants her to be?” I lost myself. I didn’t know how to help him. Maybe part of the reason we failed was because I felt the need to do so in the first place. I find myself a little unable to be romantically involved with people who can’t regulate their emotions well, people who don’t know their needs. “But when he’s kissing her hand, it feels less like her hand and more like his hand. And when he’s kissing her face it feels less like her face and more like his face” I should have realized it was over when I felt like I was taking care of him. I disconnected. I played the role again, the girlfriend, the caretaker, the… I don’t know. “But gradually she has felt less and less certain that his understanding would stretch.” I should have left when we almost broke up over telling him I was going on testosterone. The song just looped. The chorus is wonderful. I find myself feeling sad every time I hear the song end. “I’ve never wanted to be anybody other than the person that I am and the things that I’ve discovered. Some don’t understand, but I’m happiest when struggling.” Damn fucking right. Singing that last line always makes me feel edgy, but I do find I always go through the most growth after something horrid. It’s hard to feel thankful for those things, but they do change you. Whether it’s for the better or worse is up to you for the most part, as shitty as that is to say.
“She’s not reluctant to touch, it’s one thing that must bring us closer together, it’s such an important endeavor. She can’t believe there are some who have never been held in their lives” I’m really fucking lucky to have been given the family I was gifted, even with all the problems it came with. I love touch, I love to kiss, I love to be held, by the right people anyways. I felt so fucking guilty about that all throughout my last relationship. I’m always talking about how we’re social creatures, how frustrated I am that physical touch is typically restricted to romantic relationships in the west. Those goddamn puritans. We’re all just monkeys with an inflated sense of importance. You shouldn’t have to want to fuck someone to share touch, an experience as human as eating or pissing for fucks sake. Kiss your homies. “But your judgements are heavy and they’re hurting me” This line could be just as much about Labrador (straight man), my dad, or myself in my mind. Labrador, you were never like me. Never wild like me. You liked watching me, but neither you nor your friends or even I understood how much I was holding back. My chaotic nature entertained you, but you treated me like a child. I’m not a child, I’m neurodivergent. I’ll never forget you taking a cereal box out of my hand after I closed the bag in a way you didn’t like and said “you can’t let a baby do Labrador stuff.” I always hated the baby talk dude, fuck. I kinda hate that you ruined that for me. I hope I get over that. My self judgement, we’ll get to it. or we already have. I can’t remember. “Life’s to be lived not agreed with” Makes me think of my dad too. The tattoo on my hip. I have no idea what he’d think of it if he saw it, but I know He’d HATE the story of how I got it, and my matches. I traded a pack of beer, a tab of acid, and some tattoo ink for them. Got them in the red cedar apartments by Sny-Phi, in Fox’s apartment. I love that girl, loved the trip I had while getting the second one (though I don’t know if I’ll ever do acid again), HATE the guy that gave me the tattoos lol. Wouldn’t stop flirting with me, but he did show me some cool music while I was tripping, and Major Lazer. Sick show. But the matches, they’re about people. The two leading to one flame, it’s two people, ready to be genuine, to joke, to truly listen and also be vulnerable in a way that helps you both grow. I think Fox was the first person I ever realized was one of MY people, we just met and instantly knew we weren’t going to let each other go. It’s so easy with the right ones, at least most of the time. Hard when one of you has been hurt. I feel like everyone I meet makes me grow in some way. I love each of them for it, maybe that’s the self-centered reason I love everyone I meet. But it makes me happy, to see people, to know them in any way I can, and share what I think may help, or just make them laugh. The one on my hip, it’s definitely a teenager move, and a funny one at that. A fake set of vampire teeth with a switchblade through them? C’mon. I love it though. It reminds me that every time I try to be someone else’s idea of me, be it my
dad, a partner, my friends, a love interest, society, THE MAN… I’m unhappy. I have to be me. There’s no one else to be.
The 1001 Experience Jesse Watts - Raft Hill Every single day, I have been receiving a random album selected from the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die by Robert Dimery, among others. I will be periodically updating with some of the high and/or lowlights from my descent into what is, as I’m told, the albums that we all MUST hear. I’ll also provide albums that I feel were snubbed from the list and should be given their proper due diligence. You can follow along live and view the entire experience on my RateYourMusic account, ~Tetrachrome.
The Isley Brothers - 3+3 (1973) Date Received: 6/17/23 The Isley Brothers are a funny band. Every single time I look into their music, I always think "oh, no, I've definitely never heard these guys before." I then get egg on my face as I listen to them and realize I have heard every single song they've ever made about half a million times over. Thank you 104.3 WOMC (Detroit's Greatest Hits!) for giving me a subliminal thorough whole-discography journey of one of the finest funk bands of all time. This happened immediately upon starting my first listen to 3 + 3. I had high hopes for "That Lady" and had the instant realization that I am already intimately familiar with the song, having heard it about once per car ride with my grandma. That absolutely does not stop its pure magic and staying power, though-- and you'd be hard-pressed to find a better mixture of funk and soul in this entire decade. When this album is in a groove, it's in a groove. It's incredibly easy to get sucked in. The middle of the album has some cuts that could do well with more energy and faster tempos-- even if it's well-anchored by songs like "Listen to the Music." Otherwise, though, it's a remarkably consistent and tightly-wound album for a band who the very same year had doubled its size (hence the title)! A gleaming, bumping and bobbing 4/5.
Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (2006) Date Received: 6/21/23 Happy furry day to everyone using the better calendar system. What better albums exist to convey the feeling of being a hammered Brit on a pub crawl with your best mates? Everyone's wasted and completely insufferable, and it's fantastic. This album is gross. It smells like alcohol breath and cigarette tar and sweaty
see-through shirts. The lights are dingy, there's a fine layer of condensation over everything and you can tell nothing's been properly maintained since Thatcher and will continue to decompose until full collapse. We've still gotta have a fun time somehow, though, so why not party our asses off with impeccable riffs and incredible energy? This may be the take that gets me put up against the wall, but AM is like the British answer to The Strokes-- and this is the better of the debut albums between the two. (Reptilia's still the best song between both bands, though.) A stumbling 4/5, shitfaced and trying not to black out at the kebab shop at 1am.
Tears for Fears - Songs from the Big Chair (1985) Date Received: 6/23/23 It's hard to come up with new and fun things to say when you get handed what is unarguably one of the biggest pop classics of the 1980s. I mean, really-- hum the melody for the chorus from Everybody Wants to Rule the World. You know how it goes. You KNOW how it goes. These songs are huge, soaked in reverb, with colorful synthlines and roaring saxophone piercing a light-choked night sky. Ya know, the formula that would later be copied and imitated by every goober trying to rip the style for their own synthpop projects in the past decades, only without any of the genuine inspiration, creative focus, or ideological clarity that guided Tears for Fears. Besides the colossal hits, Big Chair also has "Listen," one of the classical examples of the ethereal ending that gradually drifts out to space-- an exact spot you can point to on the track list that artists like M83 put on repeat while growing up. There's some things I'd like to change-- "Broken" could have used a much longer runtime, and unfortunately the obligatory somber slow jam is here, too-- but Big Chair's escaped the typical criticisms of 80s popular music for a reason. It's a remarkably realized, brawny listen complete with some of the greatest individual pop songs ever, and its shadow is still cast on popular music today. Though this gag may leave you livid, four of five is what I'll give it, everybody wants to rule the world.
The Rolling Stones - Aftermath (1966) Date Received: 7/6/23 I wish I could talk about how good Paint it Black is, but that's on the US version, so we're left with one very long, cynical, gross album. It's pretty obviously reactionary-- a darker take on the countercultures of the 1960s, reflecting instead on drug addiction, widespread misogyny, and general incredible disaffection and neglect. Sometimes it works,
sometimes it doesn't, Out of Time and I am Waiting are kinda nice. Now, if you don't mind a mini-rant... I want to ask each and every one of you why we collectively allowed "Under My Thumb" to become a "classic." I don't care how good the music itself is. Straight up male manipulator music. I don't give a shit if it was intended as dark comedy, or that the character of the girl was "just as bad" as the guy. You know what the fuck is going on with the dynamic there. Fuck that song. I know that the rest of the album ain't much better, but still, wow. The rest is mid. 2.5/5. Next album.
Frank Ocean - channel ORANGE (2012) Date Received: 7/7/23 I can finally say that the 1001 REALLY struck gold. I'd already listened to and loved Channel Orange before, but the relisten brought so much to my ears that I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that I Love this entire record front-to-back. It's so lush, SO smooth... and yet so incredibly anxious. There's a lot of fidgeting underneath the surface of champagne and luxury cars, a lust for genuine human connection and freedom that can't be sated no matter your place on the socio-economic pyramid. Speaking of Pyramids, the centerpiece track is genuinely one of the best experiences you can ever have in all of music. Those synthlines still send shivers down my spine to this very day. There’s a significant chunk of the 1001 website’s user base that is, shall we say… trying to disguise some seriously ugly racism under the veneer of “not liking modern music.” Seriously, it’s all a smokescreen. You can hear their brains practically short-circuit as they try to connect such a top-to-bottom gorgeous work as this to some warped notions of the “degradation” of modern culture. A crystal-clear, perfect-cut 4.5/5. Speaking of Frank, let’s transition into…
The Snubs Frank Ocean - Blonde (2016) - Pitchfork’s album of the decade, a top contender for mine as well. One of the most somber and sparse yet lovingly detailed and intricate experiences one can have. That shuddering anxiety at the core of Channel Orange is stripped bare of its excesses-- even down to the drums. While Frank’s turned his back on his fanbase as of late, there’s no denying that Blonde and its ability to stare down daggers into your sinner soul will be remembered for generations.
Talk Talk - Spirit of Eden (1988) & Laughing Stock (1991) These are, essentially, sister albums, and so they get to share an entry here-- but don’t take that to mean you can just get the idea of both from only one of them. Talk Talk finally fully shed their poppiness and take inspiration from jazz, classical, and just about everywhere else, crushing everything down and reconstructing the shards into long, uncompromising, incredibly textured and deeply spiritual pieces. Silence is as much of a weapon as noise, and Talk Talk is able to utilize it to its full capability. It took the downfall of the band for these albums to come out, but what more of a defining final creative statement could you ask for? Listen to these with massive speakers or VERY good headphones-- loud.
Unwound - Repetition (1996) - You could easily include two or three albums by Unwound for the sheer influence they’ve had on modern punk music. In this edition, though, I’m giving Repetition some recognition for showing the band at their most experimental and their most blisteringly fierce. Every member of the band is tightly interwoven, delivering dense songs requiring some serious re-readings of the lyrics and some deep introspection afterwards. Catchy and utterly alienating. If you’re one of those goobers who really likes Spiderland by Slint but you don’t really know where to go afterwards, I suggest you give this album some much-needed attention.
De La Soul - De La Soul is Dead (1991) - The other half of the story of 3 Feet High and Rising is the inevitable reaction to it and De La Soul as a sore thumb in early hip-hop. Mase, Pos and Trugoy really hated the idea of being pigeonholed as the “hippy rappers,” neatly packed away by music press and Arsenio alike, so De La Soul is Dead functions as their complete rejection of that idea. While still, in its own self-aware way, shiningly optimistic, it’s got some serious biting
sarcasm, complete with an overarching plot of schoolyard bullies stealing the album itself from a nerd and trying their hardest not to groove to it. It’s replete with snide references to itself and 3 Feet High while still scoping out new sonic frontiers for the band, backed by utterly impeccable Prince Paul production.
Arthur Russell - World of Echo (1987) - Please take a moment to acquaintance yourself with the story of Arthur Russell, session musician and one of the most prominent gay musicians of the 1980s. World of Echo is sparse, almost simple, yet that absolutely does nothing to deny its haunting staying power. Although this album really is only cello, effects and Russell’s ghostly vocals, it feels so much more, defying genres, managing to create “pop music” but submerged in layers of ambient, folk and noise. It doesn’t feel like these songs are recorded in a studio, even. At the end of a long, damp tunnel, in a little meadow surrounded by forest under a bright moon is where you meet Arthur Russell, playing this album as his voice echoes off the trees above.
Life Advice Don’t work at Texas Roadhouse -Sky (Orion) When life gets you down buy a lil trinket, and if that doesn’t work get a lil kitten/cat -Lily (Beal) Marijuana isn’t a drug to kill people over nor should it ruin friendships. -Alayna (Howland) Shit flows downhill -Patrick (Raft Hill) “Treat others how you wanna be treated”. Sounds silly, but y’all would be surprised who needs to be reminded of this. -Katie (Phoenix) Being cool is just being weird unapologetically. -Fish (Bowie) it is what it is, and it will be what it needs to be -Sarah (Bowie) drink a liquid iv/gatorade before bed after a night of partying. you will thank yourself in the morning -Emily (Orion) The mystery of whose story it will be. Of who draws the curtain. Who is it that chooses our steps in the dance? Who drives us mad? Lashes us with whips and crowns us with victory when we survive the impossible? Who is it, that does all of these things? Who honors those we love for the very life we live? Who sends monsters to kill us, and at the same time sings that we will never die? Who teaches us what is real and how to laugh at lies? Who decides why we live and what we will die to defend? Who chains us? And who holds the key that can set us free? It's you. You have all the weapons you need. Now fight! Sweet Pea - Sucker Punch -Clay (Orion)
If you could change one thing about the SHC, what would it be and why? -
Members to be more understanding and realize that the EC (and staff) are just humans doing the best they can. -Sky (Orion)
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Sometimes people who are problematic get shifted around houses and still show up at parties and can make others uncomfortable
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More house to house cooperation! It should not be this difficult to buy a lawn mower for all the houses. I think MAC houses should meet at least once a month to discuss what we can do to make our experiences better on a block level. Also put montie in the pine press. Also I think we should buy a pool. Howlands side yard is huge and we can totally get an above ground pool. -Alayna (Howland)
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More emphasis on community. I know we have parties, dartys and the occasional event. Though, we could do a lot more. Talking to past members there used to be smash and Mario kart tournaments. We also used to have the Green Team. I think letting people know if they want to start an event or club like activity, they have the power to do so. It could be anything like book clubs, writing clubs, tarot nights, or game/movie nights. I think one of the coolest things we did was the 2021 welcome week. Hedrick had a cookout, Raft had volleyball, Orion was having a darty, Howland was making friendship bracelets and Vesta had a game day. I thought it was a good way to welcome new members, and also, at least for my house, I got to know the new people a lot faster. I know VPM managed that event, but I feel like the houses could get together and plan a week for the incoming members, if membership wants to get involved that's fine too. Also shout out to Punks for Pups! -Patrick (Raft Hill)
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Communication with the WHOLE house and not just facilities officers when it comes to contractors coming into houses. I want to hear all the information from MC so there’s no confusion & nothing goes unsaid. -Katie (Phoenix)
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More focus on the houses we have instead of expanding also a consistent maintenance request system -Zach (Howland)
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More nudity and whippets I don’t think we have enough -Fish (Bowie)
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a LOT more transparency from the SHC staff about projects and finances, and more open and TIMELY communication between them and the houses. It sucks having 2-3 biweekly meetings in between a work order and actual progress, and having to tell your housemates you have no idea what’s going on:/
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pay the maintenance people better so they clean up all the sawdust they’ve left in the basement
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I want us to truly be into intentional community and principles/priorities we say we have. Let's not just talk the talk but use our houses and spaces to make the work more achievable. And we can and do it sometimes but I would like that to be more widespread and purposeful. -Clay (Orion)
Message 4 the world Ansel is a top tier SHC cat -Sky (Orion) Be kind and learn something-One of the kids I watch their parent says this to them everyday and I think it’s a good philosophy about life -Lily (Beal) Find your horizon and chase it -Zach (Howland) Everyone at parties wants to have fun and chat just as much as you do. Never be afraid to put yourself out there. If you ever see the boygirl with the blonde wolfcut/mullet, I always want to say hello!! -Fish (Bowie) shake your plants!! don’t want no weak ass plants in these coops -Sarah (Bowie) a buttload is an actual unit of measurement, and it’s 126 gallons -Emily (Orion) Karma is real, but only the luckiest among us see it in action -Grayson (The Shire) Letter to the world. I would like to be a participant and not just an observer -Clay (Orion)