THE HURON EMERY | ISSUE 6: JUNE 6 | ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
LYDIA HARGETT NEWS EDITOR
Located in Ypsilanti, Cultivate Coffee and Tap House is the perfect place to sit with friends and sip on an iced tea or latte. A wide variety of coffee drinks are offered including cold brew, lattes and espressos, and they also serve many tea flavors from green to black. I recommend the iced honey cinnamon latte as well as the iced earl grey black tea, and the staff is more than welcome to help you decide on a drink. Their prices are not too expensive and milk modifications or extra syrups are available to add to your drinks. If you are of age, they also serve beer on tap or prepackaged. Inside, the space is very modern and clean with plenty of seating options that are spaced out, following COVID-19 regulations. They also have picnic tables outside if you prefer to enjoy the fresh air. Online ordering is available as well as contactless payment inside.
GRAPHICS BY ALLISON MI
Popular among students to hang out and study, Vertex Coffee Roasters is located on South University Ave, in downtown Ann Arbor. The cafe offers a simple menu with espressos, lattes and teas for you to enjoy. A few of my favorites are the iced vanilla latte with oat milk and their iced chai tea latte, which is made with their own chai recipe. Their prices are fair, and cost around four or five dollars per drink. Milk and syrup add-ons are available for around 50 cents and they have many options to choose from. Because of COVID-19 regulations, the shop is unfortunately not offering indoor seating at this time, but there are many outdoor tables available. The shop sells their own coffee with a wide variety of flavors and roasts, along with stickers and t-shirts with the Vertex logo. All of the baristas are extremely kind and the shop is definitely a great place to grab coffee if you are near downtown.
Fearless (Taylor’s Version): The songs have changed but so has she ANITA GAENKO STAFF WRITER If “Old Taylor” died in 2017 with the release of “Reputation”, then this is “New Taylor” paying her respects. From the very beginning of the first track, “Fearless,” it’s obvious that Taylor Swift’s voice changed since she was 18 years old. It’s softer and richer. Listening to the old version of Fearless seems almost pitchy in comparison on the high notes. The instrumental also seems quieter on most songs in Swift’s new album. “Taylor’s Version” is a calmer and smoother version of Fearless. For songs like “Fifteen,” “Breathe,” “You’re Not Sorry” and “White Horse,” it fits the theme. “Fifteen” is melancholy and nostalgic, “Breathe” relies heavily on vocals with very simplistic lyrics and “You’re Not Sorry” and “White Horse” are heartbreak songs. As shown in her last two albums, her vocal control has gotten better on high notes. She’s also gone through much more heartbreak since 2008, so there’s naturally more weight behind her melancholy songs. But some of “Fearless’” songs are best with the edge of her younger
voice, notably “You Belong With Me” and “Tell Me Why.” This isn’t just for nostalgic reasons. They’re angrier, rougher and more desperate songs in concept, and Taylor just isn’t as angry or desperate anymore. It’s probably been years since she sat on bleachers and wrote jealous songs like “You Belong With Me” about some evil teenage cheerleader dating the guy she’s in love with; it feels strange to hear it from her 31-yearold self. Arguably her most popular song from “Fearless,” “Love Story” sounds better from 2021 Taylor, and not just because of her older voice. “Love Story” is a “happy ending” song, and when she was 18, she was several media circuses and failed relationships away from her happy ending. Now that Taylor is in a happy, overfour-year relationship that she has kept a comfortable distance from the press, “Love Story” makes more sense to her, and she’s able to properly sing a lighthearted
song without it feeling fake. A song about Joe Jonas (which his wife, like “Fifteen,” which is about not Sophie Turner, seems to enjoy). understanding love as a teenager, Taylor Swift’s talent has also makes more sense from a always been in her versatility 31-year-old woman than a girl who across genres and moods, so there’s was technically still a teenager. something for almost everyone in Some re-recorded songs, these tracks. She gets extra points even though they’re enjoyable, for this album being a massive are almost childish from her insult to the owners of her original now, like “The Way I Loved You.” albums. The rights to Taylor’s first The glamorization of a toxic past six studio albums were acquired by relationship over a comfortable and Scooter Braun when he bought her healthy one seems like an antithesis old record company, Big Machine to everything Taylor sings about Records. She tried to buy back now. her albums, but claimed that she As for her From The Vault was offered impossible conditions. songs, which were previously Taylor’s re-recording of the albums unreleased, some tracks shine has allowed her to regain rights to through, and some blend her back catalog without any profit into the background vibe going to Braun. She reclaimed her of the entire album. art, significantly improved it and she Some personal certainly seems to enjoy the process, favorites are the especially if she can drive her fans piano version of crazy along the way. Four out of her “Forever & Always”, nine albums are officially owned by “The Other Side Of her as of April 9, 2021. The Door”, “That’s Overall, Fearless (Taylor’s When” (featuring Version) is a solid 8.5 out of 10. You Keith Urban) and “Mr. can listen to it on Spotify, Apple Perfectly Fine” — a song Music and YouTube Music. that deserves extra note for reportedly being a song Taylor Swift is re-recording her albums and releasing them as her own as “Taylor’s Version.” ORIGINAL PHOTO COURTESY OF WOLF CRAFT
