Issue #7

12 ENTERTAINMENT Wed., April 28, 2021
BROCKHAMPTON drops another solid album
ROADRUNNER:
NEW LIGHT, NEW
MACHINE proves
the band once again
BY DESMOND FITZGERALD
Staff Writer
The self-proclaimed “best boyband
since One Direction” is back once again.
After dropping their nearly perfect
Saturation trilogy over six months in
2017, I, and many others, instantly fell
in love with the group’s raw, cohesive
energy, witty lines, and diverse, layered
songwriting.
From mid-paced, window-rattling
bangers like “Heat” and “Boogie” to
sweeter, RnB cuts like “Bleach”, all
the way to straight-up alt/indie-rock
ballads like “Summer” and “Waste”,
every song is well written, wellperformed,
and unique. Trying to cover
these albums would take me all day,
but they are a must-listen for every
music fan.
The next couple of years, however,
would prove more challenging for
the collective. Amidst the dramatic
exit of one of the group’s key
members, Ameer Vann, as well
as mounting personal issues, and
sudden fame, BROCKHAMPTON
dropped Iridescence a pretty solid,
if inconsistent, record. Iridescence
feels like two separate albums, with
a glitchy, angry, and rawer sound on
its harder tracks like “New Orleans”
and “Jouvert”, and a soft, depressed,
poppier side on tracks like “San
Marcos” and “Tonya”. This album was
off the wall, and looked how the group’s
headspace at the time must have been;
confusing, dark, and paranoid.
While Iridescence is their weakest
album, in my opinion, it’s still more
than decent, and extremely interesting.
2019’s Ginger was the group’s
softest and most consistent album
to date. Most tracks have a somber,
reflective tone, and a great deal of this
album deals in the poppier sounds
BROCKHAMPTON has always
experimented with.
Aside from a few bangers like “Boy
Bye” and “St. Percy”, Ginger is a sad,
moody, and soberingly reflective album,
that houses everything from the tearjerking
Ameer expose on “Dearly
Departed”, to the danceable grooves
and earworm chorus on “Sugar”
Ginger is great, especially if
depressing pop and RnB music is your
go-to.
Finally, we land at the longanticipated
Roadrunner; New Light,
New Machine, which feels like it’s
bringing a ‘new light’ to the boyband’s
career.
Roadrunner feels like a brand new
chapter for the band, one without the
drama of their previous two records,
and one where they embrace new,
exciting sounds.
The opening track/ lead single
“Buzzcut” presented electrifying
energy, with blistering production, a
great guest verse from Danny Brown,
and a soulful ending. “Buzzcut” seems
to me like an extension of the sounds
of Iridescence, only with less awkward
songwriting, production, and deliveries.
This track was an amazing teaser and
an even better opener.“Buzzcut” does a
great job of starting this record off with
a loud bang.
The following “Chain On” is a
rapid change of pace, with a dusty,
vintage instrumental, tons of reverb, a
summary bassline, and a surprisingly
lowkey and infectious chorus.
This track features a solid
verse from underground legend
JPEGMAFIA, but the real stunner
is Dom Mclennons eye-opening
final verse, which is impressively
entertaining and socially conscious.
This record sees
BROCKHAMPTON diving into some
of the grimiest sounds they ever have,
with plenty of nods to the worlds
of Wu-Tang, Three Six Mafia, and
especially OutKast.
The track “Bankroll” is one of the
group’s most direct and satisfying
bangers to date, with a moody, traplaced
instrumental, amazing verses
from A$AP Ferg and Merlyn, and an
extremely catchy chorus featuring
A$AP Rocky.
The song “Windows” is one
of many that features the artist
Sogonesoflexy, who fits effortlessly into
the BROCKHAMPTON roster, stands
at over six minutes in length, features
every member, and is supremely dark.
The Southern hip-hop flare the
group gave this song is complimented
perfectly by the raw verses brought by
every member here, and this track feels
like one from Saturation II with a more
mature twist.
The songs “The Light” and “Don’t
Shoot Up the Party” are very quickly
becoming some of my favorite tracks
in the group’s entire discography, with
the former being hard-hitting, guitarlaced,
confessional opus in the style of a
classic 90’s boom-bap banger.
Joba and Kevin bring some of the
hardest, most personal, and saddest
lines of the entire album on this track,
with Joba dealing with his father’s
suicide, and Kevin reflecting on his
family and homosexuality.
The bridge on this song gives me
chills, with Jobas soaring, haunting,
almost God-like vocals creeping in on
top of an eerie synth line.
This short bridge is one of the best
moments on the record with interesting
production choices, tight drum fills, and
an incredible vocal presence.
“Don’t Shoot Up the Party” is by
far the darkest moment on the record,
with a stark, subtle intro, accompanied
by an unapologetic verse that quickly
evolves into an undeniably catchy
chorus, full of raging, messy synths,
danceable one-two drums, and shouted,
pleading vocals from Kevin, soaked in
heartbreaking desperation.
All of this, along with an amazing
verse from Matt and disturbing outro,
make this track an instant classic.
The track “When I Ball” features
production from The Neptunes, and is
a fairly straightforward and sweet hip
hop track about childhood dreams and
goals.
The hook is sweet and enjoyable,
and overall this track is pretty solid,
just not necessarily one of the standouts
for me. While the production is pretty
and the verses are solid, this track is
just missing something for me.
“What’s The Occasion” is a
very simple track with a gorgeous,
harrowing chorus from Joba, a gently
plucked guitar, and an arena-sized
ending.
While being pretty self-explanatory,
the execution of this song is amazing,
and it reminded me a lot of “Cash” off of
Saturation, just far more somber.
Though there are very few missteps
on Roadrunner, the album does
somewhat falter when it comes to its
poppier songs.
While good as a single, I rarely find
myself returning to the track “Count
On Me”. With its peppy guitar licks,
feel-good attitude, lovesick lyrics, and
somewhat saccharine Ryan Beatty
chorus, this track should have all of the
qualities to make another mega-hit like
“Bleach” or “Sugar”, but the cohesion
and focused verses are just not there to
make this song as good as those two.
While no song on this album is bad,
this s one of the weaker ones.
The tracks “Old News” and “I’ll Take
You On” are both in a similar camp
as“Count On Me”..
While I appreciate the verses and
production on “Old News”, Baird’s’
overly processed chorus, riddled with
generic lyrics and a boring melody,
is the only moment on the album I
would call legitimately bad. “I’ll Take
You On” is a romantic, danceable
piece of soulful pop music, complete
with a Charlie Wilson feature.
While I love the 90’s boy band-
Esque chorus and the break-beat
rhythms on this song, Charlie Wilson
feels more like an afterthought, and
the verses could have used some work.
Roadrunners’ final leg is among its
strongest. The stunning “Dear Lord”
is a gorgeous interlude that features
tight harmonies, gorgeous singing,
and a faint piano towards the end.
The track feels equally Frank
Ocean and gospel choir and does a
great job at setting the tone for the
finisher, ‘“The Light Pt.II”.
This track is a deeply emotional
dive into the issues that Kevin and
Joba discussed on “The Light” but is
much more somber.
The ominous, whispered repetition
of “The light is worth the wait, why
did you do it?” hits like an emotional
powerhouse, especially in the context
of Joba’s father’s suicide. “The Light
Pt. II” is an extremely tight ending
that closes the album perfectly.
While Roadrunner; New Light,
New Machine is not my favorite
BROCKHAMPTON album to date,
it’s up there.
Make no mistake, this is an
insanely impressive return to form
for the group, and while some tracks
are weaker than others, this album is
amazing overall.
If you’re even a little bit interested
in alternative hip hop, pop, or RnB,
do not let this album, or anything
BROCKHAMPTON does, fly under
your radar.
New Netflix show, Shadow and Bone, impresses
BY RYM BENOUNA
Staff Writer
The Shadow and Bone series
premiered on Netflix on Friday, April
23, and released eight episodes of the
book trilogy by Leigh Bardugo.
The story follows Alina StarKov who
is a soldier from Ravka who discovers
that she is a Sun Summoner and can
bend light.
She tries to use her ability to
overpower the Fold which is smokey
darkness that borders Ravka and
contains mystical creatures known as
the Volca.
There were three or four different
storylines throughout the series and
from the beginning, it started fastpaced
and did not explain what was
happening.
This made it confusing to follow
what was going on for the first few
episodes especially for viewers who are
unfamiliar with the book series.
Throughout the series we don’t get
much of a backstory about the Grisha
verse besides a few flashbacks scenes,
so, I would recommend getting a basic
understanding of the story before
watching.
It was a little bit difficult to
continue watching in the beginning
but, after a few episodes, I was hooked.
Because multiple things were going
on such as threats, interrogation, and
blackmailing, I was intrigued and didn’t
get bored of watching.
Although I am not a big fan of
fantasy and magic in tv shows, this
series exceeded my expectations and
left me wanting more.
Intense music was played
throughout almost the entire series
which made it more dramatic and
caused angst. This added a lot to the
film and made me more anxious as I
was watching.
The show did have a lot of fighting
scenes which were enjoyable to watch
but was graphic and some of the sound
effects were a bit excessive which made
the fighting scenes seem unrealistic.
The show is similar to the book
series with only a few changes here
and there. One of the many admirable
things about it was that even though
there were still a lot of characters.
They were all widely diverse
and were inclusive in race, gender,
sexuality, and religion.
The sets and costumes were
captivating and added so much to
the story especially because the
cinematography wasn’t like any other
series on Netflix that I had seen before.
What made the show more enjoyable
was watching the relationship progress
between Inej, Jesper, and Kaz as they
continued their sarcastic and witty
banter throughout the multiple heists
that occurred.
Their roles were perfectly cast as
they were just as I had imagined them
to be.
The friendships that were built as
the story progressed were no doubt
one of the most alluring parts of the
series. Seeing Mattias and Nina turn
from enemies to close friends and
then watching their betrayal was
enticing especially because of how their
relationship left off.
I think the casting was perfect,
especially Jessie Mei Lei(Alina Starkov)
and Ben Barnes because they made the
characters come to life and made me
feel attached to the story as a whole.
Ben Barnes who played the
Darkling captured the essence of being
the villain and made the viewers loathe
his character.
While we also got to see some great
character development from the main
character as she was a soft-spoken,
gullible young girl and became a fierce,
GENIUS
and powerful character towards
the end who ended up saving many
people.
There were only eight episodes and
the season ended with a cliffhanger,
so I was left sitting on the edge of my
seat anticipating what was going to
happen next. I am hoping that we will
get to see another season sometime
soon.
I highly recommend watching this
show if you enjoy fantasy or young
adult films. If you are just looking for
a show to binge on Netflix, then this is
also the show for you.
Taylor Swift’s
“new” album
is a smash hit
BY ANNIE GHAFFARI AND DES-
MOND FITZGERALD
Staff Writers
Taylor Swift is not unfamiliar with
the music industry. Recently she just
released a re-recorded version of her
old album ‘Fearless’, because Scooter
Braun, who is also currently Justin
Bieber’s manager, wouldn’t let her use
her music.
She signed a contract at 15 that
made a deal with Scott Borchetta’s
record label company that gave them
ownership of her music.
Borchetta sold the company to
Scooter Braun, which gave Scooter
Braun ownership of Swift’s recordings.
She had to go through court to win
back ownership of her older albums,
from 2006’s Taylor Swift to 2017’s Reputation
and she has to re-record them
in her version now.
Many Swifties are guessing that
1989 will be the next album to get rerecorded,
but it probably won’t be anytime
soon.
Along with releasing Fearless (Taylor’s
Version), in April 2021, she also
added a few unheard tracks on the
album, such as ‘You All Over Me, ‘Mr.
Perfectly Fine’, ‘That’s When’, and ‘We
Were Happy’.
The album contains 26 tracks, and
here are some must listen to tracks off
the rerecorded album.
In February we were given the classic
hit, “Love Story”. I loved this version!
It’s amazing, and you can blast it
in your car with friends, or in your room
when you’re getting ready.
“Love Story” is a super fun, up-tempo
Country pop hybrid, full of Taylor’s
usual charm. This mega-hit sounds
even better with its brand new recording.
“White Horse (Taylors version)”, is
a stunning ‘getting over them’ song. It
just makes you feel the emotions that
Taylor Swift was meaning to put out
there.
Lyrics like “I’m not a princess, this
ain’t a fairytale” .“I was a dreamer
before you went and let me down” really
illustrate the message of this song.
“You Belong with Me (Taylors version)”
is another one of those songs I’d
blast in the car with my friends, or in
my room, when I relate to the lyrics.
With super sweet vocal passages
and a catchy hook, it’s no wonder why
this song was a radio smash.
“Breathe (Taylors version)” makes
me miss someone I don’t even know by
using heart-breaking lyrics and a gentle
tone.
The chorus and verses are simple
but effective, and Colbie Caillat’s parts
are stunning.
“Tell me Why (Taylors version)”
explains the feeling of finally seeing
someone for who they truly are, and not
being blinded because of liking them
anymore, themes that are echoed on the
following
“Forever and Always (Taylors version)”
is a classic story about loving
someone, them giving you expectations,
then them leaving you heartbroken.
This song is laced with peppy guitars
and layered percussion, this song feels
strangely danceable.
Later in the tracklist, we are treated
to a wildly different version using
a piano, where Taylor takes the track
much slower and more seriously. Both
are amazing for entirely different reasons.
“Mr. Perfectly Fine (Taylor’s Version)”
is an anthem for unrequited
love. Gently twanging guitars, one-two
drums, and a spacey atmosphere, this
track is a real standout.
This heartbreaking story sees Taylor
get rejected, only for the man who
rejects her to go on and have a great
love life while Taylor struggles, which
ties up very well with the following
“Don’t You (Taylor’s Version).”
Seeing someone you had a relationship
with in the past, but they’ve moved
on, and you still love them. “Don’t you
say you’ve missed me when you don’t
want me again”?
Many fans are hyped about the
bonus tracks, and almost everyone
aware of the situation between Taylor
and her old record label is making
sure to only listen to the ‘Taylor’s Version’
album.
Overall, I’d say this was a really
good album and the bonus tracks pulled
the album together and added something
greater.
The way Taylor Swift handled her
situation was also really mature and I
would recommend listening to Fearless
(Taylor’s Version).