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Arts & Life Music Review

Passion Pit’s “Gossamer” displays musical growth

Connor Small
Writer

Passion Pit, led by singer/songwriter Michael Angelakos, is known for employing a unique and uncannily delightful blend of sparkling synths, pounding bass and shimmering drum sounds, all complimented by Angelakos’ haunting, yet endearing, falsetto to create their own blend of synthpop. Their latest album “Gossamer,” released on July 24, offers the same quality as previous albums, but in a new package.

“Gossamer” was two years in the making and follows the path set by its predecessor, “Manners” (2009) and is currently number 4 on the US Billboard 200. In that time, Angelakos dealt with debilitating health issues, including bipolar disorder, depression and alcoholism. He even had to cancel six tour dates to work on his mental health. The pain he endured can be felt in every note he utters on “Gossamer” as he croons his way through every track.

The album opens with “Take a Walk,” an infectiously tragic song about an immigrant working to support his family overseas. It immediately grabs the listener’s attention with its accessibility, both lyrically and musically. While the song on its own is quite strong, it doesn’t seem to quite fit the lyrical themes found in the other songs, creating a disjointed feeling early in the album.

“I’ll Be Alright” blasts apart the speakers and drums, and hard-nosed synths sear through what evolves into probably the catchiest song on the album. The lyrics find Angelakos feeling guilty for holding his partner back, and although you can tell he loves her, he tells her that she can “go if (she) wants to” and that he’ll “be alright,” setting the tone of heartbreak early.

“Carried Away” and “Constant Conversations” follow, and deal with a couple arguing over money and alcoholism, respectively. “Constant Conversations,” my favorite song on the album, yet arguably the most tragic, displays an R&B influence and deals with Angelakos’ alcoholism and his continuing struggle with his fiancé. Here, she is fighting for him to beat his addiction, and he loves her so much for it, yet he sees in himself only destruction and again tells her she’ll have to leave him someday.

The true strength of this album comes from Angelakos’ growth as a songwriter and his unique ability to blend upbeat synthpop with despairing lyrics. While it may not be Passion Pit’s most exceptional work, at times sounding disjointed and sloppily produced, it is by far their most accessible album, and Angelakos’ most refined collection of songs to date. The thing that excites me the most about “Gossamer” is the expansion of the band’s sound and its dense layering, allowing the listener to hear something different with every listen.

8.5/10

 

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Arts & Life Columns Cooking Corner

Cooking Corner: Chocolate Chip Brownies

Katie Mancino

Staff Writer

Chocolate Chip Brownies

These brownies are the perfect treat if you’re looking for something sweet and healthy. At only 64 calories these are completely guiltless, yet still rich and chocolaty thanks to the soymilk and chocolate chips. I sprinkled mini hearts on top of mine just before baking so they cooked right into the top layer! Try experimenting with other flavor extracts like peppermint, almond or even coconut to make different flavors.

Each: 64 calories, 2g fat, 13 carbs, 1g protein

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup Truvia for Baking
  • 2 Tbsp Land O’ Lakes Light Butter
  • 2 egg whites
  • 2 Tbsp Silk Light Vanilla Soymilk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 3 Tbsp mini chocolate chips

Directions: makes 12 brownies

  1. Heat oven to 350 F and spray brownie pan with nonstick spray.
  2. Beat butter and Truvia together.
  3. Add egg whites, vanilla and soymilk.
  4. Add remaining ingredients, mix until smooth.
  5. Spread into an even layer in the pan, top with sprinkles (small ones work best).
  6. Bake for 15-20 minutes until solid.
  7. Let cool and slice into 12 brownies.
Categories
Arts & Life Columns Rees' Pieces

Rees’ Pieces

Ben Rees
Columnist

Since graduation, we have a new, fresh and generally unemployed senior class walking the halls of the University. Unfortunately, it is time for all these rapidly aging adults to find some sort of occupation. Different jobs demand different qualifications, but all of them require an interview.

For many, interviews are very stressful. You have 30 minutes or less to explain how great you are or, if you’re not great, to lie about yourself. Should you be serious or should you be funny? Do you go Windsor or half-Windsor? Is your skirt too short? Is it too early in the season to wear white? Fear not seniors, in a few short minutes you will know exactly what to do, and more importantly, how to act in a job interview.

First and foremost, dress appropriately. Unfortunately for all of you, Sperry’s are not dress shoes; they are boat shoes. Unless you’re interviewing for Prestige International, this won’t fly. Also, if you own a tuxedo t-shirt, burn it.

Next, you will want to floss your teeth. Nothing screams, “I’m impressive” like a big piece of bacon fat hanging from your teefers.

Do not ask your potential employer: “Where do you summer?” Summer is not a verb. His douche alarm will blare.

When your potential employer asks you to talk about a time you faced adversity, don’t talk about the time you went on a class field trip to the United Nations. Adversity and diversity are two different words–familiarize yourself with them.

Don’t be afraid to be different. Make a little joke here and there and tell them an interesting story about yourself. Standing out can never hurt.

I lied; standing out can hurt. It’s perfectly fine to be different, but it’s not okay to tell creepy stories about your life that you believe are unique. They want to know about when you helped a relative get through something tough, not about how you were breastfed until age 11. Saving Mrs. Wilson’s cat from choking on your little brother’s Lego isn’t a challenging life event either.

If your hero/mentor is Kim Kardashian because of how successful and spunky she is, then you need to lie. It is now your mother because of how successful and spunky she is. See how much better that sounds?

Lastly, a letter of recommendation from your parents or relatives goes about as far as the phrase “I’m only going to have one drink tonight.” It’s nice to hear, but at the end of the day, you only say it to make yourself feel a little bit better.

Categories
Arts & Life

Electronic screens in ELC to promote the arts

Heather Hennigan
Contributing Writer

Many of you may have noticed the new screens on the walls of the Elaine Langone Center (ELC) lobby. What are they, exactly? For those who aren’t quite brave enough to go explore and discover the answer to this question, here it is: they’re interactive kiosks that promote the arts at the University.

There are two kiosks in the ELC lobby–one for the Samek Art Gallery, and another that functions primarily as a part of the “Arts. Everywhere.” Presidential Arts Initiative on campus.

“Two of the primary objectives of the Presidential Arts Initiative are to increase the visibility of the arts at Bucknell and to encourage increased student and campus-wide engagement with arts activities, programs, centers and departments. To that end, a major plan for the first year of the initiative was to enhance campus communication of arts activities, and our new kiosk fulfills this objective,” said University arts coordinator and professor of English Carmen Gillespie.

The Arts kiosk features “The Muse” (bucknell.edu/TheMuse), a weekly compilation of University arts events and related content, as well as an interactive “Arts. Everywhere.” map that highlights all arts centers and locations on campus. The kiosk also includes a section on the “Big Picture,” which displays interesting arts-related media that breaks through the our “Bucknell Bubble.”

Currently, the “Big Picture” feature is a slideshow of images from the Tate Gallery. There is also a “Film Shorts” section on the kiosk, which will allow students to watch videos created by University students and faculty as well as interesting shorts by contemporary artists. Students can also see movie trailers of general release films on the kiosk.

The kiosk also features “The Pulse,” a student poll in which you can vote and see percentage results of student responses. Each week the questions will change and students will have a chance to find out what other students think and feel regarding various topics.

So, go to the kiosk and answer the question on “The Pulse,” which is currently about whether you prefer “The Daily Show” or “The Colbert Report.” I won’t tell you the answer distribution, though–you’ll have to check it out for yourself!

 

Categories
Arts & Life

New Poetry Path connects words with surroundings

Christina Oddo
Assistant Arts & Life Editor

The University’s new Poetry Path connects the environment, as well as time, to the written and spoken word of poetry.

Led by Shara McCallum, director of the Stadler Center for Poetry, the inaugural tour of the Poetry Path took place on the afternoon of Aug. 24, before the start of Lewisburg’s annual downtown Street Fair. Students, faculty and community members gathered below the marquee of the Campus Theatre on Market Street for the first stop of the inaugural tour.

“Poetry asks that we pay attention to what is around us and also allows us to reflect on where we stand in a particular moment in time,” McCallum said. “The poems on the Poetry Path all reflect some aspect of the history and/or the physical setting (natural or man-made) of each site.”

The inaugural tour began and ended downtown, beginning at Bucknell Hall, passing the underground railroad, the post office, the Lewisburg Cemetery, Hufnagle Park, Kidsburg Playground, the intersection of Seventh Street and Moore Avenue, the churches and the Civil War monument.

“The impulse behind the Path, for me, was to make poetry a part of people’s everyday lives and to provide a bridge between the campus community and the Lewisburg community,” McCallum said.

The tour consists of 10 markers, featuring a variety of pieces from renowned artists, like Gary Soto, Bruce Lansky, Dorianne Laux and Naomi Shihab Nye, who will have a poetry reading Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. in the Stadler Center. Each marker represents the connection between the poem and the location, and each poem pays tribute to Lewisburg’s unique and cultural history in this way.

“Poetry is my favorite art form, and I loved how the tour combined it with history and community,” Lauren Feldman ’14 said. “The fact that the sites are both on and off campus, and that students, faculty and Lewisburg residents all attended the tour, gave me a sense of belonging–both within Bucknell and within the town as a whole.”

Participants who take the tour have the opportunity to hear the poets recite their own work. Although the poems are posted at each marker to read, participants with smartphones can access a link online to actually hear a recording of each poem.

“Poems are steeped in an oral tradition and are attentive to fixed or variable patterns of rhythm and rhyme, as well as to the inflections of human speech,” McCallum said. “When you hear a poem aloud, the sonic aspect of the poem is brought to the foreground.”

The Poetry Path tour was part of the “Arts. Everywhere.” festival that took place in downtown Lewisburg and on campus.

“I am so glad I went and would definitely suggest other students to take the tour on their own time! It was wonderful to read about the history of all these important locations on Bucknell’s campus and downtown Lewisburg, and reading relevant poems at every stop really enriches the experience,” Lindsay Allardyce ’14 said.

The Poetry Path is handicapped accessible and is open year-round. Upcoming Poetry Path events can be viewed on the University website, under the Stadler Center for Poetry Poetry Path Events.

 

 

 

Categories
Opinion

Chick-Fil-A has right to a voice

Josh Haywood
Writer

Political opponents of Chick-fil-A’s stance on gay marriage seem to be having trouble with upholding the limits of government that they are supposed to represent. The fast food company stirred up controversy recently when on July 2, gay rights advocacy group Equality Matters published a report detailing some $2 million in donations Chick-fil-A gave to anti-gay marriage groups. The same day the report was published, Chick-fil-A’s President Dan Cathy stated that his company is “guilty as charged” when asked if the organization supported the biblical definition of marriage. This nonchalant statement has evoked criticism from several political officials who are not too happy with the company speaking its mind. Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston said he does not want the company in his city, stating that “unless they open up their policies,” it might be hard for Chick-fil-A to get the necessary licenses needed to operate in the Boston area. Menino is joined by mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Alderman Proco Joe Moreno, who have both voiced opposition to Chick-fil-A operating within the city unless it changes its stance. Within this dialog exists an intrinsic problem of defining what powers government officials have.

These elected officials seem paradoxical in the sense that they are discriminating against a private corporation for its private views. It seems like an abuse of government power for these public officials to punish a private corporation by threatening to keep it from engaging in business. Chick-fil-A’s president, and to a larger extent the company as whole, has the right to express its views on gay marriage just like any other citizen in this country. These pubic officials threatening to block Chick-fil-A’s presence in the free market is a case of irresponsible government. Just because the officials do not like Chick-fil-A’s stance does not make it justifiable for them use their powers to keep the business from operating in their municipalities. This is an issue of procedure rather than one based on morality. The government is not designed to work against the First Amendment in the way it is playing out in this case. The idea of res ipsa loquitur, or “let the thing speak for itself,” comes up in this controversy. Government officials should let Chick-fil-A’s statement speak for itself in the forum of public opinion where the consumer, not the government, decides what is acceptable. Government is the representation of public will and should not be mistaken with the spirit of law represented in the Constitution. A murky precedent is being set when public officials threaten an organization because of what it believes in. Chick-fil-A should be able to operate where they please, regardless of its private political views which are protected by the Constitution.

As for the issue of gay marriage in general, there is a return to the idea of res ipsa loquitur in the public forum. We as a nation have conflicting views as to what defines marriage and are nowhere close to figuring out what is the right answer. Same-sex couples should have access to the legal benefits of marriage, but not the same title of being married. I have no qualms about same-sex couples but do not agree with granting the title of marriage to couples because of tradition and other personal beliefs. Upholding the right to express private beliefs should not be punished like public officials in Boston and Chicago are threatening to do. It is your right as an American citizen to believe in what you want without fear of punishment, plain and simple.

Categories
Arts & Life Restaurants Review

Sushihanna brings new flavor to Market Street cuisine

Emily Guillen | The Bucknellian
Shrimp avocado roll from Sushihanna on Market Street.

Emily Guillén
Editor-in-Chief

When the news came this spring that Marco’s Tapas would be closing its doors, many students were upset by the loss of one of their favorite Market Street restaurants.  What they didn’t know was that Sushihanna, a Japanese restaurant specializing in sushi, would be taking the tapas bar’s storefront location.

Located at 432 Market Street, between The Chamberlain Building entrance and The Open Door Framing Gallery, Sushihanna is sure to be a popular lunch hot spot with students this fall.

On my recent lunch trip to the new restaurant, I ordered one of their lunch specials: a tuna roll and a shrimp avocado roll for $9.45.  My friend ordered a simple avocado roll for $3.00.  Each came with a small bowl of sesame cucumber salad.

We both found the amount of food for the price to be typical for downtown.  Even for heavier eaters, prices are still reasonable.  Even the more expensive shrimp tempura roll is only $6.9, and a Hibachi dinner of chicken is $9.95.

Beyond the prices, we were impressed by the food and speed of service.  We were able to walk into the restaurant, order, eat and pay our check in just under an hour, something not frequently found in Lewisburg.

My tuna and shrimp avocado rolls were great.  No longer will I have to drive to Wegmans in Williamsport or State College for a decent roll; I can just walk downtown for a well-crafted roll and avoid the repeated disappointment from the sushi at the Bison.

My friend called her avocado roll “simple, but tasty.”  Not only was she referring to the food itself, but also the presentation.  The clean look of the plates allowed us to focus on nothing but the meal.

All in all, we found Sushihanna to be a nice addition to the restaurants downtown.  It gives us one more cuisine option to add to our current haunts.  It will most likely compete most directly with Pronto!, based on its attraction of lunchtime clientele.

Hours:
Monday – Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Categories
Letters to the Editor Opinion

Letter to the Editor: Sleeping Around juvenile, vulgar

To the Editor:

I have read your “Sleeping Around” column both this week and last. You might expect an old man like me to express shock that “The Bucknellian” would print this kind of stuff. But I would rather share with you some different reactions.

1) The column this week, like last week’s, is badly written: juvenile, vulgar, at best of middle school level.

2) Politically liberal friends of mine who live in the area pointed out last week’s column to me and asked: “Would you want to spend $50,000 a year to send your son or daughter to a school whose student paper prints this kind of stuff”? I could only reply that the student paper in the large university I taught in for 35 years was printing “that kind of stuff” in the 1970’s, but that at that time I thought of Bucknell as being a place with “more class.”

3) I recently saw a temple in India where the “hickies” and other physical traces described by your writer had been sculpted on the female body around the year 1000 A.D. Nothing new under the sun, is there?

4) The fact that your writer is anonymous takes away 99% of the reader’s interest in your column. How can a reader be interested in such an account of activities when you can’t see the anatomy of the  person performing such…”strong suctions”? or even seeing her hickey?

5) You are calling your column “a commentary on sex, love, and relationships in college.” Why not give us a searing, devouring, love story the next time…A story that last for more than a weekend? Maybe 2 weekends?

6) You write: “All submissions are for the columnist’s eyes only.” Why? Ms. Lace, are you afraid? Is the writer afraid? Are you both ashamed?

Hoping “The Bucknellian” will show more class…and style the next time,

Paul Archambault,
Ph.D (Ret.)

Categories
Letters to the Editor Opinion

Letter to the Editor: Athletic coverage is outstanding

To the Editor:

I hope you are well. On behalf of the coaching staff and student-athletes at Bucknell I would like to express our appreciation for the coverage you provide our athletics teams in the Bucknellian.

I have been fortunate to work at some great universities. At each school the student newspaper would vary how their athletics coverage was handled. I can say without reservation that the quality of reporting, the factual information the editorial efficiency and the program support that The Bucknellian exhibits is outstanding in comparison to other student newspapers.

I guess it goes with all of the other things about this place. People make the place. The young men and women in our athletic programs work so hard to do things the right way. The support of your newspaper and the support of the student population is greatly appreciated by all.

We appreciate what you do and thank you for your effort in maintaining a quality production.

Joe Susan
Head Football Coach

Categories
News

Dean Hopkins to return to French department

By Sara Blair Matthews

Assistant News Editor

Elaine Hopkins has decided to return to the faculty after serving as the University’s Associate Dean for 13 years.

Hopkins will return to the classroom in the fall of 2013 after a year-long sabbatical. Prior to becoming dean, Hopkins worked for 19 years as a professor of French, 14 years as director of the French program, and a term as the coordinator of the Common Learning Agenda.

“After becoming associate dean, I continued to see myself a teacher, even when I am working with students one-on-one in my office. I realized that most of the things I would like to do before I retire involve teaching: call it my Bucknell bucket list,” Hopkins said. “For instance, I would like to teach a Foundation Seminar in a Res College, teach an Integrated Perspectives (IP) course, and be the faculty in residence in the Bucknell en France program again.”

When asked what her favorite experience was while serving as dean, Hopkins said, “My very favorite experience has been mentoring two Posses (so far) from Washington, D.C. I believe deeply in the mission of the Posse Foundation, and I am a devoted cheerleader on campus for the program.”

“Dean Hopkins has been an essential dean by supporting students with any and all issues, and providing leadership to the rest of the campus on how to best integrate the academic side of student life with the personal side of student life. She has been a great champion for more learning support on campus,” said Dean of Arts and Sciences George C. Shields. “She is a great listener, is empathetic, and cares about students on an individual level.”

Shields said the College of Arts and Sciences has changed since Hopkins became dean. Now, many more students come to campus with personal difficulties that need to be navigated between Student Affairs and Academic Affairs.

“[Since I arrived on campus in 1980,] the student body [has become much more diverse] in every way, which is a great improvement both in terms of the exchange of ideas and in providing students the opportunity to broaden their personal horizons and actually get to know people who are different from them,” Hopkins said.

Hopkins plans to create some new courses and increase her familiarity with new technology during her year-long sabbatical.

“Faculty are now using technologies in the classroom that I have not used before. So I intend to read a lot, attend lots of workshops at the Teaching [and] Learning Center and L&IT, and travel to France and Quebec,” Shields said. “It is always hard to fill the shoes of any hardworking dean who has a vast repertoire of historical knowledge about the University and a high skill set. She has set a high standard!”