REVIEWS

Reviews
P age 6
A pril 30, 2010
Happy Birthday’s freshman album a Lightning strikes again with Mastisyahu’s new album
must for punk and indie rock fans alike By Azure Pope-McGraw
He starts off the album with the Light” but even most of the slow
By Spencer Kaye
I recently started going father
and farther out of my way to find
new music to enjoy. Recently I
found a small album on a back
shelf called Happy Birthday, a
self-titled album under the label
Sub Pop Records.
Before I even popped it in
to my CD drive I attempted to
learn a little about the band, but
nothing came up. It was almost
impossible to find this band on
Google or any similar search
engine. Confused but still interested, I slid the CD in to my
computer, soon the familiar hum
started and I donned my giant
headphones.
The album roared to life with
the song “Girls FM” a repetitive
punk-rock tune that seemed familiar in its style and a little generic but I pressed on anyway.
As the album progresses it
seems to become more and complex, weaving in and out of punk
rock clichés like “2 Shy,” “Zits”,
and “Cracked” sounding like
less angry versions of songs by
artists like The Germs.
The album seems to have a
softer feel though on tracks like
“Fun” and “Maxine The Teenage Eskimo.” The album trades
in its trademark high distortion
and noise-rock for softer electric
guitar and more easy going vocals that sound more along the
lines of surf-rock artists a la The
Trashmen and the Beach Boys.
All in all the must listens include “Girls FM,” “I Want To
Stay (I Run Away),” and “Fun.”
Most likely this band won’t even
make a tiny blip on the radar of
the Billboard Top 40, but they
will most certainly catch on if
they keep coming out with albums such as this.
They are now poised for an
amazing sophomore effort (I
hope). To think, they only started playing together in 2008 and
their first album hit the shelves
with a major record label in 2010.
Who knows what’s next for this
clearly talented band from Brattleboro, Vermont. Most likely it
will be another spot on effort.
Hope Out Loud Writing Project
According to statistics, as many as 10% of all people identify
as gay and up to 1% of the population is transgender. There
are more than 1,200 students at ARHS, and only a handful of
“out” LGBT students. Despite the supposedly open environment
at ARHS, many of our students’ voices are not being heard. The
Gay Straight Alliance is working to change that. The Hope Out
Loud project will allow students to anonymously submit their
stories about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues;
they will eventually be displayed in a public forum. If you are
closeted or “out, if you have a gay friend or relative, or if you
have seen discrimination in our halls, *you* have a story to tell.
Submit your stories to [email protected]
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i
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Dr. Lee Kane
Member: Mass. Chiropractic Society • American Chiropractic Association
  
228 Triangle Street • Amherst
www.AmherstFamilyChiro.com
549-1500
Most insurance accepted.
Matisyahu, an orthodox Jewish
musician, has hit the jack pot with
his third studio album Light. This
unusual style of music, combines
reggae, rock, beat boxing and
rap and creates something that
is genuinely interesting to just
listen to. His lyrics are often
tales of religion or freedom. For
example the song “One Day” is
about a world with no violence
or conflict. With Lyrics such as
“I’ve been praying for, for the
people to say that we don’t want
to fight no more. They’ll be no
more wars and our children will
play” inspire peace in listeners.
song “Smash Lies” which hits
you with a banjo-like opening
and a heavy bass. He quickly
makes it clear however, that this
isn’t your average pop song, by
declaring “Dream awake, make
no mistake. Strive to be alive
most everyday. You can listen
stereo or monotone, mega phone,
mellow drone DJ with delay.”
It’s apparent that he isn’t a fan of
music that is all beat and nothing
else.
Light continues on along in
this style. Most of the songs here
are upbeat, danceable songs such
as “Motivate” or “Darkness into
songs don’t disappoint. Whether
it’s a mix of slow singing and
fast paced-rapping like “We
Will Walk” or the slow acoustic
melody of “I Will Be Light”,
you never find yourself wanting
to press skip until the very end.
This is where it hits a down point.
“Silence,” “Temple,” and “7
Beggars” are all let downs. All
three are slow melodies that are
just don’t seem to work. Overall
Matisyahu’s third album is a great
one with these minor exceptions.
Light definitely offers “Some
piece of mind from the daily
grind.”