Arts

Columns

K-Weekly: Twice's 'Alcohol-Free' will leave you drunk in love

By Odessa Gaines | November 8

The world of K-pop, like most other fields of music, art and life, is unfortunately dominated by male groups and artists, but the women of K-pop never fail to remind us that they earned their right to be there just as much as anyone else. They have been turning out bops since the beginning of K-pop, and every year gives us something new to jam out to. One of the biggest and most well-known groups is Twice. 

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Podcast

'Only Murders in the Building' provides simple, mind-numbing respite

By Henry Chandonnet | November 5

True crime has become a cultural phenomenon, whether it be the smash successes of podcasts like “Crime Junkie” (2017–) or “My Favorite Murder” (2016–), or even the rising view-counts on YouTube crime series such as “Buzzfeed: Unsolved”(2016–). “Only Murders in the Building” (2021–) attempts to comment on this rising cultural sentiment, using comedy to portray the solving of a true crime mystery itself. Using standard sitcom tropes and often-overplayed generational humor, the show in no way reinvents the wheel. Still, it takes a lot of energy to critique the quaint dad-humor of the series. Rather, it’s much easier to sit back, get wrapped up in the mystery, and allow the world to pass you by. 

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Arts

Louis Vuitton catwalk-crashing instigates change

By Alice Belaya | November 5

An uninvited guest graced the Paris Fashion Week Louis Vuitton Show alongside the runway models on Oct. 5. Clad with a banner reading “Overconsumption = Extinction,” climate activist Marie Cohuet, 26, set the issue of the fashion industry's directly contributing to the contemporary climate crisis — quite literally — under the spotlight. The choice to target this label in particular can be explained by the affiliation with its parent organization, LVMH, the world’s largest luxury goods conglomerate. The corporation controls brands such as Celine, Fendi and Tiffany & Co., making its influence within the fashion section virtually incomparable. On her Twitter page, Cohuet described LVMH’s authority in the manufacturing of global fashion trends, and she indicted the corporation for perpetuating an inter-class "désir de surconsommer," or “desire to overconsume.”

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Arts

Weekender: The revival of city pop: The soundtrack of 80s Japan

By Siavash Raissi | November 4

On Nov. 27, 2020, popular YouTuber David Dobrik showed off his newly purchased flamethrower in a TikTok that has since gained over 14.9 million views. While the ensuing chaos is entertaining nonetheless, viewers may also recognize a familiar track in the background. This song is no other than “Mayonaka no Door / Stay With Me” (1979) by Miki Matsubara. Matsubara’s hit has since gained traction as part of a larger trend involving people of Japanese descent filming their parents’ reaction to hearing the song. As a result of its internet fame, catchy vocals and unique international origins, the pop tune, despite having been released over 30 years ago, took the No. 1 spot on Spotify’s global viral chart last December.

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Columns

Dreaming of Sandman: Lucifer quits Hell

By Sadie Leite | November 4

Neil Gaiman’s gates of Hell are disturbingly grey against a blood-red sky. They're among the first of many striking images in the fourth volume of “The Sandman” series, “The Sandman: Season of Mists” (1990–91).The comic book medium is effective because stories are told with words and images, and both the writing and art throughout the series are excellent. But in "Season of Mists" in particular, there is much art that stands out. 

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Music

'Blue Banisters' explores the cinematic world of Lana Del Rey

By Jack Clohisy | November 3

Less than a year after the release of "Chemtrails Over The Country Club" (2021), Lana Del Rey returns with her eighth studio album, "Blue Banisters" (2021). Just two years ago, Del Rey released her widely-acclaimed "Norman Fucking Rockwell!" (2019), and now, Del Rey shows she still has much to offer.

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Arts

The rise of fashion resale

By RaiAnn Bu | November 3

2015 marked the founding of StockX andStadium Goods, as well as the rise of other luxury resale networks such as Vestiaire Collective and TheRealReal. These websites have made inaccessible luxury items into more everyday products by selling used items at more affordable prices. In the past decade, luxury resale has risen to a rate where established stores, such as Yoox Net-a-Porter and even Urban Outfitters, have extended into the resale of everything from vintage goods to recent on-the-market items, in addition to their regular stock.

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Arts

'Impeachment: American Crime Story' offers a compelling rehash of Monica Lewinsky's story

By Alexis Enderle | November 2

I didn’t know much about the circumstances surrounding Bill Clinton’s impeachment when my classmates snickered at the name “Monica Lewinsky.” In 1998, she was only 25 years old when her affair with Bill Clinton led to his impeachment. Twenty-three years later,she’s a producer on the newest installment of FX’s anthology series “American Crime Story” (2016–).

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Columns

On Demand: Walking and talking and 'The West Wing'

By Raga Chilakamarri | November 2

Although I work at the Career Center, the best job fair I’ve ever attended is 20 years’ worth of television watching. “Grey’s Anatomy” (2005–) briefly made me reevaluate my lifelong rejection of my mother’s lifelong dream that I become a doctor. Rory Gilmore coerced me — as did probably every other liberal arts girl near a tree — into romanticizing journalism. And, lowkey, “Psych” (2006–14) genuinely made me question if my own self-supposed clairvoyance was enough to support a psychic detective business. While the American political drama “The West Wing” (1999–2006) did have me pondering the life of a speechwriter, the most important takeaway I discovered is that working in the White House is primarily about walking fast and talking faster.

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Music

The debacle over country music: What makes country 'country'?

By Jack Clohisy | November 1

After securing the Grammy Award for Best Country Album and the coveted Album of the Year, Kacey Musgraves' "Golden Hour" (2018) was a major success for the genre. Incorporating alternative sounds and pushing the boundaries of what it means to be a country artist, Musgraves became an innovator. However, Musgraves' follow-up project "Star-Crossed" (2021)won't have that same opportunity. Revealed this past month, "Star-Crossed" won't be considered for Best Country Album at the upcoming 64th Grammy Awards. While "Golden Hour" took an alternative approach to country music, "Star-Crossed" incorporated elements of pop. Why is it that Musgraves, who labels "Star-Crossed" as a country album, is being left out of the genre she calls home?

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Columns

K-Weekly: I 'Don’t Recall' why Kard isn’t in your playlist

By Odessa Gaines | November 1

When most people hear the word “K-pop,” they think of pop music but in Korean and with more dancing. For the general public, K-pop music has one distinct sound and is one genre on its own. However, this isn't exactly right. K-pop is a generalization for what is considered ‘Idol Music’ in South Korea, but K-pop artists take influence from genres beyond pop. One of the best examples of a K-pop group who brings in non-pop sounds is Kard.

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Theater

Weekender: Student-written musical 'Almanac' to be produced by theater department

By Megan Szostak | October 28

Content warning: This article mentions police violence.

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Arts

Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell use comic books to continue John Lewis’ fight

By Carl Svahn | October 28

Martin Luther King Jr. was a comic book editor. Way back in 1957, Dr. King helped Alfred Hassler and Benton Resnik create a 16-page comic titled "Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story" (1957). This small, independent comic was hugely influential in the Civil Rights Movement, even reaching eventual Congressman and civil rights legend John Lewis. As the decades moved on and the fight for equality continued, Lewislooked for a way to preserve the inspirational feeling he got from those 16 pages for future generations. Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell, who both spoke at the Boston Book Festival this year, helped the late congressman make that dream a reality with the graphic novels "March" (2013–16): Books 1–3 and "Run": Book 1, which were written in the very medium that inspired him. 

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Columns

Dreaming of Sandman: Dream tells the truth

By Sadie Leite | October 28

The definition of truth, true and truths is a tricky thing.

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Arts

'Dune' is a beautiful sci-fi overture

By Drew Weisberg | October 27

Cliche as it may sound, Denis Villeneuve’s new adaptation of Frank Herbert’s foundational 1965 sci-fi novel, “Dune” (2021) feels as though it shouldn’t exist, much less serve as the overture to an epic that seems poised to be the next “Lord of The Rings.”

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Television

'The French Dispatch' creates another Wes Anderson utopia

By Catherine Cahn | October 27

Wes Anderson’s films are rarely about the story itself — they’re about how the story can be used as a vessel into the vibrant, fantastical world he creates around it. "The French Dispatch" (2021), Anderson’s latest release, embodies his usual film techniques to the fullest.

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Arts

Lucy Dacus shares reflective 'Home Video' at the House of Blues

By Yas Salon | October 27

“Say cheese! I think nobody blinked,” Lucy Dacus remarked as she squeezed the shutter of her camera, pointing at the hundreds of fans packed into the House of Blues Boston.

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Arts

'Scenes from a Marriage' intellectually challenges relationship ideals

By Henry Chandonnet | October 25

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for "Scenes from a Marriage" (1973) and "Scenes from a Marriage" (2021).

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Columns

​​K-Weekly: Take a scroll through Instagram with Dean

By Odessa Gaines | October 25

Content warning: This article mentions depression and difficulties with mental health.

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Arts

Short story 'Dumba Chora' brings Boston readers together

By Sadie Leite | October 15

The short story “Dumba Chora”(2021) by author Chandreyee Lahiri was chosen by the Boston Book Festival as the 2021 One City One Story Project.

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