By: Nicole Vasarevic

26-year-old Swedish singer Tove Nilsson, better known as Tove Lo, has finally released her debut single album on Sept. 30, and has outdone herself. Queen of The Clouds is the ultimate soundtrack to a reckless Saturday night out after a bad breakup with someone who you thought was your one true love.

Tove Lo has had a slow, yet promising rise in the music industry. Besides her popular solo work, some may recognize her from Icona Pop’s hit “I Love It” or the catchy intro to Disclosures “Latch” featuring Sam Smith.  These hits come as no surprise, as Tove Lo was bound for success at a young age. Starting out as a lyricist and writing for artists including Cher, Lo has earned her place in the music industry.

Queen of the Clouds chart-topping single “Habits (Stay High)” is the perfect walkthrough of what the album is about: love, heartbreak, and all the ill-advised ways of dealing with it.  Featuring a music video where Tove Lo is covering hickeys and making out with boys (and girls) in graffiti covered bathrooms, “Habits (Stay High)” channels the reckless energy that makes Lo’s songs so compelling.

Lo’s sweet and girlish voice will catch you off guard with her vulgar and almost self- destructive lyrics, and boy, the girl can belt out those high notes. In “Talking Body” she doesn’t sugar coat it by saying, “if you love me right, we fuck for life.”

It is this kind of energy that makes Tove Lo a shocking breath of fresh air in a time where pop music has been lacking in rawness and edge. By manipulating spacey beats beat that wash over you and possess you to do something reckless, Tove Lo explores the animalistic and archaic emotions that lie deep within us all.

Listening to Queen of The Clouds is a fantastic experience, but it may release your inner ex-boyfriend-calling, pool-hopping self. So be warned.

The Ship - 4 out of 5

Order: The Hawaiian ($15.00)

A year after the release of her EP Sail Out and a series of successful features and guest appearances, Jhené Aiko is back to woo us with her sweet voice on her first full studio album Souled Out. While the album suffers from some of the bumps and bruises of her past works, the singer proves that her formula of calming melodies and breezy production still leaves the listener satisfied.

For those unfamiliar, Aiko has had a strong year musically, and it shows. She demonstrated how valuable she can be on other artists’ songs, working with Drake, Kendrick Lamar and Childish Gambino, while proving her ability to stand on her own with songs like “The Worst”. In that time it seems she gained the confidence needed to “sail out” towards an album that relies less on the talents of featured artists, and more on her own abilities.

The result is certainly mixed. On one hand, Aiko’s greatest strength is her voice, or more specifically, using her smooth voice to her advantage in terms of production. While she may not boast the range of Adele or Beyoncé, Aiko possesses an effortless breezy tone that sets her apart from the crowd of other RnB female vocalists. As such, Aiko makes sure to include tracks that pair well with her sound; ethereal and synths, clean guitars, and reverb heavy drums all play a part in constructing Souled Out’s aquatic sound.

Unfortunately, these qualities can also have the unfortunate drawback of simply boring the listener. When Aiko fails to mix up the rhythms in her melodies, the songs tend to blend together, leaving little impression to those tuning in. Many tracks across the album simply sound too similar to each other, leaving an album filled with a bit too much filler. For those who weren’t a fan of her past work - whether it’s her solo tracks or features - it is likely you will find the same flaws in Souled Out.

Still, when Aiko succeeds it’s hard to ignore. Songs like “W.A.Y.S” showcase Aiko at her strongest. Pulling the listener up and down, “W.A.Y.S” is a prime example of her ability to convey raw emotion almost effortlessly, and is easily the best track on the album. This emotion only becomes stronger thanks to the high quality production of veterans Thundercat and Clams Casino. “W.A.Y.S”, an abbreviation for “why aren’t you smiling” a kind of catch phrase of her late brother, deals with loss and the chaotic nature of life without holding back. Because of this, it is easy to get wrapped up in the emotional whirlwind that Souled Out offers. This same energy exists in “Eternal Sunshine” and “Promises” leaving the second half of the album the highlight of the project.

In the end, Souled Out isn’t perfect. The songs at times blend together, lacking distinction, but Aiko’s ability to translate her emotions so effectively into her music makes it worth the price of admission.

By: Sarah O'Connor

I’m the type of reader who gets sucked in by what is popular. Perhaps that makes me simple-minded, but that’s the reader I am. I don’t care if a book has gotten rave reviews or been widely reviled, I have to read it and make my own decision on it.

It did take me a while to pick up Gone Girl, though. The book was published and became popular in 2012, which was when I was starting university, so that’s where I’ll lay the blame for my late reading of the novel. It wasn’t actually until the first trailer for the film adaption came out in April 2014 that I became reacquainted with Gone Girl.

After being put on a mile-long waiting list for the book — every sane person wants to read the book before the movie — I finally got it before school started.

It sounds like a typical modern mystery: a husband comes home from work to find his house in disarray and his beautiful wife missing. The man’s hometown starts a search party for his wife, but when the husband starts acting suspicious, the town and readers begin asking if he is really as nice as he seems.

I’m a fan of mystery novels, so the clichéd description had me sighing and wondering if I was reading another dull, predictable book. But Gone Girl surprised me. Not only that, it chilled me.

The book is told in a he-said she-said kind of way; the chapters alternate between Nick, the worried husband who just wants to find his wife, and diary entries from his wife Amy, which reveal dark points in her five-year marriage that make her husband look much more suspicious than he appears.

Both Nick and Amy become unreliable narrators as the readers are exposed to two different accounts of events and people.

The mystery ends in a way that I can only say is unconventional for a novel of its genre, but it worked for me. Reviews are evenly split on Goodreads between those who enjoyed the ending and those who hated it. While I liked it, I definitely understand the hate for it. Debate has heated up once again as it has come to light that the author has rewritten the ending for the movie.

So what does this mean for the novel, for the readers, and for the story as a whole? I can’t say, but I know my mind is swimming with possibilities.

Gone Girl is a psychological roller coaster with so many twists and turns you’ll get whiplash. What begins as a predictable small-town mystery involving a young married couple becomes a dark, tangled web of deceit and second-guessing. You can take in in theatres starting Oct. 3.

By: Adrian Valentine

One thing can be said for certain, Lights sings her heart out on her latest full-length release. Little Machines is typical of her style in that she relies on synthetic beats and techno sounds to create a moderately upbeat album that echoes a lot of familiar pop. The Torontonian songstress has stopped trying to be different and has instead adopted an amalgamation of popular electronic pop.

The first song on the album, “Portal,” introduces a new element to Lights with a very soft, steady lyrical rhythm over a synthetic drone. “Portal” comes in contrast to the beat-driven lyrics of the rest the album, as in “Up We Go” and “Running with the Boys,” both of which flaunt a happy harmony that provokes you to dance instead of think. But following those two tracks, the album drops in tempo and ends with a solemn electronic acoustic piece.

The album does provide an enjoyable background listen for study, and I can even see “Up We Go” playing in clubs over a remix sometime soon. It would also make for a great road trip soundtrack if you're feeling a bit more introspective, with songs like “From All Sides,” “Don’t Go Home Without Me” and “The Same Sea” bringing the melody back down.

Lights appeals to the public by relying on musical norms and not trying to break the mold very much. She leans on techno-beats and uses her powerful voice and lyrics to save the instrumentals, which, on their own, are kind of boring.

Little Machines is an apt listen for anyone looking to chill out with the upbeat songs not present enough to give the album a dance vibe. It’s a well-put together album but it won’t leave you in awe.

Morning Kit provides an easy-to-use app that aggregates important information to expedite your mornings. It provides an alarm, the current weather, a world clock, exchange rates and a variety of other options for people to check first thing in the morning in one convenient app.

It is rather effective in achieving its goal as it is easy to use right after downloading, and it is flexible to accommodate customization. The minimalist layout is easy on the eyes and incredibly informative. On top of that, there is minimal delay in accessing additional detail. After setting it up to your liking, the only actual time investment is for further changes or to use of its calendar. Each of its features is comparable in quality to its equivalent on an Apple or Android device, so using this app allows you to aggregate individual apps without losing functionality. This app is all about accessibility.

But Morning Kit does have its limitations. The default layout consists of a four-square board in which to place each section. If you require more, the paid version offers six squares. Some sections like quotes are not customizable except for the language. Furthermore, text often cuts off mid-word making each quote an incredibly awkward read. You can only set a maximum of three alarm slots unless you pay for more. No preview of the alarm volume means that you have to simply guess the level suitable for you, and there is also no vibrate option to the alarm system. If you're a stickler about your alarms, use something else to help you wake up.

All in all, it is a good app if you're willing to trade detail for convenience, which you probably are in the groggy seconds following a rude awakening. Morning Kit is easy to set up, easy to use, and it cuts down on the amount of time you spend in the morning idly browsing your phone for daily information like weather and news. Again, if you're looking for detail or nuance, relying on a bevy of apps is likely the better option. If convenience is what you crave, Morning Kit is highly recommended, especially for the average university student who is looking to maximize the precious seconds between waking up and scrambling to campus.

Looking back to older albums, it seems the most memorable aspects of Interpol tracks were the changes in energy and pace. Each song was careful and deliberate in the cumulative buildup, and the climax of individual songs and each album as a whole was strategic. The bass and treble are meticulously crafted to interact and play with one another under vague lyrics about love in deceptively simple layering that leaves interpretation up to the listener.

These familiar themes also exist to some degree on El Pintor. It's more reminiscent of Interpol's hit album Turn On The Bright Lights than the generally disliked Interpol. After a basic start in “All the Rage Back Home”, it becomes apparent that this song merely eases you into the track list, rather than setting the tone for the entire album. The more segmented and clearly defined instrumentals and transitions of this introduction song give way to constantly changing and developing pieces that shift between establishing a familiar presence and expanding new sounds. The memorable opening riffs of “My Desire” change into mere texture by the climax to provide a great listen. This feels like the true beginning to the album. “All the Rage Back Home”, also the opening single to the album, is like the practice and tune-up before the big performance.

Each song then progresses in a similar fashion. A simple riff leads into the full band, which then introduces more and more until the inevitable climax and fall. While this is simple and may seem repetitive throughout El Pintor, Interpol deserves praise not for surprising the listener or providing a large amount of variation in their tracks, but in refining their tried and true nuances.

Because of this familiarity, it is difficult to describe the differences from song to song. The only real variations are what they choose to bring to the forefront, and the listener's own personal enjoyment of the main hook or intensity. The established bass line giving way to the long vocal strands, repetitive guitar, and wildly varied percussion pace changes of “Anywhere” might be more appealing compared to the more laid-back, somber, and consistent “My Blue Supreme”. This similar structure, however, means that there is very little possibility that personal opinion of the album will actually change by listening to more of it.

All in all, listeners should not expect to be completely blown away by the album or for it to like Interpol if they disliked them before. For those that already enjoyed the band, this is a good addition to their discography and worthy of a listen.

There are few things more satisfying than an ice cold glass of beer after a long day of work. Beer drinkers can range from those who like a casual glass of beer to commence the weekend to beer aficionados who can name the type of beer from a single sip. No matter what side of the spectrum you land on, all journeys towards loving beer start with a single sip. The Because Beer festival that is coming to Hamilton’s Pier 4 Park on Friday, July 11 and Saturday, 12 aims to provide a means for people to discover some of the good craft beer from over twenty-five breweries that Ontario has to offer.

Because of the volume of beer that will be available at the festival, I sampled a few beers from some of the breweries that will be in attendance in hopes of providing you with a cheat sheet of what I thought were the best beers from each of the breweries sampled.

                           

Collective Arts Brewing

Best beer: Rhyme & Reason : 4.75/5

Collective Arts Brewing merges art with beer as each label uses art from local artists. Each bottle is uniquely designed and artists are able to submit their work to the brewery in hopes that it will end up in a beautiful six pack. The fusion of art and beer gives this beer the advantage but does not overshadow the crisp flavour of the beer. Rhyme and Reason is full of hops and has a citrus and pine flavour to it and is on the lighter side. The aftertaste is complimentary and not overwhelming, making this beer the perfect evening beer.

                           

Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company

Best beer: Lug Tread Lagered Ale : 3/5

Beau’s bottles are slightly smaller than a two-six, coming in at 600ml and have very attractive labels. I was very close to picking The Tom Green Beer simple for the fact that it exists, but one sip of the Lug Tread had me convinced instantly. Lug Tread is flavourful, crisp, and medium bodied, starting with a sweet taste and ending with a pleasantly bitter aftertaste. This beer reminds me of summer, but overall, it’s lacking that bit of specialty that would bring it to the top of micro-brews in the province.

                           

Great Lakes Brewery

Best beer: Thrust! An IPA : 4/5

With an attractive label that features a rocket ship, Thrust! An IPA quickly caught my attention. Often times the packaging doesn’t live up to the content but unlike that guy from the bar, Thrust! An IPA was as smooth as it was attractive. The India Pale Ale is honey-like in colour with a citrus flavour that compliments the slight grapefruit bitterness to it. Filled with citrus hops, but not in a way that’s overwhelming.

                           

Amsterdam Brewery 

Best beer: Amsterdam Natural Blonde Lager : 4.5/5

This common beer is often in local watering holes, but is still one of my favourites. It is crisp, and unique in flavour. This beer is great for all-year drinking but especially lovely in the summer. Amsterdam Blonde is pleasantly fragrant and has a light fruit flavour. This beer is simple yet satisfying and keeps me coming back for more.

                           

Wellington Brewery 

Best beer: Special Pale Ale : 2.5/5

At first sip, the beer tasted like nothing special but overall drinkable. The more I drank, the more bored I got. The amount of hops make the Special Pale Ale overwhelming and not in the good way. It tastes of malt caramel and is slightly creamy, which sounds like it would make a fantastic beer, however, Wellington’s Special Pale Ale left something to be desired. I would drink this beer if looking for something outside of PBR or Bud Light but for anyone who likes smooth, crisp, beer, this wouldn’t be my first, or even fourth choice. I didn’t even finish it, which says a lot.

                           

Grand River Brewing 

Best beer: Curmudgeon IPA : 3/5

This copper coloured beer is flavourful, however, it’s maltiness is a little too much for me. There is a bitter aftertaste that I can see as being pleasant, but is just slightly overwhelming for me. The slight caramel taste and hint of fruit flavours are redeeming factors and kept me sipping for longer than I thought I would. Overall, I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to buy this, but I can see the appeal.

                           

Double Trouble Brewing Co.

Best beer: Prison Break Breakout Pilsner : 3/5

Double Trouble Brewing Co. has cleverly titled beer including, Hops and Robbers and Fire in the Rye but the standout beer for me was the Prison Break Breakout Pilsner. The blue can had entertaining illustrations and the deep but subtle hops give the dark gold beer extra body. Unfortunately, the illustrations on the can is the best part of the beer as it is quite filling making the last half of the beer hard to drink.

                           

I suggest you make your way down to Pier 4 Park on July 11 to make your own conclusions about the best craft beers. For those who are new to the sport of beer drinking, there will also be informative sessions including how to master a perfect pour, how to pair food and beer, and how to tell good beer from bad beer. Additionally, music and food are the perfect compliments to a weekend of great beer, so there will be musical entertainment and over ten Hamilton food trucks at the festival. Entry to the Because Beer festival is forty dollars for the entire weekend or twenty-five dollars per day, which includes a tasting mug and four craft beer samples for one day or ten craft beer samples for the weekend. Drinking beer is an art form, one that I will hope to perfect during Because Beer.

Makthaverskan are a punk band hailing from Gothenburg, Sweden. The quintet is composed of Maja Milner, Irma Krook, Andreas Wettmark, Hugo Randulv, and Gustav Andersson.

Originally formed in 2009 to combat the daintily cute direction that artists like Lykke Li, Robyn, and Peter Bjorn & John were taking the Swedish music scene, Makthaverskan have impressed critics with two full-length LP’s that carry on the legacy of their heroes and now defunct Broder Daniel.

It is their latest effort II that first caught my attention. Released in March of last year, I only caught wind of II when Pitchfork’s Ian Cohen reviewed it this May. I forgot all about the album after downloading it until I saw Kip Berman, lead singer of The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, proudly flaunting his copy on Instagram.

The co-sign from a member of one of my favourite bands was all I needed to dive headfirst into the absolute bliss that is Makthaverskan’s sophomore effort.

Opening song ‘Antabus’ sets the bar for the rest of the record high. The track is named after a drug given to alcoholics to discourage them from relapsing through the threat of painful symptoms. The anxious peal of the the violent guitars and drowned out drums competing to be heard, along with Milner’s confession —“I am walking in my room, trying to find out what to do, but I just can’t find a way” — leads us to believe that Milner too is suffering another kind of relapse, heartbreak. Considering her helplessness at the hands of her volatile emotions, Milner’s emphatic refrain of “Fuck you!” becomes all the more liberating.

If you were relishing a moment’s reprieve for your racing heart, album standout and personal favourite ‘Asleep’ will sorely disappoint you. Milner’s lyrics seem to have come from a place of crushing dismay we all know, the abyss of unrequited love. The Swedish lead singer’s grasp on English may seem paltry to some, but her limited vocabulary affords her writing a beautiful sense of brevity here. Milner opts to soften her powerful voice in the buildup as she mournfully reflects that “you’re asleep, you’re dreaming of someone and it’s not me” which makes the ensuing belting of the chorus all the more piercing. The repetition of “it’s not me you’re dreaming of” may at first seem depressing, but the acknowledgement breeds a pervading feeling of catharsis which is propelled skyward by the ever-buoyant jangly guitars.

‘Asleep’ is fun to belt out on angst-ridden occasions. In my experience, this came as I ran home from a bar in which I had asked for the pretty bartender’s number after Croatia’s 4-0 drubbing of Cameroon and several pitchers of beer had lent me confidence I normally only found through listening to rap music.

The rest of II is a rollercoaster ride for your emotions well worth the price of admission.

TwelveEighty: 4.5/5 

For the record, we did not give TwelveEighty the best review because it is also operated by the MSU. To be completely honest, we unanimously agree that most of the food served there is pretty shitty (especially the shawarma, don’t ever order the shawarma). But somehow, beneath all that pseudo ethnic food and genetically modified chicken, they produce a stellar poutine that doesn’t even use cheese curds! I don’t know how they do it.

 

The Phoenix: 3.5/5

Their recent change to less burnt potatoes really made a difference, and their poutine is exceptionally better than it was last year. Their pulled pork poutine still resembles excrements, but their gravy is bountiful and tasty.

 

La Piazza: 3/5

A reasonable option for meal card users, but take note: for some weird reason their cheese curds never melt…

 

Basilique: 3.5/5

Overall, not a bad choice. Not really what you would expect to order when walking into a Mediterranean restaurant, but their fries are fresh, their gravy homemade, and their portions generous.

 

Snooty Fox 4/5

Really generous with the curd and the gravy, this poutine hosts a nice balance of the dish’s three main elements. It is also HUGE (both a good and bad thing).

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West End 3/5

Sort of soggy, but mostly because they’re kind of slow with moving food from the kitchen to the table. A little skimpy with the curd, but definitely not a bad order.

 

Emerson Pub 2/5 

Emerson Pub needs to follow in the footsteps of The Phoenix and ditch the weirdly burnt, day-old fry style they’ve got going on. Grimy fries is not helping to improve your cold and damp atmosphere.

 

Wimpy’s 3/5

Their dish is lacking in the gravy department, but their thick cut fries are still super filling. They also deliver in the wee hours of the morn’, so bonus points for that. Just remember, they only take cash.

 

Charred 3/5 

Adding a hint of unique flavor, Charred serves their poutine with a douse of piri piri sauce. Not recommended for those who favour a more classic version of the pub fare, but definitely something unique to try.

 

The West Town 3.5/5

A really well-sized portion, West Town’s poutine is served with near wedge-like fries and a hearty dose of gravy and curd. An all-around favoruite.

 

Smoke’s 2.5/5

You have to be drunkenly stumbling through Hess to crave this poutine, especially seeing as their gravy is super salty and overloaded with peppercorns. Not everyone likes peppercorns, Smokes, make those a separate topping.