FEATURES
Spring into New Colors
By: Allison Pascalo
Features Editor
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
There is always a light at the end of the seemingly never ending tunnel that is winter. Fortunately that light is getting bigger and brighter as the cold temperatures begin to dissipate along with the frost and snow on the ground. Not only does this mean readjusting to the warmer temperature, but a drastic change in wardrobe, specifically the colors we wear, will take place.
For many of us, spring means warm, soft, and happy colors; resulting in the absence of heavy, dreary colors more commonly seen in the winter months. No more over-sized sweaters, earthy trench coats, or leather combat boots. We are now looking at floral print skirts, strappy sandals, and denim jackets to keep us girls looking and feeling great.
The most common, generic color seen in spring is yellow, also known as “Buttercup.” It radiates with sunshine and can make any individual sporting the color feel younger and happier.
Spring also allows individuals to look sassy and flirty while wearing “Fiesta”, a shade of red that is neither too dark nor too subtle. “Fiesta” screams being free-spirited and doing what makes you happy while stealing the hearts of all your fans in every room.
“Green flash” brings an element of surprise to the table of fashion. This light, forest-green tone is sure to catch the attention of viewers from all over, simply because of its unique look. “Green flash” does wonders in complimenting olive skin types and individuals housing green eyes.
Winter colors may be darker, but that doesn’t mean the fashion industry can’t make them lighter. “Iced Coffee” is the definition of earthy and stable. This color usually indicates playing it safe, not drawing excessive attention to your appearance. “Iced Coffee” looks great with darker eye and hair colors, but is also the go-to for many others.
A familiar color that tends to resurface at every chance given is known as “Peach Echo.” This particular shade of coral works miracles on any body type. This color can make any individual look tanner while perfecting that girly vibe.
All of the colors listed above really define the season change in the best ways possible. Spring is all about warmth and feeling young while looking beautiful at the same time and colors like these are sure to encompass all of those attributes for any individual.
To see all the colors described visit Pantone's website or click here: http://www.pantone.com/pages/fcr/season=spring&year=2016&pid=11
Kanye West: "The Life of Pablo": Album Review
By: Michael Adzima
Sports Editor
“We don’t want no devils in the house!” proclaims a small child at the beginning of The Life of Pablo, the seventh album by rap superstar Kanye West. That seems to be the perfect open for an album that can be described as Kanye going to church. In an album clouded with controversy, including multiple title changes and track list alterations, West tries to make this a personal exorcism. The album is made out to seem like a beautiful mess, but sometimes the beauty is shrouded by too much mess.
The booming gospel intro track “Ultralight Beam” gets the album off to a smashing start. Kanye himself doesn’t do anything too special with his time on the track but the production and the verse added by Chance the Rapper makes this an outstanding start to the album.
Chance the Rapper is the first of a star studded guest list on TLOP that includes big names like Rihanna, The Weeknd, Ty Dolla $ign, Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, Chris Brown, Kid Cudi and more.
The beautiful open of “Ultralight Beam” is followed by the short series of tracks “Father Stretch My Hands Pt.1” and “Pt. 2.” Theses try to keep up the epic gospel feel set up by the start, but Kanye’s lyrics about falling in love with models ruin the ambiance and make the track fall flat. “Pt. 2” isn’t bad. The verses contributed by Desiigner make it a decent track to bump your head to, but nothing special.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Then the album launches into “Famous.” With a chorus by Rihanna and some classic egocentric Kanye rhymes, this seemed like a return to the old Kanye. It’s a momentous track about a life of fame that would be fitting on an album like My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
The next track, “Feedback,” has a good beat made completely out of altered guitar distortion and Kanye’s freestyle rap on the track isn’t bad, but it’s not great. In the song Kanye sings, “Name one genius that ain’t crazy,” another self absorbed rhyme that fans have become used to hearing from Kanye recently.
The creative freestyle “I Love Kanye” is a good little glimpse into Kanye making fun of himself. “Waves” was supposed to be the title track of the album, and is an attempt at a grand track, but it falls short. Chris Brown’s feature on the chorus could have been done by anybody it feels, and Kanye’s vocals are off key and not memorable. They feel like bars that could have been made by any half decent rapper.
The album then launches into a 3 track series that bring the best Kanye has to offer. “FML” is deeply personal. Hearing Kanye rap about his marriage problems of temper tantrums and infidelity are unlike anything Kanye has done before. The appearance of the Weeknd in the chorus adds to the deep feel of this song. Seeing the emotional side of Kanye in a new context regarding marriage is both a throwback and a start in a new direction.
“FML” leads into “Real Friends,” another deeply personal track with Kanye going aside Ty Dolla $ign. The lyrics give a good look into what Kanye goes through with a tough and busy lifestyle, trying to separate those who really care for him from those who only want a taste of fame. “Wolves” follows that up and finishes up the trilogy of the album’s best tracks. Kanye uses autotune, but in a good way, using it to emphasize his emotions of his shame at the way he’s turned out. His lyrics compare him to Joseph, not Jesus. The “wolves” are those who surround him and try to break him down. Tracks like these are what define TLOP as Kanye’s personal exorcism.
The album feels that it should end with “Wolves,” which would have been for the best. “Silver Surfer Intermission” sounds a bit cliche with the theme of an encouraging phone call from a fellow rapper. “30 Hours” has a good concept and decent lyrics about Kanye struggling with his marriage, but the dragged-on outro makes the song feel dull. The previously released “No More Parties in LA” with Kendrick Lamar was the track that got many people excited for the album. The samples are expertly produced and the beat is good to for head bumping. Kendrick’s verse is excellent and Kanye follows it up with a long, solid verse that sounds like a classic Kanye verse and closes out the song well.
Many fans were surprised when the freestyle “Facts” even made the final cut. This Charlie Heat remix version brings a fresh new beat that makes Kanye’s subpar lyrics sound better and makes a case for the track making the album. Unfortunately, the album closes out with a dud. “Fade” has good samples, but Kanye’s presence is barely felt on the track.
In all, The Life of Pablo is another attempt by Kanye to swing for the fences and he hits a solid triple. Some short tracks that are unmemorable are made up for by longer songs with a classic grandiose Kanye feel. The good thing is this may not be the actual final version of the album. If Kanye cleans up some pieces like he claims he will do, it could take this album to the epic level that Kanye promised it would reach.
Fifth Harmony: "Work from Home": Album Review
By: Jordan Anheuser
Staff Writer
Wedesday, March 2, 2016
The all female band Fifth Harmony became popular after their hit “Worth it” released in 2015. But their latest single “Work from Home” released Feb. 26 2016 is sure to raise the group’s popularity and find its way to the top of the charts once again.
The song shows each of the five women’s talents equally, and is very catchy. It will pump you up on the way to school, a sporting event, and of course, work. Late in the song rap star Ty Dolla $ign (popular from his hit ‘Paranoid’ released 2014) features a fitting verse that gives the song a great balance. ‘Work from Home’ is the perfect mix of pop and hip hop, making it more appealing to a variety of audiences.
Not only is the song becoming very popular on the radio, the group Fifth Harmony is being recognized even more than before. Fifth Harmony is a great role model in the music industry for young women. Each of the five women have their own unique singing voice, body type, and style. No one in the group looks alike. They show that there is no “cookie cutter” image to be a singer, with each girl varying in size and skin color; this inspires various people that they can be successful in big industries regardless of looks.
As the standardized testing season approaches for a number of students, many are probably wondering what to expect for their SAT exam this year. Major changes have been made to the SAT compared to former years. From the scoring system to the actual amount of points it is worth, here are the top five changes that you can expect from the new SAT.
1. Students no longer need to worry about skipping over questions they are unsure about as there is no longer a penalty for a wrong answer. So make sure to fill all of those bubbles in.
2. For those not gifted with the talent of writing, you are in luck because the essay portion just became optional. However many colleges may still look for an essay so don’t skip over it without a little research. Salem junior Julia Wicker said, “It is good they are getting rid of the essay portion because a lot of people do not know how to write a good essay.”
3. No need to pull out that dictionary, because on the new SAT you will not be seeing words that you will almost never use in your life again. They will be using more common language that you will hear throughout college and your career.
4. One of the most helpful changes is that you will now be allowed to use a calculator on all the math sections of the SAT.
5. One of the most detrimental changes might be the change in scoring because the SAT is now only worth 1600 points. With no students behind us to set a precedent for a good score, colleges may ask you to also take the ACT as a supplement. Canton junior Amy Nichols said, “Now that the score is out of 1600 we won’t have to worry as much about trying to score a 2400 which should reduce stress.”
These changes to the SAT should make it a far easier test to comprehend. Better comprehension should allow those taking this test to do a much better job than they would have on the older test. Even though these changes make it seem like juniors are lab rats this year, hopefully it will have positive effects on your scores.
Plymouth junior Navi Warriach said, “I think all of these changes will help improve students’ scores across the board.”
Five Changes to Expect From New SAT
By: Victoria Hall
Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 16, 2016