“Heavy Lifter” is the third LP from Austin-based indie rock/folk duo Hovvdy. The style of the band tends to delve rather comfortably into the more chill side of indie rock or folk, or  “slow-core.” While their music may not be traditionally slow-core in the vein of the original slow-core artists, Hovvdy tends to play lo-fi rock, often without percussion, and the music tends to sound rather melancholic. On “Heavy Lifter,” the duo is producing music pretty well within that description. 

Given their output up until this point, the biggest danger for the group has been letting the lo-fi calm of the music drift past the serene or resigned into the more unexciting range, but on “Heavy Lifter” there is cause for praise with several tracks hitting a nice mark and there being a relative cohesion to the project.

The first song, “1999,” is one of the touchstone tracks of the album, functioning as a kind of thesis statement for the album. It is subdued and catchy, and later songs can be seen as reflecting back to this one in ways of atmosphere and lyrics. 

With lyrics like, “cause it’s a small town / and we’ll go for a drive / prom queen 1999 / curtains swing on either side / small town and we’re going around,” the track is capsule-like in lyrical content. 

The handling of memory is done pretty successfully in this song, as there aren’t any moments of intense nostalgia or melodrama. Hovvdy commonly has a characteristic slacker sound which, when it works, can make the lyrics welcoming and soft. 

The third song, “So Brite” is another convincing track, with some of the strongest instrumentation on the album. This song is one of those on the album with percussion, and the drums keep a lulling, steady pace throughout the song. The song seems to do a really good job of capturing a lazy, dragging feel and the production gives the drums as well as the piano a cloudy quality, almost sounding dampened or water-logged. 

One of the most emotional tracks on the album is “feel tall” which comes just before the halfway mark of the album. The instrumentation includes an acoustic guitar strumming at an unvarying pace, as well as a ringing sound of which the instrument source is hard to identify. Like other sound tropes on the album, this ringing noise has an airy quality that seems to hover and permeate the song and the environment in which the album is being listened to. Beyond the plodding or listless instrumentation, the lyrics of the song pack the final punch, so to speak, of giving the song considerable emotional gravity, for instance in the first verse and chorus: “trying all the time / code for everything / i gotta get what i need / slip sliding to the front / fall down a lot / any little thing you want / any little thing at all / wanna make you feel tall.”

Other highlights include the songs “Tools,” “Watergun” and “Keep it Up.” While some tracks on the album are less interesting, at several points, the album has something to offer. It seems like Hovvdy is still working out some kinks, but I think there is reason to believe they are on the way to good things. 

On Friday, Oct. 4, the University of Maine’s Emera Astronomy Center hosted Spooky Space, a presentation connecting staples of Halloween with their counterparts in outer space. An award for Best Rainy Day Playground from Downeast Magazine is displayed in the atrium of the astronomy center, which is really fitting for the atmosphere of the center and its accompanying M.F. Jordan Planetarium; entering into the center, one is quickly able to forget about the outside world while paying full attention to the stars. 

Spooky Space is a program that is set to run every Friday of October and is described by the following: “Would you like to meet the spectacular stars of Halloween? Monsters, zombies, and ghosts — and their far more terrible counterparts in space? Oh yes, space has its monsters: Black holes, zombie stars, and spectacular ghostly nebulae!  Explore these ‘spooky’ wonders of the night sky here at the planetarium.” 

What makes this show even more engaging is the IMAX-style domed theater screen the program is displayed on. The entertainment and visuals of space and Halloween haunts take up your entire field of vision and flights through space begin to take on an enchanting and captivating quality as you grip your seat thinking that the theater itself is moving. 

The program seemed more geared toward children, with goofy ghouls and dancing werewolves, but there is no reason Spooky Space couldn’t be fun for everyone. The images of distant stars, black holes and majestic, dreamy gas clouds were quite dazzling on the large screen and anyone can enjoy that.

The show also featured Shawn Laatsch, the director of the Emera Astronomy Center, providing lessons and facts about various astronomical features and pointing out some constellations that can be seen in the night sky of Maine at this time of year. Laatsch’s presentation was both insightful and entertaining and was really a highlight of the evening’s presentation. 

In the flurry of school work and regular work, it is an unfortunate fact that students might miss out on some lesser-known events and happenings around campus. The Emera Astronomy Center is well worth checking out for inexpensive and fascinating fun. In addition to the weekly installments of Spooky Space, other events to look forward to include the “Science Lecture Series” with Dr. Scott Randall titled “Black Holes, Exploding Stars, and Clusters of Galaxies: 20 Years of NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory” on Thursday, Oct. 10 and the program “Einstein’s Gravity Playlist” next month.

4 out of 5 stars

“The Souvenir” is a 2019 drama/romance film from director Joanna Hogg that depicts a girl attempting to become a filmmaker while also falling in love with a problematic drug-addicted but charming and attractive man set in 1980s England. The film stars Honor Swinton Byrne as main character Julie and Tom Burke as Anthony, the man she falls in love with. Tilda Swinton also appears as Julie’s mother Rosalind. The movie is a quiet, tender and at times wrenching portrayal of Julie’s attempts to navigate the changing world of one’s 20s that is no less chaotic given her career ambitions and difficult relationships. On several fronts, the movie succeeds; from the deliberate pace of the cinematography to the compelling work of Swinton Byrne and company, it is a strong drama that delivers plenty of despairing punches.

A staple of “The Souvenir” is its unhurried camera work, with cameras often being set up a distance away from the characters and remaining unmoved during the dialogue. Different scenes bring the viewer closer or further from the action. During parties with friends in Julie’s apartment, camera shots bounce around people sitting together hovering below eyeline. But then during scenes that occur during the daytime, like Julie meeting Anthony for lunch, the camera stays in one position without cutting, which works quite well in building a fragile tightness as the actors continue their lines 30 to 40 seconds into a shot.

Given Julie’s enrollment in art school, there is a certain art-school vibe to the movie, aided by the experimental camera work, lighting, and character development. The movie visually looks as if it was shot with an older film camera, with most shots looking grainy or hazy, with the style compounding with extended shots of city lights at night, which turn to amorphous clouds of brightness. For many of the scenes, the actors are mostly quiet, looking at things outside or working. Much of the story and character development is told through their moments of reservation. What is important in the movie specifically is Julie’s responses to her world, portrayed through speech, body language, and action. 

Julie and Anthony’s relationship is of importance for the quality of the film as well, being that they are the two most prominent characters. What is apparent early on is that Julie doesn’t recognize Anthony’s habit and he does a decent job concealing it, though she lends him money a concerning number of times without asking. The minimalist aesthetic of the dialogue and action gives the impression that there is little evidence of Anthony’s wrongdoing in an interesting way; because we don’t see much happening, we can understand how Julie might not notice too.

Julie’s story is a big part of what makes “The Souvenir” successful. She struggles in film school and with Anthony, learning hard lessons from both. The movie owes its gripping qualities to Julie’s slight, subtle actions, and Swinton Byrne’s performance is what fills these moments below the center of action with the magic that captivating movies are made of.

On Thursday, Sept. 26, Professor Stefano Tijerina gave a lecture titled “China and It’s Impact on the Latin American Economies” as part of the Hispanic Heritage Month Lecture Series put together by Chispa Centro Hispano and several University of Maine departments. 

Tijerina, who is from Colombia, obtained a Ph.D. in history from UMaine focusing on business history and is now a lecturer in the management department in the Maine Business School. For his talk in the lecture series, he focused on China’s growing economy and business investments across the globe with an emphasis on how China’s growing influence has changed Latin America and how those countries are changing.

Tijerina explained that China’s growing economic influence is slowly changing the world economy from an atlantic-centered market to a pacific-centered market by extending their influence. According to Tijerina, China had already begun to split up parts of the unity that existed in South America, pointing to Chile’s decision to split off some of its ties to the continental economy and focus instead on Chinese business dealings. Tijerina states that Chile “doesn’t care about its links to South America” or the U.S. for that matter, instead hoping to focus on economic relations with China. 

For Tijerina, this shifting from unity highlights an unfortunate belief held in South America that there is “no cultural connectivity.” 

“We still believe we are our competitors, our rivals,” Tijerina says. 

China has benefited from this feeling of separation as well as from anti-American sentiments in the western hemisphere and beyond, Tijerina pointed out. Many countries are less interested in doing business with the U.S. due to memories of past colonialism and exploitation, and these countries now see China as a better option. China creates the idea of relatability by sending the message that they were an “upward nation” and an “emerging economy,” and therefore they understand what it’s like to be in this position. 

“You can achieve the same thing we have achieved,” said Tijerina regarding Latin America. 

China has also tried to give the impression of not being involved in the party politics of the nations they are investing in. What they are really trying to do is gain influence through financing projects. 

“China sells to the left and to the right. Politics are not a problem,” said Tijerina. 

The reality is that financing billion dollar projects in developing countries gives China immense power and even if the investments are coming from “private” Chinese businesses,  most of these large companies are owned, in large part, by the government so their national interests are of considerable importance. 

In the end, one of the main issues for Tijerina is how Latin American countries can begin to develop and grow on their own. Latin America has spent centuries being controlled by outside forces and even if this time with China seems different, Tijerina says, it is really just continued exploitation. Tijerina stressed that China only wants to extract resources just like the U.S. and others have done before, and if Latin America wants to develop their own countries they have to stop outside influence from foreigners. 

College is all about change and growth. It only makes sense, then, that the towns and communities (and specifically restaurants) around colleges will grow and change as well. It is with the eye to evolution that the Orono and Old Town (and beyond) communities welcome O.T.O, or “Out of the Ordinary,” a new pizza and specialty burger restaurant located in Old Town. 

O.T.O., the creation of Kyle Lemieux and Ida McChesney, opened in December 2018. This new restaurant should be met with considerable excitement to the college student community for their unique brand of pizza and burgers, including a rotating series of specialty pizzas and “stuffed” burgers. This month the establishment is featuring the Taste of Italy Pizza and the Ciao Bella Burger, both of which list ingredients as a ricotta, pepperoni and sausage, mozzarella, marinara, while the burger boasts a fried ravioli topping as well.

Founder and manager Kyle Lemieux offered some information about how the restaurant came to be, explaining, “I have personally been in the restaurant industry for 12 years,” working in several establishments throughout Maine. One reason that Lemieux decided to open O.T.O was his knack for crafting creative dishes at home with family and friends. 

“When I lived in Southern Maine, every week my wife Stefanie and I would have friends over for dinner night. This is where a lot of my burger creations started. My first stuffed burger ever created was our jalapeno popper burger, followed by our Thanksgiving burger, then more and more creations every week after that,” Lemieux said. “Occasionally we would change it up and do pizzas which sparked the outta the ordinary pizza creations as well.” 

This idea of food being “out of the ordinary” is exactly the experience Lemieux wants his customers to have too. 

“We want our guests to step out of [their] everyday routine and [the] same old monotonous meals and try something new. Something that is guaranteed to make your taste buds jump with joy. Our creations are far from your everyday normal eats,” Lemieux said.

Lemieux approaches food ideas with an open mind, not afraid to hear from others. 

“My creativity in the kitchen comes from a lot of different places. It could be something I have tried before that gives me inspiration to create my own version, or someone saying to me that I should create something and I give it a shot! I like to tell people that I’m a little twisted when it comes to food and will make things work that you don’t think will! I try to take items or meals that you wouldn’t typically think go together and make them go together. Every item that we test in the kitchen has to go through our employees and neighbors. If the general consensus is not that it’s amazing [then] [it’s] back to the drawing boards until it is. I will not put something out there that is not going to wow every person that eats it,” Lemieux said.

When you look at the menu, it quickly becomes apparent that O.T.O. is exploring new culinary creations with each meal. Lemieux further highlighted some ways that he wants to show that O.T.O is different from other restaurants. 

“The difference with us is that we are taking combinations that you wouldn’t think would work and making them work. For instance our Crab Rangoon Pizza, our best-selling pizza is made with our house-made crab rangoon filling as a base then topped with crab pieces and pizza cheese and then after it’s cooked, [it is] finished with fried wontons, green onions and Thai chili sauce. None of our specialty pizzas have red sauce as the base,” Lemieux said.

It would only make sense that Lemieux’s passion extends beyond the kitchen; he has big hopes for getting the word out about all things out of the ordinary. 

“I would love to grow O.T.O. as a brand, and eventually, open more locations. My current goal is to get as involved in the community and university as I can. I want people to realize how great our food is and how cheap it is for the quality that you receive,” Lemieux said.

As the food scene in Orono and Old Town area changes, with restaurants and bars opening and closing, it is with excitement that the University of Maine community and beyond can look to O.T.O as an establishment that is willing to break the mould and give customers a place to be equally surprised and satisfied. 

5 out of 5 stars

In the recent evolution of pop, there are a few artists who have actively made an effort to stand on the cusp and push pop music, and music in general, forward into wonderful and creative territory. One artist who has broken considerable ground is the British pop star Charli XCX. She attracted attention early in her career with hits like “Boom Clap” and co-writing songs like “Fancy” performed by her and Iggy Azalea. But in the past few years, Charli XCX has been moving steadily away from the conventional pop world, embracing more cutting edge artists like SOPHIE and working with producer AG Cook, both of whom have crafted unique pop-esque music that are as catchy and dancy as challenging and abrasive. Her last several releases, including mixtapes “Number 1 Angel” and “Pop 2,” have demonstrated Charli’s take on these styles, and were masterful and innovative releases in their own right. But even with all these releases, before “Charli,” it had been five years since her last album and fans and the world were eagerly waiting. 

The first song on “Charli” is “Next Level Charli” which should make her intentions clear — this record is about development; it is a record of change, growth, and her exciting revolution. “Charli” is an incredible next step for her and stands as a sign for what she wants pop music to be working toward and maybe even where pop music is on its way to. With a flurry of guests and features as well as a simultaneous introspective bend to the lyrical content, “Charli” is a perfect example of how we don’t have to be alone and that often it is in the party that we find comfort and our equals.

While the opening track “Next Level Charli” feels like the introduction to the album, the song that feels like the true start of the album is “Gone,” which was one of the six tracks that were released as singles before the album. “Gone” could be said to be one of the most powerful songs of the year with Charli and artist Christine and the Queens trading verses and singing the chorus together. The song navigates tension and introspective questions of anxiety with energetic relatability. Between their lyrical concerns of personal uncertainty and insecurity, and the energetic, pounding, larger-than-life nature of the music, the song takes on a mighty and anthemic quality. 

But in many ways, these personal concerns and themes of introspection, which are central to the album, are conveyed in much quieter and intimate ways on the rest of the album. “Charli” is full of stories that sound like they come directly from Charli XCX’s own life, tracing conflicts and personal drama throughout. But it is really irrelevant to know her life, the album is really about the experience of the listener. In that respect her words are compelling and her message is relatable and comforting. For her to share as she does on “Charli” is a gift to listeners and the music world, offering solace and comfort and even reasons to party. On her latest album, Charli XCX offers a really special work that, by turning so inward, has just as much burst outward offering a real connection. “Charli” follows one’s lows and turmoil but also one’s highs; even in its whispers, “Charli” explodes with swagger and bombast that assures you that even if your world is chaos you might as well shake it.    

As the school year comes to a close it is with a mix of joy, wistful memories and a hefty amount of stress as classes finish and summer begins. But lest we worry too much, “I’d Rather Be Ghost Hunting” is the album that can accompany us all as finals quickly come upon us and summer almost quicker. “I’d Rather Be Ghost Hunting” is the latest album from Athens, Georgia based Four Eyes, the project name for solo artist Erin Lovett. This album is essentially a folk album but, as most successful albums do, it blurs the lines with effortless skill, incorporating a number of broader sounds and influences. The album conjures memories and youthful pain like the best emo albums, but also experiments with other sounds, like that of a banjo creating a unique experience.

A strength of the album is the witty and wry lyricism from Lovett, who demonstrates a unique and impressive knack for capturing a wide array of emotions in a compact amount of words. A good example of this is the opening track “Clever Songs.” The sparse guitar strumming highlights her ability to tell intricate stories through just her vocals. For instance, in the opening lines, “I know that you like clever songs. Well I guess this isn’t one /
We tried to think of something better for ourselves, and instead we fell in love.”

The words are essentially simple and introspective but the openness and frankness depict a complex mood with nuance that comes off as effortless which is part of why Lovett’s songwriting is so masterful.
The song “Neon Light” incorporates a banjo in such a way that, were it to be much louder and with more yelling, could undoubtedly pass as an emo song. Some emo sounding lyrics from the song include: “How’d I get so worn down? / Like pennies crushed out on the tracks showing our reflection back, / Where the year once was engraved we left a shining, empty space.”

But having these lyrics performed in a folk-type setting makes the music more appealing to those that would shy away from more angsty emo music, so in that way, Four Eyes embraces a wider audience who can enjoy the mellow music as well as the open display of emotional lyrics.

Now if I were to pick a favorite song I might have to go with “Superhero Movies,” which is the shortest song on the album at about a minute and a half, but has what sounds like a glockenspiel, so how could it go wrong? It is also the most upbeat song on the album and offers a pleasant beacon of hope for anyone who relates to the more melancholy mood of the rest of the album. Also, the description of love is certainly unique: “You got me riled up like superhero movies do to superhero movie fanboys at midnight.”

One could say that Lovett is doing rather innovative work, mixing folk, pop and emo. I wouldn’t say her style is radically new or unprecedented but I would say that her approach to the “sad folk” genre is somewhat redefining and certainly comes from a unique perspective that rewards repeated listen of an album that spans a number of emotions and moods, and does so with a pleasant relatability that welcomes all.

Rating: 4 stars

PUP, an abbreviation for Pathetic Use of Potential, is a punk band from Toronto and this year they released the album “Morbid Stuff” which feels like the kind of pop-punk with the angsty energy we all needed. PUP fits the neat mold of punchy pop-punk with witty lyrics and melodic but cutting guitar lines. At 36 minutes, the album keeps itself reasonably short and does a decent job of not being too repetitive by pushing the same topics or emotions for too long.
Music like the songs on “Morbid Stuff” makes you wonder if lots of good music is just secretly pop music, with all the infectiousness in stock. The album’s second track “Kids” is a good example of this. The lyrics touch on plenty of pop-punk themes of youthful emotions, mistakes and the anxieties of young people. The choruses are anthemic and are perfect to scream with friends, while the guitar provides upbeat, dancy energy.
The length of the album is pretty standard, but what is interesting is how PUP maintains the same energy throughout. There aren’t really any slow songs, instead, they keep yelling and commiserating about the struggles of being young. The rare times they appear to be slowing down they really end up punching just as hard as usual. For instance, the song “Scorpion Hill,” gives the impression of an acoustic ballad before returning to racing along with frantic energy. Songs like this are emblematic of the way that PUP sounds very similar to the pop-punk style they are a part of. But PUP also succeeds in not letting up in energy. Even if they aren’t being totally original they are still doing what they do quite well.
Later in the album songs like “Sibling Rivalry” are evidence that the sound they are producing doesn’t get old or tiring, or end up turning into a sort of parody of other songs which can happen when an artist continues to produce similar sounding songs. This song features another cutting guitar melody which weaves in and out among the equally catchy vocal melodies. “Sibling Rivalry” is a good example of how PUP produces quite striking and polished vocal harmonies, showing how even if their songs may describe a more lax person, as musicians they will not be seen as such.
PUP’s “Morbid Stuff” is pretty self-aware in that the album is filled with a lot of morbid stuff, but the album is much more than that. While most of the songs depict hopelessness or a feeling of loss, there is hope in the outlet the band provides for people to find connection with their music. People can listen or go to a show and feel connected, realizing that there are people that feel the same or are going through a similar trouble. PUP follows a respectable punk lineage, crafting tirelessly energetic songs that are equal parts biting and fun.

This weekend, the Al Cyrus Pavilion Theater hosted several showings of the play “Inanna: A Modern Interpretation,” written and directed by fourth-year communications and theater student Erin Butts. The play is a reinterpretation of the ancient Sumerian tale of Inanna, a goddess who faces several formidable obstacles, makes grave mistakes and ultimately is rewarded for learning from these challenges.

Touching upon heavy topics like death, love, morality and nature the cast excellently made the struggles and ideas feel intimate and real. Intimacy was also produced by the choice of venue, the Cyrus Pavilion, which brought the audience so close to the actors that at points it felt as if the characters were talking directly with the audience.

Butts sees the original tale of Inanna to be rich with the discussion of contemporary issues, like feminist concerns and found the play to chart the ways that feminism has evolved.

“The move into modern feminism is shifting the way we speak about women, specifically turning away from genital specific definitions of womanhood. The focus is changing towards a distinction between gender and sex, with a strong emphasis on intersectionality. That is what I hope this production depicts,” Butts said.

The original play was written in the late 1970s when feminism was deeply rooted in biological indicators of sex. Through her rewriting and directing of Inanna, she hoped to depict the more contemporary discussion of intersectionality in gender and sex.

One can see many of these feminist discussions taking place with the character Inanna, played by Katie Luck, a first-year English and theater student. Inanna is a goddess who, throughout the play, undergoes many timeless mythic challenges like battles with gods and a descent into the underworld. Her intentions are often good, often acting with her people in mind, but occasionally makes mistakes like making Gilgamesh fight and kill one of Ereshkigal’s minions which causes hatred toward Inanna and drives Inanna’s journey to Ereshkigal’s territory, the underworld.

Inanna’s story is ultimately a positive one that allows for her reconciliation with Ereshkigal, her husband Dumuzi, and peace being restored to both the human and divine world. This reconciliation for Inanna is part of the reason that Butts finds the story so relevant today.

Butts aptly summarized Inanna’s tale saying, “When I set out to write this play, I didn’t know where it was headed. I just knew that I wished more people could hear her story. Theater has the ability to make even the most forgotten tales relevant again. Inanna is a strong character with many flaws, but relentlessly persistent. She displays distinctly human characteristics that we can learn from despite her status as a god. We cannot let her power be forgotten.”

The UMaine School of Performing Arts has several upcoming shows including the Opera Scenes Performance and Maine Masque Presents “I’m Still Alive.” More info can be found on their website, https://umaine.edu/spa/.

Rating: 4.5 of 5 Stars

Being a music fan can be a difficult journey, especially when you have a special emotional attachment to a certain band. Fans can be prone to having extremely high expectations when their favorite band is releasing a new album. What if they aren’t as good anymore?

That feeling is certainly elicited when one discusses how American Football, the emo/indie rock group that began playing together in college, released a self-titled LP but then broke up, to the dismay of many fans. A few years ago, they got back together and released another self-titled LP which planted seeds of hope for the band’s future in their audience.

This year they released “LP 3.” While one could worry that they have become old musicians who have possibly lost their talent for songwriting, you would be sorely mistaken to think that of American Football. On their third release, they continue to create meaningful music. They are still personal, and haven’t lost the ability to discuss inner emotions in a way that connects with the listeners that fell in love with them in the first place.

American Football has a charming story. After their first release and break up, they didn’t see themselves getting back together until a large number of people began stumbling upon their album and suddenly there was a large community that was really interested in the group. Eventually, in 2014, they started playing together again and released “LP 2” in 2016 which was, unfortunately, a little underwhelming and was met with a lukewarm response.

“LP 3” set things right again. This record is a wonderful combination of their talent for melancholy songs with odd time signatures and their access to a wider range of studio equipment and personnel. Essentially “LP 3” is like their first album but slightly more mature and the soundscape is much larger. They are not just a guitar band anymore, they’ve included plenty of synths and an unusually large amount of xylophone.

One of the highlights of the album is the number of vocal features from artists like Hayley Williams from Paramore or Rachel Goswell from Slowdive, as well as Elizabeth Powell from Land of Talk. Often these female vocalists give lead singer and guitarist Mike Kinsella an interlocutor with whom to discuss the introspective themes. It is quite an interesting evolution from the band’s previous method of tackling those personal meditations on one’s past and growing up. Now there is more of a conversation, as if one voice is able to offer validation to another.
Overall I would say this album is a pleasant return to form and is a different kind of success for the group. The band is entering new stages in their lives, facing things like careers and having families. For track recommendations, I would say check out the tracks with features like “Uncomfortably Numb” with Hayley Williams, as well as the lead single “Silhouettes” that highlights the bands individual talent, while the songs “Heir Apparent” and “Mine to Miss” exhibit hints of their past sound in wonderful new ways.