A&E

It’s Time To Quest Once More

May 2, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Fatu Castillo

Staff Writer

Have you ever stopped and wondered lately, “Man, I sure wish I could enjoy a game of Dungeon and Dragons right now.”

No? Well neither did I! In fact, I kept my thoughts as far away as humanly possible.

The closest I ever got to that game was back in my middle school days when I quested, with all my might, to defeat the Enderdragon in Minecraft. Good times, getting chased by Spiders and killed by Creepers.

I never killed the Enderdragon, surprise, but the concept remains the same. Dungeons and Dragons is just too nerdy for me to pursue, that stays in my middle school years. How could I ever look my mother in the eyes if I spent the night before in a basement, with plenty of snacks and lots of friends, questing as a Rogue to save the kingdom?

Thinking about it now, quite easily.

But now is a chance at redemption, now I found a way to immerse myself in Dungeons and Dragons without feeling nonexistent shame.

I’m going to be honest here and admit that it took me awhile to get into The Adventure Zone. I had seen it all over Tumblr, watched as every other Thursday it would flood the tags as a new episode wreaked havoc. I stupidly looked as spoiler after spoiler came my way.

A word of advice, if you ever think “This spoiler won’t ruin anything for me, I don’t watch the show.” Slap yourself in the face, those are evil thoughts that will haunt you for life.

But back to The Adventure Zone, because it definitely is worth reviewing.

It’s produced by the McElroy Brothers, Griffin, Travis, and Justin, and their father, Clinton. Griffin plays as God, or the Dungeon Master, and the other three have to figure out how to get over the plot devices he throws their way.

I expected it to be predictable the first episode, it was only supposed to be filler episode in between their normal podcast.

They journey to a distant land, confront an evil tyrant, maybe kill a dragon, and save a princess.

Nope.

Instead I got to bruise my ribs laughing from listening to Travis argue on whether or not he could name his character Magnus Burnsides, Justin stealing gold and shoes off of anyone and everyone, and Clinton casting Zone of Truth in the most inappropriate situations.

All the while, Griffin had to voice about a dozen different characters and constantly forgot which was which, leading to hilarious situations.

It isn’t just a laugh-fest, by the way, there’s an actual plot happening that is really starting to heat up. So it’s good for laughs and gasps, like when Justin casts a spell that topples the entire sequence that Griffin had laid out.

If you do decide to listen to The Adventure Zone, it won’t be what you expect, that’s for sure.

Music Review: Sign of the Times

April 22, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Lauren Nicolella

Staff Writer

Screenshot 2017-04-22 at 11.37.59 AM — The single art for Sign of the Times.

Harry Styles released his first solo song on April 7th titled Sign of the Times. It was played for the first time on BBC Radio 1, with the host Nick Grimshaw. There was a lot secrecy surrounding the song, because of the fear that it would have been leaked before the initial release date. A lot of excitement was building up for the day to finally come, because the fans weren’t exactly sure of what he would be dropping.

In case you have been living under a rock, know that Styles is a part of the famous boyband One Direction. Like the other membe rs, he decided to release a song during their hiatus. But don’t worry, fans. Just because they chose to release their own music doesn’t mean that they are broken up. It is a part of them having their granted break from touring and producing music as a whole, nonstop, for multiple years. This is allowing all of the members to go into their own personal tastes of music instead of the genre pop that One Direction is focused on, and have more control of what they want to do as well.

Now is the part of the review where I have to identify myself as a One Direction fan, and let you readers know that there has been a very high bar of expectation set in my mind for this song. I’m happy to report that Harry definitely cleared that bar. I have had the song on repeat ever since the first time I listened to it. I couldn’t stop talking about it to others.. It even affected my routine of walking home after getting off of the bus, taking my slowest stride to make the song last until I finally reached my house.

Screenshot 2017-04-22 at 11.38.11 AM — Harry Styles with Nick Grimshaw on the day of the release.

The song is almost six minutes long (which is great, more to listen to!), having an older British-rock sound. It kind of reminds me of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”, only because of the way that it starts out: slow with a piano and ending with an intense and colorful chorus. You can hear the obvious influences and direction he was trying to take.

Harry’s voice has matured a lot over the years, and you can hear it through every One Direction album. In his earlier recordings, he sounds like he is very young. Now that he has grown more as a singer, he showcases falsetto and a very strong voice, giving everyone a taste of what he’s really capable of.

I’ll be the first to admit that it is weird to hear him singing alone in a song, but this felt perfect. I do not think that there are fans who are upset, since that mainly happened when Zayn officially left the band. There has been lots of support, even though there are requests for the boys to come back. I’m glad that they all are exploring different genres and are allowing the fans to hear different a larger variety. His is more of the type of music that I listen to, so it was awesome to hear this. I needed some new music.

From what I’m seeing on social media, a music video for this song is coming out towards the end of the month, which is another thing to look forward to from Harry Styles.

Underground Rappers at SLA

April 6, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Deja Harrison

Staff Writer

Mixtapes and Eps seem to be a huge thing at SLA recently. Whether it’s a serious album or one just for laughs is seems as though we all take some form of interest in hearing them or talking about them when they involve people from the school. I decided it was time to talk to these artist and get a better idea of their music and what it´s all about.

¨ It just comes to me, i blirt off of what comes to my head ,¨ is what Junior Opoku Kwatang had to say about his mixtapes. He started rapping in the 6th grade as a form of self expression.

¨ I started making beats just beats and I realized I was really good so I started to write rhymes to go with them. It started working really well so then I started doing it as a pastime.¨

He believes that his songs are very deep and from a place in his heart. Much like another fellow Junior Mehki Friend who describes his song as ¨wise, playful and memorable¨.

¨ I just want people to relate to my raps. I rap about my life and the things I´ve seen in the world.¨

Mehki likes to listen to beats and write during most of his free time. He sees a future in rap for himself but that it not his main goal from it.

¨ Right now it´s just for fun, but if it happens in the future it happens¨.

Ahmed Ahmed is sophomore and relatively new to the rap game.

¨ I just started last year but I already like the feeling I get from it. ¨

Ahmed uses rap to get his emotions and feelings out without actually having to say them outloud. He

Describes the music as his escape from the real world. He believes it’s the perfect way for him to express himself.

Mehki, Opoku and Ahmed are just two of the many underground rappers at SLA. Other rappers in the school include Husian Kegler, Ijustice Avery, Imani Williams, Christian McCormac, Luke Risher etc. Everyone seems agrees that the music is for fun and a nice way to express themselves. Rap for them is a form of self expression. With all the talents in the school is there room for a possible collaboration between all the rappers? How epic would that be?

Album Review: Restoration of An American Idol

March 31, 2017 by lpahomov 2 Comments

Meymey Seng

Staff Writer

Restoration of An American Idol. That is the name of the new album that was released on February 24 by twenty-one year old recording artist Taylor Bennett. Previously, he has made other mix tapes and albums too. Although, he does not sell his music, people are able to download or listen to it online for free.

A large portion of his music is inspired by his hometown, Chicago Illinois, and his personal experiences. Also, his older brother Chancelor Bennett or Chance the Rapper is another inspiration of his. Listening to this album, it was amazing. Although of course there are a few songs that I liked more than others.

Intro (The Kid’s Alright)

I really like this song. The lyrics are well written and put into aesthetic rhymes. This song was able to capture the process of him creating this album. It did take me a couple replays for me to fully appreciate the song. At first, the chorus kind of threw me off because it sounded very techno, but now I think that it fits perfectly and Princeton is the singer of the chorus. He also expressed that he’s thankful to be able to use music to express his feelings.

Roof Gone

When I first listened to this song, I had mixed feelings about the intro because it sounded like the intro to a science video. The lyrics were okay because it was about getting high and other things. Although, I realized that he was talking about his personal experiences and how it shapes who he is now. This made me more intrigued to the song to listen to what he has been through.

Grown Up Fairy Tales

I would have to say that this is my favorite song on the album, I love it! In this song he collaborates and sings with Chance. The intro of the song is simply a hum from Chance and then it gets to him rapping. It talks about trying to find themselves, so the verses in this song is really strong and the rhymes are amazing. The chorus is also sung well by Jeremih. Halfway through the song, Taylor starts to rap and the contrasts between their voices sound really good. Chance has a smoother voice while Taylor has a raspy voice.

Favorite Colors

This song is really great and is my second favorite. I would describe it as the perfect song to replay constantly on the bus. It is pretty upbeat and the other artists who also sung are Kyle and Luke Tennyson. Both Taylor and Kyle’s verses are very catchy and just pleasant to hear. The chorus is also great and it is sung with an instrument in the background by Luke. Kyle raps about the future. Halfway through the song, Taylor starts to rap and he talks about his past experiences.

Play My Part

The beginning of this song sounds really good. I’m honestly not too sure how to describe it but it’s reminds me of windchimes in a great way, followed by the hook from Aubree Jenai. This song is written from his personal past relationships but it is focused on a specific one with a girl he used to go out with. The beat in this song is what I really enjoy, with both earbuds in, it feels like you’re there in a sense.

New York Nights

This is one of the first songs that I heard on this album. It basically talks about how it is difficult to win awards for music when you are a new artist. He collaborated with Jordan Bratton and Stro The MC. It’s a really peaceful, relaxing, and catchy song.

Nobody Tell A Name

If I had to choose, out of all of the songs on his album, this would be my least favorite. The music in the beginning was okay. The beat kind of reminded me of the beginning of a boxing match, although I’m not too sure why. I didn’t like the hook and verse sung by Raury. Although, I did like Taylor’s verse a bit more. With this said, still occasionally I would put this song on.

Neon Lights

The beginning of this song is great. It’s like an energetic beat that would make you walking to the music or bob your head. The hook by Supa Bwe matched perfectly and just generally sounds really good. Taylor’s verse was also amazing, where he talked about his personal interests. Lil Yatchy’s verse a little more than halfway through the song sounded really well, especially since he has a smooth yet deep voice.

Outro (Chi-Town Anthem)

This song was honestly not the greatest. The verses were okay but it was mostly the background music that threw me off. I didn’t really think that the two matched nicely. The beat was also okay. Although, I like how the lyrics were based of off Chicago.

Overall, I think that this is an amazing album and I would still give it a five out of five. If an album has the ability to draw in my attention so strongly, where I listen to it everyday, I would consider it amazing. If you want to enjoy some great music, I would definitely recommend this album.

From Fleimingo to Grey Palmer

March 28, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Aidan Williams

Staff Writer

“We started in like seventh grade, when this guy Jonathan Block wanted us to play in his christmas band. We played with him and it sucked, so we made our own band.”

This is the origin story of the band Grey Palmer, according to Sophomore Sofian Zapf, who is also Grey Palmer’s lead guitarist.

Composed mostly of students at Germantown Friends School, Grey Palmer’s music is reminiscent of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: Levi Andrews-Hoke, the primary lyricist and singer, as well as the rhythm guitarist, writes lines packed with words over punchy, upbeat ska-inspired riffs. The band is rounded out by Claudia Grossi on bass and Caleb Rudick on drums.

Formerly known as Fleimingo –“We hated the name because no one knew how to spell it,” explained Zapf– Grey Palmer has been described by Nat Hilton, a Junior and fellow musician, as “white kid reggae. A tween The Police.”

Having been together for about a year and a half, they have recorded three demos that have been released, all of which are on their bandcamp, www.greypalmer.bandcamp.com.

They’ve spent much of the past few months playing shows mostly in basements and small local venues all over Philadelphia, and putting themselves on the map. Sofian has gotten fairly good at booking shows, and it seems as if they’ve been playing non-stop, always bringing a crowd to each gig. However, they are currently in the process of writing and recording new music, and have taken a break from performing.

Most of their demos have a Spanish inspiration. Songs they have already recorded include “Conquistador,” which is full of references to conquests as well as religion, to “Descansada,” a song dedicated to rest. The songs are dense, packed with lyrics full of references to anything from religion — “Then again I’m a mennonite man on a family tree.”– to Casper the Friendly Ghost — “…And my best friend Casper, all friendly when he’s dead.”(Descansada), and everything in between.

“We’ve been trying to get ourselves together and record, but we lack motivation and time. Some day.” Sofian answered when I asked about the band’s goals. They’ve taken a bit of a hiatus in order to motivate themselves, but someday, maybe, they’ll decide it is time to do something. Or maybe they will continue to release demos until the end of time. We’ll all have to wait and see.