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Category: Music

Learning Italian Outside of the Classroom

Learning Italian Outside of the Classroom

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As someone who’s always been interested in learning another language, I’m glad to finally have the opportunity to do so as a Biology and Italian Studies double major at Vassar. I grew up listening to relatives speaking Italian, and even spoke and understood a good amount for my age (so I’ve been told) because my immigrant grandparents watched my brother and I before we started preschool. Unfortunately, as a result of not hearing and using the language enough when I…

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“WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE”

“WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE”

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As soon as the tracklist for Drake and Future’s rumored collaborative mixtape What A Time To Be Alive leaked on Twitter, the internet hype machine began firing on all cylinders.  When Drake uploaded the cover art to Instagram, he catapulted What A Time To Be Alive from the shadow realm of hip hop fantasy into the bright spotlights of today’s social media.  The 11-track mixtape premiered on and was released exclusively through Apple Music, which is clearly reaping the rewards…

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Album Review: Travi$ Scott’s Long-Awaited ‘Rodeo’ Delivers

Album Review: Travi$ Scott’s Long-Awaited ‘Rodeo’ Delivers

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The first words we hear on Travi$ Scott’s debut album Rodeo are from rapper T.I., who praises Scott as a “young rebel against the system, refusing to conform or comply to the ways of authority, [choosing] a mood of ‘fuck this shit.’” Scott (or, as he refers to himself, “La Flame”) takes these words to heart, delivering his well-known brand of “fuck this shit” music on this album. After a few listens, it’s clear that T.I.’s intro serves as both…

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Shaking off Taylor Swift

Shaking off Taylor Swift

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Dear Taylor, We were both young when I first saw you. I close my eyes, and the flashback starts. I’m standing there… a sad middle school girl in suburban, 93% white Hunterdon County, New Jersey wondering why the boy I thought was the love of my life just did not reciprocate my romantic feelings. The bulk of my friends responded with the classic “he doesn’t know what he’s missing out on” and “you will find someone better”, but they didn’t…

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The Danger Ahead For Arcade Fire

The Danger Ahead For Arcade Fire

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Arcade Fire is one of my favorite bands and it would be impossible for me to put aside my geekiness in this article. Yet, as I picked up their new album “Reflketor” last Fall, I felt a vague sense of dread, even though I enjoyed it. Here is my attempt to figure out why this latest record from the Canadian collective scared me so much: When I was 14 my voice cracked in front of the whole school. It’s the…

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Review of Morning Phase (Beck)

Review of Morning Phase (Beck)

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There’s a point somewhere in the midst of Morning Phase where you will be forced to bury your irony, cynicism, and incredulity. Beck’s revelatory new chef-d’oeuvre is so complete in its exhortations of truth and hope, and his songwriting is so masterful that skepticism feels like an insult to the splendor of Morning Phase. While it might not drag you out of bed at sunset and put a shovel in your hand, it is the kind of album that demands…

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All-Nighter Playlist

All-Nighter Playlist

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Well, it’s that time of year again: finals are upon us. Classes are almost finished, and soon we will all be drowning in study guides and primary sources. As if tests weren’t enough to worry about, most of us have research papers, oral language exams, and presentations, too. This much work can only mean one thing: all-nighters. Pulling an all-nighter is a college rite of passage. It’s not fun, but every once in a while, it must be done. After my…

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Hangover Playlist

Hangover Playlist

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Hey, reader. How was your Halloweekend? Sober and quiet? No? I didn’t think so. Studies (by which I mean sweeping generalizations I heard from upperclassmen in my freshman year) have shown that Halloweekend and Founder’s Day are the average Vassar student’s two weekends that involve the most intense partying, and it’s not hard to understand why. Think about it: 2,000 college students on one small campus with a seemingly endless amount of alcohol and a practically non-existent security presence? Things are bound to get crazy. From my…

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In Defense of Drake

In Defense of Drake

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This week, Drake released his third full-length studio album, Nothing Was the Same. The album has garnered positive reviews from critics thus far and was commonly recognized as one of the most highly anticipated releases of the season. Honestly, this isn’t surprising. Drake is talented. He’s a skilled rapper with an easy flow and a fantastic team of producers. He’s an indisputably gifted performer. In spite of these facts, many people just don’t like Drake. I’m not positive as to their reasoning ,…

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Back to School Playlist

Back to School Playlist

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Hey, everyone! Let me be the twenty-seventh person to welcome you back to campus. This is an exciting time of year; you’re getting comfortable in your new dorm room, trying to figure out your schedule, and deciding whether there’s anyone in your immediate vicinity worth pursuing romantically. Freshmen are getting their bearings and posting all kinds of “COLLEGE IS THE BEST”-type Facebook statuses. Sophomores are enjoying no longer being on the very bottom of the college “food chain” while the…

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