SFU hopes to become first Canadian university to offer NCAA beach volleyball

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July 11, 2016

Credit to Hamed Yaghoubi Shahir — The women's beach volleyball program would pull players from the existing indoor women's team.

SFU hopes to join in on the NCAA’s fastest-growing sport by launching its own NCAA beach volleyball program as early as 2018 or 2019.

The initiative to bring a beach volleyball program to SFU has been spearheaded by women’s indoor volleyball head coach Gina Schmidt, who has wanted to establish a beach program since it was recognized as an official NCAA championship sport in 2015.

The tentative plan for the program is to start small, and to pull from current indoor players and coaching staff. Currently, only a women’s team is planned to be introduced at SFU, as the NCAA does not yet sponsor men’s beach volleyball.

Beach volleyball is relatively inexpensive to implement compared to other programs, taking roughly $100,000 to $150,000 to implement, with operating costs between $35,000 and $50,000. As such, the Department of Recreation and Athletics’ goal is to build sand courts on the Burnaby campus, to be used for the program, as well as by recreational groups and the SFU community.

The courts and the program would eventually be able to generate revenue themselves according to SFU Athletics, as the courts could be used to hold beach camps, leagues, and tournaments. Currently, the unused tennis courts by the visitor’s parkade are being proposed as a location for sand courts.

In general, the basic skills and concepts in indoor and beach volleyball are alike. However, the two sports differ in the number of players on each team (two for beach, six for indoor); the outdoor elements that beach players face, such as sand, sun, and wind; and the different strategies required.

Besides allowing current indoor volleyball players the opportunity to play both indoor and beach, a beach volleyball program could also give SFU huge advantages in terms of recruiting prospective athletes.

Schmidt noted, “Currently, beach volleyball is not a sport sponsored by the CIS (Canadian Interuniversity League), so it would make us unique in that regard.

“The NCAA indoor season (August to December) is different than the CIS season (October to March), so athletes could play indoor in the fall semester and beach in the spring semester.”

Schmidt also noted that the large pool of high school athletes in BC and across Canada who presently play beach volleyball could be a good source from which to draw when building a new team. “If we were the only school in Canada providing the opportunity to play beach in college, I’m confident there would be a lot of interest in our program,” she added.

Because of the limited number of universities with beach programs on the west coast, SFU would also have the notable opportunity to play top Division I schools with well-established beach programs, such as Pepperdine and UCLA.

With 55 schools currently offering an NCAA beach volleyball program, the sport shows no sign of slowing down. In Canada, the two hotspots for beach volleyball are here in Metro Vancouver, and in Toronto, where the national team training centre is located.

Schmidt concluded, “Even five to six years ago, beach was just something young kids did for fun in the summer. Now there are beach clubs, camps, and full time training for athletes interested in specializing in beach.

“With at least three Canadian beach teams qualifying for the Games in Rio, I can see the sport continuing to grow in popularity.”

An interview with Karen Sawatzky, the student going up against the Vancouver housing market

By

Peak Web

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July 11, 2016

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[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n the midst of a worsening housing crisis in Vancouver, one SFU student’s novel approach to figuring out the causes has blown up in the news.

Meet Karen Sawatzky: previously a journalist and technical writer, and now a master’s student in SFU’s urban studies department.

Sawatzky described her experience at SFU as “somewhat different than the other students’ in the program”: she is a mature student, and the first person in her family to pursue post-secondary education. She recalled always being interested in housing and urban development, and as a long-time renter, the growing scarcity of rental properties in Vancouver hit close to home.

“Housing is interesting because it’s a necessity of life, but at the same time, when you live in Vancouver, you can’t help but be aware that it’s also a global trading commodity,” she said.

It was this dynamic that led her to investigate the effects of the popular rental website Airbnb in relation to the accelerated commodification of housing in Vancouver. “The question I’m asking is: what is the nature and extent of Airbnb listings in the city of Vancouver, and what are the implications of this information on Vancouver’s rental housing policy and goals?”

Sawatzky began her research by hunting for information about the number, distribution, and types of listings in Vancouver on Airbnb. Since these statistics are not readily accessible on Airbnb’s website, she had to enlist a programmer to develop a piece of software code she could use to gather the data over the course of a year.

The numbers she unearthed garnered her media attention from outlets such as The Vancouver Sun, The Globe and Mail, and Global News.

In November 2014, Sawatzky recorded 2,900 total listings in Vancouver on Airbnb. She categorized them into three groups: private rooms, entire units (apartments, houses, or condos), and shared spaces (couches or bunks). Then in December of 2015, she went back and noted 4,728 total listings. There had been a 63 percent increase in total listings in a single year.

For her, the most surprising result from her research was how fast Airbnb’s popularity was growing in Vancouver, and how a majority of the listings were entire units — properties that would traditionally be rented out long-term. She also paid special attention to where Airbnb listings were concentrated in Vancouver: the highest concentrations of listings were in tourist locales such as Downtown Vancouver, the West End, Kitsilano, Mount Pleasant, and Grandview-Woodland.

“Thanks to Airbnb, competition is being set up between tourists and tenants,” Sawatzky said.

“Airbnb provides financial incentive because you can charge higher rates and make more money from short-term tourists versus long-term residents,” she explained. Additionally, when hosts list their properties on Airbnb instead of renting them to long-term residents, their tenants are no longer covered by the Residential Tenancy Act. This, according to Sawatzky, could allow hosts to evade any legal responsibilities and the rights of long-term tenants as many will opt for the ease of short term renters.

Looking at the growth rate of Airbnb throughout the course of her research, she expressed concern about the future for tenants in Vancouver. “It was a problem before Airbnb entered the scene,” she remarked, but she said she believes the company has definitely accelerated the housing crisis in Vancouver.

“Unless the city is able to get a handle on [the housing problem] through regulation, there will be fewer tenants that are able to live in Vancouver in the future,” she added.

One of Sawatzky’s main conclusions from her research is the need to urge the City of Vancouver to “stop the conversion of housing space to tourist space.”

Although she admits her research doesn’t provide quantitative data on the extensive effects of this phenomenon on property rental prices, Sawatzky proposed that “by logic, you can extrapolate that if people are able to make more money from a property [such as through Airbnb], they’re going to feel justified asking for higher prices for that property [when renting].”

Sawatzky also testified to the circulation of anecdotal reports of people buying properties just to use as Airbnb investment properties, further exacerbating the crisis.

Currently, the keen grad student is in the final stages of finishing up her thesis. When asked about her future plans, she simply laughed and responded, “I’m trying not to worry too much about that right now; I can only be stressed about so many things at once!”

She hopes to continue researching, and might combine her master’s thesis with her background in communication as she further contributes to the urban development academic scene.

NEW MUSIC FRIDAY

By

Peak Web

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July 8, 2016

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By: Courtney Miller, Jessica Pickering, and Jessica Whitesel

Follow The Peak on Spotify to stay up to date on New Music Friday.

“Friends” – Francis and the Lights feat. Bon Iver

Jessica Whitesel: I’m really loving this. The mix of Justin Vernon’s vocals over a more bass heavy track is surprisingly good. Also when it picks up and gets more layers? Dayum.👌 I think I’ve found my new jam. Sorry not sorry to everyone around me.

Courtney Miller: It’s a rhythmic, sultry little number. I could easily jam to this, but I think they’re overdoing the vocal effects by a lot because it at least halves the enjoyment of the song.

Jessica Pickering: I love the music — it had so much promise! — but the auto-tuned vocals leave a lot to be desired. This song would have been so good if they hadn’t messed with the singing. As is, the whole mood of the song feels off. Oh well, they can’t all be winners.

“Rising Water” – James Vincent McMorrow

JW: If there ever was, like, an indie-folk-rock-dance track, this would be it. It still has the laid-back vibes that are expected of the genre but the drums and bass kick it up a notch. It’s not going to be a club banger by any stretch of the imagination, but I don’t care. You can see yourself out while I’m dancing around the room.

CM: The intro sounds like “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.” After that, I find it to be pretty repetitive and monotonous. It’d be fine for background, easy-to-ignore music, but I feel no need to seek it out to listen to it.

JP: I like this song but there’s something about the intro that feels out of sync with the rest of the music. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it’s definitely hindering how often I would listen to this song. It’s not even like I could just skip it either; it repeats throughout the song, too.

“Hang Out With You” – Mary Lambert

JW: Mary Lambert being featured on that Macklemore track back in the day was the best thing that happened to music. Not because of Macklemore, but because the world finally was introduced to how great Lambert is as an artist. This song is a little more poppy than her usual work and doesn’t really feature her super strong vocals as much as it could, but she makes it work, and it’s pretty great.

CM: This is a pretty cute song, and I get a little Owl City from the music-not the vocals. I think it drags out a little much at the end, but I’d listen to it again without complaint.

JP: This song starts out with a list of things Lambert doesn’t want to do and on the one hand, same, but on the other, is this how annoying I sound when I complain? Because if so, I will stop immediately. This song is very repetitive and, in all honesty, a little boring. You’d think a song with such an upbeat back track would be more interesting.

“Falling” – RIVRS

JW: I love the backing track to this one. It’s got enough drops to be a roller coaster but it’s leveled out by the drums and the way it was produced. The vocals are also pretty great if not a bit generic. I might not seek this one out but if it came one again I wouldn’t complain about it either.

CM: I can get down with this. It’s catchy, more of a laid back rhythm than relentlessly upbeat. The vocals work really well with the track and they actually seem to go together which is great.

JP: I don’t think I’m feeling the electro-pop vibe today. This song isn’t bad; I just don’t want to be listening to it. I think on any other day I’d really like this song. Maybe this is just the type of song you have to be in the mood for. Or maybe it’s me. I’m willing to bet money it’s me.

“Fall” – Lisa Hanningan

JW: This sounds like the majority of the music that I listen to: restrained vocals, simple guitar, and pensive lyrics. I like this one. It has a sort of pretty quality to it which is very enjoyable. I’ll get this one on to some of my playlists.

CM: This has an indie-folk feel to it, particularly with just the lone guitar accompanying the gentle vocals. That being said, I could go for a little more power throughout the song, as Hannigan does have some few-and-far-between moments of it.

JP: This is more my speed today. Very relaxed, very mellow song; I can see myself falling asleep to this song — in a good way. God I would love to go to sleep right now. The ending is kind of weird but the song as a whole is pretty good. It’s not the worst song on this playlist.

“Go Ahead” – Pillow Person

JW: How much are arcades now? The backing track is sounds like one and it makes me want to relive my childhood and being bad at video games. When the bass line comes in it sounds like you are couple of consoles away from someone playing DDR. It’s a pretty distracting backing track but that’s OK since the vocals are pretty lacklustre.

CM: I get a video game feel with this, right off the bat. Is that a new trend, like why is this happening? Other than that, once you hit the first chorus it improves, but it stays pretty homogenous throughout.

JP: This is the worst song on this playlist. I hate the “music.” I’m putting quotes around music because I don’t know if it can really be called that; it’s so mismatched and disconcerting. After a couple minutes I started to think it was sounding good so I paused and started it again: nope, still bad.

“Get Mine” – Midas Hutch feat. Shakka

JW: “Har-dee, har, hard.” This is all you need to know about this song. It’s pretty boring, and lyrically it’s more of a fit for the mid-’00s when everyone was rapping about how many chains and how much money they had. If you pass this one you’re not really missing much other than that one line.

CM: I’m not feeling this. The first like 10 seconds are a WTF moment, like honestly should I re-evaluate my life choices because they brought me here, kind of a moment. The bit at 2:30 is the best part of the song, but it can’t save the rest of the boring song.

JP: I think this song is good? Every time I start to get into it they do something to change that — usually it’s a change in the music. There’s a lot of conflicting music styles here; some of them work, some of them don’t. I wouldn’t seek this out to listen to again, but if a friend put it on I wouldn’t object.

“You Don’t Know Love” – Olly Murs

JW: It’s going to do great on the radio, but I’m not really feeling it. It’s just another electro-pop breakup dance track. Like, it’s OK but it’s just not really my thing. I also I don’t know if want to dance to something that basically says love is pain.

CM: This is fantastic. “You don’t know love til it tears up your heart,” is both accurate and forcefully sung. It’s got awesome rhythm, a reliable yet dynamic enough backtrack, and I would definitely seek this out to listen to again. No question.

JP: I was going to make a joke about how young Olly Murs is but then I googled him and he’s in his early thirties. Dude, now I’m just embarrassed for you. Like if he was Justin Bieber’s age I’d say this song was okay, good even, but at 32 you’re getting too old for this shit man. In all honesty, I do actually like this song, I’m just blown away that Olly Murs is an adult. Like a real adult.

“I Got the Keys” – DJ Khaled feat. Jay-Z and Future

JW: Future wasn’t really necessary. DJ Khaled being a walking meme factory at the beginning wasn’t really necessary. But the backing track and Jay-Z sounded great together. If anything, the backing track could have been toned down a bit to let Jay stand out more.

CM: I think I used my WTF critique too early. This one. This one deserves it the most, except the moment lasts all song, not ten seconds, and I’m now near tears because of how much I don’t want to listen to this.

JP: Two of the first sentences are “we the best music” and “another one.” I think the former is the lie DJ Khaled tells his reflection in the mirror every morning. The latter is what everyone is thinking to when there’s a new DJ Khaled song. They’re really just coasting on Jay-Z’s fame at this point.

“If You Want It” – Sam Roberts Band

JW: I don’t really know what I expected from this song, but it wasn’t this. I mean, it is classic Sam Roberts Band, but it just sounds like all their other releases. If it wasn’t on New Music Friday I would have thought Spotify broke and decided it was time to play old Sam Roberts Band. It will probably do well on rock radio, and it’s not bad, just really same-y.

CM: I feel like I’ve heard several songs very similar to this before. It’s not bad, it just isn’t amazing. Again, I think it gets dragged out too long, nothing is added to the song — it just repeats into oblivion and it’s unnecessary.

JP: So, as far as I know, this is the first Sam Roberts Band song I’ve ever listened to and I really like it. I can see myself listening to this song a lot. It’s the perfect tempo and everything seems to meld really well together. I wasn’t paying too much attention to the lyrics, but they sounded pretty alright. Probably my favourite song on this week’s playlist.

“Concrete” – Crystal Castles

JW: Oh man. This is suuuppppeeeerrrrrr EDM-y. Like, wow. If I were faded in the club this would be the best thing ever. But I’m sitting at my desk, at work, in the morning, trying to not fall asleep, so nope. This song has a time and place, but it’s not here and now.

CM: I can’t tell you what the sparse vocals are saying — I find it to be completely unintelligible. I feel like this would be apropos for a rave, complete with laser show, but for regular listening, I’ll pass.

JP: Well this is just noise, and not very good noise at that. I don’t even know what genre this is. Is it even in a genre? This is static and random noises and yelling and I do not care for it at all. I really wanted to just skip this song after the first 10 seconds but I stuck with it for you guys. You’re welcome.

“Love Me Better” – Love Thy Brother feat. Ariel Beesley

JW: This is a fun dance-feeling song, but also one that could work for road trips. I really want to know what Ariel Beesley is capable of vocally because it does feel like she is holding back, but all in all it’s not a bad song.

CM: I like her range in this. Other than that, it’s kind of meh. I zoned out during it, so I replayed it and zoned out again, and that might be the best review I can give.

JP: I don’t know how to describe this song. I’ll give it a shot, but it might be better to just listen to it yourself. The vocals are odd. Her pitch is kind of weird and doesn’t work well with the music during the verses. The vocals work better with the chorus, but it’s still not great. It’s not the best song, but it’s, tolerable I guess.

CENTRE STAGE: Western Gold Theatre presents Splitting Heirs and White Rock Player Club presents both gender versions of The Odd Couple

By

EIC

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July 7, 2016

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Splitting Heirs – Western Gold Theatre

PAL Studio Theatre

June 24 – 26, 2016

Western Gold Theatre serves a vital purpose in our local theatre scene: they focus on producing plays that feature roles for actors over 55 years old. While they originally began as a company solely comprised of those in their golden years, the company now works with younger actors and mentors them along the way. Their recent production, Splitting Heirs, was Freyda Thomas’s adaptation of Le Legative Universel, a French farce by Jean-Francois Regnard.

The protagonist of this story is an old duke, Geronte, played by Bernard Cuffling — a regular in the Vancouver theatre scene. Geronte is close to the end of his life and keeps threatening to die. He doesn’t want to leave his money to his nephew though — his rightful heir who he considers to be a wimp. Two servants take the side of the nephew and end up having to disguise themselves to carry out their plan.

“The language is just wonderful,” said director Anna Hagan, describing some of the insults the female servant Lisette (Annabel Kershaw) and Geronte throw at each other: he calls her a “silly slut” while she calls him an “old curmudgeon.”

Hagan explained that this production was a staged reading, meaning that the actors had scripts in hand while on stage. The decision to do a staged reading is largely based on financial restrictions: the actors need less time to prepare and therefore the company only needs to hire them for one week contracts instead of weeks of rehearsals.

Despite this, the set, lighting, and costumes were all in place, and Hagan spent some time with the actors on blocking and setting the scene. She described many audience members saying they forgot about the scripts after the first few minutes. Most of these actors didn’t need to rely too much on the script and the papers essentially act as another prop that is simply integrated into the show. Also unique is the way this play is written in verse, almost like rhyming couplets as Hagan described. This adds a challenge for the actors, and they all enjoy that, said Hagan.

The Odd Couple (female version) – White Rock Players Club

Coast Capital Playhouse

June 7 – July 2, 2016

The female version of The Odd Couple has been done before, but according to the White Rock Players’ Club, not in the Lower Mainland. They are performing both gender versions in repertory, but having seen the male version elsewhere already, I decided to opt for the female version. This was a nice treat to see the play from another perspective; to see Olive and Florence instead of Oscar and Felix, and to notice how the different genders affected the dynamic.

Neil Simon’s play is full of witty writing and relatable characters, and I particularly enjoyed seeing it translated into this version: instead of poker night, it’s Trivial Pursuit; instead of the ditzy Pigeon sisters the girls invite over the Costazuela brothers who are full of over-the-top Spanish affectations.

Olive (Launi Bowie) and Florence (Sarah Green) stood out amongst the cast as the ill-suited roommates as they butted heads. I found Florence’s performance to be perfectly melodramatic as she constantly has some new ailment or is complaining about some mess that Olive created. The two of them have great chemistry — and they need to as they share the stage for the bulk of the time.

There are plenty of laugh-out-loud lines here, and after 30 years this female version is still fresh and entertaining. The show is set in the 1980s, when the female version was written (the original version premiered in 1965), and the rotary phone and brightly coloured floral dresses and accessories firmly set the piece in that era.

With a recent 2015 television remake and countless stage versions performed all across North America, it seems we still find this classic roommate tale relevant and entertaining. The White Rock Players’ Club version certainly is.

SFSS looking for input from students on issues that matter

By

EIC

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July 4, 2016

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20160622_125829 — From left to right, Arr Farah, Mark Thompson and Natalia Gretskaia hand out freezies for those who complete the survey.

The Simon Fraser Student Society’s (SFSS) Advocacy Committee is looking for students to tell them what their most concerning issues are — and they won’t stop until they hear from enough of them.

After conducting a survey online and in the halls of SFU with little fanfare over the past couple weeks, the survey will be extended until they reach at least 500 students.

“Right now, we have around 330 responses,” said SFSS VP external relations Christine Dyson. “Our goal initially was to get to 750 responses, however if we get above 500 we’re taking that as a credible amount.”

Dyson said the Advocacy Committee wanted to make sure they had heard from enough students, to avoid missing any major issues that students are facing on campus before deciding their campaigns for the year.

“Very simply, we just want to hear student concerns and what it is that is important to them, so that we can direct our time to the issues that best reflect student needs,” she said.

A survey like this has never been done by the SFSS before, according to Dyson. She and the rest of the committee thought it would be the best starting point for this year, because they want the work they do to best address actual student concerns.

So far, the issues addressed have touched upon sexual assault on campus, TransLink and transit issues, and academic issues, including SFU’s class withdrawal policy.

Students will be able to take the survey online, and might happen to stumble across the Advocacy Committee giving out the survey in person, often with a free freezie for completion.

Our 2016 Polaris Music Prize short list

By

EIC

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July 4, 2016

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EPSON MFP image — Canadian musicians shine like the North Star with the Polaris Music Prize.

How does the Polaris Music Prize work?

“The Polaris Music Prize is a not-for-profit organization that annually honours and rewards artists who produce Canadian music albums of distinction. A select panel of music critics judge and award the Prize without regard to musical genre or commercial popularity. Polaris Music Prize nominees and winners will be selected solely on artistic merit without regard to genre, sales history, or label affiliation.” – Polaris Music Prize 2016 rules and regulations

Often forgotten and overshadowed by big-name American acts, Canadian musicians kind of get the short end of the popularity stick. That’s what makes the Polaris Music Prize great: it’s all about Canadian music.

Ahead of the official 10 album short list announcement on July 14, we’ve decided to compile our own short list here at The Peak. Each of us created our own short list, and then the we featured the most frequently mentioned albums on our compiled list. Albums are presented in alphabetical order by artist.

Coeur de Pirate – Roses

This is my favourite album on The Peak’s short list. Coeur de Pirate alternates between English and French lyrics, giving a unique multicultural feel to the album. With a mellow-pop sound and beautiful vocals, this album is a fantastic listen for any occasion. Sure, only people who are fluent in French can be sure of how good the lyrics are, but if the feelings they invoke are any indication, they’re amazing. If you’re looking for a Canadian Halsey, I highly recommend this album. – JP

Destroyer – Poison Season

Destroyer was shortlisted for their 2011 release Kaputt, and Poison Season keeps the bar high for them. It’s important to acknowledge Kaputt’s success, because frontman Dan Bejar has acknowledged that he wouldn’t have been as ambitious with Poison Season had Kaputt been a flop. All the elements to love from Kaputt are still there — the elaborate musicality, Bejar’s poetic lyrics — and it also builds upon the feelings of yearning for more out of life. Bejar clearly believes that life can be a more beautiful thing, and the way he expresses that through Destroyer is a treat for Canadians to empathize with. – NR

Drake – VIEWS

With a refined sound and sharp lyrical focus, Drake shows his unique strength for unvarnished honesty and introspection on his latest, VIEWS. “Too Good,” “Controlla,” and “Views” are all highlights, and what is noticeable about this album is that it truly functions as an album, with no single song overshadowing the rest. The whole thing feels like a coherent thought, with songs flowing into one another seamlessly. By the end of it, you’ll feel exhausted but enlightened by the glimpse into a deeply complicated artist. – JD

Grimes – Art Angels

Art Angels is a bewildering and restless work of art. Its songs seamlessly mix pop, EDM, and electronica, but what is truly unique is that Grimes never sounds derivative. Moreover, Grimes as the sole producer, writer, and instrumentalist of this album puts herself into every corner of it. From the sonic highs of “REALiTi” and “Butterfly,” to the dancefloor stomp of “Venus Fly” and “Kill v. Maim,” to the sun-tinged pop with a dark side of “California” and “Flesh without Blood.” This album is filled to the brim with excitement and energy — even after hearing this album over and over, it still feels like I’m listening for the first time. Without a doubt, Grimes has made not just the best Canadian album of the year, but the best album of the year, period. – JD

Half Moon Run – Sun Leads Me On

This album doesn’t feel Canadian. This could be a good or bad thing depending on your perspective, but given the overall strength of the album that is more of an inconsequential fact. The strong vocals along with the well-developed sound and strong production values allow this album to stand up to bigger name American indie-folk artists like Gregory Alan Isakov and Lord Huron. This album — and Half Moon Run — have been on pretty high rotation for me and it would be nice to see them get recognized for their talent. – JW

Carly Rae Jepsen – E•MO•TION

What makes this album great is how Carly Rae Jepsen tries something a bit different with every song, but they all stay true to her sound. Known for her upbeat pop anthems, E•MO•TION brings that and more: from the dance track “Boy Problems” to the softened love song “Favourite Colour,” Jepsen really explores what can be done in an electro-pop album. This album is, without a doubt, Jepsen’s best work. Suck it, “Call Me Maybe.” – JP

Junior Boys – Big Black Coat

This Ontario duo have always made electro records for that one sad guy at the party who only talks to the people he already knows (read: me), so it came as a surprise when they released Big Black Coat last year, easily their most accessible and extroverted album yet. There are elements of disco, krautrock, and even straightforward pop on here, all brought together by singer Jeremy Greenspan’s sexy warble. The Boys have done plenty of great work over their decade-long career, but Big Black Coat deserves special recognition for how much it tries — and how often it succeeds — at doing something entirely new. – MJH

Peaches – Rub

Peaches (née Merrill Nisker) has never been one for modesty or moderation, and we can thank our lucky stars for that. The singer and performance artist has become an icon as a result of her embrace of gender fluidity, sex positive lyrics, and grotesque music videos. Long story short, she is awesome. And Rub is arguably her brashest, sexiest, and downright weirdest record ever, featuring such gems as “Can’t talk right now / This chick’s dick is in my mouth” and “Pussy’s big and I’m proud of it / You can dig dig dig in and out of it.” Seriously, how can you say no to that? – MJH

Andy Shauf – The Party
I haven’t been able to stop listening to The Party since it came out. The singer-songwriter that Shauf has become manifests itself beautifully here with his stories of the partygoers, and his ability to blend that all with piano, clarinet, guitar, and strings is beautiful. The most common comparison made with Shauf is to Elliott Smith, but The Party allows him to clearly define his own space, one that should be recognized by the jurors of the Polaris Music Prize. The ability to put such a range of emotions and moods to catchy compositions shows as much. – NR

The Strumbellas – Hope

This album isn’t all exhilaration and fun times, as the lead single “Spirits” would lead you to believe. It’s a well-balanced album filled with lyrics that manage to be both poignant and catchy at the same time. While this catchiness could come across as almost obnoxiously pop-y sounding, they manage to avoid that by making you want to sing along with lyrics like “Nothing is OK / Oh, except for this night.” It’s the little things that make this album a standout in a sea of albums that just sound sort of the same. – JW

Albums to match every stage of your summer road trip

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EIC

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July 4, 2016

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nathansux_web — Road trips are just as much about the music as the experience.

Summer’s here, and with it comes plenty of reasons to be hitting the road. Music festivals, weddings, cabin getaways, trips back to your hometown — through any combination of the above, you’ll be spending plenty of time on the road, sweat-soaked skin likely pressed grossly against the back of a car seat.

With that in mind, I’d like to make a declaration: the greatest musical offence a road-tripper can commit — not including the sin of just choosing straight-up bad tunes — is to have an itchy musical trigger finger. Playlists were literally made for road-tripping, but if you’re putting on an album, listening to a handful of tracks and then already scrolling for the next album, you need to rethink your game plan. Or you can forgo giving it any more independent thought of your own, and just check out some recommendations from a certified, seasoned road-tripper like myself.

Start of the road trip: The beginning of the road trip is all about momentum, so start with something loud and high-energy. Keep in mind that the start of a road trip is usually plagued by false starts — last-minute stops at the grocery store, filling up on gas, circling back to someone’s house to retrieve a forgotten, crucial item — so maybe wait until you’re officially on a highway to pull out the big guns.

Recommended listening:
Guitar Romantic by the Exploding Hearts: A fun punk-pop album with a grisly backstory: while on tour for Guitar Romantic, the band was in a car accident and only one member survived.

Leave Me Alone by Hinds: Pleasant fuzz-rock, buoyed by a pair of standout female vocalists.

The Courtneys by The Courtneys: While the Courtneys’ self-titled release is in my regular music rotation year-round, there’s a noticeable spike during the summer months.

Middle of the road trip: That initial embarking buzz has worn off, and conversation may be dying off a bit. This is where you call on the albums with a good, steady beat, or even albums with noteworthy lyrics that might otherwise get lost in the commotion at the start of the road trip.

Recommended listening:
Elephant Eyelash by Why?: The band’s signature blend of hip-hop and indie-rock make for a sprawling, lyrically nostalgic album that benefits from close-listening.

Reconstruction Site by the Weakerthans: A dream of mine is to one day drive across Canada listening to nothing but the Weakerthans. I’ll let John K. Samson’s voice take the metaphorical wheel.

Thr!!!er by !!!: !!! albums can get a bit silly, but they’re at their best on this catchy, beat-driven release from 2013 — and just in case the question arises during your road trip, their name is pronounced “chk chk chk.”

Night-time driving: Often, time constraints mean you’ll be driving through at least part of the night, which can be tricky. You want something mellow enough so that people trying to catch some shut-eye can do so in peace, but you don’t want an album so ambient that the driver falls asleep and kills y’all. Throw on one of these albums to find a happy medium.

Recommended listening:
The Colour in Anything by James Blake: The album’s a surprisingly effective combination of sexy and haunting, which matches the tone of night-driving perfectly.

The Fall by Rhye: Silky smooth music that slips seamlessly between genres and into your trailblazing ears.

The First Days of Spring by Noah and the Whale: Break-ups produce some of the best music, and this album — inspired by the disintegration of frontman Charlie Fink and Laura Marling’s relationship — is the perfect combination of heartbreak and cautious optimism.

Pale Dīan has more in common with university students than you know

By

EIC

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July 4, 2016

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RGB Pale Dian – Raphael Umscheid — With the departure of the original drummer a name-change was in the cards for the band.

Formerly known as Blackstone Rngrs, Pale Dīan is a band from Austin, Texas specializing in dark pop/dream pop. Consisting of vocalist/keyboardist Ruth Ellen Smith, guitarist Derek Kutzer, and drummer Nicholas Volpe, Pale Dīan is a group that strives to make an emotional connection with their audience.

Unfortunately, they weren’t able to cross the US/Canada border to play their scheduled show at the Rickshaw Theatre on June 19. They talked to The Peak, though, and expressed that they were really excited to play here. They’ve never played a show in Vancouver, and it seems like that won’t change anytime soon.

Kutzer cited influences in Roy Orbison, Cocteau Twins, and Bob Dylan, and said his favourite song to play is “In a Day.” Smith, on the other hand, favours the album intro off Narrow Birth, as well as “Diana.” She also added that she feels the “stage is therapy for me. I am raw and not expecting to show or feel any other way than exactly how I am.”

On the subject of moving from the Blackstone Rngrs project to Pale Dīan, Kutzer said, “Well, we had just let go [of] our drummer and original member of Blackstone Rngrs, and we had finished recording about half of what became Narrow Birth, and we kind of took a step back and viewed everything and realized that whatever was developing was something different than Blackstone Rngrs.“We had grown apart from the name, and really felt overly self-conscience [sic] about it, and thought it was the right time to make a change. Ever since we started Pale Dīan we had a newfound confidence, and it really felt more like ‘us.’ It felt more natural, for sure.”

Narrow Birth is their debut LP. “If I could break it down into one sound, I’d say buzzy/distorted,” said Kutzer.

The trio is also familiar with hardship, and trying to make ends meet — a struggle students are often all too familiar with. They spend almost all the time away from the band working to pay rent and finance their lives.

“It is hard to have a normal life,” admitted Kutzer. “When you are gone for two months at a time, you’ve got to figure out all those finances, because you’re not generating the income to pay all of your bills and rent, and to top it all off, you’re working some job that pays shit wages/tips, which means you gotta work a whole lot of hours to earn anything substantial.

“So, yeah, we all work a whole lot. But we are trying to get to a level where the band can start replacing the so-called day jobs for generating the income it takes to survive in a market-capitalist system.”

Kutzer even joked about having a ‘normal life’: “Wouldn’t it be nice to tend a garden? Wouldn’t it be nice to not stress about where I’m gonna live when I get back, or not have to find someone to sublease my room? Wouldn’t it be nice to not work service industry and independent contractor jobs just because they [all] have a flexible schedule? All those things would be nice! But, nah. It is nicer to create something on your own terms and then take it out to the world, even if it means sacrificing a great deal of the so-called comfortable life.”

CINEPHILIA: Wiener-Dog is trapped in its own matter-of-factness

By

EIC

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July 4, 2016

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weiner dog — The characters and their portrayal make this film feel meaningless.

Todd Solondz, the director of cringe-comedies like Happiness and Storytelling, observes the world without corrective lenses. Movies can project idealized images, but Solondz sees things as they are. His films are about the messy pieces in life and how they never seem to fit together. His latest, Wiener-Dog, is no sequel to Lassie, let me tell you. The characters drift like the eponymous dachshund, from one stage of life to the next, without much say of how things go or where they end up.

There are four stories as a dog is passed between owners, each one following an older character. A young boy, who is kept on a tight leash by his miserable, bourgeois parents, is trapped inside his cold, urban home without any outside friends. Dawn Wiener, who was abused by her peers in junior high — depicted in Solondz 1995 film Welcome to the Dollhouse — runs into bully Brandon, and they go together on a trip to meet his brother. The third story follows a screenwriting professor who is uninterested in life and his students, and in the final chapter an elderly woman is visited by her granddaughter who needs money.

The form is made up of long, static, and stilted shots. When the camera moves, it’s with a snail-paced pan or dolly. The characters are situated awkwardly in the frame, imprisoned within its “matter of fact-ness.” An ensemble of deadpan performances by Greta Gerwig, Danny Devito, Kieran Culkin, and Julie Delpy are trapped in a deadpan world. There are only a few grace notes and tender flourishes: a hug between two estranged brothers or a grandmother’s selfless gift.

Robert Bresson’s Au Hasard Balthazar, which followed the parallel lives of a girl and her donkey as they age, is a clear influence. But while Bresson made a saintly prayer, Wiener-Dog is a mutter into the void. Solondz’s film is restricted by his worldview — meaningless about meaninglessness. Within his philosophy, there is thankfully room for humanism and vivid moments of joy and pain. But seen through the eyes of a nihilist, life is a grand folly, neither happy nor sad. Wiener-Dog ends in the only way it could have: with a punchline, not an elegy.

Independence Day: Resurgence falls short of expectations

By

EIC

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July 4, 2016

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NEBRAQJ9jIYYGB_1_a — They're back, but they should have Just stayed away in the first place.

Independence Day: Resurgence is a block without the buster. With dry dialogue, failed attempts at comic relief, and two-dimensional characters that leave audiences wondering why they were even in the film, it falls short of the expectations set by its predecessor. The film places too much weight on new actors who deliver downright unsatisfying performances.

However, it’s not all bad. The film does have moments of exhilaration and sci-fi action spectacles. This is especially the case at the beginning of the film, when a gigantic alien spacecraft destroys cities with its own gravity, landing on Earth as if it is a huge glove that grips the planet like a baseball. The biggest spectacle of the film is the military’s battle against the invaders’ monstrous queen, whose colossal size rivals that of Godzilla and King Kong.

After 20 years of peace and prosperity, Earth has become highly advanced, integrating both human and alien technology to improve its military strength. After the characters discover that an alien ship even more devastating than the previous one is on its way, they once again find themselves fighting for the preservation of the human race.

An underlying theme is the film’s advanced innovative technology. The modern military aircraft, state-of-the-art weaponry, and a tightly secured alien prison in Area 51 reflects the highly mechanized world in which the film is set. But as interesting as these themes can be, they do little to alleviate the film’s lack of heart.

The film is ultimately hindered by the lack of a compelling core relationship, such as that between Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum in the first Independence Day. While Goldblum does return, the absence of Smith in this sequel definitely hurts the film as a whole. Without his hotshot attitude and memorable humour, this sequel ends up being incomplete and empty.

The weakest link of the cast is Liam Hemsworth, whose portrayal of a hotshot pilot is little more than an archetypical character that has been done way too many times before. From his weak chemistry with Goldblum’s character to his not-so-funny scene of urinating in front of aliens inside their spaceship, his character can only be described as a caricature of Tom Cruise’s Maverick from Top Gun and Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill from Guardians of the Galaxy.

On top of all of these failings, the one that really takes the cake is the presence of a talking alien sphere near the end of the film. (Spoiler!) The sphere, which poses as an obstacle to the alien forces in conquering the universe, ends up becoming an ally of the human race. This development completely breaks the film’s momentum and ends up being downright silly.

Overall, Independence Day: Resurgence copies its predecessor without including any of the heart or energy that made it great. Although Goldblum leads the charge once again, the film fails to meet expectations with low-quality dialogue, two-dimensional characters, cliché heroisms, and repetitive close calls that elude any possibility of being genuine. Any hopes for this sequel to have the same excitement that made the first film an entertaining adventure fades away within its first 10 minutes.