I The Behrend Beacon
Eager fans enter Cartel's bubble
By Jeff Deßello
stall writer
jjd50450 , psu.edu
On May 24, Cartel was locked inside a giant
transparent bubble on Pier 54 in Manhattan. They
were challenged to write, record and produce a full
length album in 20 days while fans were allowed to
access 23 strategically placed web cameras at all
times while the hand was in the bubble.
The bubble housed a state-of-the-art recording
studio, kitchen. dining area, bathroom, lounge and
giant sleeping pod with bunk beds for each band
member. The whole process was sponsored by Dr.
Pepper and there was a reality show on MTV show
casing the issues faced by the band.
On June 12. the Band in a Bubble left to perform
a free concert on the Hudson River. and the album
was complete. Producing an album from start to
finish in 20 days is a very impressive task, but it is
clear after listening to the album that it was rushed
in order to make the deadline. In their first full
length album, the songs are fueled by strong lyrics,
but in the new album it is obvious the main objec
tive was to be catchy with the refrains and therefore
not enough work was done writing the verses. For
example, the first single from the new album,
"kse, It", is pretty much two minutes of chorus
With 30 seconds of actual verse. In contrast, the
4
"Top Five Favorite Summer Movies"
By Sam Levine
5. The Simpsons Movie
4. Transformers
3. 1408
2. Superbad
1. The Bourne Ultimatum
Protest songs raise political awareness among college students
By Scott Muska
student life edito►
sun:S(lB2o pciLedu
Since the tragic attacks on September 11, 2001,
the collective population of the United States has
become increasingly politically aware. The country
has become divided on many different topics, but
the most fervently debated has been the war in Iraq.
An increasingly popular way for these arguments
and opinions to be voiced to a vast audience has
been through music recordings and performances,
and such songs have been dubbed "protest songs."
Protest songs are currently making their way into
mainstream pop culture in a way that mirrors the
Vietnam War era, when they reached an astounding
popularity and influenced the minds and opinions
of youths all over the country. Now, just as then,
they have to do mainly with the current war and the
alleged lack of justification for it.
Neil Young and John Lennon were some of the
more popularized advocates of protests songs in the
`6os and '7os, and they are still impacting the genre
today. Last year, Young released an album titled
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Cartel has recently released their second full
length studio album.
first single from their album Chrome was
"Honestly," and, from the opening of the song to
the ending note, it is filled with gripping lyrics but
still remains catchy.
Another major difference between the new CD
and their first record is that the tempo is slowed
down a lot in the new CD, and lead singer Will
Pugh's voice is showcased more than in the first
album. The up-tempo melodies of the first album
are much better suited for Cartel's style of play and
Will's voice. Even though I don't believe the album
stands up to their first album. It is definitely not a
flop and is still better than many of the other
records that come out in their genre. For example,
the song "The Fortunate" features great lyrics and a
very catchy hook, and the melody keeps you listen
ing. The song that follows it is called "Georgia,"
and really can't be compared to any of Cartel's pre
vious songs. It is slow-paced and driven by really
powerful lyrics about the state where the band grew
up, and how they gave up their home to follow their
dreams.
When it comes down to it, if you are a fan of the
pop-rock genre, I would say you should definitely
pick up this album, and if you are not, give it a shot
anyway. It could easily cum you into a fan.
1 , ;
Living With War that was basically an entire protest
record on which he attacked the Bush administra
tion over many of the highly-debated current polit
ical topics. He included the Iraq
War, steroids in baseball, the
destruction of New Orleans as a
result of Hurricane Katrina, the
Patriot Act,and other supposed falla
cies
Lennon became known as one of
the most politically aware musicians
of his or any other time, and his
work with The Beatles and as a solo
artist live on with much popularity
to this day. A cover album of some
of Lennon's songs, called Instant
Karma, was recently released as part
of Amnesty International's effort to
stop the genocide in Darfur, Sudan.
It includes covers by such popular Tom Morello pdrforms solo,
artists as Christina Aguilera, Green
Day, U 2, REM, and Snow Patrol. Along with many
of the other songs, Green Day's cover of "Working
Class Hero" has garnered immense publicity, and
its video features Sudanese refugees speaking about
Box Office Breakdown
August 24-26, 2007
1 Superbad $18,044,369
2 The Bourne Ultimatum . $12,472,215
3 Rush Hour 3 $11,706,643
4 Mr. Bean's Holiday $9,889,780
5 WAR $9,820,089
6 The Nanny Diaries $7,480,927
7 The Simpsons Movie $4,317,689
8 Stardust $3,872,560
9 Hairspray (2007) $3,265,384
10. The Invasion $3,093,428
11. Underdog $2,516,604
12 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix $2,402,412
13 I Now ftonounce You Chuck and Larry $2,033,570
14 Becoming Jane $1,911,867
15 Resurrecting the Champ $1,659,756
16 Illegal Tender $1,425,915
17 No Reservations $1,273,404
18 Ratatouille $1,168,729
19 Transformers $1,148,876
20 Death at a Funeral $1,080,827
*Statistics courtesy of BoxOfficeMojo.com
life in Darfur and the hardships their countrymen
endure
The vast majority of the protest songs that are
coming out have a very paci
fistic tone, and they often attack
George Bush in very merciless
ways. The single from Neil
Young's Living With War is
titled "Let's Impeach the
President," and the increasingly
popular Conor Oberst of Bright
Eyes has come out with a song
called, "When the President
Talks to God." Maroon 5 has
admitted that they are speaking
out against President Bush at
times in their newly released
album, It Won't Be Soon Before
Long, and Rage Against the
has recently released a solo
album under the name The Nightwatchman called
One Man Revolution on which he vehemently
denounces the government.
Not only are artists penning protest songs, they
Question of the week:
Who is your favorite sibling acting duo?
A) Owen and Luke Wilson
B) Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen
C) The Wayans Brothers
D) The Affleck Brothers
E) Other
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By Andy McLachlan
Reese' s Nffs
Coco Puffs
Honey Nut Cheerios
2. Fruit,Lwps
1. Cinnamon Toast Crunch
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Machine guitarist, Tom Morello,
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*E-mail responses to: rpgsoo4@psu.edu
are also speaking out between songs during con
certs and events about the way they feel things are
being mishandled. Shortly after Hurricane Katrina,
Kanye West said that George Bush "doesn't care
about black people," and Dave Matthews has spo
ken out openly against the treatment of the soldiers
in Iraq and the war in general saying that he "fears
that our true motivation is about oil and our own
flailing economy; about the failure to destroy Al
Qaeda and about revenge."
Whether the war in Iraq is justified or not is an
extremely debatable issue that has become subject
to many schools of thought. Whether the artists
who put out these songs are inherently right or not
has become an afterthought. What has come to the
forefront of the protest songs as of late has not been
that the ideals presented through them are sound or
righteous, but that political opinion is being spread
in the popular culture mainstream, which is getting
more of the nation involved in deciding its political
direction. This will grow increasingly more impor
tant in the coming year, when a new president will
be elected and the direction of the nation will defi
nitely change.
Friday, August 31, 2007