issue 20// vol 47 arts // no. 11 Post-punk fun that crosses the line into political satire » Mush’s newest album ‘Lines Redacted’ offers everything you'd expect from its genre Jonathan Pabico Senior Columnist keen f there’s one thing that British post-punk band Mush proves with their recently released album Lines Redacted, it’s this— they have a lot of things to say about the environment, pandemic anxieties, and Donald Trump. Historically, the band is no stranger to employing their music to discuss the moral failings of politics and British society. Mush entertains fans nonetheless with their punk humour and fresh music for 2021. What’s enjoyable about the album is that the band is bitingly unapologetic with their political satire. Their first track “Drink the Bleach’—an obvious allusion to Trump's absurd claim made in jest of injecting bleach as a cure for COVID-19—uses drowsy drum beats and distorted guitar riffs paired with weird drawls and slurs from the vocals. These arrangements poke fun at Trump and convey how hilarious this event was during his presidency. Even the titular song “Lines Redacted” mocks Trump’s release of redacted documents about the Russian probe. The track uses groovy guitar riffs and easygoing drum set tempos with pseudo- drunken vocals for lyrics like “Lines and lines of blacked-out print / Confusing last testimony.’ The soundscape conveys how ridiculously strange political realities can easily be for those in power. However, Mush doesn't stop with politics as they also talk about other social themes. A personal favorite, “B2BCDA” discusses the looming concerns for pollution and the environment. It further illustrates how crucial it is to open conversations about this subject through the track’s speedy and upbeat instrument compositions. Moreover, the album explores the weird normalcies of the current pandemic with songs like “Hazmat Suits.” The guitar’s startling energy and the bouncy drum hits foreground lyrics like “Everyone’s shopping in their brand-new hazmat suits / Stop all the entertainment.” This synergy relays how face masks and other COVID-19 protocols continue making daily life an odd existence. Lines Redacted even includes psychedelic songs. The track “Bots!” for instance, evokes our fears and anxieties about technology, cybercrimes, and misinformation. The slurred vocals are elevated by lingering, and sometimes off-kilter guitar melodies. They reflect how threatened we can be by our digital world’s unbridled dangers. As for flaws, the album could’ve been more relatable if it had a few post-punk songs about friends, family, love, hope, and so forth. Doing so would have provided an optimism that’s much needed for listeners right now. The album could’ve pushed its light-hearted tone with not only humour but also more positive subjects. Part satire, part punk rock, Lines Redacted is marvelously punchy yet socially relevant. Mush shows once again that Before, After, and Beyond Life in > ‘Life in a Day 2020’ Review Jerrison Oracion Senior Columnist wkweK KY n July 24, 2010, Academy Award winning director Ridley Scott and YouTube asked everyone to film themselves throughout the day and submit their footage to be involved in a revolutionary project. Thousands of people sent their Pe footage and it led to the creation of a cinematic documentation of a typical day during normal times. During that time, everyone was able to attend concerts, the golden age of YouTube was getting to its peak, and change was rolling in society. Ten years later, a lot of progress has been made—and with the coronavirus pandemic unexpectedly affecting the entire world, it is good timing to document the historical year with Life in a Day 2020. I Sera ay Wa j 2020: Photo by Arnaldo Fragozo watched the previous film before watching the sequel since some of the people in the first film give updates. The documentary is presented in a series of montages; we see the different aspects of life and have big questions answered—including what is in people’s pockets. What makes the documentary interesting is that some of the footage that was sent in was so similar, and this allowed the film editors to create very smooth transitions between the segments—and, add music to that, it easily made life look epic. Audio from one footage mashed with other authentic footage of life makes the segment more impactful. Life in a Day shows that anyone can be a filmmaker and if you see something, turn on your camera and begin shooting an event that could be important later in history. The sequel takes place on July 25, 2020 and includes 324,000 videos—and this is more submitted footage than previous film received. Many people recorded their lives, including myself. I recorded myself on my way to the supermarket that I work in, the surrounding areas during my break, and the sun setting at home, though it did not end up being in the final film. However, we do see a variety of stories which tackle the pandemic, how people are trying to enjoy themselves, who they love, what they fear, and how they are surviving. Illustration by Udeshi Seneviratne they’re a band that enjoys being funny towards our absurd world. They truly push the avant-garde envelope with weird political music about today’s turbulent times. Lines Redacted’s oddball beats and laughable comedy earn the album a place in your top ten playlist. a Day Compared to in 2010, more people are using mobile devices and there is a lot of content on YouTube. After a decade with ups and downs that led to a lot of changes to society, life continues to progress and the end of the tunnel nears. We also find out that someone that was seen in the previous film passed away from the coronavirus and one person that only had a father in the first now has a stepmother. Around the time the documentary was filmed, many people filmed their footage with a video camera or a cellphone camera which was okay quality. There were times throughout the film where black bars are seen in scenes that were not filmed in widescreen. Compared to 10 years later in Life in a Day 2020, we see less of that and the images are sharper because most of it was filmed in 4K. When it was released on February 6, a director’s cut version of the documentary was included which was available for YouTube Premium users one week before everyone else could watch it, and it also had two minutes of additional footage. YouTube Premium users can also watch deleted and extended scenes which could have been added to the film with its running time of one hour and 27 minutes. Life is worth it and epic to experience. There will be another Life in a Day in nine years and hopefully the footage that I made will be archived for future generations.