issue 2// vol 47 Self-love, family, and optimism » ‘The Third Gleam’ by the Avett Brothers is a touching meditation on what matters the most in life lI] iy ZS, THEOL 2 LS Ss Cover of 'The Third Gleam' Jonathan Pabico Senior Columnist kek KK Fe. the moment you hear the first notes from the guitar, the Avett Brothers’ newest country album The Third Gleam takes you on a peaceful journey that calms and heals your soul. Every track is surprisingly humbling to listen to with its endearing lyrics and moving guitar arrangements. The collection excels with its themes and storytelling that feels like youre taking a nostalgic trip through the American countryside. One of the albums most heartfelt tracks is “I Should’ve Spent The Day With My Family.” Its lyrical poetry delivers a reassuring message about always appreciating the ones you love, and never taking them for granted. The piece uses a gentle guitar and banjo soundscape to elevate the innocence of verse lines like “On days like this, they alone make me want to carry on.” This style choice relays how family gets you through each day with their love and encouragement. What really benefits the playlist is its immense sense of positivity. Tracks like “Back Into The Light” evoke human optimism that keeps hope alive in the world. The lyrics “And just when I surrender to my shadow / I snap out of it, and step into the light” is accompanied by guitar rhythms that patiently follow the shared vocals from the brothers. arts // no. 9 This creates beautiful supportive tones that drive away the listener’s doubts and awakens their inner strength. The album provides closure for the listener with not only optimism but also its powerful theme about self-love and self-worth. The track “Untitled #4” carries these subjects effortlessly through the chorus “Cause I’m happy being me the most / When I let what makes me happy go.” The uplifting guitar intro paired with confident vocals empower these lyrics with a harmony that reflects how you can be at peace once you begin to love yourself. Astrength and weakness of the album is that it only consists of touching ballads that behave as soothing lullabies or meditations about life. The collection’s relaxing atmosphere effectively delivers its resonating subjects. However, it doesn’t illustrate the Avett Brothers’ diverse musical range. The playlist could’ve had a few upbeat or zany country rock songs like their last album, Closer Than Together, to balance with the more mellow tracks. The Third Gleam simply lacks an eclectic feel—it is different in theme but not in song arrangement. Despite these issues, The Avett Brothers’ current album has worthwhile takeaways for country music fans and those just starting to expand their interests. This wondrous listen takes you to a new place of sincerity with its simple themes and the easiness from its guitar tones. If you're looking for a memorable experience, then this collection is all that you need. The world cinema perspective on your HDTV » Films at this year’s Vancouver International Film Festival Jerrison Oracion Senior Columnist [I a film festival, there are a lot of movies that will appeal to every type of audience. There are some that are highly anticipated that a lot of people will talk about. There are also some films that show places that you may not have seen before and offer different perspectives on various issues. Films that will challenge your mind and change the way that you think, and that are presented in interesting ways letting you discover new up-and-coming directors or actors. Many of the films that will be shown in the 2020 Vancouver International Film Festival this year will reflect the current situation of the pandemic. Some of these should be seen on the biggest screen that you can find in your house. One of the films that I am excited to watch in the festival this year—which is a Canadian film—is Pascal Plante’s next film Nadia, Butterfly. Directed by an actual swimmer and starring Canadian athlete Katerine Savard, the film follows an Olympic swimmer as she deals with retiring from the sport. There are a lot of Canadian films making world premieres at the festival including first-time local BC director Loretta Sarah Todd’s indigenous ghost story Monkey Beach, and a snapshot of 1999 high school basketball in Ted Stenson’s Events Transpiring Before, During, and After a High School Basketball Game starring Kim’s Convenience’s Andrew Phung. There are also documentaries about the lost and found at the Montreal subway system with Prayer for a Lost Mitten, police shootings in Calgary with No Visible Trauma, and the sequel to All the Time in the World with First We Eat. Other documentaries that will be shown in the festival include the documentary that swept the awards at the Sundance Film Festival this year, The Reason I Jump, which adapted Naoki Higashida’s bestselling book into an exploration of autism. Another movie will look at Sean Penn’s humanitarian work in Citizen Penn, and another on Jimmy Carter being a rock and roll fan in Jimmy Carter: Rock and Roll President. In international cinema, the Japanese films that they are showing tackle on the issues that are happening in Japan. An example being the comedic portrait of alcoholism in.A Life Turned Upside Down: My Dads an Alcoholic, starring former Keyakizaka46 member Yui Imaizumi. Also showing is SABU directing Naoto, a performer of J-pop dance and vocal group Exile in Dancing Mary. More movies to look forward to is One Cut of the Dead's Shinichiro Ueda’s follow-up with Special Actors, and the suspense thriller The Town of Headcounts. There are two films from Hong Kong that were released before what is happening in the territory right now. Also included are another take on an affair in My Prince Edward, and a mainly fictional documentary called Memories to Choke On, Drinks to Wash Them Down. Finally, Francois Ozon’s next film which is a throwback to his childhood he - . Zo mR VV " NY LR TS | AURIS A SRS AX in the 1980s Summer of 85 will also be shown in the festival. When VIFF begins on September 24, a library of films will be available to choose from, so you can expect me and maybe the rest of the Other Press staff to cover some of these films. The Vancouver International Film Festival will happen between September 24 and October 7. A Photo-illustration by Anastasia Simonovich