arts // no. 8

Hottest albums of the summer

» Carly and Compton climb the charts

Cazzy Lewchuk
Staff Writer

 

i an era where streaming and MP3
sales of single tracks and EPs account
for most music earnings, the album
concept—a large compilation of songs
with shared sound and/or themes—has
been abandoned to an extent. However,

This summer saw music of all genres
bought by consumers of all ages, leading

to what some may argue is a revival of the :

album medium. Now, let’s break down a
few of the biggest-selling albums of 2015.

 

Compton by Dr. Dre
Successful rapper, producer, and
media mogul Dr. Dre follows up his last

: studio album 2007 with Compton, his first
: album in 16 years. Subtitled A Soundtrack,
: the album was inspired by and recorded

: during the filming of the hit movie

: Straight Outta Compton, a biographical

: film focusing on Dre’s former rap group

: N.W.A. This album is very collaborative

: in nature, featuring some of the biggest

: names in rap, including Eminem, Snoop

: Dogg, and Kendrick Lamar. Compton has
: hit number one on the Billboard Charts

: for many countries, including Canada,

: the US, the UK, and Australia, making it

albums continue to rise on the charts and :

sell well both in digital and physical form. : arguably the biggest album of the year.
: Dr. Dre has reclaimed the rap game in

: what may likely be his final release.

AA Naa)

 

E*-MO-TION by Carly Rae Jepsen
British Columbia’s very own Carly

: Rae Jepsen is back with her third studio
: album, featuring her hit singles “I Really
: Like You” and “Run Away With Me.” After :
: a brief stint on Broadway following her

: ultra-successful pop hit “Call Me Maybe,”

: Carly’s new release has been critically

: acclaimed as even better than her last

: album, Kiss. Practically every single one
: of the 12 tracks is catchy and euphoric,

: and the album features an ‘80s influence
: that many of today’s pop artists could

: only dream of. Carly’s back and we really,
: really, really, really like her.

LUKE BRYA

 

Kill the Lights by Luke Bryan
No matter the changing tastes on the

: radio, all-country stations and dedicated
: fan bases—particularly in southern and

: rural areas—ensure there will always be
: a market for the country genre. What

: matters is that country artists stand

: out, and Luke Bryan has proven himself

: once again with his August release Kill

: the Lights. Exciting and upbeat tracks

: like the lead single “Kick the Dust Up,”

combined with Luke’s rugged good looks

; and charm, have made this bro-country
: record one of the biggest sellers of 2015.

theotherpress.ca

: Whether in a bar, NASCAR race, or

: simply a party in a cornfield, every track
: on Kill the Lights will have the folks

: dancing and the beer flowing.

 

Beneath the Skin by Of Monsters

and Men

Emerging from the small country

: of Iceland almost overnight and landing

: on alternative radio stations and movie

: soundtracks everywhere, Of Monsters

: and Men are back for their second studio
: album. Beneath the Skin takes the band

: in an exciting new musical direction,
slightly more mellow and complex than

: their previous release, My Head Is an

: Animal. Their latest album has led to even
: more radio singles for the group, and

: every song on it features its own merit

: and beauty. Of Monsters and Men have

: toured consistently worldwide since their
: 2011 debut album, and this new release

: only leads to more anticipation for their

: next tour and album.

 

Chairman of the Board: Crossover

» ‘Smash Up’ game review

Ed Appleby
illustrator
Miillustrator
@theotherpress.ca

 

Cressevers can be weird
and fun—just ask any
sitcom from the ‘gos. They are
particularly entertaining when
you start to tread in the realms
of crossing groups that alone
could sustain the theme of a
whole movie, such as zombie
pirates, alien robots, or even
dinosaur ninjas.

Smash Up, designed by
Paul Peterson and published
by Alderac Entertainment
Group (AEG) in 2012, is an area
control card game for two to
four players. Players choose two
different factions to make up
their hand, and then play action
and minion cards on various
bases. Once a base reaches a
certain power level, it is scored
and players gain points based
on how much power was on that
base. The first player to reach 15
points wins.

soon.

: Even though the tongue was :
: firmly planted in cheek with the

: design and writing of this game,

: the humour of it by no means

: diminishes the strategy. Like

: many point-based games, there

: are many ways to win other than :
: overpowering your opponents. }
: Your gameplay is very much

: affected by which factions you

: choose. Wizards draw cards and :
: play actions, Robots upgrade and :
: multiply, Zombies come back

: from the dead, Pirates move

: around from base to base, and

 

: The game does have a

: few things working against

: it. The multitude of cards

: means gameplay can halt while

: people try to understand what

: their cards do. The number

: of modifiers and base scoring

: requires some math, which can

: be difficult to keep track of. I

: suggest grabbing some counters
: to keep track of flexing power

: levels and victory points.

: Smash Up is definitely for

: those who like to play “what if...”
: games. There is enough strategy

 

: to keep serious gamers invested

 

 

 

 

Image by Ed Appleby

 

 

 

: gamers to have a blast. The four-
; and enough humour for casual —_: player limit may keep Smash Up

: as a game among tight friends or
: as a sideline in bigger groups.