arts // no. §

New and great
music on Spotify

» Spotify Release Radar and Discover Weekly picks

Sonam Kaloti
Arts Editor

 

Srey treats me to a great selection of
music every week, whether it be through
my Release Radar or my Discover Weekly.

I thought, “Why keep these treasures only
to myself?” Therefore, I decided to share
some gems.

“come out and play” by Billie Eilish

The first song is a soft, acoustic holiday
ballad by Billie Eilish. This song was
created in partnership with Apple for their
holiday “Share Your Gifts” campaign and
co-written with Eilish’s brother, Finneas
O'Connell. The ballad itself is emotional
and wistful. Eilish sings to a friend to
come outside and play with her, instead

of staying alone. The song has warm
references to coffee and snow, making it

a cozy little fireplace tune. The visual ad
paired with the tune features a girl who has
creative talents but doesn’t show them to
the world because she is too nervous. On
his Twitter account, O’Connell said that
he and Eilish “got sent an incredibly early
version of this commercial when they were
still putting it together and [they] wrote
this song while watching it.”

“I Knew You When” by Marianas Trench
(Explicit)

“I Knew You When” is a pop-rock type

of song. Marianas Trench is known for
meaningful lyrics presented in music that
you can move to. “I Knew You When” isa
sad song about past loves, with an upbeat
tempo sure to get anyone dancing. Pleasing
harmonies are prevalent throughout, with
a fun, catchy chorus and triplet beats. Lead
singer of the band, Josh Ramsey, spoke

of the song on Twitter, saying the song

Rezz has a certain kind of magic

>» Rezz at the PNE Forum

Sonam Kaloti
Arts Editor

 

| ae stage name of Isabelle
ezazadeh—is a Canadian DJ and
producer hailing from Niagara Falls,
Ontario. She played at the PNE Forum on
November 17. The PNE Forum is different
in comparison to many other venues in
Vancouver. The entire venue is very open
and breathable, which makes it especially
good for electronic concerts.

Arriving to the venue late, ] missed
the first opener Tails’ set. Tails did not leave
an impression on my friends, so they said I
didn’t miss much (I'd seen Tails at FVDED
though, where he was amazing). Instead,

I walked into the venue during 1788-L’s
performance, a relatively new producer in
the scene who gained popularity through
their remix of “Particle Arts” by Virtual Self
(Porter Robinson). The drops were unique
and everything about the performance
gave off a vibe that I hadn't heard before,
which is a goldmine for an EDM producer.
I'd never heard of 1788-L before, but I’m
sure to keep an eye on them from now

“is about long term, messy, real life love.
Love with consequence. Not drunk lust,

or ‘living just for tonight; or “SHOTS !”
Marianas Trench has an upcoming concert
at the Orpheum on March 29.

“I Got Top in Bikini Bottom” by Joey
Trap (Explicit)

Warning: This song is extremely explicit!
As we know, college kids are “cool”, and
cool kids listen to rap. However, the
definition of cool keeps being altered.
Serious rap music is good, sure, but more
and more music on topics like SpongeBob
SquarePants keep being released—

and there must be a reason. The best
explanation I’ve found is that the music is
simply fun. Music doesn’t always have to
be serious; music can be just enjoyable,
and I’m glad the world is finally getting
on board. This song is only a minute and a
half, but it spits straight fire! Just kidding,
but this is the kind of song you blast in
your car with your friends as you all scream
the lyrics together. My only advice is to
keep the windows up.

 

forth. After 1788-L, Drezo was on. As the
final opening act, Drezo was incredible and
hyped up the crowd for Rezz, who was up
next.

Rezz began her set with an homage to
the Halloween movie theme song, paired
with animated visuals of her walking ina
forest. Most of her set was dedicated to a
mix between her new album, Certain Kind
of Magic, which came out this year, and
“Nightmare on Rezz Street’, which is a half-
hour-long Halloween mix of previously-
unreleased music also released earlier this
year.

Rezz danced along to her music,
pumped her fists in the air, and just
generally seemed to have a good time
on stage. Her visuals were hypnotizing.

I recognized most of the visuals from
“Nightmare on Rezz Street,” which was a
Halloween project with visuals holding
the same importance as the music itself. A
lot of the graphics followed an animated
version of Rezz herself discovering new
lands and using magic. Some scenes
presented her looking like a monster,
while others made her look like a god

theotherpress.ca

Local show
highlights the
Asian experience

> ‘Yellow Fever’ at Red Gate Arts Society

Isabelle Orr
Entertainment Editor

 

here comes a point in almost every

stand-up set where a comedian (often
white) makes an off-colour (pun intended)
joke that completely takes me out of
the set. ] find even some popular Asian
comedians rely on jokes that make white
people feel safe, giving them an “in” on
cultural jokes and allowing them to laugh
at the expense of others.

The aptly named Yellow Fever, held
at Red Gate Arts Society on November 14,
did the complete opposite. The show’s
described as a “night of comedy by Asians,
for Non-Asians, and also Asians.” Produced
by Anna Cran, Tin Lorcia, and Matty Vu
(all of whom also performed), the small
space was packed with people. Interstitial
music was, fittingly, Japanese Breakfast,
Mitski, and choice gems from the Mulan
and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
soundtracks (for any interested parties it
was “Tokyo Drift” by the Teriyaki Boyz—a
certified banger). Other comedians
included Soo Jeong, Andrea Jin, Cory
Lupovici, and Bradley Fung.

Jokes were centred around, but not
limited to, the Asian experience. This
included earning parental approval,
interracial dating, and hardships faced in
the comedy community. Family dynamics
were explored, traumas unearthed,
and popular culture dissected. Several
comedians were of mixed descent, while
others spoke on the queer experience,
adding layers to the comedy that resonated
with the crowd.

with multiple arms and looking down on
everyone at the Forum. Hearing a crowd
scream out the sounds to songs without
lyrics is an experience like no other.

I was most excited to hear her remix of
“Divinity” by Porter Robinson off his album
Worlds, which she had mentioned was
in the works on her Twitter page. Porter
Robinson is one of my favourite producers,
so this remix was a match made in
heaven. What surprised me during Rezz’s
set was that she also remixed “Shelter,”

a song made by both Porter Robinson

 

Asa Chinese-Canadian, it was
invigorating to see comedy where being
Asian wasnt the unfortunate punchline
to every joke. Lorica said in an interview
with the Other Press , “An Asian comic
making jokes for white people only stands
to reinforce stereotypes. It contributes to
that feeling of ‘otherness’ that we already
face every day.”

Laurel Krienkie, a Japanese-Canadian
friend of mine who attended the show
with me, echoed my own feelings. “It was
amazing to hear something similar to my
own life experience, instead of hearing
about how a white comedian hates his
girlfriend for the millionth time. It spoke to
me ona personal level that I’ve never really
experienced before at a stand-up show,’ she
said.

Ronald Dario, a regular at Little
Mountain Gallery and the host of Blood
Feud, said to the Other Press that though
he saw diversity in the audiences of open
mic nights, most of the comedians were
white.

“More Asian people should, and can,
do comedy.” Dario said. “I try and diversify
my shows as much as I can. More voices
contribute to more shared experiences—
which are always hilarious. It was amazing
to see an almost fully-Asian crowd tonight.”

Red Gate has been working to expand
its scope from mainly music to include
comedy, spoken word, and other artistic
performances. Yellow Fever is a step in
the right direction, showcasing both local
talent and cultural voices. Lorcia said that
a follow-up show is being planned for
February 2019, where I (and several of my
friends) will be in attendance.

and Madeon, another of my favourite
producers. These two plus Rezz take the
spots of my top three favourites, so hearing
these songs remixed was a dream—one |
didn’t know I had—come true. The remixes
themselves were beautiful. Rezz ended her
entire set on the last lines of “Divinity”:
“You see right through me.”

Unexpectedly emotional, I loved the
set and am excited for Rezz to come back to
Vancouver. In the meantime, I'll be making
kandi bracelets for Contact Festival, which
is just around the corner.

Photo by Sonam Kolati