REVIEWS 9 – Friday, Sept. 25, 2015 – North Pointe ALBUM

WILD

Among a sea of new artists striving to make it as the next Lorde or Ed Sheeran, Troye Si- van emerges victorious. Prior to his music career, Sivan starred in the South African movie franchise Spud and gained inter- national fame through YouTube. By Emma Puglia The inhumane com- had an impressively There’s one com- Sivan’s dive into the music in- WEB EDITOR-IN-CHIEF pany is searching for a disturbing makeup mon aspect of all dys- WWW.TWITTER.COM dustry began with a few singles cure to a flesh-eating job, their continuous topian sci-fi/fantasy and an EP, TRXYE, last August. His most recent musical Sequels rarely live disease that leaves its “gotcha” moments lost movies that never los- endeavor, WILD, dropped Sept. 4. up to the original, and victims savage, un- their effect quickly. es its zest: the set. An This new EP has gained a much-deserved celebrity Maze Runner: Scorch dead monsters. To find What revives the abandoned city, with following since its debut, including social media shout- Trials is no exception. a cure, they must har- reduced version of the crumbling buildings, outs from pop giants Taylor Swift and Sam Smith. Although the addition vest enzymes from im- plot is the actors. The bullet-ridden cars and However, WILD isn’t Sivan’s first EP to score media of some talented ac- mune youths, sacrific- emotion that celeb- sandy streets always buzz. Both of his EPs sold well, earning spots in the top tors boosted the qual- ing one generation to rities such as Dylan proves to be a terrify- 10 albums on iTunes after their release and staying on ity of the movie, the save another. Thomas, O’Brien and Thom- ing glimpse of what the charts multiple weeks. WILD was promoted through plot, chocked full of the unspoken leader, as Brodie-Sangster the future could hold. teasers on Sivan’s YouTube channel, which helped him explosions and zom- and his friends from poured into betrayal The amount of de- advertise to his over 3.5 million subscribers. bie-like creatures, was the maze run away and death scenes was tail that goes into the Songs featured on WILD have the same feel and style just one long chase from the company’s remarkable, consider- physical (and the edit- as TRXYE but with brand new lyrics and a more alter- scene. advances in search of ing these actors are ing of) the set is admi- native sound.The Aussie’s silky, airy voice meshes with A group of teenage a rebel army. known for their more rable. funky beats similar to those in Swift’s 1989 to form six boys (plus one fierce All action and no sarcastic, witty per- However repetitive ear-pleasing pop anthems. girl to add diversity) character development formances. One of the plot seemed to Unlike on Sivan’s first EP, these songs feature other are scarred from their makes for a slightly the new characters, be, with the amount underground foreign artists. “EASE,” which features experience of being dull movie. My quick- Aris (Jacob Lofland), of cliff-hangers, un- brother-sister indie pop act Broods from New Zealand, trapped in a giant ly beating heart was a sweet boy from a answered questions showcases a gorgeous harmony throughout the entire maze, escaping death hardly given a break separate all-girl maze, and lingering feel- track. Australian hip-hop artist Tkay Maidza’s rap in by robot spiders and with so many near- added intelligence and ings of attachment to “DKLA” (which means don’t keep love around) takes Siv- murderous cellmates. death moments, from security to the rebel- the characters, there’s an’s tranquil song and adds some edge to it. This creates Beyond the count- being struck by light- lious group. Lofland’s no doubt that fans of a perfect blend of silky smooth pop and a more piercing less hedge walls, the ing to almost being perceived innocent the series will remain rap sound. gang discovers a com- eaten alive by zom- demeanor and intense hooked. Breakout hits from WILD are “FOOLS” and “BITE.” pany named WICKED bies. Although these loyalty was refreshing These songs emulate the best song off of TRXYE, has been testing their almost laughable crea- throughout the seri- “Touch.” “BITE” places more emphasis on Sivan’s voice skills. tures (known as Cranks) ous danger. rather than the synthetic beats in the background. Its Maze Runner: Scorch minimal sound gives the track a slightly haunting vibe. Trials (2015) In “Fools,” which feels the most personal of all the songs, Directed by Wes Ball Sivan expresses his regret of falling in love with some- 132 Mins one who could not love him back. The title track “WILD” PG-13 is by far the most upbeat. Think Lorde’s lyrics in “Tennis Court” to the beat of Swift’s “Bad Blood.” WILD is chock full of unique songs. Sivan’s gorgeous lyrics and soft voice work with each song’s exclusive sound to make the EP worth every penny.

Troye Sivan; WILD; Universal Music Austrailia; 2015 Available on Itunes for $4.74

By Mora Downs TECHNOLOGY ALBUM APP

VOCALOIDS BADLANDS IMPOSSIBLE CAVES

People, holograms, software, sing- Breakout star Ashley Frangi- Easy to learn, hard to master. ers. Vocaloids are all of these things. pane, known by her stage name This phrase is common through- Except they aren’t exactly people. Halsey, just released her first out the game industry, and it cer- Vocaloids is a type of software that album, BADLANDS. Famous for tainly applies to Impossible Caves. emulates the human voice. Each her covers and original songs on In Impossible Caves, the play- character is represented by a differ- YouTube, Halsey’s newest album ers are white squares descending ent voice with a unique range. Songs is already a hit. With subtle elec- deeper into the cave. As they fall, aren’t written by any one company tronic undertones, Taylor Swift- they have to avoid spikes that are or recording studio. Rather, they are esque harmonies, brooding and both on the ground and the ceil- WWW.ROSSCUTH.DEVIANTART.COM user-generated. Participants have WWW.TRENDIO.US.COM mysterious sound and deep bass WWW.NEOSEEKER.COM ing. The goal is to fall as far as pos- created thousands of songs in varying genres and by differ- tones, BADLANDS has something for everyone. sible, which requires both quick thinking and good judge- ent Vocaloids, such as Kagamine Len, MEIKO and Megurine By using new recording tactics, such as 3D sound ment. Luka. and catchy lyrics, Halsey keeps listeners coming back The game is extremely easy to learn. To avoid the spikes, A few songs in particular stand out. “The World is Mine” for more. Each song has its own unique feel to it and is the player simply taps the screen to jump. Quick decision- a pretty energetic pop song, is one of the most recognizable as enjoyable as the next. making is imperative when jumping, as the player has to songs from Hatsune Miku. “Unhappy Refrain” resembles the The album strays from Halsey’s first EP, Room 93. time jumps to not only miss the floor spikes, but the ceiling sort of grunge/heavy metal style of music with a strong em- While Room 93 has a more rocky edge to it, this album spikes as well. But be wary, oftentimes taps won’t register, phasis on the drum set and bass guitar. “Paired Wintry Winds” has a more acoustic vibe. However, the two are con- leaving the player helpless to do anything but be killed. uses traditional Japanese instruments, such as the Koto and nected through hits “Hurricane” and “Ghost,” which There is no limit on the number of jumps the player can Taiko, to great effect. “Rolling Girl” is a piano-based song make a second appearances on the album. do at one time, which is a double-edged sword. The nice as- that’s a sharp contrast to most other Vocaloid songs because Another major difference between the EP and album pect of it is that if one jumps too early before a spike, there’s of the choice of instruments. is that Room 93 has 3 extra editions of the tracks, in- still have a chance to make it over. However, if the player The other thing that’s notable about Vocaloid music is that cluding a commentary album, a set of remix tracks, and jumps too many times, when the cube lands, it sometimes the lyrics, despite being dark, are a sort of social commen- a set of live copies of each song called “One Mic, One stops (not because of a glitch, but because of how it lands). tary. “Online Game Addicts” despite the extremely energetic Take”. This different twist Halsey took is an original Despite the seemingly easy task and controls, it’s called instrumentation, is about losing sight of society and getting move and separates her from the competition. Impossible Caves for a reason. It’s far harder than it looks, caught up in a world that doesn’t exist. “Depression of Cyber- A few of the most popular songs on BADLANDS are as it’s difficult to advance without memorizing parts of the netics” explains the endless cycle of the creation of weapons reminiscent of Halsey’s individualistic sound. “Colors” map. This constant need to remember causes the player to and fighting wars, and the things that were lost in the fighting. brings to mind Taylor Swift’s single “Wildest Dreams” die frequently. The difference between instrumentation and lyrics cuts both with similar harmonies and tones. Another lovable Impossible Caves is set in specific levels. The paths never ways. Some may think that the contrast is appealing, others single, “Drive,” is one of the most alluring to listen to. change, which, when coupled with the fact that it’s so easy think that the difference impairs their enjoyment of the songs. Throughout the song and especially in the last 30 sec- to die, can lead to the game becoming boring. However, if Also, language barrier is a problem. Most, if not all, of the onds of the piece, the revving of a car motor draws the the player gets stuck and can’t get past an area, there is the songs are in Japanese, and the translations aren’t always ex- listener back into the title of the anthem. Another wild- option of skipping it. To do so requires watching a video ad, act. Two different websites with the same song’s translated ly popular single, “Hurricane” describes a wanderer but afterwards, it’s on to the next stage. While this feature lyrics may not match each other. And the large difference be- who can’t find her way as a teen, which resonates with seems like a good idea, it only cheats the player out of the tween the Japanese and English languages can leave listeners many of Halsey’s listeners. experience of actually achieving something in the game. lost on what the singer is trying to say. Listening to the songs Halsey is one of the newest artists to join the ranks One big knock on the game is the ads. Free games like as a whole, not just the lyrics, is a more fulfilling experience. of the alternative genre, and she does not disappoint. Impossible Caves usually have ads, but they’re especially There’s also the fact that the singers aren’t actual people, With captivating lyrics and beautiful melodies, BAD-annoying in this one. Ads pop up constantly, one after ev- despite their appearances. They’re holograms. It’s rough to try LANDS brings something to the table for everyone and ery few deaths, sometimes even in the middle of a run. and connect to these people and follow them, because there is sure to have lasting relevance. Overall, Impossible Caves is a fun game at first. But as isn’t anyone to actually follow. time goes on, the repetitiveness of the levels and the mad- Vocaloids aren’t exactly an easy thing to get into, especially dening ads slowly ruin it. because of the language barrier, but the listener will be re- warded after getting past the initial difficulties.

Vocaloids; 2015; Yamaha Corporations. Halsey; BADLANDS; Astralwerks; 2015. Impossible Caves; Appsolute Games LLC; 2015; Apple & Android; Free.

By Addison Toutant By Sarah Wietcheta By Billy Moin