What I want to remember

By Hannah Kintner, Staff Writer kintner13@up.edu

I am a Pilot. But time is ticking and in three short weeks I will be leaving this beautiful campus with only a diploma-my passport to the real world-and a few old sweatshirts with purple embroidering to remember my time here.

Now that the end is near, it's easy to look back on my four years and point out all the things I would have done differently. I would have been more involved on campus as a freshman, would have studied abroad, would have taken a dance class, would have auditioned for more plays and I would have never taken linguistics... The list could go on and on, but honestly a list like that isn't what I want to take away with me. Ultimately, the things I love about UP are what I want to remember.

Every one of my college years has been drastically different from the last, and each year I found new treasures on campus-new people, new resources, new memories. While I know everyone's experiences are different, these are some of the reasons I'll remember UP.

Finding my place

It took me until the spring of my sophomore year to become brave enough to declare my music major. I had this notion that if I had more than one major, I would overwhelm myself, but I'm so glad I got over that. If you're feeling now that you don't quite fit at UP, it could be because you just haven't found your music department.

The joy I found in going to class was bizarre when I started my music classes. What's more is I found I loved the faculty, the students and the community within the department. Speaking from experience, don't let fear hold you back from something you really want to try. I can imagine I'd be pretty disappointed in myself right now if I had passed up the opportunity to let music influence my life. You've only got four years at UP, so make the most of your time while you can.

Teaching Freshman Workshop

Before I even came to UP, I had my heart set on being an RA, so during my sophomore year I did all that I could to make myself a great candidate. I taught Freshman Workshop, worked on Hall Council, attended RHA events and I went to my interview with unwavering confidence. When I didn't get the job, I'll be honest, it felt like a kick in the face-but all things happen for a reason.

Since I didn't get the RA position, I got to return to my job as a Freshman Workshop leader, and I met a group of students who changed my time at UP much more than they realize. They are some of the sweetest, funniest, most adorable people I have met at UP, and meeting them reminded me that there is always a bright side to every bad situation.

Bike rentals in Howard Hall

OK, so maybe the free bike rentals in Howard Hall didn't dramatically influence my college years, but they did aid in one of my favorite memories. Renting bikes with my roommate on a sunny weekend freshman year allowed me to explore St. John's and experience the goodness of a Burgerville coffee milkshake for the first time.

Getting to know my professors

I'm sure you've all had that one professor who scares you. For years, I thought my English professor Dr. Orr was one of the most intimidating people I knew. Naturally, I chose him as my senior thesis advisor to give me a little extra motivation to do my best, and I learned something unexpected through my meetings with him.

I learned that professors aren't necessarily who you think they are. They're funny, they're approachable and they remember what it's like to be in your shoes. We were told over and over as freshmen to take advantage of office hours, and very few students actually listened. I wish I had been one of those few.

Retreats

One thing I regret is not taking full advantage of the retreats at UP. I went on the Encounter with Christ retreat during the fall of my junior year, and I couldn't believe what I had been missing out on. If you've never gone, go.

You'll meet some of the most amazing people, make some wonderful memories and have some of the best conversations of your life. I wish I would have known about this opportunity as a freshman, so I'm trying to do you all a favor by telling you about it now. You can thank me later.

This list doesn't even come close to encompassing all I have loved about UP. A list like that definitely wouldn't fit on this page, but hopefully my experiences on the Bluff encourage you to reflect on your own and to make the most of the time you have left. Thanks for the memories, UP.

'Ghost on Ghost' is delightfully haunting

Music Review

Iron and Wine's last album, "Kiss Each Other Clean," turned many long-time fans off on the grounds that Iron and Wine had left its roots as a sensitive, bearded folk singer with a guitar. Granted, "Kiss Each Other Clean" was a slightly unfocused album. But "Ghost on Ghost," Iron and Wine's new album released April 16, remedies the faults of "Kiss Each Other Clean" while maintaining its instrumental complexities.

"Ghost on Ghost" draws heavily from jazz, blues and '70s pop to create an all-American amalgamation of genres. And it does this with great success, from the driving, gleeful, pop of "Grace For Saints And Ramblers" to the eerie, sparse funk of "Low Light Buddy Of Mine."

The album standout is "Lover's Revolution," an intensely jazzy song marked by a furious and impressive trombone solo. Frontman Sam Beam uses the platform of this jazz epic to create a brilliant recession-era protest song. The song's vivid lyrics condemn irresponsible capitalism, from corrupt pharmaceutical companies ("The makers of the medicine will always say you're looking sick") to the bloody diamond trade ("all the fingers that we damaged when all we wanted was a diamond ring").

While "Ghost on Ghost" has a couple missteps, it is largely successful. Much of the album's success is due not only to the brilliant songwriting abilities of Sam Beam, but also to the musical prowess of the musicians he brought on board. The strings and horns sound crisp throughout the album, and drummer Brian Blade creates dense rhythmic landscapes to enhance Beam's songwriting.

Unfortunately, many Iron and Wine fans can't come to terms with the fact that Sam Beam has gotten beyond the sad-guy-with-a-guitar model of music (not that that's necessarily bad) and turned into something much more complex and, arguably, much more artful. Beam's evolution has made "Ghost on Ghost" one of the best Iron and Wine albums to date.

-Philip Ellefson

Don't expect 'The Strokes' of old with 'Comedown Machine'

Music Review

For all those who wish they could return to the early 2000s when everyone was sure that The Strokes would be the next great super band, you might as well go hit shuffle on those iPods like I have thousands of times before. Their new album "Comedown Machine" won't be their ticket to the top of the charts and on the cover of Rolling Stone like the past, but for true fans like myself, it certainly is great to hear some new Strokes jams.

However, don't try to grade it against their past albums like "The Modern Age," "Is This It," "Room on Fire" and "First Impressions of Earth." Those albums are classics of the decade. "Comedown Machine," if anything shows how much the band has changed and grown from their glory days. Fans know of their well-publicized hiatus in 2008 that allowed them to try their hand at solo careers. Listeners can definitely see this solo-influence in "Comedown Machine" with each musician being given the chance to write and direct their own songs. Songs like "50/50," "All The Time" and "Tap Out" are clearly shout-outs to their past of emotional, hard-rock, rift-heavy classics under the direction of front man Julian Casablancas. Meanwhile, '80s "Comedown Machine" and "Call It Fate, Call It Karma," listeners can clearly recall guitarist Albert Hammond Jr.'s influence from his melodic solo career. The album as a whole has a much more pop-influenced direction, which shows them at least trying to move in other directions other than just rock, even if fans like myself have a hard time swallowing it.

This personally is a tough change to overcome for this Strokes fan, since I particularly loved when Julian basically ran the show during their peak with great indie-rock albums like "Is This It" and "First Impressions of Earth," my personal favorites. However, I understand the egos that exist for such a talented band, so as a fan I must respect that and simply enjoy that they're back together. In short, don't expect The Strokes that made it big, but do expect a different album from their past that is still thoroughly enjoyable, although not as timeless as before.

-Kyle Cape-Lindelin