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Show OPINIONS Good music, had music Music is one of those things that defines a generation. We're defined by Gangnam Style and Thrift Shop, great By Cameron Simek Opinions Editor @Skabomb Popular music has never made too much sense to me. I have been told more times than I can count that my music is weird, or that I have eclectic tastes in regards to what I fill my ears with. I have chosen to ignore these claims based on one simple thought: I rather enjoy what I listen to. I am a fan of pop punk, ska, and oldies. Those are the primary genres that I listen to. I could add a few more that you've probably never heard of, like nerdcore hiphop for example. I will listen to almost anything except music that I consider shallow and lacking real substance in the lyrics or music. Though I am known to enjoy something silly every now and again. Though I may not be a fan of popular music, I am aware of the trends that have begun to take over the music scene. Dubstep has become a popular genre, especially in advertising these days. You hear it in most trailers and all Microsoft commercials. It has a powerful beat to draw people's attention to the screen, and so it works. I can't stand listening to it though. It's just not something that I can take for more than 30 or 45 seconds. Electronic beeps and boops have never seemed to have the musical acuity that music with lyrics have. Telling a story set to music has always been the bar to which my music has been judged, and repeating the same line over and over again has seemed to be deemed ok, as long as the song sounds good while you're on ecstasy. Or maybe the new musical trend is just catchy beats. Just take a look at Gangnam Style, a pop culture phenomenon. How many people actually knew what the song was about the first time their friend showed them the video on YouTube? It's probably not the highest number. The music was poppy, the lyrics flowed and became easy to imitate. It took over for a bit there, rocketing Psy to the highest heights before slowly depositing him back to his life making music that Koreans love. I have to admit, even I find the music catchy, and the video is silly enough to justify its existence and popularity. I liked the video for the first few times I watched it, but as it became ingrained in everything I did, I began to grow tired of hearing people struggle to sing the lyrics to a song they can't understand. It's easy to write me into the simple role of a hater, just someone who just dislikes things because they're popular. That may be true, but that's not the only reason I happen to dislike the new trends in music. The music has no meaning. It has no heart. I want my music to tell a story. Whether it is about love and loss, or maybe a struggle with depres- sion and self-realization, music is supposed to show what is happening inside the artist when they wrote the song. It's not supposed to be about how great it is to shop at a thrift store. Who knows, maybe I'm just jaded, too old and bitter to enjoy this music. I think I'll just have to go back and stick with some old fashioned music, like Blink 182 or Reel Big Fish. The music I grew up with. Maybe I don't like it because it doesn't speak to me like the music I do enjoy. But I guess it's speaking to someone or else it wouldn't be so popular. It doesn't mean I have to like it. The music has no meaning. It has no heart. PHOTO COURTESY OFSTOCKXCHNG.COM Music is constantly changing. Taste has shifted over the years, sometimes for the better, but lately it seems like it's for the worst. Tell us about your Get out of here You have no idea what you're missing out on By Collin Lawrence Assistant Opinions Editor @STIKEEE You can't just stay here all your life. You can, but it won't do you any good. Why would you want to stay here anyway? Sure, there are plenty of attractive young single people like you, but those will be here forever. You can also find them all over the world. So don't use that as an excuse. Utah Valley is comfortable. I get that. Maybe you just got here from somewhere else in the western United States. The climate may be different, and the lessons you're learning about being an adult might be very new. You still use a washing machine and dryer to do your laundry. It's likely you don't even use money in your everyday life, rather you swipe your card for whatever you need whenever you need it, rarely having to plan ahead. There will be very few times in your life when you will have the opportunity you have now. Nobody is depending on you for their financial support. While you may have started a small collection of usable furniture, most of it can be purchased again at a very low price. Most of you have a brother or sister getting back from their mission or graduating high school willing to buy or at the very least take care of your car while you're away. The time is now. Programs to keep your status at school exist. If you're worried about finding a job abroad wherever it is you go, don't. Everyone in a foreign country wants to hire an American. Well, almost everyone. Don't be foolish and go to some country or region where people hate the U.S. For those of you that think you've lived abroad and experienced culture by going on a mission. Try again. This time go for you, for your future self, to learn from the natives, instead of teaching them. A week in Madrid, then three days in Paris, followed by five days traveling through Austria and Germany with your parents and those annoying siblings are hardly the experience you deserve. I'll admit it. I've hardly lived the cultural life I could have. I've seen more than some people but less than others. The point is not to compare me to you and Tommy to Jane. At some point the mirror is going to tell you where you should be and how much longer it's willing to wait. Maybe you think Utah has enough to offer. Perhaps you're just starting to explore the West. Maybe you've even got a big cross-country trip planned. For some of you Vegas offers all the thrill you can handle. So maybe you get comfy and decide to settle down with that guy you've been dating for six weeks. Practically engagement time anyways. I'm sure those pictures of you in front of the Mirage and Little New York will excite your future children to beg and plead for you to tell the story of that one weekend you went to Sin City. Right. I promise you, nothing will serve as a greater testament in your life about how great it is to be an American than getting out of America. Seriously, you will appreciate this great and diverse land of plenty and opportunity more than you ever had previously. It won't be because it's better than some foreign land. You'll love calling this wonderful land home when you see all of the variations or the world in each city you visit in our great nation. So pack a duffel bag, a backpack, some good shoes and an English-whatever dictionary. Find your passport and apply for a visa. Save a few bucks and buy a cheap plane ticket. Don't bother with the round-trip fare. You'll find enough money for that eventually, and who knows how long you decide to stay. Get out of here already. Send a postcard when you get there. experiences PHOTO COURTESY OFSTOCKXCHNG.COM Things are disappearing The mail will eventually campus that I know of; the stop showing up on Saturday. testing center has them. Copy You can blame it on the gov- machines, when's the last ernment, but it really isn't. time I needed a copy of somePeople just don't send stuff thing? I can take a picture of through the postal service any- anything with my phone and more. Technology has taken access it later on my comaway most of its customers. puter. What's next? Do you This is the way things are. miss anything that once used The world is changing. Many to be readily available? Let us things we knew as children are know what you think. Email disappearing. There are only a us your thoughts; we'll print few real pencil sharpeners on them in next week's paper. Beginning and Finishing CLARK GOLDSBERRY/UVU REVIEW Get out. Go. Seriously. There's no reason to stay here. Knuckle down. The end is in scheduling, class sizes, innear, but you're already get- dividual professors? Who ting focused on next year helped you get through and aren't you? What programs made things easier? Are you are you trying to get in to? going to finish your education What program are you fin- here or are you transferring? ishing up? What was the best Why? Why did you transfer part about it? What is prevent- here? Send us your thoughts ing you from getting in? Are and experiences. We'll share there issues you can't get past them in our next issue. |