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Bangor University Students’ Union’s English Language Newspaper ...more
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Seren’s Top 15 Albums of 2015

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15. Hudson Mohawke – Lantern This latest instalment from Glaswegian producer Hudson Mohawke has had unanimously mixed reviews. It’s no surprise. With fourteen tracks and a handful of features, you’re never going to win over everyone… although it did win over me. I’ve heard an assortment of electronic albums this year, and Lanterns, for me, is immeasurably bracing, probably because a sizeable portion of these tracks feature that orchestral synth that was in the DJ’s 2014 single, Chimes, which sports more of a club-banger quality. However, in Lanterns, it’s all different. Hudson seamlessly weaves these almost cavernous harmonies all the…

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Taylor Swift Speak Now Concert at Heinz Field

Music streaming: an emerging platform

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It’s undeniable that streaming has taken the music industry by storm. There are roughly 500 million audio streams each week in the UK alone. Large streaming firms such as Spotify and, more recently, TIDAL and Apple Music with a combined total of 27.5 million paid users are revolutionising the way in which people find and listen to music. Streaming services are everywhere and are hard to ignore, but the question is, how effective are they really? The way in which money is divided in the music industry is changing, and artists are not making money from record sales like they…

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Album Review: Grimes – Art Angels

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Claire Boucher, otherwise known as Grimes, has taken her entire body of work, plastered it in glitter, slapped an EDM bass drum on it, and somehow managed to get an album. Art Angels is widely divergent from her previous projects. She seems to have ditched the ethereal electronic charm of Halifaxa and Visions for a slightly more orthodox approach. Few too many of these tracks lead with superficial guitar riffs jaded with droning percussion, namely California, which is almost embarrassingly stereotypical. But, honestly, this is the most ambivalent album review you’ll read, because clusters of this LP are flawless. Venus Fly, which…

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Have small venues reached their expiration date?

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It goes without saying that small venues are crucial in the building of new, up and coming bands and artists. These venues mould and shape the artist; allowing them to grow and to set their sights on bigger goals in the music industry. However, over the past couple of years, there has been a major decline in the number of small and medium-sized music venues all over the UK, leaving amateur artists in a critical position. Every musician has to start somewhere, so with the closure of roughly 35% of small venues in London alone, where are they supposed to…

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Album Review: Half Moon Run – Sun Leads Me On

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Previous to the Canadian indie-rock band’s new album, ‘Sun Leads Me On’, they released ‘Dark Eyes’ in 2012. Listening to ‘Dark Eyes’ and then listening to ‘Sun Leads Me On’, one can notice a definite transition between the two. Their first album was incredible – setting the bar high, which they sadly failed to meet with their new album. This does not mean that it isn’t a good album. They seamlessly combine pleasant acoustic guitar with subtle synth work, sweet melodies, and snazzy riffs, topped off by slick harmonies. Much like the old album, there are some lively, heavier tracks…

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Album Review: Rudimental – We The Generation

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Two years since clutching the UK’s attention with chart topping ‘Feel The Love’ and debut album ‘Home’, the London drum and bass ensemble Rudimental return with fresh material in the form of ‘We The Generation.’ Predictably, the album embraces an array of collaborators, some I’m modestly surprised by; such as the staggering appearance of Ed Sheeran which, whilst valuable, seems somewhat unorthodox. And some more befitting, the heavy presence of Lianne La Havas really leaks into a couple of these tracks and offers an uncharacteristic Rudimental experience. My main problem with the album is there’s no concrete progression. Yes, I’m…

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Download Festival headliners announced

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The Download Festival looks all set and ready with all three headliners being announced within days of one another last week. Iron Maiden were the first to be announced and will be Sunday night’s headline act, marking the band’s fourth performance at Download. Their performance is part of The Book of Souls tour, where the band will be promoting music from their new sixteenth studio album, The Book of Souls, which has received favourable reviews and had also reached number one in the UK Albums chart (Official Charts Company) upon its release. Lead vocalist Bruce Dickinson will be arriving to the festival in style…

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Album Review: Maia Vidal – You’re The Waves

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American-born but Europe-based artist Maia Vidal has her finger in a lot of pies. Composer, musician, songwriter, and even visual artist; Vidal absorbs a range of influences that come to the fore in her new album ‘You’re The Waves.’ Early into the LP, the evolution of Vidal’s sound becomes instantly evident, the once playful and bouncy instrumentation of her debut ‘God Is My Bike’ has somewhat dissipated, leaving a more intimate and, in parts, forlorn arrangement. Ironically, the opening track ‘Bones’ is possibly the only exception to this; offering an industrial funk-infused beat reminiscent of Bjork’s ‘Earth Intruders.’ There’s a…

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Summer Ball 2015 – Review: Electric and confident Ella Eyre wows Bangor

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I can pinpoint the exact moment I became a full-blown, bona-fide Ella Eyre fan. It was about 25 minutes into her set at the Summer Ball. The energy of the room was flagging; people were taking their shoes off, dancing less. The shouts were a little quieter, the singing a little less enthusiastic. People were starting to realise that getting drunk and dancing around a big room can be exhausting. Then Ella Eyre swaggered up to the microphone, with the confidence of someone who’s been performing for 20 years, and bellowed at the audience “Are you ready?” Suddenly, we were.…

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Summer Ball 2015 – Preview

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The Summer Ball is the biggest event of the year. Despite what skeptics have said, the ball is not designed to make money. It’s held to offer the students who have worked hard to get through their finals a chance to let loose and to do so in style. On ticket sales alone, the event would actually make a loss! When you add in the drink sales, they still only break even. Our tickets have been sold to us at the same price for over ten years now. Everyone has worked hard to keep the cost of tickets low, even…

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Summer Ball 2015 Preview – Scouting for Girls

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I have to admit: I’ve been disappointed with the last two year’s Summer Ball lineups. Acts such as Charlie XCX, Wretch 32 and Katy B have failed to persuade me to buy Summer Ball tickets in previous years. Although I realise there is a large fan base for each of these acts, I still believe that the choices were lacking in variety and only adhered to a certain segment of students. However, this changed in 2015. I had promised myself that I’d buy a ticket for Summer Ball this year, no matter how bad the lineup was, simply because this…

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Cover Art for F The Tories

Album Review: F The Tories by NxtGen

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By on Music

‘Maggie Maggie Maggie’ by The Larks. ‘Margaret on the Guillotine’ by Morrissey. ‘How Does It Feel?’ by Crass. Remember these? Unless you’re a Baby Boomer or simply into your political ‘80s rock, the likely answer is ‘No’. Perhaps you remember Klaus Nomi’s ‘Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead’ or Elvis Costello’s ‘Tramp the Dirt Down’ from April 2013 when, as the ever-marmite Margaret Thatcher was lain to rest, some fans mourned while others protested and partied in the streets, reviving these morbid songs and making them more morbid still. The visceral lyrics of these songs sound shocking today. “When they…

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Zefur Wolves

Ios and Ciarán Come Home

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By on Music

Maesgeirchen Social Club is set to play host to an emerging alternative rock band this June. Zefur Wolves is a Welsh 5-piece band, and have written songs in Welsh, English, and Spanish. They were formed when two talented musicians began to work together – both professionally and personally. Super Furry Animal’s keyboardist Cian Ciarán and Baby Queens’ vocalist Estelle Ios are romantic partners as well as being the key collaborators behind the fledgling band. The Zefur Wolves line-up is completed by Danny Wall on drums, Zirian Tahirili on guitar and Trystan Palfrey on bass. All band members are Welsh, and…

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A dancer in Poland's entry at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014

Churn My Butter, Baby!

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By on Music

It is either an English Lit student’s best friend or nemesis: the Male Gaze. The concept is born from when the audience or reader is presented with an idea or scene from a heterosexual, male perspective. Fundamentally, women become the object of the male observer (who is you, regardless of your gender or sexual orientation). A perfect example of the male gaze was Poland’s entry for Eurovision 2014. The music video is filled with flashes of erogenous zones and girls in traditional dress baking, dancing, or churning butter. The women flaunting their well-tanned, toned and voluptuous bodies are reduced to…

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Finland Knocked Out of Eurovision in Semi-Final

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So, Finland got knocked out of Eurovision in the semi-finals. As a Finn this does not awaken feelings of defeat as much as fear. As author Jari Tervo said in his blog after Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät was announced as our Eurovision candidate: “Pertti Kurikan Nimipäivät does good for the image of Finland in front of hundreds of millions of viewers as tolerant, humane, open-armed, relaxed, happy, tolerant towards minorities and distinctive. We all know that Finland isn’t like that, but this is the image of Finland we are talking about.” I considered this an accurate statement at the time, and…

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Jedward performing 'Waterline' at the Eurovision Song Contest 2012

An American’s Impression of Eurovision

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By on Music

The first time I saw Eurovision was when Jedward were bopping around on the stage. I’m going to be honest and say that the event made me feel like I was tripping on something real funky. All the colours, costumes and lights were a bit different for a southern girl like me. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen all this Lady Gaga and Katy Perry stuff that’s been going around for the last few years, but if I wanted to see a bunch of people dressed up like they were in a Hunger Games musical, I’d go to the movies. I love the…

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