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The image of the average Penn student is that of someone who never really slows down, overextending themselves because of their passion. When speaking to Matt McCloskey, a jazz and rock guitarist in the Blutt College House Music Program, one realizes that this mentality extends to faculty as much as it does to students.
She looked to me like the swirling sea creature of Edvard Munch’s “Mermaid,” reminding me immediately of that heartbreaking final stanza of Prufrock. The soft transition from her orange hair to the haunting green background around her made her pale skin look sickly and melancholic—the hand supporting her tilted head further underscoring this feeling of teenage malaise. Her eyes, gazing back half–open at the viewer, communicated all of the beauty and strength and sadness that exist in all young women. She was Berthe Morisot’s daughter, Julie, the subject of the artist’s 1894 painting, “Portrait of Miss J.M. (Julie Dreaming),” the concluding work of the Barnes Foundation’s most recent exhibition, Berthe Morisot: Woman Impressionist.
Lisa Stansfield’s concert last Wednesday was a look into a slightly awkward era we’re all nostalgic for even though none of us actually lived through it. I vaguely remember listening to one or two of her songs on my parents’ weirdly sensual '80s–'90s R&B playlists on a summer night. She’s an early '90s Rhythm and Blues artist with a powerful voice and a flair for songwriting. Her sound is a slightly folksier version of what you’d get if you pitch–shifted the vocals on a Barry White track up two octaves. Her music videos, like so many others from that time period, feature non–threatening people that look like they’re about to tell you not to do drugs, and make you wonder just what the hell was going on in the '90s. Suffice to say, before going into that concert, I didn’t expect much more than an awkward performance.
It seems to be a common trend among artists to release surprise albums these days, from Beyoncé to Eminem to The Weeknd. Courtesy of celebrated singer–songwriter Usher and record producer Zaytoven (both hailing from Atlanta), A was released October 12 after being announced the previous day. At eight tracks and just over 27 minutes in length, A follows summer records such as Pusha T’s Daytona and Kanye West’s Ye in attempting to emphasize quality and cohesiveness over quantity—but does it succeed? Let’s dive in.
As the atmosphere of Penn this past Thursday night slowly picked up, the members of Jazz & Grooves were especially busy. Known for bringing up–and–coming musical acts such as Daniel Caesar, Smino, and Kevin Abstract to campus, the SPEC–affiliated group was gearing up for their first show of the year—free for all Penn students. With a stage, sound, and lighting system all set up inside the house, the event was ready for opener DJ Haram and headliner Injury Reserve.
Sweaters, falling leaves, pumpkin–flavored everything—you know Halloween is just around the corner when you can smell the autumn in the air. For film lovers, the change in season means an explosion of Halloween–themed film events in every corner of the city. Here are some of Street’s picks:
On a recent Saturday afternoon, Yaroub Al–Obaidi, an Iraqi native, gathered his group of tourists eagerly waiting at the Middle East Galleries. In an animated one–hour trip through the gallery spaces, he revealed countless Penn Museum artifacts, drawing upon his own experiences to add a personal touch.
On Friday evening, October 19, Irvine Auditorium rang with the rustle of seating audience members and the reverberation of hushed whispers, all in anticipation for the Penn Symphony Orchestra. The lights dimmed, the stage filled. Orchestra players filed in in black formal attire, the strings front and center, the woodwind and brass instruments further away, and percussions and the harp at the back. Penn students weren't the only performers here. From gradate students, to Penn faculty, to the occasional professor, even high school students from the local Philadelphia area, considering just the members onstage, the orchestral community was a diverse team around one hundred strong.
Every year, on a chilly October afternoon, the routine hustle and bustle of West Philadelphia is interrupted, both visually and audibly, by a congregation that resembles something out of a spirit realm.
Big Thief makes the most human folk music of today. Since releasing back-to-back albums Masterpiece and Capacity in 2016 and 2017, the band has focused on touring, only releasing a 30–minute experimental EP Wide Winged Bird last May. This weekend, that tour will bring them to Philly’s legendary First Unitarian Church on Saturday, October 20.
The world was first introduced to British singer–songwriter Ella Mai upon the release of her debut commercial single, the breezy summer anthem “Boo’d Up”. As the first UK artist to top the US R&B charts since 1992, her style of pop–inflected R&B sung over snare–heavy trap beats proved infectious to everyone. Signed to DJ Mustard’s label after being discovered on Instagram, Mai’s three previous EPs contain songs asserting her confidence and desire, all while nodding to '90s R&B musical traditions lyrically and musically. While her previous songs sound more similar than different, Ella Mai’s eponymous debut album was highly awaited by fans.
My Uber driver was supposed to drop me off at the back of the Philadelphia Art Museum, but the signage was unclear, so he ended up stopping in front of the steps. As I got out of the car, I saw the giant poster hanging on the columns of the entrance enticing me to come and see the exhibit I was currently headed to: Fabulous Fashion: From Dior’s New Look to Now.
Successfully translating literature for the screen rests in capturing the details of the written word without wearing out the audience. In the case of Swedish Director Björn Runge’s adaptation of the 2003 novel The Wife by Meg Wolitzer, the writer and the power of the word are at the epicenter of this simmering relationship drama. The ramifications of literary genius become the narrative thrust of the film, where the pacing is determined by the conditions of the characters’ inner lives. The result is a film that moves slowly, but deliberately, with every look, gesture, and word building to a blazing crescendo. Meticulous attention to detail is how The Wife makes a not particularly innovative but worthwhile story burn slowly into an intelligent reflection on the dynamics of image, recognition, gender, and talent in the life of a writer.
I’ll be honest. I had never heard of A Star is Born before two weeks ago. But one quick Google search revealed that the upcoming film would include some of my favorite stars of today—Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Dave Chapelle… the list goes on.
In 1978, after seeing a Mask and Wig show, a few girls at Penn thought to join the club. They were refused. Because Mask and Wig consisted only of males, the option for a girl to join did not exist. That refusal lay the groundwork for the nation’s first of its kind and what is today one of the biggest performing arts groups on campus: Bloomers. Fast forward 40 years later, Bloomers is celebrating their birthday this weekend with their show “The Bachelor, Will You Accept This Rose?”
Bad Times at the El Royale is a haunted carnival ride that speeds with excitement in the beginning, slows down in the middle, yet doesn’t disappoint in the end. With its quirkiness, mystery, and thrill, it’s like Wes Anderson, Agatha Christie, and Quentin Tarantino mingled and produced a brilliant problem child.
Video games hold a special place in the hearts of millennials and Gen–Z, and for good reason. We’ve grown up in a time when they underwent revolutionary development in graphics, storytelling, and gameplay, turning a small fun pastime into a billion–dollar industry where we can escape into a world of enjoyment. However, there’s more than just the plots and the action that holds a place in our hearts; there are also fantastic soundtracks that have enhanced the quality of games to new heights. As you finally defeated General Shepherd in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the concluding piece of the end credits filled you with endless satisfaction and high anticipation for the concluding installment of the trilogy. What makes these scores even better is that you can enjoy them outside your gaming den, whether it be while working in Huntsman or frolicking outside in your free time on College Green. It’s part of what sets the best ones apart—so without further ado, here are five video game soundtracks to listen to.
Penn began offering an architecture program in 1868, but its collections of architectural publishings originated back in 1490s. Only if we take a peek at the Rare Books Library can we come in touch with several of these publishings. A little, ordinary room that sits steps away from the circulation desk in the Fisher Fine Arts Library, the Rare Books Library stores some of the oldest text materials at Penn, focusing on subjects from urban planning to Japanese contemporary photography.
“Oh boy…I think, five years,” Daniel Finkel (C '20) laughs as he recounts how long he's been involved in The Penn Review. He first attended The Penn Review meetings his junior year of high school, and things had been going well until the usual questions of “what’s your major” and “what year are you in” got tossed around.
Between midterms, club meetings, and OCR, it’s easy to forget that life moves on outside of the Penn bubble. And over the past month, that life has been full of some amazing new music. We’ve kept up with all of the best releases, so you don’t have to. Without further ado, here are Street’s picks for the best albums you might have missed in the last month.
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