Are you wondering what types of gifts you should get your loved one? We’ve got you covered!
1. Does your partner love flowers but hate that they get old?
You should buy some Lego Flowers. Not only does it last forever, you two can build together!
2. Does your partner love words of affirmation?
Write your partner a love letter. Who doesn’t like heart warming love letters of how much you love and adore them.
3. Does your partner love stuffed animals, but you don’t know which one to get them?
Go to Build-A-Bear. You can both pick what type of animal, outfit, and name! You get to have a lot of options in Build-A-Bear.
4. Does your partner love art or love to draw?
Buy them a coloring set with paints, colored pencils, and canvases.
5. Make them a gift basket.
You can fill it with all their favorite things. Such as candies, drinks, chips, candles, or skin care products.
6. Do you and your partner love jewelry?
If so, a perfect gift for them would be a necklace or bracelet with your name. Once another person spots your name on them, they will know their heart belongs to you!
7. Is your significant other Disney obsessed?
There isn’t any other flower that compares to an everlasting one. Purchase a Beauty and the Beast enchanted rose (with the case).
8. Do you and your partner love wearing hoodies?
The ideal gift will be customized hoodies with either a graphic design you both love or each other’s initials with a heart on the sleeve.
9. Do you want the world to know your significant other has a boyfriend or girlfriend?
Yup, you do! Purchase a “I LOVE MY BOYFRIEND/GIRLFRIEND” shirt! Even better if there’s a picture of you on it.
10. Are you hesitant about going overboard with your gift, wanting something simple yet sweet?
A great purchase would be a scent that reminds you of the moments you’ve spent with them. Whether it’s a candle, cologne, or a scented gift, the thought of you thinking about sweet things that remind you of them, will make them feel overjoyed.
The Book of Boba Fett released its season finale on February 9th on Disney+, with 7 episodes to boast, each of which run from about 50 to 60 minutes. The series serves as a sequel/spinoff of The Mandalorian and by extension the Return of The Jedi with many of the pivotal cast members from the Mandalorian returning to reprise their roles. Temuera Morrison returns as the titular character, Ming-Na Wen and Pedro Pascal also return respectively as Fennec Shand and Din Djarin. Others who reprise their roles are Timothy Olyphant (Cobb Vanth), Emily Swallow (The Armorer), Rosario Dawson (Ahsoka Tano), Corey Burton as the voice of Cad Bane (portrayed physically by Dorian Kingi), and most notably Mark Hamill voicing Luke Skywalker (Graham Hamilton as the onset performer).
The story begins right after the ending of the second season of The Mandalorian with Boba Fett becoming the new Daimyo of Tatooine after taking it from Bib Fortuna who succeeded Jabba the Hutt after his death. Flashbacks also occur early within the first half of the season, they tell of Boba’s escape from the sarlacc pit, his travels and tragedies of traveling with Tusken Raiders, even some scenes of his boyhood in Kamino.
The Tuskens capturing him and making him one of their own after he earns their respect has had a profound impact on his outlook on life, it explains his transition from ruthless bounty hunter to a more diplomatic anti-hero. He has trouble earning the respect and tribute of the local crime bosses and citizens of Mos Espa without outright using an iron fist like his predecessors. He instead uses more favors and his reputation along with job offers to those in need and alliance compromises to gain what he wants. In a departure from his original characterization, Boba is much more forgiving than his comic/movie past self which works towards his benefit as his forgiveness gains him many allies against the criminal Pike Syndicate.
The Pikes are the main antagonists of the show and are the reason why Boba didn’t stay with Tuskens as they were killed by the Pikes without his knowledge (ironically when he was going to town to strike a deal with them on behalf of the Tuskens). Distraught and saddened, Boba sets out to find his armor that he lost and his old ship from Bib with the help of a now partially cyberized Fennec Shand who he saved to enlist her help. He then takes his revenge on a speed biker gang he thought responsible and goes off with Fennec to the events of the Mandalorian to find his armor. Boba has to deal with a wookie bounty hunter sent by Jabba’s twin cousins and unemployed bandit cyborg youths, all of which he recruits as his employees as a way to reconcile their differences and keep as allies.
Meanwhile, the story checks on Din Djarin, his travels as a bounty hunter without Grogu, his defending of the title of holding the darksaber from other mandalorians, and his rejection from his mandalorian tribe by revealing his face to someone else willingly. After getting a new ship Din and promising to help Fennec, Din travels to visit Grogu training with Luke Skywalker on a forest planet. He wants to give him a beskar chain mail gift in person and he meets Ahsoka Tano and R2-D2 who promise to give it to Grogu, of which Luke does and offers Grogu a choice to be a jedi or be with Din again.
Boba has to strike a truce of neutrality with the lower criminal lords and Mos Espa mayor to not join the Pikes in their slave spice trade, and has Din to embark on the help of Cobb Vanth and his people of Freetown. The Pikes in turn bomb a local Mos Espa club called the Sancturay and hire Cad Bane to kill Cobb in hopes it would scare his people into not joining Boba and letting the spice trade run through. Boba (who at this point is very much opposed to the spice trade) is learned of the truth by Cad Bane that the Pikes are the ones who killed his Tusken tribe; to add insult to injury, the local crime lords have revolted against Boba in favor of the Pikes. The people of Freetown and Grogu (who chose to be with Din) with the help of R2, have come in Boba’s time of need to help him and his allies defeat the Pikes/Cad Bane and their coalition. Boba confronts and kills Cad Bane, effectively killing the last part of past bounty hunter life and has Fennec assassinate the rest of the local crime/Pike leaders who are hiding on Mos Eisley. The story wraps up with Boba and his allies earning the respect of Mos Espa, and Din leaving with Grogu. Overall the show had high viewership but mixed reviews from both critics and audiences alike with the show having some highs and lows, particularly with the character departure of Boba from his more established characterization.
Now, if you have not heard of Worlde, the hit word-guessing puzzle game overcoming Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram feeds around the globe, I’m convinced that you live under a rock. Sorry if that was a little harsh, but I’m going to be seriously surprised if you say you’ve never heard of it, let alone have not seen those stacked green, yellow, and black squares. Go try it out for yourself, you might enjoy it. (Yes, I don’t mind if you stop reading this story, just come back once you’re done to realize how right I am.)
You see, I’m not one to fall through the rabbit hole of what’s trending or not, but this game (for some odd reason) has got me quite obsessed. I can’t go a day without playing it; but why? Why does almost every student and teacher need to play this game on the daily? I get that teachers probably think it’s cool their students are “into vocabulary words” all of a sudden, but why do we, as the human species (I know, very broad, but you get the gist) feel so drawn to play an online word game?
Competition. Competition, competition, competition. I am going to humble myself, and go on and say that I am an extremely competitive person. Sports aren’t up my alley, so I think I manage to use all that competitive energy within this game. In case you are not aware, Wordle functions kind of like Wheel of Fortune; except instead of guessing fun phrases its five-lettered words. Every twenty-four hours, you get only six chances to correctly guess one word by inputting in other words to find letters that are in said “word of the day.” (Sorry for saying the word “word” way too much, I’m starting to think that this Wordle story is getting a little wordy.) Anyway, when you get a correct letter in the correct spot, the square around it turns green. But, if you were to guess a letter that is in the incorrect spot in the word, it would turn yellow. Using the letters that you input, you need to find the correct word. (If this was confusing, just play it for yourself; it’s free!)
Anyway, back to competition. It’s always a great feeling to see that you correctly guessed a hard word in three tries when everyone else got it in four or more tries; and I think this is one of the reasons people are flocking back to Wordle day in and day out. This competitive aspect is what makes this game engaging for families and friends, as they all share their scores with others to brag about their score. Trust me, I have a whole group chat called “Wordle” on my phone, just for my family to go back and forth with their scores. The competitiveness of this game is very apparent, because if it wasn’t, I don’t think it would have been this popular.
On top of this competitive part of the game, another reason this game became such a hit (and so addicting) was because you could only play once a day. If there were unlimited words to guess, it would diminish the reason to post your score. You still could post your score, but it would mean a lot less since you are bound to have a good round every once in a while. The time limit makes it all the more competitive, and (in my opinion) that much more fun.
Simplicity and accessibility is also a very important thing to note when talking about Wordle’s success. It is probably one of the simplest games out there; just type in words and pray you do good. It is a simple premise, but also can be very challenging; I’ve had days that I have wanted to give up (but then I remembered that I needed to show off my score, so I continued). The challenging part of this is brought on by the player, since usually the word is painfully simple (with exceptions to the words “ulcer” and “cynic.” I HATED THOSE!) This game, in a way, shows the consequences of our own actions; if you put in a bad word, that’s on you.
Back to the point of accessibility, Literally just look up “wordle” in your browser. It literally is that simple. And also, to mention that this is free, also widens the population of people playing. For someone as broke as I am, it’s nice to be in on something that connects everyone without spending a dollar.
The collaborative aspect is also very special, as it brings many people together to talk about something harmless, such as a word that they guessed. In a world with such division, it is really nice to have a harmless puzzle game bring family and friends together. Heck, a woman was even saved from being held hostage because of Wordle. (Yes, it’s true. Look it up.) This game that unifies us all is really something special, and I think is one of the main reasons I enjoy the game so much. (Other than showing off, that’s fun too.)
On the surface, Wordle is just a simple daily puzzle game that challenges the mind. But it has grown to connect families and friends, build vocabularies–save lives, even–and provide some harmless competition for the competitive ones out there. If you haven’t checked it out yet, go do that right now! Just don’t spoil the word for anyone. They won’t appreciate it.
(I feel the need to mention we aren’t sponsored or anything fancy like that. I just really enjoy this game.)
On January 9, 2022 Bob Saget, one of the world’s most beloved TV dads and comedians, sadly passed away in his hotel room at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando, Florida. Bob Saget will be remembered by not only his loving wife Kelly Rizzo and his children Aubrey, Jennifer, and Lara but also his TV children Jodie Sweetin, Candace Cameron Bure, Mary-Kate Olsen, Ashley Olsen and the world. Dying at the young age of 65, many people around the world are remembering him by watching his hit show Full House, where he starred as Danny Tanner or by watching his time as the host of America’s Funniest Home Videos, for which he was also well-known.
Bob Saget will always be remembered as the man who took the 20th century by storm. Bob will always be loved, adored and remembered by his loving personality and outgoing spirit. The cast of Full House wrote a tribute to Bob saying this: “Thirty-five years ago, we came together as a TV family, but we became a real family. And now we grieve as a family. Bob made us laugh until we cried. Now our tears flow in sadness, but also with gratitude for all the beautiful memories of our sweet, kind, hilarious, cherished Bob. He was a brother to us guys, a father to us girls, and a friend to all of us. Bob, we love you dearly. We ask in Bob’s honor, hug the people you love. No one gave better hugs than Bob.”
Vicente Fernández was born February 17, 1940. He was born and raised in Huentitán del Alto, Jalisco, Mexico to a poor family and had to work since his childhood to maintain himself. He was forced to drop out of school in the fifth grade to help support his family. He entered a singing contest in Guadalajara when he was 14, and won first place. That win gave him the confidence to start performing in restaurants and weddings. In the summer of 1966, Fernández signed with CBS México (now Sony Music) and recorded his first hits: “Tu Camino y El Mío,” “Perdóname” and “Cantina del Barrio.” Fernández ‘ recording career had begun. Other hits followed including “Soy de Abajo,” “Ni en Defensa Propia” and “Palabra del Rey.”
Fernández also branched out into movies. His first film was Uno y Medio Contra el Mundo. He won his first Grammy Award 2010 Fernández was awarded his first Grammy Award for best regional Mexican album for his record Necesito de Tí — which he also earned a Latin Grammy Fernández’s work earned him three Grammy Awards, nine Latin Grammy Awards, fourteen Lo Nuestro Awards, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He sold over 50 million copies worldwide, making him one of the best-selling regional Mexican artists of all time. Maria del Refugio Abarca Villaseñor, a.k.a. Maria Abarca Villaseñor is Vicente Fernandez’s wife. The couple met in Huentitán and later got married on 27 December 1963 the two were married for almost 58 years and had 4 kids.
Fernández died in Guadalajara in his home state of Jalisco. He had been hospitalized for four months after a fall at his ranch. Fernández suffered from Guillain-Barré syndrome, which made it difficult for him to recover; he was buried at Los Tres Potrillos. He was a strong enough artist that he could take our deepest desires, our passions, and our pain, and he could get up on stage for the world to see and release them. He had a huge impact on mariachi music. Vicente Fernandez’s memorial service was held just 12 hours after his passing, with thousands of people in attendance. There wasn’t a moment without the melodies that the iconic Mexican charro gifted to the world. Throughout the memorial service, videos of Fernández’s most iconic performances filled the back screen and his voice rang throughout the crowd. His beautiful words will live on forever in the hearts of his fans all over the world.
THE AUDITION: My name is April Zavala and I auditioned successfully as a trumpet player for the Tournament of Roses Honor Band of 2022 which is the official band of the Rose Parade. Being a part of this band has been a dream of mine since freshman year, and finally being able to be a part of the rose parade was a once in a lifetime experience.
REHEARSALS: Our first rehearsal was on November 7, 2021, and we continued having five hour music rehearsals every Sunday for a month. Once winter break began, we began marching rehearsals at Pasadena City College, Dodger Stadium, and Santa Anita Park to begin conditioning for the 6 mile long parade. The first few marching rehearsals were tough. The honor band as a whole was not conditioned to march (Play Instruments at an attention position while marching) for hours. But as the days went by it got easier and it proved to be worth it because it made the Rose Parade feel easy.
PERFORMANCES: We had a total of 4 performances before the big day. Our Disneyland performance was on the verge of not happening due to the high probability of rain. Thankfully, Disney agreed to having us perform in our “Rain-Day” uniform. When we arrived at Disney we still weren’t sure if our performance was going to be canceled due to rain, and unfortunately we would not be able to know until the very last minute. Finally, at 1:30pm, our performance began, and the rain did not start until half way through our performance.
BandFest is a performance put on by all the bands that will be performing in the Rose Parade. Our bandfest performances were to be performed rain or shine, and unfortunately we had rain for all three shows. Since we are the host band, we performed at all three BandFest shows.
THE BIG DAY: Finally, it was the night of the “Big Day”, New Years Eve. We had a call time of 3am which meant that we all had to be in bed by 9pm to get a good night’s rest before the parade. I left my house at around 1:30am to ensure I got to Pasadena on time. One thing I wish I was more prepared for was the cold. I wore a white long sleeve shirt and double gloves and it was still not enough to bear the freezing temperatures that morning. (If you’re ever going to perform in the rose parade, make sure you have HotHands!) Finally, we arrived at the step off for the Parade and it was the greatest rush we all felt. Nothing anyone said could have prepared me for “TV Corner”. There were thousands of people, cameras, flashing lights, all eyes on us. There was a moment we turned and played facing the audience and it was the most magical moment of my life.
Spider-Man No Way Home was the most spectacular Marvel movie that “phase four” has produced. We expected so much of the film and it very well delivered that expectation.
WARNING: SPOILER ALERTS! With many speculations and accusations going around about the movie, it was hard to tell exactly what would happen even though the cast and crew tried their hardest to keep Spider-Man No Way Home the most secretive movie to appear in Marvel. This web-slinging adventure hit theaters December 17, 2021 and was the greatest end to this year of Marvel movies. Directed by Jon Watts, produced by Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal, and with music by Micheal Giacchino, this $200-million-budget movie along with it’s amazing graphics and visuals comes with an amazing cast.
Tom Holland (Peter Parker/Spider-Man), Zendaya (MJ or Michelle Jones), Marisa Tomei (Aunt May), Jacob Batalon (Ned Leeds), Alfred Molina (Dr. Otto Octavius), Willem Dafoe (Norman Osborn), Jon Favreau (Happy), Benedict Cumberbatch (Dr. Strange), Jamie Foxx (Electro), and with the incredible Tobey Maguire (Peter Parker/Spider-Man), Andrew Garfield (Peter Parker/Spider-Man), and Charlie Cox (Matt Murdock/Daredevil).
This incredible cast made an unforgettable and even incredible movie.
Spider-Man No Way Home picks up where Spider-man Far From Home left off with Peter and MJ swinging through the city together and is stopped by a news report with incriminating evidence of Spider-Man and the reveal of Spider-Man’s identity with a video left by Mysterio. After this, Peter Parker’s life is turned upside down when he is made “public enemy #1” all around the world. With the support of MJ, Aunt May, Ned, and Happy they help to try and clear Peter’s name. All Peter needed was “a really good lawyer.”
Along with fighting the public opinion, Peter, MJ, and Ned send in college applications hoping to get into their dream school, MIT. After a devastating rejection from MIT, Peter hopes to change things to help MJ and Ned get into MIT. He asks for help from Dr. Strange to cast a spell that can make the world forget Peter Parker is Spider-Man. With an intense spell contained from getting out into the world, Peter hopes to talk to the MIT Chancellor on her way to the airport. The freeway is crowded as Peter starts to sense a strange presence. The appearance of Spider-Man’s villains begin to appear due to the fact the villains know who Spider-Man is.
Instead of sending the villains home, which was Dr. Strange’s intention, Peter wants to help them become better people in an attempt to change their fate. Peter begins to help each of the villains to either help contain or control their powers in good ways. With Peter’s spider senses it unleashes multiple conflicts with all villians causing Peter to have a period of contemplation with himself. Wanting to put an end to the multiverse conflicts, MJ and Ned are met with two very important people to help Peter on his adventure. With the help of Peter’s metaphorical “brothers” he plans to do what he intended and help the villains. With the final battle in place everyone is back in a good place, but Peter is faced with another huge conflict when he decides to make everyone forget who Peter Parker is, including sending all of the” intruders” home. Peter starts a new chapter and begins to live life on his own with his name cleared and his identity secret again.
Spider-Man No Way Home was possibly one of the most illuminating and has many people wondering what this “multiverse” will do for the MCU. Even though I felt the movie was moving fast they were still able to fit in all the important and creative scenes. The fight scenes were incredibly set up; even though some parts felt awkward, the fight scenes kept me interested. Peter shows a clear reflection of being a kid and being ready to take on the responsibility it takes to be a hero. The story felt off at certain points and felt almost random but it made sense to the movie’s importance. The movie had me mostly excited and amazed as I was watching. The movie gave me so many emotions at once: excited, amazed, and as they say, “on the edge of my seat.”
Audiences are very excited to see what the adventures for Spider-Man are after this. Of course if you stayed for the end-credit scene you would have seen the special sneak peek at Dr. Strange Multiverse of Madness. Dr. Strange Multiverse of Madness shows a glimpse of what releasing the multiverse has done for Dr. Strange. We also see a very special appearance from Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch/ Wanda Maxinoff) and Xochitl Gomez (America Chavez) who are very important characters to be seen alongside Dr. Strange. Even though the trailer shows a lot, it’s hard to tell exactly what this movie will have in store for us. Dr. Strange could be on an adventure to fix what the multiverse’s effects have on the world around them. After seeing Spider-Man No Way Home and seeing the trailer for Dr. Strange Multiverse of Madness, everyone is very excited to see exactly what the multiverse is going to do for future Marvel movies.
Abel Tesfaye aka The Weeknd’s newest and fifth studio LP Dawn FM was released on January 7, 2022. The album was hyped for with the release of a single in “Take My Breath” alongside a music video in early August of last year, along with teases on social media and another single collaboration with Swedish House Mafia (a producer on the album as well) on their track “Moth To A Flame” on October 22. The producers include familiar names such as Calvin Harris, Max Martin, Brian Kennedy, DaHeala, Abel himself, and even Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys among others, most of whom have worked with Abel before. Dawn FM takes the ‘80s new wave, synth-pop/dance-pop that was used extensively on his last more dreamy LP After Hours (2020) and that he had also dabbled with before on projects like his 3rd studio LP Starboy (2016) and ups it to eleven on this album. The album contains features from Tyler, the Creator, Lil Wayne, and a narration from Jim Carrey.
The eponymous “Dawn FM” title track sets up the listener with the feeling as if they are listening to more of a radio station (i.e. FM), that plays into more self-aware existential themes as if Abel himself knows that he’s being listened to but goes along with the ride anyway. 1980’s style synths are used heavily throughout the album and the title track is no different, but has a more spacey soulful feel, with Jim Carrey narrating at the end. “Gasoline” has Abel picking up where he left off in After Hours,indulging in his usual hedonism in face of sorrow to die but being saved from OD-ing himself completely by a woman. The high synth chords begin again before switching to a more minimal dance beat with Abel’s vocals switching from artificially deep to high to back his more confirmed R&B voice.
In “How Do I Make You Love Me,” Abel is seeking the love of this woman to become his lover, something that he admits is more out of the ordinary due to him normally being able to pick up most women very easily compared to her. The song’s composition has a more of a post-disco undertone combined with a more new-waveish dance-pop overtone that connects to the next song. The lead single, “Take My Breath” has Abel giving to his more hedonistic tendencies with the woman fulfillingly both of their erotic fanasties (in the music video she quite literally takes his breath away). The composition here has more of a psychedelic mix of new wave and dark wave, with some more overt disco and synth-pop. “Sacrifice” has Abel doubling down on his old ways with regret that he is neglecting his woman in the process but does not want to be held down. It has a more of a standard heavy dark synth-pop with a bit of a funkish undertone.
“A Tale By Quincy” has Quincy Jones delivering a spoken word track about his past with an institutionalized mother at an early age and wicked stepmother afterwards which he admits led to a subconscious fear of being too close to a woman (he had been married and divorced three times and has several children with five different women). The track itself has a more soft rock/adult contemporary jazzish tune. “Out of Time” tells of a relationship with a woman and how his neglect did eventually lead them to break apart when she finally left him for a different man; and now Abel wants her back in case the other man messes up, but he knows he’s too late. The track takes a city pop sample from Tomoko Aran and Tetsurō Oda’s Midnight Pretender’s, giving it it’s more city pop/R&B feel with another cameo from Jim Carrey who seems to be playing the disc jockey in this “radio” with talking about the listener being almost reborn by music itself.
“Here We Go… Again” takes more R&B vocalizations from Abel about his time with the woman before and how she ended up with someone lesser than him despite searching for someone better than Abel. The lyrics are more of falling back in love with a new woman, and him being dreamily head over heels in love with this woman. Tyler the Creator features on the track with him asking the person he loves to sign a prenup (just in case the relationship doesn’t work out) and that no one, not the government nor some outside religion can define what love is to them. The track’s music takes a more smooth soulful R&B approach combined with some synthy yacht rock. “Best Friends” has Abel turning a toxic relationship into a friend with benefits one instead but still feeling conflicted as he still loves this woman but doesn’t want to break her heart by getting into a relationship. The track has more of a minimal darkish new wave mixed with a trap beat and ending with an ominous repeating phrase like a broken record on a radio. “Is There Someone Else?” has Abel ironically questioning his lover’s loyalty as he tries to make himself a better partner for his woman and admits he is not really in any position to question her, but is still curious if the other man knows. This track has lighter synths that compliment the high pitched vocals of the song. Musically the track connects to “Starry Eyes” but with more of an urban/futuristic orchestral synths that are almost choir-like in some parts. The lyrics themselves have Abel wanting to comfort a broken and shattered woman who simply wants to push away all of those who get close, even through violent means of which Abel is willing to let happen to him.
“Every Angel Is Terrifying” is a more avant-garde spoken word track where Abel speaks about his existentialist fears on how if he cried out who would hear him? Even if the angels did hear him, he would be overwhelmed and terrified at his fate, and perhaps rightfully so as biblically accurate angels are radically different from what normally pops in our heads, and perhaps that’s what Abel thinks his afterlife may be. Speaking of afterlife, the next spoken word verses are of a radio/tv commercial of some sorts that markets the afterlife like a product and almost like a cheap recreational drug. The music switches between heavy futuristic synths at the beginning to more soulful chords when Abel talks about the angels, and then finally switches to a more commercialized synthpop tune to complement the commercial.
“Don’t Break My Heart” has Abel recovering from a break up and trying again to fall in love with hopes for a newer more devoted relationship with this mesmerizing woman but is afraid of what might happen to him if his heart is broken this one last time. The composition of this track takes more upon post-disco/dance-pop and minimal house music especially during the chorus. “I Heard You’re Married Girl” features Lil Wayne and Abel vocalizing about finding their lovers are actually married women with both artists giving ultimatums to them to either choose their husbands or them as they don’t want to be involved with married women. A more conventional synth-pop is used throughout the track with some occasional funkish undertones.
“Less Than Zero” is one of the highlights of the album, with Abel still having romantic feelings for a lover that he emotionally hid from and according to him, she thinks negatively about him but he can’t repress the feelings he still has for her and wants to rekindle a fire with her. The track’s composition is that of beautiful orchestral and upbeat synthwave mixed with a guitar to give it a more electro-pop rock feel that goes along perfectly with Abel’s more echoed vocals during the chorus, and the guitar becomes more evident near the end with Abel’s almost spoken word vocals. The final track “Phantom Regret” by Jim still has the tried and true minimal synths with Abel having echoed vocals over Jim’s monologue but ends peacefully with sounds of wildlife and nature. “Phantom Regret” by Jim has our narrator Jim Carrey giving a final poem to the listener on reflection about the journey they took to get to where they are now: what grudges did they have? Who did they hurt? Who or what did they remember? Jim reminds the listener of their regret and that despite all their pain, heaven, whatever it is to them, will still be there once they learn to let go of their regret and find inner peace within themselves. Furthermore, heaven isn’t always light or dark, heaven is what you make it to be.Dawn FM’s concept is a little hard to grasp with its more existential, self-reflecting themes than before mixed with a variety of ‘80’s electronic upbeat dance genres from disco to city pop that contrast with the more introspective and even romantic lyrics. It’s a very mature album for Abel as he clashes between staying the hedonistic self of his youth to the more older worn out Abel (as signified by the album cover) who simply wants peace and a stable relationship. Overall, the album has something for everyone with an overall consistent quality in songs and some incredible artistic highs.
Gunna’s new album DS4EVER released on January 7th, 2022 is a strong album. Gunna is an American rapper born and raised in Georgia and is popular for his features with other popular rap artists like Young Thug and Lil Baby.
His new album DS4EVER includes features like Young Thug, Future, 21 Savage, Lil Baby, G Herbo, Kodak Black, Chlӧe, Nechie, Yung Bleu, Chris Brown, and Roddy Ricch.
Gunna is an artist with such a distinctive voice, flow, and rhythm. I believe Gunna has his own style that cannot be compared to any other artist.
In my opinion, the top 3 most upbeat and hyped songs from his new album DS4EVER are “pushin P,” “too easy,” and “alotta cake.” On the other hand, he has some chill and slow songs in there such as “livin wild,” “so far ahead > empire,” and “private island.”
Overall I believe his album is an 8 out of 10 due to his features and unique beats from the producers.
The Shoemaker Bugle 