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Day: 17 April 2017

Beyonce’s Lemonade: One year on

Written by Charlie Maudsley on . Posted in Music.

You must have been living under a very large rock if you haven’t heard someone talking about Lemonade in the past 12 months. As always, Beyoncé’s sixth and arguably most discussed album to date has garnered her critical and commercial success, so what makes Lemonade any different from her previous musical projects?

 Lemonade’s rollout kickstarted in February last year with the infamous performance of her lead single ‘Formation’ at the 50th Super Bowl halftime show. Beyoncé, supported by her dancers dressed in military Black Panther outfits, was chastised by numerous police forces and news outlets across America, who pioneered the ‘Boycott Beyoncé’ slogan. With lyrics celebrating her African-American heritage and black pride, it’s impossible to deny the lead single’s political edge, especially in the era of the Black Lives Matter movement. Thanks to Queen Bey, the American fast-food chain Red Lobster saw a 33% boost in sales after its reference in ‘Formation,’ reflecting the undeniable influence of both Lemonade and Beyoncé.

Of course, the album’s political message did not conclude with ‘Formation.’ With help from Kendrick Lamar, Beyoncé conjured the thunderous anthem ‘Freedom,’ which now acts as the soundtrack for the new Apple Watch advert. After its debut performance at the BET Awards in June last year, it was unmistakeable that Beyoncé had fully immersed herself into America’s political commentary. Accompanied by a voiceover from Martin Luther King Jr. and sporting braids typically associated with African-Americans, Beyoncé ignited a conversation which forced the issues of mistreatment and prejudice against minorities as well as black pride into the public eye.

When discussing Lemonade’s impact, it’s easy to overlook the musicality and production of the album in its entirety. The album’s 12-song track list features a variety of genres including her core sounds of R&B and pop with an urban twist. Nevertheless, by integrating genres of rock and country into the album, Lemonade has sparked a debate amongst music lovers regarding the roots of these sounds, as both stem from the jazz and blues genres typically associated with African-Americans.

It may be surprising to learn that the album’s impact does not only transcend into politics, but also more specifically into education as well. More and more universities across the world are offering courses relating to womanhood, race and politics through the lens of the Lemonade album. The University of Texas recently offered the opportunity for Beyoncé-obsessed students to study the intricacies of black feminism through the medium of her latest album.

It’s no secret that Beyoncé has always left her mark on pop culture after each of her six album releases. The iconic catchphrase “I woke up like this” (2013) joins the likes of “Who run the world? Girls” (2011) and “To the left” (2006) in the long list of iconic Beyoncé references. Of course, Lemonade really is no different. After the visual album’s premiere on HBO, it seemed like everyone was asking the same question; who is Becky with the good hair? Towards the end of ‘Sorry,’ Beyoncé orders her unfaithful lover to “call Becky with the good hair.” This line instantly became an empowering lyric for those who could relate to the emotions surrounding infidelity.

Not only did the album spawn various iconic lyrics and dances, it also provided social media with enough material to use for the remaining year. The likes of James Franco, Ellen DeGeneres and James Corden enjoyed a glass of lemonade after parodying the renowned ‘Hold Up’ music video, which sees Beyoncé flaunting a yellow dress whilst fiercely smashing car windows with a baseball bat.

The impact of Beyoncé’s extraordinary album Lemonade over the past year is undeniable. By delivering a politically controversial message accompanied by great music and dazzling visuals, the megastar created a buzz throughout the world. After all, she’s called Queen Bey for a reason.

Review: A Silent Voice

Written by Andrew Wong on . Posted in Film.

A Silent Voice is a Japanese anime school drama film produced by Kyoto Animation and directed by Naoko Yamada. This film is based on the award-winning manga of the same name, which was written by Yoshitoki Ōima. A Silent Voice is a film about the difficult things people can go through during their school years, with a focus on the aspects of regret, self-worth, redemption and even learning to love.

Most prominently, however, this film has an emphasis on bullying and the various forms it can take, from physical and violent, systematic and unfair, to silent and cruel. This film conveys the lasting effects bullying can have on people as it shows the strain it puts on the characters and how it influences their actions.

Our protagonist is Ishida Shouya who wants to make up for his past sins, as we see him in an immediate flashback where Ishida took the most active role in abusing one of his classmates, Shouko Nishimiya, for being deaf. However, he wasn’t the only one who was involved as you have teachers turning a blind eye and friends who decided to go along with the ‘joke’.

Eventually Ishida does get punished for his actions and it seems as if things would back to the status quo, although it is quite the opposite. Ishida finds himself being rejected by his original group of peers and in turn becomes detached from everyone in the school and becomes known as the outcast.

Ishida’s journey of redemption is met with conflict creating a situation where even though what he did when he was younger and crueller, you do begin to side with him and want to see him succeed to regain his friends and redeem himself. Moreover, Ishida begins to form a close bond with the victim of his bullying, Shouko, to the extent that he even learns sign language.

As expected for an animated movie you can always be certain that the animation will be at a high standard. Accompanied with a surreal soundtrack and an ambient sound design, its hard not to become emotionally invested with the big moments you face with the cast of characters you come to know.

Furthermore, the characters Ishida meets along the way do a great job in developing his character — the more he progresses in his journey of redemption, it becomes clearer and clearer that he’s letting down his own personal barriers that he put up when he was labeled as an outcast. Out of the friends he reconnects with, it’s his new friend Tomohiro that really brings a sense a humour to this film when needed, making him one of the more appealing and charming characters of the film.

Ultimately, A Silent Voice is a coming of age story that fleshes out the complex teenage politics that drive the film’s expansive plot. Yamada makes a point of contrasting the agonising complexity of high school life with the clean simplicity of the moments that really count. It could be seen as a slow burner for some, but for those who enjoy character-driven stories that discuss the minutiae of everyday life, their investment in the film will be worth it.

4/5