On a crisp weekend in Montreal, the Memorial Pool heated up as eight universities converged to participate in the McGill Invitational Synchronized Swimming meet. While the Invitational does not contribute to national rankings, all teams were eager to set the tone for the rest of the year and gauge their skills after a long off-season.
“The Invitational was an opportunity to develop sharpness and [endurance],” Head Coach Erica Messore said.
The event also highlighted the fantastic work the Martlets had put in over the off-season as McGill was the highest ranked team in four of the seven events they participated in. This was a welcome departure from last year, when the Martlets saw their streak of eight consecutive CUSSL (Canadian University Synchronized Swimming League) championships cut short and were forced to settle for second place.
The team has set a high standard for itself and the season ahead, which is unsurprising given the longstanding precedent of success that it has enjoyed. Despite the team’s achievements, the the Martlets are determined not to rest on their laurels.
“We won [Nationals] eight times in a row when I first came here,” player-coach Hannah Ungar said. ‘‘We have a new coach who has brought in a lot of new knowledge and energy [to the side and] everyone is working so hard.”
The event was received with much excitement, as the crowd was treated to athletic flips and tightly choreographed dance routines performed to a variety of musical genres, including electronic dance music (EDM), hip-hop, and pop. The University of Ottawa had the most intricate costumes and styled their performance off of Baz Lurhmann’s rendition of the Great Gatsby.
Despite the presence of flashy competitors, McGill proved to be the most successful team in attendance. The McGill White team narrowly edged out the John Abbott College A’s with an energetic performance that garnered 65.500 points in front of a full capacity crowd to earn the best senior team performance. Senior performer Carrie Mouck came first in the solo event with a captivating routine that earned the highest score of the Invitational with 66.5000 points. Mirroring the performance of the seniors, the novice team placed first in both the team event with 53.8333 points, and the solo event with 55.5000 points. McGill placed fourth in the duets & trios competition and second in the Novices duets & trios competition.
According to Ungar, the journey back to a Gerry Dubrule Trophy is underway, but is still in the stages of infancy.
“Immediately, we are looking to increase fitness and endurance,” Ungar explained. “We have a really good thing for our routine right now, good music selection, good choreography, [but we need to continue] practicing our routines over and over again to really achieve that top level.”
Next semester, the synchronized swimming team will take part in the Eastern Canadian Championships and the CUSSL Championship. After such a bright start to the season, and with more months of practice to come, McGill Synchronized Swimming is well placed to continue its history of success. There will be another opportunity to watch this excellent squad at McGill in February, when the team performs at the McGill Water Show in Memorial Pool.
The culmination of the MLB season has brought with it the free agent frenzy that accompanies the colder months of the year. In most off-seasons, teams spend with free reign because the MLB does not have a salary cap. This week, two staff writers weigh in on whether or not baseball should institute a salary cap.
Cap them!
“Having money isn’t everything, not having it is.” – Kanye West
Thinking of playing a professional sport for a living? The smart fiscal choice would be to focus on your swing and take a shot at the MLB. Year after year, the highest player salaries in North American professional sports belong to baseball. With no salary cap, teams can spend as much or as little as they please. The MLB is currently the only one of the four major North American sports leagues that doesn’t use a salary cap.
Because of this, critics often raise questions about whether baseball truly has a level playing field. Teams like the Tampa Bay Rays and the Oakland Athletics have some fans convinced that, so long as teams are playing “moneyball,” anyone can win. The reality is that in the past 20 years, just four teams have made the World Series with an opening payroll outside the top 15 in baseball.
Critics of the salary cap point to teams like the 2012 Red Sox, who finished last in their division despite having one of the highest payrolls in the league. They say that spending money doesn’t guarantee success. This is true. An example closer to home is the 2013 Toronto Blue Jays. Despite a payroll that increased by over $40 million from 2012 to 2013, the Blue Jays finished last in their division this season.
It’s clear that a high payroll does not beget success. The problem in baseball is that a low payroll does mean failure, at least in terms of championships. To re-work Kanye’s quote: spending money isn’t everything in baseball, but not spending money certainly is. Ideas about baseball parity are pure fantasy. As fans, we look back fondly on teams like the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks and the 2004 Red Sox and label them underdogs. Put aside nostalgia, and you’ll see that the Diamondbacks had the eighth highest payroll in 2001 and the Red Sox had the fourth highest in 2004. The 2003 Florida Marlins are the only World Series winner that can be justly called an underdog with a $45 million payroll.
What the MLB needs now is a salary cap modeled after the NBA’s system. This style of salary cap involves a soft cap—teams can spend above the cap, but are forced to pay a luxury tax if they do so. The further above the cap a team spends, the higher the tax gets. A hard cap, which the NHL uses, is unrealistic, considering the strength of the MLB Player’s Association, and is also unnecessary. The New York Yankees, and perhaps a few others, would still spend above the cap, but they’d get less for their money. A salary cap would also mean a salary floor, which would prevent owners from spending so little that it is near impossible for their team to compete as we saw with the 2013 Houston Astros.
A salary cap won’t mean perfect parity in baseball, but it would help achieve it. To win, teams would still need smart executives, good coaches, talented players, and plenty of luck; but with a salary cap, teams wouldn’t have to rely on deep pockets, too.
— Wyatt Fine-Gagné
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it
Nine of the top 10 salaries in sports belong to major league baseball players. Of those nine, four play for the New York Yankees, with third baseman Alex Rodriguez earning an average of $59,000 per at-bat as part of his $28 million annual salary.
Moreover, each of the last few seasons have seen big money teams make splashes in the off-season. In 2011, the Marlins and Red Sox went all in, buying names like Jose Reyes and Adrian Gonzalez, respectively. This past year, we saw the L.A. Angels, L.A. Dodgers, and Toronto Blue Jays flexing their money muscles, hauling in the likes of Josh Hamilton, Albert Pujols, RA Dickey, and Zack Greinke. None of these free agent acquisitions ended well.
In an age where baseball’s television ratings are being diminished by more popular sports like football and basketball, the money somehow keeps on rolling into the big leagues. While a part of this trend can be attributed to richer team owners willing to dole out more money for wins, the majority of the new money in baseball is coming from TV contracts.
Most recently, the Dodgers inked a massive 25-year contract with Fox Sports West valued between $6 to 7 billion. That’s a cool $280 million on top of what was already one of the larger payrolls in the MLB. To put that into perspective, the Houston Astros opened the 2013 season with a total payroll of $26 million.
While the no salary cap rule has been an integral part of baseball for generations, recent Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBA) have included measures such as revenue sharing and luxury taxes to combat inequality in the league. These help enforce parity, for example: the Yankees doled out a record $29.1 million in luxury taxes in 2013. In the case of revenue sharing, a rising tide lifts all boats.
Ultimately, the greatest equalizer is greed. Having unlimited money to throw around can be both a curse and a blessing. In today’s competitive free agency atmosphere, signing a big name often means locking a player up for the rest of his career for more than $20 million a year. No matter what your budget is, a deal or two like that will leave a team crippled and inflexible for the foreseeable future. You only have to look at the Angels, who owe a total of $70 million to Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, and Vernon Wells in 2014. That’s almost half of an already bloated payroll for three players who combined for a paltry 2.3 WAR (Wins Above Replacement). In comparison, the no. 35 ranked best outfielder in baseball this year had a WAR of 2.3 by himself. All three are on the tail end of their careers and have contracts that are heavily backloaded.
Spending immense amounts of money doesn’t mean that large payroll teams can get away with ignoring the development of their farm systems. Free agent signings can be done prudently and in risk-minimizing fashion (for example, the Pirates’ signing of Marlon Byrd and Francisco Liriano down the stretch last season); having a blank cheque often leads teams to sign riskier deals with players well past their primes.
St. Louis survived the loss of Pujols in 2011 through smart drafting and development; Oakland defended their AL Central title in 2012 with cheap, low-risk free agent signings. Baseball has arguably never been on a more level playing field, with 15 different teams appearing in the World Series since 2000 despite growing payroll inequality. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
— Elie Waitzer
Editor’s pick: cap them!
It’s time for the MLB to join its professional counterparts and institute a salary cap. Baseball’s parity is an illusion, and small market franchises are unable to sustain success in the long term. A restructured CBA highlighted by a salary cap mirroring the NBA’s is what the MLB needs to move forward as an organization.
High levels of artificial trans-fat in processed foods have been known to cause 20,000 heart attacks and 7,000 deaths related to heart disease every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). In an effort to reduce such diseases, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently decided to take steps to ban transfat, although a specific timeline has not been set up as of yet.
Since 2006, manufacturers are required to state the amount of transfat contained in products on the food labels. Still, the general population consumes large amounts of transfat on a daily level through processed foods, such as microwaveable popcorn, cookies, and frozen pie dough, just to name a few. Partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) are also a major source of trans fat and if the FDA deems that PHOs are no longer considered to be generally safe, this could lead to a significant decrease of artificial transfat in foods. According to CTV News, Health Canada is being criticized for its lack of involvement in transfat regulation.
Until the ban takes place, FDA advises consumers to look at the nutrition facts and choose products that have the lowest amount of saturated fat, cholesterol and trans fat.
Tackling neglected diseases with new partnerships
Infectious diseases studied at the forefront of scientific research have led to many scientific advancements and a lower fatality ratio in the human population. These include leishmaniasis, sleeping sickness, and Chagas disease. However, according to a recent article in Scientific American, many infectious diseases that cause cognitive defects rather than death are often put to the side—especially those affecting developing countries. This has resulted in a lag in progress compared to more commonly known and deadly diseases.
A solution to this may very well be the recent partnership between the government of Japan, the UN Development Program, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and several Japanese pharmaceutical companies. These organizations have decided to pool their resources together to create a fund to deal with these ‘neglected diseases.’ For instance, they aim to increase research towards the development of a drug to fight malaria.
Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) is the result of such a partnership with a focus on battling neglected diseases common in developing nations. Global Innovative Health Technology Fund (GHIT) CEO BT Slingsby told Scientific American that the cause is important because, “[HIV, malaria, tuberculosis, and other neglected tropical diseases] are the diseases that have the most unmet medical needs […] and lack innovations of technology.”
This type of collaboration could be a milestone in global health research and development to ultimately improve accessibility and health for the poor in developing nations.
As a break from his homework, Sam Donald will open up his Ableton music software. Working from his desk, Donald uses his laptop, a small sound card, a mike, and a guitar to produce his own electronic dance music (EDM). Every couple of weeks, he’ll toss a remix online for his friends to check out.
Donald has always been a music fan, having started to learn the guitar at the age of eight. However, he hasn’t always been an EDM fan. In first year, he was involved in an indie rock band.
“That’s really where the electronic music was birthed from,” he says. “One of the guys in my band sat me down and said ‘Look, we’re not going to get famous being a rock band anymore. That time’s past. The real money, or the real career path, is in producing, and the whole DJ thing.’ ”
Since then Donald has been producing music and disk-jockeying both independently and with the group Baers at Montreal venues including Vinyl and Blue Dog.
For Donald, the music itself isn’t the only things that’s important, but also the attitudes that pervade it.
“Something that really started to appeal to me about EDM—I think a lot of people identified with—was the fact that it’s all about unifying and being part of an experience that a bunch of people are a part of, rather than closing yourself off and having this condescending air of musical tastes,” he says.
It’s because of this take on music that Donald sees artists like Bassnectar as a major musical influence.
“He’s a calm soul, a zen personality that is really bringing to light the magic of how music can bring unity to people, and that’s something I really admire,” he says. “I really like musicians who incorporate music into their being and see the music not as something they make, but see themselves as instruments that music can come out of.”
By treating everyone and everything with respect, Donald tries to transfer these notions of unity and equality to his everyday life.
“The most important thing in my music has been getting over the fact that I’m not better than anyone,” he says. “I used to hear a Justin Bieber song and say ‘Oh that’s crap.’ When I started producing, I realized there are all these really honest, hard working people who create a Justin Bieber or Katy Perry song, and to sneer your nose at it, at least for me, inhibited my own progress as an artist.”
Now, Donald is clearly unafraid to draw from mainstream popular music—his latest track is a remix of Miley Cyrus’s “Wrecking Ball.”
Moving forward with his music, Donald is looking to bring some of his rock and roll past into his electric tracks through his guitar.
“It’s been interesting seeing the instruments creep back into what a lot of people consider a lifeless art form—the four to the floor drum beat going on all night,” he says.
Donald says he hopes to pursue a career in the music industry.
“I’ve been looking also at video production with music, which is obviously a growing field,” he says. “In a perfect world, I’ll be in front of crowds of 40,000 in a couple years—but you know I’m not taking away the possibility of the cubicle.”
On September 16, the McGill Faculty of Medicine, along with its four major teaching hospitals, released a joint statement affirming its belief in providing an environment where individuals are free to choose to wear “conspicuous religious symbols.” Today, in light of the proposed Bill 60, the Medical Students’ Society of McGill University wishes to add its voice to theirs.
As medical students, we are incredibly lucky to be able to interact on a daily basis with future colleagues and professors who proudly display symbols of their religious beliefs. Contrary to what our provincial government seems to think, in no way do these symbols prevent them from carrying out their work with empathy and professionalism, just like all healthcare workers should. We consider ourselves lucky to have them as physicians and we strongly believe that they are essential members of our healthcare system. It would be simply unacceptable to us should some of our colleagues be treated as second class citizens and be forced to choose between their job and their religion.
Therefore, we salute our Faculty’s initiative and we hope that the government will realize the importance of an inclusive workplace that is open to all, regardless of their culture, their origins ,or their religion. We also invite the provincial government to consider the impact of Bill 60 on those who will be most affected by it, namely present and future physicians, nurses, or teachers to name only a few. Finally, we will make our opinion known by actively partaking in and contributing to the forthcoming public consultations set to occur at the beginning of the new calendar year.
On behalf of the Medical Students’ Society of McGill University,
Carl White Ulysse (Med-2)
Executive President
Adam Parant (Med-3)
Past President
Sarah Hosseini (Med-2)
Executive Vice-President and Corporate Relations
Thierry Live (Med-3)
Vice President of Internal Affairs
A case involving three McGill student athletes charged with sexual assault 15 months ago has drawn attention to the process by which McGill deals with the conduct of its students.
On Nov. 1, the Montreal Gazette reported that three current McGill students on the Redmen football team were arrested on April 26, 2012 for charges of sexual assault with a weapon and forcible confinement in an incident involving a former Concordia student. The students, now fourth-years, will appear in court next month for their preliminary hearing.
According to Deputy Provost (Student Life and Learning) Ollivier Dyens, the students told their coach that they were facing legal action following their arrest in April 2012. The coach advised them to inform their parents of the situation and to seek legal counsel.
The athletes continued to play for the squad in the following two seasons (2012 and 2013). Dyens said the students did not explain their charges in detail to the coach.
“If the students had said [they were] under criminal charges […] I think we [would have had] to at least look into it,” he said. “But we have to move carefully with these things because you don’t want to affect the inquiry from the police.”
According to Dyens, the university was informed of the criminal charges in May 2013. Dyens, who officially began his term in September 2013, learned about the case from his predecessor, Morton Mendelson. By this time, the case had already become a criminal investigation handled within the judicial system.
“There was nothing for us to move forward with,” Dyens said. “We have to respect the process. If we start doing our own investigation—asking people questions and everything—we might make it difficult […] for both the prosecutor and the defence lawyers; so we have to be really careful.”
He explained that all students are evaluated under the Green Book—the Code of Student Conduct. If there is an allegation that a violation of the Code has occurred, a disciplinary officer for the unit—in this case McGill Athletics—can impose a sanction or refer the issue to the Committee on Student Discipline.
Dyens added that McGill could not administer the Code of Student Conduct in this case because the alleged misconduct did not occur on campus or during McGill-related activities.
“If I see you doing something illegal—for example in a bar somewhere on St. Laurent Boulevard—and it’s not on the campus and it’s not part of the McGill context, you’re not breaking the McGill Code of Rights and Responsibilities,” Dyens said. “At that point, it’s the responsibility of the court or the police.”
In addition to the Code, varsity athletes are subject to another code of conduct titled the Guide to Varsity Sports for Student-Athletes. This document outlines provisions on McGill’s anti-doping policy, prohibits hazing, and forbids alcohol consumption on team trips, among other restrictions.
“It is considered a privilege and not a right to be a student-athlete, and every student-athlete is expected to conduct himself or herself in a manner that exhibits honour and respect to the team, department, university, and surrounding community for the duration of his or her tenure as a student-athlete at McGill University,” the guide reads.
The athletics disciplinary officer can establish administrative sanctions when the rules in the Guide are violated. According to Dyens, these administrative sanctions could include a suspension from playing on the team.
However, the Guide does not address criminal charges, such as charges of sexual assault.
“You don’t need to put [sexual assault] in a document like this because it’s against the law,” Dyens explained.
Other universities, such as Bishop’s University and the University of Winnipeg, have codes of conduct that athletes must sign. These documents outline the athletic department’s response to criminal behaviour committed by student athletes.
“I will refrain from any involvement in any criminal activity, on or off of campus,” the Bishop’s code reads. “I realize that my failure to abide by the standards described above may result in a temporary or permanent loss of the privilege of representing Bishop’s University as a student-athlete.”
Dyens noted that all McGill staff and students have a duty to report student misconduct once they are aware of it.
“Everyone has a responsibility to ensure that the Code of Rights and Responsibilities is respected,” he said. “This being said, you have to be careful, because the Code […] says [misconduct] has to happen […] either on the McGill campus or in the McGill context.”
The university will decide whether the students will face charges under the Student Code of Conduct following the outcome of the judicial process.
Executive Director of Athletics and Recreation, Drew Love; Associate Director of Athletics and Recreation and Athletics Disciplinary Officer, Philip Quintal; and Redmen football Head Coach, Clint Uttley referred the Tribune to Dyens for comment.
We have all curated preferences as to what music we spend our time getting to know intimately, ultimately constructing our unique tastes in musical genres. While some gravitate towards the legends of recent past such as Pink Floyd and Bob Dylan, others find solace in jazz or swing music that have consumed audiences as early as the 1930s.
Music categorization begins with the notion of the “genre,” a hulk term that generalizes and classifies defining musical elements to describe a sound. We are all familiar with genres like Pop, R&B, and Rock and Roll, which have dominated the industry for decades. A recent rising genre that has taken Montreal and much of North America by storm is Electronic Dance Music (EDM). With now big-name artists such as Flume and Cyril Hahn performing at venues across the city, EDM concerts have been selling out weekend after weekend without any sign of losing their popularity.
EDM, like other genres, are susceptible to offspring—otherwise known as “sub-genres.” This tendency of classifying music types like sub-genres is especially apparent on music blogs, which allows for EDM to remain static as an overarching genre, while new sub-genres frequently emerge from its roots.
EDM as an umbrella term has found substantial popularity, but as a descriptor, the notion lends itself to a slew of implications and generalizations within the music community. As a solution, we find hundreds—if not thousands—of sub-genres that narrow in on particular sounds and styles. From “drum and bass” to “progressive house,” sub-genres within EDM have been multiplying as a constant display of innovative sounds, catching the attention of European, Australian, and North American audiences alike. Electronic artists experiment with their art forms, giving birth to new strains which, inevitably, must be named. Naming new sub-genres has allowed for even more creativity in musical production across the board.
(Wolfey via low-life.ca)
Electronic music as a whole is a moving target. According to a recent McGill BA and Berklee College of Music graduate who goes by the artist name Wolfey, EDM as a term applies to “a vast range of sub-genres including dance, experimental, and ambient.” He described the genre in this sense as “extraterrestrial,” fusing the use of synthesizers, samplers and sequencers to form a bedrock of possibilities for musicians to take inspiration from and for music journalists and fans to identify with.
Like many other producers, Wolfey strives to create an innovative electronic sound that takes inspiration from the past and the present, creating a mixture of ambient electronica, future garage, and post-dubstep. With this resourceful nature, electronic music production helps to expand what constitutes as EDM, resulting in the classification of various sub-genres.
Artists like Disclosure and Rusko practice this categorization frequently. Disclosure has curated a musical identity combining deep house and UK garage with a disco influence, while Rusko birthed a sub-genre of his own: “brostep.” The concept behind brostep is to feature middle register sounds rather than the sub-bass that original dubstep artists such as Skream and Benga usually highlight.
Electronic artists like Disclosure and Rusko speak volumes on how EDM as an existing genre can’t properly describe a newly innovative sound without over-generalizing. Technically, both artists belong under EDM’s umbrella, but labelling each producer simply as EDM does nothing more than orient the listener. Every emerging sound deserves a more specific description, and this is where sub-genres must attach themselves to specific musical combinations in order to solve the problem of broad generalization.
Limiting an artist’s sound solely to an overarching genre pools together thousands of its own sub-genres that in reality deserve distinctions, especially on a reputable music blog. Appropriating proper sub-genres through music-oriented online platforms allows readers to know exactly what strains of EDM they like: perhaps minimal electronica or Intelligent Dance Music (IDM)—other sub-genres of electronic music—or what they dislike: maybe techno or brostep. Sub-genres increase the necessary precision so desperately needed in EDM’s extensive musical diversity.
Music publications such as Pretty Much Amazing and Indie Shuffle are entities that professionally typify music with the use of sub-genres for searching and listening purposes. Jason Grishkoff, the founder of Indie Shuffle, deals with categorization constantly, and welcomes new sub-genres.
“With hundreds of thousands of songs being released every year, you’re going to start to see new ways of describing these emergent sub-genres,” Grishkoff said. Indie Shuffle, along with other music blogs, categorizes each song, remix, cover, LP, or EP they review to whatever sub-genres the writer sees fit, attempting to avoid over-generalization.
But what happens when one person’s categorization is seen by others as miscategorization? As an artist, Benny Morgentaler of Toronto-based DJ duo No Big Deal pointed
(Benny Morgentaler via soundcloud.com)
out that even the grossly misinformed have an online voice.
“Some people know what they’re talking about and have a deep love of music, while others start a music blog for something to do,” he said.
In that same vein, Wolfey argued that “The best journalists are connoisseurs.” He noted that the problem of miscategorization seems to be a combination of both laziness and a lack of knowledge of proper sub-genres. This is what drives ‘electronic’ to be the most generalized term in music classification.
This division between sub-genres offered by music blogs, iTunes, and streaming sites like Soundcloud, Bandcamp and NPR, leads to healthy discussion within the online music community, just as opposing political communities foster. Well-formulated opinions about genre classifications help to nail down the thousands of EDM strains, which are often determined by the presence of elements such as synthesizers or varying beats per minute (bpm). Whatever Indie Shuffle labels an artist, Pitchfork might see otherwise; that difference in opinion is usually seen as perfectly valid as long as it is coming from another knowledgeable source.
Ben Ryder-Smith, the co-founding publicist of Native PR Group in London, UK attempts to catch publications’ attention with the artists he represents. As a public relations specialist, how an artist’s sound is presented to fans, journalists, and industry professionals is essential to artist development and recognition of genre.
(Diagram via Brontë Martin)
“Everyone is entitled to their own opinion on what bracket a track or band falls under,” Ryder-Smith argued, adding that as long as people are talking about his artists, he’s happy. Still, he reminded us that there are more reputable voices than others. Those voices often belong to industry professionals who have the knowledge and means to articulate their opinions.
This open-minded attitude towards musical classification and discussion is what all music fans and professionals should strive to adopt. Genres continue to evolve, but not beyond recognition. The amplification of emerging musical styles which constitute sub-genres, empower fans, musicians, and journalists alike to explore music without boundaries in order to welcome fusion and collaboration. The coining of strains of electronic music is essential, allowing for specificity to be attributed to defining musical elements. EDM as a genre exists solely as a father figure to its ever-expanding offspring of sub-genres.
The ever-growing realms of music might seem expansive or difficult to grapple with, but there really is something out there that’s known as “industrial breakbeat orchestral electronica.” It’s our job as listeners to find it.
Full disclosure: Brontë Martin is a contributing staff writer at Indie Shuffle.
It was an unfitting end to what was supposed to be a dream season. The McGill Redmen were riding a 19-game winning streak against CUFLA competition coming into the championship game of the Baggataway Cup. The match was held at home in Molson Stadium in front of raucous McGill fans. All that stood in their way from back-to-back trophies was a pesky Guelph squad that was hoping to win its third game in 48 hours. All season long the Redmen had mowed down their opponents through a combination of superior depth and offensive talent, but in their final game of the season, they were unable to do what they had done so often this season. The Guelph Gryphons were the ones to hoist the trophy following a thrilling 14-11 championship game.
The 14 goals represented the highest total McGill had allowed all season, surpassing the previous high of nine against Bishop’s University in their final game of the regular season. On Sunday, however, Guelph withstood the physicality of a stout Redmen defence that featured a whopping five All-Canadians, and used deft passing to expose McGill’s backline. According to McGill Head Coach Tim Murdoch, Guelph took advantage of small lapses in his squad.
“We just got beat a few crucial times defensively; it wasn’t anyone in particular,” Murdoch explained. “They have some really amazing shooters and scorers, and they were just hitting the net.”
Time and time again, McGill’s offensive chances were thwarted by Guelph goalie, Jeremy Snider. In the last minute alone, the hosts were shocked as Snider managed to stop the ball from crossing the goal line after a wealth of quality chances. Throughout the game, the Redmen attack was patient and picked their spots carefully as they worked the ball around the perimeter, probing the Gryphons’ defence. This strategy proved successful initially, as McGill jumped out to an early 4-2 lead following the first quarter.
(Luke Orlando / McGill Tribune)
Connor Goodwin, a junior attackman, was the offensive engine for the Redmen, scoring three goals and adding three assists to cap off an excellent tournament. Kevin Donovan, Leland De Langley, and Anders Bjella all chipped in with two goals apiece. However, the team’s efforts were not enough as the Gryphons turned it on in the second half, outscoring McGill 8-5 in the final two quarters.
Despite the final result, Murdoch expressed pride in his team and their historic record season they had achieved.
“As far as the end of the game, what I was happy to see was that our team never gave up. We were down by four goals and were able to get one back,” Murdoch said. “This loss doesn’t mar an otherwise amazing season: going undefeated—the first time that’s ever happened at McGill—and making it to the National Championship game.”
The path to establishing a McGill lacrosse dynasty does not end here, as a whopping 37 out of 41 players are set to return next season. In addition, Murdoch has shown an unmatched capacity to recruit quality players across North America. Goodwin is one such player who expects to return and is conident that the squad will use the off-season to their advantage.
“We need to just work on our skills; [get] in the gym, get stronger, get bigger,” Goodwin said. “We return most of our guys so we’ll definitely be gunning for a championship next year.”
New York-based Ryan Lott of Son Lux consumes our ears with Lanterns, his third album to date. Available worldwide on Oct. 29, this brainchild is 43 minutes of magnetic yet often indecipherable instrumentation. To say the least, Son Lux’s approach is left-of-field and transethnic, gravitating away from conventionality and familiarity.
This 10-track LP has nestled comfortably in a space slightly less ornate than what we saw on Lott’s previous albums, At War With Walls & Mazes and We Are Rising. Songs like “Lost It To Trying” and “Ransom” incorporate Son Lux’s newly found sonic juxtaposition, which allows for haunting electronica and striking orchestral additives to flourish. “No Crimes” embodies all of this and more, proving its existence as a finessed yet disjointed string arrangement. Lott’s classical musical background is an album theme, simultaneously alluding to his past training and Son Lux’s present sound.
Depicting diversity, peculiarity and sentiment, Lanterns tips its hat off to minimalist layering, evident within “Alternate World” and the highlight single, “Easy.” The latter, as well as “Enough of Our Machines,” particularly features Lott’s introspective vocal abilities, structured alongside the futuristic soul and nostalgic world music elements.
Throughout, Lanterns maintains a hazy, meditative aura, oozing warm complexity with chilling bass saxophone and gentle piano lines. Venturing into even darker territory than before, Son Lux explores a richer trajectory that amalgamates modern R&B and orchestral pop, welcoming us to a state of musical captivation—one that we resist ever leaving.
With a confusing mélange of tempo and genre, Ryan Hemsworth’s Guilt Trips is not a trip to feel guilty about, but rather a twisting, uncertain journey through EDM. Although technically well put-together, this short album could not possibly fulfill any function; Guilt Trips would not fit into any mood, situation or setting.
A producer and DJ from Halifax, NS, Ryan Hemsworth infuses strong hip-hop vibes into his music, but with Guilt Trips, his second album, he seems confused about how to make ‘chillstep’ and dance music simultaneously.
Each track focuses on drums of all varieties and Hemsworth includes other percussive effects, keyboards, extended bass synths, and short vocal samples as well. Some tracks fortunately include vocals, a necessary element to keep the listener interested and fill out the sound. But Hemsworth makes up for the otherwise repetitive nature of the acoustic beat music by keeping the tracks short, the smallest being only 1:40 with the average lasting three minutes.
The album’s first track “Small & Lost” perfectly illustrates the idea of the entire album; alternating between escalating drum and bass and a soothing female vocalist over keys, the track could be classified as drone, dubstep, trap, or R&B. The album finishes with a surprise: “Day/ Night/ Sleep System” finally includes the rapping Hemsworth’s beats inherently demand. However, he keeps the track slow, focusing on the rapper’s flowing speech and keeping the listener confused about whether to dance, nod their head, or fall asleep.
Although each song impressively combines hip-hop, dubstep, trap, and other genre-specific sounds into a surprisingly harmonious product, the result exhibits why these elements are typically kept separate. This is not an album to dance to, it is not good background music, it cannot be used to study, and it does not present any strong mood. If you want to listen to interestingly crafted electronic music then give this album a try, but if you’re looking for a soundtrack to some kind of activity then choose something else.
