The Oberlin Review

Hype Music You Can Wash Your Hands To

March 13, 2020

Life is chaotic right now, and everyone is handling the turmoil in their own way. For many athletes, chaos comes with the territory of competition. Whether it’s psyching themselves up for an early morning practice or getting themselves ready for a big game, athletes across all sports consistently find ways to navigate chaos and manage stress. One of the most common ways to do this is through music. Hype music, as it is typically referred to, is an integral part of many athletes’ preparation for competition. More recently, music is being championed as a way to teach people how to wash their hands in this trying time. Below are some of the best, most unique, and most classic hype songs, according to me, your friendl...

Mobey Irizarry Lambright, Pop Musician and TIMARA Major

February 14, 2020

Mobey Irizarry Lambright is a double-degree fifth-year majoring in TIMARA and Comparative American Studies. They produce pop music under the name Bebé Machete, and they released their album “There Is Not a Metaphor That Can Contain” last June. Funnybone Records describes Bebé Machete’s sound as a blend of “salsa, hip hop, lo-fi, and experimental rock.” On Saturday at 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Lambright will perform their senior TIMARA recital in the Birenbaum Innovation and Perform...

Students in the Phlox Ensemble sit with their instruments.

Oberlin Students for Gender Inclusivity in Music Presents Phlox

February 7, 2020

Can you think of a famous female, transgender, or nonbinary classical music composer? The average person would likely know the name Beethoven or Bach, but might struggle to recall a composer who’s not a cisgender man. The Phlox Ensembles, an intensive two-week Winter Term orchestra and choir, aim to combat this lack of gender inclusivity by performing works by composers that are not cisgender men. Organized by Oberlin Students for Gender Inclusivity in Music, the ensembles are a spa...

Ariana Grande Should Not Be Your White Queer Icon

Aly Fogel, Contributing Writer

May 3, 2019

A couple of months ago, I wrote an article for the Review about queer tropes in the music video for Ariana Grande’s song, “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored” (“Ariana Grande’s Music Video Perpetuates Queer Stereotypes, Tropes,” March 8, 2018). Writing under the assumption that Grande was straight, I criticized the video for utilizing Grande’s kiss with a girl as a “plot twist.” This portrayal, I argued, fed into a common trope that delegitimizes and fetishizes queer women. The article was written a month after the video was released, prior to any sign of Grande coming out. Then, at the beginning of April, Ariana released a song titled “Monopoly” with her friend Victoria Monét, who is bisexual....

Conservatory sophomore Josephine Lee and double-degree junior Phoebe Pan practice together in Bibbins Hall.

AAPR Recommends Structural Changes to Con

April 19, 2019

One of the primary areas of recommendation to come out of the Academic and Administrative Program Review concerns structural changes to the Conservatory. Specifically, the steering committee has supported the creation of a revamped Musical Studies major and minor, and recommended that Oberlin increase College enrollment by 100 students while simultaneously decreasing the Conservatory enrollment by 100 students over the course of four years. This recommendation was made partially in response to d...

Open Mic Culture Provides Performance, Community

Carson Dowhan, Senior Staff Writer

February 15, 2019

The lights go dim and the night begins with the sound of the emcee announcing the first act — welcome to the open mic. Here, you’ll see the creative headspaces of students come to life on the stage through slam poetry, diary readings, a capella covers, instrumental pieces, and original songs. Deep down, everyone is nervous to share their work — yet they still summon the courage to do exactly that. The open mic is a positive atmosphere in which people can exercise their right brains, and where artists of all backgrounds can perform in a safe, low-pressure environment. Oberlin is lucky enough to have one held at the Cat in the Cream every month or so, with other themed nights springing up around campus sponsore...

The senior ’Sco staff, from left to right: Dan Nerenhausen, Julie Schreiber, Olivia Ercilla Antrobus, Maya Blumenberg-Taylor, Emma Broun, and Meg Parker.

’Sco Seniors Reminisce, Appreciate Campus Community Space

February 15, 2019

The Dionysus Disco — or as it is best known, the ’Sco — is one of the most notorious and beloved spaces on Oberlin’s campus. Dionysus was the Greek god of the grape harvest, fertility, theater, wine, ritual chaos, and religious ecstasy. I don’t know about harvesting grapes or fertility, but anyone who has turned out for a Wednesday night Splitchers has participated in a kind of ritual chaos and can attest to the religious ecstasy of this hallowed ground. It follows, then, that the energy behind the ...

Indie Group Preacher & Daisy Releases “Over Lake Erie”

Carson Dowhan, Senior Staff Writer

November 30, 2018

Preacher & Daisy, an Oberlin student folk group, will be releasing its debut EP Over Lake Erie next week. College senior Sam Bailey released his solo record Preacher & Daisy in the summer of 2017. Soon after, he began playing with College sophomore Eva Hilton to form an electric guitar and bass duo. Over time, Cody Edgerly, OC '17, and Conservatory senior Maddy Baltor filled in on the drums and electric guitar, forming the indie-folk-rock group, Preacher & Daisy. Bailey found the name for his fledgling group after reading a short story titled “The History of Rodney” by environmental writer Rick Bass. “In the story, Daisy, is an old woman who has dedicated her life to waiting in the Mississip...

College senior and men's lacrosse captain Elie Small

Student-Athletes Shine at Sharing Stages

November 16, 2018

Saturday night in the William and Helen Birenbaum Innovation and Performance Space, I realized what I love most about Oberlin: its tendency to foster creativity and collaboration, and the way people can express their diverse backgrounds, interests, and talents. I am regularly in awe of and inspired by the bright and energetic students on campus. Last weekend, students of the College and the Conservatory, athletes and non-athletes, parents, and administrators came together to celebrate som...

Scuffles Between Musicians and Politicians Highlight National Divide

Levi Dayan

November 9, 2018

Another election season means, as always, another round of politicians being told to stop using artists’ music without permission. Most recently, Pharrell Williams issued a cease and desist letter to President Trump after rally organizers used his song “Happy” at a campaign event in Indiana. In his letter to the president, Williams’ attorney Howard King denounced the song choice in the wake of October’s fatal shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue. “There was nothing ‘happy’ about the tragedy inflicted upon our country on Saturday and no permission was granted for your use of this song for this purpose,” King wrote. The same week, after “Don’t Stop The Music” played at another rally, Rihanna...

New Legislation Helps Established Musicians

Carson Dowhan, Staff Writer

November 9, 2018

There’s been a lot of discussion recently around the impact of streaming music on how artists are compensated for their work, given the overwhelming rise of services like Spotify and Apple Music. In a new development, the Orrin G. Hatch–Bob Goodlatte Music Modernization Act was signed into effect Oct. 11. It stands as one of the most important pieces of legislation regarding entertainment and copyright law, but the legal jargon can be difficult to follow for those who are unfamiliar with music industry standards. The bill, which received bipartisan approval in Congress, impacts all creative rights holders and those who create music — but it affects industry giants much more than small Oberlin bands with music...

Kishi Bashi Duo to Play at Cat in the Cream

Carson Dowhan, Staff Writer

October 12, 2018

American singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter Kishi Bashi will perform at the Cat in the Cream this Saturday, Oct. 13. He will be showcasing songs from his critically-acclaimed 2016 album Sonderlust, described as “frantic, unpredictable, digital, and danceable” by NPR. In an interview with Bandcamp, Bashi said Sonderlust “chronicles the life, death, and possible re-birth of a relationship.” The whimsicality behind the album title comes from John Koenig’s blog Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, the title of which captures the theme of the album perfectly. His work takes an eclectic approach to the indie-rock genre, with noticeable inspirations from ’70s pop. Hints of influences behind Sonderlust ra...