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MO stands in a desert. Her untitled second studio album is due out later this year.
Rogers: MO's "Final Song" is the true song of the summer
JARRET ROGERS @JarretRogers
It feels safe to say that pain and anger was felt by us all this summer. If it's not because of the murders of Dallas police officers, then it might be because of the slaying of 49 people at a gay nightclub in Orlando. If it's not shootings in this country it might be refugee's dying in an attempt to escape death. Or maybe it's terrorist attacks in Nice or across Germany.
Judging by Twitter these feelings have manifested into one question that feels more and more legitimate each time it's asked — What is going on in 2016 and why does it feel like the world is coming to an end? I felt the same way when the shootings in Dallas happened. Laying in bed, watching the local TV coverage, it felt like the world was collapsing and I
was 30 minutes away with no way to make it stop. I was hopeless and fearful.
Because of all the tragedies surrounding us, I found myself listening to music in a different way than I usually do this summer. The traditional pop hits just weren't right. Songs like "One Dance" by Drake or "Needed Me" by Rihanna felt trivial and meaningless in a world where people were losing their lives while trying to celebrate in community at night clubs and protests. We were in a world of catastrophes with no songs to properly lift the mood except for one.
MO's "Final Song" is the song America and the world needed this summer. It can be assumed the motivation for the song was not for these exact moments, but the song still hits where it needs to. It goes from ostensibly sad verses to an
ducer and the star singer. It's got everything the song of the summer needs, but it's impossible to ignore the meaninglessness in the song to the world in this moment. Sure, it causes the distraction some folks might be looking for, but it fails to define the time like "Final Song" does.
uplifting chorus in which MØ sings "Don't let this be our final song," which in the context of 2016 feels like a musician telling the world to continue pushing forward.
According to Pitchfork, MO said in press release "Final Song' is about "reconnecting with your inner strength. With your inner glow, passion, spirit animal, whatever-the force that keeps us going and doing what we love." 2016 is a year where the inner strength of the people in the world is, understandably, depleted. Summer music should be uplifting, giving people the energy the need and this is where "Final Song" achieves the most.
The same could be said for the aforementioned "One Dance" and "Needed Me" along with DJ Khaled's entire record, "Panda" and anything else you heard on the radio this summer. All the great music that came out this summer should be appreciated, but "Final Song" is the only one that will make you want to get up and pursue a better future, which seems like something we all need to do after the events of summer 2016.
Think about "This Is What You Came For" by Calvin Harris and Rihanna, a song that is perfect for the summer. It's got the fun beat, it's got the star pro-
New Arts Center CEO Lawrence native
▶ COURTNEY BIERMAN
@courtbierman
After a three monthlong search, the Lawrence Arts Center announced in June that it would welcome Kimberly Williams as its new CEO this September. Williams is replacing Susan Tate, who is retiring from the position she's held since 2009.
Contributed Photo
It was at a benefit auction for the Arts Center that Williams first became aware that its board of directors was accepting applications.
The Lawrence Arts Center's board of directors began the search for a new CEO in the spring after Tate announced her resignation last January. Board Chair Joan Golden said they were "very open minded" in their search for Tate's replacement. Williams was selected from a pool of more than 50 applicants of various backgrounds. Her ties to Lawrence set her apart from the rest, according to Golden.
"The more closely that I looked at it, especially the board and staff talent and the board-staff relationship, I thought this was an amazing opportunity for Lawrence and for me to contribute," Williams said.
Williams is "coming full circle back to Lawrence" after most recently having served as a founding member and partner of the Solar Fuels Institute at Northwestern University. She grew up in Lawrence and attended the University's School of Business. After graduating in 1979, she started at the Graduate School of business but left in 1981 to pursue a career just a few credits short of an MBA. Since leaving Lawrence, she has dedicated her life to public service and nonprofit work.
"What we wanted to find was someone who had connections to Lawrence but had applied experience that would allow whoever we hired to hit the ground running and bring some expertise and experience from their previous career to this position," Golden said.
The Solar Fuels Institute
was started four years ago by Williams and three other partners as a research consortium aiming to harness solar energy as a renewable fuel source. The institute has brought together scientists from all over the world.
Williams said her background has given her a "strong sense" of the importance of STEM education in creative environments. The Lawrence Arts Center's STEAM Program, headed by Chief Program Officer Margaret Morris, was expanded under Tate's leadership, and Williams hopes to expand it further. STEAM stands for "Science & Technology, interpreted through Engineering & the Arts, all based in Mathematical elements." Program curriculum is designed to integrate art into traditional science, technology, engineering, and math education.
"[Artists] need to tell their story and artists are makers, and when you bring art to that STEM educational curriculum, you're asking all students and all participants to integrate the arts and creativity," Williams said.
Williams said her family encouraged a love of the arts and an appreciation for the value of community from a young age. "It's a dream job because I get to come back to something that's deeply embedded in my family of origin," she said. "It's like coming home."
Rae Sremmurd's new album is no sophomore slump
▶ JARRET ROGERS
@JarretRogers
I've always believed that to a certain extent, sophomore slumps are inevitable for artists. When coming out of nowhere, people are satisfied to have something new and unexpected in their ears. But, when fans have over a year and a half to set expectations, they are more likely to turn lukewarm to music they would've once been on fire for.
The rollout of Rae Sremmurd's new album, "SremmLife 2," is no different. With four singles out ("By Chance", "Over Here", "Look Alive" and "Do Yoga") and none of them cracking the Billboard Hot 100, after 2015's SremmLife had three in the top 40, the new music hasn't been received the same way it was in 2015.
Devoted to the turn
up last year, the brothers, Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi, have taken to new ways of approaching their music. Still perfect for almost any party, the music is more stretched out and focused on changing pace throughout "SremmLife 2." The aforementioned "Look Alive" relies more on melody and flow than being catchy to seize listeners ears. Both "Came a Long Way" and "Do Yoga" feel less freestyled and more labored over than anything on the first record, as do many others on "SremmLife 2."
The group doesn't abandon their roots, though. The album opens with "Start a Party" informing the masses that there's still a core intention behind their music. Welcoming Juicy J and Lil Jon on "Shake it Fast" and "Set the Roof," respectively, both songs seem intended
Their rapping stays interesting enough throughout the album to not completely ignore and the vocals, mostly Swae's, are capable of carrying it if the rapping ever stops working in their favor.
for drunken nights and not much more, indicating the brothers are still here for a good time.
"SremmLife 2" might be an acquired taste for fans of the group who had their sights set on a different album from the brothers, but Rae Sremmurd is a group we shouldn't be setting expectations for.
The duo is fun and has proven over the course of two records now that they know how to make music pleasing to the ear, and whether or not it's pleasing to our expectations of Rae Sremmurd should be irrelevant.
The cover art for Rae Sremmurd's latest album "Sremmlife 2."
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