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Review: Nine Type’s of Light
In a world full of derivative music, TV On The Radio are unique. Their high intensity mix of beats, synthesisers and falsetto-powered choruses lend them a sound and an energy which could emanate from no other band. Nine Types of Light, their fourth studio release, comes two and a half years after 2008’s critically acclaimed Dear Science, the album which put them onto the music industry’s commercial map, samples of which cropped up everywhere from dramas to computer games. Refreshingly, their success doesn’t seem to have altered their musical style and Nine Types of Light still features the same lyrical cleverness and familiar combination of moments ranging from melodic tranquillity to riff-fuelled chaos. There is a danger that their propensity to go in for everything in a potentially too massive way will lead some people into dismissing TV On The Radio as being a bit ridiculous; but it is this very quality which lets them get away with it and when David Bowie volunteers to sing backing vocals on your music you know you’re onto a winner.
The main difference between Nine Types of Light and its predecessor is the overriding sense of freedom and joy which it possesses. If Dear Science was the sound of a man trapped in a confined space continually plotting glorious escapes, then Nine Types of Light is the sound of his return to the sunshine. Tracks like ‘Second Song’and ‘Will Do’are good examples of this and reveal that, at its essence, Nine Types of Light is a collection of unabashed love songs. The album’s energy is infectious and features many a sing-a-long chorus which lends Nine Types of Light the potential to become one of the best alternative albums of summer 2011.
Mount Kimbie raises Heaven’s roof
Going to see Mount Kimbie the day they release a brand spanking new track – ‘Bave Chords‘, free download, Oh YES – is the sort of perfection that an adoring fan can only dream of. My luck lasted pretty much all evening, which explains the smug style of writing that you are about to encounter. Queuing at Heaven is unlike any other experience I’ve had before as adverts for ‘Gay Porn Idol’ surround the box office, this really is a special venue, but not only because of its sexually explicit advertisements, it’s a club inside the Arches near Embankment – which provide a perfect acoustic setting – and a balcony that lets you look down on the huge crowd below.
First to grace the stage is Sampha, an electro soloist signed to XL Recordings’ imprint Young Turks. Being a huge fan of practically all XL’s artists I had high expectations for the electronic soulster and I was not disappointed. Although his use of synthesisers and drum pads does not necessarily separate him from the crowd, it’s his decidedly emotional voice, which wavers inoffensively between being in tune and slightly out of it which sets him apart from the rapidly rising group of electronic songwriters. Luckily for Sampha and his audience, his use of autotune – or something like it – is intriguing rather than annoying and with lyrics such as ‘no one could love you’ it’s certain that he’s got stuff to sing about. The exquisite use of lighting in Heaven means that each act is bathed in a pool of coloured light, adding a visual layer of satisfaction to the whole affair.
The next act take the term audiovisual delight to another level as their whole set is enhanced by beautiful film footage playing in the background. Creep, the female witch house duo from New York fulfil and exceed the electronic double team stereotype as their equipment comprises two laptops (Macs of course), a guitar that is only used once, and surprisingly a cello complete with cello player. Wearing suitably creepy dark and baggy clothes, Creep are about atmosphere just as much as they are about music. With only a tiny lamp emitting light onto their stage you are tempted to close your eyes and let the heart trembling bass do all the talking. Their languid beats and drippy bass lines evoke a totally electronic world – sounding somewhat like an overhead approach of airplanes – but manage to convey perfectly human emotions. Still there’s a part of me that feels that full appreciation of their dark R&B/shoegaze sound necessitates some sort of hallucinogenic intervention – and by the looks of most of the people in the crowd I think I’m right. They’ve got a fantastic single out now called Days and it features vocals from Romy Madley Croft – aka Romy xx – who was incidentally in the audience.
Whilst waiting for Mount Kimbie to set up I also spotted Orlando from Maccabees – remember them? I won’t even pretend this is at all relevant to the gig, and although I could make some far fetched comment about the current drum pad trend in music and the possibility of an electronic album from Maccabees I’d rather admit my mild obsession with the lead singer. Confession over let’s move on to the humble headliners, Mount Kimbie.
As the ‘post dubstep’ duo – I’m allowed one annoying term per post – make their way on to the stage all the too cool for school fans shed their hipster skin and make their way to the very front of the room and Mount Kimbie are worth it. Suddenly it feels more like a club night than a random gig and the fact that we’ll all be tucked up in bed before 11 pm bares no relevance to our enjoyment. Drum pads at the ready Kimbie fill the room with itchy beats and engulfing bass lines, the whole audience is transfixed waiting to hear the first words from the manchester duo; ‘It means so much to see so many heads’ says one of them, it’s nice to know they appreciate their fans. Just like their support act the special thing about MK is the fact that they appreciate sound, be it electronic or acoustic. Their use of a real snare drum and cymbal brings them into an undeniably refreshing realm of multiplicious musicians.
Their tracks flow from shogeaze to D’angelo-esque hip hop without so much as a warning, and everyone loves it. ‘Before I Move Off‘ receives rapturous applaud from the crowd and it seems that Mount Kimbie can’t put a foot wrong, chopping up several different vocal samples to form the perfect puzzle. Ever eager to bend their own form of music, Mount’s use of guitar reveals the subtle melancholy of their music and it is their silent breaks and slow climaxes which prove to be the highlight of their sound. This memorable gig is ended with the performance of the first song they ever wrote, Maybes which is a staggered journey into an underrated but equally bewildering soundscape. If Mount Kimbie take as to reach their zenith as they do in their songs, we’ll be hearing from them for a long time to come, and thank god for that!
Whilst you wait for their next album, as they confessed that ‘we have nothing more to play, we’ve been touring a 35 minute record for one year and a half…’, why not listen to a soundtrack of similarly laid back tunes.
Heading to the Shag-Cam
Staring impressively across Radcliffe Square, contemplating the day’s assigned task, I was suddenly struck by the eroticism of Oxford’s library quarter. From the phallic pinnacles gracing the Old Bodleian to the heaving bosom that is the Radcliffe Camera, it all essentially boils down to one thing: sex. The city of creaming spires this most certainly is.
taring impressively across Radcliffe Square, contemplating the day’s assigned task, I was suddenly struck by the eroticism of Oxford’s library quarter. From the phallic pinnacles gracing the Old Bodleian to the heaving bosom that is the Radcliffe Camera, it all essentially boils down to one thing: sex. The city of creaming spires this most certainly is.
Such visual bombardment served to whet my appetite for the day’s exertions. Armed only with my Hannah Montana™ lunchbox, a laptop and a hugely inflated opinion of my own sexual prowess, I had been sent out to investigate what should prove to be this term’s most popular library-related social activity: bookending.
As none of you will know, bookending is a new name for an age old Oxford pastime – looking for a little love in the library.
Rumoured to be as old as the university itself, bookending was most definitely around in my parents’ time; once, in an unguarded and frighteningly drunken moment (and, incidentally, one that I wish never to relive), my mother let slip that my brother had been conceived beneath the ornate plaster ceiling of the Upper Cam.
So it was that – in pursuit of a mate – I found myself on a sunny Tuesday morning passing through the Rad Cam’s imposing double doors, presenting my delicate Hannah Montana™ lunchbox for inspection by the rough hands of the library porter, and taking the first steps on a quest destined, no doubt, to end in defeat and sexual frustration.
You will need: A laptop with access to the internet.
Nothing screams ‘saggy bell-end’ like a ring-bound wide-rule A4 pad from WH Smith. If you’re searching for love in the Lower Cam you’ll need a Mac Book. Here – the favoured library of the Oxford dickhead – a Dell laptop is generally taken as evidence that its owner suffers from Chlamydia. A Toshiba will see you shunned like a leper at a health spa.
So, equipped with Steve Jobs’ latest and your natural charm, you’re now ready to fetch a filly.
Step one: Find a seat.
This may prove harder than you’d think. The Bad Cam gets busy and you’ll want to find a prime place to ‘witness the fitness’. Avoid the theology section of the Lower Cam; the standard of the ‘talent’ is generally poor, with chances of bookending success further weakened by the monkish chastity of the section’s inhabitants. More promising are those tables populated by English students, whose sole purpose in visiting the library is to stare at one another.
Step two: Select a victim hottie
Happily seated in the centre of what to outsiders possibly resembles a meat market and sweltering in the heat of hipster-admiration, you’re now ready to select your ‘bookend’. Don’t fret if at first you can’t seem to find a face to match your own rugged good looks. Consider a short amble to the computers from which vantage point you should be able to spot more favourable partners. If even this drastic measure fails to provide the faintest whiff of success feel no embarrassment in giving up your search and fleeing for greener pastures (known locally as the Missing Bean).
If, however, your initial scouting of the talent proves promising then bully for you; you can happily skip to –
Step three: Wooing
Nonchalantly flicking open your laptop, casually log on to Floxx (www.floxx.com/oxford), the sadly inferior successor to last year’s smash-hit Fit Finder. After a little deliberation tap in a suitably literary yet ‘fun and flirty’ message that’ll see you type your way into your crush trousers. Take inspiration from whatever – incorporate their features, clothes, or – if you’re really stuck – their reading matter. So, if your curly haired Adonis happens to be reading Marlowe’s Edward II, your post might read: ‘Male, Blonde Hair, Super fine. Reading Edward II – you can put your red hot poker in me anytime!’
Having posted your hotchpotch of sexually charged filth and pseudo-intellectual literary reference, sit back, studiously scan this week’s Take a Break, poorly concealed in your never-opened copy of Ulysses, and hope that the new-found apple of your eye finds your flirtatious Floxx post.
If after five minutes of anguished searching no golden glimmer of hope has flittered across their revision-torn visage, you should probably consider upping your game. Attempt eye contact. Flutter your eyelids suggestively, making sure that it doesn’t just look like you’ve acquired a particularly irritating ingrown eyelash. If this fails try inaugurating a game of footsie. In doing this don’t look too desperate to establish foot contact; there’s no greater turn off than the artistically pathetic grimace.
Waiting until your buxom beauty has left to find yet another book, steal over to their seat. Leave a note – prominently placed – couched in suitably romantic or sordid language as suits your fancy, detailing both your ends and a little about yourself. Make sure this self description, whilst flattering and flirty, isn’t completely unrecognisable. Remember – you want them to know that it’s you who’s writing the note and not the handsome devil sitting beside you, against whom you stand little chance. If you’re super-adventurous you might even consider embarking upon what’s known in Cambridge as a ‘paperchase’. Sign off the note with a ‘come find me’ adding only several kisses and the reference number to another book. In this next book post another message. Continue the process until you’ve either grown bored or feel you’ve built up enough suspense to risk a meeting.
Step four: The meeting
When at last you do meet with your literary lurvely make sure it’s both suitably romantic and in a dark, private corner of the library. Nothing spoils a CV as much as the words ‘sent down for sexual indecency in the library’. But within these twin confines of mood and decency, go CRAZY!
Hide in amongst the bookshelves; burst out from behind a pile of books/stack on sexual criticism; let your hands – awash with the sweat of adolescent anticipation – touch momentarily over a tattered library copy of Finnegan’s Wake. But however you reveal yourself make sure it’s romantic, ensuring you keep yourself free from prosecution and/or the prospect of having to raise a child in your final year.
But what of my own success, I hear you ask. Sadly, comes the doleful reply, I came away from my day of fevered expectation empty handed – so to speak. Picking the day of my visit poorly I found only mature students, visiting fellows and townies gracing the tables of a Lower Cam much depleted of talent. Remembering the ancient dictum ‘the wrinkly like it kinky’, I felt at first uneasy, then physically nauseous at the prospect of what a paper chase with one of these Methuselahs of Oxford might become. Collecting together the laptop and Hannah Montana™ lunchbox I hurried out of the library, leaving behind me the hopes and expectation of hundreds (ok, tens) of future bookenders.
But don’t let my poor experience put you off. Head for the library and with only your natural verve and Herculean self confidence, go grab that ass, plunge some clunge and, in so doing, plumb depths of depravity as yet unseen in Oxford’s premier research library.
Such visual bombardment served to whet my appetite for the day’s exertions. Armed only with my Hannah Montana™ lunchbox, a laptop and a hugely inflated opinion of my own sexual prowess, I had been sent out to investigate what should prove to be this term’s most popular library-related social activity: bookending. As none of you will know, bookending is a new name for an age old Oxford pastime – looking for a little love in the library.
Rumoured to be as old as the university itself, bookending was most definitely around in my parents’ time; once, in an unguarded and frighteningly drunken moment (and, incidentally, one that I wish never to relive), my mother let slip that my brother had been conceived beneath the ornate plaster ceiling of the Upper Cam. So it was that – in pursuit of a mate – I found myself on a sunny Tuesday morning passing through the Rad Cam’s imposing double doors, presenting my delicate Hannah Montana™ lunchbox for inspection by the rough hands of the library porter, and taking the first steps on a quest destined, no doubt, to end in defeat and sexual frustration.
You will need: A laptop with access to the internet.
Nothing screams ‘saggy bell-end’ like a ring-bound wide-rule A4 pad from WH Smith. If you’re searching for love in the Lower Cam you’ll need a Mac Book. Here – the favoured library of the Oxford dickhead – a Dell laptop is generally taken as evidence that its owner suffers from Chlamydia. A Toshiba will see you shunned like a leper at a health spa. So, equipped with Steve Jobs’ latest and your natural charm, you’re now ready to fetch a filly.
Step one: Find a seat.
This may prove harder than you’d think. The Bad Cam gets busy and you’ll want to find a prime place to ‘witness the fitness’. Avoid the theology section of the Lower Cam; the standard of the ‘talent’ is generally poor, with chances of bookending success further weakened by the monkish chastity of the section’s inhabitants. More promising are those tables populated by English students, whose sole purpose in visiting the library is to stare at one another.
Step two: Select a victim hottie
Happily seated in the centre of what to outsiders possibly resembles a meat market and sweltering in the heat of hipster-admiration, you’re now ready to select your ‘bookend’. Don’t fret if at first you can’t seem to find a face to match your own rugged good looks. Consider a short amble to the computers from which vantage point you should be able to spot more favourable partners. If even this drastic measure fails to provide the faintest whiff of success feel no embarrassment in giving up your search and fleeing for greener pastures (known locally as the Missing Bean). If, however, your initial scouting of the talent proves promising then bully for you; you can happily skip to –
Step three: Wooing
Nonchalantly flicking open your laptop, casually log on to Floxx (www.floxx.com/oxford), the sadly inferior successor to last year’s smash-hit Fit Finder. After a little deliberation tap in a suitably literary yet ‘fun and flirty’ message that’ll see you type your way into your crush trousers. Take inspiration from whatever – incorporate their features, clothes, or – if you’re really stuck – their reading matter. So, if your curly haired Adonis happens to be reading Marlowe’s Edward II, your post might read: ‘Male, Blonde Hair, Super fine. Reading Edward II – you can put your red hot poker in me anytime!’
Having posted your hotchpotch of sexually charged filth and pseudo-intellectual literary reference, sit back, studiously scan this week’s Take a Break, poorly concealed in your never-opened copy of Ulysses, and hope that the new-found apple of your eye finds your flirtatious Floxx post.
If after five minutes of anguished searching no golden glimmer of hope has flittered across their revision-torn visage, you should probably consider upping your game. Attempt eye contact. Flutter your eyelids suggestively, making sure that it doesn’t just look like you’ve acquired a particularly irritating ingrown eyelash. If this fails try inaugurating a game of footsie. In doing this don’t look too desperate to establish foot contact; there’s no greater turn off than the artistically pathetic grimace.
Waiting until your buxom beauty has left to find yet another book, steal over to their seat. Leave a note – prominently placed – couched in suitably romantic or sordid language as suits your fancy, detailing both your ends and a little about yourself. Make sure this self description, whilst flattering and flirty, isn’t completely unrecognisable. Remember – you want them to know that it’s you who’s writing the note and not the handsome devil sitting beside you, against whom you stand little chance. If you’re super-adventurous you might even consider embarking upon what’s known in Cambridge as a ‘paperchase’. Sign off the note with a ‘come find me’ adding only several kisses and the reference number to another book. In this next book post another message. Continue the process until you’ve either grown bored or feel you’ve built up enough suspense to risk a meeting.
Step four: The meeting
When at last you do meet with your literary lurvely make sure it’s both suitably romantic and in a dark, private corner of the library. Nothing spoils a CV as much as the words ‘sent down for sexual indecency in the library’. But within these twin confines of mood and decency, go CRAZY! Hide in amongst the bookshelves; burst out from behind a pile of books/stack on sexual criticism; let your hands – awash with the sweat of adolescent anticipation – touch momentarily over a tattered library copy of Finnegan’s Wake. But however you reveal yourself make sure it’s romantic, ensuring you keep yourself free from prosecution and/or the prospect of having to raise a child in your final year.
But what of my own success, I hear you ask. Sadly, comes the doleful reply, I came away from my day of fevered expectation empty handed – so to speak. Picking the day of my visit poorly I found only mature students, visiting fellows and townies gracing the tables of a Lower Cam much depleted of talent. Remembering the ancient dictum ‘the wrinkly like it kinky’, I felt at first uneasy, then physically nauseous at the prospect of what a paper chase with one of these Methuselahs of Oxford might become. Collecting together the laptop and Hannah Montana™ lunchbox I hurried out of the library, leaving behind me the hopes and expectation of hundreds (ok, tens) of future bookenders.
But don’t let my poor experience put you off. Head for the library and with only your natural verve and Herculean self confidence, go grab that ass, plunge some clunge and, in so doing, plumb depths of depravity as yet unseen in Oxford’s premier research library.
The Pussycat that got the cream
The standing oversplit is a dance sign featured in most Pussycat Dolls’ music videos. (You guys remember the Pussycat Dolls, don’t cha?) It is a move in which the angle of the legs, these being extremely long and perhaps fishnet clad, exceeds 180 degrees. What you may not have noticed as you stared, curled up on your couch watching early morning MTV count-downs, mesmerised by this inhuman act so casually broadcast for your viewing pleasure, was that there was whole person attached to that fabulous pair o’ stems. Her name is Kimberly Wyatt and hey, she’s pretty cool.
The standing oversplit is a dance sign featured in most Pussycat Dolls’ music videos. (You guys remember the Pussycat Dolls, don’t cha?) It is a move in which the angle of the legs, these being extremely long and perhaps fishnet clad, exceeds 180 degrees. What you may not have noticed as you stared, curled up on your couch watching early morning MTV count-downs, mesmerized by this inhuman act so casually broadcast for your viewing pleasure, was that there was whole person attached to that fabulous pair o’ stems. Her name is Kimberly Wyatt and hey, she’s pretty cool.
Robin Antin, creator of the Dolls, originally spotted Wyatt when she was a backing dancer for a Nick Lachey music video. She began dancing at the age of seven, and as a teenager earned herself a scholarship to study with New York’s Joffrey Ballet and the Broadway Dance Center. Her vocal debut came on the album Doll Domination with a solo song called “Don’t Wanna Fall in Love.” In 2010, Wyatt was the second doll to leave the group, which has now officially disbanded.
Since then it seems Miss Wyatt has been a very busy girl. Most recently, Wyatt has finished filming the second series of Sky 1’s Got to Dance, on which she acts as a judge alongside Adam Garcia and Ashley Banjo. She explains that she originally got involved with the show as means of staying connected with the dance world as she began to focus more heavily on her own more musical projects. That “was super important to me,” Wyatt says.
The show itself had changed a good deal since its original 2010 incarnation when ten year-old Akai won his £100,000. Not only has the prize money increased to a staggering £250,000, which just happens to be the largest cash prize on a television talent show, but the program also had a new structure this time around. Four live semi-finals were followed by the grand finale during which, for the first time this side of the pond, viewers could vote using—go figure—an application configured for the iphone, ipad and ipod touch. “We grew as a show and as judges,” Wyatt says. Elaborating on her own growth on the show, she explains matter-of-factly: “There is a talent to expressing how you feel as well, a way it can be heard and not taken as negativity.” She is a Southern girl after all.
Wyatt had quite a few crazy moments herself this season. (At one point a contestant offered her an engagement ring.) When asked what her favorites were: “I have a few. The first was with ‘Dance 21.’ They were a large group doing cheerleading who all had Doune’s Syndrome. They sent so much joy over me; just squeezed my heart in such a way that tears came out. The second was ‘Happiness.’” You have probably seen her performance on Youtube. If you haven’t, you really should. “It was just absolutely genius. She was just this free little bird, doing what every dancer strives to do.
“My last is the ‘street hop’ duo. They did everyday things and made it a dance. I felt bad because I honestly thought that they were joking.”
Talking about the series winners, 20 year-old dance duo Chris and Wes, Wyatt said: “Chris and Wes represent the show in such an incredible way. They are not just great dancers but great visionaries as well. They take an audience on a journey and have found a formula that works so perfectly. They can hold their own not just as dancers but with their comedy. They not only dance but build great shows. My hope for them is to work in commercial television. I see them in a kids’ show. Like Pee-Wee Herman…but with dance! Opportunities for dancers are few and far between, you have to make your own, be the creator of you own vehicle.”
Wyatt has been working on several of her own projects over the past year as well. The song “Not Just a Doll” was posted on her official website in March of 2010. In May she was featured on Aggro Santos’ track “Candy.” Most notably she has teamed up with former Jupiter Rising member Spencer Nezey to create a new group entitled Her Majesty & The Wolves. They have thus far released two tracks—“Glaciers” and “Stars in Your Eyes”—from their debut album 111 due out this June.
“The album was the most phenomenal experience ever. With Spencer it felt meant to be. I did a lot of soul searching and [becoming a duo] felt like the way it was supposed to be. It was the biggest learning experience as an artist. I learned a lot from Spencer.” What can we expect from the album? “We bring our inspirations together staying true to our love of dance and want to make a crowd just dance their little heinies off, but there’s some emotional heart felt stuff too. The album feels very personal. When looking to make my own music it was about more than just music; it was a way to express myself.” Some of the heartfelt tracks to look out for are “Emerald Shower,” “Don’t Cut Me Down” and “Shades of Grey,” which Wyatt says is “everything I love to do.”
“Her Majesty and the Wolves is bigger than the two of us,” she continues. “I stepped away from a large label and moved to a more indie label for the album. It’s more of a family effort with like minded people—looking for ways to create music and not sell out.”
The album drop isn’t the only big event coming up for the group this year. They will also be performing at the Wireless Festival in Hyde Park this summer. “It is the biggest dream come true going to perform at the Wireless Festival,” beams Wyatt. “I had once seen The Who play there. It goes to show that if you dream big you can make great things happen.”
Wyatt, along with promoting Her Majesty & The Wolves, also has a make-up line coming out this summer. And it figures. Throughout the course of Got to Dance I couldn’t help but notice and admire Wyatt’s style in its ever-evolving forms. For one of her performances on the show she not only did the music and the choreography but even had her hand in the costume design. Beyond this she journals, blogs and draws. Does she sleep? Seems implausible.
The once backup dancer has proven herself to be an artist with a capital “A.” Her artistic influences include – maybe a little surprisingly—Vivien Westwood and Tim Burton. “I love Beetle Juice!” she explains. “I like very beautiful things that are a little left of centre.” Just like her split.
Kimberly Wyatt is much more than a pair of legs. Though, we still must admit, it was something of a shame to have her sit so long behind that judging table. The girl’s got some nice gams.
Robin Antin, creator of the Dolls, originally spotted Wyatt when she was a backing dancer for a Nick Lachey music video. She began dancing at the age of seven, and as a teenager earned herself a scholarship to study with New York’s Joffrey Ballet and the Broadway Dance Center. Her vocal debut came on the album Doll Domination with a solo song called Don’t Wanna Fall in Love. In 2010, Wyatt was the second doll to leave the group, which has now officially disbanded.
Since then it seems Miss Wyatt has been a very busy girl. Most recently, Wyatt has finished filming the second series of Sky 1’s Got to Dance, on which she acts as a judge alongside Adam Garcia and Ashley Banjo. She explains that she originally got involved with the show as means of staying connected with the dance world as she began to focus more heavily on her own more musical projects. That ‘was super important to me’, Wyatt says.
The show itself had changed a good deal since its original 2010 incarnation when ten year-old Akai won his £100,000. Not only has the prize money increased to a staggering £250,000, which just happens to be the largest cash prize on a television talent show, but the program also had a new structure this time around. Four live semi-finals were followed by the grand finale during which, for the first time this side of the pond, viewers could vote using—go figure—an application configured for the iphone, ipad and ipod touch. ‘We grew as a show and as judges’, Wyatt says. Elaborating on her own growth on the show, she explains matter-of-factly: ‘There is a talent to expressing how you feel as well, a way it can be heard and not taken as negativity.’ She is a Southern girl after all.
Wyatt had quite a few crazy moments herself this season. (At one point a contestant offered her an engagement ring.) When asked what her favorites were: “I have a few. The first was with ‘Dance 21.’ They were a large group doing cheerleading who all had Down’s Syndrome. They sent so much joy over me; just squeezed my heart in such a way that tears came out. The second was ‘Happiness.” You have probably seen her performance on Youtube. If you haven’t, you really should. ‘It was just absolutely genius. She was just this free little bird, doing what every dancer strives to do. My last is the ‘street hop’ duo. They did everyday things and made it a dance. I felt bad because I honestly thought that they were joking.’
Talking about the series winners, 20 year-old dance duo Chris and Wes, Wyatt said: ‘Chris and Wes represent the show in such an incredible way. They are not just great dancers but great visionaries as well. They take an audience on a journey and have found a formula that works so perfectly. They can hold their own not just as dancers but with their comedy. They not only dance but build great shows. My hope for them is to work in commercial television. I see them in a kids’ show. Like Pee-Wee Herman…but with dance! Opportunities for dancers are few and far between, you have to make your own, be the creator of you own vehicle.’
Wyatt has been working on several of her own projects over the past year as well. The song Not Just a Doll was posted on her official website in March of 2010. In May she was featured on Aggro Santos’ track Candy. Most notably she has teamed up with former Jupiter Rising member Spencer Nezey to create a new group entitled Her Majesty & The Wolves. They have thus far released two tracks—Glaciers and Stars in Your Eyes—from their debut album 111 due out this June.
‘The album was the most phenomenal experience ever. With Spencer it felt meant to be. I did a lot of soul searching and [becoming a duo] felt like the way it was supposed to be. It was the biggest learning experience as an artist. I learned a lot from Spencer.’ What can we expect from the album? ‘We bring our inspirations together staying true to our love of dance and want to make a crowd just dance their little heinies off, but there’s some emotional heart felt stuff too. The album feels very personal. When looking to make my own music it was about more than just music; it was a way to express myself.’ Some of the heartfelt tracks to look out for are Emerald Shower, Don’t Cut Me Down and Shades of Grey, which Wyatt says is ‘everything I love to do’.
‘Her Majesty & The Wolves is bigger than the two of us’, she continues. ‘I stepped away from a large label and moved to a more indie label for the album. It’s more of a family effort with like minded people—looking for ways to create music and not sell out’. The album drop isn’t the only big event coming up for the group this year. They will also be performing at the Wireless Festival in Hyde Park this summer. ‘It is the biggest dream come true going to perform at the Wireless Festival’, beams Wyatt. ‘I had once seen The Who play there. It goes to show that if you dream big you can make great things happen’.
Wyatt, along with promoting Her Majesty & The Wolves, also has a make-up line coming out this summer. And it figures. Throughout the course of Got to Dance I couldn’t help but notice and admire Wyatt’s style in its ever-evolving forms. For one of her performances on the show she not only did the music and the choreography but even had her hand in the costume design. Beyond this she journals, blogs and draws. Does she sleep? Seems implausible.
The once backup dancer has proven herself to be an artist with a capital ‘A’. Her artistic influences include – maybe a little surprisingly—Vivien Westwood and Tim Burton. ‘I love Beetle Juice!’ she explains. ‘I like very beautiful things that are a little left of centre’. Just like her split. Kimberly Wyatt is much more than a pair of legs. Though, we still must admit, it was something of a shame to have her sit so long behind that judging table. The girl’s got some nice gams.
Oxford’s Best: Burger
The world loves the cheeseburger. I love the cheeseburger. Macdonald’s has even written an ode to the Big Mac. Finding Oxford’s best burger was a challenge I gladly took on.
The world loves the cheeseburger. I love the cheeseburger. Macdonald’s has even written an ode to the Big Mac. Finding Oxford’s “best” burger was a challenge I gladly took on.
For those prolific penny pinchers, Peppe’s Burgers of Jericho is the way to go. A quarter pounder costs a mere £2.90, and includes two free sauces, lettuce and onion. I splurged for the cheese, an additional thirty pence. The portions are vast and sloppy, unassuming and yummy, though I wish they were assuming enough to give you napkins. Serviettes were inexplicably absent from the establishment.
If you want a cheap alternative that’ll make you look less of an outright cheapskate, Four Candles’ “beer and burger” deal is always a favourite. The burger is a bit dry but a good size, and it comes with a drink and chips, so no reason to hate. Still, I’d say it’s best eaten when extremely hungry. Goes down easier.
Willing to spend more on your burger? The Gourmet Burger Kitchen offers an aura of class to the experience, but it’s hardly to my taste. Chips must be bought separately and they serve salads as mains—where’s their beefy integrity? The burgers are tasty, but too pricey for their diminutive and oddly demure nature.
If your date, friend, or grandmother, believes that burgers are meant to be fun and messy in the best way, take them to Atomic Burger on Cowley Road. The service reached ungodly levels of slow and the prices of their kitschy and artery-clogging classics like the “Dead Elvis” burger are a little extravagant, but the atmosphere is fab. The walls are covered with comic books and movie paraphernalia. The burgers are imbued with personality and come with a free side. The patties are hand packed and there are five flavours of Margaritas on the menu. Win.
For those prolific penny-pinchers, Peppe’s Burgers of Jericho is the way to go. A quarter pounder costs a mere £2.90, and includes two free sauces, lettuce and onion. I splurged for the cheese, an additional thirty pence. The portions are vast and sloppy, unassuming and yummy, though I wish they were assuming enough to give you napkins. Serviettes were inexplicably absent from the establishment.
If you want a cheap alternative that’ll make you look less of an outright cheapskate, Four Candles’ ‘beer and burger’ deal is always a favourite. The burger is a bit dry but a good size, and it comes with a drink and chips, so no reason to hate. Still, I’d say it’s best eaten when extremely hungry. Goes down easier.
Willing to spend more on your burger? The Gourmet Burger Kitchen offers an aura of class to the experience, but it’s hardly to my taste. Chips must be bought separately and they serve salads as mains—where’s their beefy integrity? The burgers are tasty, but too pricey for their diminutive and oddly demure nature.
If your date, friend, or grandmother, believes that burgers are meant to be fun and messy in the best way, take them to Atomic Burger on Cowley Road. The service reached ungodly levels of slow and the prices of their kitschy and artery-clogging classics like the ‘Dead Elvis’ burger are a little extravagant, but the atmosphere is fab. The walls are covered with comic books and movie paraphernalia. The burgers are imbued with personality and come with a free side. The patties are hand packed and there are five flavours of Margaritas on the menu. Win.
The Objective Truth
Can science tell us what’ s objectively true? Or is it merely a clever way to cure doubt—to give us something to believe in, real or not? In this series of blog posts, we’ ll look at a provocative answer to this question given by the late 19th century American scientist, mathematician, logician, and philosopher, Charles Sanders Peirce. But before delving into this eminent thinker’s view—and in the interest of full disclosure—let me begin by telling you what your present humble blogger used to think. I used to think that science was purely objective. A failsafe machine for churning out facts and converting foggy ignorance to sober knowledge.
Scientists, I thought, were a special breed of truth-discoverers—sort of like superheroes, actually, only much, much nerdier. Removed from commonplace concerns and exempt from ordinary human foibles, their pronouncements were gospel. That was before I trained as a scientist. And skipping to the punch line now: I was naïve. Even if the scientific method, on some ideal conception of it, could justify this dreamy-eyed confidence, I’ ve come to learn that the practice of science deserves a much more cynical look.
Scientists, it turns out, are humans too. They have reputations to defend, insecurities to navigate, and careers to make. Karl Popper, the famous 20th century philosopher of science, had it wrong: scientists don’ t abandon their favored theories or years-long research programs the instant a contrary piece of data rears its ugly head. Studies that don’ t work are run again; equipment is tinkered with or replaced; research assistants are fired. Science can be a messy business. Even so, if someone wanted to mount a defense of science, her best bet might be to appeal to the much-vaunted ‘objective’ nature of its ideal form: its seeming privileged relationship to truth.
Insofar as it’s done right, our imagined apologist might say, science deserves our allegiance because it transcends subjective belief—and the fallible groping of common sense—and latches on in some systematic way to ultimate reality. If we are committed to reason, then we should be compelled by science. This is where Charles Peirce—polymath and founder of the school of thought known as pragmatism—would disagree. In an 1877 essay, The Fixation of Belief, he attempted to champion the scientific method without appealing to reason, rationality, or objective truth. Instead (and this is what pragmatism is all about), he argued that science is more like a nifty trick—a practical emollient for the irritation of doubt that happens to trump other prescriptions. Got uncertainty? Try science. Not for any theoretic, metaphysical, or transcendent reason, mind you, but on pragmatic grounds alone. It just works. Well… really? Does science ‘work’ to cure uncertainty in the way Peirce suggests? And if it does, why?
If you’ re like me, you might not be convinced that the scientific method is in fact the surest way to conquer doubt—at least for certain individuals, probably some whole groups, and maybe even the entire species. I’ ll explain what I mean later on. Second, to the extent that it is a good way, I think it’s for less ‘pragmatic’ a reason than Peirce pretends. In fact, by the end of this series of posts, I want to convince you that Peirce himself must have been committed to an ‘objective’ view of science—one which says its methods are sensitive to the real state of the world, and therefore hit upon truth more reliably than alternatives. It is this special link to objective reality—and not some accident of our animal psychologies—that compels, insofar as it does, the calm stableness of belief.
But let’ s not get too far ahead of ourselves. In order to be fair to Peirce, we should probably start with his view, in his own terms. How does begin his argument? The answer is: at the very beginning—with a definition of our species. A human being, he tells us, is a ‘logical animal’ —a belief-bearing beast, if you will—who is defined by its ability to reason, but whose access to mind-independent reality is obscure at best. Why is that? Well, as ‘animals’ we are products of natural selection—that much is uncontroversial. But what about the ‘logical’ part—what about our reasoning minds? To be sure, at least some of our beliefs (and belief-forming systems generally) must track the actual state of world. I not, we’ d have dumped by now into evolution’ s scrap pile. (To illustrate: if you sincerely believe that jumping off this cliff won’t threaten your survival—and you’ re still a virgin, I have to point out—you can be sure that the next generation will be spared your genes). That being said, insofar as it’s ‘of more advantage to the animal to have his mind filled with pleasing and encouraging visions’ – irrespective of their truth— ‘then natural selection might occasion a fallacious tendency of thought’.
For Peirce, then, it’ s a tricky issue to sort out the ‘objective’ relationship of our human reasoning to the world’ s reality—that is, between our beliefs and actual fact. We are probably hit or miss. So for Peirce a different question comes up, namely, How in fact do we reason? When and why do we engage in processes of rational inquiry, and under what conditions do we stop? For the answer, watch this space…
Quotations in this blog come from Peirce’ s ‘The Fixation of Belief’ in ‘Pragmatism: A Reader’, edited by Louis Menand, or, in a few cases, ‘How to Make Our Ideas Clear’ in the same volume
North-south divide remains
Admissions statistics for Oxford’s 2010 entry show a huge regional bias towards London and the South East.
Despite extensive spending on outreach schemes and summer schools, a total of 40% of accepted students came from schools in London and other South Eastern areas, in comparison to 1.9% from the North East, 1.6% from Scotland and just 0.9% from Northern Ireland.
However, similarly to last year, the under-representation of these three regions is a reflection of the number of applications received.
Only 1.5% of the 17,144 applications received for October 2010 came from teenagers in the North East. There is less than a 1% difference between the percentage of successful applications in the region and those in London and the South East.
A spokesperson for the university said, “Most British universities will see a very strong bias in student numbers towards local students from the area or region, and Oxford manages to attract students from around the UK and also from around the globe.”
Some undergraduates from the North East agreed that teenagers in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the North East choose to apply to universities closer to home for reasons of cost and convenience, with a number of able applicants being attracted to prestigious universities such as Durham and Edinburgh. Welsh students who go to university in Wales pay only a third of what univeristy in England costs.
However, many held the view that academically able pupils in these regions may choose not to apply to Oxbridge purposely.
Dave Fairburn, an English student from a comprehensive school near Hull, remarked that, “there appears to be a difference in culture” between secondary schools in different parts of the country.
“Not just at my school, but in many throughout the area, there was a lack of ambition. The very culture…is different to the one I’ve found at Oxford.”
Lewis Wingfield, who was educated in Newcastle, added that in his experience “there is a perception, especially among state school pupils, that because there aren’t many people from the North East at Oxford, Oxford musn’t want them or must discriminate against them.
“There’s a big inverse snobbery thing – people talk about ‘posh southern snobs’ and feel they would be talked down to and disrespected for their accent.”
However, through its access and outreach work, Oxford reaches 76% of schools which offer post-16 provision.
In addition, since 2008, the university gives applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds an increased chance of invitation to interview. Tutors now look at the average results achieved by the candidate’s school, and whether they have spent time in care or attended an access summer school. Any student with sufficient A Level predictions who meets at least three of these criteria will be interviewed.
Yet the 2010 statistics show that a difference in application progression between the state and independent sectors still exists across the UK.
342 of the 12,333 UK candidates withdrew their application at some stage during the process. 209 of these were from the state sector, whereas only 118 came from independent schools.
Even in London, an area with the second greatest proportion of acceptances, students from the two sectors describe very different perceptions of Oxbridge.
One state school student said, “Many, myself included, for a lengthy period of time considered Oxford to be full of Tarquins swanning about croquet lawns and felt they could never relate.”
However, an undergraduate from an independent school remarked, “I think that the year was split into two – those that thought Oxbridge was where they would be in a few years and those that knew they wouldn’t be, but respected their intellect.”
But despite these divisions, Oxford appears to have achieved its aim of admitting the most able students. A total of 88% of applicants sitting three A levels in June 2010 exceeded the standard offer of AAA, with 40% of these gaining three A* grades. Only 12% of those accepted achieved AAA or below.
The news comes after it was announced in January that Oxford will introduce the A* grade in many MPLS courses.
A spokesperson for the university said, “It is now clear that many students in the sciences who take A levels get the A* grade, and that it would be reasonable to ask for an A* in many science and maths courses.”
VC embraces Chinese uni
Oxford’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Andrew Hamilton has announced a new scheme to enhance academic co-operation with China as he attended the 100th birthday celebrations of Beijing’s Tsinghua University.
Representatives of over 120 universities were present, ranging from Chinese institutions to Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard.
Following an agreement made at the event, Oxford and Tsinghua will begin an increased program of co-operation within academic research, and an enhanced exchange of students and faculty over the next 5 years.
Students from China would be able to undertake summer research placements at Oxford, whilst similar programmes in China will also be offered to those at Oxford. Additional ‘Li and Fung Scholarships’ will support the exchange of students between China and Oxford, whilst seminars and workshops will also be co-hosted under the new scheme. The sharing of academic materials was also proposed.
As well as celebrating Tsinghua’s birthday, the “Tsinghua Consensus” was reached by the University representatives. It was decided that the Universities would attempt to strengthen co-operation and exchange, maintain a commitment to excellence, play a more important role in international issues, and “improve the development of human civilization”.
The Consensus echoes growing calls that, in a time of shifting global economic dominance, the export of top quality higher education will become increasingly important for Western economies.
Fourth year Mansfield student Melvin Chen, who was born and lived in China, was positive about the relationship. He said, “Grassroots initiatives that promote understanding, collaboration and investment between China and the developed world are critical to the future prosperity of both parties.
“I believe that the development of global leaders who intimately understand both cultures is one of the great challenges of this century. Fostering greater academic collaboration will be key in this respect.”
However, whilst Hamilton discussed the growing need for global co-operation amongst Universities, some have questioned Oxford’s increasingly warm relationship with China.
The Vice Chancellor accepted an honorary doctorate from Tsinghua and revealed how over 3,000 senior Chinese government officials have received short-term training programs in Oxford in recent years.
The University’s Advanced Leadership Development Programme trains politicians up to Vice Minister level, and is run through the Department for Continuing Education in association with the UNDP.
A spokesperson for the university confirmed that this training is partly aimed at helping Chinese leaders to meet Millennium Development Goals.
St. Catz student Pascal Jerome commented, “China’s human rights abuses are grave and many, but the risk of legitimising these transgressions through academic collaboration is surely outweighed by the opportunity of naturally fostering human rights ideals in the higher echelons of Chinese government.”
Oxford University is currently home to around 750 Chinese students, 4% of the total student body and, as stated by Hamilton, “China has become the biggest source of students following the United Kingdom and the United States”.
He stressed that enhanced globalisation for universities did not necessarily mean taking a fundamentally different approach. Whereas many Western universities have rapidly established new overseas campuses in countries such as China, Oxford has not yet announced any plans to do so.
Students caught in Syrian unrest
Oxford University has advised all ten students still in Syria to return to the UK, in light of growing protests against President Bashar Al-Assad’s eleven year rule.
The recommendations come after the Foreign and Commonwealth Office advised all British Nationals to leave Syria unless having “a pressing need to remain” after the bloodiest week so far in the violent unrest which has rocked the country.
One third-year student who returned home on Friday claimed that, although he had experienced none of the protests directly, “fifteen minutes away [in Harasta] there were protesters being arrested and someone was shot by the security forces.”
The suburb of the Syrian capital, Damascus, has become a focus of the opposition protests during the past week.
“The key thing as well is that the number of people dying [in Syria] is far greater than the news reports,” the student, who wished to remain anonymous, said.
First year PPE student, Morgan Norris-Grey, who went to Syria with his family for 12 days at the end of March, said that he saw government-sponsored protests in Hama, Latakia and Damascus.
He explained, “I wasn’t in the vicinity of the main sites of anti-government protests at that time, but perhaps dissenters in other areas didn’t yet have the confidence to come out on the streets.
“The pro-government protests did however seem to be orchestrated to some degree, with school children and students provided with posters and given the day off school.”
Human rights groups have reported that the number of deaths caused by the clamp-down on anti-government protests has risen to 500.
In Syria’s south, 200 members of the ruling Baath party are also alleged to have resigned.
A spokesperson for Oxford University Press Office confirmed that all students in Syria would be home by this Thursday.
