Over the Edge September 8-22

Happy Birthday’s
Happy Birthday

Darcie Smith || Arts Editor

8.5 stars out of 10

Someone on the internet said that Happy Birthday has the
stupidest band name, and that they are the worst band.
That jerk is mistaken, and has obviously never heard of
the Kings of Leon. Sure, it’s near impossible to search for
Happy Birthday on Wikipedia without getting bombarded
with useless information about birthdays and the happy
birthday song, but that is no reason to disregard the music.
Happy Birthday is the brainchild of Kyle Thomas, with help
from Chris Weisman, and Ruth Garbus. The trio hails from
Brattleboro, Vermont, an their catchy self-titled debut
was released on March 16 “by the highly regarded record
label, Sub Pop.

Happy Birthday certainly is not composed of the most
attractive looking individuals, nor are their songs overly
complex. However, it is hard to deny their catchy simplicity.
The surfy, fuzzed-out sound of their songs makes it difficult
to not listen to the entire album in one sitting. If you’ve ever
listened to the band Girls before and thought to yourself
“Wow, this band really is all about girls,” then you need to
check out Happy Birthday. Despite Girls even naming their
album Girls, Happy Birthday has them beat. Every song
drips with an almost creepy affection for a sought after
female. The album kicks off with the surf-sounding “Girls
FM,” and carries the theme through to the last track. The
lines “I’m always on the same frequency/Girls FM, Girls
FM/And everybody’s looking like a girl to me” is enough
to make anyone long to be a girl-crazy nerd prowling the
halls of UNBC.

It's no surprise that because of their simplicity, several of
the songs sound like something you would have heard
the Ramones playing back in the day, especially ones like
“Cracked.” If you’re a fan of the local Prince George band
The Concerns of Royalty, then you might find yourself fond
of Happy Birthday. The vocals on “2 Shy” and “Perverted
Girl,” to name a few, are reminiscent of Concerns vocalist
Sean Siddals, despite the obvious differences in the
musical styles of the two bands. The delightful ballad
“Subliminal Messages” starts out like a classic Jesus &
Mary Chain song, another overlooked, fuzz-filled band.
The album ends on a low note with the down-trodden
“Fun,” where the subject claims to that they’re “the one
that ain’t no fun.”

If you’re looking for an album that feels like a one-night-
stand, consider Happy Birthday. They are kind of ridiculous
and capable of making anyone’s day. Ignore the last track;
these guys are the definition of fun.

Arts & Entertainment Page 11

Barkerville, or What I did over Summer Vacation

By Helen Hogeterp || Copy Editor

For the first issue of September the
obligatory “what | did over summer
vacation” story seems appropriate. |
spent my summer working in Barkerville.
In case you haven’t heard of it, Barkerville
is a historical site just East of Quesnel,
and one of British Columbia’s historical
gems.

When Billy Barker discovered gold in
William’s Creek in 1861, a vibrant mining
town sprang up in his wake. In it’s time,
Barkerville was the biggest town in the
West North of San Francisco. People
came from all over and as far as China to
seek their fortunes. In our day, Barkerville
has been set up as a park and heritage
site. It resembles the town as it was in it’s
heyday, with shops and museum displays
lining the streets, and a fully operational
Cornish waterwheel, courthouse, church,
schoolhouse, and old-fashioned theatre.
All of the shops and performances are
done aesthetically in the era in which
they are set (this is why you will see
some differences in costuming — some
of the businesses near the entrance are
from the 1930s). | was working in the
Louis Blanc Photographic Gallery and
Studio where | took pictures of tourists in
costume all day (myself in full costume).

If you get a chance to get out there,
Barkerville will be open until September
22 ~, and is well worth the 2-3 hour drive
as a day trip or for a weekend (you really
do need two days to see everything in
town). While in the area be sure to check
out Wells, the town just before Barkerville.

Wells is where most of the 1930s rush took
place. There is also a theatre in Wells, the
Sunset, which offers more contemporary
plays, numerous art galleries, and a
couple of nice restaurants. Arts Wells
is a gigantic music festival taking place
over the August long weekend (and | did
see a few UNBC students there!). It was
fantastic, definitely something to attend
next year. The houses in Wells, most of
which date back to the 30s (I was living
in one over the summer — it was neat, if
a little decrepit), are painted in unusual,
bright colours. Drive or walk up and down
the streets to check them out.

There is also plenty of hiking and canoeing
in the area, and Bowron lake is only a half
hour’s drive away. The Bowron lake chain
is a 3-7 day canoe trip through some of
the most beautiful country on Earth, but
even if you just have an afternoon, the
lake is very pretty. No pets are allowed
in the lake area, or on the town site in
Barkerville, and be prepared for all
weather conditions, especially this time
of year. Williams Creek is the kind of area
where it feels like nature is amplified to
full force.

The finale of the season for me was the
Fireman’s Ball on September 2 ~, a full
Victorian masquerade. | bought a 20-
year-old Victorian ballgown and rocked it
out for a night. It was fabulous! In fact,
the entire town is definitely something
to see. The museum is very cool, the
Chinatown is one of the oldest around,
and the performances are excellent. If
you do manage to get out to Barkerville

before the season is over, please give

regards from Miss Bishop in Fort George
to the “residents” there.

The College Girl by Patricia Weitz

By Shelby Petersen || Editor in Chief

Written by Patricia Weitz, College Girl is an
intimate portrayal of one girl’s life in her last
year of college. While this book may not hold
true for all post secondary students, there is
definitely some truth to the experiences of
the novel’s protagonist.

Weitz’s debut novel centres on straight-
A-student, Natalie Bloom who has just
transferred to the University of Connecticut
from the nearby blue-collar branch of the
school. However, Natalie is a misanthrope
who is ashamed of her working class
background and is intimidated by her
new classmates. To make matters worse,
Natalie has almost no experience with sex
- this only increases her insecurity around
her seemingly hyper-sexual classmates.
Socially withdrawn from college society,
Natalie holds her fellow students at arm’s

length and finds herself most often alone.

And then she meets Patrick. Patrick is
everything she has ever wanted in a boy. He
is smart, tall, and attractive. He comes from
a wealthy background and takes for granted
everything he has available to him. But the
more intimate the two students become, the
more Patrick brings out the worst in Natalie.
She must learn to work past her insecurities
and take extreme measures to get over her
past and change the course of her future.

Weitz brilliantly blends the classic
stereotypes and experiences of an average
college life while capturing what it is to live
a life that is nothing like you expected it to
be. While the ending was a bit too neat, the
book is overall a really great read and really
relatable. Weitz captures the uncertainty of

youth perfectly, the newness of it all, and the
weight that every decision seems to bare.

While the book is quite low on action, the
thoughts internalized by Natalie, and in turn,
the reader, are so suspenseful that you feel
connected to the character and invested
in her decisions. This book comes highly
recommended whether or not you attend
college or university.

Patricia Weitz is the wife of Paul Weitz
who has directed movies like About a Boy,
American Pie, and was the producer on
Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. There is
a trailer for the book directed by Paul Weitz
available on Youtube. It stars Kat Dennings
as Natalie and Patrick Fugit as Paul. The
preview is a little slow, but definitely cute.
This book would defiantly transition well into
a film and maybe one day it will.

The Five Albums That Got Me Through the Summer

By Darcue Smith || Arts Editor

This summer was a harsh mistress for me,
but in the end | endured because | had music.
Over the last four months so many stellar
albums went through my head that it was
beginning to look as if | was in over my head.
| find it hard to rank albums at times, because
the way music affects you always depends
on what’s happening in your life at the time
when something particular is introduced. |
tend to let my emotions guide the majority
of my decisions, which can be biased and
unfortunate at times. The original list | had
selected was enormous, but it wasn’t nearly
as challenging as | thought it would be to pick
out the ones that stayed in my heart. Almost
all of the albums | selected were released
within the past year, but that certainly doesn’t
mean that | left any grandparents out of my
list. None of these albums are in any order
of preference, and they span across several
genres. If you have the time | encourage all of
you to check out some of these albums and
let me know what you think.

Beach House — Teen Dream

Every time someone asks me to recommend
an album, Beach House’s latest album is at

the top of my list. | like to tell people that this
album killed me — in a good way. This album
is a masterpiece and it stomps out all of their
previous work. Most of the songs run longer
than four minutes, but you barely notice. The
dark, wistful sound and Victoria Legrand’s
haunting vocals can make hours pass you by
unnoticed.

Sounds like: Mazzy Star, Grizzly Bear, Real
Estate.

The Rolling Stones — Some Girls

| don’t even know where to start with this
album, and can you blame me? If you aren’t
into the Rolling Stones, you must not have
heard this album. | took a few road trips
over the summer and every time the endless
kilometres and roadkill started getting to me,
| put Some Girls on. | NEEDED it. When your
boyfriend fails you, at least you have Mick
Jagger. He’s the only man that | can count on
to love me unconditionally.

Sounds like: Ever get a feeling under your
clothes when you hear the bass line of Rod
Stewart’s “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy”? Listen to
“Miss You” from this album and you'll get that
same feeling, only better because the Rolling

Stones play instruments.

Real Estate — Real Estate

I've found that several people I’ve spoken
to about this album consider it to be
unremarkable. | think that those people are
dead wrong and have never experienced
growing up, or drinking too much in the bushes
near your house whenever you get sad. | feel
as if I’ve been hearing these songs for years
and | wonder how these boys learned how to
write the songs that I’ve been feeling for so
long. This album was great for lonely summer
nights, and | have a feeling it will stand by me
in the winter season as well.

Sounds like: Beach House, Girls

The xx — The xx

Iwish every band soundedlike this. Their beats
and duets are incredible. Remember when
the Postal Service came out with “Nothing
Better,” the duet between Ben Gibbard and
Jenny Lewis? Imagine an entire album like
that. I’ve never come across a band that does
cute and depressing at the same time as well
as The xx does, and | can’t leave out the fact
that they have some killer beats to boot.

Sounds like: The Postal Service, The Rough
Sea (if the Rough Sea was electronic)

Shad — TSOL

Shad is a prince, and his hip-hop makes me
swoon. | like to pretend that hip-hop doesn’t
exist, and that | only listen to bands with
bearded gentleman in them. | keep my Dr.
Dre and my Kanye in the closet, but there is
no denying Shad. | love his self-deprecating
humour, and every time | put on this album |
can’t help but feel hopeful about life. This is a
hip-hop album that even a steady church-goer
could get behind, and it’s not just because
of his name. The only downfall is that he’s
not popular enough to have the greatest
production on his albums yet.

Sounds like: K’naan, K-OS

Honourable Mention:

The Radio Dept. — Clinging To a Scheme, Avi
Buffalo — Avi Buffalo, M. Ward — Hold Time,
Band of Horses — Infinite Arms, Sarah Jaffe
— Suburban Nature