Tuesday, january 26th, 2016 | TechNews campus@technewsiit,com ‘ 2:!ili i : EEI 5

Visibility, safety town hall discussed at SGA Senate meeting

Genevieve Hutntnel
TECHNEWS WRITER

The Student Government
Association (SGA) held its first Senate meeting
of the semester on Wednesday, January 20. The
meeting began with presentation by groups
seeking approval to become official student
organizations on campus. One new student
organization, “Science Graduate Student
Association” received approval at this meeting.
This organization was created to provide a
professional organization for graduate students
on campus that would offer resources and
opportunities that focus on helping graduate

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students.

These presentations were followed
by the President’s and Vice Presidents’ reports.
The results of the Student Speak Survey
revealed that students have noticed SGA’s
attempt to become more visible on campus.
However, SGA still would like to increase
their visibility on campus, including better
advertising for open senate seats. For example,
there is now an opening for a College of
Architecture senate spot.

Many students are not aware that
Illinois Tech offers a free “student discount
card” that provides discounts to local places
on and off campus. This card can be picked

up in the Office of Campus Life (OCL) and
is free for all Illinois Tech students. The list of
places where the card can be used can be found
online. The Vice President of Academic Affairs
at SGA is hoping to increase the number of
vendors offering discounts through this card.
The Communications Committees
service project was a huge success last semester,
providing toys and small gifts to children from
local elementary schools. The Vice President
of Student Life reported that the second Town
Hall will be held on February 8 from 12:30
pm. to 2 pm. in the MTCC Welcome Center
and will focus on the topic of safety on campus.
All Student Government

Association meetings are open meetings and
SGA would like to encourage all students to
attend senate meetings. Meetings are held
every other Wednesday night beginning at
9:15 p.m.. Meetings will now be held in Stuart
Building room 113. The Student Government
has an open door policy for meetings, where
students may come and go as they please and
students can participate in any discussions.
SGA meetings are a great way to become more
involved on campus. The next senate hearing
will be held on Wednesday, February 3 and all
students are invited, and encouraged to attend.

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contributions from members of Kishi Bashi

Marble Mouth releases pomising indie pop album

WIIT STATION MANAGE R

Scott Reitherman is no stranger
to the indie pop community. As frontman of
Throw Me The Statue until that group’s depar—
ture in 2013, he’s already become a familiar
face in his native Seattle and beyond, scor—
ing a minor college radio hit with that band’s
song “Lolita” in 2009. The success of the album
Creaturesuqe earned Throw Me The Statue live
session appearances on KEXP, Daytrotter, and
more while touring, but the end of the group
threatened to put an early cap on Reitherman’s
promising musical career. But instead of losing
energy without a formal lineup behind him,
Reitherman has instead cloaked himself in the
shroud of a new name and a retro—futuristic
new sound: Pillar Point. The first sign of a
departure from TMTS’s signature guitar pop
came with Rietherman’s move from Secretly
Canadian to Polyvinyl Records in 2014, which
was followed quickly with the release of Pillar
Point’s self—titled debut album, an upfront look
at internal conflict drenched in layer upon
layer of synthesizers and drum machines. And
now, returning to perfect that formula, Pil—
lar Point is back with their sophomore effort,
Marble Mouth, which dropped on the 22nd.

Cynics may point to the rise of dance
pop groups like Glass Animals and Sylvan Esso
in recent years, and dismiss Pillar Point’s music
as a simple market grab rather than a genuine
effort by Reitherman to expand his musical ho—
rizons. Those cynics would be wrong. Marble
Mouth is one of the most painstakingly con—
structed albums I’ve heard yet in the genre, and

is certainly the most complex work of Reither—
man’s career. The musician traveled to Athens,
Georgia to record in the studio owned by of
Montreal’s Kevin Barnes, a process that took

 

Image courtesy of Pillar Point

a month to complete. After that, more record—
ings were made in New Orleans, another six
full weeks of work. The result is a kaleidoscope
of grooving, rhythmic electropop with backing

and Washed Out, matching the concentration
of works by Sun Airway and Animal Collec—
tive with the danceability of Jamie xx or LCD
Soundsystem. At times the album has small
signs of Kevin Barnes influence (most obvious
on the Athens—themed track “Lafayette”, which
includes Barnes” unmistakable voice layered
over itself as backing vocals), but Pillar Point’s
general vibe is all its own.

Upon first listen, it might be easy to
call Marble Mouth a “retro” pop work based
on the sheer number of New Wave synth tones
found inside. However, the warm and sunny
production style of the album betrays its mod—
ern nature, a product of the 25 years passed
since such tones were last considered purely
dramatic tools. Additionally, Reitherman’s vo—
cals are mixed in a different fashion than they
ever were on TMTS’s LPs, taking on a similar
R&B—influenced sheen to Twin Shadow’s first
two albums. Pillar Point is an act much more
suited to today’s independent music climate
than any continuation of TMTS would have
been, and Marble Mouth will likely be con—
sidered Reitherman’s most significant work to
date within the next two years. That said, it’s
important to note that Pillar Point is not an
utter departure from Reitherman’s roots with
TMTS. Perhaps an intentional nod to his past,
the final song on this new album is a guitar and
organ—driven affair, a signal that Pillar Point
does not exist in a vacuum away from Reither—
man’s history. It’s a stellar song in its own right,
too, and proof that after all the electronics are
peeled away, the man’s songwriting prowess
still stands on its own. 8.7/10

 

 

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editor@technewsiit.com

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