Month: January 2013

If Grizzly Bear and Fleet Foxes hadn’t meshed psychedelic keyboards and acoustic guitar before, Local Natives would be on to something.

“Hummingbird,” the indie rock band’s sophomore album, expands upon rhythmic patterns that made 2010’s “Gorilla Manor” too predictable. Constant use of pounding drums and jangling strings give the album a central theme that ties the songs together.

Deploying an almost Who-ish technique, each chord receives a single strum under the lyrics of “You & I.” The song ends with a collection of screeches until the chorus claps reigning through “Heavy Feet” resonate.  Track two’s minimalist bridge seems like the end.

Soon drums kick so hard the floorboards cave.

The album’s first four songs follow one-after-one in a way that makes differentiating difficult. Listeners who enjoy beats strong enough that lyrics hide under them will admire this aspect; appreciators of impressionable words will fall asleep out of boredom. If anything, a disregard for lyrics separates Local Natives from Fleet Foxes and other prominent, contemporary folk acts.

“Breakers” is the first single for a reason. The chorus is top-40 worthy and a gorgeous, spacious instrumental break follows. “Gorilla Manor” featured nothing as exciting, and this song moved me unlike any of Local Native’s other work; with “Breakers,” “Hummingbird” gains momentum.

The five emotive, manic ending songs contrast entirely with the album’s first five tracks in a wonderful way. Guitars produce power chords where they sent slow, organic noises before, and singer Taylor Rice releases all that built up in his lungs during early, calmer songs.

Eventually Rice’s words are even audible.

Yes, vocals unheard for nearly eight songs appear in “Woolly Mammoth.” “In the summer, vicious summer/this is nothing like I thought it would look,” Taylor belts. A bass riff on par with The Black Keys’ latest toe-tappers accompanies decent lyrics, and a guitar solo—rare for indie rock—captivates and makes “Woolly Mammoth” as solid as “Breakers.”

However, the ambitious solo shows one thing Local Natives lack: a niche.

Although many prominent alt-indie bands sound similar, the exceptional acts specialize in one area that makes them memorable. Animal Collective dabbles in exotic genres of music; Deerhunter lets loose slaphappy bass. Local Natives sit stuck in the confines of atmospheric tones that sound good in doses but make an 11-song album a daunting listen. Even indie music can be as generic as chart-topping pop when trends arrive.

“Hummingbird” ends as it began, with dramatic builds, and anyone who hasn’t fallen asleep may feel déjà vu. With the exception of “Bowery,” the album’s second half is strong, and rearranging the songs for mixed tempos would’ve been nice, rather than stacking similar-sounding songs together.

Local Natives must search. Hints in regards to enhancing their repertoire may lie in uncovering new instruments, experiencing for songwriting or finding entire genres. Without some sort of boost, they won’t be remembered because “Hummingbird” is forgettable.

Final Rating: Three out of five suns

Considering whether or not students are meeting their basic nutritional needs might be food for thought. 

It’s commonly known that college students tend to change their eating habits after leaving the comfort of home. Those attending Dixie State College are no exception, and the cause of this change is more than a lack of parental guidance.

Miranda Cameron, a sophomore general education major from San Diego, said time is a major factor for her not eating as healthy as she would wish.

“I just cram a lot of classes into a short amount of time, and sometimes eating’s just not that big of a priority,” Cameron said.

Alex Burrows, a freshman general education major from Mapleton, said a combination of time and money was a large factor preventing him from getting the best nutrition.

Although time seems like a major cause of students not meeting their daily nutritional intake, registered dietitian Beverly Knox said a change in environment could impact a student’s diet.

 “It’s classic for students, especially if they’re away from home for the first time, to drastically change their diet from the way they were eating at home,” Knox said.

Students can be inexperienced and don’t know how to prepare food properly for themselves, Knox said. However, if students are educated and prepared, time shouldn’t be a problem.

 “[You] can’t leave your nutrition to chance,” Knox said. “You have to plan ahead,” 

Doing simple things such as cutting up vegetables and fruit beforehand can help students make better choices for their nutritional needs, making the healthy food more convenient for him or herself, rather than the bag of chips. 

Eating breakfast can also help students reach their nutrition needs, as well as help in other aspects of their lives. Knox said eating breakfast feeds a person’s brain, so it can engage in thinking and problem solving.

Kourtnie Tisdale, a sophomore general education major from Hurricane, said she believes getting the proper nutrition is important and would advise those trying to change their diet to take things slow.

 “Just start a little bit at a time,” Tisdale said. “Don’t just jump into it, because I think the more you jump into something the harder it is to continue.”

Burrows said making a meal plan for the upcoming week is another idea for those struggling to get their daily nutrition. Students who plan meals out and how they are willing to spend time will help them stick to an eating plan.

 “Don’t really try to wing it or else you’re going to end up eating fast food,” Burrows said.

Shawn Adams, a sophomore general education major from Cedar City, said despite knowing that fast food is not the most nutritious choice, he still eats it regularly because it’s convenient. 

“It’s easy. It’s fast,” Adams said. “I don’t like spending a lot of time [cooking].”

Proper nutrition is something students should take into consideration now rather than later, because it could prevent a lot of health problems down the road.

“They don’t really understand how important it is, especially for the long run,” Knox said.

Recovering from an addiction may be difficult at best, but it doesn’t always rule out the pursuit of an education.

A common thread between drug addiction and youth are sports injuries. Often a person is prescribed a narcotic for pain for a limited amount of time and becomes addicted long-term.

Angie Graff, a clinical mental health counselor at the Southwest Behavioral Health Center, has been working in the field of addiction recovery for the last 15 years.

“The route we see, especially with the young male group, is they get a sports injury and are prescribed Lortab for a short period of time and find themselves addicted to it,” Graff said. “They can get Oxycodone or Lortab on the street easily and then they transition to heroin.”

Because of the sensitive nature of addiction, people getting sober are encouraged to remain anonymous. An alias has been used in reference to the following Dixie State College student.

John Doe, a sophomore English major from St. George, is a student who enrolled at DSC after graduating from drug court three years ago.

“I was prescribed Ativan for anxiety, and when those stopped working, I moved to Oxycodone and then eventually to heroin,” Doe said.

Addiction often comes with serious consequences such as legal problems, the loss of interpersonal communications, and the death of a loved one.

“It wasn’t until my best friend committed suicide that I took addiction seriously,” Doe said. 

Watching younger siblings follow in his footsteps was also an influence in bringing him to recovery.

“They were exhibiting behavior that was close to mine, and it scared me,” Doe said.

It was when he got his first DUI that he was sentenced to drug court.

“I attended group therapy and Prime for Life at Turning Leaf,” Doe said. “It was very useful, because I learned about addiction and myself.”

Getting sober is no easy task. It often means changing everything.

“I knew when I lost the respect and support of my family something had to change,” Doe said.

Being in treatment means studying the effects of getting high and also the personal consequences. It’s an education with textbooks and writing assignments.

It was after learning and studying for six months that Doe knew his ambition and goal-oriented attitude would be helpful in carving out a future in education.

“I realized that I could channel my ambition into something I’m still passionate about,” he said.

Many people getting sober are women with children. Graff oversees an inpatient program for mothers with substance abuse issues.

“We try to give them all the information possible for whatever route they want to take,” Graff said. ”We refer them to Vocational Rehabilitation and the Department of Workforce Services.”

These resources provide clients with all the information they need to transition into society as productive members. Whether it is finding a job or getting an education, there are resources available.

Though addiction is a large problem in St. George, it is not surprising.

“I had access to as much as I wanted,” Doe said. “I would go to Vegas and straight to the guy who had it.”

St. George is viewed as a gateway to larger metropolis such as Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. Often the traffic stops here and the residual effect is viral.

“It’s not so much that it gets worse, it just changes,” Graff said. “In the 15 years I have been here, our program has doubled in size, but so has our population. Has the problem gotten worse or do we just have a bigger population?”

Being on the front lines of recovery it’s easy to see the problem. 

“I wear substance abuse goggles, so I think that we have a problem here, because I am around it all the time. Other people might not think that,” Graff said.

Getting clean and sober is attainable. An honest approach to recovery is what’s needed in order to succeed.

Drug addiction exists in St. George, but so do the resources for recovery. 

A person doesn’t have to be in a relationship to appreciate a good love song.

Tastes in music and artists vary as much as tastes in people, and there seems to be specially tailored love songs for almost every genre of music. Even people who prefer the deep beats of techno can muster the courage to admit there’s a love song they love.

Megan Durbin, a freshman health science major from Granite Bay, Calif., said she’s not a fan of music genres that usually produce gushy, affectionate tunes.

“There’s a reason I’m single,” she said jokingly. “All the music I’m into is alternative. It’s dance music. I like Beats Antique, and I’ve never heard any love songs from them.”

But given a moment or two to reflect, Durbin was able to come up with a few exceptions to her no-love-song play list.

“I’m an ‘80s fan, so a lot of the ‘80s (love) songs are just classics to me,” she said.

She said almost every ‘80s classic is a love song. From “Always Something There To Remind Me,” to “Never Gonna Give You Up,” it’s fair to say a person can’t rattle through a list of catchy chart-topping ‘80s tunes and not come across a majority of love songs.

Durbin also said Celine Dion is a go-to artist for the stereotypical love ballads. 

“And there’s always that classic ‘My Heart Will Go On’ from ‘Titanic,’” Durbin said.

Other students said a love song doesn’t have to be slow and melodic to convey the point.

Lexie Colter, a freshman undecided major from Reno, Nev., said she prefers songs and bands with a little more pop.

She said “Animal” by Neon Trees was her favorite song about love, or rather, getting busy.

“It’s a sex song,” she said.

Children of the ‘90s sometimes latch onto a particular group or song and hold to it forever. Kenneth Ochoa, a sophomore business major from Las Vegas, is one of those. He said he couldn’t pick out a particular song, but he at least had a favorite band.

“I have to go with the band Sugar Ray,” he said. “I would think ‘Every Morning’ (counts as a love song). That’s probably the only one.”

There can’t be a discussion about love songs without the country genre being thrown into the mix. From Taylor Swift to Carrie Underwood, it’s obvious that country carries with it a lot of romantic angst.

Sterling Elliot, a junior integrated studies major from Katy, Texas, thinks country produces the best kind of love songs. And as far as those songs are concerned, he’s particularly fond of one that reminds him of home.

For Elliot, that song is “She’s Like Texas,” by Josh Abbot.

“It’s such a good song,” he said. “I like country music.”

Paul Morris, a sophomore general education major from South Jordan, is on the same page as Elliot when it comes to the love song style of country music.

He said “Whatever It Is” by Zac Brown Band is the best country love song he can think of.

But, despite there being a wide array of heartstring-tugging tunes, there are also people who simply don’t like, and refuse to listen to, a good love melody. Patrick Kelly, a junior integrated studies major from St. George, said picking a favorite love song would be impossible for him because he simply can’t stand them.

“I don’t have one,” he said. “Not at all. We don’t need a song to make ourselves feel better. They make me depressed. They’re ridiculous. I have a girlfriend, but [love songs] make me sad. I get sad and cry.”

Durbin, who had been contemplating additional love songs for some time, thought a little more about “Titanic” while her friend Kelly talked about his disdain for the music.

“The door was big enough for the two of them!” She said. “They could have survived!”

So what’s your favorite love song? Take our poll at Facebook.com/DixieSunNews.

During the time between the holiday season and the warm weather of spring, students are searching for almost anything to do.

Students might think the only thing to look forward to is classes. The weather is colder than usual and it feels like there are less students hanging around outside. St. George seems to close down during the cooler winter months.

Most students are looking forward to the warmer weather that the St. George spring brings.

“[This time of the year] is boring because it’s cold but not cold enough for snow, so there is not a lot of outdoor activities to do,” Upward Bound adviser Toni Tuipulotu said. “[During this time of year] we watch television and movies and play games [for fun].”

Most students will agree there isn’t a lot to do.  Some will do nearly anything for the warmth; others will do anything for a little bit of snow to make things more exciting.

Students will definitely want to keep warm, and what better way to do so other than wrapping oneself in a blanket and watching a good movie?

“I like to go to the movies and hang out with friends,” said Randi Hulet, a freshman biology major from St. George. “Shopping is always fun. Plus, basketball is going on right now, so I watch the games.

Being around friends seems to be a student favorite, because no matter how cold or hot it is outside, there is always something a group of friends can find to do.

Barbara Tortella Balbas, a sophomore special education major from Palma De Mallorca, Spain, said this time of the year is not boring because there is so much to do. She is working for the International Student Services and is taking 19 credits.

“The important thing [I focus on] is school,” Balbas said. “I [also] try to talk with my family every week when possible.My friends are also important.” Balbas said.

Balbas seems to understand what is important and how to stay focused. Family can be one of the top things in a lot of students’ minds. 

Balbas said it is difficult to be in an entirely different country for school not only because of the obvious language differences but also for being so far away from family and friends.

Schooling can also be something very important when it comes to getting a job.

“Things just bug me if I don’t get them done,” said Abigail Covington, a freshman general education major from St. George.

Chances are that most students want the weather to warm up at least a little bit so that they can do more things: fishing, hiking, rock climbing, play sports or just be outside.

“Things will be looking up next month.” Tuipulotu said, without hesitation.