The Wake

They’re like, “Say your name, and your power animal, and what you like to do,” and when it gets around to me I say, “My name is Deniz. I am a powerful animal, and I enjoy making statements.”

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by Sofiya Hupalo

The Panamanian fucks the Roman.

The Romanians are pragmatists, but who cares?

“Déjà vu is only a chemical reaction in the brain,” they say, but we ignore them.

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by Lukas Gohl

I live for moments when the human cacophony chokes

Air turns vivid, gripping your lungs

And time feels frozen and infinite

All that remains are the dulcet tones of the earth

Singing out to me as I finish this cigarette

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The Davenport by Hannah Schnobrich

emerald city candy dishes

me what i already gave away every thursday night. that

butternut squash is its own bowl just plays present and on snow fall nights …

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As I was thinking about writing a review for the new Grand Theft Auto expansion, The Lost and Damned, I realized how much it must suck to be a video game critic. What a lousy job? I didn’t buy the latest addictive incarnation of a game that hasn’t changed much since its first 3D incarnation to play it as fast as possible. Do you really want me to relay to you how average the dialogue is? I’m not saying the game is bad, in fact …

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If there was some kind of zodiac for the music world, it would be a very messy affair. There would be little continuity from year to year and little to no thematic unity inherent in the transition from, for example, 2007—the year of the adventurous electro-pop­­—to 2008—the year of the Californian noise bands. However, 2009 would have a very clear title: the year of the old man.

That’s right, comrades: put away your neon hoodies and grab that pair of child-molester glasses, because 2009 …

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A young Holly Hansen tunes a clock radio to its previous station to hide the fact that she was listening to hard rock from her parents. Today the musician is spending her time producing music ranging from avant-garde to grunge rock. Hansen is currently working on four different musical endeavors—each with distinct purpose and outlooks.

The Wake: Would you give a short description of your current projects?

HH: Zoo Animal (ZA) is about making commercially viable art that still challenges those listening and partnering with Tim Abramson (bass) to make really interesting compositions. This is the …

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Watchmen has been in various stages of conception since the late eighties, and bears a weight of geek scrutiny which is almost unprecedented. Unfortunately, the lauded trailer shown with The Dark Knight was masterful compared to the final product.

Director Zack Snyder (Dawn Of The Dead [2004], 300[2007]) has chosen to remain visually faithful to the source material to the degree that it is a liability against the film. Trimmed segments, which are extensive and necessary, are not accounted for, and the film never eases into its own identity. Enough of the irrelevant is preserved, and too much thematic …

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M. Ward’s sixth album, Hold Time, encompasses a variety of styles, yet remains extremely thematic. The first few tracks, upbeat numbers replete with claps and folk-pop melodies, represent a change from his usual, brooding character. Ward even slips into familiar, romantic motifs, singing, “Honey, I ain’t never had nobody like you.”

“Hold Time,” a somber ballad built upon orchestral flourishes and mellow synths, slows down the album’s pace. Next, Buddy Holly’s classic “Rave On” is transformed into a slower, more hypnotic version, but does not stray far from the …

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After 14 years, a string of three melodramatic concept albums and the cultivation of an increasingly unhinged live show, Cursive have become as contentious as they are pretentious, attracting fans, detractors and bemused passersby in equal measure. And now, three years after the mostly disappointing Happy Hollow, we have Cursive’s new album, Mama I’m Swollen, an effort that will most likely please fans while giving detractors one more reason to dismiss the band as aging emo hacks. In short: it’s not perfect but it’s really good. …

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When you went to the ballot box on November 4, you were probably primarily concerned with electing a new president. However, another interesting and far more local issue was also on the ballot: the Minnesota Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment. This measure, passed with 55 percent approval, raised Minnesota’s sales tax by three eighths of a percent in order to provide more funding to preserve the state’s cultural and environmental heritage. 14.25 percent of this money will be directed toward the Minnesota State Park …

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A parade of gentle, forceful and resonant sounds echo from the larger-than-life Japanese wooden Taiko drums, played by renowned Taiko drummer Koji Nakamura, commencing the “Whole Systems Healing” lecture series as presented by the University of Minnesota’s Center for Spirituality & Healing. The drums are being used to communicate spiritual values that resonate through the four corners of universe. This resonance represents the integration that the Center for Spirituality & Healing seeks to create in healthcare and communities. The keynote speaker for the evening is environmental advocate and author of The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our …

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In the international space community, there is no quest that plagues mankind more than the search for extraterrestrial life. Driven both by necessity and curiosity, a discovery of an environment hospitable to even the most primitive form of life in Earth’s own backyard would strengthen the argument that there are likely tens of hundreds of solar systems in the universe that harbor the same potential.

With ever-shrinking financial resources and substantial technological challenges, fierce competition has raged on concerning the best scientific investment for the future of human civilization. Several missions to …

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“Nothing can take away what happened to us, but we are survivors.”

These words begin to describe only a minute part of an even larger saga of war, fear, regret and wounds that time may never heal. Doan Hoang relives painful events in her family’s past with her new documentary film Oh, Saigon. The lens cap is removed as her family reveals shocking truths and opinions about their last minute escape from Vietnam. Under the shadow of war, Hoang’s family falls to pieces.

Hoang’s method of filming is simple. With camera in hand, she and her film crew keep …

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The renewed mandate for sustainable energy in America has forced policymakers to consider an unusual problem. The moratorium on new nuclear power plants in America has been in effect for over thirty years now, and the industry has a strange generational breakdown to show for it. In short, there are concerns that the current nuclear power workforce will not be able to readily assume the challenges of designing and constructing new plants. This process remains an arduous and lengthy one even with the lessons of older reactors under our …

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The appeal of Uptown’s Moto-i is that it is actually the first sake brewery outside of Japan. And when you enter, it feels like total coolsville, with stainless-steel-topped tables and little to no art on the walls, letting you focus on the soft light diffused throughout the restaurant. However, what we predict will keep customers coming back is the menu that pairs perfectly with their sakes—creative Japanese-style small plates and snacks, which could be in danger of being overlooked at the prospect of home-brewed sake.

We tried …

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