To fully understand the intricate beauty of Chinese shoegaze band Default’s album titled “California Nebula,” you simply need to understand the history of the shoegaze genre. One does not need to understand Mandarin in order to understand the scope and message of the album.     Believed to have emerged from the United Kingdom’s underground psychedelic rock sound, shoegaze has become a defining genre in mainstream music. The term “shoegaze” refers to band members gazing at the

Starting off the new semester strong, Troy’s Welcome Week committee planned a variety of welcome back events to greet new and returning Trojans. Last Thursday morning’s event tied in with the theme of “New Year's Resolutions,” holding a safe space for students to write a letter to spring semester.   “I feel like, in some way, it brings students together a little bit, and it also just makes them think about what their goal is for this semester, and what they want for this seme

Every Thursday night, B. Graves holds a trivia night. This night is filled   with jokes, laughter and overall joy, bringing people from the city of Troy together as well as the students at the university.   “Getting together with friends in a central location in Troy is something I really enjoy,” said Bryson Grimsley, a senior in music education from Abbeville, Alabama, who shared his experience from last Thursday’s trivia night. “This gives me and my trivia partners somethin

Recipe of the Week   For the blueberry sauce:  2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)  2 tbsp. orange juice  ¼ cup granulated sugar  1 ½ tbsp. Corn starch  2 tbsp. water    For the dough (or use premade dough to save some time!):  1 cup whole milk  ¼ cup butter, unsalted, at room temperature  3 ½ cups all-purpose flour  1 (.25 oz) package Platinum Yeast (active dry yeast)  ¼ cup granulated sugar  1 egg  ½ tsp. Salt  ¼ cup water    For the filling:  ⅓ cup brown sugar  4 tbsp. so

One of the Troy’s Greek organizations dedicated to supporting women in music held a hot chocolate and movie night to kick off its recruitment week last Wednesday.  Sigma Alpha Iota is a music fraternity that aims to provide community for women pursuing music whether as a means of career or hobby. The members act as ushers for choir, concert band and symphonic band concerts, and do community service across the John M. Long School of Music and the entire Troy community.  “Suppo

I believe one of the most rewarding parts of music exploration is when one finds an album that clicks instantly. Whether by chance, or by trying your hardest to find that feeling, the feeling is always rewarding.  One time, the feeling came over me was when I was listening to the album “Dolby’s ON!” by Montreal-based Bataille Solaire. The album has a very wintery vibe to me, as if there’s a crisp wind on a January day.   Opening track “Boul” both starts and ends with a glitch

A vision of motivating and inspiring others through a clothing brand that began in middle school recently came to fruition for one Troy University student, and he’s just getting started.  Kishon Reynolds, a first-year strategic communication graduate student  from Childersburg, Alabama, merged the words future and millionaire to create his brand Fumaire, representing a push for increased productivity and a better quality of living for all.   “I've been able to build a communi

SPOILER ALERT! With Jimmy Nichols I used 2025 as the year to educate myself on some of the best movies ever made. For the first time, I watched “Good Morning Vietnam,” “Dead Poets Society” and “The Shining.”  Every new movie brought a new experience, enjoyment and appreciation for how movies are laid out and constructed. One movie that builds on this expertly is “Good Will Hunting.”  In the breakout film for future A-list actors, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, the audience follo

Anais' Annotations Science fiction as a genre tends to conjure images of robot-human hybrids and spaceships soaring through the sky. In Rachel Ingalls’ 1982 novella “Mrs. Caliban,” this classic definition is put to the test. The author combines elements of science fiction with a psychological thriller; all set in an average suburban home. This tiny book packs a punch of meaning and heartache.  The story’s main protagonist, Dorothy, is a highly unstable but compelling characte

Emma's Enlightements This Week’s Advice: Looking Back and Falling Forward.   Welcome back! Even though it’s an adjustment going back and forth, I hope everyone had a much needed, restful break. I had a lot to think about during my time back home.  Over the break, I learned something important: you can look back, but don’t fall back.  I was by myself for a while, and I was thinking way too much.   I started missing people I shouldn’t have and falling back into old habits of s

SPOILER ALERT! With Jimmy Nichols 2025 was a bounce-back year for movies following a lackluster 2024. The releases of “Sinners,” “Superman,” “Weapons,” and “Wicked: For Good” helped cinemas recover following a year with only a couple of noteworthy releases.   One movie released later in the year was only released on Netflix with much fanfare--  the sequel to the “Knives Out” franchise.    This franchise has been one of my favorites since the first movie. Each time they have a

Anais' Annotations After having spent much of my life not being interested in the film version, I decided to take some time during the winter break to read “Dances with Wolves” (1988). Michael Blake’s novel is better known for its film adaptation, a popular culture icon starring Kevin Costner. Despite its cultural lingering in the halls of cinema fame, I found Blake’s story left a lot to be desired.  The basics of the plot sound solid: post-Civil War, a United States soldier

I remember sitting in my grandmother’s living room, opening an old box full of small, painted tiles. She used to let me play with them on the floor on the condition that all the tiles went back into the box. She tried to explain the game of Mahjong to me once or twice, but it never stuck in my young brain. I always understood it as a pastime for people who didn’t understand how to open a web browser.  However, Mahjong is not just a game for grandparents anymore. The classic g

Aries: New year, new you! Time to challenge yourself this year in ways you didn’t know you could. Maybe you can go skydiving and then hit up a volcano tour! Oh wait, you might need something more extreme to prove yourself.   Taurus: You’ve always enjoyed the finer things in life, so that’s just what this year will be: fine.  Gemini: You’ve already plugged the latest social events and group gatherings into your Google Calendar, every day of this year has been booked already, l

What if you combined sweeping ambient soundscapes with the denseness and fuzziness of shoegaze? The answer lies in Lovesliescrushing, who has managed to create the perfect marriage between the two over their entire career. One of their best albums, “Xuvetyn,” turns 30 years old in 2026, and I am here to say that it is every bit as forward thinking as it was upon first release.  “Valerian (Her Voice Honeyed)” fades into a song that slides from airiness to deepness like being u

Troy University’s Department of Art and Design held an awards ceremony for the grand opening of the new exhibit in the International Arts Center (IAC): the Senior Thesis Exhibit on Dec. 11. This semester’s showing highlighted works from graduating students of the 2025 fall graduating class.  This exhibit showcases the capstone projects of art and design students in the Huo Bao Zhu Gallery. At the ceremony, the Dean’s Award recipient was Maddie Ashendorf, a senior graphic desi

The show will go on for Troy’s Department of Theatre and Dance as the spring semester takes center stage.  The department’s upcoming productions include "Something Rotten!,” “God of Carnage” and “Art In Motion: An Exhibit of Soul.” Further throughout the semester, spring auditions will take place.   “I think that the audience can expect a range of styles from our upcoming shows,” said Dancer and Costume Shop Assistant Kelsie Williams, who is a senior dance major from Montgome

Each coming New Year is anticipated around the globe with celebrations and long-standing traditions. However, these customs were not always marked by fireworks, countdowns and resolutions.  The earliest recorded New Year celebration dates back to around 2000 BCE in ancient Babylon with the festival of Akitu. This 12-day celebration marked the beginning of the agricultural season and concluded with the crowning of a new king. To gain favor from the gods, citizens made promises

Troy University is set to hold its 53rd annual High School Southeastern United States Concert Band Clinic and Honor Bands (SEUS) on Feb. 5-7. The event is focused  on individual performers who apply and audition to participate in the event.  In previous years, anywhere from 60-90 schools were represented from Alabama and neighboring states. Occasionally, these students even come from other parts of the country.   “This event, like many other events across the country, is desi

Sigma Tau Delta celebrated Indigenous voices in literature by holding an Indigenous Peoples Read-In last Wednesday afternoon in Smith Hall 267.    This was the English Honor Society’s first ever Indigenous Peoples Read-In. Students and faculty members were all invited to attend.   “I thought the read-in was a great way to bring attention to Indigenous writers,” said Emma Arnold, a junior English education major from Slocomb, Alabama. “I feel like that's a pretty marginalized 

Anais' Annotations Real talk: getting along with your in-laws can be really hard. You may love them, but sometimes, you just wish they would do literally anything else than what they are doing. It is in-law relationships that spark the events of E. M. Forster’s “Where Angels Fear to Tread” (1905). This novel is a whiplash of drama, tragedy and romance, so buckle up.  I have heard some mixed opinions on this work, but for myself, I quite like it, and one reason for my approval

Every single semester, whether it seems like it or not, stands as the end of some seniors’ experience as bachelor’s students. Reagen Simmons, a senior music industry major from Jacksonville, Alabama, is one of those students this semester.   Simmons, a saxophonist, said when she first started as a Troy student, she never expected herself to be where she is today as a musician.  “Troy has helped me grow immensely in my knowledge of many different styles of music, as well as my

Christmas is just over a month away, and while most Troy University students won’t be on campus for the holidays, Troy’s Theatre and Dance department is putting on a traditional Christmas performance with a modern twist before campus empties for winter break.  “Clara’s Nutcracker” is the 1940s adaptation of the Christmas ballet, “The Nutcracker,” featuring a 16-year-old Clara (rather than the traditional young child) living in post-World War II America. After being gifted a n

Troy’s History Club held a trivia night to raise money for a local veterans’ charity last Wednesday. Students were asked to bring a donation, either via CashApp, Venmo or cash.   The winner of the trivia for the night would then have the pool of money donated in their name to the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization.  Quang Le photo Students play a few rounds of Kahoot for trivia. “We wanted to do something special for Veteran’s Day,” said Keira Tessalone, a junior European