“Igor” by Tyler the Creator

An album review by Drew Larsen ’21

Before submerging oneself fully into the mysterious rambunctious rhythm and rhymes for which Tyler the Creator is infamous throughout the rap game, the listener must expect the unexpected in the new wave of aromatic 80’s hip hop reminiscent of Tyler the Creator. As we’ve seen in the past, Tyler can switch flow and rhythms throughout his music on a dime, giving each song its own unique style and message. As a artist this gives him a competitive curve over others; it’s as if each song is a new story. His versatile style is responsible for many trends throughout hip hop today. Recently Tyler has switched album tones; he went from a more bombastic rapping style with high tempo bars and erie lows which paired perfectly for a lively song to a chiller rhythm that appears to be more heartfelt. It’s almost is if Tyler’s music is a figurative way to chronicle the chapters of Tyler’s life as listeners progress through the albums. Each a new age is ushered in with mixed emotions the artist is experiencing. Albums put out are a reflection of his moods and the life he is living now, currently giving his music more of a pop/ rage factor.

With the not so distant release of Tyler’s last album, Flower Boy, we saw the artist mature more and more with every track. Such maturity and inner struggles within the album are perhaps due to the age of the artist, not to mention the struggles that one would face at anytime in life. Within Flower Boy we see his most constant stylistic record he has produced yet, later going on to become a critically acclaimed album. We also see possibly the greatest moment in his discography: Flower Boy constantly appeased fans with its variety of features and the fusion between each tracks. Many other uplifting factors in Flower Boy include its soul aspect and its beautiful effortless fusion with Tyler’s infamous lyrical rhythm. When all of these aspects came together, a beautiful album was born. Flower Boy served as a precursor to the completely different Igor, Tyler the Creator’s most recent album hitting streaming services everywhere on May 17, 2019.

Igor sees our hip hop anti- hero going forth with a new narrative and influence. We see the album Igor within a more exposed tone. On the record Tyler appears to come out of his shell more, in turn creating a new persona where Tyler uses the album as a vessel to rely many messages of heartbreak. Within Igor we see a transition into a more singing and spritely melody coupled with a dark underlying tone and platform in which Tyler uses to convey his messages. On Igor most fans wanted an original Tyler the Creator hip hop tribute, which we’ve seen Tyler stray away from steadily over time. This shift in tone we consistently see is what continues to keep his music fresh ad complex, not to mention features like Playboi Carti to add a uplifting note to the record. Igor often displays lighter instrumentals compared more to r&b and soul music. We also see reminiscent instrumentals from older time periods such as the 60’s and 70’s through the album and specifically on tracks like “A Boy is a Gun” and “I Don’t Love you Anymore.” Its rhythm and melodic change ups like this that add another layer of complexity to Tyler’s most recent album. As a whole Igor feels incomplete, as if it’s missing a conclusion to the madness within. We see many songs on the album that are rage- worthy but the throwback notes that we saw on Flower Boy have ceased to exist, leaving the record feeling a little dull/ incomplete. As the music community eagerly await a follow up album, Tyler the Creator’s tones and beats will continue to resonate through the community.

Time Machine

Hebron Academy Middle School Writing Contest Winner             

By Jenni Flynn ’25

Footsteps. Dry, clicking footsteps and a rough voice. Sweat clung to me like a second skin, fear spiked through my body. The closet reeked of cleaning chemicals and wet mops.  Who am I? I am Samantha Stone. Why am I hiding in a janitor’s closet? Well, let’s just say I messed up the plan of an evil mastermind. They didn’t think a teenager would interfere.  Where am I? Mercury Headquarters. East Wing. I stole back the largest diamond from under Mercury Headquarters security guards’ noses. Scarlett Mercury is the brains behind this place. It was named after her because of how sneaky and deceiving she is. She has pulled off so many bank robberies, it is rumored she’s been thieving her whole life. She is the number one most wanted, and most dangerous mastermind you will ever find. I slowly opened the plaster white door. It made a soft creek. I tensed immediately, one foot hovering out the door. After holding my breath for a count of ten seconds I gingerly continued to open the door. Suddenly I found myself falling. I misjudged the step! Down I fell, my only thought was ‘this is over, this is over, over this is.’ I hit the ground with a loud thud, the sound echoing through the narrow hallway. The diamond fell out of my bag with a soft tinkle, stopping  a foot away. Pain bolted through my body, I might as well have been hit by lightning. Groaning, I pulled myself up, wincing as daggers of pain prickled through my body. I looked up, into the face of one of Mercury’s guards. Bob, I had named him, looked furious! I’m surprised he still managed to keep up with me. Bob had a very round face and black beady eyes. Bald he was, I could clearly see the sweat that was pouring off him in waves of stench. He loomed over me, heavily panting. Well, I can’t wait for him! “ Bye Bob” With that, I grabbed the sparkling diamond and started sprinting down the dark hallway towards the only door left. I crashed into it, fumbling with the handle. Glancing behind me, I saw Bob catching up, lumbering pretty fast, pretty fast for a person of his size. Finally, the frustratingly resilient door popped open with a soft click. I rushed into the room, stumbling over my feet in the rush. White steam poured out of the room in a soft whoosh. I squinted, this fog wasn’t helping. Beeps, whirls and cracks could be heard. This seriously reminds me of Darth Vader when he is about to make an entrance and seemingly kill everybody, the dark smoke, how it clears as a black robotic figure emerges out of  the clouds…, STOP Bob is coming! Spotting a door in the far corner of the of the mistly room, I bolted towards it but screeched to a stop as I say the label of the door; TIME MACHINE. ONE WAY ONLY. POSSIBILITY OF COMING BACK VARIES. Ohh, I could go one way, to the past or the future. No, no, no! I began to panic, tears blurring my vision. I can’t do this, what about mom, little Johnny, my family?! My friends, my life!? I possibly could never come back to this year. How co- “ Crash!” The defending sound forced me to cover my ears. I whipped around, dread filling my body. Bob glared back at me. Abruptly, he started running for me, his thick hands out, his face cherry red.  I don’t have a choice anymore. Frantically I ran to the door. There were two glowing buttons: PAST and FUTURE. Taking a deep, shaky breath, I pushed the future button. Instantly, the door yielded to my pull. Glancing back, I saw Bob still chasing me, he was close. There was no backing out of this now, With that, I jumped through the pearly white mist. It was like trying to walk on  air, feeling your stomach drop on a huge ride. I squeezed my eyes tighter than they already were, hoping, praying it will end. Then, thankfully, it did. I fell, hard, on a smooth tile surface. Opening my eyes, I glanced around. This place was familiar. Glass walls that shone with red lights from within tall arching ceilings. This is like Mercury Headquarters! Then it hit me. Mercury Headquarters. The time machine. Me hitting  the future button. Mercury Headquarters still existed in the future! Oh my gosh, I need to get out of here! Spinning around, I quickly looked for the nearest exit. If they caught me here, I may be dead. I would be giving Mercury Headquarters the diamond I worked so hard to steal back. Yes!, east wing exist. Snatching my bag off the floor, I ran down the dim hallway, my light footsteps the only sounds I could hear I was so close, so close, I was almost there. YES! I swirled into the exit, only to run into something. No, someone.I looked up, once again, to see the  pudgy face of Bob again. Oh no, no no NO! I turned around, there must be another way! There must be! But, before I could bolt, a voice filled the the air. “ You thought you could run from me?  The voice inquired. I froze. Nobody had to turn round to know who the voice belonged to. My blood turned to ice. Scarlett Mercury.  I finally forced myself to turn around; and there she was. Scarlett Mercury herself. She was a tall, thin figure with cascading, glossy hair. She was wearing a red, silk cocktail dress with a silver belt around her waist, and silver Angel wings heels. She looked stunning. Scarlett smirked softly at me. “ When you are done staring  at me, I would like the diamond” she said slyly. I froze. Fear immobilized me, I don’t know what to do. I could make a run for it though… As if sensing my thoughts, Scarlett snapped her fingers and Bob roughly grabbed me, twisting my arms behind my back. I kicked him frantically, struggling to break out of his grip. He had gotten stronger since the year 2018. Scarlet smiled at my efforts to escape. She leaned over and plucked the diamond from my bag. She stood there, admiring it with a triumphant smile on her face. “ How did I get here?” I asked. Scarlett looked up. “ Oh sweetie, you took a time machine. One that Ibuilt.” she said “ You know, when you go into time machines I, Scarlett Mercury make, there is always a hook, a snag, a catch.” Scarlett said dramatically, twirling her hair on a long, thin finger. “I sent you into a time loop.” Slick is seriously an understatement. If I live through this, I am so going to write a book about her. Scarlett glared at me menacingly. “I knew you would find my trap. I knew you would fall for it. And I knew I would get  my diamond” She finished, looking very bored. “ Now, I don’t have time to waste. I need to steal Cleopatra’s crown. I have a deadline! Hit it Bob!” She snapped her fingers and Cardi B’s song ‘Money’ rang through invisible speakers. Scarlett twirled around, dancing to the music. “Come along now.” she said gesturing to Bob. Bob shoved me forwards, forcing me to walk behind Scarlett her. Tears welled up in my eyes. No, I’m not gonna cry. I’m not gonna cry.  “ Why are you doing this and who are you?” I asked. Though I willed my voice to be strong, it broke at the very end. Scarlett twirled around. “ Who am I?” she asked, green eyes boring into me. “ I am Scarlet Mercury.” “ You won’t get away with this Scarlet Red Mercury!” I yelled after her. “ Ooh, not the full name, it’s momfor you. Yes, I like that muchbetter.” Scarlett  haughtily tossed her hair over her shoulder. With that, she spun back around,  regal authority in the air around her. Scarlet Mercury. My mom?!

Varsity Golf 2017

Written by Daniel Halloran ’18

After the first three matches, Hebron Academy’s 2017 golf team was off to an 0-3 start. After falling to Gould, Kents Hill, and Brewster, our team needed to shake thing up. As players we had the pleasure of Mr. Horne coaching golf for the first time in many years. Mr. Horne was the golf coach at Bridgton Academy years ago, where he actually started the MAISAD golf league. This gave us an advantage because our coach knew every rule since he was the one who wrote the rulebook for the league.

After a change in the lineup and vast improvement among the players after the first three matches, we responded by beating Gould, Bridgton, and tying our second match against Bridgton. This put our overall record at two wins, one tie, and three losses. Four year veterans, Trevor Sours and Daniel Halloran, played a big role in leading the team through practices with a new coach and a handful of new players. The Bisson brothers, Joe and Nick, have made an immediate impact on the course during their first year playing for Hebron. Last year we unexpectedly won the MAISAD championship, and our record this year is very similar to what it was last year heading in. This year the championship will be played at Lake Winnipesaukee Golf Course, which in the past has proved to be very tough for the Lumberjacks. However, given last year’s victory, all we can do is hope for the best and that our scores will go in our favor.