In Rechnitz Hall, graduating graphic design students had their creations on display for fellow students, potential employers, and soon-to-be former mentors alike in the annual two-part senior show.

The turnout was rather large and, according to art and design professor Vincent DiMattio, the opening night turnout on the 28 rounded at a crowd of about 400.

Showcased with the assistance of man-made window and sales floor displays, frames, tables, and an assortment of shelves, seniors had a wide arrangement of projects accumulated over their years to put out.

Ranging from, but not limited to, race car designs, promotional posters spanning several fields of media, advertisements for prototyped products, to fully developed storyboards for video games and movie animations. All of the pieces set out appeared to be convincing on appearance alone in regards to the ability of the students.

Each student display contained business cards and resumes in front of their artwork; all with the individual’s personalized logo. Some students even went beyond the basics, going so far as to involve the audience in their display; Christina Mantak, for example, had a guestbook alongside her cards for visitors to sign and help document the experience.

Although some projects were of the same assignment, it was easy to see how each individual in the show tackled the task in their own unique way. Mecal Lindsey particularly had an eye-catching display, what with his kaleidoscope-like tiles, which framed all of his works, and an aesthetically pleasing color theme, which assisted in tying everything in the collection together. The standout pieces though were his intricate pieces of creatively generated logos, all of which shared the overall appeal of professionalism and high methodology.

The Flaming Lips’ New Release Excites

The Terror might go down as the most aptly named album of 2013. Though not scary in the sense of a slasher movie, the latest album from psych rock veterans The Flaming Lips is a cold, chilling, and nerve-wrecking experience that will send chills down your spine. And I mean that in the best way possible.

It’s a somewhat unexpected move from the band, but then again, unexpected moves have been this band’s calling card for 27 years. Throughout their career, The Flaming Lips have pretty much done everything there is a band can do, from releasing four-disc albums that need to be played simultaneously for the full experience, to reimagining Dark Side of the Moon, to releasing a 24 hour song on a flash drive encased in a human skull (yes, you read that correctly).

But going this dark? Unheard of! One thing that has been fairly consistent for the group is their bright, creative level of imagination and fun. Many of the groups most well known songs, like the soaring anthem “Do You Realize?” carry an uplifting, triumphant vibe, and are featured in commercials quite often. The group’s most recent single, “Sun Blows Up Today,” was used in a Super Bowl commercial this year.

And then there are the bands live shows, which have reached legendary status in the music world. Seeing them a few years ago was one of the most unforgettable, inventive, and fun shows I’ve ever been to. Lasers; confetti cannons; people in Wizard of Oz costumes; a guy in a giant bear suit – all of these things took place within the first few songs. It’s something that everyone should witness at some point even if you don’t like the band’s music.

“Mad Men” returned to AMC Sunday night for its sixth season with a two-hour premiere.

Darkness loomed over the offices of Sterling, Cooper, Draper, Pryce as the advertising agency moved into the year of 1968. Even as the firm itself is flourishing and late 1960s social change is growing through cultural cracks, a sense of morbid anxiety permeates throughout.

This doom and gloom is especially apparent with the show’s perennial cad, Don Draper (Jon Hamm), who is back to his womanizing antics after a season of fidelity following his marriage to the lively, young actress Megan (Jessica Paré).

The opening shot of Draper shows the adman laid out in what looks like a Hawaiian paradise, however, soon the words of Dante’s “Inferno” are heard and Don is diving into the book as a “heavy” beach read. Could Don, on a vacation in paradise, really be entering the gates of hell ready to confront his past demons?

Don’s midlife anxiety is amplified when he returns back to Manhattan and the office. He spends his days sulking and drinking, makes a spectacle out of showing up drunk to Roger’s mother’s funeral, pesters his doorman about what it felt like to suffer a heart attack, and pitches a morbid ad centered around the idea of death to the resort, the Royal Hawaiian. The ad, which was quickly dismissed as being reminiscent of suicide, featured disappearing footprints and the copy, “Hawaii, the Jumping off Point.”

Don’s past and present are both as mysterious as ever. As the alluring Megan’s acting career gets a major boost when she lands a recurring role on a television soap opera, Don’s eyes continue to wander. This time Don’s mistress is Sylvia Rosen (Linda Cardellini), a neighbor’s wife, who gave Don the dark “Inferno” to read on his vacation with Megan. The irony of the affair lays in the fact that Don’s neighbor is a doctor with a job saving lives, rather than tearing the fabric of relationships apart, as Draper does.

Maybe you’ve heard about The Music Alliance (TMA). They’ve been giving out free CDs in the Dining Hall, and they’ve been putting on concerts at Brighton Bar. The Music Alliance is a new club designed to give students who want to work in the music industry some experience.

Co-founder Andrew Boxman described The Music Alliance: “We had an idea to unite the members of the music industry program at Monmouth by creating a club where we could promote all of our music while gaining the experience of actually working in the music industry...Whether as a musical artist, solo or in a band, or someone who wants to work behind the scenes, TMA allows individuals to follow their dreams of playing music for a living while gaining career building, team building experience,” Boxman said.

Boxman, a sophomore, raps as a part of Joe and Box with Joe Urso, and co-founder Steve Curtis raps under the name Slick Chops. That doesn’t mean anything about the acts with The Music Alliance. Their promotional album contains rock, folk, pop and rap. They welcome all genres of music, and they regularly have jam sessions on Fridays.

According to Boxman, it was the right time to start a club like this because of the sense of community among music students. “The community we have is special; it’s about the music and through that we so easily build friendships and have fun while doing so. We knew that this would come about if we actually got it off the ground and it’s been a great time,” Boxman said.

They work with many bands that have been Student Spotlight features in this section such as Seasons, 99 Regrets, Natalie Zeller and Climax Race.

Seasons’ lead vocalist, junior Bryan Haring, was excited to join The Music Alliance. Haring said, “When The Music Alliance had its first meeting, I was immediately attracted to the high level of energy and enthusiasm of all its members; we are driven by our ambition and desire to see ourselves, as well as our friends, succeed.”