The long-awaited third album of Welch rockers Neck Deep has been available on iTunes and Spotify since this August- and it’s 100 percent pure pop-punk. In other words, I highly recommend “Life’s Not Out to Get You” to anyone interested in songs with an empowering sound and an album with a general theme. I found the main concept to be that living in today’s world can certainly be a challenge, but if you simply looks close enough, you’ll eventually realize that life can also be enjoyable as it is, and as humans we can only make the most of it.

The lyrics generally speak of typical themes such as romance and breakups, along with more advanced messages such as the pros and cons of living in this generation. The opening track, “Citizens of Earth,” warns listeners about problems the human race is currently facing, including lyrics such as “We all kick our way through streets of grey, some find hope in a TV screen, but nobody has an answer for anything and no one can seem to agree.” One track, titled “December,” is more acoustic, with powerful suspension and haunting lyrics that speak of wishing a past lover well in later life (“I hope you get your ballroom floor, your perfect house with rose red doors, I’m the last thing you’d remember, it’s been a long lonely December.”) The lead single, “Can’t Kick Up the Roots,” tells of the small town life and how home may not be paradise, but it is truly where the heart is. My favorite song of the album is easily “I Hope This Comes Back To Haunt You,” a song with dynamic and rhythmic contrast from a slow to fast tempo. Lead vocalist Ben Barlow speaks of a past relationship and how the girl made a selfish move to end it, hoping she’ll understand his sorrow someday and regret her decision. (“Then maybe you would know just how it felt to be like me at my lowest. As you let me out the door, you tore me open. My final words were left unspoken.”)

What I was honestly most impressed by was the heavy sound and instrumental riffs of the album, which never fail to get me out of bed in the morning. Each member of the group truly has something special to offer, even for general pop/rock listeners who don’t usually prefer this style of music. The album cover artwork was also surprisingly a good fit, and reminded me lot of the 2000 pop-rock album “Return of Saturn” by No Doubt (ironic because both bands have the same initials) with a hidden picture related to each song on the album found somewhere on the front cover.

One song on the album got to get on my nerves a bit because of its filler sound (used, I assume, to keep the song from sticking out from the rest) and horrid title with barely a connection to the song (“The Beach is For Lovers, Not Lonely Losers,”). But the rest of the album’s tracks didn’t disappoint me one bit. Neck Deep has also shown many stylistic improvements since the beginning, adding more memorable melodies and guitar solos to their new songs which have become more well known for listeners than the less known tracks from their first two albums.

A lot of music listeners may not have heard of this group because these songs may not be played on the radio or on TV, but that certainly doesn’t mean one shouldn’t give it a chance. Mainstream or obscure, all music has the ability to change and shape people’s lives – especially music with relatable messages and lyrics. Neck Deep does not fail to make its current fandom of teenagers content, which should be enough to make any band or artist successful in the first place.

I read Shakespeare’s Hamlet for the first time this fall as a part of our tragedies unit in Mr. Hopkins’ senior English class. When I first opened the book, I was not exactly expecting sunshine and rainbows, but having finished the entire play I can definitely attest to it falling into the tragedy genre. Friends and brothers betray each other, multiple people go insane, and by the end of the story a better part of the cast has been killed off. No doubt the writing is brilliant and the story is a timeless tale of deceit and betrayal. I did very much enjoy reading the play and am happy that I will graduate having read and analyzed Hamlet, but I’m not sure it would qualify as a book you would pick up and read for fun. So, when I saw Lisa Klein’s Ophelia in the local library’s book sale room, I was immediately intrigued.

Ophelia is told from (you guessed it), Ophelia’s point of view. In case you haven’t read Hamlet, Ophelia is his love interest who ultimately goes crazy and drowns herself in a stream beside the castle. While reading the play, I did not really understand exactly what led Ophelia to take her own life, and she has just a few lines but plays a huge part in the story overall. Needless to say, I bought the book immediately.

Klein’s writing draws the reader in from the very first page. She writes with historically accurate details but most of the dialogue is easy to understand and written in modern English, no Sparknotes required to get through this take on Shakespeare. The narrative begins when Ophelia is a small child, so the reader gets a brief glimpse of how she grows up, the relationships she has with her brother Laertes and father Polonius, and how she is forced into adulthood with the death of her mother. Many aspects of Ophelia’s life are invented by Klein, such as her close relationship with an herbalist named Metchild who lives just outside of the castle and her courtship with Hamlet. Readers will be surprised to learn that Klein interprets Ophelia’s insanity as an act, and a means of escape from the increasingly dangerous Elsinore Castle. The book follows her journey past the castle and as she works to escape the painful memories with Hamlet and dangerous secrets she possesses from her days as a lady in waiting to the Queen.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who has read Hamlet, and even those who haven’t. The story itself is a great read, and filled in all of the details that I was missing from the play. It was especially interesting to see Shakespeare’s world through a women’s eyes, as most of his plays that we have read in school focus mainly on the men. Best of all, this book has a happy ending, despite the tragic events that take place throughout Ophelia’s life.

A lot has happened in the lives of the students and teachers in Hanover High’s music program this past week. With Mr. Schnelle out because of a sudden illness, and the winter concert scheduled for Dec. 17, the bands and choral groups worked incredibly hard to make sure the show went on. Band teacher Mr. Haraden stepped in to conduct Chorale, Concert Chorus, Vox and Corporation and students pulled together to perform in Mr. Schnelle’s honor.

To kick off the evening, the freshmen of Chorale sang two fantastic Christmas carols and an arrangement written by Mr. Schnelle of “White Christmas” with Concert Chorus, reminding the audience that our Christmas may not be white this year, but will always be in spirit. Concert Chorus (the group I am a part of) then sang our two songs, including “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch!” which had everyone in the audience laughing like children. The Corporation, our all-male A Cappella ensemble, took the stage afterward, singing a hysterical mash-up of “Winter Wonderland” and “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” poking fun at the lyrics and melodies (“Who the heck is Parson Brown?”) Vox, our all-female select choir, went next, performing a hauntingly beautiful a Cappella tune and a more laid-back choral version of “Santa Baby.”

The instrumental Jazz Ensemble started the band portion of the concert, and had me in shock at how well they put together a medley of many familiar Christmas songs. After a brief intermission, the whole Symphonic Band took the stage, with more instruments than anyone can imagine are a part of a high school band. Their set was about 25 minutes, and included “Sleigh Ride” and a Russian winter song. Listening to them had me in awe with the amount of talent that was on stage.

For the grand finale, the bands and choruses sang one last medley of traditional holiday classics titled “A Christmas Festival,” which was very well put together despite the short amount of time everyone had to rehearse together. The audience, including families of students and HHS music alumni, was very pleased with the concert and the amount of talent the school showed. As an individual performer, I was also glad I had an opportunity to be a part of such a successful music program for my last high school winter concert. I strongly advise anyone interested in watching the school’s talented musicians to come to the next show!

Is Christmas even Christmas without some good old fashioned gingerbread men? I love Christmas baking, and have many fond memories of rolling out sugar cookie dough on the counter with my mom, helping my grandmother make pies on Christmas Eve, and even making my own gingersnaps one year (it’s not like they burned or anything . . .). Whether you are left with festive memories or charred cookies, Christmas baking is a must this time of year. So throw on some carols and try this gingerbread cookie recipe the next time you have a free afternoon! I use it almost every year, and it is perfect for making regular old cookies, gingerbread men cut-outs, and even constructing gingerbread houses to decorate. Best of all, it’s pretty foolproof so even if you aren’t the most skilled baker you will still end up with a batch of delicious cookies . . . even if they don’t end up exactly the shape you intended!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2-2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon each ground cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice

Directions

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses, egg and water. Combine flour, ginger, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Divide dough in half. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes or until easy to handle.

2. Preheat oven to 350°. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each portion of dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 4-in. cookie cutter. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Reroll scraps.

3. Bake 8-10 minutes or until edges are firm. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Decorate as desired. Yield: about 2 dozen

Icing

• 4 egg whites
• 4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon extract

Directions

1. Beat egg whites in clean, large bowl with mixer at high speed until foamy (use only grade A clean, uncracked eggs). Gradually add sugar and lemon extract. Beat at high speed until thickened. NOTE: When dry, Royal Icing is very hard and resistant to damage that can occur during shipping/handling.