27 | March | 2024 | Plaid Line + PRIZM + Scottie News

By: Fletcher Pike

Melanie Martínez is a popular artist known for her unique and creative sense of style. She most recently released an album titled ‘PORTALS’ last year on March 31st. Melanie’s trilogy of albums, ‘Crybaby’, ‘K12’, and ‘PORTALS’, all follow a tale of her character Crybaby.

Melanie incorporates both story and depth within her songs, which is found throughout her albums. In this new album, ‘PORTALS’, Melanie enters a creative new era and her character Crybaby has been reincarnated into a pink, alien-like creature in a magical forest. This album contains 13 songs in total along with an additional 3 included in the deluxe version of the album.

TRACK 1: DEATH

The first song on this album, “DEATH” represents the reincarnation of the character Crybaby, and her return to the world in a new form. The song starts out with a short interlude that evolves into a catchy rhythm that features a heavy guitar, bass, and drums with interesting lyrics that really follow the theme that the song represents. I think this is a great opening to an album and I rate it a 10/10.

TRACK 2: VOID

“VOID” is the first song that Melanie produced on her own for this album, and the first thing she wrote was the bass line featured in the song. I really enjoyed the vocals, lyrics, and drums that were in this song. I will rate this song a 9.5/10 because I do think it was a little bit repetitive.

TRACK 3: TUNNEL VISION

“TUNNEL VISION” was the very first song that was teased to Melanie Martinez’s fans through the trailer promoting the new album, making it quite popular. It starts off with a brief vocal segment that was included in the trailer followed by a unique beat featuring drums and a high pitched guitar. This is a great song and I rate it a 10/10.

TRACK 4: FAIREE SOIRÉE

The fourth song on her album, and probably the most upbeat, “FAIREE SOIRÉE” is a bright and vibrant song with a joyful melody and rhythm. It has a pop-like beat with a guitar melody over it as well as some great vocals. Recently, on February 9th, a music video was released for this song featuring Melanie and her backup dancers dressed as fairies with amazing choreography and costume design. This is a fantastic song and personally one of my favorites, so I give this song a 10/10.

TRACK 5: LIGHT SHOWER

“LIGHT SHOWER” is actually the very first song that Melanie wrote for this album, where she wrote it as a love song with her guitar. This song is beautifully written and composed and has a bit of a somber and slower tone to it. It features only a guitar along with Melanie’s vocals. I think this song is very beautiful and I rate it a 10/10.

TRACK 6: SPIDER WEB

“SPIDER WEB” starts off with an echoey harp that progresses throughout the entire song that evolves into a catchy beat with some really interesting lyrics that I enjoyed. I really liked Melanie’s vocals in this song. I think that “SPIDER WEB” was a fantastic song and I rate it a 10/10.

TRACK 7: LEECHES

“LEECHES” is a slower and more somber song, with a guitar melody and flowing vocals that I found to be very ambient and nice. I also enjoyed the string instruments that were present in this song. I thought it was a beautiful song and I rate this song a 9/10.

TRACK 8: BATTLE OF THE LARYNX

“BATTLE OF THE LARYNX” starts off with a guitar melody with a bit softer vocals that ascends into a really nice drum beat that I liked listening to. I think this song is a solid 9/10 since it did get repetitive at times but it was overall nice to listen to.

TRACK 9: THE CONTORTIONIST

The 9th track, “THE CONTORTIONIST”, starts off with a quiet string sound with softer vocals from Melanie that I really liked. Throughout the song, there is a snap-like sound representing a bone breaking due to the name and vibe of the song, which I found very creative. “THE CONTORTIONIST” is a really great song and I rate it a 9.5/10

TRACK 10: MOON CYCLE

“MOON CYCLE” starts off with an echoey guitar that ascends into a beat with slight drums and bass. I thought that overall this song was good, but I thought it lacked a bit of depth in contrast to the other songs on the album. I think this song is an 8/10.

TRACK 11: NYMPHOLOGY

“NYMPHOLOGY” is a really great song. It starts off with string instruments and a guitar that shifts into a really catchy beat with amazing lyrics. The lyrics in this song focus on themes of feminism and gender classification. I thought it was a beautiful song and I would rate it a 10/10.

Around the last minute of “NYMPHOLOGY”, there is a brief interlude that Melanie has confirmed to be named “Amulet”. This interlude might be short, but it is very catchy and I really liked listening to it. It has a beat that is reminiscent of “FAERIE SOIRÉE”, and interesting lyrics. I loved both “NYMPHOLOGY” and “Amulet” and I rate both a 10/10.

TRACK 12: EVIL

“EVIL” features a darker tone in contrast to the other songs on this album. It has a low heavy guitar melody that is very similar to the melody found in “BATTLE OF THE LARYNX” that really adds to the tone of the song. I enjoyed the rhythm and the instruments used in this song and I rate “EVIL” a 10/10.

TRACK 13: WOMB

The final track for this album, “WOMB” is a mainly guitar composed song that I found to be very nice. I thought it sounded upbeat with the guitar melody. At the main chorus, it switches into a segment with a heavy guitar and drums. Overall, it is a pretty good finish to an album, and I rate it a 10/10.

DELUXE TRACK 1: POWDER

“POWDER” is the first song included in the deluxe version of ‘PORTALS’. It features a more echoey tone with Melanie’s vocals having some sort of pitched down vocal effect, which I didn’t care for that much. It has a pop style beat with a low guitar under it. I thought that this song was pretty okay, so I rate it a 8/10.

DELUXE TRACK 2: PLUTO

“PLUTO” starts off with a waltz-like flute melody with a really nice drum beat over it. I loved the vocals and melody in this song and the lyrics were pretty good, with brass instruments included in some sections in the song. I rate this song a 10/10.

DELUXE TRACK 3: MILK OF THE SIREN

The final deluxe track for this album is titled “MILK OF THE SIREN” and features a slower tempo compared to most other tracks on this album. This song starts off with Melanie’s vocals that evolves into a slow waltz-like beat with solemn drums. At some parts it shifts into a heavy drum part with an interesting chorus. I think this is a pretty good song overall, but I thought that it was a bit repetitive to listen to. I will rate this song a 8/10.

Overall, ‘PORTALS’ is a wonderful and creative album that is a fantastic start to Melanie’s new era. It is clear that much thought and creativity has gone into the creation of this album. I am anticipating any further albums Melanie might release in the near future, which might be a while since Melanie’s albums usually have a 4-5 year gap between them. This was a great album, which leads me to rate it a 9.5/10.

By: Calla Fragassi

The arguably biggest debate in the Bears community and the NFL as a whole: Was Justin Fields the one? Or did the Bears make the right decision by trading him to then draft Caleb Williams.

There are many different factors that go into this decision. For starters, what do the Bears players want? The locker room is in favor of keeping Fields based on recent reports from different sport news outlets stating that the team wants Justin Fields as their QB1. One anonymous veteran staunchly announced his criticism if the Bears do indeed move on from Fields:

“It’s like, if you get rid of him (Fields), what are we doing?”
Cited from nbcsportschicago.com

It’s evident that Fields has made an impact on the Chicago Bears team and its fans, while proving to be a leader both on and off the field.

The Bears had a lot of reasons to keep Fields. He’s young, 24 years old and entering his 4th year in the NFL. He’s also one of the most versatile quarterbacks in the league, as well as being a strong and fast runner.

Although his time in Chicago hasn’t been filled with the most wins, his playing wasn’t the true root of the problem. With a mediocre wide receivers and a poor offensive line, Fields shouldn’t take all the blame. While he may partially be at fault (just like everyone else on the team), he isn’t what’s holding them back.

The Bears game was strong in their last 6ish game stretch, with big wins against the Lions and the Vikings. Unfortunately, these flashes of good quarterback play for a guy in his 3rd year calls for some concern and questions about how high his skill level really is.

Another main part of this decision is the uncertainty that comes with drafting a quarterback. Drafting Caleb Williams comes with the risk of not knowing how his skills may potentially pan out in the NFL. While it is likely that he’ll be successful, there have been many instances in the past of No.1 picks not being what they were sold to be.

So, with all that being said, why did the Bears get rid of Fields? Well the short answer is, he just hasn’t been producing like he’s expected to. With constant losing seasons, Bears fans want to pin the blame on someone and it’s hard to believe that Fields isn’t the problem.

Williams capped off his college football career with a bang. He threw for 8,170 yards and 72 touchdowns while only having 10 interceptions in his past 2 seasons at USC, and also won the Heisman Trophy in 2022. His potential was just too good to pass on. Williams is also the cheaper option, and putting him on a rookie contract would save them the big pay day they owe to Justin Fields if he wasn’t traded, especially with recent quarterback contracts consisting of $40million a year.

All in all, Caleb Williams is a rare talent and potential franchise quarterback that just might be the missing piece for the Bears.

The Bear’s decision to trade Fields came with mixed emotions. Some were upset and truly did believe he was the QB1 the Bears needed. Some were happy and excited for a new and very talented QB.

Regardless of how Bears fans felt about the trade, it certainly wasn’t what people were expecting. Justin Fields was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers on March 16 to be the backup quarterback to Russel Wilson. Most people definitely did believe that Fields was deserving of a starter spot, but just not for the Bears. Chicago received a 2025 conditional 6th round pick that can become a fourth rounder if he plays more than half of Pittsburgh’s offensive snaps this season. So essentially, the Steelers won this trade. The Bears are set to draft Caleb Williams on April 25th.