Find us on Instagram!- @thepaperlesspress
We are also on Youtube- The Paperless Press
Support us on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/ThePaperlessPress/
--
In this digest-
1. Article- The Energy Crisis: An Energetic Overlook
2. Album Review- Funk Wav Bounces Vol 2 by Calvin Harris
3. Happiness Quotient From Around The World
4. Did You Know?
5. Entertainment Quotient
-Cover Story-
The Energy Crisis: An Energetic Overlook
By: Mihir Rao
Energy is becoming a very important asset in today’s times, even more so than before. With new devices and machines using more and more fuel with each technological advance, it begs the question: How can we keep up with the huge energy demand?
Firstly, here’s why there is an energy demand now:
1 . Devices:
Devices such as computers, tablets, phones, TVs, etc. are becoming more powerful and energy-draining with each generation, and they require a lot of electricity to be powered. With over 20 billion devices connected to the internet, a huge demand for electricity arises.
2 . Vehicles:
Cars are now changing from petrol and diesel (Fossil fuel powered) to electric cars, which have electric motors instead of a normal combustion type engine. This rise of electric cars combined with the increasing power of each newly released car also creates a demand for electricity.
3 . Machines:
We use industries for everything. Manufacturing vehicles, creating devices, clothes, products, etc. and they are a crucial part of our economy. With the constant increase of industries, there is a constant increase in the demand for electricity to power the machinery.
4 . Humans:
We ourselves use up a lot of energy with our day to day activities. Whether it’s keeping the lights on in our houses, using computers, watching TV, switching on the AC, or something else: We use electricity. The world’s population is increasing, and with it the demand for electricity to power household homes.
The Problem:
We are somehow keeping up, however we are not doing it the right way: Most popularly, we use coal or natural gas for generating energy through combustion, and this creates a lot of waste that can pollute and harm the environment.
Possible Solutions:
1 . Solar Energy:
Solar energy is a popular solution to limited energy, as it is an easy way to gather energy. However, the cost of putting solar panels can be very expensive, and compared to the rather low energy output, it isn’t very cost-efficient.
2 . Nuclear Fission:
This is one of the most popular solutions to the energy crisis. By splitting the atom, a huge amount of energy is released in the form of heat. This energy can be used to generate electricity efficiently. However, here too there are risks.
3 . Nuclear Fusion:
Nuclear Fusion is probably going to be the method used to generate energy in the future, because it is one of the best methods of generating energy. By fusing two atoms together to create another atom, a LOT of energy is released. This energy method is used by stars to power their cores and keep themselves stable. However, because this is only viable at unbelievably high temperatures and pressures, this method has to be worked on.
Another way of accomplishing this is by performing ‘Cold Fusion‘, a theoretical way of performing nuclear fusion at or near room temperatures.
What we can do:
What we can do to help the energy crisis is to conserve our energy and electricity as much as we can, to reduce energy wastage and help people who really do need electricity!
-------------
Album Review: Funk Wav Bounces Vol 2 By Calvin Harris
Reviewed by: Agastya Rao
“An unusual list of collaborators stops this good album from being great”
(Album Cover Credit- Spotify)
EDM legend Calvin Harris recently released the follow up to his 2017 hit album Funk Wav Bounces Vol 1. The first volume had hits such as Slide (Feat. Frank Ocean and Migos) and Feels (Feat. Katy Perry, Pharell Williams and Big Sean), however the singles from this album have not seen similar levels of commercial success. Volume 2 features 23 hitmakers including Dua Lipa, Pharell Williams and Young Thug. However, does Vol 2 live up to its predecessor?
Track by Track review-
1. Intro- At just 39 seconds long, the track is a smooth start to the album and offers a glimpse of what the album sounds like. A wholesome instrumental track to listen to, and leads decently into the next track. (8/10)
2. New Money (With 21 Savage) (E)- The song starts off with a heavy piano and mumble rap from 21 Savage. The album has an amazing instrumental and excellent production from Calvin Harris, but the lyrics are weak and this is definitely not 21 Savage’s best work, and his style of rap does not fit well with the song. However, the production gets top marks! (6/10)
3. Potion (With Dua Lipa & Young Thug)(E)- This track follows suit with high quality production. The song features a perfect combination of guitar and synths. With a fairly catchy beat and repetitive lyrics, the song may get stuck in your head! The song is slow paced featuring vocals from Dua Lipa, whose vocals aren’t used to the best of her ability, but are still pretty good! The song gives out strong beach-vibes.
Young Thug’s verse is fairly lacklustre and doesn’t add too much to the song. The lyrics are repetitive but the song makes for an enjoyable listen thanks to the production and is catchy enough to stream more than once. (8/10)
4. Woman of the Year (With Stefflon Don, Chlöe & Coi Leray)(E)- Another song with superb production. The song sounds pretty good, it's a funk-rap blend. The song overall makes for a decent listen, but voice-effects used on the voice don’t fit well with the song. However, verses from all three artists are pretty good. The song follows the tried and tested formula of using slightly repetitive lyrics, but it works well with the song. (8/10)
5. Obsessed (with Charlie Puth & Shenseea) (E)- Easily my favourite track from the album. Charlie Puth originally teased the collaboration on the 1st of March this year, announcing that he had written a song with Calvin Harris. The song starts off with an excellent piano and guitar combination, and leads into excellent vocals from Charlie Puth, following that is a rap verse from Shenseea which fits really well with the song.
This is one of the most creative songs on the album, with various levels of voice modulation including a whole verse which Charlie Puth sings in a totally different pitch and type of voice (you have to hear it to understand it). Incredibly catchy with excellent production= great song! (10/10) (TOP TRACK)
6. New to you( With Normani, Tinashe & Offset) (E)- This is the longest song of the album, clocking in at 5 minutes and 2 seconds. The song starts off with a slow violin, and leads into a heavy synth beat. Normani and Tinashe star in the chorus with a mix of great vocals and a decent rap verse. Offset (former member of Migos) has a quite forgettable rap verse in the middle of the song. The song is closed with phenomenal vocals from Normani. Once again, the production is phenomenal (As is expected from a Calvin Harris album!). (8/10)
7. Ready or Not (With Busta Rhymes) (E) - The song starts off with an old school style name dropping of Calvin Harris and Busta Rhymes by Busta Rhymes. This is a fairly entertaining song, and has one of the best rap verses on the entire album. Busta’s rap fits perfectly with the production of the song. It's a fast paced song, with a repetitive are you Ready or Not, which actually adds an interesting flair to the song. No faults in the production here, one of the Top 3 songs on the album. (9/10) (TOP TRACK)
8. Stay with Me Part 1 (With Justin Timberlake, Halsey and Pharrell) - This song let me down a bit. When you get JT, Halsey and Pharrell in a song together, it's bound to be good - at least that’s what you expect. The song is a good fit to be a “classic” summer song, it is expertly produced, but Halsey’s role in the song was wasted with a frankly quite irritating repetition of her singing “Hey it's a mess out there”, as opposed to a better use of her impressive vocal prowess.
Additionally, the added heavy AutoTune on Pharrell’s voice was unnecessary. The song is upbeat and catchy, but Justin Timberlake gets lost between the songs and doesn’t really do much in the song. Upbeat and catchy, but also a bit irritating, a fairly average and unfortunately disappointing song. (7/10)
9. Stay with Me Part 2 (With Justin Timberlake, Halsey & Pharrell)- While we were spared from Halsey saying “Hey it's a mess out there” this “song” feels like what the outro of Stay with Me Part 1 should have been, and reminds you of the missed opportunity that Stay with Me Part 1 was. It was really unnecessary and I didn’t understand the need for a Part 2 to the song, especially seeing as its only 1 Minute and 23 seconds long. Great production once again. (8/10)
10. Somebody Else (With Jorja Smith and Lil Durk) (E) - Starting off with funk-rock vibes, the song features excellent vocals from Jorja Smith and Lil Durk who had a subpar rap verse. His verse features an unnecessary amount of autotune on the song, and ruins the vibe of the song in my opinion. If they really needed a rap verse, they could have gone with a different rapper, even The Kid Laroi would have fit well in this verse, but Lil Durk’s verse was unnecessary. (7/10)
11. Nothing More To Say (with 6LACK, & Donae’o) (E) - The song starts off with a great piano and guitar combo, and a verse from 6LACK. While 6LACK’s verse does use autotune, it fits really well with the song, and the song is pretty catchy (The Pre-Chorus especially!). The refrain features Donae’o, who has a decent part and he closes the song well! A highly underrated and compelling listen! Once again, expertly produced by Calvin Harris. (9/10) (TOP TRACK)
12. Libe my best life (with Snoop Dogg and Latto) (E) - I found this song quite random. The production on the song is on point, but Snoop Dogg had a random verse, and Latto’s verse was considerably better than his verse. The song is slower than most songs on the album, and overall it's pretty average,. (7/10)
13. Lean on Me (With Swae Lee) (E) - Starting off with a simple guitar verse, and auto tuned vocals from Swae Lee. Slightly slower than the songs on the album, with a pretty decent showing from Swae Lee, but nothing supremely impressive. A pretty decent song overall, with a heavy focus on guitars and good production. (8/10)
14. Day One (Wit Pharrell & Pusha T) (E) - Starting off with an average verse from Pharrell, but his voice fits pretty well with the song. Pusha T’s verse fits considerably better with the song as compared to the other rappers on the album. Superb production once again and a great way to close the album. (8/10)
Conclusion-
The album has phenomenal production. The album has its fair share of songs that are pretty good, (Obsessed, New to you, Ready or not….) , and has songs which could have been a bit better like Potion and Stay with Me.
Drawbacks- The choice of certain rappers who didn’t fit with the song (Lil Durk) and the slightly cliche songwriting.
Top Tracks- Obsessed, Ready or Not, Nothing More to Say.
Overall, the album is pretty good, while the album isn’t as good as Funk Wav Bounces Vol.1, the album has its moments, and leaves me waiting for Volume 3 which will hopefully have a better set of collaborations!
Rating-
4/5
By: Abhimanyu Rao
-----------------------
By: Agastya Rao
-------------------
Entertainment quotient for the week:
Netflix
Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight
Disney+
Lightyear
------------
Visit these pages to see some of our other endeavours!
Visit A Dogs Daily Antics to laugh your heart out with crazy captioned dog photos!
A Note To Our Readers:
We thank our readers for supporting us these past two years. We truly hope you enjoyed this digest and we hope this puts a smile on your face. Here at The Paperless Press, we strive to provide free,fun and positive news. We would be very happy to receive your feedback and receive guest submissions from our readers. We hope that you spread the word and enjoy reading our digests.
-The Paperless Press
We hope this digest brightened up your day!
Contact us at-
The Paperless Press ™
© 2022 The Paperless Press™ All Rights Reserved