#( the time Thomas accidentally killed Rey ! )

[feveredbcnes]

Mistaken Identity - Rey & Thomas

Original drabble by @shiningstages transferred from our old blogs.

“ Didn’t I just tell you to fucking stop, you piece of shit?! ” The hunter’s curses stem from what a huge annoyance this case had become. Though, the werewolf was more of a “caught-in-the-moment” type of thing, rather than an occurrence late at night, with he and Lillian going on the case to take this sucker down. And of course he had to be caught ripping into a man right behind his bar. This one must’ve just been really stupid, or was purposefully trying to get a rise out of Thomas this time, because the wolf should’ve heard about the little hunter duo that protected this town, bringing about their supernatural justice with an iron fist and a righteous heart. The names of Lillian and Thomas Marchand should strike fear into the hearts of all who dared to pass through and disrupt the peace...

Or so said Lillian, on a particular night of success, in one of her occasionally bragging moments, the regulars at the bar laughing and cheering at the little speech, drinks being raised as Thomas and a few others watched the scene unfold outside his office. One of them being a supernatural creature himself, but no one else in the bar knew that besides Lillian and him. 

Looking down at the smaller and younger male as Lillian continued to boast, he couldn’t help but grin at the soft yet glad expression on his face, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and bringing him close, letting out a boisterous laugh at the other’s yelp of surprise. “ Ah, Rey, just look at her! I haven’t seen her this excited about finishing a case since school let out! ” He points to his niece, and the other man nods in agreement, both of them sharing a bit of silent joy over the happy little girl before Thomas decides to break the silence again. “ Why don’t you go closer and listen to her rabble off the story again, Rey? She loves it when you listen to her stories, especially since you’re a part of this one. ” Having him help on this case was a huge lifesaver, having him give them insight, and even stick his neck out to find the little group of wolves so Thomas could give them the element of surprise, and have the extra help if he needed it. Which he did; being outnumbered three to one against surprisingly strong youngsters, he would’ve been mince meat if Reynardine hadn’t helped him.

“ No thanks; I’m pretty content back here. I don’t really want to butt in on her shining moment in the spotlight. ” The other man states, a grin gracing his own features as Thomas quickly raises his hand in objection. “ Hey now, you deserve some spotlight! You’re a big part of the story, you know! ”

“ Well you are too, Thomas. You’re the amazing uncle that strikes fear into creatures of the night. ”

“ Alright, then we’ll both go up there! ”

Another sound, this time of disapproval, comes from the smaller male as Thomas drags him to the bar, his other friends chuckling as he tells his niece to stop standing on the counter and to tell everyone who incredibly important Rey’s role in the whole ordeal was. Of course, the little girl grins from ear to ear and runs with the proposal, plopping herself on a bar stool and looping her arms in one of theirs as she turns her boasting and praise directly onto them both. How bright and cheerful their faces were, it could’ve made for a fantastic photo to put on the wall...

“ Damn. I wish he was here to help with this right now. ” Rey was definitely cooler than Thomas, expertly calming down his behavior now than he was when they first met, and a great ally to have in the supernatural world in general. A great friend, too. He even considered him family, if the man was feeling particularly mushy and sentimental. Rey had been on the last case, with he older man treating him with the same soft words and gestures he did to Lillian, especially when they both got hurt protecting the other in a pretty brutal fight. He’d never forget that kindness. It really gave him hopes that Lillian’s ideals would really sound through the community, and that that bond would a pillar of strength for her words. 

But Rey wasn’t here to help this time. He’d said his goodbyes already, and was probably already on his way up into Virginia. He had to go to New York for something, he said, but just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see them first, even if they lived so far away. It just made Thomas happy to know the man cared that much about them, and it of course made Lillian overjoyed to have the werewolf visit them for awhile. But now he was gone, and Thomas knew it’d be a bit rude to just call him up in the middle of the night and ask if he could come back.

Thomas had this. He’s done it before on his own, even before Lillian came around, and he could certainly do it again.

A snarl coming from the creature in front of him finally brings him out of his thoughts, coming to a screeching halt before he can run into the beast, who suddenly turns and slashes downwards at him. Thomas barely dodges, the arm of his coat getting torn before he lands on his ass, scrabbling to his feet before he can get hit with another blow. He barely has time to reach into his coat pockets and quickly yank something out; his dagger’s the first thing he grabs, and it isn’t his weapon of choice in this scenario, but it would have to do until he had another window of time to actually look for his gun. Close combat was going to be dangerous, though, especially since this guy was now on the offensive. One false move would cost Thomas his life if he wasn’t careful.

“ Okay, you ugly---! ” He goes for a swipe towards the werewolf, cutting off some fur but not much else as it moves, then sliding away as claws lunge towards him. Of course the hunter could keep up this little dance, swiping at the other’s arm and getting a good cut, hearing the wolf let out a whine of pain. But he knew he couldn’t keep it up forever, at such a close range, when the arm comes back and claws digs into his shoulder, making the hunter wail in pain, nerves stinging and blood rushing as the werewolf raises it’s other arm in the air. Thomas doesn’t think about the wound or the other’s next action, he just twists the dagger in his hand and quickly goes for a stab, landing it in the beast’s abdomen and dragging it down and through, until a yelp and he’s tossed to the ground. The hunter still doesn’t look up from the ground, he just rummages through his deep coat pockets for his gun, only hearing the sounds of the wolf pulling the dagger out of it, the sounds of pain, the sounds of anger and furious running. It isn’t until Thomas has gun out and cocked to fire that he sees the creature almost on top of him, arm swinging to shoot it, not even caring about where he aimed...

Of course he expects teeth to be clamping down on his skull, claws buried deep into his abdomen, feeling blistering pain as he’s split in two. Of course, that’s always what you expect to happen when it comes too damn close like this. But he just feels the body land on top of him, slobber and blood smearing on his neck, and he stiffens, still waiting for anything. But then the body shrinks, fur revealing normal skin, feeling the snout on his arm shrink into a normal face, and Thomas lets out a deep sigh of relief. A laugh bubbles up from his throat after, even, and it echoes throughout the forest, as the limp body on top of him slowly begins to loose it’s warmth. 

It’s only when his adrenaline rush diminishes and the spike of pain from his right shoulder goes through him that he pushes the body off of him, gritting his teeth into a tight grin and sucking air through his teeth. He was a bit reckless there maybe, he thinks, gingerly touching the bleeding wound, hissing then letting out a forced chuckle, turning towards the body. “ You know, my niece is gonna freak when she--- ”

A pause. A long, strained, disbelieving pause. Glazed over eyes of the younger male stare back at him from where he laid beside him on the ground. Once brown, occasionally yellow, now almost seeming black and cloudy to show no life left within him.

He’s frozen in fear. This wasn’t the same monster he just killed, right? No way it was him. He’d know the kid anywhere.

Quickly flipping the body on its back and leaning against his good arm, he brushes long, black hairs from his face, then gingerly lifting the back of his bloodstained head. Pale and lifeless. Cold body not seeking any warmth from the worn out hoodie he wore.

“ Reynardine? ”

The grin is gone, replaced with a contorted, pained expression, slowly picking up the boy---suddenly just a boy in the hunter’s arms---, while the gunshot wound still bled out onto Thomas’s jeans, cradling him in a shaking grip. “ It’s not...I-I didn’t think......It c-couldn’t have been you, right? Th-This is some damn nightmare, r-right? Rey’s not dead, no, he isn’t... ” But his vibrating, colorless voice doesn’t convince him as he holds the boy close, not even noticing the tears pouring from his eyes until he’s trying to choke down sobs, burying his head into the nook of the boy’s neck. He really was just a boy, wasn’t he? Small, skinny, fragile, now with an icy touch...

                                              “ I-I’m so sorry, kid...I’m so fucking sorry... ”

It takes hours for Thomas to stop screaming and sobbing, telling the lord, telling Lillian, telling everyone he knew that he was so sorry; that he didn’t want to kill his boy, but life had a way of fucking good things up, didn’t it? It took even more time to pick himself off of his feet, carrying Rey in the break of dawn towards Matt’s Funeral Home. Matt never asked questions since he signed on to help Thomas’s hunting business, and that was the beauty spot of the business: when people never asked questions. But with Reynardine in his arms as he walked through the door, the mortician couldn’t help but stare in shock and ask; “ How did this happen, Tom? The poor boy... ”

The broken and downcast stare, fresh tears prickling in the corners of his eyes, shuts the man up instantly, though he didn’t even express his own sorrow as he directed the mourning man to the back and down the stairs to the morgue. The hunter stubbornly held onto the boy, refusing to sit down and get his arm sewn up until Rey was laid on a table, with Thomas’s chair rolled up next to where he could stare at him longer with his guilty gaze as his jacket was pulled off and wound was properly getting cleaned.

At about dawn, the silent operation, with barely any remorse or condolences given in between, was finally interrupted by the jingle of the man’s front door bell, little, muffled shouts making their way to the back and downstairs, before a polite knock sounded from the morgue door. “ Matthew? Are you in there? ” The worried yet sweet little voice makes Thomas stiffen; he knew she’d coming look for him, but he didn’t the guts to look the little girl in the eye while Rey was still freshly dead next to him and his wound was just freshly sewn shut. He didn’t want to tell her what happened yet. He just wanted to wake up from this damn nightmare already.

“ Yes, sweetie, I’m here! Don’t open the door; I’m doing my usual on your uncle’s victim. ” The sound of loud disgust from Lillian makes the mortician force a normal laugh, leaving Thomas’s stunned side with a forced smile on his face, opening and closing the door quickly, leaving the hunter alone with Rey in the big, quiet room. Leaving plenty of time for him to think.

The little girl had done as she was usually told. Stay in the bar, don’t go outside, don’t follow him on this one. Even though she rarely listened to the last part, always following him but then never being able to keep up with how fast he ran, the only reason she stayed was because of a special instruction her uncle left: call Matt to clean up the mess. So she did, with a disgruntled huff as she sat down in Thomas’s office chair and talked to the mortician, getting the stuff he required from the kitchen and then practically throwing it out the back door as soon as he arrived. She knew the smell of death by now, by both visiting the mortician all too often to walk an injured uncle home, and from stumbling on one too many horrific aftermaths of supernatural killings, but that still didn’t mean she was used to it. She despised it; smelling anything a bit similar made her stomach churn. 

She guessed that’s why she never liked following Thomas on his hunts; rather, she just saw it as something she had to do. Mostly to just make sure that her uncle was okay throughout the whole ordeal at the times when she could keep up with him, but also as a bit of a learning experience for the future. The little girl knew she’d have to learn all of this stuff and actually be able to go on hunts eventually, and she would have to know what to do, so following and taking in everything her uncle did was the next best thing. Still, she wasn’t looking forward to it. She knew she was more of a researcher and a preacher for peace, and even though she’d have to get her hands dirty in the future to get rid of the bad creatures of the night, seeing Thomas’s faded and fresh scars from delivering that justice frightened her. 

And the thought of dying for her job and her message was the thing that scared her most about the future. And it always made her worried when Thomas didn’t come home, because it made her think his time had finally come. 

So, after hours and hours of waiting, when Matthew had left and the light of morning was just lifting itself into the sky, way longer than she had waited before for her uncle, she went to the most logical place she could think of that would keep him for so long. Now, seeing the man open and close the morgue door so quickly makes her more nervous about the damage done to her uncle to make him stay in there for so long. But she doesn’t want to ask. Instead, she just asks the obvious.

“ I-Is Thomas in there? ”

“ Darling, where else would he be? ”

The sigh of relief that the little girl lets out as she slumps herself against the other wall in the tiny, downstairs corridor, along with the shudder in her breath, shows just how worried she truly was. Of course, she knows she’s already showed concern all over her face. She was such a bad liar to Thomas in that, and that’s the reason her uncle always gives for banning her from interrogations. 

Mortician Matthew laughs again as she relaxes and is at ease with his response, the young girl pouting and crossing her arms over her chest. “ Hey, you know I have a right to be worried. He was out all night chasing whatever was behind the bar down; didn’t come home once. ”

“ Well, he’s okay now. Just patched him up, but...well, he might want a bit of space with this one, kiddo. This was a tough one on him; really tired him out. The bar’s probably gonna be closed the whole day, too, so you should run home and tell staff--- ”

“ Is it that bad? ” Concern finds its way in her voice again as she interrupts him. Thomas almost never closed the bar due to an injury, whether it hurt like hell or not. He only did that when he and Lillian were traveling, or when something during the hunt causes him to get in a brooding, silent mood, and she’d only seen that when one of his regular friends at the bar died helping him against a group of vampires. The thought of him wanting to close the bar for the day meant more than likely the latter occurred, or maybe that Matthew just didn’t want him to work with the injury he had gotten from his hunt. Fear manifests in her mind, and before the mortician can really respond, she’s squirming past him and bursting through the morgue door to see her uncle.

Though, of course, seeing the figure of a dead man next to him makes her instinctively cover her eyes, not wanting to see what Matthew had already done to him as she shouted at her uncle. “ Thomas, a-are you okay? Matthew just said for me to close the bar today, b-but I wanted to talk about it with you first! ”

The silence that follows makes her tense, but the boots falling heavily on tile, followed by the warmth of her uncle embracing her gives her the answer she needs. Bringing her hands from her eyes, the little girl glances at the shaking man from the corner of her eyes, before sighing and wrapping her arms around him. She won’t ask about what happened; last time she did the man exploded on her, and then they both went to cry in their rooms. Not wanting that to happen again, she just turns and kisses her uncle on the cheek, nuzzling her head into the crook of his neck. “ It’ll be okay, uncle Thomas. You deserve to take a few days off, if you--- ”

“ No I don’t, sweetheart. I did something really bad last night, and I know you won’t forgive me for it. ” The way his voice quivered, and how strained and tired it sounded, made Lillian squeeze her uncle tighter, the fear within her intensifying as she blinks her eyes open and dares to ask: “ What happened? ”

Next thing she knows, her uncle is standing up, grabbing her hand, and dragging her towards the dead body on the table next to where he had sat. She looks nervously up at her uncle, not really sure who she would see or why she would need to see them. 

But she understands why when she lays eyes on him, and at once, she starts to wonder if this is all just a dream; that maybe she fell asleep while waiting for Thomas to come home. Nightmares plagued the girl often during times when she was extremely worried or scared, and waiting for Thomas to come back from a hunt always made her feel a bit of both, so maybe she was having one right now. 

With that childish hopefulness, the girl feels more surprised by the sight than anything else. But then she slowly grabs Rey’s hand, and then instantly she’s surrounded by the reality of the situation, gripping his hand tighter as his cold touch seeps into her skin, chilling her to the bone. Letting go of her uncle’s hand, she puts her other over her mouth to contain the waves of nausea that slowly start to go through her, legs starting to shake as she feels her strength leave her. Thomas’s words penetrate the air, and she strains to hears what he has to say in her shaken state. She expects that Rey had come back for something and tried to help Thomas when he saw that the man was in trouble. But that’s not what she hears at all. Listening to his quaking voice, filled with emotion, she hears the worst thing that her uncle could’ve said in that moment.

                                “ I didn’t know it was him, Lilli. I swear to god I didn’t know. ”

Then she glances at the dead man’s head, the bullet wound under his neck finally clicking in her mind, and then she’s having to lean on her arms to support herself while her knees start to buckle under her, though being so close to the body only makes her more upset, staring down into the vacant eyes her uncle didn’t close. This was her friend. Her best friend, even, and the man that Thomas had commented was just like family to them, now dead at the hands of the man she trusted most. The whimpers that she had started making turned into quiet sobs, tears finally streaming down her cheeks as she lays her head on the cold body, not caring anymore about the feel of it, just wanting him to spring back to life again and wrap his arms around her, to tell her everything was a lie. 

Her uncle doesn’t try to comfort her, and she doesn’t question it; as much as she wants comfort and someone to hold while she grieved, the little girl didn’t want it to be him. Because he was right. She wasn’t going to forgive him for this. A permanent scar on their relationship, and no matter how much it would heal, it would always still be there to haunt the both of them.

She hears Thomas’s boots stomp off and away from the morgue, up the stairs, then the ringing of the front door signals his exit. The little girl begins to cry louder, sobs turning into grieving screams into the Rey’s still chest then, even if the door wasn’t closed to give her complete solitude. Tugging at with her hands and soaking his clothes with her tears, she doesn’t even notice the mortician walking back into the room, until the scent of green tea catches her off guard. She jolts, wrapping both arms around Reynardine’s body, as if to protect it from the man, but he just stares silently down at her with a rare, pitiful glance, before walking away and closing the door behind him. Leaving the little girl alone to grieve, and think about a terrible future without him.

[cielrouge]

YA SFF Books by Latinx Authors

A Fierce and Subtle Poison by Samantha Mabry: Spending the summer with his hotel-developer father in Puerto Rico, 17-year-old Lucas turns to a legendary cursed girl filled with poison when his girlfriend mysteriously disappears.

All the Wind in the World by Samantha Mabry: Working in the maguey fields of the Southwest, Sarah Jac and James are in love but forced to start over on a ranch that is possibly cursed where the delicate balance in their relationship begins to give way.

Beneath the Citadel by Destiny Soria: In the city of Eldra, people are ruled by ancient prophecies. For centuries, the high council has stayed in power by virtue of the prophecies of the elder seers. In the present day, Cassa, the orphaned daughter of rebels, is determined to fight back against the high council. But by the time Cassa and her friends uncover the mystery of the final infallible prophecy, it may be too late to save the city — or themselves.

Blanca & Roja by Anne-Marie McLemore: The del Cisne girls, Blanca & Roja, have never just been sisters; they’re also rivals. Because of a generations-old spell, their family is bound to a bevy of swans deep in the woods. But when two local boys become drawn into the game, the swans’ spell intertwines with the strange and unpredictable magic lacing the woods, and all four of their fates depend on facing truths that could either save or destroy them.

Blazewrath Games by Amparo Ortiz: 17-year-old Lana Torres, who after rescuing a prized dragon, is awarded a spot on her native Puerto Rico’s Blazewrath World Cup team. But the return of the Sire, an ancient dragon, soon threatens to compromise this year’s tournament.

They Both Die in the End by Adam Silvera: Set in a near-future New York City where a service alerts people on the day they will die, about two teens who meet using the Last Friend app and are faced with the challenge of living a lifetime on their End Day.

The Body Market (Wired #2) by Donna Freitas: When Skylar's sister betrays her and opens the Body Market, everyone in the App World is for sale and Skylar resolves to stop her sister and the malevolent market.

Bruja Born (Brooklyn Brujas #2) by Zoraida Cordova: Teenage bruja Lula Mortiz tries to save her boyfriend, Maks, by cheating Death; however, Lady de la Muerte is not so easily bested.

The Buried by Melissa Grey: After disaster strikes the remote town of Indigo Falls. A horrific event drove the residents underground, into shelters that keep them safe from the danger on the surface. Now, a handful of families inhabit this bunker together, guided by a charismatic leader named Dr. Imogen Moran. 

Cazadora (Wolves of No World #2) by Romina Garber: In this follow-up to Lobizona, Manu and her friends as they continue to fight for a better future.

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas: Latinx trans teen Yadriel, hoping to release his cousin’s spirit and prove himself as a brujo, accidentally summons the wrong ghost and resident bad boy Julian Diaz, falling in love with him.

Dark and Deepest Red by Anna-Marie McLemore: Summer, 1518. A strange sickness sweeps through Strasbourg: women dance in the streets, some until they fall down dead. As rumors of witchcraft spread, suspicion turns toward Lavinia and her family. Five centuries later, a pair of red shoes seal to Rosella Oliva’s feet, making her dance uncontrollably. They draw her toward a boy who knows the dancing fever’s history better than anyone: Emil.

Dealing in Dreams by Lilliam Rivera: 16-year-old Nalah leads the fiercest all-girl crew in Mega City, but when she sets her sights on giving this life up for a prestigious home in Mega Towers, she must decide if she’s willing to do the unspeakable to get what she wants.

Diamond City by Francesca Flores: Pulled from the streets at age twelve and trained to become one of the most powerful assassins in Sumerand, Aina Solis discovers a conspiracy that could rewrite the kingdom's history. 

Dragonblood Ring (Blazewrath Games #2) by Amparo Ortiz: After the Sire’s capture, teen athletes Lana Torres and Victoria Peralta travel to Puerto Rico with their former Blazewrath team. While Lana discovers her roots, nothing fills the void Blazewrath’s cancelation has left in Victoria. But it’s up to their team and the Bureau to protect their dragons.

Each of Us a Desert by Mark Oshiro: Xochital is destined to wander the desert alone. Her one desire: to share her heart with a kindred spirit. One night, Xo’s wish is granted—in the form of Emilia, the cold and beautiful daughter of the town’s murderous mayor. But when the two set out on a magical journey across the desert, they find their hearts could be a match… if only they can survive the nightmare-like terrors that arise when the sun goes down.

Fire with Fire by Destiny Soria: A contemporary fantasy about two sisters, Dani and Eden Rivera, who were raised to be fierce dragon slayers but end up on opposite sides of the impending war when one sister forms an unlikely, magical bond with a dragon.

The First 7 (The Last 8 #2) by Laura Pohl:  After leaving Earth, now devastated by an alien attack, and exploring the galaxy, Clover Martinez and her fellow teen survivors return home to find crystal formations in the soil that are threatening to destroy the planet, and a colony of survivors who are not who they seem.

Five Midnights by Ann Davila Cardinal: If Lupe Dávila and Javier Utierre can survive each other’s company, together they can solve a series of grisly murders sweeping though Puerto Rico. But the clues lead them out of the real world and into the realm of myths and legends.

The Grief Keeper by Alexandra Villasante: To have her family’s asylum request accepted, 17-year-old Marisol participates in a risky experiment to become a grief keeper, taking another’s grief into her own body to save a life.

The Healer by Donna Freitas: Manifesting astonishing healing powers that cause some people to consider her a saint, Marlena Oliveria struggles with edicts that prevent her from attending school, having friends and falling in love when she meets a boy who makes her question what she is willing to sacrifice.

Hollywood Witch Hunter by Valerie Tejeda: When a coven bent on retaining their youth must sacrifice the beautiful, and rich women of Southern California, a society of witch hunters will try to protect humans from a great evil uprising. 

Incendiary by Zoraida Cordova: As Renata Convida grows more deeply embedded in the politics of the royal court, she uncovers a secret in her past that could change the entire fate of the kingdom–and end a costly war.

Illusionary (Hollow Crown #2) by Zoraida Córdova: Reeling from betrayal, Renata Convida is a girl on the run. With few options and fewer allies, she reluctantly joins forces with none other than Prince Castian, her most infuriating and intriguing enemy.

Infinity Son by Adam Silvera: In the Bronx, two brothers, Emil and Brighton, get caught up in a magical war generations in the making.

Infinity Reaper (Infinity Cycle #2) by Adam Silvera: Emil and Brighton Rey defied the odds. When Brighton drank the Reaper’s Blood, he believed it would make him invincible, but instead the potion is killing him. In Emil’s race to find an antidote that will not only save his brother but also rid him of his own unwanted phoenix powers, he will have to dig deep into his past lives.

Iron Cast by Destiny Soria: In 1919 Boston, best friends Corinne and Ada perform illegally as illusionists in an infamous gangster's nightclub, using their "afflicted" blood to con Boston's elite, until the law closes in.

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Cordova: Alex is a bruja and the most powerful witch in her family. . When a curse she performs to rid herself of magic backfires and her family vanishes, she must travel to Los Lagos to get her family back.

The Last 8 by Laura Pohl:  After an alien attack devastates the Earth, pilot and future astronaut Clover Martinez bands with seven other teens to survive. 

Lobizona by Romina Garber: As Manuela Azul uncovers her own story and traces her real heritage all the way back to a cursed city in Argentina, she learns it’s not just her U.S. residency that’s illegal… .it’s her entire existence.

Lost in the Never Woods by Aiden Thomas:  When children start to go missing in the local woods, eighteen-year-old Wendy Darling must face her fears and a past she cannot remember to rescue them in this novel based on Peter Pan.

The Mind Virus (Wired #3) by Donna Freitas:  Skylar Cruz has managed to shut down the body market that her sister Jude opened, and to create a door to allow App World citizens reentry into the Real World. But as tensions between the newly mingling people escalate, she s not sure if it was the right decision after all. Still reeling from Kit’s betrayal, she s not sure of anything anymore.

Miss Meteor by Tehlor Kay Mejia & Anna-Marie McLemore: Two friends, Lita Perez or Chicky Quintanilla, one made of stardust and one fighting to save her family’s diner, take on their small town’s 50th annual pageant in the hopes that they can change their town’s destiny, and their own.

The Mirror Season by Anna-Marie McLemore: Graciela Cristales meets Lock, a boy who was sexually assaulted at the same party as her, and they find their fates unexpectedly intertwined during a month of vanishing trees, enchanted pan dulce, and inherited magic.

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera: After enduring his father's suicide, his own suicide attempt, broken friendships, and more in the Bronx projects, Aaron Soto, sixteen, is already considering the Leteo Institute's memory-alteration procedure when his new friendship with Thomas turns to unrequited love.

Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera: An Afro-Latinx retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice set in the Bronx. Pheus is a bachata-singing dreamer who falls in love with Eury, a girl who lost everything in Hurricane Maria and is haunted by the trauma—and by an evil spirit.

Nocturna by Maya Motayne: In the Latinx-inspired kingdom of Castallan, face-changing thief Finn Voy and grief-stricken Prince Alfehr must race to vanquish a dark magic they have unleashed.

Oculta (A Forgery of Magic #2) by Maya Motayne: After joining forces to save Castallan from an ancient magical evil, Alfie and Finn reunite once again to preserve Castallan’s hopes for peace with Englass. But will they be able to stop sinister foes before a new war threatens their kingdom?

Pitch Dark by Courtney Alameda: Tuck Durante, a shipraider, and Lana Gray, a curator, must work together to try to rescue a space capsule hijacked by nightmarish creatures who kill with a scream.

Rated by Melissa Grey: For the students at the prestigious Maplethorpe Academy, every single thing they do is reflected in their Ratings System. But when an act of vandalism sullies the front doors of the school, it sets off a chain reaction that will shake the lives of six special students – and the world beyond.

Sanctuary by Abby Sher & Paola Mendoza: In a near future dystopian America set 2030, 16-year-old Vail and her brother must escape a xenophobic government to find sanctuary in California.

The Savage Dawn (Girl at Midnight #3) by Melissa Grey: A darkness has entered the world and the Dragon Prince is wreaking havoc wherever she goes. With the war upon her, Echo must use every bit of her firebird powers or risk losing those she holds dear. 

Seven Deadly Shadows by Courtney Alameda & Valynne E. Maetani: A contemporary fantasy set in Japan, about Shinto temple priestess Kira Fujikawa, who must seek the aid of seven demons in order to protect her village and the world from an ancient evil. 

Shadow City (The City of Diamond and Steel #2) by Francesa Flores: Aina Solís has fought her way to the top of criminal ranks in the city of Kosín by wresting control of an assassin empire owned by her old boss, Kohl. But Kohl will do anything to get his empire back.

The Shadow Hour (The Girl at Midnight #2) by Melissa Grey: With the firebird awakened, the war has become even more dangerous for Echo and her friends. There is a darkness spreading too and staying in hiding might not be enough to keep them alive. 

Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older: When her summer plans are interrupted by supernatural phenomena, Puerto Rican teen Sierra Santiago finds herself in a battle with the killer targeting her family of shadowshapers who believes she is hiding their greatest secret.

Shadowhouse Fall (Shadowshaper #2) by Daniel Jose Older: While working on her shadowshaping skills, Sierra Santiago is beginning to think she may need all the skill she can summon because it seems that when she channeled hundreds of spirits through herself in order to defeat Wick, she woke up something very powerful and very unfriendly and put her family and friends at risk.

Shadowshaper Legacy (Shadowshaper #3) by Daniel Jose Older: Sierra Santiago and the shadowshapers have been split apart, but a war is brewing among the houses. As old fates tangle with new powers, Sierra will have to harness the Deck of Worlds and confront her family’s past if she has any hope of saving the future and everyone she loves.

Shutter by Courtney Alameda: When a routine assignment goes awry, 17-year-old ghost hunter Micheline Helsing is infected with a curse and on the run, pursued as a renegade agent by her monster-hunting father, with only seven days to exorcise the entity or be destroyed body and soul. 

Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland: A Mexican American teenage girl discovers profound connections between immigration, folklore, and alien life, when a spacecraft crashes in front of her car…and it’s carrying her long-lost mom, who’s very much alive.

They Both Die in the End by Adam Silvera: Set in a near-future New York City where a service alerts people on the day they will die, about two teens who meet using the Last Friend app and are faced with the challenge of living a lifetime on their End Day.

Tigers, Not Daughters by Samantha Mabry: Loosely inspired by the story of King Lear and his daughters, set in San Antonio, Texas, following the Torres sisters, struggling to escape their tyrannical father’s claustrophobic world while dealing with the loss of their eldest sister, whose troubling death continues to haunt—perhaps even literally—the loved ones left behind.

Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson: While investigating the supposed suicides of her best friend, Riley, and mean girls June and Dayton, 16-year-old Wiccan Mila Flores accidentally brings them back to life.

Unplugged by Donna Freitas: When she moves from the Virtual World to the Real one, Skylar Cruz discovers that her body is both exquisite and valuable -- a dangerous combination in a place where bodies are sought after in sinister ways.

Wayward Witch (Brooklyn Brujas #3) by Zoraida Cordova:  Rose Mortiz begins to discover the scope of her powers, the troubling truth about her father’s past, and the sacrifices he made to save her sisters. But if Rose wants to return home so she can repair her broken family, she must figure out how to heal the land of Adas, a fairy realm hidden in the Caribbean Sea, first.

The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore: Although Lace Paloma knows all about the feud between the Palomas and the Corbeaus, she finds herself falling for Cluck Corbeau when he saves her life while both families are performing in the same town.

We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia: When she is asked to spy for a resistance group working to bring equality to Medio, Daniela Vargas, a student at the Medio School for Girls, questions everything she's worked for.

We Unleash the Merciless Storm (We Set the Dark on Fire #2) by Tehlor Kay Mejia: La Voz operative Carmen Santos is forced to choose between the girl she loves, Dani, and the success of the rebellion she’s devoted her life to.

When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore: As odd as everyone considers Miel and Sam, even they stay away from the Bonner girls, four beautiful sisters rumored to be witches. Now they want the roses that grow from Miel's skin, convinced that their scent can make anyone fall in love. And they're willing to use every secret Miel has fought to protect to make sure she gives them up.

Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore: A novel of magical realism, the Nomeolvides women have tended the lust estate grounds of La Pradera which they’ve grown for generations, until the reemergence of a family curse starts to makes the men they love disappear, again.

[writers-craft]

The Pit of Love

story i wrote for my creative writing class, not gonna re-read it, just gonna post it here because why not

Judith French looked at herself in the rear-view mirror. She looked a mess. Her eyes were red and puffy, for she had been crying just moments prior, and her mascara was smeared down to her cheeks, but her hair still looked nice. A few strands were poking out here and there, and it was damp from the water, but her bun stayed intact, despite all that occurred. And crying only emphasized the blueness in her eyes. It was like looking into the ocean, Len always told her. Blood was leaking from her leg—the one that met with the glass—and the inside of her once blue dress was now stained with blood while the outside had darkened with mud. Her bare feet, one on top of the other, had specks of the lake’s bottoms stuck to them. Heavens, she looked a mess. Evelyn Johnson would surely have a mouthful to say if she saw Judith’s appearance, or maybe this would be the one thing to make her go silent. Keith once said the woman would die talking.

“Where are we going?” she asked the driver, but it was not the driver who looked at her. It was his passenger, the man with the gun, but he spoke no words.

It was a Tuesday, Judith French knew, when she realized she utterly despised her husband. Leonard French worked as a travelling salesman. And he enjoyed buying and selling so much, he did it during his free time too. He often came home to Stony Point with a completely different vehicle from the one he left with. Upon her crash, Judith French briefly wondered what his reaction might be when he learned his precious Volkswagen Sedan was currently sinking to the bottom of the lake. He wanted to sell it to Thomas Richfield, a neighbor two houses over.

Neither the driver nor his friend seemed eager to speak to her, so she opted to look out the window instead. They were going so fast it was difficult to see anything but the blur of the grass. It had gotten so long and green this past month, due to all the rain. She could see cows, too, which meant they were nearing Maxwell’s farm. Evelyn Johnson tried to convince everyone last Christmas that Rey Maxwell killed his wife, who coincidentally was also named Judith, but the people of Stony Point knew Judith Maxwell had been sick for years. It was her time.

Judith French looked to the man who sat between her and Keith and glanced down at his watch. Out of the three of them, the driver, the man with the gun, and the one beside her, the one beside her was the biggest and the nicest of them all. He had been the one who helped her out of the lake. He noticed she was looking at his watch and twisted his arm to give her a better view. His watch told her it was a quarter till six. Len would be expecting his dinner on the kitchen table, but his dinner was at the bottom of the lake with his precious Volkswagen.

She nodded her thanks to the man and went back to looking out the window. They were about to drive past the covered bridge. That awful covered bridge. It was red, or at least it had been before the paint had chipped off. It was mostly brown now, and really quite broken. Most of the wood had been broken apart, leaving gaps all around the bridge. The gaps had mostly been boarded up, though, except for the ones too high to fall from. The roof had gaps in it too, but Stony Point did not bother repairing the holes on the roof. Evelyn Johnson claimed her father was mugged as a boy, but it was during a time when Indians and bandits ran wild. She told Judith French the story the night they met, then several other times after, but assured her that the bridge was safe now.

The children at Stony Point High School called the pit beneath the bridge the Pit of Love. Teens would spend most weekends hanging out underneath it. Len said he and Patty Lesley kissed several times under the bridge senior year. Patty Lesley was now Patty Brown and she worked as a middle school teacher. He assured his wife they only kissed in the pit, and nothing more.

Three men had recently died in the Pit of Love. The first was a stranger. Like Len, he was a traveling salesman. It happened while it was raining, no one saw him.  They found his car a few miles from the bridge with its gas tank on empty and his keys still in the ignition with a few empty liquor bottles in the passenger’s seat. Keith said he must have lost his footing stumbling drunk and fell through one of the gaps. A young couple visiting the pit found him early the next morning.

It certainly was the topic of discussion for a while in Stony Point. Evelyn Johnson enjoyed talking about it, at least. She said the man committed suicide. She claimed his wife wanted to divorce him and he was so distraught he flung himself off the bridge. But people soon got bored of talking about the dead man. They moved on to the next craze, which was the high school’s undefeated football team.

And then Patrick Walter Mathews Jr., high school senior and football champ, was found dead at the bottom of the pit shortly after. She remembered the day exactly, because she and Keith were at a motel the afternoon the boy’s body was found. It was the day when she accidentally smeared lipstick on Keith’s jacket, and Harriett soon after insisted Keith eat lunch at home.

Keith again labeled the death as an unfortunate accident. The whole town followed the Mathews’ to town hall and demanded they repair the gaps in the bridge. And the next day Rey Maxwell and his boys hammred in thick pieces of wood over all the gaps, the ones they could reach. Evelyn Johnson, of course, praised Rey Maxwell’s actions, claiming she always knew he was a good man, and who would ever think such a man could murder his own wife?

Len had been away when all the chaos occurred, even with the salesman. He said he met the travelling salesman at a conference once. At parties he spoke of him as if it were his brother. Judith French knew his real brother died in Normandy in ’44. He raised his glass to the dead man, and everyone followed suit. For the young football star, he offered his condolences for the boy— “Kid had a damn good arm,” he said to Patrick Walter Mathews Sr.—and then Evelyn Johnson pulled out her bible and said a prayer for both man and boy. Everyone bowed their heads and listened to her prayer, except for Judith French. She looked out the window and watched a little blue car speed pass her home.

“Where are we going?” Judith French repeated her words when they drove over the bridge. They rumbled a bit as the tires hit the wooden bridge surface.

The driver, the boy, glanced briefly at her through the mirror. She saw all of them fully after she escaped the sinking Volkswagen and had made it onto dry land. They were all dressed in nice suits. The driver, the boy, was leaning against his vehicle, shiny, black and long—Len would be able to recognize the type, but Judith French did not bother memorizing vehicle like her husband. He was a boy of about seventeen and small for his age. The man who sat beside him now stood in front of him then like he was his guard. The boy whispered something to him and the man with the gun handed him a cigarette from his inside pocket and lit it for him. The man who was currently seated beside Judith French was beside her; he had helped her reach dry land after the crash.

No one said anything again. Keith attempted to, but the dirty handkerchief around his mouth prevented him from saying anything audible. She took a good look at him. He still had not buttoned his shirt since they last parted, half an hour ago. His white undershirt was now stained with his blood. He was sweaty too. He seemed to have a desperation in his eyes, and she wondered if she would die with him, but more importantly she wondered if she wanted to die with him.

She cleared her throat and turned back to the boy: “You’re quite popular here at Stony Point, you know,” she began. The boy did not look up, but she noticed his ears twitch. She heard Keith mumble something again. “You had us all believing those two men were to blame for their own deaths. I’m astonished, really. None of us ever thought anyone here at Stony Point could murdered.” Keith mumbled something again; she suspected he wanted her stop. “But, then there’s the third man in question. You got sloppy with him, didn’t you?”

The man in the passenger’s seat pulled out his gun and pointed it at her. Keith, at that point, was frantic. The man in between Judith French and Keith had to forcibly hold him down to prevent him from tackling the man with the gun. But the bullet in his stomach soon wore him out and he rested his head on the window and shut his eyes.

The boy chuckled and urged the man to lower his gun. “It’s refreshing to be around someone like you again,” said the boy. It was the first time she had heard him speak. His voice was deeper than she expected it to be, and a lot warmer.

“Someone like me?”

“You know, someone who tries to get to the bottom of things. Someone who cares. Someone good.”

She shook her head. “I’m… I’m not good.”

And he glanced up at her again, lingering a bit longer than last time. His eyes were blue, like hers, but his were lighter.

The third man was found dead in the Pit of Love three weeks ago with a bloodied bullet in his head. Like the salesman, a group of teens found him. She was with Keith when he got the call. Harriett and the boys were at her mothers and Len would not be back until that Tuesday, so they had the weekend to be together. He was not planning on working that night, but Judith urged him to take the call, in case it was Harriett.

She had a strange feeling that Harriett, or Len, would burst through the bedroom door at see them. Keith assured her they were safe, but the presence of Harriett or Len did not scare her; it thrilled her. She wanted them to see. She wanted to get caught.

Keith left quickly, and Judith French did not see him again until the following week. Harriett and the boys delayed their return a week, at Keith’s insistence, and Len arrived home the next day. Evelyn Johnson said there was a serial killer on the loose, and everyone believed her. The police blocked the Pit of Love with yellow tape and had a few officers on guard night and day.

No one knew who the third man was, like the salesman at the beginning. He had no identification on him, nor did his killer leave enough of his face to identify it with, but a woman one town over reported her husband missing shortly after the body was found. She identified the clothing on the corpse to be what she last saw her husband wearing.

The whole town was hysterical, including Len. He cancelled his next two business trips to stay and protect his helpless housewife. Harriett and the boys arrived again soon too. Keith said Harriett was growing suspicious. Judith French had mistakenly left her lipstick in one of her drawers. Keith tried to convince Harriett French it was her lipstick, but Harriet and Judith French did not wear the same colored lipstick.

She met Keith each time it was his shift at the Pit of Love. The officers with him would often give them space, turn their heads and pretend their superior was not with the local travel salesman’s wife. Most of the men on the force knew, but during dinner parties and other town functions, they would act oblivious. Judith French wondered if Keith kept their love affairs quiet, too; an unspoken rule between men and the women they betray their wives with. Judith always wondered if Evelyn Johnson was faithful to Rodger. Rodger Johnson went on business trips into Hughes every few months. Keith later told her that he went there to be with prostitutes. He got in trouble with the Hughes police once and Keith had to go bail him out.

She parked the Volkswagen out of sight, hidden behind bushes and a large ad for Chesterfield cigarettes and met Keith under the bridge. The pit was full of old cigarette butts and broken beer bottles, among other things. There was a sitting area made of old tires and boards of wood painted a faded red, most likely the wood from the bridge. Keith laid his jacket down on it to prevent splinters. And they were quiet, like always. The only sound was the occasional car driving over them. When Keith finished, Judith French fixed up her dress and smoothed out her hair, which was hardly disheveled. Then Keith kissed her goodbye and then she drove to the market.

She saw Mrs. Mathews there. Her hair was down, and she had no lipstick, but she seemed in pleasant spirits, despite everything. Judith French talked to her about her youngest, Carol, who would be singing at some recital later in the month, and her middle, Peter, her last boy, who was thinking about trying out for the high school baseball team. They talked as if her eldest had not been murdered a few months ago. And then Mrs. Mathews asked when she and Len were planning on starting their family, and she laughed and told her hopefully soon, like she always did.

It was on her way home when a sudden burst of emotion filled her, and she had to stop and pull over to collect herself. She sat, her forehead against the steering wheel, bawling her eyes out for no other reason than to get the emotion out. She let the tears fall freely, before drying her eyes and continuing her route home. She imagined Len probably listening to the radio or on the phone talking his way into a new sale, whether it be for business or for pleasure. She took a few deep breaths before continuing her drive home.

The boy’s vehicle appeared so quickly; she hardly saw it at first. She kept taking quick peaks at her rearview mirror, attempting to wipe away the smeared mascara. It was on the fourth or fifth wipe when she looked up and noticed the vehicle about to crash into her. She honked, then swerved quickly and drove into the lake. Her car door would not open, so she had to break the window glass with her heel and crawl out. She cut her leg on shuttered glass on her way out. The boy’s vehicle had stopped and reversed as she was climbing out, and the man in the back hurried to her before the vehicle had gone into a complete stop. She wondered if he was the one who persuaded the boy to stop, or if the boy had stopped on his own account.

She remembered yelling at the boy for his reckless driving. The man beside him grabbed his gun, but the boy stopped him from using it. She fell silent at the sight of it and dropped to her knees, her leg stinging as it collided with rocks and dirt, but she did not stay in that position for long. The man who helped her out of the lake, gently guided her back on her feet.

She caught sight of Keith, gagged and bloodied, as he walked her to the vehicle. Keith was leaning on the window, a bloodied handprint beside him, clutching the open wound on his stomach. For a moment she thought him dead until he turned his head to look at her. His eyes popped open and he tried to mutter something. The man with the gun, who had taken his seat in the passenger’s side by then, reached in the back to hit him. The force of the blow made Keith’s head it against the window hard.

The boy did not stop the car again until the sun, now an assortment of reds and yellows, was merging in with the mountains in the distance. They were in a field far away from Stony Point. No cars were in sight. Judith French watched as boy and his guard exited the vehicle and rummaged around the back trunk. They removed a few items, then the man with the gun opened the door on Keith’s side. Keith, too weak to sit up on his own, fell onto the man. The man kicked him away. The boy opened Judith’s side. He held a larger gun than the other man, but instead of pointing it at her, he held it to his side and offered her his hand. She took it.

There was chill in the air. She stepped onto grass that prickled the bottoms of her bare feet. The other man managed to lift Keith up off the ground. He stood as tall as he could, but the wound on his stomach forced him in a hunching position.

The boy let go of Judith French’s hand and lifted up his gun—Len showed her a similar gun in a photograph before they were married. He had called it a Tom gun, she thought. She felt strong hands on her shoulder and she turned to see the larger man holding her steady. The boy aimed the gun at Keith, and he shuffled a few inches backwards, then started mumbling something underneath his mask but he was quickly silence by the bullets passing through his head. He was now on the ground, no longer murmuring. She felt her heart sink as the boy shifted his focus onto her. The man holding her gently guided her next to Keith’s corpse. The boy again lifted his Tom gun.

“How did you kill the first two?” she asked.

The boy did not answer.

“Poison, wasn’t it? I’d use poison,” she said, “or something else to make it seem like an accident. But I think you’re like me.”

He lowered the Tom gun slightly and smiled. “How so?”

“You want to get caught,” she said.

[my-infp-world]

INFP Music Collaboration Project: Complete!

The INFP Collaboration Playlist Project is now complete! 

In total we had about 200 songs submitted and that completely blew me away! Thank you all so much for participating, I had no idea that it would get this many responses! 

Thank you especially to @rokokokokolores,  @stillnotknowing, @anypassingthought, @2nerd4this, @sonsoftie, @aseratreasures, @infp-relatable, @lunagirl0013, @idunno-justpicksomething, and @namhamjoon (please let me know if I accidentally forgot to tag you)

These are just the participants who were okay with being named but also thank you to all of the anonymous participants!

Here’s the final playlist from everyone’s suggestions, including some of mine that I threw in even though some of you beat me to the punch for a few songs.

Here is the INFP Music Collaboration Project!

Spotify Link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2F8xgXYEKiJSBOo7g8IvON

I was thinking of doing another one of these in the future but just make up my own prompts and put them all in one form and leave it open for a while or forever and just update the playlist twice a month or something like that. If you have ideas, just drop a comment or an ask if you want it to be anonymous. 

For those who want to know what the playlist turned out to be, here’s the list of songs with their categories below this break:

PROMPT #01: A SONG YOU LIKE WITH A COLOR IN THE TITLE

Silver Dagger - Live at Cecil Sharp House - The Staves

Today I Sing the Blues - Aretha Franklin

Pink Moon - Nick Drake

White Flag - Joseph

Black Swan - BTS

Indigo - Origa

Everything Black - Unlike Pluto

Red Sun - DREAMCATCHER

Yellow Lights - Harry Hudson

Red Hill Mining Town - U2

PROMPT #02: A SONG YOU LIKE WITH A NUMBER IN THE TITLE

.stage 4 fear of trying. - Frank Iero

Symphony No.5 In B-Flat, Op.100: 2. Allegro marcato - Sergei Prokofiev

One More Time with Feeling - Regina Spektor

100 Bad Days - AJR

R.I.P. 2 My Youth - The Neighbourhood

+THNX190519+ - CL

100 Ways - Jackson Wang

Day 1 â—‘ - HONNE

18 - Anarbor

Two - Sleeping At Last

Three Tree Town - Ben Howard

PROMPT #03: A SONG THAT REMINDS YOU OF SUMMERTIME

Fumes - EDEN

Summertime Sadness - Lana Del Rey

T-Shirt Weather - Circa Waves

ME! (feat. Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco) - Taylor Swift

Dream - Priscilla Ahn

Carnival Hearts - Kayla Diamond

Yam Yam - No Vacation

Motivation - Normani

Wake Me Up - Avicii

PROMPT #04: A SONG THAT REMINDS YOU OF SOMEONE YOU'D RATHER FORGET

Alligator Alley - Michael Daugherty

Because of You - Kelly Clarkson

Sincerely, Me - Mike Faist

Cheerleader - OMI

Viva La Vida - Coldplay

Supermassive Black Hole - Muse

Over You - Ingrid Michaelson

PROMPT #05: A SONG THAT NEEDS TO BE PLAYED LOUD

Shine A Little Light - The Black Keys

Dynamite - BTS

Prelude in E-flat minor - Dmitri Shostakovich

Sick of Myself - Matthew Sweet

Salute - Little Mix

Smother - Daughter

Ship To Wreck - Florence + The Machine

I Am The Best - 2NE1

Baba O'Riley - The Who

Mr. Brightside - The Killers

King - Years & Years

I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) - Whitney Houston

I'm Coming Out - Diana Ross

PROMPT #06: A SONG THAT MAKES YOU WANT TO DANCE

Rain - MIKA

My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up) - Fall Out Boy

Jump in the Line - Harry Belafonte

We Are the Tide - Blind Pilot

I'm A Believer - Radio Edit - Smash Mouth

PROMPT #07: A SONG TO DRIVE TO

So Much More Than This - Grace VanderWaal

Open Road - Lost & Found Music Studios

Vasoline - Stone Temple Pilots

Walk in the Night - Kaori Kobayashi*

Fáinleog - Live - The Gloaming

I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) - The Proclaimers

Kiss - Prince

Olalla - Blanco White

Sweater Weather - The Neighbourhood

PROMPT #08: A SONG ABOUT DRUGS OR ALCOHOL

Whiskey and Morphine - Alexander Jean

Meds - Placebo

High - Sir Sly

June - Florence + The Machine

Here's to Never Growing Up - Avril Lavigne

Void - The Neighbourhood

Clouds - BøRNS

PROMPT #09: A SONG THAT MAKES YOU HAPPY

Love Wins - Carrie Underwood

Shukumei - Official HIGE DANdism

Boy With Luv (feat. Halsey) - BTS

The Man Who Can't Be Moved - The Script

Love Come Down - Kalafina

Here Comes The Sun - Remastered 2009 - The Beatles

You Are the Best Thing - Ray LaMontagne

Pokemon Theme Song - The Breaking Winds Bassoon Quartet

PROMPT #10: A SONG THAT MAKES YOU SAD

Someday - From "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"/Soundtrack Version - All-4-One

How We Love - Ingrid Michaelson

Everything You Ever - Neil Patrick Harris

Bluebird - Sara Bareilles

The Christmas Shoes - Newsong

Amen - Amber Run

Empty - Ray LaMontagne

In Dreams - Roy Orbison

The Beach - The Neighbourhood

PROMPT #11: A SONG YOU NEVER GET TIRED OF

Kimi Ga Hikari Ni Kaeteiku - Kalafina

Memories - Maroon 5

No Choir - Florence + The Machine

Should I Stay or Should I Go - Remastered - The Clash

Love On Top - Beyonce

Keep Your Head Up - Ben Howard

PROMPT #12: A SONG FROM YOUR PRETEEN YEARS

Fight Song - Rachel Platten

Samson - Regina Spektor

One More Sad Song - The All-American Rejects

No One - Alicia Keys

Poison Prince - Amy Macdonald

Love Story - Taylor Swift

7 Things - Single Version - Miley Cyrus

Rude - MAGIC!

Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

PROMPT #13: A SONG YOU LIKE FROM 70s

Lean on Me - Bill Withers

Cat's in the Cradle - Harry Chapin

More Than a Feeling - Boston

Killing Me Softly - Frank Sinatra* 

PROMPT #14: A SONG YOU'D LOVE TO BE PLAYED AT YOUR WEDDING

How Sweet It Is - Michael Buble

This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) - Natalie Cole

I'm A Believer - Radio Edit - Smash Mouth

Hold You in My Arms - Ray LaMontagne

Never Stop (Wedding Version) - SafetySuit

PROMPT #15: A SONG YOU LIKE THAT'S A COVER BY ANOTHER ARTIST

Skinny Love - Birdy

That's the Way It Is - Cassidy Janson

Angel - Darren Hayes

Titanium - Madilyn Bailey

There Must Be An Angel - ORIGA*

Mr. Tambourine Man - The Helio Sequence

Rude - Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox

Bad Guy - The Interrupters

PROMPT #16: A SONG THAT'S A CLASSIC FAVORITE 

Africa - TOTO

Beautifully - Jay Brannan

Creep - Radiohead

Cupid - Sam Cooke

Your Favorite Thing - Sugar

Livin' On A Prayer - Bon Jovi

I Will Always Love You - Whitney Houston

PROMPT #17: A SONG YOU'D SING A DUET WITH SOMEONE ON KARAOKE

For Good - From "Wicked" Original Broadway Cast Recording/2003 - Kristin Chenoweth

Take Me or Leave Me - Idina Menzel

Something To Believe In - Jeremy Jordan

Dancing with the Devil - Wolf Gang

Holding Out for a Hero - From "Footloose" Soundtrack - Bonnie Tyler

PROMPT #18: A SONG FROM THE YEAR YOU WERE BORN

A Thousand Miles - Vanessa Carlton

Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me) - Train

Waterfalls - TLC

Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) - Green Day

Wannabe - Spice Girls

PROMPT #19: A SONG THAT MAKES YOU THINK ABOUT LIFE

Memories - Maroon 5

Men Of Snow - Ingrid Michaelson

The River - Kyla La Grange

Saturn - Sleeping At Last

Landslide - Fleetwood Mac

The Fear - Ben Howard

Dog Days Are Over - Florence + The Machine

The Good Part - AJR

Build It Up - Ingrid Michaelson

PROMPT #20: A SONG THAT HAS MANY MEANINGS TO YOU 

Freckles - Natasha Bedingfield

Happy Home - Lukas Graham

Barely Breathing - Duncan Sheik

The Road - Hurts

Lost in My Mind - The Head and the Heart

Love Like You (feat. Rebecca Sugar) - End Credits - Steven Universe

PROMPT #21: A SONG YOU LIKE WITH A PERSON'S NAME IN THE TITLE

Esmeralda - The Hunchback of Notre Dame Company

West Side Story: Act I: Maria - Leonard Bernstein

Nina Cried Power (feat. Mavis Staples) - Hozier

Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond

Roxie - Renae Zellweger

Grace - Florence + The Machine

PROMPT #22: A SONG THAT MOVES YOU FORWARD

Sukiyaki - Kyu Sakamoto

Fuckin' Perfect - Melanie La Barrie

Who's Got a Match? - Biffy Clyro

Into The Fire - Thirteen Senses

Bang The Doldrums - Fall Out Boy

I Was Here - Beyonce

PROMPT #23: A SONG YOU THINK EVERYBODY SHOULD LISTEN TO

Neon Gravestones - Twenty One Pilots

Danzon No.2 - Arturo Márquez

Most Girls - Hailee Steinfeld

(Finally) A Convenient Truth - Get Well Soon

Stand by Me - Otis Redding

PROMPT #24: A SONG BY A BAND YOU WISH WERE STILL TOGETHER

Such Great Heights - Remastered - The Postal Service

To the Beginning - Kalafina

Here Comes a Regular - 2008 Remaster - The Replacements

Night Rather Than Day - EXID

Wonderwall - Remastered - Oasis

PROMPT #25: A SONG YOU LIKE BY AN ARTIST NO LONGER LIVING

Waiting for the End - Linkin Park

All Along the Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix

Human Nature - Michael Jackson

The Longest Time - Billy Joel

Love, You Didn't Do Right by Me - Rosemary Clooney

Before Our Spring - JONGHYUN

PROMPT #26: A SONG THAT MAKES YOU WANT TO FALL IN LOVE

girls - girl in red

Conversations in the Dark - John Legend

Just like Heaven - The Cure

On The Street Where You Live - Frederick Loewe

Still into You - Paramore

PROMPT #27: A SONG THAT BREAKS YOUR HEART

Five Variants of "Dives and Lazarus" - Ralph Vaughan Williams

Black Woman - Danielle Brooks

Eyes Nose Lips (feat. Taeyang) - Epik High

Empty - Ray LaMontagne

Just a Dream - Carrie Underwood

Landslide - Fleetwood Mac

Requiem - Laura Dreyfuss

PROMPT #28: A SONG BY AN ARTIST WHOSE VOICE YOU LOVE

Hurt - Christina Aguilera

I'M OKAY - SAAY

So Much More Than This - Grace VanderWaal

Pretty Hurts - Beyonce

Just like Heaven - The Cure

i'm lonely - Luz

Skylark - Aretha Franklin

Never Let Me Go - Florence + The Machine

Ship To Wreck - Florence + The Machine

PROMPT #29: A SONG YOU REMEMBER FROM YOUR CHILDHOOD

Going Under - Evanescence

Muddy Hymnal - Iron & Wine

Rush - Aly & AJ

Smooth (feat. Rob Thomas) - Santana

Who Let The Dogs Out - Baha Men

She Looks So Perfect - 5 Seconds of Summer

PROMPT #30: A SONG THAT REMINDS YOU OF YOURSELF

Never Let Me Go - Florence + The Machine

Vienna - Billy Joel

The Pros and Cons of Breathing - Fall Out Boy

In Dreams - Roy Orbison

Car Radio - Twenty One Pilots

Sweet Nothing (feat. Florence Welch) - Calvin Harris

Lonely Dance - Set It Off

*Could not be found on Spotify

[bulletnews]

‘Day Of The Dead’ Review: A new take on the classic zombie movie by George A Romero

Cam McDermott (Keenan Tracy) and Luke Bowman (Daniel Doeni) wake up in a car surrounded by zombies. When they began to overload, the hearse turned; It showed Luke's mother, Mayor Paula Bowman (Miranda Frigon) and local funeral home teacher Lauren Howell (Natalie Malaika). Paula happily blows up some zombies with two of her many weapons. As they move away, Kam notices that one of the zombies is his father. Return to "Previous". Kam and his father (Mike Dopud), a detective, do not get along, especially after Kam's mother dies. Lauren, who prefers to work with the dead over the living, is nine months sober and ahead of schedule, two details her slimy boss mentions when she wants to take him out for a drink. You may also read ‘The Rescue’ Review: The Story of Operation To Save Thai Football Team He did every odd job he could get his hands on to save money to leave Mavinhaken and go to Hawaii College, including maintaining a grave outside the funeral home where Lauren worked. As he prepared the body for the first single burial, he saw that the man's eyes had opened. Det. McDermott is summoned to a fracking site where Sarah Blackwood (Morgan Holmstrom), the crew's "new man," finds a mummified body in a hole blocking the drill. But McDermott planned to sneak into this hole with Sarah to see what happened. His boss was upset that he quit his job by calling the police, and he managed to get McDermott out of the investigation. Luke tries to steal a beer to talk to his friends, but Paula catches him pulling something out of his safe. He is a supporter of open carry laws and carries his sidearm to election events. Then the zombies started attacking almost simultaneously. The dead man at the funeral parlour attacked first, then his hands and head began to jump out of the grave, where Kam was mowing the grass. Kam's father grabbed the body in the hole as the damn drill started to sink. At face value, there's nothing about this Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas version of Day of the Dead that stands out from all the other zombie shows and movies that have rocked our screens over the last decade. We've had severe zombie shows, funny zombie shows, shows where zombies don't rot and resist the urge to eat living human flesh, shows where zombies are slow, shows where zombies are fast. Day of the Dead doesn't give viewers anything new to grab their attention. There is a group of everyday heroes from prehistoric small towns. Right before, I barely explored the resurrection and attacks of the undead. You may also read “The Harder They Fall” Review: Idris Elba rises to be a problem in the line-garping with Western violence In the first episode, we don't even see the main character - Amy (Christy Dawn Dinsmore). The town doctor's daughter - just a random scene with her nervous fiancé on their wedding day. It's annoying to watch because throughout the time invested in this randomly started new zombie invasion. We get very little information about the people who will be trying to survive. We know, for example, that Kam and Luca are almost opposites and don't like each other. So when you see them coming together in a flash scene in the cold, it means the story between them is quickly fading. Cam accidentally smashes Luke's back window, but nothing happens; it looks like just the scene where Luke's friend is seen tripping over a finger that suddenly jumps out of the grave. Even zombies are standard stuff we've seen at TWD and elsewhere. One of the things we love is that not everyone is lazy; some who just died only had blood on their faces. We don't set "rules" that the living have to learn to fight and kill these lifeless people, and they're always fun to find. But for the most part, Elinov and Thomas pay homage to Romero's zombie archetype. Which has been copied so many times over the decades that it now feels like Xerox to Xerox. So if the zombie is generic and the character is generic: It is the behaviour at least decent? Hiring good actors like Norman Reidus, Jenna Elfman, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Lenny James, Alia Royal. And others helped differentiate the TWD franchise from a simple cheese zombie show. Here we get a mixed bag. You may also read “There’s Someone Inside Your House” Review: This horror film from Netflix is a chaotic marriage of progressive politics and a retrograde style We loved the Malaika and Frigon show, but the rest of the show was flat or, worse, loud. Not that we're looking for Emmy-worthy stuff here. But TWD and other zombie shows have raised the bar. Since Romero's inception, and we were expecting a little more than we got. Romero's zombie films are about social grievances as much as they are about the dead. This new version of Day Of The Dead tries to emulate that formula. But doesn't follow the storylines or characters that appealed to us well enough. Read the full article

[dreamsanddreams88]

We bought chickens AND bunnies at the same time, really hectic,I was tryna cuddle the bunnies but they would bite sometimes. At one point, in AC origins game trying to hide in a house full of Roman ppl from one of the phylakites that was killing everyone indiscriminately, very scary. I was female character, did the cool thing where i cut ropes on a chandelier and rode the other rope up onto something, one handed. Then i was in airport with alex, we had gone to Japan but then I got freaked out cuz of Corona and we both forgot towear masks

I was in a thrift store and didnt like any of the stuff I grabbed so I went to put it back n leave cuz I was only on lunch break anyway, the shop girl made snide remark about my hair needing to be dyed? She was like, thanks for coming in, come back when ur hair doesnt suck or something. I said fuck you and your orange hair, cuz it was dyed red and faded, but I stuttered n she made fun of it. But then she followed me cuz we all had to go to some meeting? N she was a little nicer. Sat at these tables waiting for alex, we were about to see a show with a drag queen. It was in a mall or something

Was at west again but getting lost, then was back in 4th grade maybe? Looking for new class? Then I was starting to date alex but someone else like jenna was in the room with us, he was spooning me but trying to be secret, jenna thought we were fucking, also I took a shower w him but needed another one, I had taken like 3 showers that day. I was staying w my family somewhere in hotel maybe. Then saw this girl I thought maybe was his ex katie, creeped on her instagram she actually was mixed black girl w blonde hair, was cheerleader n basketball player, really badass and mean. Brian lemaster was in there somewhere. Ar some point I started drinking juice boxes filled with milk before remebering I was lactose intolerant

Dreamed I was signing up for a matchmaking service to get married? It was via snail mail, and it was all girls who were mostly indian I think, or maybe bosnian. One girl was named Imina and sent me some of my writing that she edited, I found it very snooty and rude. Also had accepted someone else before seeing I had a letter from her. Also something with different video games that were scary, but all took place in the same house. One was 5 nights at freddy's themed, one was victorian ghosts, etc.

Was going on charter bus with work and other ppl, were leaving my old house. Kept forgetting my earbuds, went back in to see maids deep cleaning the whole place. Bus went out into cold winter wilderness? I made friends w bus driver, guy looked like william h Macy a little bit. Then i was Rey, kylo ren had captured me and was gonna make me squirt bleach into my eyes so I'd be blind, fought him off and escaped thru the back of a cupboard. He was on island surrounded by stormy sea, freezing cold, and big blocks of calcium formations kept crumbling into it. Force ghost Luke Skywalker appeared to me to tell me death was real but I could escape. Then I was with jenna or sarah, went to hotel looking 4 my parents, nice old ladies were telling me they saw my lost mittens or something? I brushed them off super rude

Was in big house with mafia family. Lots of cars n helicopters falling out of sky, crashing thru glass ceilings. Trying to leave the house, calling business guy when a car falls on him owned by one of the mafia guys. Smthn with a chef from the house, hes really strict when teaching kids how to cook, indian food cant have lemon juice in it? I was licking the glaze off raw chicken and salmon

Was in Laos in war zone, Belgians were bombing the shit out of it and these rare plants called dragon plants were burning, it was way sad. Then it was xmas at parents house but also dads bday, had to help mom take down all xmas decor temporarily until we could open dads presents. Also I didnt trim my zucchini plants and one was like 12 feet tall. Then at work taking break on some huge metal train. Also something about being in some state or royal building, running or hiding from someone

Was with alex in old doornbos house, he was asking me who was in my "network" meaning who had I slept with. I said a bunch of people and he got mad, I was high and tried to explain it was in the past not current. Then I was in theater at the high school across the road, had an improv scene with abby thomas but hadn't rehearsed at all. Went to rehearsal, everybody from hs was there, dawson was teacher, saw shelby drive past. Then smthn about walking bay in the mountains, were super high up in the snow and saw other ppl walking dogs

Something about having traded bodies with ian brauer when we were younger? Or not even traded, I had somehow accidentally possessed him and then had to go to school and pretend like I was him, and then only when I concentrated really hard I went back to my own body which was passed out on the floor of my room.

In a school, had brought imhotep back 2 life n he brought back his gf so we tried running and hiding. Then he was darth Vader and he caught me. Then dream about being on wild ferris wheel kinda ride with mom and Lauren who was sometimes aunt ellen, then in a family of talking dolphins whose step mom was a whale, the dad was joking about how him and the mom might perish at the bottom of the ocean. Then something about a demon possessed lady

Scary dream 1st where I was out walking at night in the forest, looked kinda like lower area of ECOS. The light in a street lamp didnt work, had to use flashlight. Alex showed up with bay who was now a white shih tzu, a frat guy in skeleton costume ran over to scare us. Then I lived in this village/tribe, everyone had hotel rooms kinda. I was back in town going to everyone's rooms, my mom had a room next to mine but she was gone somewhere. Then we were playing guitars, I picked up someones weird acoustic base to try and play. Then I got invite from JC, him and his friends were having a joint wedding in 2026, invite looked like DND character sheet. I was in the forest when scary evil ash cloud exploded out from the ground, kinda like in neverending story or moana. Ran back to village and was safe inside this like, sacred circle? It meant that I was actually the next in line to be the tribal chief. The tribe purposely kept everyone's parentage a secret so it was like the whole village was our parents, but this meant my dad was this one rando young guy who wasnt even the chief? Anyway he hugged me and it was emotional. It meant I had this prophetic duty to defeat these creepy evil eels like in the little mermaid. The water/ocean was this weird quad, with each quadrant being a different depth and color blue. I had to scuba dive to the bottom on a certain date to fight them, matthew/mikey was gonna hold my breathing tubes or something? If I tugged twice he could pull me back up.

In world where mr bean guy was a king n had lots of bodyguards, he was taking on corrupt religious mormon police like in Utah who rode camels and abducted like 500 people for slavery.

Had private teacher lady for something, 8 of us. I couldnt concentrate on test. She gave me spare key to let her dog out, i go in her house and the skylights are open and room full of snow. Then she has dinner party with me, snape, Adonis, michelle/jenn, and a doctor. Ends in screaming match, I'm mad cuz Michelle keeps flirting w Adonis by dropping shit on purpose and making him pick them up. Then I go to doc about weird vaginal discharge and being depressed, hes kind of a quack and doesnt help or listen. Then I was trying to get job at restaurant but all the servers had been at the party and thought I was crazy. Also smthn bout seeing a concert and shawn goggins was in it, jc and elliot were there and I started laughing at him about how that was a girl he cheated on me with but she turned out to be a trans man so he had sex with a dude

I was in world like video game level, in a class w people. Started in weird castle that had secret passages, and then onto these floating balloons above black holes. Tried to jump from one to the other without falling, very scary. Then with alex in a hallway, waiting for some event to start. We climbed up to ledge where there was like a gem/ring stockpile, I started stealing them. Mcgonagall was there and saw us, I was too afraid of heights to climb down. Then event was starting but it was some creepy cult wearing animal masks, I had to pretend like I knew what was happening

[happymeishappylife]

Book #23 of 2020

The Omnibus of Science Fiction edited by Groff Conklin Featuring: John Leimert, L. Sprague de Camp, Fletcher Pratt & B.F. Ruby, Katherine MacLEan, Will H. Gray, David Grinnell, Mark Clifton, Theodore Stugeon, David H. Keller, A.J. Deutsch, Ross Rocklynne, James Blish, Ann Griffith, R.R. Winterbotham, H.P. Lovecraft, Ralph Williams, Anthony Boucher, Damon Knight, Richard Matheson, Isaac Asimov, William Tenn, Ray Bradbury, Paul Ernst, Wyman Guin, Murray Leinster, Jack Vance, Eric Frank Russell, Chester S. Geier, Alan E. Nourse, John D. MacDonald, A.E. van Vogt, Raymond F. Jones, Lewis Padgett, W. Hilton-Young, Andre Maurois, Ralph Robin, H.B. Fyfe, Fredric Brown, Jack London, Robert Abernathy, Arthur C. Clarke, and Lester del Rey

In this collection of short stories, we find some of the greatest, earliest, and most well respected sci-fi authors brought together in well curated collection that made for some thoughtful and mightily enjoyable nights. However, some ranged a little too close to home right now and reminded me of one of my new favorite lyrics from the The Struts song ‘Strange Days’, “Science Fiction has become reality.” On one hand, the relationship of science fiction to modern day has produced some great innovations and progress. But when you read some that do in fact relate to nowaday events, it can be a little frightening. The way these stories were grouped together were through six overarching themes: Wonders of Earth and of Man; Inventions, Dangerous, and Otherwise; From Outer Space; Far Traveling: Adventures in Dimension; and Worlds of Tomorrow. I’ll go through my favorites in each section, but do recommend them all if you have a curiosity and interest in science fiction.

Wonders of Earth and of Man: John Thomas’s Cube by John Leimert - A short story involving the discovery of a mysterious cube in one family’s backyard. But unlike normal cubes, it seems to have no mass or gravity and cannot be inflicted upon by outside sources. Of course as soon as John Thomas shows his father, the town, media, and scientific community show up to do tests and examine it, but as soon as the cube appears, it disappears leaving all the adults confused, but a delighted John Thomas. In a way to me this is a great way to illustrate trends. They come and go very quickly, but take themselves too seriously. In the end we should all have the wonder that John Thomas does which is an innate curiosity, but not obsession over the object. Hyperpilosity by L. Sprague de Camp - The human race suddenly and unexplainedly begins to de-evolve back into their ancestral backgrounds by rapidly growing hair like coats. And while concerning at first, they soon embrace it and it becomes the way of society. Meanwhile professor Oliveira and his assistant Pat Leesten try in vain to find a solution to reverse this abnormal growth and after years of failure, they finally find a solution. The only problem? No one wants it anymore. If only such thinks like this were so easy to change in today’s society. Though then again, if it happens to everyone, maybe it is better to go with the crowd rather than stand out. Either way, this story speaks to the hyper focus we have to appearance and the silly ways we pride ourselves on what is best.

Inventions, Dangerous, and Otherwise:  The Doorbell by David H. Keller - An eccentric host named Henry Cecil invites Jacob Hubler to his remote New York estate for a story that will thrill the writer and spark his creativity. At first all seems normal despite the eerie screaming doorbell, but after a long weekend, Hubler discovers that the doorbell and the magnets that first introduced Cecil to him are all parts of a twisted story of revenge that Cecil completes while Hubler is with him. It’s grim, but while part of this story is to show that Cecil avenged his mother and is no successful, the eeriness of the doorbell is more than a cautionary reminder to not trust everyone you meet. Backfire by Ross Rocklynee - What happens when the human race on Earth finally makes contact and is ready to join the rest of intergalactic society? We don’t trust them and make them unwelcome to their pursuits of peace. Yeah... sounds about right. But the interesting part of this tale is the point of view its told from which is that of the Psycologists (don’t know why) whose authority to help bring new civilizations into the intergalactic society. In it, they seem like they are struggling, but then when they discover this weird race of people revolting against their ideas, they like to prove in the face of those in charge that they weren’t wrong, we humans are just weird.

From Outer Space: The Star Dummy by Anthony Boucher - A ventriloquist accidentally discovers a talking puppet who turns out to be a alien trying to find his mate who crashed on Earth. As a means of helping each other they concoct a plan to make the alien Paul’s dummy in his show and go on to national success. But just as they are ready to perform on NBC, they learn they might be in a case of copyright infringement because someone else has a similar act. Turns out its a woman with the aliens mate, doing the exact same thing. Its silly, but a cute story that has a happy ending. What more could you ask for right now? Shipshape Home by Richard Matheson - When a husband and wife and their two married friends decide to rent an apartment for only $65 a month, all four are a little skeptical of the cheap price. But then the wives start freaking out about the janitor who is a little creepy. However, turns out they have a reason to because he has three eyes and is secretly trying to get his rocket up and running, which turns out to be their apartment. Luckily they discover it just in time, but its nice that a story like this ends up with the same message of ‘Listen to your wife.’

Far Travelling: Kaleidoscope by Ray Badbury - What would you think about when you knew your life was over and there was nothing you could do? In this story we follow several astronauts whose ship has exploded and are not hurtling away from each other in space, knowing their lives are over. There is tears, anger, bitterness, and total peace of mind and exploring this in this way, one can try to think ahead at that moment instead of in the moment which can cause confusion and disappointment. “Nothing Happens on the Moon” by Paul Ernst - This to me is very reminiscent of many Doctor Who stories where someone unknowingly discovers an alien after several years of longing for some sort of adventure or excitement. Clow Hartigan gets more than he bargains for when he discovers a seemingly innocent pebble that then turns out to be an invisible predator. The most heart pounding part was when the alien was chasing him through the moon hangar and banging into the metal from the outside.

Adventures in Dimension: Recruiting Station by A.E. von Vogt - This was one of the longer stories and while a little confusing to follow at first, it became a thrilling adventure through space, time, and dimension allows a couple to learn of a plot to recruit people throughout time to fight a war in the future and try to pull themselves out and even when they think we can, they learn that the seeds of their recruitment are so strong that it may be inevitable to escape. Until Norma finds a way to turn the tide and become stronger than her captors. A Stone and A Spear by Raymond F Jones - This was a great thinking piece. On the one hand it was an interesting discussion on if you knew the future, would you change it? But importantly it did it through the gaze of scientists who develop weapons for the government and asks the questions of is this the morally right thing to do? Could you really live with yourself and the achievements you make, knowing you killed a significant group of the population.

Worlds of Tomorrow: The Scarlet Plague by Jack London - This was more terrifying and horror inducing than it should have been, but reading about the afterlife of a plague that ravages the Earth and significantly kills off a majority of the human race to the point where we go back to living as tribes, is a little hard to read. But absolutely fascinating. I love the way it was told through Granser’s eyes who lived through it too and truly discussed the terror of the plague taking hold and how people reacted. Too bad, that’s not what is actually happening. Instinct by Lester del Rey - I love this story because it not only explores to me the very plausible future of robotic life in the universe after humans passed away, but what makes this pretty funny is that the robots in an effort to understand what ‘instinct’ is, finds a way to try and bring back live humans and watch as their ‘instinct’ is immediately try to mate with each other. It’s ironic considering how many humans probably want to jump a robot if its available.

Overall Rating: 8/10

[allbestnet]

Best Books of the 20th Century (322 books)

Lord of the Rings [trilogy] by J. R. R. Tolkien

Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Peter and the Wolf by Sergey Prokofiev

Call of the Wild by Jack London

Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

Remembrance of Things Past by Marcel Proust

Ulysses by James Joyce

Peanuts by Charles M. Shultz

Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence

White Fang by Jack London

Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie

Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery

Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Dubliners by James Joyce

Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce

For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway

Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

Kim by Rudyard Kipling

Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling

Trial by Franz Kafka

Sea Wolf by Jack London

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez

Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Stranger by Albert Camus

Sons and Lovers by D. H. Lawrence

Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann

Plague by Albert Camus

Rebecca by Dame Daphne Du Maurier

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

Pearl by John Steinbeck

Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham

Way of All Flesh by Samuel Butler

Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak

Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Castle by Franz Kafka

Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner

Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Bianco

Nostromo by Joseph Conrad

Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton

Virginian by Owen Wister

Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy

Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger

Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham

My Ántonia by Willa Cather

Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis

Victory by Joseph Conrad

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Garfield by Jim Davis

Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Death in Venice by Thomas Mann

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery

Tale of Benjamin Bunny by Beatrix Potter

Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis

Yearling by Marjorie Rawlings

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder

Women in Love by D. H. Lawrence

Jungle   by Upton Sinclair

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling

Finnegans Wake by James Joyce

Charlotte's Web by E. B. White

House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne

Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck

Passage to India by E. M. Forster

On the Road by Jack Kerouac

Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

Power and the Glory by Graham Greene

House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

Main Street by Sinclair Lewis

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson

This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Sanctuary by William Faulkner

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

Anne of the Island by L. M. Montgomery

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough

Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

Red Pony by John Steinbeck

Light in August by William Faulkner

Lost Horizon by James Hilton

Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis

Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

Cannery Row by John Steinbeck

All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren

Ambassadors by Henry James

Mary Poppins by P. L. Travers

O Pioneers by Willa Cather

Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather

Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

Look Homeward Angel by Thomas Wolfe

Room With a View by E. M. Forster

Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis

Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham

Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton

Howards End by E. M. Forster

Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling

Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

Curious George by H. A. Rey

Spy Who Came in from the Cold by John Le Carré

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin

Good-bye Mr. Chips by James Hilton

Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Dune by Frank Herbert

Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

Horse and his Boy by C. S. Lewis

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez

Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf

Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss

Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

Last Battle by C. S. Lewis

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Wings of the Dove by Henry James

Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper

Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach

Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien

Firm by John Grisham

Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Roots by Alex Haley

Native Son by Richard Wright

Stuart Little by E. B. White

Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George

Absalom, Absalom by William Faulkner

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller

Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan

Last Tycoon by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg

Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry

Cricket in Times Square by George Selden

Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey

Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

Time to Kill by John Grisham

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen

Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy

Rainmaker by John Grisham

Sula by Toni Morrison

Borrowers by Mary Norton

Where's Waldo by Martin Handford

Beloved by Toni Morrison

Giver by Lois Lowry

Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

Pelican Brief by John Grisham

Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers

Matilda by Roald Dahl

Color Purple by Alice Walker

Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink

Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

Separate Peace by John Knowles

Number the Stars by Lois Lowry

Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary

Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

Sounder by William Howard Armstrong

On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

Cheaper by the Dozen by Frank B. Gilbreth

Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

Summer of the Swans by Betsy Cromer Byars

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O'Brien

Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

Runaway Jury by John Grisham

Incredible Journey by Sheila Every Burnford

Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig

Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler

Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey

Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary

Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Watership Down by Richard Adams

Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J. K. Rowling

Painted House by John Grisham

Old Yeller by Fred Gipson

Client by John Grisham

Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield

Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears by Verna Aardema

Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel

Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman

Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin

Tar Baby by Toni Morrison

Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

Chamber by John Grisham

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

Partner by John Grisham

Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown

Holes by Louis Sachar

Clear and Present Danger by Tom Clancy

Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler

Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel

Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks

Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White

Cider House Rules by John Irving

Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Peck

Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Superfudge by Judy Blume

Jazz by Toni Morrison

Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg

Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Slave Dancer by Paula Fox

Ox-Bow Incident by Walter Van Tilburg Clark

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Brethren by John Grisham

Testament by John Grisham

Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary

Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy

Street Lawyer by John Grisham

Left Behind by Tim F. Lahaye

Patriot Games by Tom Clancy

Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson

Timeline by Michael Crichton

Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein

Mammoth Hunters by Jean M. Auel

Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin

Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt

Killer Angels by Michael Shaara

Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

Prince Caspian the Return to Narnia by C. S. Lewis

Chosen by Chaim Potok

While My Pretty One Sleeps by Mary Higgins Clark

Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by Ernest J. Gaines

Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier

Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans

Plains of Passage by Jean M. Auel

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

Sum of All Fears by Tom Clancy

Lost World by Michael Crichton

Unnatural Exposure by Patricia Daniels Cornwell

Loves Music, Loves to Dance by Mary Higgins Clark

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

Last Precinct by Patricia Daniels Cornwell

Southern Cross by Patricia Daniels Cornwell

Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voigt

Cause of Death by Patricia Daniels Cornwell

Valley of Horses by Jean Auel

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Cardinal of the Kremlin by Tom Clancy

Death in the Family by James Agee

Shipping News by Annie Proulx

Tribulation Force by Tim F. Lahaye

Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns

Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger

Point of Origin by Patricia Daniels Cornwell

Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein

Black Notice by Patricia Daniels Cornwell

I Heard the Owl Call My Name by Margaret Craven

"O" Is for Outlaw by Sue Grafton

Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley

Paradise by Toni Morrison

At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon

Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley

"N" Is for Noose by Sue Grafton

Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines

Lake Wobegon Days by Garrison Keillor

[youremyonlyhope]

The Force Awakens

Almost 4 years ago, I started my Star Wars rewatch by watching the original series in preparation to watch the Force Awakens. Then I rewatched the prequels before The Last Jedi. And now I’m seeing Rise of Skywalker on Sunday, so it’s time to rewatch the 2 other sequels.

I’ve rewatched the Force Awakens a couple of times since I first saw it, so it should still be fresh in my mind. As for the Last Jedi, I have not been able to bring myself to watch that one because of the ending. Not because I hated it, I loved it, but because it hurts.

Also, this gives me a distraction so I don’t get spoiled for Rise of Skywalker. Again. Can’t believe I’ve been spoiled twice already in just 2 days... luckily it was the same spoiler twice. One that was vague and I hoped it wasn’t right, but then the other one was a gif of the scene so now I know it’s true. Ugh...

This is super long and I apologize in advance.

“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...” I didn’t see the Force Awakens in theaters. I saw it at home nearly a year later (after getting spoiled for all major plot points during that year). So I can’t IMAGINE the pure joy that people felt when they got to see the opening title crawl for the first time in 10 years. I wish I had seen it in theaters. Ok. I don’t like that I can’t pause Disney+ with the spacebar like other streaming sites let me... or maybe it’s just my computer. ANYWAY. I forgot that the opening crawl literally says “Skywalker, the last Jedi” in it, accidentally telling us the title of the next movie. Yeah so I can already tell I’ll be pausing every like 2 seconds. But I love this opening shot of a ship blocking out a MOON. Oh and NOW the spacebar works to pause. One of those stormtroopers is Finn. Awww. BB8! I didn’t realize he’s (they’re?) the first character we see (that we know is an important character since at this point we don’t really know which stormtrooper is Finn). Poe! Giving a message to a droid... so I know we like to think of Poe as the Han of the sequel trio... but honestly he’s the Leia. Yeah I mean... a friend (or at least co-worker) smearing their blood on your face with their hand as they die is definitely traumatizing enough to make you rethink your life. Finn, I don’t blame you. I started this scene like “Oh we’re gonna get the Knights of Ren and Kylo freezing the blaster ray using the Force” then I got so into the scene that I forgot Kylo was going to show up at all.

It’s not a Star Wars rewatch if my grandma doesn’t call and interrupt at least once. This time it was right as Kylo came out of the ship.

Kylo’s powerful. I’ll give him that. Holding that blaster ray for as long as he's about to. I love Poe looking back at it. Poe’s first lines to Kylo are joking about who gets to talk first, when Kylo’s literally still holding a blaster ray in midair and knows Poe has the map he wants. And people say “General Hugs” during a battle was out of character. GENERAL PHASMA! GWENDOLINE MY QUEEN! Poor baby Finn. [BB8 moans softly] BB8 NO DON’T CRY. Oh poor Finn. But yay first time we see his face! It just hit me that now I’m the same age/older than John and Daisy when they filmed this... great.... AND REY! I remember when we first saw footage of her climbing around, I said to my dad “I think that’s supposed to be Han and Leia’s daughter.” So far I’m wrong. I’ve been holding out hope for years that maybe just maybe there will be a twist and I’m right. I’m fine with her parents being nobodies, but I kind of want to be right. I’m probably not. The scale of that ship behind her... The shot of her speeding across the desert has such... original trilogy vibes. It never registered to me that Rey has some wilting flowers. That brings new meaning to the “so much green” scene later... Awwww the practical effect bread... Ok. I’m being nit picky, but they drained it just a split second too early. If it’d drained just a millisecond later, it would have been perfectly timed with the inflation of the bread. But that’s just me nitpicking for no reason. It’s an impressive effect. “Classified? Me too. Big secret.” LOL even at the time I knew the fandom was making a big fuss about that line for nothing. Too on the nose for it to truly be a big secret she’s keeping from the world. I figured she meant it was a big secret to her. Of course... then people got mad that they wasted their time analyzing that... it’s their own fault really. I forgot that they actually eventually get the location of the map out of Poe. Oh and hi General Hugs! “This is a rescue. I’m helping you escape.” Yep Poe is Leia. She was initially being rescued, but then ends up having to help rescue her rescuer(s) while they’re trying to rescue her. “Because it’s the right thing to do.” If Finn was raised as a stormtrooper, even just to work in sanitation, he wouldn’t necessarily have a moral compass since he wouldn’t know what’s right... at this point I think he just knows he doesn’t like killing... Like how Zuko didn’t realize he wasn’t good because he was taught something else was good. (YES. Finn is closer to Zuko) “You need a pilot” “I need a pilot” Ok see so it’s not necessarily what’s right, but he knows this is how he can get out. Sorta selfish, but not really. Oooooh yeah! It’s Thomas Brodie-Sangster! Forgot he was in this. Wilhelm Scream! Poe naming Finn. Aww. Ok see. How does Kylo know Finn’s identification? Did he ask Phasma “who was the one with the blood on his helmet?” right after they got back on the ship? Because otherwise, he’d have no way to tell them apart in that moment, I don’t think they have their names on their armor unless I never noticed, and even then Kylo would be too far away to read it. There’s a picture of little baby Finn... he was so young when the First Order took him (I assume they took him, I’d hate it if his parents sent him there) OH WOW. ANOTHER WOMAN! Oh and it’s whats-her-face, she was in Deathly Hallows Part 1. (IMDB says Kate Fleetwood) See, back in the day the Empire had no women in their ranks. This is the only thing the First Order is doing right, equal opportunity to be a space Nazi. I forgot that the wreckage gets sucked into the sand... that sucks. Here’s where Poe would have died if Oscar hadn’t been so charismatic. Also, do we ever find out how he survived this? I forgot about the explosion afterwards that just adds insult to injury. Was that necessary? Was that supposed to be funny? If it was, why are people criticizing the Last Jedi’s humor if this moment tries to make us laugh at a character dying... I hope that wasn’t meant to be funny... My poor baby... stranded on a strange desert planet... alone... with the First Order looking for him... I love this giant hippo thing. I want one.

Whiny fanboys: Rey’s a Mary Sue! She can’t know how to fight already! Rey: *Been fighting creeps at the market since she was born*

And I love how she caught Finn. Oh nooo BB8 no don’t cry! Finn, babe, why would you just tell Rey about the map!? Babe! I get that you want to seem reliable and credible, but baby! No! The way Rey was sort of horrified by Finn holding her hand... makes me really wonder what she’s been through. “Stop taking my hand!” Aww and how she offers her hand to him. “The garbage will do” Oh how I wish I hadn’t been spoiled that that was the Millennium Falcon reveal. But that line did create a meme so that’s fun. Wow the Millennium Falcon has been through a LOT. That dramatic zoom in as they fly into the ship (I’m sorry, I do not have ship names memorized) was very Torchwood. The sudden, almost shaky and unnecessary zoom. That upside down shot though. Amazing. And also terrifying. “You’re ok. He’s with the Resistance” *BB8 gives Finn a pointed look* I am DEAD. Oh and the Powerpoint style transitions between scenes. Very necessary. Vital to every Star Wars movie. Kylo. You’re like 30. You should not still have temper tantrums. Grow up. Awww BB8. The internal battle. Followed by the thumbs up. Adorable. Literally for a second I was like “How could the First Order override the controls of the Millennium - HAN!!!!” HAN AND CHEWIE!!!!! I will never forget watching the Force Awakens trailer for the first time with my dad, and nearly sobbing over “Chewie... we’re home.” Also what the hell, Chewie has been through SO MUCH and he’s STILL around! He was protecting Yoda in Revenge of the Sith! And then ends up enslaved and being fed people before Han meets him in Solo!?!?!? What?!?!?!? AND had a whole family before all of that!?!??!?!?!?

Also, watching Solo and realizing that Chewie’s been forced to eat people literally shattered my heart into a billion pieces. I wanted to cry seeing him covered in that mud and trying to kill Han.

Aww, Han and Chewie know the hiding places. I’m not even a third of the way through and I’ve written way too much.

Finn: Han Solo, the Rebellion general? Rey: No, the smuggler! Finn: Wasn’t he a war hero? Chewie: *Grunts and shrugs ‘I don’t know’*

That says so much about all of their characters. Oh god the 12 parsecs thing. I was legitimately MAD when I was watching Solo and realized that they had actually figured out a way to make the 12 parsecs thing make sense. That they actually solved and fixed George Lucas’ mistake, when he was literally just trying to find a cool word and didn’t care about the actual meaning. I am still so angry they managed to fix it in a way that made sense. I started raging once I realized that they were doing it. Awww Han in the cockpit. Ok Finn there you go again, telling everyone about the map to Luke. You’re lucky that Han’s one of the few people it’s good to tell. It could have gone so wrong with Rey. That subtle Binary Sunset piercing my heart. Hey it’s that kid from that Eaters of Light episode of Doctor Who. And when I watched that episode I was like hey it’s that kid from the Force Awakens. He looks familiar to me, but those are the only two things I’ve seen him in. “I got a bad feeling about this” He said the thing! Yeah the Rathtars are gross. Aww and he grabbed her hand again to run. I just noticed that they made the camera lens blurry on the edge, like some of the goo got on it. “That was lucky.” Rey’s so modest. I forgot that they hyperspeeded through the Rathtar... also did that happen in the original series too or am I just remembering it wrong? Anyway, Admiral Holdo did it best. 2nd mention of the last Jedi. Also, LOL remember when everyone was theorizing who Snoke was? My favorite theory was that he was Mace Windu. That was a WILD conspiracy theory. “In the hands of your father... Han Solo.” Oh the dramatic reveal. Awww BB8 running away from Chewie’s roar. Awwww the hologram game! And it’s still stop motion! “It’s true. The Force. The Jedi. All of it.” I forget what video I was watching, but they pointed out that this was Han’s arc. Learning to believe in the Force. I guess in that way, he has a satisfying ending. “I didn’t know there was this much green in the whole galaxy” I remember people saying that Han’s face is basically him thinking ‘...oh no... looks like I gotta adopt this kid.’

...It’s hitting me that we’re going to see Leia in this movie... and I’m gonna be emotional...

...AM I JUST NOW REALIZING THAT CHEWIE’S STRAP OVER HIS CHEST IS A STRAP TO A BAG? I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST TO HOLD AMMO OR SOMETHING?!?!? I’ve been a Star Wars fan for HOW many years and I’m just noticing this?!!? Also, in an alternate universe, Han survives and Rey goes off with him and Chewie and they have smuggling adventures and everyone’s happy and alive. Catina music by Lin Manuel! Yay! WOLFMAN! THEY PUT THE WOLFMAN IN THIS! WOW. Look at them shading George Lucas’s rerelease edits. ...Ok so Maz is definitely Force sensitive if she knew Han was there right away, right? Also, Maz is an example of how before Rose Tico and whoever Naomi plays in RoS (I will not google her character name because I know I will get spoiled), we very rarely see AND hear women of color, we get just one or the other. They’re either in the background with no lines or playing a character that isn’t a human if they have lines. The only exception coming to mind is the Queen of Naboo who took over after Padme, Jamillia. Ok I forgot that the lady who rats them out to the First Order actually gets a line and isn’t painted green, so good for her! I love her costume too. Too bad she’s evil.

See. We hear the breathing of Vader, because Ani is so done with his idiot grandson worshipping him that he’s sighing in defeat in the afterlife. Ani needs to Force Ghost himself over to Kylo and be like “DID YOU NOT UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN I THREW A SITH LORD DOWN A HOLE THAT IT MEANT I WAS TURNING AGAINST THE DARK SIDE? DID THAT GO OVER YOUR HEAD? DID MY ENTIRE CHARACTER ARC GO OVER YOUR HEAD??” Please, what I want most from the Rise of Skywalker (besides making sure Leia gets the proper send off she deserves) is Hayden coming back as a Force Ghost and knocking some sense into Kylo.

Oh Finn. The captions tell us who was talking during the vision... and there WAS a lot of Obi-Wan dialogue... Also poor Rey. She probably definitely remembers her parents, but just blocked it out. Now. If after the endless lines of soldiers, the podium with a giant red and black flag behind it, and the arms rising up still make the space Nazi thing go over your head... then we just can’t help you anymore. HEY! WAS THAT WHATSHERFACE?!? Ghost from Ant-Man and the Wasp? Was that her? Yes! IMDB says it was Hannah John-Kamen! Look at you girl! Too bad you’re evil too. Ok. I will admit that I blanked out for General Hugs’ speech because who wants to listen to a space Nazi. But, has the Star Destroyer been mentioned before this point in the movie? Because I literally can’t remember. If Hugs said it then I probably let my mind wander. Oh and I do appreciate these two dudes who were like “Yeah sure Finn, come with us, work for a bit, and we’ll help you get far away” and were going to let Finn come along with them. They seem nice. Also. Here’s the girl who’s not Freema Ageman. Not every black girl is Martha Jones. The entire internet was like “Martha was in Star Wars!” then I watched the movie and I was like “...that literally was not Freema what are you all on about?” IMDB says she’s Maisie Richardson-Sellers, she’s also in Legends of Tomorrow, which is something I do hope to watch one day. So good for her. The ion engines sounded like the TARDIS for a split second and I was VERY confused. “How did you get that?” “A good question for another time.” Ok JJ you gotta stop with all these unanswered questions that you pose. I get that that’s your thing. And that you have some term for it. But there’s too many now. This one better get answered in Rise of Skywalker. That behind the back shot though. I’m convinced Han’s Force sensitive too. Not even convinced, I think it’s canon. LOL remember when everyone named that stormtrooper who recognized Finn TR-8R.

Finn: *Manages to function using a lightsaber even though he’s only trained with blasters* Fanboys: *Silence* Rey: *Fights with a lightsaber well since she’s fought with sticks her whole life and it’s a similar concept* Fanboys: MARY SUE! SHE CAN’T BE THAT GOOD THAT FAST!

Oh my god it’s the Resistance FINALLY. POE!!!! Yes, I did just scream “Poe!!” out loud. Now, I’m not sure where these forest scenes were filmed, but if you told me the same forest where half of Merlin’s forest scenes were filmed then I would not be shocked. Merlin had some scenes in a similarly narrow trench/valley/pathway/thing. No but seriously, yes the plants look like they’re more tropical than whatever forest Merlin filmed in in the UK, but the trench looks so similar. Oh god the second we saw Leia I froze. And then Leia’s Theme played and I had a sad smile. And then C-3PO popped up and I laughed. Awwww. I love C-3PO so much. There’s so much that body language can convey. Oh no. While watching Finn and Poe reunite, I suddenly remembered that fanedit that put Helpless from Hamilton as the background of the scene. And i laughed. Oh 2015. When all we cared about was Star Wars and Hamilton. That lip bite. Oscar stop it. Billie Lourd! So I’ve realized over the years that R2D2 kind of sucks. Not that I don’t love him. But he spends the entire original trilogy lying by omission, when he could have just told them everything he knew from the prequels (since he WITNESSED everything and didn’t have his memory erased like 3PO did). And now, he just sits back while everyone scrambles to find Luke and does nothing, WHEN HE HAS THE ANSWER. Yes. I get that it’s deeper than that. But still. It’s funny to think that R2 just wants to sit back and watch the drama unfold while not telling anyone that Vader is Luke’s dad or that he has Luke’s map. (Unless I’m remembering it incorrectly and R2 doesn’t have it. If that’s the case R2 gets a pass this one time.) [It wasn’t the case, R2 doesn’t get a pass] “It is very doubtful that R2 would have the rest of the map in his backup data.” C-3PO are you sure? Because I’m not. I think low-power mode means R2 wants to relax and watch the soap opera that is Star Wars unfold. “There’s still light in him, I know it.” For your sake Leia, I hope there is too. But Kylo is going to need a hell of a redemption arc in tRoS. See, and I can’t remember when I found this out, but the ashes that he puts his helmet in are the ashes of people he’s killed. Kylo Ren SAVES the ashes. He has a TUB of them in his office. What is WRONG with him!??! Yeah so him reading her mind about the ocean was just plain creepy. I just... don’t understand Reylo shippers. “You. You’re afraid... that you will never be as strong as Darth Vader.” And he’s right to be afraid! Ani eventually had the strength to turn himself around! Kylo Ren could never! I won’t believe it till I see it! And even then I might not believe it! I think that people forget that Kylo’s supposed to be like 30 years old. I will say that Adam plays the role in this first movie like Kylo’s very young with a hint of a tiny possibility that he feels like he’s in over his head. Really he only plays it that way when the helmet’s off. So I get that he seems younger, but Adam was like 30 when he filmed this too. So why do so many fans coddle Kylo when he’s a grown man? A grown man who’s killing people. After a certain point, you can’t blame Luke or his parents or Snoke... if the guy is literally worshipping his grandfather and ignoring the fact that even Ani turned back to the light side... then the guy has issues. Rey failed twice before getting the Jedi mind trick right. Also, I love that Daisy’s face kind of sorta softened with less fear before she said the command and got it right. I’ve seen the scene of the stormtroopers literally going “Nope” and turning away from Kylo’s tantrum many times over the years, but I didn’t realize that Kylo screams “GUARDS” as he does it until I saw the caption just now. So not only are the stormtroopers like “I don’t want to get into that” they’re like “Let’s act like we didn’t hear him scream for us and let someone else get into that.” Which is even more hilarious. Ok it’s Starkiller not Star Destroyer. Whatever. I was close. But I knew that Luke’s last name was originally Starkiller, so I honestly should have guessed Starkiller in the first place. Whatever. Hey Admiral Akbar! The guy talking about the thermal oscillator looks familiar... was he in Night Shift... IMDB says he’s Ken Leung and yes he was in the Night Shift! Good for him! Awww that was the last time Han and Leia ever saw each other... “That’s not how the Force works.” The captions are telling me that the stormtroopers Rey is hiding from are just talking about how much their new weapons suck. That’s hilarious. “Is there a garbage shoot? Trash compactor?” Oh Han, I see what you did there. Wow, I didn’t notice that the walls of the base are rock, that it’s literally built INTO the planet. Awwwww Finn gave Rey his jacket! I was thinking she must be cold in just a t-shirt after living in a desert. Because I rewatched the last half of RotJ after Force Awakens, I was able to realize that this scene of Han and Chewie planting the bombs was a reference to RotJ, but only because of watching Force Awakens earlier that day. Really, I should have gotten the reference the other way around. “We’ll meet back here.” NOOOOO BUT YOU WON’T. THIS IS THE LAST TIME! Wait, did we not know his name was Ben before this? Was that the moment we all realized he was named after Obi-Wan? (Also, never really got that since Han and Leia knew Obi-Wan for only a couple of days at most... but whatever) Chewie keep going! Keep going and planting bombs while they’re distracted by Han! Come on! Ok I wanted to mention it earlier, but there was a lightbeam hitting Kylo when Snoke’s hologram disappeared, and that was after Snoke told him to be careful of going back to the light. Now as Han walks towards Kylo, there’s another lightbeam. It’s all very literal, but still. I like it. UH OH. I forgot about the light from the sun going away. Now Kylo’s literally in the darkness. We’re getting super literal now. (Also, I now realize that Poe’s line of “As long as we have the light we have a chance” was also a on-the-nose reference to light vs. dark and not just exposition about stopping the Starkiller, though it was also exposition.) I like to think that Han sorta knew that Kylo would kill him, and that he hoped it would eventually lead him to the light in some way and be worth it. But wow seeing Han fall hurts. OH AND LEIA. I FORGOT ABOUT LEIA KNOWING IMMEDIATELY AND JUST SINKING DOWN. OH I HURT. See. Finn’s literally just using a lightsaber like any other sword. Just hit your target with it. Because anyone can do that. Yes Rey! Summon that lightsaber! Earn that Binary Sunset! Trench run. Because Star Wars. Ok I gotta replay all of that because I was too busy getting lost in my mind about something and got distracted. Why is the Starkiller base falling apart? Ok got it, Poe hit a bunch of stuff that exploded. Cool.

Ok see. Some of the fans think fighting with a lightsaber is like a integral part of being one with the Force and being a Jedi. But literally, you just need to know is how to fight with a sword or a stick and you can fight with a lightsaber. The Force just means you’re better at predicting your opponent’s next moves, sensing the danger, knowing the best move to make, etc. That’s why Rey started winning against Kylo when he said “Join me and let me teach you the ways of the Force.” Before that, she’s just fighting like she would with her stick and all that’s doing is helping her survive and keep Kylo at bay, but she’s not winning. Being reminded that she’s Force sensitive let her tap into that and start incorporating that into the fight. Now she’s using the skills she already has, and using the Force to help her predict Kylo’s moves. She’s not magically good at using a lightsaber, she just already had skills that were easily transferable to a lightsaber and using the Force to enhance it.

I don’t think we’ve lost any arms yet in this movie, besides C-3PO off-screen.

OH. AND SNOKE SAYS KYLO NEEDS TO COMPLETE HIS TRAINING! He’s not even a full Sith Lord yet! He’s still being trained! So no, Rey did not just defeat a powerful Sith Lord, she defeated a Sith Lord in training. And she barely defeated him, he was already injured, she just fought hard enough to bring him to the ground. Then the ground literally separated them. Basically, I’m tired of people being mad that Rey has skills, she already had them. Plus, she’s not magically the most powerful Jedi ever like Ani was, she’s just strong. So go critique Ani for being literal space Jesus.

Oh Chewie. He’s alone saving Finn and Rey. My heart is breaking. All teams, Poe? You mean you and the other two who are left? Ok fine, there are a couple more X-Wings behind the Millennium Falcon. You and the other 6 who are left. Playing the Love Theme one last time. I am hurting. OH. NOW YOU WAKE UP, R2D2? NOW YOU WAKE UP? AFTER HAN DIES, YOU WAKE UP? Aww BB8′s like “Dad! Give me the map! I wanna put the puzzle together!” So I was right to be mad at R2D2. Literally sitting back, watching the drama, then at the end is like “Oh by the way, I have all the rest of the information you needed.” (Yes, I realize that I guess we’re supposed to infer that he spent all those years in low power mode trying to find the map, but whatever.) “May the Force be with you.” Oh Leia. Oh Carrie. Oh R2D2 NOW you’re excited. If you wanted to see Luke so bad, you should have found the map faster. You just know Luke knew they were coming, so he was like “Let me get my cloak out and stand on the highest point all mysteriously.” since he too lives for the drama (as we saw from all the flips in RotJ). Oh I love that ending so much. Some people think Last Jedi ruins the suspense of the ending. I love it. I love that Luke takes a minute to just stare at Rey and the lightsaber before deciding to chuck it over a cliff.

I’m watching the credits, and I noticed that Harrison gets first billing. I literally just said out loud “Why does Harri- ok no fine actually” since I realized this was his last Star Wars movie, so give him first billing. He deserves it.

So that’s the Force Awakens. Very enjoyable. I forget where I heard/read this, but the Force Awakens and Rogue One are like Star Wars comfort food. Super full of nostalgia.

And I do agree at least to an extent. Especially since the Force Awakens is like A New Hope all over again. A droid with a special message. Evil character with a spherical base that destroys planets. The evil Empire’s gone, but the evil First Order has taken over. And the Rebels are now the Resistance and are not that much better off than they were before.

But I LIVE for the nostalgia. Throughout the entirety of the prequels, I said that the best moments were the callbacks/references to the original series. The sequels do that better, so I really enjoy them.

Also I don’t actually hate R2D2. But the theory/idea that R2 is secretly a horrible person because of the fact he seems to know everything but never actually tell anyone what he knows is hilarious to me. And I never realized how well the Force Awakens fits into that theory. So it’s super funny to me.

Now hopefully, I can watch all of The Last Jedi tomorrow. I have a bit of a day... and this rewatch took like 4 hours since I literally paused every 2 seconds to write something. For the Last Jedi, I need to try to write less so I can pause less and finish the movie.

[suerusselldj]

The Pitchfork Guide to Upcoming Releases: Summer 2017

Spoil me - I'm a DJ and I'm cute!

Welcome back to the Pitchfork Guide to Upcoming Releases, our seasonal guide to new music. Four times a year, we round up a list of albums, singles, EPs, reissues, and more arriving in the coming months. This installment covers summer 2017, starting with this Friday, June 2. (Please note that release dates may change.) To start things off, we’ve highlighted a few particularly notable releases, including albums by Phoenix, Broken Social Scene, Fleet Foxes, Vince Staples, Lana Del Rey, the War on Drugs, Haim, Radiohead, Grizzly Bear, SZA, and more. For more about the releases we’re most excited for in 2017, check out our feature from the beginning of the year.

Amber Coffman: City of No Reply (June 2, Columbia)

Former Dirty Projectors member Amber Coffman will be making her solo debut with the release of City of No Reply. She worked with Dirty Projectors’ Dave Longstreth on the album in 2015, recording it in his Los Angeles studio. She has already shared three tracks from the project, including “Nobody Knows,” “All to Myself” and “No Coffee.” In March, Coffman detailed her decision to leave the band, and ended with her hopes for her new music. “I’ve waited a long time to share it and I’m looking forward to it,” she said.

Big Thief: Capacity (June 9, Saddle Creek)

Singer and guitarist Adrianna Lenker said of Big Thief’s forthcoming album Capacity, “There is a darker darkness and a lighter light on this album.” The band have already shared their first single, “Mythological Beauty.” It recalls a moment from Lenker’s childhood when a railroad spike came close to killing her after it accidentally landed on her head. Watch the music video for the song here. Big Thief released their last album, Masterpiece, in 2016. They are currently on tour until the end of August. 

Phoenix: Ti Amo (June 9, Loyauté/Glassnote)

Phoenix are back after a four year absence, with their sixth studio album, Ti Amo. They recorded their follow-up to 2013’s Bankrupt!  in late 2014 at the Pompidou Center in Paris. The band has released the title track and “J-Boy” so far. The music video for “J-Boy” finds the band performing on a fake TV program. Phoenix are currently on tour until the end of September.

Fleet Foxes: Crack-Up (June 16, Nonesuch Records)

According to bandleader Robin Pecknold, Fleet Foxes’ third studio album “deals with perception, and the difference between how I have seen the world and how it actually is.” Crack-Up is the group’s fourth studio album; their last full-length Helplessness Blues, was released in 2011. In the years since, Pecknold enrolled in (and graduated from) Columbia University. Two singles from Crack-Up have been released thus far: “Third of May / Ōdaigahara” and the technicolor “Fool’s Errand.” Check out the video for the latter here, and find the band’s upcoming tour dates here.

Lorde: Melodrama (June 16, LAVA/Republic)

Lorde’s next full-length record Melodrama is due out in June, featuring previously released songs “Green Light” and the more somber “Liability.” It marks the singer-songwriter’s sophomore album; her debut Pure Heroine was released when Lorde (real name Ella Yelich-O'Connor) was 16. In an interview, she revealed the new album would be about “all the gross moments, all the great moments” of early adulthood. 

Radiohead: OKNOTOK (June 23, XL)

Radiohead are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their seminal album OK Computer with a special reissue. Titled OKNOTOK, the album includes the remastered original, eight B-sides, and three previously unreleased songs: “I Promise,” “Man of War,” and “Lift.” Radiohead cryptically teased the release with a series of posters featuring the dates 1997 and 2017. Although the album will be available digitally on June 23, physical copies won’t ship until July. Their last album was 2016’s A Moon Shaped Pool.

Vince Staples: Big Fish Theory (June 23, Def Jam)

Vince Staples returns with his third full-length LP, Big Fish Theory, in June. It marks his fourth project in as many years, and features previously released tracks, “BagBak” and his latest “Big Fish.” Watch the music video for that song here. Earlier this year, he connected the marine theme from his new title with his North American “The Life Aquatic Tour.” The poster featured art inspired by the Wes Anderson-directed cult classic. Staples’ forthcoming album follows his 2016 EP, Prima Donna, and his 2015 sophomore effort, Summertime ’06.

SZA: CTRL (June 23, Top Dawg Entertainment)

The much-anticipated follow-up to SZA’s 2014 album Z, titled CTRL, is finally on its way. The record is set to include three previously released songs: “Love Galore,” “Drew Barrymore,” and “twoAM,” a rework of PARTYNEXTDOOR and Drake's “Come and See Me.” The RZA narrated a video announcing the release date, concluding, “And it’s my honor to drop this lesson, it’s my honor to give this blessing.”

Cornelius: Mellow Waves (June 28 [Japan]/July 21 [Worldwide], Rostrum)

Keigo Oyamada, aka Cornelius, returns with his Sensuous follow-up. It marks the first album in 11 years from the Japanese producer, whose résumé includes remixes and production work for artists like Blur, Beck, Bloc Party, MGMT, and James Brown. Coming off the back of a tour last year, behind the reissue of 1997’s excellent Fantasma, the album is led by the single and video “あなたがいるなら (If You’re Here).”

Calvin Harris: Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 (June 30, Sony)

British producer/DJ Calvin Harris releases his follow-up to 2014’s Motion this summer. After promising he’d “worked with the greatest artists of our generation,” Harris unveiled an all-star guest list: Frank Ocean, Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj, Future, Pharrell, Katy Perry, Big Sean, John Legend, Khalid, Migos, Schoolboy Q, Ariana Grande, Young Thug, D.R.A.M., Kehlani, and more. He’s already released “Slide,” with Frank Ocean and Migos, as well as “Heatstroke” (featuring Young Thug, Pharrell, and Ariana Grande) and “Rollin’” with Future and Khalid.

Broken Social Scene: Hug of Thunder (July 7, City Slang/Arts & Crafts)

Broken Social Scene declared a hiatus after their last LP, 2010’s Forgiveness Rock Record. Now, seven years later, they make their return with a new album, Hug of Thunder. It finds the band reuniting with Leslie Feist, who made her solo comeback earlier this year with Pleasure. They’ve previously shared the songs “Halfway Home” (which they performed on “Colbert” in March) and “Hug of Thunder” (with Feist). The album features appearances from Metric members Emily Haines and James Shaw, Stars members Amy Millan and Evan Cranley, and more. 

Haim: Something to Tell You (July 7, Columbia)

Back in April, sister trio Haim announced that the follow-up to their 2013 debut Days Are Gone with a performance video of new song “Right Now” directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Shortly after, they revealed the full details for Something to Tell You and shared a new song “Want You Back” as well as the studio rendition of “Right Now.” The band also performed new track “Little of Your Love” on “SNL.” Something to Tell You was produced by Haim with Ariel Reichstad and features contributions from former Vampire Weekend member Rostam Batmanglij.

Japanese Breakfast: Soft Sounds From Another Planet (July 14, Dead Oceans)

Soft Sounds From Another Planet is the new album from Japanese Breakfast (aka Eugene, Oregon songwriter Michelle Zauner). It follows up her 2016 album Psychopomp. Zauner previously shared the song “Machinist” and its self-directed video. “The song is a sci-fi narrative about a woman who falls in love with a robot,” she said, “In the video she hallucinates on rocket fuel and tears apart her spaceship in an attempt to build a body for her robot lover.” Zauner will tour the album through the summer.

Shabazz Palaces: Quazars: Born on a Gangster Star / Quazars vs. the Jealous Machines (July 14, Sub Pop)

Shabazz Palaces return with not one but two new albums, both of which tell the story of Quazarz—a “sentient being from somewhere else.” Born on a Gangster Star includes the single “Shine a Light” (named Best New Track) and “Since C.A.Y.A.,” and it features guest appearances from  the Strokes’ Julian Casblanacas, Thundercat, Gamble and Huff, and more. Quazarz vs. the Jealous Machines is the former LP’s “extra-spatial twin” and will be available as a limited-edition illustrated album, drawn by cartoonist Joshua Ray Stephens. It features “30 Clip Extension” as well as a song called “Love in the time of Kanye.”

Sheer Mag: Need to Feel Your Love (July 14, Wilsuns RC)

Need to Feel Your Love is the debut album from Philadelphia rock band Sheer Mag, following their excellent trilogy of EPs (and a remastered compilation). It features the song “Just Can’t Get Enough,” which the band described as “a straight up and down rock ballad about ACTUALLY being in love, which is something we don’t often write about without being cynical in some way.” The band will tour the album through the summer, with their last date scheduled for September.

Lana Del Rey: Lust for Life (July 21, Polydor)

It took a minute but Lana Del Rey’s follow-up to 2015’s Honeymoon finally has an official release date. Lana has so far shared two tracks from the project, including “Love” and her collaboration with the Weeknd, “Lust for Life.” Watch their video here. She also debuted another new track, “Cherry,” when she performed at KROQ Weenie Roast Y Fiesta. Besides the Weeknd, Lana tapped Sean Lennon and Stevie Nicks for her forthcoming LP. Nicks will appear on the song, “Beautiful People, Beautiful Problems.” 

Downtown Boys: Cost of Living (August 11, Sub Pop)

In August, Downtown Boys make their Sub Pop debut with Cost of Living. So far, they have shared the project’s first single, “A Wall.” Frontwoman Victoria Ruiz told Pitchfork in January about her Kendrick Lamar fandom. “To be honest, I would rather play with Kendrick Lamar than, like, Bikini Kill or Nirvana,” she said. The band will be performing at Pitchfork’s Northside Festival showcase in June. They released their last album, Full Communism, in 2015.

Grizzly Bear: Painted Ruins (August 18, RCA)

After releasing their excellent album Shields in 2012, Grizzly Bear return with a new LP, Painted Ruins, in August. They have already shared two singles, including “Mourning Sound” and “Three Rings.” The band will launch their tour in October with dates in North America and Europe. See their full itinerary here. In 2013, they released Shields: B-Sides, a collection of demos they recorded in Marfa, Texas, after returning from their short hiatus and working on what would eventually become Shields. 

The National: Sleep Well Beast (September 8, 4AD)

Following their massive Grateful Dead compilation, A Lot of Sorrow, and their previous album Trouble Will Find Me, the National are back with their seventh studio LP. Sleep Well Beast features 12 new songs, including their new single “The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness” (named Best New Track). The band recorded it in Aaron Dessner’s Long Pond studio in Hudson Valley, New York, as well as in Los Angeles, Paris, and Berlin. The band will also embark on a world tour behind the new album.

LCD Soundsystem: TBA (TBD, Columbia)

LCD Soundsystem were gone for good, and then suddenly, they weren’t. They returned with a Christmas song, played a bunch of festivals, and promised a new album. This year, the band have inched closer to fulfilling the promise of that new LP. They released two new singles—“American Dream” and “Call the Police.” They performed both songs on “Saturday Night Live.” As they released the new singles, James Murphy promised that the album was “seriously almost done,” and during a more recent festival he announced it was “finally done.”

The War on Drugs: TBA (TBD, Atlantic) 

This year, the War on Drugs released their first new original piece of music since their excellent 2014 album Lost in the Dream. “Thinking of a Place” was released as a Record Store Day single, and later, arrived on streaming services. Now that they’ve announced a world tour and shared some new music, the next record seems to be around the corner. An announcement is still forthcoming, but Adam Granduciel told Pitchfork that the new one will be “gooey, punchy, thick, big-sounding”—”a little different than some of the records we've made in the past, but the same general feeling in the music.”  

June

06-02

Alt-J: Relaxer [Infectious/Atlantic]

Amber Coffman: City of No Reply [Columbia]

Anthony Pasquarosa: Abbandonato Da Dio Nazione [VDSQ]

Beach Fossils: Somersault [Bayonet]

Benjamin Booker: Witness [ATO]

Best Available Technology: Exposure Therapy [Styles Upon Styles]

Bleachers: Gone Now [RCA]

Chastity Belt: I Used to Spend So Much Time Alone [Hardly Art]

Chuck Johnson: Basalms [VDSQ]

Coldplay: Kaleidoscope EP [Parlophone]

Dan Auerbach: Waiting on a Song [Easy Eye Sound]

Halsey: Hopeless Fountain Kingdom [Astralwerks]

Iggy Pop: The Idiot, Lust for Life, and TV Eye Live [Universal] [reissues]

Ikonika: Distractions [Hyperdub]

Kacey Johansing: The Hiding [Night Bloom]

London Grammar: Truth Is a Beautiful Thing [Metal & Dust/Ministry of Sound]

Marika Hackman: I’m Not Your Man [Sub Pop]

Mark McGuire: Ideas of Beginnings [VDSQ]

Mavis Staples: I’ll Take You There—An All-Star Concert Celebration [Blackbird Presents]

Omar Souleyman: To Syria, With Love [Mad Decent]

Peaking Lights: The Fifth State of Consciousness [Two Flowers]

Pixx: The Age of Anxiety [4AD]

Roger Waters: Is This the Life We Really Want? [Jule Pond/Columbia]

Saint Etienne: Home Counties [Heavenly]

TOPS: Sugar at the Gate [Arbutus]

U2: The Joshua Tree [30th Anniversary Edition] [Interscope] [reissue]

Whitney: You’ve Got a Woman/Gonna Hurry (As Slow As I Can) [Secretly Canadian] [12” single]

06-09

Agent Blå: Agent Blue [Kanine/Luxury]

Big Thief: Capacity [Saddle Creek]

Chuck Berry: Chuck [Dualtone]

Glen Campbell: Adiós [Universal]

Ice Cube: Death Certificate: 25th Anniversary Edition [Interscope] [reissue]

James Litherland: Back ’n Blue [self-released]

Katy Perry: Witness [Capitol]

Kirin J Callinan: Bravado [Terrible]

Lindsey Buckingham/Christine McVie: Lindsey Buckingham/Christine McVie [Atlantic]

Phoenix: Ti Amo [Loyauté/Glassnote]

Planetarium (Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly, James McAlister): Planetarium [4AD]

Rancid: Trouble Maker [Epitaph/Hellcat]

Slow Dancer: In a Mood [ATO]

06-16

2 Chainz: Pretty Girls Like Trap Music [Def Jam]

Arcadea: Arcadea [Relapse]

B Boys: Dada [Captured Tracks]

Beth Ditto: Fake Sugar [Virgin]

Big Boi: Boomiverse [Epic]

Big Star: Best of Big Star [Stax] [compilation]

Chief Keef: Thot Breaker [Glory Boyz]

Com Truise: Iteration [Ghostly International]

David Bowie: Cracked Actor (Live in Los Angeles 1974) [Rhino] [reissue]

The Drums: “Abysmal Thoughts” [Anti-]

Fleet Foxes: Crack-Up [Nonesuch]

House and Land: House and Land [Thrill Jockey]

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit: The Nashville Sound [Southeastern]

Jefre Cantu-Ledesma: On the Echoing Green [Mexican Sumer]

Kevin Morby: City Music [Dead Oceans]

Lorde: Melodrama [Republic]

Michael Nau: Some Twist [Suicide Squeeze]

Ride: Weather Diaries [Wichita]

Royal Trux: Platinum Tips + Ice Cream [Drag City]

Steve Earle and the Dukes: So You Wanna Be an Outlaw [Warner Bros.]

Tombs: The Grand Annihilation [Metal Blade]

Various Artists: American Gods Soundtrack [Milan]

06-23

Banditos: Visionland [Bloodshot]

Dying Fetus: Wrong One to Fuck With [Relapse]

Ex Eye: Ex Eye [Relapse]

Jeff Tweedy: Together at Last [dBPM]

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard: Murder of the Universe [ATO]

Laurel Halo: Dust [Hyperdub]

The Monks: Hamburg Tapes 1967 [Third Man] [reissue]

Prince: Purple Rain Deluxe - Expanded Edition [NPG]

Radiohead: OK COMPUTER OKNOTOK 1997 2017 [XL] [reissue]

SZA: CTRL [Top Dawg Entertainment]

Vince Staples: Big Fish Theory [Blacksmith/ARTium/Def Jam]

06-30

Baio: Man of the World [Liberator Music]

Beach Boys: 1967 - Sunshine Tomorrow [Capitol] [reissue]

Beach House: B-Sides and Rarities [Sub Pop/Bella Union]

Bill Orcutt: Bill Orcutt [Palilalia]

Calvin Harris: Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 [Sony]

James Elkington: Wintres Woma [Paradise of Bachelors]

Kacy Hill: Like a Woman [G.O.O.D. Music/Def Jam]

Mark Kozelek and Sean Yeaton: Yellow Kitchen [Caldo Verde]

Moses Archuleta: Lifetime of Love [Geographic North]

TLC: TLC [852 Musiq]

UNKLE: The Road Part 1 [Songs for the Def]

July

07-07

Broken Social Scene: Hug of Thunder [City Slang/Arts & Crafts]

Haim: Something to Tell You [Columbia]

Melvins: A Walk Without Love [Ipecac Recordings]

Offa Rex (The Decemberists, Olivia Chaney): The Queen of Hearts [Nonesuch]

This is the Kit: Moonshine Freeze [Brassland]

Various Artists: Looking Forward: The Roots of Big Star [Omnivore]

Various Artists: True Romance Soundtrack [Wargod/Real Gone Music] [reissue]

07-14

Boris: Dear [Sargent House]

The Dears: Times Infinity Volume Two [Paper Bag]

Japanese Breakfast: Soft Sounds From Another Planet [Dead Oceans]

Mura Masa: Mura Masa [Anchor Point/Polydor]

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: The Echo of Pleasure [Painbow]

RAC: EGO [Counter Records]

Shabazz Palaces: Quazarz: Born on a Gangster Star [Sub Pop]

Shabazz Palaces: Quazarz vs. the Jealous Machines [Sub Pop]

Sheer Mag: Need to Feel Your Love [Wilsuns RC]

Waxahatchee: Out in the Storm [Merge]

07-21

Childhood: Universal High [Marathon Artists]

Cornelius: Mellow Waves [Rostrum]

Daphni (Caribou): Fabriclive 93 [Fabric]

Lana Del Rey: Lust for Life [Polydor]

07-28

Alice Cooper: Paranormal [earMUSIC]

Golden Retriever: Rotations [Thrill Jockey]

Harry Nilsson: Popeye - Music From the Motion Picture [Varese Sarabande] [reissue]

August

08-04

Dead Cross: Dead Cross [Ipecac]

Walter TV: Carpe Diem [Sinderlyn]

08-11

Downtown Boys: Cost of Living [Sub Pop]

08-18

Grizzly Bear: Painted Ruins [RCA]

The Kills: Echo Home Non-Electric EP [Domino]

Loretta Lynn: Wouldn’t It Be Great [Sony Legacy Recordings]

Steven Wilson: To the Bone [Caroline]

08-25

Cymbals: Light In Your Mind [Tough Love]

EMA: Exile in the Outer Ring [City Slang]

September

09-01

Mogwai: Every Country’s Sun [Temporary Residence]

09-08

The National: Sleep Well Beast [4AD]

Sparks: Hippopotamus [BMG]

Tori Amos: Native Invader [Epic]

Various Artists:  Twin Peaks (Limited Event Series Original Soundtrack) [Rhino]

Various Artists:  Twin Peaks (Music From the Limited Event Series) [Rhino]

09-15

Fall Out Boy: M A N I A [Fueled By Ramen/Island]

Madonna: Rebel Heart Tour [Interscope/Live Nation] [DVD]

Michael McDonald: Wide Open [BMG]

TBA

Alice Glass: TBA [TBA]

Arcade Fire: TBA [TBA]

Beck: TBA [Capitol]

Cashmere Cat: 9 [Mad Love/Interscope]

Chic: It’s About Time [TBA]

Chromatics: Dear Tommy [Italians Do It Better]

CyHi the Prynce: No Dope on Sundays [Brooklyn Knights/Sony RAL]

Dentia: Ceilings [Styles Upon Styles]

Die Antwoord: The Book of Zef [Zef]

DJ Khaled: Grateful [Epic]

Earl Sweatshirt: TBA [TBA]

Fischerscpooner: SIR [TBA]

GZA: Dark Matter [TBA]

Kamaiyah: Don’t Ever Get It Twisted [TBA]

Kane Strang: TBA [Dead Oceans]

Kelela: TBA [Warp]

King Krule: TBA [TBA]

The Killers: TBA [TBA]

Lana Del Rey: Lust for Life [Interscope/Polydor]

LCD Soundsystem: TBA [Columbia]

Liars: TBA [Mute]

Lil B: Black Ken [self-released]

Lil Uzi Vert: Luv is Rage 2 [Generation Now/Atlantic]

Major Lazer: TBA [TBA]

MGMT: Little Dark Age [Columbia]

Post Malone: Beer Bongs & Bentleys [Republic]

Queens of the Stone Age: TBA [TBA]

Sky Ferreira: Masochism [TBA]

SZA: CTRL [TDE]

Vampire Weekend: TBA [TBA]

The War on Drugs: TBA [Atlantic]

Wolf Parade: TBA [TBA]

Zack de la Rocha: TBA [TBA]

[Read More ...]

IN MY Dreams

[photosofusly]

The Pitchfork Guide to Upcoming Releases: Summer 2017

Welcome back to the Pitchfork Guide to Upcoming Releases, our seasonal guide to new music. Four times a year, we round up a list of albums, singles, EPs, reissues, and more arriving in the coming months. This installment covers summer 2017, starting with this Friday, June 2. (Please note that release dates may change.) To start things off, we’ve highlighted a few particularly notable releases, including albums by Phoenix, Broken Social Scene, Fleet Foxes, Vince Staples, Lana Del Rey, the War on Drugs, Haim, Radiohead, Grizzly Bear, SZA, and more. For more about the releases we’re most excited for in 2017, check out our feature from the beginning of the year. Amber Coffman: City of No Reply (June 2, Columbia) Former Dirty Projectors member Amber Coffman will be making her solo debut with the release of City of No Reply. She worked with Dirty Projectors’ Dave Longstreth on the album in 2015, recording it in his Los Angeles studio. She has already shared three tracks from the project, including “Nobody Knows,” “All to Myself” and “No Coffee.” In March, Coffman detailed her decision to leave the band, and ended with her hopes for her new music. “I’ve waited a long time to share it and I’m looking forward to it,” she said. Big Thief: Capacity (June 9, Saddle Creek) Singer and guitarist Adrianna Lenker said of Big Thief’s forthcoming album Capacity, “There is a darker darkness and a lighter light on this album.” The band have already shared their first single, “Mythological Beauty.” It recalls a moment from Lenker’s childhood when a railroad spike came close to killing her after it accidentally landed on her head. Watch the music video for the song here. Big Thief released their last album, Masterpiece, in 2016. They are currently on tour until the end of August.  Phoenix: Ti Amo (June 9, Loyauté/Glassnote) Phoenix are back after a four year absence, with their sixth studio album, Ti Amo. They recorded their follow-up to 2013’s Bankrupt!  in late 2014 at the Pompidou Center in Paris. The band has released the title track and “J-Boy” so far. The music video for “J-Boy” finds the band performing on a fake TV program. Phoenix are currently on tour until the end of September. Fleet Foxes: Crack-Up (June 16, Nonesuch Records) According to bandleader Robin Pecknold, Fleet Foxes’ third studio album “deals with perception, and the difference between how I have seen the world and how it actually is.” Crack-Up is the group’s fourth studio album; their last full-length Helplessness Blues, was released in 2011. In the years since, Pecknold enrolled in (and graduated from) Columbia University. Two singles from Crack-Up have been released thus far: “Third of May / Ōdaigahara” and the technicolor “Fool’s Errand.” Check out the video for the latter here, and find the band’s upcoming tour dates here. Lorde: Melodrama (June 16, LAVA/Republic) Lorde’s next full-length record Melodrama is due out in June, featuring previously released songs “Green Light” and the more somber “Liability.” It marks the singer-songwriter’s sophomore album; her debut Pure Heroine was released when Lorde (real name Ella Yelich-O’Connor) was 16. In an interview, she revealed the new album would be about “all the gross moments, all the great moments” of early adulthood.  Radiohead: OKNOTOK (June 23, XL) Radiohead are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their seminal album OK Computer with a special reissue. Titled OKNOTOK, the album includes the remastered original, eight B-sides, and three previously unreleased songs: “I Promise,” “Man of War,” and “Lift.” Radiohead cryptically teased the release with a series of posters featuring the dates 1997 and 2017. Although the album will be available digitally on June 23, physical copies won’t ship until July. Their last album was 2016’s A Moon Shaped Pool. Vince Staples: Big Fish Theory (June 23, Def Jam) Vince Staples returns with his third full-length LP, Big Fish Theory, in June. It marks his fourth project in as many years, and features previously released tracks, “BagBak” and his latest “Big Fish.” Watch the music video for that song here. Earlier this year, he connected the marine theme from his new title with his North American “The Life Aquatic Tour.” The poster featured art inspired by the Wes Anderson-directed cult classic. Staples’ forthcoming album follows his 2016 EP, Prima Donna, and his 2015 sophomore effort, Summertime ’06. SZA: CTRL (June 23, Top Dawg Entertainment) The much-anticipated follow-up to SZA’s 2014 album Z, titled CTRL, is finally on its way. The record is set to include three previously released songs: “Love Galore,” “Drew Barrymore,” and “twoAM,” a rework of PARTYNEXTDOOR and Drake’s “Come and See Me.” The RZA narrated a video announcing the release date, concluding, “And it’s my honor to drop this lesson, it’s my honor to give this blessing.” Cornelius: Mellow Waves (June 28 [Japan]/July 21 [Worldwide], Rostrum) Keigo Oyamada, aka Cornelius, returns with his Sensuous follow-up. It marks the first album in 11 years from the Japanese producer, whose résumé includes remixes and production work for artists like Blur, Beck, Bloc Party, MGMT, and James Brown. Coming off the back of a tour last year, behind the reissue of 1997’s excellent Fantasma, the album is led by the single and video “あなたがいるなら (If You’re Here).” Calvin Harris: Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 (June 30, Sony) British producer/DJ Calvin Harris releases his follow-up to 2014’s Motion this summer. After promising he’d “worked with the greatest artists of our generation,” Harris unveiled an all-star guest list: Frank Ocean, Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj, Future, Pharrell, Katy Perry, Big Sean, John Legend, Khalid, Migos, Schoolboy Q, Ariana Grande, Young Thug, D.R.A.M., Kehlani, and more. He’s already released “Slide,” with Frank Ocean and Migos, as well as “Heatstroke” (featuring Young Thug, Pharrell, and Ariana Grande) and “Rollin’” with Future and Khalid. Broken Social Scene: Hug of Thunder (July 7, City Slang/Arts & Crafts) Broken Social Scene declared a hiatus after their last LP, 2010’s Forgiveness Rock Record. Now, seven years later, they make their return with a new album, Hug of Thunder. It finds the band reuniting with Leslie Feist, who made her solo comeback earlier this year with Pleasure. They’ve previously shared the songs “Halfway Home” (which they performed on “Colbert” in March) and “Hug of Thunder” (with Feist). The album features appearances from Metric members Emily Haines and James Shaw, Stars members Amy Millan and Evan Cranley, and more.  Haim: Something to Tell You (July 7, Columbia) Back in April, sister trio Haim announced that the follow-up to their 2013 debut Days Are Gone with a performance video of new song “Right Now” directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Shortly after, they revealed the full details for Something to Tell You and shared a new song “Want You Back” as well as the studio rendition of “Right Now.” The band also performed new track “Little of Your Love” on “SNL.” Something to Tell You was produced by Haim with Ariel Reichstad and features contributions from former Vampire Weekend member Rostam Batmanglij. Japanese Breakfast: Soft Sounds From Another Planet (July 14, Dead Oceans) Soft Sounds From Another Planet is the new album from Japanese Breakfast (aka Eugene, Oregon songwriter Michelle Zauner). It follows up her 2016 album Psychopomp. Zauner previously shared the song “Machinist” and its self-directed video. “The song is a sci-fi narrative about a woman who falls in love with a robot,” she said, “In the video she hallucinates on rocket fuel and tears apart her spaceship in an attempt to build a body for her robot lover.” Zauner will tour the album through the summer. Shabazz Palaces: Quazars: Born on a Gangster Star / Quazars vs. the Jealous Machines (July 14, Sub Pop) Shabazz Palaces return with not one but two new albums, both of which tell the story of Quazarz—a “sentient being from somewhere else.” Born on a Gangster Star includes the single “Shine a Light” (named Best New Track) and “Since C.A.Y.A.,” and it features guest appearances from  the Strokes’ Julian Casblanacas, Thundercat, Gamble and Huff, and more. Quazarz vs. the Jealous Machines is the former LP’s “extra-spatial twin” and will be available as a limited-edition illustrated album, drawn by cartoonist Joshua Ray Stephens. It features “30 Clip Extension” as well as a song called “Love in the time of Kanye.” Sheer Mag: Need to Feel Your Love (July 14, Wilsuns RC) Need to Feel Your Love is the debut album from Philadelphia rock band Sheer Mag, following their excellent trilogy of EPs (and a remastered compilation). It features the song “Just Can’t Get Enough,” which the band described as “a straight up and down rock ballad about ACTUALLY being in love, which is something we don’t often write about without being cynical in some way.” The band will tour the album through the summer, with their last date scheduled for September. Lana Del Rey: Lust for Life (July 21, Polydor) It took a minute but Lana Del Rey’s follow-up to 2015’s Honeymoon finally has an official release date. Lana has so far shared two tracks from the project, including “Love” and her collaboration with the Weeknd, “Lust for Life.” Watch their video here. She also debuted another new track, “Cherry,” when she performed at KROQ Weenie Roast Y Fiesta. Besides the Weeknd, Lana tapped Sean Lennon and Stevie Nicks for her forthcoming LP. Nicks will appear on the song, “Beautiful People, Beautiful Problems.”  Downtown Boys: Cost of Living (August 11, Sub Pop) In August, Downtown Boys make their Sub Pop debut with Cost of Living. So far, they have shared the project’s first single, “A Wall.” Frontwoman Victoria Ruiz told Pitchfork in January about her Kendrick Lamar fandom. “To be honest, I would rather play with Kendrick Lamar than, like, Bikini Kill or Nirvana,” she said. The band will be performing at Pitchfork’s Northside Festival showcase in June. They released their last album, Full Communism, in 2015. Grizzly Bear: Painted Ruins (August 18, RCA) After releasing their excellent album Shields in 2012, Grizzly Bear return with a new LP, Painted Ruins, in August. They have already shared two singles, including “Mourning Sound” and “Three Rings.” The band will launch their tour in October with dates in North America and Europe. See their full itinerary here. In 2013, they released Shields: B-Sides, a collection of demos they recorded in Marfa, Texas, after returning from their short hiatus and working on what would eventually become Shields.  The National: Sleep Well Beast (September 8, 4AD) Following their massive Grateful Dead compilation, A Lot of Sorrow, and their previous album Trouble Will Find Me, the National are back with their seventh studio LP. Sleep Well Beast features 12 new songs, including their new single “The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness” (named Best New Track). The band recorded it in Aaron Dessner’s Long Pond studio in Hudson Valley, New York, as well as in Los Angeles, Paris, and Berlin. The band will also embark on a world tour behind the new album. LCD Soundsystem: TBA (TBD, Columbia) LCD Soundsystem were gone for good, and then suddenly, they weren’t. They returned with a Christmas song, played a bunch of festivals, and promised a new album. This year, the band have inched closer to fulfilling the promise of that new LP. They released two new singles—“American Dream” and “Call the Police.” They performed both songs on “Saturday Night Live.” As they released the new singles, James Murphy promised that the album was “seriously almost done,” and during a more recent festival he announced it was “finally done.” The War on Drugs: TBA (TBD, Atlantic)  This year, the War on Drugs released their first new original piece of music since their excellent 2014 album Lost in the Dream. “Thinking of a Place” was released as a Record Store Day single, and later, arrived on streaming services. Now that they’ve announced a world tour and shared some new music, the next record seems to be around the corner. An announcement is still forthcoming, but Adam Granduciel told Pitchfork that the new one will be “gooey, punchy, thick, big-sounding”—”a little different than some of the records we’ve made in the past, but the same general feeling in the music.”   June 06-02

Alt-J: Relaxer [Infectious/Atlantic] Amber Coffman: City of No Reply [Columbia] Anthony Pasquarosa: Abbandonato Da Dio Nazione [VDSQ] Beach Fossils: Somersault [Bayonet] Benjamin Booker: Witness [ATO] Best Available Technology: Exposure Therapy [Styles Upon Styles] Bleachers: Gone Now [RCA] Chastity Belt: I Used to Spend So Much Time Alone [Hardly Art] Chuck Johnson: Basalms [VDSQ] Coldplay: Kaleidoscope EP [Parlophone] Dan Auerbach: Waiting on a Song [Easy Eye Sound] Halsey: Hopeless Fountain Kingdom [Astralwerks] Iggy Pop: The Idiot, Lust for Life, and TV Eye Live [Universal] [reissues] Ikonika: Distractions [Hyperdub] Kacey Johansing: The Hiding [Night Bloom] London Grammar: Truth Is a Beautiful Thing [Metal & Dust/Ministry of Sound] Marika Hackman: I’m Not Your Man [Sub Pop] Mark McGuire: Ideas of Beginnings [VDSQ] Mavis Staples: I’ll Take You There—An All-Star Concert Celebration [Blackbird Presents] Omar Souleyman: To Syria, With Love [Mad Decent] Peaking Lights: The Fifth State of Consciousness [Two Flowers] Pixx: The Age of Anxiety [4AD] Roger Waters: Is This the Life We Really Want? [Jule Pond/Columbia] Saint Etienne: Home Counties [Heavenly] TOPS: Sugar at the Gate [Arbutus] U2: The Joshua Tree [30th Anniversary Edition] [Interscope] [reissue] Whitney: You’ve Got a Woman/Gonna Hurry (As Slow As I Can) [Secretly Canadian] [12” single]

06-09

Agent Blå: Agent Blue [Kanine/Luxury] Big Thief: Capacity [Saddle Creek] Chuck Berry: Chuck [Dualtone] Glen Campbell: Adiós [Universal] Ice Cube: Death Certificate: 25th Anniversary Edition [Interscope] [reissue] James Litherland: Back ’n Blue [self-released] Katy Perry: Witness [Capitol] Kirin J Callinan: Bravado [Terrible] Lindsey Buckingham/Christine McVie: Lindsey Buckingham/Christine McVie [Atlantic] Phoenix: Ti Amo [Loyauté/Glassnote] Planetarium (Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly, James McAlister): Planetarium [4AD] Rancid: Trouble Maker [Epitaph/Hellcat] Slow Dancer: In a Mood [ATO]

06-16

2 Chainz: Pretty Girls Like Trap Music [Def Jam] Arcadea: Arcadea [Relapse] B Boys: Dada [Captured Tracks] Beth Ditto: Fake Sugar [Virgin] Big Boi: Boomiverse [Epic] Big Star: Best of Big Star [Stax] [compilation] Chief Keef: Thot Breaker [Glory Boyz] Com Truise: Iteration [Ghostly International] David Bowie: Cracked Actor (Live in Los Angeles 1974) [Rhino] [reissue] The Drums: “Abysmal Thoughts” [Anti-] Fleet Foxes: Crack-Up [Nonesuch] House and Land: House and Land [Thrill Jockey] Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit: The Nashville Sound [Southeastern] Jefre Cantu-Ledesma: On the Echoing Green [Mexican Sumer] Kevin Morby: City Music [Dead Oceans] Lorde: Melodrama [Republic] Michael Nau: Some Twist [Suicide Squeeze] Ride: Weather Diaries [Wichita] Royal Trux: Platinum Tips + Ice Cream [Drag City] Steve Earle and the Dukes: So You Wanna Be an Outlaw [Warner Bros.] Tombs: The Grand Annihilation [Metal Blade] Various Artists: American Gods Soundtrack [Milan]

06-23

Banditos: Visionland [Bloodshot] Dying Fetus: Wrong One to Fuck With [Relapse] Ex Eye: Ex Eye [Relapse] Jeff Tweedy: Together at Last [dBPM] King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard: Murder of the Universe [ATO] Laurel Halo: Dust [Hyperdub] The Monks: Hamburg Tapes 1967 [Third Man] [reissue] Prince: Purple Rain Deluxe – Expanded Edition [NPG] Radiohead: OK COMPUTER OKNOTOK 1997 2017 [XL] [reissue] SZA: CTRL [Top Dawg Entertainment] Vince Staples: Big Fish Theory [Blacksmith/ARTium/Def Jam]

06-30

Baio: Man of the World [Liberator Music] Beach Boys: 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow [Capitol] [reissue] Beach House: B-Sides and Rarities [Sub Pop/Bella Union] Bill Orcutt: Bill Orcutt [Palilalia] Calvin Harris: Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 [Sony] James Elkington: Wintres Woma [Paradise of Bachelors] Kacy Hill: Like a Woman [G.O.O.D. Music/Def Jam] Mark Kozelek and Sean Yeaton: Yellow Kitchen [Caldo Verde] Moses Archuleta: Lifetime of Love [Geographic North] TLC: TLC [852 Musiq] UNKLE: The Road Part 1 [Songs for the Def]

July 07-07

Broken Social Scene: Hug of Thunder [City Slang/Arts & Crafts] Haim: Something to Tell You [Columbia] Melvins: A Walk Without Love [Ipecac Recordings] Offa Rex (The Decemberists, Olivia Chaney): The Queen of Hearts [Nonesuch] This is the Kit: Moonshine Freeze [Brassland] Various Artists: Looking Forward: The Roots of Big Star [Omnivore] Various Artists: True Romance Soundtrack [Wargod/Real Gone Music] [reissue]

07-14

Boris: Dear [Sargent House] The Dears: Times Infinity Volume Two [Paper Bag] Japanese Breakfast: Soft Sounds From Another Planet [Dead Oceans] Mura Masa: Mura Masa [Anchor Point/Polydor] The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: The Echo of Pleasure [Painbow] RAC: EGO [Counter Records] Shabazz Palaces: Quazarz: Born on a Gangster Star [Sub Pop] Shabazz Palaces: Quazarz vs. the Jealous Machines [Sub Pop] Sheer Mag: Need to Feel Your Love [Wilsuns RC] Waxahatchee: Out in the Storm [Merge]

07-21

Childhood: Universal High [Marathon Artists] Cornelius: Mellow Waves [Rostrum] Daphni (Caribou): Fabriclive 93 [Fabric] Lana Del Rey: Lust for Life [Polydor]

07-28

Alice Cooper: Paranormal [earMUSIC] Golden Retriever: Rotations [Thrill Jockey] Harry Nilsson: Popeye – Music From the Motion Picture [Varese Sarabande] [reissue]

August 08-04

Dead Cross: Dead Cross [Ipecac] Walter TV: Carpe Diem [Sinderlyn]

08-11

Downtown Boys: Cost of Living [Sub Pop]

08-18

Grizzly Bear: Painted Ruins [RCA] The Kills: Echo Home Non-Electric EP [Domino] Loretta Lynn: Wouldn’t It Be Great [Sony Legacy Recordings] Steven Wilson: To the Bone [Caroline]

08-25

Cymbals: Light In Your Mind [Tough Love] EMA: Exile in the Outer Ring [City Slang]

September 09-01

Mogwai: Every Country’s Sun [Temporary Residence]

09-08

The National: Sleep Well Beast [4AD] Sparks: Hippopotamus [BMG] Tori Amos: Native Invader [Epic] Various Artists:  Twin Peaks (Limited Event Series Original Soundtrack) [Rhino] Various Artists:  Twin Peaks (Music From the Limited Event Series) [Rhino]

09-15

Fall Out Boy: M A N I A [Fueled By Ramen/Island] Madonna: Rebel Heart Tour [Interscope/Live Nation] [DVD] Michael McDonald: Wide Open [BMG]

TBA

Alice Glass: TBA [TBA] Arcade Fire: TBA [TBA] Beck: TBA [Capitol] Cashmere Cat: 9 [Mad Love/Interscope] Chic: It’s About Time [TBA] Chromatics: Dear Tommy [Italians Do It Better] CyHi the Prynce: No Dope on Sundays [Brooklyn Knights/Sony RAL] Dentia: Ceilings [Styles Upon Styles] Die Antwoord: The Book of Zef [Zef] DJ Khaled: Grateful [Epic] Earl Sweatshirt: TBA [TBA] Fischerscpooner: SIR [TBA] GZA: Dark Matter [TBA] Kamaiyah: Don’t Ever Get It Twisted [TBA] Kane Strang: TBA [Dead Oceans] Kelela: TBA [Warp] King Krule: TBA [TBA] The Killers: TBA [TBA] Lana Del Rey: Lust for Life [Interscope/Polydor] LCD Soundsystem: TBA [Columbia] Liars: TBA [Mute] Lil B: Black Ken [self-released] Lil Uzi Vert: Luv is Rage 2 [Generation Now/Atlantic] Major Lazer: TBA [TBA] MGMT: Little Dark Age [Columbia] Post Malone: Beer Bongs & Bentleys [Republic] Queens of the Stone Age: TBA [TBA] Sky Ferreira: Masochism [TBA] SZA: CTRL [TDE] Vampire Weekend: TBA [TBA] The War on Drugs: TBA [Atlantic] Wolf Parade: TBA [TBA] Zack de la Rocha: TBA [TBA]

View Full Article Here: The Pitchfork Guide to Upcoming Releases: Summer 2017

The Pitchfork Guide to Upcoming Releases: Summer 2017 was originally published on CALM | We Drive The Calmest, Strive Regardless

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The Pitchfork Guide to Upcoming Releases: Summer 2017

Welcome back to the Pitchfork Guide to Upcoming Releases, our seasonal guide to new music. Four times a year, we round up a list of albums, singles, EPs, reissues, and more arriving in the coming months. This installment covers summer 2017, starting with this Friday, June 2. (Please note that release dates may change.) To start things off, we’ve highlighted a few particularly notable releases, including albums by Phoenix, Broken Social Scene, Fleet Foxes, Vince Staples, Lana Del Rey, the War on Drugs, Haim, Radiohead, Grizzly Bear, SZA, and more. For more about the releases we’re most excited for in 2017, check out our feature from the beginning of the year.

Amber Coffman: City of No Reply (June 2, Columbia)

Former Dirty Projectors member Amber Coffman will be making her solo debut with the release of City of No Reply. She worked with Dirty Projectors’ Dave Longstreth on the album in 2015, recording it in his Los Angeles studio. She has already shared three tracks from the project, including “Nobody Knows,” “All to Myself” and “No Coffee.” In March, Coffman detailed her decision to leave the band, and ended with her hopes for her new music. “I’ve waited a long time to share it and I’m looking forward to it,” she said.

Big Thief: Capacity (June 9, Saddle Creek)

Singer and guitarist Adrianna Lenker said of Big Thief’s forthcoming album Capacity, “There is a darker darkness and a lighter light on this album.” The band have already shared their first single, “Mythological Beauty.” It recalls a moment from Lenker’s childhood when a railroad spike came close to killing her after it accidentally landed on her head. Watch the music video for the song here. Big Thief released their last album, Masterpiece, in 2016. They are currently on tour until the end of August. 

Phoenix: Ti Amo (June 9, Loyauté/Glassnote)

Phoenix are back after a four year absence, with their sixth studio album, Ti Amo. They recorded their follow-up to 2013’s Bankrupt!  in late 2014 at the Pompidou Center in Paris. The band has released the title track and “J-Boy” so far. The music video for “J-Boy” finds the band performing on a fake TV program. Phoenix are currently on tour until the end of September.

Fleet Foxes: Crack-Up (June 16, Nonesuch Records)

According to bandleader Robin Pecknold, Fleet Foxes’ third studio album “deals with perception, and the difference between how I have seen the world and how it actually is.” Crack-Up is the group’s fourth studio album; their last full-length Helplessness Blues, was released in 2011. In the years since, Pecknold enrolled in (and graduated from) Columbia University. Two singles from Crack-Up have been released thus far: “Third of May / Ōdaigahara” and the technicolor “Fool’s Errand.” Check out the video for the latter here, and find the band’s upcoming tour dates here.

Lorde: Melodrama (June 16, LAVA/Republic)

Lorde’s next full-length record Melodrama is due out in June, featuring previously released songs “Green Light” and the more somber “Liability.” It marks the singer-songwriter’s sophomore album; her debut Pure Heroine was released when Lorde (real name Ella Yelich-O'Connor) was 16. In an interview, she revealed the new album would be about “all the gross moments, all the great moments” of early adulthood. 

Radiohead: OKNOTOK (June 23, XL)

Radiohead are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their seminal album OK Computer with a special reissue. Titled OKNOTOK, the album includes the remastered original, eight B-sides, and three previously unreleased songs: “I Promise,” “Man of War,” and “Lift.” Radiohead cryptically teased the release with a series of posters featuring the dates 1997 and 2017. Although the album will be available digitally on June 23, physical copies won’t ship until July. Their last album was 2016’s A Moon Shaped Pool.

Vince Staples: Big Fish Theory (June 23, Def Jam)

Vince Staples returns with his third full-length LP, Big Fish Theory, in June. It marks his fourth project in as many years, and features previously released tracks, “BagBak” and his latest “Big Fish.” Watch the music video for that song here. Earlier this year, he connected the marine theme from his new title with his North American “The Life Aquatic Tour.” The poster featured art inspired by the Wes Anderson-directed cult classic. Staples’ forthcoming album follows his 2016 EP, Prima Donna, and his 2015 sophomore effort, Summertime ’06.

SZA: CTRL (June 23, Top Dawg Entertainment)

The much-anticipated follow-up to SZA’s 2014 album Z, titled CTRL, is finally on its way. The record is set to include three previously released songs: “Love Galore,” “Drew Barrymore,” and “twoAM,” a rework of PARTYNEXTDOOR and Drake's “Come and See Me.” The RZA narrated a video announcing the release date, concluding, “And it’s my honor to drop this lesson, it’s my honor to give this blessing.”

Cornelius: Mellow Waves (June 28 [Japan]/July 21 [Worldwide], Rostrum)

Keigo Oyamada, aka Cornelius, returns with his Sensuous follow-up. It marks the first album in 11 years from the Japanese producer, whose résumé includes remixes and production work for artists like Blur, Beck, Bloc Party, MGMT, and James Brown. Coming off the back of a tour last year, behind the reissue of 1997’s excellent Fantasma, the album is led by the single and video “あなたがいるなら (If You’re Here).”

Calvin Harris: Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 (June 30, Sony)

British producer/DJ Calvin Harris releases his follow-up to 2014’s Motion this summer. After promising he’d “worked with the greatest artists of our generation,” Harris unveiled an all-star guest list: Frank Ocean, Travis Scott, Nicki Minaj, Future, Pharrell, Katy Perry, Big Sean, John Legend, Khalid, Migos, Schoolboy Q, Ariana Grande, Young Thug, D.R.A.M., Kehlani, and more. He’s already released “Slide,” with Frank Ocean and Migos, as well as “Heatstroke” (featuring Young Thug, Pharrell, and Ariana Grande) and “Rollin’” with Future and Khalid.

Broken Social Scene: Hug of Thunder (July 7, City Slang/Arts & Crafts)

Broken Social Scene declared a hiatus after their last LP, 2010’s Forgiveness Rock Record. Now, seven years later, they make their return with a new album, Hug of Thunder. It finds the band reuniting with Leslie Feist, who made her solo comeback earlier this year with Pleasure. They’ve previously shared the songs “Halfway Home” (which they performed on “Colbert” in March) and “Hug of Thunder” (with Feist). The album features appearances from Metric members Emily Haines and James Shaw, Stars members Amy Millan and Evan Cranley, and more. 

Haim: Something to Tell You (July 7, Columbia)

Back in April, sister trio Haim announced that the follow-up to their 2013 debut Days Are Gone with a performance video of new song “Right Now” directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Shortly after, they revealed the full details for Something to Tell You and shared a new song “Want You Back” as well as the studio rendition of “Right Now.” The band also performed new track “Little of Your Love” on “SNL.” Something to Tell You was produced by Haim with Ariel Reichstad and features contributions from former Vampire Weekend member Rostam Batmanglij.

Japanese Breakfast: Soft Sounds From Another Planet (July 14, Dead Oceans)

Soft Sounds From Another Planet is the new album from Japanese Breakfast (aka Eugene, Oregon songwriter Michelle Zauner). It follows up her 2016 album Psychopomp. Zauner previously shared the song “Machinist” and its self-directed video. “The song is a sci-fi narrative about a woman who falls in love with a robot,” she said, “In the video she hallucinates on rocket fuel and tears apart her spaceship in an attempt to build a body for her robot lover.” Zauner will tour the album through the summer.

Shabazz Palaces: Quazars: Born on a Gangster Star / Quazars vs. the Jealous Machines (July 14, Sub Pop)

Shabazz Palaces return with not one but two new albums, both of which tell the story of Quazarz—a “sentient being from somewhere else.” Born on a Gangster Star includes the single “Shine a Light” (named Best New Track) and “Since C.A.Y.A.,” and it features guest appearances from  the Strokes’ Julian Casblanacas, Thundercat, Gamble and Huff, and more. Quazarz vs. the Jealous Machines is the former LP’s “extra-spatial twin” and will be available as a limited-edition illustrated album, drawn by cartoonist Joshua Ray Stephens. It features “30 Clip Extension” as well as a song called “Love in the time of Kanye.”

Sheer Mag: Need to Feel Your Love (July 14, Wilsuns RC)

Need to Feel Your Love is the debut album from Philadelphia rock band Sheer Mag, following their excellent trilogy of EPs (and a remastered compilation). It features the song “Just Can’t Get Enough,” which the band described as “a straight up and down rock ballad about ACTUALLY being in love, which is something we don’t often write about without being cynical in some way.” The band will tour the album through the summer, with their last date scheduled for September.

Lana Del Rey: Lust for Life (July 21, Polydor)

It took a minute but Lana Del Rey’s follow-up to 2015’s Honeymoon finally has an official release date. Lana has so far shared two tracks from the project, including “Love” and her collaboration with the Weeknd, “Lust for Life.” Watch their video here. She also debuted another new track, “Cherry,” when she performed at KROQ Weenie Roast Y Fiesta. Besides the Weeknd, Lana tapped Sean Lennon and Stevie Nicks for her forthcoming LP. Nicks will appear on the song, “Beautiful People, Beautiful Problems.” 

Downtown Boys: Cost of Living (August 11, Sub Pop)

In August, Downtown Boys make their Sub Pop debut with Cost of Living. So far, they have shared the project’s first single, “A Wall.” Frontwoman Victoria Ruiz told Pitchfork in January about her Kendrick Lamar fandom. “To be honest, I would rather play with Kendrick Lamar than, like, Bikini Kill or Nirvana,” she said. The band will be performing at Pitchfork’s Northside Festival showcase in June. They released their last album, Full Communism, in 2015.

Grizzly Bear: Painted Ruins (August 18, RCA)

After releasing their excellent album Shields in 2012, Grizzly Bear return with a new LP, Painted Ruins, in August. They have already shared two singles, including “Mourning Sound” and “Three Rings.” The band will launch their tour in October with dates in North America and Europe. See their full itinerary here. In 2013, they released Shields: B-Sides, a collection of demos they recorded in Marfa, Texas, after returning from their short hiatus and working on what would eventually become Shields. 

The National: Sleep Well Beast (September 8, 4AD)

Following their massive Grateful Dead compilation, A Lot of Sorrow, and their previous album Trouble Will Find Me, the National are back with their seventh studio LP. Sleep Well Beast features 12 new songs, including their new single “The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness” (named Best New Track). The band recorded it in Aaron Dessner’s Long Pond studio in Hudson Valley, New York, as well as in Los Angeles, Paris, and Berlin. The band will also embark on a world tour behind the new album.

LCD Soundsystem: TBA (TBD, Columbia)

LCD Soundsystem were gone for good, and then suddenly, they weren’t. They returned with a Christmas song, played a bunch of festivals, and promised a new album. This year, the band have inched closer to fulfilling the promise of that new LP. They released two new singles—“American Dream” and “Call the Police.” They performed both songs on “Saturday Night Live.” As they released the new singles, James Murphy promised that the album was “seriously almost done,” and during a more recent festival he announced it was “finally done.”

The War on Drugs: TBA (TBD, Atlantic) 

This year, the War on Drugs released their first new original piece of music since their excellent 2014 album Lost in the Dream. “Thinking of a Place” was released as a Record Store Day single, and later, arrived on streaming services. Now that they’ve announced a world tour and shared some new music, the next record seems to be around the corner. An announcement is still forthcoming, but Adam Granduciel told Pitchfork that the new one will be “gooey, punchy, thick, big-sounding”—”a little different than some of the records we've made in the past, but the same general feeling in the music.”  

June

06-02

Alt-J: Relaxer [Infectious/Atlantic]

Amber Coffman: City of No Reply [Columbia]

Anthony Pasquarosa: Abbandonato Da Dio Nazione [VDSQ]

Beach Fossils: Somersault [Bayonet]

Benjamin Booker: Witness [ATO]

Best Available Technology: Exposure Therapy [Styles Upon Styles]

Bleachers: Gone Now [RCA]

Chastity Belt: I Used to Spend So Much Time Alone [Hardly Art]

Chuck Johnson: Basalms [VDSQ]

Coldplay: Kaleidoscope EP [Parlophone]

Dan Auerbach: Waiting on a Song [Easy Eye Sound]

Halsey: Hopeless Fountain Kingdom [Astralwerks]

Iggy Pop: The Idiot, Lust for Life, and TV Eye Live [Universal] [reissues]

Ikonika: Distractions [Hyperdub]

Kacey Johansing: The Hiding [Night Bloom]

London Grammar: Truth Is a Beautiful Thing [Metal & Dust/Ministry of Sound]

Marika Hackman: I’m Not Your Man [Sub Pop]

Mark McGuire: Ideas of Beginnings [VDSQ]

Mavis Staples: I’ll Take You There—An All-Star Concert Celebration [Blackbird Presents]

Omar Souleyman: To Syria, With Love [Mad Decent]

Peaking Lights: The Fifth State of Consciousness [Two Flowers]

Pixx: The Age of Anxiety [4AD]

Roger Waters: Is This the Life We Really Want? [Jule Pond/Columbia]

Saint Etienne: Home Counties [Heavenly]

TOPS: Sugar at the Gate [Arbutus]

U2: The Joshua Tree [30th Anniversary Edition] [Interscope] [reissue]

Whitney: You’ve Got a Woman/Gonna Hurry (As Slow As I Can) [Secretly Canadian] [12” single]

06-09

Agent Blå: Agent Blue [Kanine/Luxury]

Big Thief: Capacity [Saddle Creek]

Chuck Berry: Chuck [Dualtone]

Glen Campbell: Adiós [Universal]

Ice Cube: Death Certificate: 25th Anniversary Edition [Interscope] [reissue]

James Litherland: Back ’n Blue [self-released]

Katy Perry: Witness [Capitol]

Kirin J Callinan: Bravado [Terrible]

Lindsey Buckingham/Christine McVie: Lindsey Buckingham/Christine McVie [Atlantic]

Phoenix: Ti Amo [Loyauté/Glassnote]

Planetarium (Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly, James McAlister): Planetarium [4AD]

Rancid: Trouble Maker [Epitaph/Hellcat]

Slow Dancer: In a Mood [ATO]

06-16

2 Chainz: Pretty Girls Like Trap Music [Def Jam]

Arcadea: Arcadea [Relapse]

B Boys: Dada [Captured Tracks]

Beth Ditto: Fake Sugar [Virgin]

Big Boi: Boomiverse [Epic]

Big Star: Best of Big Star [Stax] [compilation]

Chief Keef: Thot Breaker [Glory Boyz]

Com Truise: Iteration [Ghostly International]

David Bowie: Cracked Actor (Live in Los Angeles 1974) [Rhino] [reissue]

The Drums: “Abysmal Thoughts” [Anti-]

Fleet Foxes: Crack-Up [Nonesuch]

House and Land: House and Land [Thrill Jockey]

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit: The Nashville Sound [Southeastern]

Jefre Cantu-Ledesma: On the Echoing Green [Mexican Sumer]

Kevin Morby: City Music [Dead Oceans]

Lorde: Melodrama [Republic]

Michael Nau: Some Twist [Suicide Squeeze]

Ride: Weather Diaries [Wichita]

Royal Trux: Platinum Tips + Ice Cream [Drag City]

Steve Earle and the Dukes: So You Wanna Be an Outlaw [Warner Bros.]

Tombs: The Grand Annihilation [Metal Blade]

Various Artists: American Gods Soundtrack [Milan]

06-23

Banditos: Visionland [Bloodshot]

Dying Fetus: Wrong One to Fuck With [Relapse]

Ex Eye: Ex Eye [Relapse]

Jeff Tweedy: Together at Last [dBPM]

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard: Murder of the Universe [ATO]

Laurel Halo: Dust [Hyperdub]

The Monks: Hamburg Tapes 1967 [Third Man] [reissue]

Prince: Purple Rain Deluxe - Expanded Edition [NPG]

Radiohead: OK COMPUTER OKNOTOK 1997 2017 [XL] [reissue]

SZA: CTRL [Top Dawg Entertainment]

Vince Staples: Big Fish Theory [Blacksmith/ARTium/Def Jam]

06-30

Baio: Man of the World [Liberator Music]

Beach Boys: 1967 - Sunshine Tomorrow [Capitol] [reissue]

Beach House: B-Sides and Rarities [Sub Pop/Bella Union]

Bill Orcutt: Bill Orcutt [Palilalia]

Calvin Harris: Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 [Sony]

James Elkington: Wintres Woma [Paradise of Bachelors]

Kacy Hill: Like a Woman [G.O.O.D. Music/Def Jam]

Mark Kozelek and Sean Yeaton: Yellow Kitchen [Caldo Verde]

Moses Archuleta: Lifetime of Love [Geographic North]

TLC: TLC [852 Musiq]

UNKLE: The Road Part 1 [Songs for the Def]

July

07-07

Broken Social Scene: Hug of Thunder [City Slang/Arts & Crafts]

Haim: Something to Tell You [Columbia]

Melvins: A Walk Without Love [Ipecac Recordings]

Offa Rex (The Decemberists, Olivia Chaney): The Queen of Hearts [Nonesuch]

This is the Kit: Moonshine Freeze [Brassland]

Various Artists: Looking Forward: The Roots of Big Star [Omnivore]

Various Artists: True Romance Soundtrack [Wargod/Real Gone Music] [reissue]

07-14

Boris: Dear [Sargent House]

The Dears: Times Infinity Volume Two [Paper Bag]

Japanese Breakfast: Soft Sounds From Another Planet [Dead Oceans]

Mura Masa: Mura Masa [Anchor Point/Polydor]

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: The Echo of Pleasure [Painbow]

RAC: EGO [Counter Records]

Shabazz Palaces: Quazarz: Born on a Gangster Star [Sub Pop]

Shabazz Palaces: Quazarz vs. the Jealous Machines [Sub Pop]

Sheer Mag: Need to Feel Your Love [Wilsuns RC]

Waxahatchee: Out in the Storm [Merge]

07-21

Childhood: Universal High [Marathon Artists]

Cornelius: Mellow Waves [Rostrum]

Daphni (Caribou): Fabriclive 93 [Fabric]

Lana Del Rey: Lust for Life [Polydor]

07-28

Alice Cooper: Paranormal [earMUSIC]

Golden Retriever: Rotations [Thrill Jockey]

Harry Nilsson: Popeye - Music From the Motion Picture [Varese Sarabande] [reissue]

August

08-04

Dead Cross: Dead Cross [Ipecac]

Walter TV: Carpe Diem [Sinderlyn]

08-11

Downtown Boys: Cost of Living [Sub Pop]

08-18

Grizzly Bear: Painted Ruins [RCA]

The Kills: Echo Home Non-Electric EP [Domino]

Loretta Lynn: Wouldn’t It Be Great [Sony Legacy Recordings]

Steven Wilson: To the Bone [Caroline]

08-25

Cymbals: Light In Your Mind [Tough Love]

EMA: Exile in the Outer Ring [City Slang]

September

09-01

Mogwai: Every Country’s Sun [Temporary Residence]

09-08

The National: Sleep Well Beast [4AD]

Sparks: Hippopotamus [BMG]

Tori Amos: Native Invader [Epic]

Various Artists:  Twin Peaks (Limited Event Series Original Soundtrack) [Rhino]

Various Artists:  Twin Peaks (Music From the Limited Event Series) [Rhino]

09-15

Fall Out Boy: M A N I A [Fueled By Ramen/Island]

Madonna: Rebel Heart Tour [Interscope/Live Nation] [DVD]

Michael McDonald: Wide Open [BMG]

TBA

Alice Glass: TBA [TBA]

Arcade Fire: TBA [TBA]

Beck: TBA [Capitol]

Cashmere Cat: 9 [Mad Love/Interscope]

Chic: It’s About Time [TBA]

Chromatics: Dear Tommy [Italians Do It Better]

CyHi the Prynce: No Dope on Sundays [Brooklyn Knights/Sony RAL]

Dentia: Ceilings [Styles Upon Styles]

Die Antwoord: The Book of Zef [Zef]

DJ Khaled: Grateful [Epic]

Earl Sweatshirt: TBA [TBA]

Fischerscpooner: SIR [TBA]

GZA: Dark Matter [TBA]

Kamaiyah: Don’t Ever Get It Twisted [TBA]

Kane Strang: TBA [Dead Oceans]

Kelela: TBA [Warp]

King Krule: TBA [TBA]

The Killers: TBA [TBA]

Lana Del Rey: Lust for Life [Interscope/Polydor]

LCD Soundsystem: TBA [Columbia]

Liars: TBA [Mute]

Lil B: Black Ken [self-released]

Lil Uzi Vert: Luv is Rage 2 [Generation Now/Atlantic]

Major Lazer: TBA [TBA]

MGMT: Little Dark Age [Columbia]

Post Malone: Beer Bongs & Bentleys [Republic]

Queens of the Stone Age: TBA [TBA]

Sky Ferreira: Masochism [TBA]

SZA: CTRL [TDE]

Vampire Weekend: TBA [TBA]

The War on Drugs: TBA [Atlantic]

Wolf Parade: TBA [TBA]

Zack de la Rocha: TBA [TBA]