#IT Supercut release theory

[novastardoughnut]

lore reason for Limited Life Bdubs being unrecorded [outdated]

I got an idea about Bdubs and why his perspective is unviewable. I know there's irl reasons why he didnt record, but in universe and within the Watcher/Listener stuff, here's an idea: The watchers don't watch him, and don't absord his energies, because he's so broken already. His skin, unlike most of the others, starts like his red skin of previous seasons. His teeth are knocked out, his clothes are tattered, his eyes blackened and bloodied. And unlike Double Life, he's not tied to someone unbroken. to use a metaphor he is a drained juice carton that has been discarded. He's emptied.

because like yeah Bdubs is important to that series but like through all of LimL he is like a kicked can, being shuffeled from one group to another. T.I.E.S dont trust him and neither do the Clockers, he is left abandoned and alone and what is more thematically fitting for that idea than even the watchers choosing to abandon him. and especially since its a season where clocks and time are so pivotal and thematically important, the fact the person closest associated to time ends up being the one we cant see feels like an unintended but interesting side note. * in the time since releasing this theory and as of the 9 Sept 2023 BDubs did in fact upload his perspective as a 12 hour supercut. thus this theory is now proven irrelevant and anicdotal at best.

[pscottm]

NEW YORK—Featuring nearly identical video footage in two separate $25 million ad buys, the Donald Trump and Kamala Harris campaigns both debuted new commercials Tuesday that attempt to win support for their respective candidates with a supercut of Trump’s most racist comments. The two ads—which reports confirmed would air continuously until Nov. 5—showcase clips of Trump’s inflammatory remarks about Jewish people, Black people, and immigrants, including those in which the GOP candidate says “we got a lot of bad genes in our country right now” and suggests new arrivals to the country were poisoning American blood. Both spots reportedly show Trump expounding on conspiracy theories that the Biden administration was “going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas” affected by Hurricane Helene, and both claim in large letters that “This is what the next four years would look like under Trump.” However, sources indicated there is a difference in tone between the two ads, with one using sinister music and the other employing a rousing, triumphal score. Numerous viewers told reporters that only at the very end were they able to determine which candidate each ad was supporting, because one spot said “Stop Donald Trump” and the other said “Vote Donald Trump.”

[icespur]

Theory on IT Supercut Release Date

Everyone that is a IT fan is waiting for this confirmed Supercut. Some think it’s never coming and that Andy is playing us since there hasn’t been any new updates. But I believe it is coming, it’s just taking a unfairly long time. And with some new info I found I came up with some possible release date theories.

First theory:

July 18th or July 27th 2021

“But that’s really soon!” I know! Now don’t get too excited, this is a unlikely option but one that I have because of one reason… The trailer release dates of the previous movies…

The official trailer for IT 2017 arrived July 27th 2017. And the official trailer for IT Chapter 2 arrived July 18th 2019

Seeing how we got trailers for both previous movies in the same month it would be nice if we got our beloved Supercut released on HBO Max this month or if not the full thing, at LEAST a trailer this year.

But like I said, this is I think the least likely option so don’t get too excited.

2:

IT 2017 released in theaters September 8th 2017

IT Chapter 2 released the same month only a couple days before the first part two years later, on September 5th 2019

And let’s not forget the event that was held to celebrate chapter 2 where the public got to experience Derry Canal Days Festival in September leading up to the theater release (whereas in the Novel the Festival is July 15th - 21st). So Andy and Barbara kinda made September IT month

So if the first movie released in September and the Second movie released in September then……It would only seem logical to release the Supercut somewhere in September this year…

September 2021

Now THIS, I think is most likely and what I’m hoping is accurate. Now why I’m so confident about this release date is this:

Andy Muschietti is in the progress of filming a Flash movie.

There’s teaser photos, people are getting leaks of the actors, etc. This worried me, cause while I’m of course happy to see Andy is getting more directing opportunities, it feels like IT is being forgotten, and it just——he’s teased a Supercut since 2017, then once IT chapter 2 came out he changed the plan and said the Supercut will be a fusion of the deleted scenes for both movies. We didn’t get any updates for a while until March 2020 where we ALMOST got big news. Barbara and Andy were setting up a IT Chapter 2 watch party on their Instagram. They promoted and hyped the fans that we would get a big announcement and surprise about the Supercut, but then….

It got canceled….

Because a——very terrible tragedy recently happened which I won’t elaborate on for multiple reasons. But it was very legit terrible thing and unfair and wrong and I’m very sorry to the family. R.I.P. Mr Floyd ��🧑🏿‍🦲😇…

Barbara felt it would be disrespectful to announce something about a horror movie when a innocent man died in a h*te c*ime recently so she canceled the announcement.

And we have got nothing since…..

Recently in a interview online Jack Dylan Grazer confirmed that “the Supercut is 100% real and it is coming” and if you ask Barbara on insta about the Supercut all you’ll get is a responses of “It’s coming!!!!” But we have no release date yet….

But hey, LOOK AT THIS TEASER OF SUPERMAN’S SUIT, LOOK, FLASH, AND SUPERMAN, AND DIRECTOR CHAIRS! WOW! Oh, IT Supercut? Yeah, it’s coming, don’t worry. BUT WE’RE DIRECTING THE FLASH!

And we have a official release date for The Flash. November 4th 2022 (originally June 2022)

What does this have to do with the IT Supercut? Well I think it would be a stupid and dangerous move to wait til The Flash has released and had its hype to release the long awaited Supercut. I mean, I think I speak for almost every IT fan when I say I don’t want to have to wait for 2023 to get the Supercut after Flash has had its fun. That’s going to make the IT fans VERY angry. They will tear Andy apart.

BUT——-

If we get the Supercut this year in September (or sooner this year) then that will make the IT fans happy and give us plenty of months to gush and enjoy the new footage. And Andy should still have a good amount of months to finish The Flash by November 2022 and everyone wins!

At least, I hope this is the case, 🙏 please, please, let this be the case.

[3416]

just curious since i started watching this season: how/when did people find out the season was starting with them being broken up and was it total chaos lmao

okay i started typing this and it just got so long so KFJDSL i'm gonna put it under a read more bc theories were all over the place and i can only speak to my own speculation/some people i know and talk to.

fkjdskflsjdkl well, i think a lot of people imagined the break between s2 and s3 was just them recovering from the house fire and working through stuff together/finding another place, so for a lot of hiatus... that's what people were focused on talking about/speculating/writing. some people were really suspicious about the lack of ronen and rafael bts (bc ronen's such a tease on ig), but we did get a couple vids there for a second (and also ppl panic abt the actors interaction without warrant all the time so i didnt think anything abt it tbh) and also both ronen and rafael were on twitter talking about how eps 1-3 were a #tarlos type of iconic or smth..... so i didn't rlly suspect anything 😭 and then in december, when promo started dropping for the show, they kept it very focused on tk falling through the ice n that was it pretty much fkldjsfkl which was ???? for something that was supposed to be this big 4 ep arc... and then there was some cast promo, but unlike last year (which had like a supercut of cute shit from the first couple eps of s2), the tarlos segment was VERY cryptic with 0 new scenes of them and them comparing themselves to romeo and juliet... which lol. so speculation tentatively started.... about them not being the most stable... and then the day before the ep, ronen brian and julian did a live and there was pretty minimal tarlos talk + ronen said something about how the happy picture tim posted on xmas of tarlos wasn't necessarily the best scene but the sweetest.. and also that it could be flashback/flash forward/present, he wasnt gonna spoil........ so speculation was kinda going on for maybe a couple weeks leading up to it the episode

but i will say, i didn't have any real feeling or confirmation in my head about the break up (and i dont think a lot of other ppl did either) until the very morning of the premiere day.... because press always gets released on episode days and there was an interview pre-episode that a journalist dropped where tim said something like "tarlos fans are going to be very mad at me when this season starts" which isn't necessarily damning in and of itself, but max gao, who is kinda an infamous 911verse fan and journalist at this point, wrote a tweet immediately after that article was published abt how he had managed to keep a secret only for another journalist to spoil is on the show day so we all.......... kinda immediately assumed it was confirmation of tarlos breaking up??? so we had like 8 hours to prepare ourselves LKFJDSKL. it was a whirlwind that day bc while them breaking up was always a possibility, it reeeeeally did not feel the most likely to anyone.. esp when everyone had spent the whole time imagining them happy and trying to heal. a lot of people were outraged immediately, but a lot of people that i know were ready to just go with it kinda, lol. bc we just moved onto the next thing to speculate about which was: why did they break up and when are they getting back together LOL. hope any ounce of this info was fun, but being a hardcore fan and following any bit of information does lead to some wild stuff

[mostlysignssomeportents]

White House recants "antifa bricks" conspiracy

If you are follow the uprisings across America, you have probably encountered both right- and left-wing commentators speculating that piles of bricks at the sites of the protests were "staged" - either by "antifa" or by right-wing accelerationists or agents provocateurs.

The White House released a supercut of bricks at protest sites, claiming evidence that "antifa" provocateurs were hoping to create vandalism and violence, but they were forced to retract it after it was debunked (but not before it had 1m+ views).

https://theintercept.com/2020/06/04/white-house-forced-retract-claim-viral-videos-prove-antifa-plotting-violence/

The White House removed the video, but The Intercept saved a copy. You can watch it here:

https://youtu.be/72bmj167s-4

And though the incidents in the video were thoroughly debunked, it does raise the question, "Why are there so many piles of bricks at these protest sites?"

The answer's pretty mundane: cities have a lot of routine construction, which requires piles of bricks. Protests are happening all over cities. Some of those protests will be near piles of bricks (it would be weird if no protest ever happened near piles of bricks).

You could produce a supercut of protesters near ANY urban commonplace: Starbucks, park benches, tall buildings, liquor stores, churches, McDonald's restaurants... Anything that is widespread in a city will overlap with protests in that city.

What's more, it's not outlandish to assume that cops or far-right extremists (including/especially the "Boogaloo" accelerationists) are infiltrating protests and hoping to incite violence.

American law enforcement has used agents provocateurs against protests for as long as there have been protests:

https://theintercept.com/2020/06/02/history-united-states-government-infiltration-protests/

And white nationalists have been caught posing as Black Lives Matter activists on Twitter in order to incite violence.

https://www.dw.com/en/twitter-suspends-fake-antifa-account-run-by-white-supremacists/a-53656003

Infiltration is a devastating tactic, because it derails every conversation into a "Are you a bot/provocateur/cop?" arguments and sows mistrust among people whose only hope of effecting change is their social cohesion.

Putin's brilliant and terrible media strategist Vladislav Surkov (purged from the administration earlier this year) made a point of boasting that he funded SOME of the opposition groups, without ever saying which.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/26/kremlin-puppet-masters-leaked-emails-vladislav-surkov-east-ukraine

The brilliant (terrible) thing about this tactic is that it works just as well if he lies as if he's telling the truth - any time two opposition groups would contemplate acting in concert, each would be unable to shake their suspicion that the other was patsies or worse.

And anyone who thinks about joining an opposition group will always have a lingering doubt about the group's authenticity, and whether they are being duped into serving as a useful idiot.

Within groups, vulnerable people who act in unusual ways - because they have anxiety or depression, or because they are neuroatypical - get isolated because their behavior is interpreted as evidence that they are plants.

So it's not weird to imagine that there are inauthentic members of your group, because it's not weird to imagine that powerful people would use such an effective, low-cost countermeasure against you.

Nor is it hard to understand why the White House would promulgate unfounded theories about provocateurs - even if they have to walk them back later. Consciously or unconsciously, Trump and his people know that instilling doubt serves their purpose for a long time to come.

[filmadaydiary]

3/22/20

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End – Gore Verbinski, 2007

I’ll admit by the third movie in this franchise, I was feeling a little tapped out. So I was less than pleased to find out that this was the longest movie in the series – the longest movie Disney had released until Avengers: Endgame. I have a theory that there is a secret supercut somewhere of this movie and the second one that is actually really good and is only about three hours. To put it as my boyfriend did, everyone in this movie is playing 4-D chess, and it’s exhausting. There is too much plot, too much to pay attention to, and the way it follows up on threads from the last movie isn’t very satisfying. The worst part is the amount of time spent on meaningless things, like Jack’s time in Davy Jones’ locker, that amounts to nothing when the heroes find him within moments of arriving to rescue him. 

We do get to see Elizabeth fully come into her own in this movie, which I appreciate. And every bit of complicated lore does get resolved, even if it is in a lame way (looking at you, Calypso). There are some exciting moments – Will and Elizabeth’s wedding mid-sea battle is kind of fun, though them not speaking for the whole movie is contrived and annoying. Actually, the whole final sea battle is pretty great overall. The pirate council with the “nine pieces of eight” is also kind of cute, but again overcomplicates things very unnecessarily. Jack Sparrow unfortunately gets more tiresome the more he’s around, though Barbossa gets better in my opinion, so I was happy to have him back (even though it was for a silly reason). I really do love these characters, but I was pretty disappointed by this movie. At least they all got some kind of ending, wrapped in a nice bow. 

[just-fandom-stuffs]

Just A Theory...

Before I start, I really want to say thank you to everyone who showed interest in this. It means a lot to me having only just started this Tumblr. Also fair warning I just wrote a ginormous research paper, so this theory is going to follow the same kind of structure I use for my assignments. Anyways, ON TO THEORIZING! 

So this theory comes with two parts: The numbers and the people. The numbers part is going to look at how the four personalities of Darkiplier, Natemare, AntiMatter or MadPat (I will be using MadPat), and Anti are interconnected because of MATH! The people part will look at why this matters, and what I discovered each personality represented with relation to YouTube and their respective channels. Now, onto part one!

THE MATH

There’s a lot of common numbers between these guys... like its too perfect for all of these numbers to work. So, let’s set up a little timeline of important dates. Parts of the timeline will be bolded, which includes the significance of the date in lore, not reality.

October 1st, 2012- Darkiplier first appears in a vlog announcing October of Terror, which featured the game Amnesia.

October 23rd, 2015- A video titled “help” is released on NateWantsToBattle’s channel, which has MatPat pleading for help, then is tied to a chair by a very darkly dressed Nathan Smith. But, this wasn’t Nathan Smith as we know him, this was the introduction of Natemare. MatPat must have been captured either the night before or the morning of, but this date would mark his first in captivity.

October 28th, 2015- Natemare makes his first official appearance in the music video Mangled, which also featured a tied up and very frightened MatPat. This would be MatPat’s last day in captivity.

October 29th, 2015- MatPat would likely have been released, as he had served his purpose to Natemare and would no longer be needed. 

June 24th, 2016- FNAF The Musical: Night Five is released, which gives us the introduction of MadPat. However, no explanation is given.

July 28th, 2016- The FNAF The Musical Supercut Livestream is announced, promising answers for MadPat.

July 29th, 2016- The Supercut is live-streamed, and the official explanation and death of MadPat is revealed. However, he doesn’t stay dead for long.

October 10th, 2016- Anti makes his first appearance at the Sister Location playthrough.

October 31st, 2016- The official introduction of Anti, along with some motives in Jack’s video “Say Goodbye.”

July 28th, 2017- “Darkiplier vs. Antisepticeye” is released... both are killed at the end of the video.

July 29th, 2017- Jack’s twitter bio is changed to “imposter” and the location is changed to home, implying Anti isn’t dead

October 10th, 2017- The first episode of “Who Killed Markiplier” is released, teasing us with a promise of an explanation for something.

October 13th, 2017- The final episode of “Who Killed Markiplier” is released, and it is confirmed to be the origin story of Darkiplier, and he is released into the world.

October 13th, 2017- Jack’s icon begins to get glitchy.

Now, I know there have been other appearances with Dark and Anti, but these are the ones that make the strongest connections. Now, onto the actual math part. 

There are certain numbers that like to reappear within these days. I will bold the numerical significance of these comparisons. 

3 years and 23 days after Darkiplier is first introduced, Natemare is revealed, and MatPat is kidnapped. 3 years for three people. 23 - there are two now, but a third is coming soon.

8 months and 1 day after MatPat’s capture, he returns as MadPat. One day for one left.

MadPat’s story is teased 9 months after his release from Natemare. 9 months is 3/4th of the year. Three of the four have been assembled.

MadPat’s full story is released 1 month and 6 days after he was first introduced. One month for one left. Six days for the reveal, six days that he was held captive by Natemare.

Anti’s first appearance is 13 days before Natemare’s one year anniversary. Remember 13- 1 is trapped by the 3.

Anti’s official appearance is 3 months and 3 days after MadPat’s introduction. 3 after 3 after 3/4, Anti completed the final piece.

“Dark v. Anti” is 1 year after MadPat was teased. The bookends of the four meet on the 1/4 before it started.

Anti reveals he is not dead on the 1 year anniversary of MadPat’s “death”. Neither died on this day.

“Who Killed Markiplier” was released 1 year after Anti’s first appearance. The origin begins on the same day.

The same day that Darkipier’s true identity is revealed, Anti acts up again. Remember how I said to remember 13? This is why.

And there you have it. That is the numerical theory in its entirety. These four entities all have interconnecting appearances, and they all just so happen to revolve somewhat around FNAF. The connection is undeniable BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN?! It means that their true meanings go hand in hand with each other, which will be revealed in the second part of this theory.

(I’m sorry to break it into a two-parter, but this was getting too long, and I wanted to make sure I had a really strong foundation. Wow I sound like MatPat...)

Stay tuned soon for part 2!

[azersam]

Favorite Summer Albums of 2017

summer is almost over ;-; but these 10 albums made this summer v special for me and i highly recommend all of them :)

10. Aminé - Good For You

I’m not a big fan of Aminé but this album proved that he’s not a one hit wonder and has a LOT of potential. the album is very colorful, at times it sounds like the band fun. made a rap album tbh. also i personally care a lot about album covers and they actually affect the way i judge & listen to music, and this cover art is absolutely one of my favorite album covers of the year as it perfectly visualizes how the music sounds.

9. Haim -  Something to Tell You

ok maybe this album is not as strong as their first album but it’s the most “dream-girl-californian” type album that I’ve heard in a very long time, it’s like a soundtrack for all these tumblr blogs dedicated to highly stylized pictures of California and California girls and it’s amazing.

8. Calvin Harris - Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1

honestly, i never expected to like this album as much as i do but it’s like literally the definitive American summer album. and like it’s like one of those albums that no matter how much they tried to fuck it up, they couldn’t make it any less good than it is with the list of artists that are featured on it. i mean Frank Ocean on the first fucking track?? and then the rest of the album being equally good? double amazing! “Faking It” is one of my fav song of the year despite the fact that i almost threw my headphone the moment i head Lil Yachty screech at the very end of it to compliment Kehlani, smh.

7. Brockhampton - Saturation

Kevin Abstract is amazing. American Boyfriend is an amazing album and Saturation is like Brockhampton’s take on that album and beyond. extremely fresh sounding, the rapping of every member is unique and exciting, the band knows their audience and so their lyrics resonate extremely well in a genuine way which makes the album very relatable for people in their late teenage years/early 20s.

6. Mura Masa - MURA MASA

the cover art is great but clearly a rip off of The Life of Pablo. but that doesn’t change the fact that Mura Masa is consistently amazing. despite releasing half of the album before the official release, the non singles - particularly “Who Is It Gonna B” , “Nothing Else!” and “Messy Love” - are phenomenal and it has such a London sound, and he even described the album as a love letter to London. every time I hear it, it makes me wanna move to London <3

5. Queens of the Stone Age - Villains

okay i can’t really judge this yet because i only listened to the shit quality leak, but MAN, even with that shit quality, this album fucking RIPS. less accessible and more experimental than “...Like Clockwork” and heavier too. lyrically and conceptually, though, it sounds like it comes from the same headspace that resulted in “...Like Clockwork” but this album to me is like a very epic epilogue to the previous album. “Villains of Circumstance” is a masterpiece and a strong contender for the best closing track of any album this year.

4. Vince Staples - Big Fish Theory

i’ve talked about this album before but the more rap albums i heard these past few months, the more amazing this album became for me. i mean just go listen to Mike Will Made-It’s new album (or any other generic trap album from 2017) and Big Fish Theory back to back, and the difference in production and atmosphere says it all.

3. Tyler, the Creator - Flower Boy

i’ve also talked about this album before but this album this summer is what Blonde was last summer for me. it’s Tyler’s most defining work, and it only makes me excited to see how he will follow it up.

2. Lorde - Melodrama

this masterpiece soundtracked a lot of my sad & happy summer afternoons and nights. every time I listen to it, it reminds me what’s like to be 20 years old, and “Supercut” is the ultimate Lorde song ever tbh; amazing dance beat + intensely emotional lyrics. and that applies for most of Melodrama, every single emotion and feeling that Lorde expresses is actually felt.

1. Arcade Fire - Everything Now

believe it or not, in 2017, it’s unusual to like Arcade Fire. I’m still trying to figure out if the disappointment that this album brought to fans and critics is as a result of power of our absurdly high expectations, or the marketing campaign that pissed a lot of fans and critics off. either way, what matters for me is that I loved both the album promotion and the album itself. this is the best summer album (and potentially my favorite album) of 2017 for various reasons. for me a great album is an album that creates a world that makes me feel like I’m living in it for the duration that it has, and if it’s great enough, it makes me wanna live in that world forever (no matter how good or bad that world is). Arcade Fire are masters of teasing and promotion, and through a genius marketing strategy, they created a world for this album before it came out and after listening to the album few times after my initial disappointment with the singles, everything about it just made sense. the great irony about it is that despite its ridiculously complex and seemingly confusing promotion, the album itself is extremely direct and heartfelt. yes, the songs are extremely well produced and multi-layered, but what makes it amazing is just how personal it is. even in a song as colorful as “Everything Now”, there are some really dark lyrics. “Peter Pan” is about reaching an age when you start losing your parents (Win wrote it after realizing his dad is sick). “Put Your Money on Me” is a song where Win directly references his religious family and the dissatisfaction of his mother at his wedding, since Regine is apparently not of their faith. “Creature Comfort” and “Good God Damn” are both about a suicidal person (Win’s close friend) and why life is always better, even at its worst. and finally, “We Don’t Deserve Love”, an amazing heartbreaker about the simple concept that no matter how much we rely on people of higher status, whether our parents or religious figures, for love and connection, love and connection are inside us right from the start without us even realizing it sometimes. i think this album is the one that makes the most sense to me along with Father John Misty’s “Pure Comedy” - as both albums talk about the absurdity of our modern lives, yet in the end, both albums conclude with the statement that love is what matters the most at any stage of our life.

[lostinafictionaluniverse]

Riverdale 1x11 thoughts

This review is rather late seeing as the new episode airs tomorrow, but I wanted to get it out since I definitely wouldn’t do it after watching 1x12 and also because I didn’t want 1x12 to cloud my thoughts about 1x11.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Jason’s death was months ago, and since then none of the events in Riverdale have been cancelled. So why should Homecoming be the exception? They mentioned the football game – Riverdale Bulldogs Vs the Baxter High Ravens. When is this game happening? Will we get to see it – maybe in the finale?

Some scenes in this episode seemed so superfluous, almost as though they had to be included because Molly Ringwald was the guest star and she has to have something to do. All her scenes this episode could’ve been cut without losing anything. Her conversation with Archie showed nothing except that she knows what Archie’s been up to with his song-writing thanks to Fred. Didn’t Fred tell Mary about the important stuff – like Grundy? Why couldn’t Mary and Archie’s conversation have been about that?

So Ronnie gave evidence that would help her dad and now she’s anxious that he’ll be out of jail soon. She obviously shares or used to share a very close relationship with him, but all that changed when he so obviously threatened her in that letter. Now she seems to want nothing to do with him, that fear going to the extent of wanting him to stay in jail. Hermione – I still don’t understand her motivations for hooking up with Fred when her loyalties seem to lie with Hiram. She seems happy he’ll be released. That could be relief that she could go back to her lifestyle once he’s back or it could be from genuine affection. I thought she had some nefarious intent when she kissed Fred, but now I think she was just lonely and needy.

Jughead and FP was my most favorite scene in this episode – it was so organic, real and the conversation flowed so effortlessly between these two. FP being honest about himself and Juggie’s talent and Juggie being surprised that he actually read his work and engaged with it - truly the equivalent of tectonic plates shifting for him. That again crushes my heart when I think of how little it took for Juggie to start hoping again – his dad had shaved, not missed work and had quit drinking, and taken interest in him. Something that had never happened in 16 years. Wow! FP, you truly were a shitty dad.

“That’s what Betty says and then it’s about a dozen suggestions”. Throwback to “I’ll help, and suggest and edit but it’s your story, your voice”. Can we please have a scene with Betty talking to Juggie about his manuscript and her dozen suggestions??

Is Riverdale a place of good or a place of darkness and evil? This is something that can posited over people in Riverdale too. Betty? Veronica? Fred Andrews? FP? Alice? Cheryl? Penelope? Hal?

Juggie looks surprised and a little deflated when FP says this shouldn’t be the most important story he should be telling and that he should move on.  

Ronnie was blowing off Archie because of what she found out about Hiram? Does she already sense that her hooking up with him might cause her dad to react in an unfavorable way? Or is it that she has too much on her mind?

Alice Cooper wants to include the Pussycats as suspects. Was this dialogue included to hint at Alice’s ineffectiveness in investigating the murder since she obviously suspected FP and he seems to be innocent? So the Pussycats are too? And Hiram Lodge and Joaquin?  

Way to go, Betty, standing up for your man’s beliefs!

That wig room is seriously creepy. And Cliff Blossom has grey hair. This seems common knowledge since Hermione commented on it once. So why the pretence? Is it symbolic of something- like the Blossoms are good at covering things up? Or is something deeper and more nefarious? (like my Cliff’s twin theory)

 Ronnie not feeling the same loyalty to the Jones family is not surprising. They are friends, yes, but kind of forced friends. It’s like Juggie said in ep 10, he would’ve shunned Ronnie two months ago. He’s only friends with her because Archie and Betty are. And Ronnie possibly feels the same about Juggie. I wish they’d thrown Ronnie and Juggie together in a sleuthing adventure to develop their friendship a little more. I guess there are more seasons to do that.

Archie’s songs make you wanna slit your wrists in a good way, Juggie? LOL, that wasn’t very kind. But Betty skeptical look was surprising, she was all over Archie and his songs earlier. Shows how much her judgement was clouded by the fact that she liked him then, she didn’t have one bad thing to say about him. But now? She looks at him more objectively now. Juggie finishing Betty’s sentence was so Bughead and Ronnie standing up for Archie was nice. But dude, she only agreed to sing with him so she could inveigle a favor outta him? Cheap! Kevin’s facial expressions are so cute, I really want Casey to have more scenes in Season 2, he’s so good.

Archie is such a fuckboy – omg his expression goes from overeager to ididn’tsignupforthisshit in 2 seconds after Ronnie talks about the “favor”. LOL!

Ronnie is completely focused on her dad’s release and what it would mean for her if he were indeed tied up with Jason’s murder. Understandable. But couldn’t she spare a thought for Jughead and the fact that it’s his dad she was so callously suspecting? And she did think Juggie could be protecting his dad – she suspected Juggie too! Not kosher Ronnie! Archie said the first sensible thing in weeks when he said “There’s a difference between vandalism and murder”. Yeah right, Ronnie. FP is a thug, but that doesn’t make him a killer?

This episode was about the power of manipulation and how one can use it effectively to get someone to play into one’s hands.

Ronnie used it for Archie, she tried to use his attraction to her to get him to help her snoop FPs trailer, but when that wasn’t enough, she used his affection for Jughead, which worked. “I hope you’re right or Jughead could find himself in the middle of something very messy and very dangerous”. When just minutes before she was ready to believe that Juggie was an accomplice who would warn his dad or protect him! This was clearly a manipulation technique that she used to get Archie thinking. The seeds were already sown in his head. Juggie talking about his dad’s interest in the murder provided the fodder for him to agree to Ronnie’s scheme. He didn’t want Juggie to get hurt, but he ended up hurting him anyway by his betrayal. Foolish Archie!

Alice manipulated Betty by using her love and loyalty to Juggie. She cleverly invited him and FP to dinner and then when Betty confronted her about her scheming, she cunningly played the “He was so excited, so you really want to break his heart by telling him?” card.

I get why Betty and Archie tried to protect Juggie, but why do they think he’s so fragile? I mean this guy has been hurt over and over by the people he cares about, and he still yearns and longs for love. He maybe cynical and sardonic on the outside but internally he always hopes for sunshine after darkness. He’s the epitome of resilience as I’ve said earlier in my meta (X), and it’s strange to me how his friends are all walking on eggshells around him. It’s sweet, but inexplicable.

So Hermione was a mean girl in school and thinks it’s karma that’s bitten her in the ass now. And Mary feels sorry for her and invites her to the dance. Glad to see there was no bitching between Mary and her, it was just old friends/ acquaintances catching up after a while. Mary must have known about Fred carrying a torch for Hermione back then, which is why she didn’t bat an eyelid when Alice outed their fling while they were in the restroom.

How happy was Juggie that Alice had invited him and FP over? This boy so wants his family and wants to feel part of Betty’s family too. “It’s important for us, you know” and his smile! UGH! Just protect him from all the hurt that keeps coming at him! He deserves the world!  

Okay, so the Blossoms protect their bedroom obsessively but Polly already discovered 2 secrets – the wigs and the ring. Penelope may have truly loved Jason but she was quietly menacing as she told Polly with sugary sweetness to stay away from the East wing. (dun dun dun). And lacing her milkshake with a sedative (even if it was a natural relaxer that wouldn’t harm the babies) was a just creepy. 

Archie and his parents scene was so ho-hum, I know it was there for Archie to see the possible rekindling of romance between his parents and make him yearn to have his family back together but it was such a yawn fest, until Juggie walked in. And didn’t Archie already know his mom was coming to hear him play at the dance? Or was he just surprised his dad and mom were coming together? And he was gonna play wasn’t he? But that glance for Juggie’s approval and Juggie’s “of course you’re playing dude how can u think of not” was supercute!

Juggie notices everything and he seems truly happy Fred and Mary could be getting back together. But why does Archie say it would’ve been Little Archie’s pipe dream? I mean Little Archie did have his parents together, and Mary left only 2 years ago, so Archie would’ve been around 13 and not so little? Or had the trouble started way back? Was Archie’s childhood tainted with fights and arguments too?

Poor Juggie is so excited about the tectonic plates shifting in his life finally with his dad shaving, quitting drink and showing up at work that he’s considering moving back with him. And this somehow triggers warning bells in Archie – Is Archie capable of even this little bit of logical thinking? Good to know. Archie rushing off to get almond milk for his mom and Juggie teasing him about his tryst with a raven-haired princess was so funny, I Lol-ed. I love Juggie in his light-hearted moments, let the poor boy be happy, damn you!

Archie rushes off to Ronnie’s and Ronnie is immediately worried this is a booty call! LOL. She’s kinda read him correctly,(not in this instance though) but why then does she think he’s boyfriend material? Must be because her mind is constantly there too (Remember-  I’ve had every flavor of boy but orange?)

So they conspire to break in because Archie in his dimwitted way thinks he’s protecting Juggie, but Juggie can never know and neither can Betty. How were they hoping to cover it up? What if they had found something in FPs trailer to incriminate him? How could they hope to keep it secret from Juggie or Betty? Clearly they hadn’t thought that far ahead.

Polly cunningly gets Cheryl to show her her parents’ room on the pretext of borrowing some vintage bling and Cheryl seems happy enough doing it – she knows she’s breaking a rule and her parents won’t like it, but that seems to compel her even more. Polly blatantly searching the drawers with Cheryl looking on was so unbelievable! Also, Cheryl’s comment about her dad’s hair turning grey when he saw the ghost of Grandpa Blossom with his throat slit – does she mean her grandpa or her dad’s grandpa? And if she means Cliff’s grandpa, then wasn’t he the one that offed Hal’s Grandpa? Then who slit his throat?  

“We Blossoms live and die by our curls” – what is that supposed to mean? Truly these Blossoms are so cryptic! “Hands off, Gollum” – how does Madelaine utter her lines with a straight face?? I was laughing so hard!!

Now the mystery of Nana Rose’s ring – how did it get back to the Blossoms? Is Penelope’s story about Jason throwing it at Cliff the last time they saw him true? Again with the cryptic – Nothing is lost forever, everything comes back. WTF does this mean?

The dinner – ahh – in-laws bonding, Alice is in her element, being sweetly nasty and FP just reads through her. He’s more than equipped to deal with her but I wonder if Juggie knows about FP trashing the drive-in for Hiram Lodge. I’m guessing he doesn’t, and FP looked kinda trapped there, he was saved by the doorbell. That will be one of the secrets that comes out in the next episode I guess. Juggie and FP standing up when Betty walked in with Hal – so gentlemanly! Swoon!  FP was so amused when he heard Hal talk about Alice throwing a brick at his window. Perfect cue for him to start talking about the Homecoming years ago and when Alice and Hal were king and queen and the argument they had. It’s got to be about Alice being pregnant and Hal wanting her to go for an abortion. FP knows about Chic. And he knows about Alice’s penchant for keeping up appearances. His turn to manipulate her into silence now. I loved Juggie’s expression when FP said – Don’t jerk me around in front of my son. He looked a little taken aback  – that FP actually cared what Juggie thought of him and was looking to make a good impression on him. Betty and Juggie handled that awkward as heck dinner from hell with so much panache – is it any wonder they make such a good team?

Archie and Ronnie’s search of FPs trailer was so laughable – did Archie even look in the closet or did he just move on after preening in front of the mirror? And they made out in the trailer right after their clandestine operation – wtf Varchie? I think Archie kind of hit the nail on the head when he said – Do you want him to be guilty? Ronnie seemed to want to find some clue that connects her dad &/or FP to Jason and that seems to me to be really desperate because she started out sharing a real closeness to her dad. And then along the way there came revelations about his dealings – trashing the drive-in, ruining Ethel’s dad and not-so-subtly threatening her – that made her realize he was twisted and she probably does not want him in her life anymore.

“You’re a Blossom through and through” – Cliff’s turn now for the cryptic one-liner. And how well he knows how to manipulate Cheryl. Approval and acceptance are what she’s been craving from her parents and she never had that when Jason was around. But Cliff didn’t feel like that two episodes ago when he was pimping Archie to be by his daughter’s side because of her eccentric ways.  Saying those words when he did definitely means he does not believe them but wants Cheryl on their side. It’s clear Cheryl does not trust her parents though and full marks to her for not falling for their trap. She lied about the ring – but again, - her saying she flushed the ring to destroy proof, because that way if Polly said anything, it’d be her word against ours. How is the ring proof? There’s more to this than meets the eye and we will know in ep 12 of course.

During the dance she rushes back because she’s concerned for Polly. This indicates that Cheryl is going to change allegiances as the spoilers have forewarned.

The Homecoming – I will never forgive the writers for not giving us a Bughead dance!

He always is, Mr Jones! How cute is Betty vouching for her man? And Juggie gallantly holding out the umbrella for her? And Betty waiting at the steps for her man to escort her in? Aaahhh I’m dying of feels!

Also, FP how could you? How could you hang that Toledo bait for Juggie? You know he wants to be with family and he wants to be with Betty? So how could make him choose? That scene was so poignant with Juggie looking out the car and seeing Betty standing there and “Bette Davies eyes” playing! Siiiigh!!

Of course, it’s a no-brainer for him! He wants to stay with Betty. His mind is possibly already made up but he still wants to figure it out together! How adorable they are! And then that kiss and Betty’s concern – will you be alright for a minute? She knows her man’s lack of comfort in huge social gatherings and she doesn’t want to him to feel awkward. And his reassuring smile he says I think I’ll be fine – as long as she comes back to him, he’s going to be! All those casual, intimate touches, the hand placements, the little cheek kiss, his arm on her back, that look of concern for her when she realizes Varchie have been in cahoots with her mom – arrgghh! Just kill me now! This ship!

Betty cornering Varchie about their betrayal and Juggie walking in on them – why do I feel left out? Oh no – my poor boy, the past is coming back to bite him again now after he’s found a safe place with his friends – he discovers he’s been betrayed. “To think I was gonna pass moving to Toledo with my family for you” – and Betty’s face – broke my heart, and then her tears when she’s reaching for him and saying she didn’t wanna disappoint him – my heart shattered and then Juggie finding out FPs been arrested and rushing out (Fred, couldn’t you have shown a bit of compassion for the boy while breaking the news dammit? You were like his guardian!)

And then the most heart breaking scene of all when Juggie makes his way to FPs trailer and breaks down – I don’t think I will ever recover from this, my heart!

Alice likes Jughead, yet she didn’t have any qualms about hatching a plot to snare FP – you truly are heartless Alice! But I don’t care, Bughead will find a way out of this mess and they will get together because BETTY LOVES JUGHEAD! And considers him family – more than her own family! And she’s not gonna stop until she finds him and makes it okay! She’s hella determined, my girl and I have all the faith in her – she rarely gives up if ever, remember?

Varchie – you fucked up. Admit it, even though it may seem like a good thing you snooped before FP got arrested so now you know he’s being framed. That doesn’t make what you did okay. I’m okay with Juggie being pissed at them for a while. But not with Betty. He has to see that Betty had the best intentions and she clearly had no idea what Alice was upto behind her back. Who did call Keller though? And planted the gun? It would have to be someone who knew FP was going to be away at dinner and someone who knew they’d have a small window of opportunity after Varchie left and FP returned.

Do they know already that’s the gun that killed Jason? Do ballistics reports come back so quickly?

I’m not prepared to see Juggie cry again – it will break me. Who’s he calling? Why does he decide not to leave Riverdale? Cheryl, you bitch – don’t touch my son! Oh God I cannot take the waiting!

[savetopnow]

2018-03-23 01 MOVIE now

MOVIE

Birth. Movies. Death.

SXSW 2018 Review: TAKE YOUR PILLS Shines A Light On An Alarming Problem

Is Denis Villeneuve Still Making a DUNE Movie? Nope! Now He’s Making TWO Of Them

FIRST MATCH Trailer Takes A Girl’s Troubles To The Mat

Wes Anderson And Bill Murray: A Cinematic Rapport

Book Review: S. Craig Zahler’s HUG CHICKENPENNY Is A Touching Gothic Parable

CineVue

Film Review: Tomb Raider

Film Review: Ready Player One

DVD Review: Legend of the Mountain

Criterion Review: The Age of Innocence

Film Review: The Square

Cinema Blend

The Deadpool 2 Trailer Has A Hilarious Van Wilder Easter Egg

James Gunn Has Screened Avengers: Infinity War, Here's What He Thinks

The Flash's Mystery Girl: 5 Big Theories That Could Explain Her Real Identity

Deadpool 2 Trailer Reveals 3 New Characters

Rod Stewart Throws Shade At Elton John Over Final Tour

Cinema Scope

Cinema Scope 74 Contents

The Work (Jairus McLeary & Gethin Aldous, US)

Global Discoveries on DVD: A Few Peripheral Matters

Canadiana | Hometown Horror: Robin Aubert’s Les affamés

Exploded View: Bruce Conner’s Crossroads

Comicboook.com

Marvel Fan Creates Ultimate Road to 'Avengers: Infinity War' MCU Supercut

Deadpool 2 Trailer: Did We See Deadpool's Grey X-Force Costume?

New 'Ant-Man & The Wasp' Concept Art Released

Internet Reacts To 'Deadpool 2' Trailer

'Deadpool 2' Trailer Released

Film Comment Magazine

SXSW Interview: PJ Raval

Rendez-Vous: Salut les Jeunes Critiques

Interview: Khalik Allah

The Film Comment Podcast: Satire’s Funny Like That

SXSW Interview: Eugene Kotlyarenko

Film Inquiry

UNDER THE SILVER LAKE Trailer

The Nominated Film You May Have Missed: SENSE AND SENSIBILITY

SXSW Review: 1985: A Tender Elegy For The AIDS Epidemic

FINDING YOUR FEET: Pensioner Dramedy Is Surprisingly Moving

SXSW Review: MOST LIKELY TO MURDER: A Noir Comedy For The Holidays

Film School Rejects

New Deadpool 2 Trailer Assembles X-Force

6 Filmmaking Tips From Luc Besson

Should More Religious Films Openly Challenge Religious Beliefs?

Tessa Thompson Joins ‘Ragnarok’ Co-Star Chris Hemsworth in ‘Men In Black’ Spinoff

The Fantasy and Feminism of Lara Croft

Reddit Movies

Deadpool 2 | Official Trailer

I wanted to get this off my chest about Pacific Rim: Uprising.

Is modern Star Wars too self-referential?

The Jungle Book (1994), the original live action movie that most people forgot about.

Who should take over music duties for Star Wars once John Williams is done after IX?

Roger Ebert

Showtime’s “Billions” Maintains Creative, Clever Energy

Home Entertainment Consumer Guide: March 22, 2017

Pacific Rim Uprising

Bill Hader’s “Barry” is Dry, Brilliant Comedy

Unsane

Screen Rant

Bozo the Clown Performer Frank Avruch Dies At 89

10 TV Stars Who Dislike Working Together (And 10 Who Are Inseparable)

Cable Isn’t Really The Villain Of Deadpool 2

X-Files Creator Defends Season 11 Finale Plot Twist

Deadpool 2 Trailer Teases New X-Force Costume

Slash Film

‘Unsane’ Review: Steven Soderberg’s iPhone-Shot Horror Film is a Disaster

‘Frozen: The Musical’ Trailer: The Hottest New Musical is Finally on Broadway

Steven S. DeKnight on ‘Pacific Rim Uprising’, ‘Smallville’, Henry Cavill’s Superman, and More [Interview]

Frank Oz Thinks Disney is Mishandling ‘The Muppets: “They Don’t Get It”

‘American Crime Story’ Review: ‘Alone’ Brings the Story to an End

[chpkns]

BEST ALBUMS 2017

2017. Great year for music. Weird/terrible year for mostly everything else. You know how this works... let’s go.

Hon. Mentions: Mura Masa - Mura Masa; Everything Now - Arcade Fire; Teenage Emotions - Lil Yachty; Antisocialites - Alvvays; Ti Amo - Phoenix; Humanz - Gorillaz; Harry Styles - Harry Styles; Good for You - Amine; All American Made - Margo Price; This Old Dog - Mac Demarco’ Pleasure - Feist; Life Without Sound - Cloud Nothings; Big Fish Theory - Vince Staples; Aromanticism - Moses Sumney; Culture - Migos; More Life - Drake; Something To Tell You - HAIM; Hug of Thunder - Broken Social Scene; City of No Reply - Amber Coffman; Ctrl - SZA; Now That The Light Is Fading - Maggie Rogers; Blue Chips 7000 - Action Bronson; The Wild - Rural Alberta Advantage; American Teen - Khalid; Reputation - Taylor Swift; Run The Jewels 3 - Run The Jewels; Process - Sampha; Japandroids - Near to the Wild Heart of Life; Rainbow - Kesha

10) Half-Light - Rostam

Two things pushed the former Vampire Weekender’s debut solo album into my top ten, despite its shortcomings (that garbled dialogue section on ‘When’ almost lost it for me)... (1) I’m an all time sucker for Vampire Weekend, and this album at its best moments sounds like the very best parts of Modern Vampires, (2) BIKE DREAM. The glimmering centrepiece of a lead single might be the single best song of 2017. Although the rest of the album doesn’t quite match Bike Dream’s energy, it is airy and delightful in its own way. While Half-Light misses the boldness of a frontman like Ezra Koenig (busy with his own vanity projects at the moment) or any of the superstars that Rostam Batmanglij has worked with since parting ways with VW (Frank Ocean, Hamilton Leithauser, Carly Rae Jepsen, among others), there is an undeniable charm to the tentativeness of Rostam’s voice as he takes centre stage for the first time. A worthy solo debut.

Highlights: Bike Dream, Gwan, When, Wood, Thatch Snow

9) Funk Wav Bounces, Vol. 1 - Calvin Harris

Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1 is the Scottish DJ’s first Post-Swift album and the closest thing 2017 had to an official summer soundtrack. Harris reinvented himself, trading in the club for the beach and teaming up with a cadre of collaborators from established hip-hop stars (Migos, Pharell, Nicki Minaj) and rising stars (Khalid, Lil Yachty and Toronto’s own Jessie Reyez). Harris displays his talents as curator on Funk Wav Bounces, matching each track to just the right combination of guest artists with often inspired combinations (Frank Ocean and Migos on Slide, Kehlani and Lil Yachty on Faking It). And despite the varied cast, it maintains a consistent sound throughout -much moreso than its chief rival and closest contemporary in the summer collaboration album field this year, DJ Khaled’s wildly inconsistent and gloriously self-indulgent Grateful. FWB sounds exactly like its title - a collection of tropical jams sure to keep any backyard BBQ bumpin’.

Highlights: Slide (ft. Frank Ocean and Migos), Rollin (ft. Future and Khalid), Prayers Up (ft. Travis Scott and A-Trak), Faking It (ft. Kehlani and Lil Yachty)

8) Dirty Projectors - Dirty Projectors

2017′s self-titled Dirty Projectors release could not be more different from 2012′s Swing Lo Magellan. Most notable, of course, is the absence of Amber Coffman. Not just for her vocals, but for the fact that Dave Longstreth seemingly crafted the entire album around her breakup with him and the band (although he swears it isn’t as autobiographical as it sounds). There’s almost a chutzpah to Longstreth titling the Coffman-less album “Dirty Projectors” as if to put his own stamp on the meaning of the band (as he quotes KISS’ Gene Simmons: “a band is a brand”). Listening to the album, you can hear Longstreth working through the emotions of the breakup in real time, from bitterness, to regret, to resignedness and ultimately, resolution. Longstreth seems to have evolved the Projectors’ sound in his years since Swing Lo, having spent time collaborating with more mainstream pop and hip-hop artists. Dirty Projectors the album sheds the acoustic jam band aesthetic for tightly produced, electronic beats and vocal distortions. The result is a complex and eminently enjoyable album that delivers surprises on every track.

Highlights: Keep Your Name, Up In Hudson, Little Bubble, Cool Your Heart (ft. Dawn Richard)

7) Melodrama - Lorde

It’s amazing to think Ella Yelich-O’Connor is only 21 years old. Whereas Pure Heroine, released when she was 16, was a quintessential teen pop record, Melodrama, her second album, is a testament to newfound maturity. The New Zealander has done some growing up since she sang about “getting on [her] first plane” on Heroine, and it shows through the lyrical and musical diversity of this album. Melodrama ranges from anthems (Supercut, Green Light), to bangers (the Tove Lo co-written Homemade Dynamite) to ballads (Liability) all the while retaining an authenticity and unique weirdness to its songwriting. The lead track, Green Light, stands out as a particularly ambitious piece of songwriting. In less skilled hands, it might collapse under its own weight, but Lorde makes it work. The refrain on Liability of “you’re a little much for me, you’re a liability” and the image of “one girl, swaying alone, stroking her cheek” is just so good. Melodrama is a beautiful, complex pop album that solidifies Lorde’s place well above the majority of mainstream mass produced blandness. 

Highlights: Green Light, Homemade Dynamite, Liability, The Louvre

6) Freudian - Daniel Caesar

Toronto’s own Daniel Caesar’s debut album, Freudian, quickly became one of my most played records of 2017. Caesar’s mix of jazz, gospel and R&B is such easy listening I’ve often put it on while working and forgotten to change playlists before the album loops several times over. No one will accuse Freudian of being a high energy party record, but damn is it ever chill. Caesar’s silky smooth vocals, slipping effortlessly in and out of falsetto and floating effortlessly over the instrumental arrangements, are reminiscent of early Frank Ocean with a coolness harkens back to Love Below era Andre 3000. Freudian’s bucking of trap-influenced R&B trend for a more traditional sound comes out sounding modern and innovative. The obvious gospel influences make Caesar sound closer to Chance the Rapper than his fellow 6-natives Drake and the Weeknd. If Freudian is any indication, Daniel Caesar will be helping define Toronto’s sound for a long time to come.

Highlights: Get You (ft. Kali Uchis), Best Part (ft. H.E.R.), We Find Love, Transform (ft. Charlotte Day Wilson)

5) DAMN. - Kendrick Lamar

New Kung Fu Kenny! It’s even a shock to me that there ended up only being one true hip-hop record on this top ten (and we’re not really counting Calvin Harris as a rap album, are we? I didn’t think so.) But if there had to be only one, it had to be Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick is in rarefied, Kanye West type company in being able to say both that DAMN. might be his worst album, but still a bona fide classic. DAMN. embraces more of a mainstream hip-hop sound (complete with the faux mixtape DJ ad libs) than either of his last two offerings, To Pimp a Butterfly and untitled, unmastered. And while it fails to match the thematic unity of Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City, it still bangs. My first impression of DAMN. was that it sounded like if Kendrick made a Drake album (and made it look sexy)... and that ain’t a bad thing. Under the more commercially tuned exterior is the same incendiary social commentary we’ve come to expect from Kendrick. Turning his sights on Fox News critics, flexing about his friendship with Obama, and somehow making U2 seem cool in 2017 are all things that Kendrick does on DAMN. Another entry in K-dot’s epic canon.

Highlights: DNA., LOYALTY. (ft. Rihanna), HUMBLE., GOD.

4) Colter Wall - Colter Wall

My favourite country record of 2017. Speedy Creek’s own Colter Wall (the son of soon-to-be former Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall) is only 22, but you wouldn’t know it listening to this album. Wall’s deep, gravelly voice, layered over a stripped-down accompaniment feels as classic country as it gets. The starkness of the songs creates a barroom feel and leaves you to focus on the storytelling in his lyrics. Thirteen Silver Dollars tells the tale of an unfortunate drunken encounter with an RCMP officer. Kate McCannon is a classic western murder/love ballad. You Look To Yours rattles off a series of rejections by women in bars (and warns the listener “don’t trust no politicians”, showing that Colter Wall isn’t just a chip off the old block). Nashville producer Dave Cobb, who also worked on recent albums from the likes of Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell and Chris Stapleton - all leading disciples of the neo-traditionalist movement in alt-country - lends his talents to Wall’s debut release. The increasingly unlistenable quality of mainstream radio country may make one want to pour out a bottle of Thunderbird on music row, but Colter Wall shows us that the saving grace may come in the form of a prairie kid from up north.

Highlights: Thirteen Silver Dollars, Motorcycle, Kate McCannon, You Look To Yours

3) Turn Out The Lights - Julien Baker

The sophomore record from Tennessee singer-songwriter Julien Baker is not exactly a “feel good” album. At times, it feels downright depressing. The visceral quality and the rawness of the emotion in these songs just kept me coming back to this album. There is a realness and an intimacy that runs deep through the album. Turn Out The Lights deals with weighty stuff - addiction, mental health, loneliness, self-doubt - but with an undeniable beauty to the way Baker’s voice and lyrics layers over the piano and guitar. Woodwinds and violin accompaniments add to the richness on a few tracks but for the most part, the sparse palette of Baker’s voice, guitar and piano is enough to get the devastating point across. Baker’s voice, especially, has a haunting and beautiful quality that helps convey the gut wrenching emotion in her lyrics. There’s a hope, too, shining out behind the darkness. On Hurt Less, Baker moves from not wearing seatbelts because “I didn’t see the point in trying to save myself” to finding a reason in someone else to start buckling up. On another standout song, Appointments, Baker closes on a refrain of “Maybe it's all gonna turn out all right / Oh, I know that it's not, but I have to believe that it is.” Moments like that show that Turn Out The Lights isn’t the collection of sad songs it seems at first blush, but a celebration of the little moments of hope that help us get through the darkness.

Highlights: Appointments, Turn Out The Lights, Televangelist, Hurt Less

2) A Deeper Understanding - The War On Drugs

One word to describe this album: Big. I first listened to A Deeper Understanding on a float plane ride crossing the Georgia Strait from Vancouver island to the mainland on a sunny day. I can’t think of a better soundtrack for that than this. A Deeper Understanding is all soaring guitar, wailing synths and beating drums, perfect for tearing down a highway on a summer day, windows open to the wind. The War On Drugs’ Adam Granduciel has perfected his 80′s rock sound from 2014′s epic Lost In The Dream, tuning it perfectly to his Dire Straits-meets-Springsteen vocals. Every part of A Deeper Understanding feels finely tuned and crafted - you can feel the obsessiveness of Granduciel’s arrangements as the songs unfold. The songs themselves, mostly dwelling on loss and longing but against an undeniably upbeat musical background, are a strange contradiction that somehow never sounds wrong. It’s impossible to get through the guitar or organ riff sections on Nothing To Find without nodding a head or tapping a foot. The sonic grandeur, the “bigness”, of A Deeper Understanding is ultimately its greatest strength. Granduciel is painting landscapes here, not portraits. The influences are clear: Springsteen, Petty, Knopfler. If you think rock and roll is dead, you’re not listening to The War on Drugs.

Highlights: Up All Night, Holding On, Nothing To Find, Clean Living

1) American Dream - LCD Soundsystem

I never understood the backlash that LCD Soundsystem faced for coming out of retirement. Sometimes, an honest intention to hang up your skates is what it takes to bring out your best work (see, for example, Jay-Z’s The Black Album). American Dream, my favourite album of 2017, should solidify LCD’s comeback as a “good thing” once and for all. It would be one thing if a band kept churning out new, increasingly mediocre material (like later seasons of The Simpsons), but with American Dream, James Murphy and co. have done something truly great. American Dream is a brilliant, electric, synth-pop odyssey from start to finish. Recurring LCD themes like commentary on the state of popular music (lamenting on tonite that ‘everybody’s singing the same songs’) are prominent, but Murphy ruminates on personal topics like his divorce, missed opportunities (Black Screen lingers on Murphy’s failed chance to work more closely with David Bowie on his final album) and friendships lost. The most stunning track on the album, how do you sleep, is a pulsating, 9 minute take down of Murphy’s former collaborator Tim Goldsworthy - essentially a diss track - and it’s savage. The ‘drop’ at around the 3:30 mark is right about where I realized this album was something special. What finally sold me on American Dream as my album of the year was seeing it played live. LCD are probably one of, if not the, best live acts we have and this album truly bangs in person. At the centre of it all is Murphy, the unlikeliest front man, unshaven and drinking expensive wine in a grubby t-shirt. A rockstar with a dad bod. A bizarro light-side-of-the-force version of Steve Bannon. The American Dream incarnate if there ever was one. James Murphy is all of us, and none of us at the same time. Normal, but exceptional at the same time. This album is all exceptional. It’s the best of 2017.

Highlights: oh baby,  how do you sleep, tonite, call the police

SPECIAL RETROSPECTIVE

Now that I’ve been doing this a few years, I wanted to look back at my top albums of the decade so far...

2010: The Suburbs - Arcade Fire

2011: Take Care - Drake

2012: Channel Orange - Frank Ocean

2013: Yeezus - Kanye West

2014: Our Love - Caribou

2015: Art Angels - Grimes

2016: Coloring Book - Chance The Rapper

2017: American Dream - LCD Soundsystem

All in all a very solid and defensible selection of albums. I don’t want to second guess myself too much, and I would still ride or die for any of these choices, but if I’d change one or two, it might be to flip Yeezus for Modern Vampires in the City in 2013, or swap the Caribou for RTJ2 in 2014... which are just albums that have stuck with me more over time.