#by cassidy byrnes

[heartsleevemag]

Indie supergroup boygenius releases cyclical new EP, "the rest"

by Cassidy Byrnes

The boys are yet again back in town. Last Friday, indie trio boygenius released a new EP, the rest, after their astounding, widely accredited full-length album, the record. With their 2018 debut EP, boygenius, many of us assumed it would be their first and last outing as a group. But now, in 2023, we are all swimming in the sorrowful rock sounds of both the record, released March 31st, and the newly released EP, the rest.

I want to mention the significance, to me and to other fans, of releasing an EP rather than an extended or deluxe version of the LP. While I assume that the rest is composed of songs that were meant for the record, I think it’s wonderful to acknowledge, as an artist, that that album is complete. After listening to the rest an extraordinary amount of times, I can tell boygenius also believed that it was deserving of its own independent release because, like the record, it tells its own stories with its own conclusions. That’s not to say that I’m not a sucker for an extended or deluxe album (Taylor Swift, for example, can have all of my money), but understanding when a project is finished is something really special and noteworthy.

“Black Hole” starts off this EP with a staccato piano and an entrance of vocals from Julien Baker, where she is describing a night spent on a porch smoking cigarettes. Then a rhythm line comes in along with a more chaotic piano beginning to drown her out. Then enters Lucy Dacus with a smattering of nouns and adjectives that seemingly have no connection to Baker – but I’d like to imagine they are sharing a phone call where they are discussing these things, “Sometimes, I need to hear your voice,” Dacus concludes.

Dacus also brings us into the next track “Afraid of Heights.” This track has a very light acoustic feel with some steel guitar, until the final 40 seconds where a steady bass line joins and increases the gravity, making you really take in the story that Dacus weaves. Throughout the track, she describes a relationship with someone who pushed her to her limits: “I know I was a disappointment / Know you wanted me to take a risk / Not everybody gets the chance to live / A life that isn’t dangerous.” She has this amazing ability to make the listener believe everything she’s telling them, almost like they lived it themselves. The chaotic nature of the relationship and the slow, explanatory narrative by Dacus gives the song extreme emotional depth. They even snuck in the word “entropy," which seems to be the perfect encapsulation for this relationship.

We haven't heard a lot from Phoebe Bridgers yet, the third member of boygenius who is known for her wispy vocals and brutal lyrics, but the third track definitely showcases both. Opening with a humming harmony from the boys, “Voyager” pushes the audience into a story led by Bridgers; “It’s a hundred and three in the Valley / Blacktop is meltin’ on our shoes.” She tells us about a relationship that has ended, that was seemingly romantic but toxic all at the same time, and Bridgers still feels some sort of possession over them. This groundless notion is what drives the track – one moment she is reminiscing about spending the day in bed with this person, and the next she’s telling us that they “stepped on the gas” and asked her if she’s ready to die. While I hope that’s figurative, it gets the toxicity of the relationship across without it slapping the audience in the face. The production of the track is very minimal, with a plucky guitar line and the harmonies of Baker and Dacus.

“Powers” ends the EP and lets us hear from Baker one last time, where she is questioning her origins. Baker discusses her “powers” and where they came from with a sort of disdain, even relating her existence to a cockroach. This track’s lyrical allegories are great and the harmonies from the other boys offer a nice place to land, but the majority of the production, to me, was a little lackluster. But, again, the final minute of the track offers an undemanding trumpet solo accompanied by some strings which is a delicate way to lay the EP to rest (haha).

The entirety of this EP seems to be a conclusion of sorts. Each song is discussing the end of something and the acceptance that often accompanies endings, giving the title, the rest, a whole new meaning. The exceptional thing is that all of these tracks blend perfectly into the next; even the closing track blends right into the opener. Listening to it the first time, I was questioning where one song ended and the next began. I can only hope that this cyclical feeling was purposeful and that the boys, like this EP, will likely end but will begin again.

[marvelousmrm]

Uncanny X-Men #119 (Claremont/Byrne, Mar 1979). Still missing presumed dead, the new team stop a plot to sink Japan.

[harlivylove]

Lost in your eyes

Harley x Ivy - Artist : Cassidy Byrne

[x-istential-crisis]

Savagelands Wolverine is so funny I love him here.

Uncanny X-Men #114

John Byrne and Chris Claremont

[wwprice1]

Classic.

[evilhorse]

Alpha Flight #17

[all-or-nothing-baby]

nabrielise OT3 mixtape anyone?

[genevieveetguy]

That's a story, Kitty. I'm looking for facts.

The Wonder, Sebastián Lelio (2022)

[rookie-critic]

The Wonder (2022, dir. Sebastián Lelio) - review by Rookie-Critic

The Wonder has a lot going for it; an incredibly solid story, a cast that won't quit, and a message that is timely and troubling: where is the intersect of religion and medicine when it comes to a child? If life-saving care can be given, but the parents refuse on grounds of religion, is it ethical to allow the child to die instead of saving them? Where is the line drawn between these two often-opposing forces? The Wonder asks all these questions and, in my opinion, delivers its answers on them pretty definitively by its end. For me, and I feel that Lelio conveys this, you absolutely save the child if possible. It's not a very tricky question at all from any angle. I've read articles about the film that seem to think it presents its central question as a moral quandary, that it attempts to read both sides, but I'm not sure how those people came to that conclusion. There are only a couple scenes that even remotely hint at this, and I'm not sure that's how I read them, and if it was attempting to present both sides, I'm not sure that it succeeded.

I think the strangest part of the film has to be its framing device. The film starts on a set. A modern-day, studio lot movie set, and a voice (that of actress Niamh Algar, who plays one of the characters in the film), tells us that this is a movie. She then says that the characters in the film believe their stories fully, and then invites us to do the same. The camera then pans into one of the set pieces in the room where we have actors (including Florence Pugh) and lighting and finally the camera clicks into place, completely cutting out the surrounding room so that we only see the set "in frame." From this point the film plays out like a normal drama (outside of another fourth wall break at the halfway point) until the very end, when we cut back out the film set. From what I can tell, it was meant as a way to kind of nod to the fact that the subject matter in the film has a lot of bearing on modern day events, but honestly I didn't need any of that, at all. I don't need you to keep winking at the camera, nudging the audience and saying "Right? Right? Look how timely our period piece is! Isn't it so upsetting that this is still a problem in the MODERN DAY?!" It's honestly exhausting, immersion breaking, distracting, and frankly it feels like its treating the audience like children. It almost feels like Lelio didn't have faith enough, either in his own script or the audience, to convey or understand what the film was getting at without having to spoon feed it to us with a really contrived framing device. Thankfully the film only commits to this sparingly, and it's easy enough to just look past it.

Ultimately the film's greatest strength, as she is with almost everything she's in, is Florence Pugh, who comes at this story with so much thought and empathy for the other characters in the film that you'd be awestruck by it if this wasn't what she literally does every time she acts. I was also very impressed with Kíla Lord Cassidy, the newcomer who plays the "miracle fasting girl" at the film's center. She plays off Pugh wonderfully and has cemented her place in my mind as a name to watch out for. I really did like The Wonder, it's a well-crafted, well-acted, well-meaning film that just gets a little bogged down in a few pitfalls that keep it from being really great, for me, at least. Check this one out of you've got the time.

Score: 7/10

Currently streaming on Netflix.

[joshualayok]

Alex Grubard's Comedy All Nighter - White Eagle Hall 1.13.24

Saturday, 1.13.24, was the fourth installment of Alex Grubard’s comedy shows at the illustrious White Eagle Hall in Jersey City. The line-up was great. The crowd was hot. The night was a blast. Kudos to all involved. Brainstorming the logistics of the night. What a spread! The greenroom has lots of great photos from past shows at White Eagle. “Free beer?!” – Connor The crowd beginning to…

[ex0skeletal-undead]

Something Washed Ashore by Cassidy Byrne

This artist on Instagram

[heartsleevemag]

Friday Five is back!

Whether you're new to the mag or you've been following Heartsleeve for some time now, you ought to know this about us: music gets our blood pumping. So we're bringing back our biweekly soundtrack of staff picks, the Friday Five, a playlist of new – or new-to-us! – tracks that we've been vibing with lately. This week brings us emotion, danceability, reflection, and life. This is Friday Five.

1. "Cinderella" – Remi Wolf (Cassidy's Pick)

Hearing this track for the first time, while on public transit at 9am was terrible; all I wanted to do was get up and dance. Remi just makes you feel good. She uses this sort of R&B beat with a disco horn section that makes you want to get up and move. There’s also what I like to describe as “fun little treasures,” hidden in the production. For example, a little whistle pops up throughout the chorus along with a desk bell signifying that we are, in fact, meeting Remi “and the boys in the hotel lobby.”

Remi’s 3rd LP Big Ideas releases on July 12th.

2. "Wretched" – Bartees Strange (Jude's Pick)

"I was trying to be something wretched, something I saw on TV," Bartees Strange shares with listeners in the bridge of "Wretched," the third song on his 2022 LP Farm to Table. The entire album is a personal reflection on life and behavior, but this track sticks out to me because of its brutal honesty and its narrative; it thanks one of the singer's loved ones for being there for him even when he was in a tumultuous, lost period of his life. It's also sonically engaging, the pre-chorus building a bridge between the soft verses and the fun, almost chaotic chorus that culminates in an assertion of hope regardless of one's past. I'm obsessed with the entire album, but this one is at the top of my On Repeat this week. Last month, Bartees Strange released a deluxe edition of his latest album, Say Goodbye To Pretty Boy, and I'm excited to delve into it. If it's anything like Farm To Table, I'm sure it'll be gripping, reflective and masterful.

3. "Cocoon" – Bjork (Elise's Pick)

This song is one of my favourites of all time, but one that I’ve recently revisited. The production is quintessential Björk experimentalism; subtle yet undeniable mastery of her craft. Lyrically, the song is completely discrepant to the media’s image of her as naive and childlike. It’s a bold reclamation of desire in the form of a gentle love letter, almost invasive to listen to because of its intimacy. The microbeats which softly patter through the whole album, Vespertine, characterise this song as a paean to a vulnerable love Björk is sharing with her lover, and now with us as listeners. It’s a product of that Tori Amos, PJ Harvey era of 90s alternative, unapologetic in its depictions of a sexuality that had not been explored by many women due to taboo. The title feels perfect, too, the beats and layers of production evoking a feeling of being blanketed in the music as though in a cocoon. A track that never gets old, despite the 13 years that have passed since its release.

4. "B2b" – Charli XCX (Cassidy's Pick)

Wake up, angels! Charli is back! In February, Charli XCX emerged with a new single Von Dutch that spread across TikTok like a plague. Then a remix of the track featuring Addison Rae and production from A.G. Cook, it was clear that this new album cycle would be a hit.

Before the album, BRAT, drops on June 7th, Charli graciously released two more singles to obsess over, “Club classics” and “B2b.” As much as I love “Club classics,” “B2b” is it for me. The addictive synth beat, mixed with the infectious hook, creates a track you don’t want to put down and I haven’t. Charli has a special way of bringing meaningful lyricism to a genre that is usually viewed as completely void of it, and “B2b” is a great example. Suffice it to say, I am beyond excited to hear the album of the summer on June 7th.

5. "Good Luck, Babe!" – Chappell Roan (Elise's Pick)

I don’t typically listen to pop, but this upbeat exploration of queer love and heartache is one of my favourite recent releases. The vocals are grandiose, heavenly in their high pitch and almost reminiscent of Kate Bush in their drama. Roan is an artist completely dedicated to the ‘image’ and the art that comes with her music; her recent appearance on Tiny Desk included lipstick on teeth, bouffant scarlet wigs and tiaras. She is one of my favourite rising artists at the moment, opening many of Olivia Rodrigo’s US shows and portraying the multifaceted beauty and ache of sapphic desire through the journey of her debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. This is her first release since this album, and she doesn’t disappoint. ‘You’d have to stop the world just to stop the feeling,’ she sings, as the ending of the song slows, slowing and distorting her voice and eventually stopping. She doesn’t shy away from explicit queer desire, and it’s not all innocence: it’s “a sexually explicit kinda love affair.” I’m enamoured with Roan’s eccentricity and originality, and this track only serves to reinforce it - the fun beats, flamboyant strings, and her hypnotic vocals render this a must-listen track.

Check out the Friday Five playlist on Spotify below, and be sure to follow us so you don't miss future updates!

[marvelousmrm]

Uncanny X-Men #128 (Claremont & Byrne, Dec 1979). Four years after this “new” team was introduced, they’re finally working like a well-oiled machine.

[forest-enchantress]

Hi,

I make period drama style gifs. If you use gif packs, please like and reblog them. Most of my projects are already ready, but every day I post no more than 190 gifs. Because that was the reason why my previous account was blocked.

I tried to make gif packs in a format more familiar to you with a link to a separate page. However, unfortunately, I did not succeed because of the large format of high-quality gifs.

I want to explain about color processing. Usually, I improve the contrast, brightness and saturation, but leave the naturalness of the film. I don't make the contours too sharp because I like the aesthetic of it looking like a natural image.

Actors in alphabetical order: part 1(A-D), part 2, part 3

Navigation

The arrangement of names may not be alphabetical

▶Page 1

Anne Hathaway Anya Taylor-Joy Asia Argento Astrid Berges-Frisbey Boran Kuzum Camille Rutherford

▶Page 2

Carla Juri César Domboy Callum Turner Cate Blanchett Charity Wakefield Charlie Rowe Chiara Mastroianni Christian Bale Christoph Waltz

▶Page 3

Dagmara Dominczyk Dan Stevens Ella Purnell Emily Blunt Ezra Miller Raffey Cassidy Rebecca Emilie Sattrup Rose Byrne Roxane Duran

▶Page 4

Frances O'Connor Gemma Arterton Hannah Taylor-Gordon Hattie Morahan Hugh Dancy Isabelle Adjani

▶Page 5

Izzy Meikle-Small James Norton Jane Birkin Joanne Whalley Lucy Boynton Jim Caviezel Monica Keena Nicolas Duvauchelle Sally Hawkins

▶Page 6

Adriana Tarábková Dakota Fanning Elle Fanning Gaia Weiss Gwyneth Paltrow Kirsten Dunst Léa Seydoux Pia Degermark Roxane Mesquida Rosamund Pike Samantha Gates Sophia Myles

▶Page 7

Annabelle Wallis Austin Butler Carey Mulligan Guy Pearce James Frain Katie Parker Kate Siegel Olivia Cooke Rachel Hurd-Wood Soko Sujaya Dasgupta Tom Cruise

▶Page 8

Adèle Exarchopoulos Anna Maxwell Martin Charles Dance Emma Williams Gillian Anderson Ian Somerhalder Imogen Poots Matthew Rhys Natalie Press Nina Dobrev Paul Wesley Tamzin Merchant

▶Page 9

Anna Friel Catherine Mouchet Déborah François Dominic West Frédéric Noaille Joséphine Japy Kevin Kline María Valverde Paz Vega

▶Page 10

Ben Whishaw Clémence Poésy Elliot Grihault Emilia Fox Joseph Morgan Lambert Wilson Michelle Dockery Phoebe Fox Sophie Okonedo Tom Hiddleston Tom Hughes Tom Sturridge

▶Page 11

Calista Flockhart Charlotte Gainsbourg Christina Giannelli David Strathairn Felicity Jones Fu'ad Aït Aattou Greta Scacchi Helena Bonham Carter Holliday Grainger Michelle Pfeiffer Rupert Friend Sophie Marceau

▶Page 12

Angela Bassett Brooke Carter Cillian Murphy Danylo Kolomiiets Katie McGrath Keeley Hawes Maria Bonnevie Marta Gastini Miriam Giovanelli Olivia Hussey Oscar Isaac Peter Plaugborg

▶Page 13

Ben Barnes Ben Chaplin Bill Skarsgård Iben Akerlie Jakob Oftebro Jo Woodcock Lily-Rose Depp Reese Witherspoon Ruth Wilson Samantha Soule Tess Frazer Virginie Ledoyen

▶Page 14

Cary Elwes Colin Firth Daniel Day-Lewis Emilia Verginelli Hannah James Jonah Hauer-King Loli Bahia Lorenzo Balducci Rebecca Hall Robin Wright Rupert Everett Willa Fitzgerald

▶Page 15

Annes Elwy Claire Danes Eliza Scanlen Freddie Fox Hugh Jackman Kathryn Newton Louis Partridge Maya Hawke Romola Garai Samantha Mathis Trini Alvarado Winona Ryder

▶Page 16

Douglas Smith Eric Bana Gizem Karaca Jessica Brown Findlay Kenneth Branagh Kit Harington Millie Brady Natalie Dormer Poppy Delevingne Rachel Weisz Rosy McEwen Sam Claflin

▶Page 17

Aubri Ibrag Christina Hendricks Connie Jenkins-Greig Guy Remmers Henry Cavill Imogen Waterhouse Josie Totah Mia Threapleton Olivia Hallinan

▶Page 18

Essie Davis Fahriye Evcen Justine Waddell Natalia Sánchez Monica Bellucci Penelope Cruz Piper Perabo

▶Page 19

Alicia Vikander Alida Baldari Calabria Christopher Abbott Emma Stone Jasmine Blackborow Kim Rossi Stuart Lili Reinhart Louis Cunningham Margaret Qualley Marine Vacth Mark Ruffalo Mélanie Thierry Ramy Youssef Scarlett Johansson Sydney Sweeney

▶Page 20

Antonia Clarke Cameron Monaghan Heather Graham Isolda Dychauk Laoise Murray Madelaine Petsch Olivia Colman Sophie Turner Vanessa Redgrave

▶Page 21

Claire Holt Emily Mortimer Jennifer Beals Kelly Macdonald Lena Headey Perdita Weeks Ruta Gedmintas Sarah Bolger Sting

▶Page 22

Berrak Tuzunatac Burcu Ozberk Cansu Dere Deniz Cakir Melisa Sozen Merve Bolugur Saadet Aksoy Yasemin Allen

▶Page 23

Alina Kovalenko Anastasiya Ostreinova Anna Sagaydachnaya Dorota Delag Kseniya Mishina Oleksii Yarovenko Olena Lavrenyuk Taras Tsimbalyuk Veronika Shostak

▶Page 24

To do list:

Christopher Gorham under development (The Other Side of Heaven 2001) Harry Melling - The Pale Blue Eye 2022 Nora Arnezeder - Angélique 2013 Isabella Heathcote - Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Eleanor Worthington-Cox in Gwen (2018) Julie Delpy - La passion Béatrice 1987,  Frankenstein 2004, Trois couleurs: Blanc 1994, The Three Musketeers 1993 Nastassja Kinski - Revolution (1985), Tess 1979 Julia Ormond - Young Catherine 1991, First Knight 1995, Legends of the Fall 1994 Laura Donnelly - Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands, Britannia, Outlander Morena Baccarin in Stargate Isabella Celani - A Room with a View 1985 Neve McIntosh - Gormenghast 2000 Kate Beckinsale - Much Ado About Nothing 1993 Sarah Felberbaum as Maddalena in Medici

✦Francesca Annis

Wives and Daughters 1999 — under development

Volker Bohnet — Ludwig 1973 Romy Schneider — Ludwig 1973, Sissi 1955 Helmut Berger — Ludwig 1973

✦Ethan Erickson

Dorian 2003— under development

All of these gifs were made from scratch by me for roleplaying purposes. Feel free to use them as sidebars and reaction gifs. PLEASE DON’T CLAIM THEM AS YOUR OWN.

[broadwaydivastournament]

Bernadette Peters in Caricature

I am so behind, so we're just going to plow right through these. Bernadette has not one, not two, not six, but eleven Hirschfelds, more than any other Diva left.

George M! With Joel Grey, Bernadette Peters, Nanette Fabray, Jack Cassidy - Tv Special 9/6/70

On The Town- Bernadette Peters, Phyllis Newman, Donna Mckechnie, Jess Richards, Remak Ramsay, Ron Husman. (10/31/71)

“Seven Sparklers In Fall Firmament”(Clockwise From Top Right) Peter Firth In Equus; Angela Lansbury In Gypsy, Gerladine Page, Richard Kiley And Sandy Dennis In Absurd Person Singular; Ben Gazzara In Hughie; Maureen Stapleton, Jack Lemmon, And Walter Matthau In Juno & The Paycock, Robert Preston And Bernadette Peters In Mack & Mabel; And Charlton Heston In Macbeth, 1974

Mack And Mabel With Robert Preston, Bernadette Peters, Lisa Kirk, And Robert Fitch, 10/6/74

Sunday In The Park With George, Bernadette Peters And Mandy Patinkin, 1984

Bernadette Peters In Sunday In The Park With George (6/8/84)

Bernadette Peters In Annie Get Your Gun (2/28/99)

Into The Woods With Joanna Gleason, Robert Westenberg, Tom Aldredge, Bernadette Peters, Barbara Byrne, And Chip Zien, 11/1/87

The Goodbye Girl: Carol Woods, Tammy Minoff, John Christopher Jones, Martin Short, Bernadette Peters (2/28/93)

Cameron Mackintosh With Characters From Shows He Has Produced. Last Revised 4/92

Rick Steiner With Characters From Six Of His Plays, Ink And Goauche 9/02

Bernadette also has a portrait at Sardi's, but heaven knows I can't find it just by googling, and it's not a week to ask me to do deep dives like I usually do. Check back in three-to-five business days.

Elaine Stritch and Bernadette Peters in "A Little Night Music," 2010 - Squigs

Bernadette Peters and the new company of Hello, Dolly! 2018 - Squigs

Bernadette Peters, Joanna Gleason (my beloved), and the company of Into the Woods, 2014 - Squigs

Bernadette Peters, Jan Maxwell (my beloved), Jayne Houdyshell, Mary Beth Peil, and the company of Follies, 2011 - Squigs

[aboutzatanna]

Zatanna and Blue Devil/Daniel Cassidy as a show business power couple with their respective side kicks Zatara and Kid Devil being frenemies-turned-lovers would be my dream true.

Oh heck, make it a power throuple with Wonder Woman, Zatanna and Blue Devil. That would really please the ghosts of Marston, Olivia Byrne and Elizabeth Holloway.