#i think chilton could be controversial but hear me out!! this is based on that one post about him being like an annoying puppy

[deerest-deer]

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡⋆hannibal nbc as littlest pet shops⋆ ˚｡⋆୨♡୧⋆ ˚｡⋆

[thesinglesjukebox]

MARTHA - LOVE KEEPS KICKING

[6.17]

Pop-punkers kick up little more controversy than last time around...

Jonathan Bradley: Pity Me faves Martha return a bit less punk and a lot more power pop, their effervescent slapdash glee extending now to a pert swing rhythm and attempts to mosh to Huey Lewis and the News. "Love Keeps Kicking" holds its optimism in check with an almost discomfitingly earnest despair -- and vice versa: you barely notice how quick "you were tripping fractals" turns into "sometimes I feel so empty I just wanna leave it all." But there are jokes as well -- "I need a paid interpreter to decipher your midnight texts" is shade worthy of Fight Like Apes. The first time I heard it, it sounded like the kind of classic that immediately asks you to pull together playlists so that it might literally sit beside other effortless classics, like say, "Where Have All the Rude Boys Gone" and "Another Girl, Another Planet" and "Alex Chilton" and "Beat Surrender" and "The Boys are Back in Town." (It's as rousing as any of these.) But it also made me want to cue it up again and again. Martha: I am listening. [9]

Alfred Soto: "Is that Weezer?" the dude at the other table wondered when I played the opening bars without realizing the headphones weren't plugged in. [1]

Ryo Miyauchi: Martha mines from sweeter-than-sweet jukebox favorites, and the verses leading to the big payoff of a chorus are filled with charmingly personal specifics. Every other line makes you want to inquire more about the story. "When you got smashed and tried to mosh to Huey Lewis and the News": they could make a whole other song based on this. [6]

Iain Mew: We're about a decade early for a song to precisely be to Belle & Sebastian's "I'm a Cuckoo" what "I'm a Cuckoo" was to "The Boys Are Back in Town", but never mind. It might be a scruffy ramble, but every time the harmonic guitar comes in it makes all the sense it needs to. [7]

Thomas Inskeep: Martha are supposedly a four-piece punk band, but all I hear on "Love Keeps Kicking" is mewling, whiny Brit indie that makes my teeth itch and my fist clench. [2]

Juana Giaimo: I find it easy to identify with self-deprecating songwriters -- that's probably why I love Paramore, especially in After Laughter. Martha often writes self-deprecating lyrics too, but "Love Keeps Kicking" also sounds really cheerful -- there's even an acoustic guitar strumming as the base of the song. However, there is something darker in the excess of energy. The backing vocals literally scream, and the main voice is too dramatic, as if he was pouring his heart out from desperation. This kind of irony is what makes Martha such a compelling band, able to understand the silly contradictions of love. [8]

Alex Clifton: I suddenly understand why people love pop-punk; I would too if there were fewer whiny frontmen and way catchier melodies like the ones Martha have given us. This will be stuck in my head for the rest of the day, and I'm fine with that. [7]

Katherine St Asaph: I love power pop, but with so much of it, you have two choices: Weezer-indebted stuff that coats your inner ears with Reddit gold, and/or great tracks with pinched voices, more like love keeps kicking the shit out of their vocal cords. Note: I'd probably love this if it were a Veruca Salt or Sarge song. [6]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: Songs like "Love Keeps Kicking" remind you that mediocre power pop songs can make you think they're good because of a repeated, catchy guitar riff. Don't be fooled. [3]

Tim de Reuse: Okay, okay, I'm charmed, Martha, you got me. You're not perfect, but you're loose and messy in an energetic way, and you're silly, but just the right amount of silly. I love the awkward pattern of emphasis on the stupendous line "I need a paid interpreter to decipher your midnight texts," and the whole-hearted harmonized "ooh-yeah" of the chorus, and that addictive, twangy guitar lick! The mix is a bit flimsy for my tastes, but they've laser-focused on achieving a particular high-octane atmosphere, and I can't disrespect people who are so clearly good at what they do while sounding like a bunch of goofballs. [8]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: There is a certain kind of song that exudes kaleidoscopic joy, where every note is so beautifully placed that you can't help but love it. "Love Keeps Kicking" is one of those songs, dazzling in its shaggy glory. It's all jutting edges that hold in your memory, from the guitar lines down to the show-stopper of a bridge. I can't imagine getting this out of my head, and I can't imagine wanting to, either. [9]

Vikram Joseph: When I first heard Courting Strong, Martha's debut, I was enraptured; here was this headlong torrent of empathy, nostalgia, hope and anxiety, contained inside perfect three-minute bullets of jagged pop-punk, fired directly at my hypothalamus. They had grown up and come together as a band some 15 miles from where I grew up; it felt like it was meant for me. That kind of adoration and affinity generates expectations that border on fear, but this band keep on meeting them. The chorus of "Love Keeps Kicking" almost sounds a little too simple at first, until you hear the full phrase that gives the song its name: "Love keeps kicking the shit out of me, and there's no solution I can see." And then, despite the backdrop of rollicking, indie-punk power chords, it's suddenly devastating; they've never sounded defeated like this, and it's like seeing the most upbeat person you know in tears. The big chords dropping out feels like the mask - you know, the one you wear every day at work and when you see your friends so they'd never guess that, some days, you wake up feeling utterly hopeless - slipping to the floor. "No happy pill / no drinking bleach / no permanent lobotomy," sings JC Cairns, his voice endearingly strained as usual, but for once running out of reasons to stay positive or ways to fix everything. That empathy, though, still runs through the song like an artery; the hyper-specific anecdotes in the verses are Martha's way of making the pain communal, as they always have been. Love keeps kicking the shit out of us; remembering that might make it hurt a bit less when it does. [8]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

[techduinn]

I've been watching waaaay too much Top Chef the past few weeks, and now I want someone to write me a Hannibal crack fic where the characters of Hannibal are Top Chef contestants.

Wait, hear me out.

Hannibal is the hoity toity French trained chef who constantly talks about how good his dishes could be if he had access to HIS pantry, but he doesn't get to use his SPECIAL ingredients until the finale, which trips him up throughout the competition. Everyone is shocked when he wins the Cooking on a Budget challenge.

Will is the Southern/Creole chef who didn't go to culinary school and detests the reality show format but could really use the 100k. He and Hannibal are paired up during Restaurant Wars and everyone expects then to crash and burn in the kitchen, but Will adds a soulful element to Hannibal's technically perfect cooking and they sweep the challenge and basically become the unlikely odd couple through the rest of competition. Will wins the Leftover and Canned Food challenges without breaking a sweat.

Chiyoh is the dark horse asian-fusion chef who gets dinged by the judges for doing too many seafood dishes. She comes back with a squab dish that shuts them all up. She wins the most quick fires and ends up in the final four.

Alana is the sweet one that everyone really wants to win. She's not willing to play the game, which leads to her getting the boot in the the second to last elimination before the finale, but she smokes everyone on Last Chance Kitchen and makes a triumphant return.

Jack is the bulldog of the competition who isn't willing to compromise. No one wants to be paired with him in team challenges, but with luck or meddling from the producers he gets paired up with Will 50% of the time. They either are always in the top or the bottom depending on whether he'll listen to Will's advice.

Beverly is the fan favorite with the best back-room interviews. She is considered an ace to win, but gets knocked out during Restaurant Wars in a really controversial decision that fans of the show hate.

Freddie Lounds is the vegetarian chef who wants to prove that you don't have to cook proteins to win. Although she doesn't actually care all that much about winning because she just wants more exposure for her cookbooks and food blog. She constantly throws her teammates under the bus, especially Will, who she calls out for being too unrefined.

Zeller is middle of the road chef that everyone thinks is cannon fodder, but he lasts way longer than anyone expects. He gets teamed up with Freddie and Beverly (who is executive chef) during Restaurant Wars and nearly gets eliminated when Freddie shoves him under a bus, but the judges eliminate Beverly instead. Fans are split on whether Freddie or Zeller should have been eliminated but they all agree Bev was WRONGED.

Bedelia is the shark that everyone needs to look out for. Her flavors are considered to be the most refined. The judges ding her for doing too many wine-based sauces and ultimately eliminate her for one where she didn't cook enough of the alcohol off.

Franklyn flames out early during a challenge when he puts so much bleu cheese on the plate that one of the judges spits it out.

Mirium is the culinary student kicked off early on during the Unusual Protein challenge. Hannibal misleads her on how to prepare lamb brain and the dish is nearly inedible. She sticks it out for 5-6 challenges in Last Chance Kitchen, but doesn't make it to the finale.

Chilton is the peacock of the competition. He already owns a restaurant and prides himself on having an exceptional pallet. He is not yet a sommelier, but he brags that his wine pairings are just as good. He is constantly in the bottom but never gets eliminated.

Price is the funny molecular gastronomy chef who falls victim to the dessert curse and gets eliminated.

Margot is the pastry chef who manages to hold her own through half the season until she gets kicked off for a BBQ pork challenge. She and Alana have a flirty relationship throughout the season and start dating during the gap before the finale.

Reba is the head judge and is considered to have the best pallet of all of the panel. She also has a famous restaurant called The Black Out where diners are blind folded during thier meals to mimick her experience. She is (in)famous for putting together flavors that should not work.

Molly is the bubbly Host. She gets seriously pissed of during the Cooking for Kids challenge when only Will, Hannibal and Price make a decent dish and everyone else is a train wreck.

[insert other Hannibal characters here]

Who will win the title of Top Chef and turn their culinary dreams into a reality?