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occupyvenus · 7 years ago

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The tinfoil is strong with this one

Guys, I’m super hyped about all the trailers and with season 7 being so close, I have to tell you one thing: I have my hopes up for Jonsa. Maybe I shouldn’t, but that’s just how it is. I know I shouldn’t burden you with this, but I guess, that’s who I am now. The cracy shipper-lady who’s 99,9999999% certain her ship will be canon and drags everyone into the hell that his high expectations.

Anyway, I went back to the infamous original outline from 1993 one more time and I think I’ve made some ~ fun observations ~ that play into the recent fuckplot-euphoria and might be quite interesting - or at least amusing - to read.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I want you to know that coming up with this post looked something like this:

You’ve been warned. But if you’re down with that, put your tinfoils on and please, do continue under the cut.

First things first. I will put the relevant parts of the outline below, but you can read the original here or a transcript that someone posted to reddit here. If you haven’t read it before - spoiler alert, I guess?

So here are the three paragraphs relevant to my “jonsa-theorey”:

Each of the contending families will learn it has a member of dubious loyalty in its midst. Sansa Stark, wed to Joffrey Baratheon, will bear him a son, the heir to the throne, and when the crunch comes she will choose her husband over her parents and siblings, a choice she will later bitterly rue. Tyrion Lannister, meanwhile, will befriend both Sansa and her sister Arya, while growing more and more disenchanted with his own family

....

Jon Snow, the bastard, will remain in the far north. He will mature into a ranger of great daring, and ultimately will succeed his uncle as the commander of the Night’s Watch. When Winterfell burns, Catelyn Stark will be forced to run north with her son Bran and her daughter Arya. Hounded by Lannister riders, they will seek refuge at the Wall, but the men of the Night’s Watch give up their families when they take the black, and Jon and Benjen will not be able to help, to Jon’s anguish. It will lead to a bitter estrangement between Jon and Bran. Arya will be more forgiving … until she realises, with terror, that she has fallen in love with Jon, who is not only her half-brother but a man of the Night’s Watch, sworn to celibacy. Their passion will continue to torment Jon and Arya throughout the trilogy, until the secret of Jon’s true parentage is finally revealed in the last book.

...

Tyrion Lannister will continue to travel, to plot, and to play the game of thrones, finally removing his nephew Joffrey in disgust at the boy king’s brutality. Jaime Lannister will follow Joffrey on the throne of the Seven Kingdoms, by the simple expedient of killing everyone ahead of him in the line of succession and blaming his brother Tyrion for the murders. Exiled, Tyrion will change sides, making common cause with the surviving Starks to bring his brother down, and falling helplessly in love with Arya Stark while he’s at it. His passion is, alas, unreciprocated, but no less intense for that, and it will lead to a deadly rivalry between Tyrion and Jon Snow.

All read up? Good. Here it goes:

GRRM initially intended Jon/Arya/Tyrion to mirror Rhaegar/Lyanna/Robert and later changed his mind to have Jon/Sansa/(LF) mirror Ned/Catelyn/(LF).

No, WAIT! Before you roll your eyes and call me crazy in the comments, I ask you to do one thing: keep an open mind and read until the end. It will all make sense somehow. THEN you can roll your eyes and call me crazy in the comments.

First of all, like all good conspiracy theories we need to make some general assumptions before we get started:

While the story we all love / obsess over strayed far from GRRM’s original vision, he did incorporate most of the outlines story beats into the official series. The details changed a lot, yes, but one can find some sort of counterpart in the official story for everything grrm writes about in the original outline. Except for one thing: the tormented incest love triangle. More on that later.

We don’t get any clear descriptions of the outline!characters, but I’m going to assume that their “base personalitys” were the same. GRRM doesn’t really go into the physical appearance or personality of his characters but I assume, you would still recognize outline!Ned as official!Ned, outline!Arya as official!Arya etc. The one big exception is outline!Jaime who gives me general official!Cersei-vibes.

GRRM’s love for “parallels over parallels and history repeating itself” has been around since 1993.

[...] until the secret of Jon’s true parentage is finally revealed [...] leads me to the conclusion that R+L=J was already a thing at this point. What leads me to the conclusion Robert’s rebellion was a thing as well.

The important pairings will be the same in Game Of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire. = Combining hints from the books and the show is a-okay.

I would say these five assumptions aren’t too cocky? I wouldn’t bet my dogs life on it, but I feel pretty confident about them.

The main reason I even consider canon!Jonrya or canon!Jonsa at all is the fact that GRRM had the idea in the first place. I would have never thought of a snow on stark romance, if it wasn’t for that. The fact that the creator himself entertained that possibility elevates both pairings above the status of complete crackships. Jonrya more so than Jonsa, but “they think they’re siblings. That would never happen.” simply isn’t a valid argument in this case. You can’t call something a crackship if the writer himself wanted it to be canon at one point. That is a leap in logic I just don’t understand and I will fight you on this.

But back to the issue at hand: As I said above you can find similarities between all events described in the outline and things happening in the official series. But, I honestly can’t think of anything that even comes close to the tormented incest love triangle. Don’t you think that’s at least a little bit suspicious? GRRM tries to keep all his initial ideas in his story somehow, except for the plot he mentions in two paragraphs? A plot involving three of the original five key players? Is it really so crazy to think it just hasn’t happened yet?

I know that so much has changed since 1993, but I would argue the jon/halfsister-turned-cousin relationship wasn’t dropped completely but changed from Jon/Arya to Jon/Sansa.

If we combine what we now know about the rebellion in canon and compare it to the original Jon/Arya/Tyrion situation there are some striking parallels between their relationship and Rhaegar/Lyanna/Robert.

If we go back to assumption numero duo, Arya representing Lyanna makes a lot of sense. There are so many posts, essays and articles on the parallels between those two that I’ll just ask you to look them up yourself. (yes, I am that lazy)

Jon representing Rhaegar isn’t that hard to understand either, since, you know, he is his son. There are also some great pieces on their similarities in personality out there. Go look it up on the internet. He is forbidden from pursuing Arya because of a vow (Nights watch for jon/ marriage to Elia for Rhaegar) and his unwilligness to aid in a rebellion against the Iron Throne “will lead to a bitter estrangement between Jon (Rhaegar) and Bran (Ned)”. The attraction to an assumed sister could just be a hint at his targ-ness.

But Tyrion = Robert ? On the first look this is absolutely non-sensical. In official canon their characters don’t have much in common. Not in looks and not in personality. Except for women and drinking, maybe. In order to make this work I will have to do a very terrible thing and break with my second assumption. Tyrion being a dwarf isn’t mentioned in the original outline, so maybe GRRM had the idea later. I looked for interviews with grrm that might disprove this, but couldn’t find any. Tyrion laying siege to winterfell and burning it to the ground suggests a bigger involvement in house lannister’s military affairs, taking him a bit closer into “robert 2.0″ territory. Tyrion “finally removing his nephew Joffrey in disgust at the boy king’s brutality” and “ making common cause with the surviving Starks to bring his brother down” could mirror Robert’s rebellion as well. The Targaryens and Baratheons were close allies, bound by blood, and Tyrion is fighting in a rebellion against his own blood. Finally throw in his ,alas unreciprocated, but no less intense passion for Arya(Lyanna) that will lead to a deadly rivalry between Tyrion(Robert) and Jon Snow(Rhaegar) and Jon/Arya/Tyrion == Rhaegar/Lyanna/Robert doesn’t seem to implausible after all. Having the important love triangle fashioned after the most famous one of the series would fall in line with grrm’s love for “history repeating itself”.

But all of that changed when GRRM realized that Jon wasn’t Rhaegar 2.0, he was Ned reborn. He probably had the stark look from the beginning and characters mentioned “how is mother left little of herself in him” to make jon being ned’s bastard believable. Maybe that changed grrm’s dedication to make him rhaegar reincarnated. I suspect that Bran was supposed to mirror Ned, giving his mance rayder plot to Jon could also hint at him taking the Ned-persona.

Because of that Sansa(Cat) became Jons(Neds) new final love interest. Changing Arya’s resemblace to Lyanna wasn’t really necessary, she simply became Jon’s “sister”. If we parallel, we parallel hard folks.

Sansa betraying the starks in an almost unforgivable way was off the table, her big betrayel (marrying joffrey, having his son, choosing her husband) became a little betrayel (running to cersei because of childish ignorance) instead. Littlefinger was invented to be the member of dubious loyalty in the starks midst. Even though Ned fucked up pretty nicely by himself, having his good nature and trust in other people be his “downfall” is quite important to his story.

Catelyn’s, Arya’s and Bran’s plot to seek refuge at the wall with Jon was given to Sansa on the show and if you buy into the “girl in the grey clock being sansa”-theory, something similar could happen in the books as well. That’s where the Jon/Arya romance was supposed to start. Bran intended to find Jon, but changed is mind and went straight beyond the wall instead.

GRRM established the Cat/LF unreciprocated love history to squeeze a “love triangle” into the Ned/Cat relationship and BAMM welcome back in the present. The super angsty amazing Jon/Sansa/LF fuckplot (s6, s7 ~hopefully~ ) fashioned after Ned/Cat/LF fashioned after Jon/Arya/Tyrion fashioned after Raeghar/Lyanna/Robert.

So what does this all mean? That Jonsa will be canon 100%? That I have a mental connection to grrm’s brain? That lizard people control the government and 9/11 was an inside-job? That I need to get a job? That I need to get a life?

Well my friend, that’s up for you to decide. But jokes are on you, I have both a job and a life and everyone know’s the illuminati are in control ;) Btw Sum 41 “In too deep” is the recommended soundtrack for reading this.

#jonsa #jon x sansa #asoiaf #got #tinfoil #got speculation #original outline #I'm in too deep

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velikorosova68r8-blog · 7 years ago

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Arvind Pandit-You Will Not Believed That Owning a Captain America Might Be Thus Beneficial

D.C. His existence about your own personal practically steals the complete movie. right after Winter Soldier and also Guardians in the Galaxy, I thought these Marvel films ended up going to begin a excellent deal much more chances. your greatest instance is planning to be an overhead street shot of the tank like SUV generating down any street hitting just about any couple cars over the way. In Which just didn't appear in which good. all I could take in to thought may be where is planning to be Spiderman, present him already.

Another nitpick criticism I possess will probably be your own CGI. Speaking regarding Bucky, although I like his character, he again is not really himself in this film regarding a amount of elements associated with it. Fortunately within the particular direction with the actual latter 50 % of one's film, he feels a lot a lot more throughout position as compared to earlier on.. I consider Marvel execute a disservice for you to on their particular own by simply even showing he ended up being within your film. This would an excellent occupation using giving nearly all its members applaud worthy moments, although introducing the actual specific fan favorite Spiderman, played wonderfully through just Tom Holland. Correct now there have got been furthermore utilizes associated with CGI during places of the film by which could have been practical, it virtually seemed lazy. I simply wish these folks could have created by which the actual merely real principal plot using place as well as tell an a entire lot much more individual story throughout between every 1 regarding these characters. I personally put it since the sixth greatest behind the Avengers, Winter Soldier, Ironman, Guardians using the Galaxy, in supplement to Ironman 3 (What? This specific was obviously a new outstanding Shane Black film.) Probably indicates though, go begin to start to determine the movie. This perform the work relating to develop a relationship involving the audience and also furthermore the newest versions associated with individuals characters that individuals must previously often be familiar with. They are Likely To make use involving a scene shortly before his superhero reveal environment up Peter Parker along with Aunt might using Tony Stark. the concept felt as a new possible exact retread regarding what his character went through inside Winter Soldier. had been he formerly Black Panther? did he just become him following a particular event? It's certainly not actually a new massive deal, nevertheless even a manufacturer new collection regarding dialogue could possess cleared products up. I situated myself sensation the bit bored with just about all of your film just prior to he have been introduced. I would say Civil War practically feels around an Iron Man flick as it can Captain America. Though when he became Black Panther, it felt out within the blue. This specific have been off putting, contemplating he ended up interacting collectively along with reside motion things. I Arvind Pandit possess got seen numerous YouTubers defending his character as well as I can't aid but really feel just like they will might be putting this movie on a pedestal. His actual character may be setup pretty well and in addition the motivations are generally generally laid out appropriate facing us during the movie. He delivers a couple of superb moments inside the course of your dream in which will make even your toughest critic crack the smile. It's mostly fine, nevertheless scenes involving Black Panther felt very fake. Black Panther looked awesome as well as I can't wait around for you to figure out his movie. is actually when once more virtually any joy with regard to you to watch as Tony Stark inside a non Avengers role. with Regard For You To one within the nearly all portion Captain America: Civil War delivers an entertaining film in which get's somewhat bogged down for approximately the first 1 / two of the particular film. right now there is certainly great stunt perform too as outcomes at the particular office in this scene too as I would recommend viewing Civil War only for this sequence alone. The airport sequence is as simple as approach your better action the certain series provides really wear screen and within addition is surely an acronym inside its as one of your best fight scenes ever. The Particular Real banter via Spiderman within the particular course of his motion scene can be indeed hilarious and additionally this feels such as the definitive model using the webslinger. The main plot making use of your accords too since the Avengers getting instructed to pick attributes against or even supporting these people may be decent enough. Let's Arvind Pandit Kansas just acquire what's actually absolutely awesome relating to be able to this movie out first. These kind of elements of your movie really pulled it down by means of turning into exciting also as I couldn't worry less in regards for you to become able towards the character via your film. one detail I loved which many individuals may not really catch will be when Black Panther lands in the leap or perhaps possibly jump, he help to produce tiny noise, being a new panther light within its feet. Of course your largest accomplishment involving Civil War is likely to be Tom Holland's Spiderman. that looked thus bad.

Again, certainly one of the actual real stuff that tends to suit your own needs to create this movie thus pleasant will be the motion scenes. In Addition your filmmakers appeared like they'll didn't know well what to accomplish using him thinking about how they tied may be arc up in the conclusion of the certain film. The Russo Brothers go again to immediate the actual third installment inside the Captain America franchise next delivering the actual wonderful Winter Soldier, while additionally acting since your thirteenth film inside the now enormous Marvel Cinematic Universe. We didn't acquire virtually any kind of back again story because will aspect in the character. viewing Vision wanting to total human things ended up funny and also awkward, inside the identical vein as Thor, nevertheless their particular little facet romantic stuff seemed from place along with incredibly unneeded. might end up being using a difficult time, yet a minimum of they might be striving a quantity of distinct things. Now let's converse by what I did definitely not actually locate fascinating regarding Captain America: Civil War. these people are very enjoyable. But needless in order to say we necessary the genuine poor guy to place against our heroes and also that may he could be Arvind Pandit sadly yet another dispose of villain.

Other minor complaints will probably be Vision and Scarlet Witch scenes. whilst I loved so as to begin to look pertaining to the character here, it really is actually one involving the a variety of components in the movie which could allow it being experience less focused. yet collectively together with Get Older involving Ultron, Antman, as well as now Civil War, I can't aid even so feel Marvel can be creating variations associated with most the identical movie. He had been funny as well as cool, yet there is actually certainly just zero context relating to him even acquiring there.

The movie actually spends the great deal of period upon this guy conducting a bunch involving poor guy stuff and also it's without much context, besides he is somehow connected making use of Bucky Barnes. I am entirely stunned which in turn they can put this negative guy within the film, he has been therefore useless. Luckily the past 45 - 60 minutes deliver a few in the really very best action the particular series provides at just about any kind of period offered. I understand I covered any kind of lot of stuff that may I found not really really completed well, even so thirteen movies in, I anticipate these films to start out out studying problems out associated with your past. I'm aware I'm coming off as certainly not actually any fan, I genuinely do appreciate these movies. Spiderman kind of had the identical effect, even so I consider his colors assisted cause him to experience a lot more practical. Don't find me incorrect though, I have got enjoyed every 1 of these movies. Captain America: Civil war gets 3 together using a half stars from five. I additionally enjoyed the particular actual "bro triangle" involving Steve Rogers, Sam (Falcon), also as Bucky (Winter Soldier. I think these folks may be a new bit higher round the hype, however each his or her own. A Lot More specially Steve and throughout addition Bucky involve some intimate moments that add wonderful excess weight towards the story and it is furthermore definitely a new highlight inside the plot. Another factor that I actually enjoyed had been Chadwick Boseman's introduction as T'Challa (Black Panther). Also, the place exactly where the heck in order for you to Hawkeye occur from? He suddenly exhibits up for your fight as well as leaves correct away after. His character looked thus rubbery and inside addition video game cutscene like. your Russo Brothers are incredibly accomplished in creating intense as well as amazing fight scenes that may certainly are a joy to become able to watch. Robert Downey Jr. I wish Marvel would discover in which these films must evolve just any small a great deal more with regard to you to remain relevant for the people they need becoming entertaining, the actual ones which will produced Ironman this kind of success, your fans concerning the source material. the concept do nothing for your movie or possibly your characters. Though your brand-new Spiderman has been freaking awesome and in all probability the real best any part of the specific movie, he leads to every factor just before his look to always be able in order to feel not really truly important. 1 other stand out within your length of the ideal and also movie is going to be Paul Rudd's Antman. They are Heading To involve some genuinely funny moments with every other using each along with every other. Luckily there's any added in order to appreciate compared to that.

I'm traversing in order to a bunch of individuals putting Captain America: Civil War as their 1st too as 2nd favorite movie with the Marvel Universe

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justbloggingit-blog · 7 years ago

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The 20 Best Songs of 2017... (So Far)

It’s pretty incredible how much can be conveyed in three minutes.2017 has already been quite the year—politically, environmentally, socially, artistically. The songs we choose to give soundtrack to those experiences and emotions can help us process or party through it in the span of just a few minutes.Some of the songs here come from artists whose latest works also appeared on our Best Albums of 2017 (So Far) list. Others are teasing nuggets for albums due out later this year. Others have just stood out to us in message or form regardless of the means of their release. So, after scouring through thousands of songs in these first four full months of 2017, here are Paste’s 20 best songs so far.20. Benjamin Booker feat. Mavis Staples, “Witness” When gospel-soul queen Mavis Staples opens up your comeback single, it’s a good omen. “Witness” is Benjamin Booker’s first new music since his self-titled debt LP in 2014, and his most scathing to date. At the time, Booker gained attention for his snarling incorporation of punk into the blues. Now, with “Witness,” the 27-year-old takes a more worldly approach. In each verse Booker spits out almost spoken-word raps about the state of people of color today (even dropping the f-bomb in front of Staples, which is actually a pretty punk-rock move). Each narrative culminates with the pre-chorus, quite obviously about Trayvon Martin, in which Booker switches back to his singing voice and describes, “See we thought that we saw that he had a gun / Thought that it looked like he started to run.” Each time, the maternal Staples interjects, “Am I gonna be a witness?” It’s rhetorical, but also pragmatic—a reminder to be aware, informed and vigilant wrapped up in the warming swath of soul. —Hilary Saunders19. Ty Segall, “Orange Color Queen” Ty Segall’s voice has never sounded quite this beautiful. On his self-titled ninth LP, “Orange Color Queen” stands as the crowning love song (to his now-wife, in fact), and his pack of accompanying musicians (Mikal Cronin on bass, Charles Moothart on drums, Emmett Kelly on guitar and Ben Boye on keys) slay as per usual. But it’s Segall’s tender lyrics and ambitious vocals that really make this one special. His playful metaphors—“Oh, you’re the silver lips of honey / Oh, you’re my cherry fizzle sundae”— make “Orange Color Queen” feel like they belong in a different era, yet it’s Segall ranging like never before on the song’s conclusion (“You’re beautiful lazy / Orange color lady / The morning sun, it wants to know / Where you’ll go”) that show his dynamic range. —Adrian Spinelli18. Hurray for the Riff Raff, “Pa’lante” Meaning “onward, forward,” “Pa’lante” is a rallying cry, starting off simply with Hurray for the Riff Raff frontwoman Alynda Lee Segarra singing, “Oh I just want to go to work and get back home and be something.” As her voice gets stronger, the anger and passion more obvious, she continues, “Colonized and hypnotized, be something.” She’s speaking specifically about the Puerto Rican experience in America (and “Pa’lante” includes a powerful sample of Pedro Pietri’s poem “Puerto Rican Obituary”), but in today’s political climate, it’s a fitting anthem for anyone marginalized. In the song’s final minutes, Segarra erupts and declares, “From Marble Hill to the ghost of Emmett Till, pa’lante.” Onward, forward, indeed. —Bonnie Stiernberg17. Thundercat, “Friend Zone” Don’t lie: The “friend zone” is a thing and we’ve all been there. On Thundercat’s version, he drops an all-too-real recount of getting thrown into the zone by a prospective flame. The reigning god of bass writes a steady groove to pair with a spacey synth loop and tongue-in-cheek references to now having more time to play classic video games (like Mortal Kombat and Diablo because ‘90s gore FTW!) Let’s not overthink it, though. This is some nerdy stuff, and song about getting friend-zoned on your 23-track album of bass-heavy funky jazz and hip-hop fusions called Drunk, is par for the course. —Adrian Spinelli16. Big Thief, “Mythological Beauty” After one hell of an opening salvo last year with Masterpiece, Brooklyn-based Big Thief hasn’t wasted any time assembling their next album, Capacity, which is due out in June. Single “Mythological Beauty” loses some of Masterpiece’s rustic elements in favor of searing, sad acoustic balladry. That chiming, delicate soundscape elevates the mid-range of Adrianne Lenker’s voice before it ascends to a wavering crescendo in the chorus. —Sean Edgar15. The War on Drugs, “Thinking of a Place” “Thinking of a Place” has everything that there is to love about The War on Drugs. Still bolstering that iconic Mark-Knopfler-backed-by-the-E-Street-Band sound, the magic here really resides in Adam Granduciel’s patient urgency. He sings a meditative, even mournful, love song that stretches out over 11 minutes, and not once does it rise above a strained whisper. And that guitar solo, oh, that guitar solo, coming in around the 3-minute mark, just blisters in and fades out, almost like a sigh. Also, there are a few moments when the slide guitar steals the show, and it’s just perfect. “Thinking of a Place” is a restrained, dreamy piece of indie rock; if it accurately showcases what’s coming on the fourth album, then it’s about damn time to get lost in the dream again. —Pete Mercer14. Goldfrapp, “Anymore” The perfect fusion of emotional frustration and dark dance beats, “Anymore” sees Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory returning to the slinky sexuality of Black Cherry and Supernature. This time, though, the British duo has painted it black with a helping of electronic work from producer Haxan Cloak. The beefed-up beats bring a do-or-die verisimilitude to the track. When Goldfrapp coo/growls “You’re what I want / You’re what I need / Give me your love / Make Me a freak” you can taste the urgency in her words. —Laura Studarus13. Feist, “Pleasure” To appropriate a quote from Wu-Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah, Feist’s comeback single “Pleasure” is “rugged and raw.” It’s dark and nervy and minimalist in a way the Broken Social Scene member’s previous work isn’t. When she yelps, “It’s my pleasure” over a grimy guitar riff meant for the Mississippi Delta, there’s no sense there actually is any pleasure. It’s the sound of a heady kind of fury but also the sound of someone shaking off the rust after six years away and rocking out. And honestly, the pleasure is all ours. —Jared McNett12. Jay Som, “The Bus Song” Few songs have captured the mundane beauty of city life like Jay Som’s “The Bus Song.” In it, Jay Som’s Melina Duterte unpacks the emotional pace of a relationship and likens its ebbs and flows to either riding a car or taking the bus. It’s as if she’s staring at the end of things, but finds comfort and solace within herself when riding the bus: “But I like the bus / I can be whoever I want to be / take time to figure it out.” Duterte’s relatable lyrics are wrapped in guitars and melodious arrangements that evoke nostalgia for simpler times. Her even-keeled delivery shows a refreshing temperament, evident throughout her wonderful debut LP, Everybody Works, and helped garner her one of our Best of What’s Next nods. —Adrian Spinelli11. The xx, “ “Dangerous” The moment Jamie xx’s thundering drum and horn samples on “Dangerous” open up The xx’s long-awaited third album, I See You, we instantly forget the sullen basement laments of the band’s lackluster sophomore release, Coexist. “Dangerous” teems with life and a vibrancy that the band dug deep to extract. Allowing Jamie to have a more central role in the production of I See You was a necessary move for a band that had to deliver on this album in order to stay relevant. While I See You maintains a palpable energy through 10 excellent tracks, it’s the way “Dangerous” explodes from the get-go, and how Oliver Sim and Romy Madley-Croft find a symbiotic balance within Jamie’s canvas, that makes this the most goosebump-raising moment on the record. —Adrian Spinelli.

10. Real Estate, “Darling” Real Estate frontman Martin Courtney’s recent move to upstate New York did nothing to upset the delicate and shimmering sound that he’s been nurturing for nearly a decade. The melodies of this first single from the group’s latest album In Mind still enrapture, just as the gentle chime of the guitars still feel like they’re tickling your skin. The only new addition is an injection of pastoral imagery into Courtney’s lyrics that let us listen into this shivering impatience at the arrival of his loved one. The birds on his porch don’t have to worry about where their partner is. Why should he? —Robert Ham

9. Lady Lamb, “Salt” Sometimes it’s easy to forget just how heartbreaking an acoustic guitar can sound. If you ever need a reminder, listen to the first 30 seconds of “Salt.” Set against a quiet wall of lo-fi tape hiss that sounds like rain, Aly Spaltro gently alternates between two chords and manages to cut you up before she ever sings a word. When she brings you in with the lyrics, it’s with a voyeuristic level of intimacy. It’s like you’re listening to her play a song that nobody was meant to hear. It’s fitting, then, that the song should grapple with a moment of intimacy and vulnerability on both a physical and metaphysical level. No matter how many times you hear Spaltro sing “Some days I’m convinced I’m already mourning you / Some nights I’m convinced I’m already dead,” her voice shaking and laced with an up-all-night rasp, it always seems to hit right where it hurts. —Carter Shelter

8. RaeLynn, “Love Triangle” The genius of referring to a child of divorce as one corner of a love triangle is cool enough. But what makes this song from up-and-coming country artist RaeLynn truly ache are the details that she fills the verses with—waiting for dad on the front porch, the stilted conversations over dinner, the agony of not seeing your father for another two weeks. Wisely, this young Texan delivers all these lines with restraint and tenderness. She knows all these feelings far too well as she was inspired to write the song after being stuck in the middle of another parental squabble. The centerpiece of one of the year’s best country albums, “Love Triangle” will leave you in tatters. —Robert Ham

7. Sylvan Esso, “Die Young” “Die Young,” the third single off Sylvan Esso’s sophomore release What Now, is the perfect love song for a generation torn between hope and cynicism. Sylvan Esso never suggests that love is the fix to the problem, only that it can throw a wrench into our own self-destructive desires. Amelia Meath’s voice is as strong and lovely as ever, sounding relaxed without sacrificing the urgency. And the way those burbling, scattered synths give way to the song’s magnetic chorus put this in the running for Nick Sanborn’s best work across the duo’s two albums. —Carter Shelter

6. PWR BTTM, “Answer My Text” Liv Bruce may have written “Answer My Text” as a revisionist history of high-school dating life, but for anyone who grew up with a cell phone, this PWR BTTM song is more realistic that we really care to admit. In less than 3 minutes of chunky guitar-based rock, Bruce and bandmate Ben Hopkins craft an entire narrative about meeting someone, asking for their number, texting emojis and jokes from TV shows, and then waiting in agony for them to say literally anything in response. It’s one of many songs on the queer-glam-punk band’s stellar sophomore album Pagaent, with a message of universality that doesn’t change based on sexuality, religion or race: “Answer my text, you dick!” It’s not that hard, people. —Hilary Saunders

5. Fleet Foxes, “Third of May/Odaigahara” Fleet Foxes could not have returned in a better way. Robin Pecknold’s touching ode to his relationship with childhood friend and fellow Fleet Fox Skye Skjelset touches on all of the folk ensemble’s usual touchstones in an updated fashion after the six years since Helplessness Blues. The band is, in every sense, out of the woods, and Pecknold’s pent up creativity and emotion bursts across the nearly 9-minute song. In particular, “Third of May” boasts some of Pecknold’s strongest lyrics to date. He describes a fraught friendship with lines like, “If I lead you through the fury will you call to me? / And is all that I might owe you carved on ivory?” If you need any more convincing, the song brought a certain former drummer for the band to tears, if that’s not a ringing endorsement, what is? —Carter Shelter

4. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, “French Press” One of our SXSW standout bands, Melbourne’s Rolling Blackout Coastal Fever (RBCF) first grabbed our attention on the strength of their first single, “French Press.” The Aussies have three guitar players and they’re on full display across this song’s swooping and enthralling five-and-a-half minutes. At it’s core, “French Press” is a surf rock jam, but vastly different from what we’ve accepted as such on the American mainland. In their Best of What’s Next feature, RBCF’s Fran Keaney explained that all of the songs from the group’s Sub Pop debut were recorded in their modest rehearsal space and their gritty-yet-effortlessly-polished sound rings sublime on “French Press.” —Adrian Spinelli

3. Future Islands, “Cave” Future Islands have always been the first guys to belly flop into the emotional pool. So it should come as no surprise that _The Far Field Field’_s synth-rock single “Cave” is a frantic paddle through the deep end. Frontman Samuel Herring may spend most of the song rhetorically recapping his own state of brokenness. (“Is this a desperate wish for dying, or a wish that dying cease?”) But over a delicate wash of synths and caffeinated Cure baselines, he delivers the ultimate chorus kicker, “I don’t believe anymore,” over and over again. In his bleeding-heart below, it’s less the isolated cry of one hopeless romantic and more the universal anguish of a generation. —Laura Studarus

2. Father John Misty, “Pure Comedy” Pure Comedy’s title track also serves as its thesis statement, distilling the record’s—and Josh Tillman’s—worldview into a grim piano ballad. It’s easy to see why Tillman toyed with calling it “Total Bummer,” but it nails the comedy of “the human race slipping on the same banana peel over and over again through the ages,” as he puts it. “How’s this for irony?” he sings. “Their idea of being free is a prison of beliefs / That they never, ever have to leave.” —Bonnie Stiernberg

1. Kendrick Lamar, “HUMBLE” In the video for “HUMBLE.,” Kendrick Lamar stares down the camera—his head in flames, his body motionless—as he warns the competition to “get the fuck off my stage/I’m the Sandman.” It’s perhaps the most striking image (in a video filled with striking images) that best encapsulates the song and what’s quickly shaping up to be a legendary career. Lamar is on fire, literally and figuratively, and completely unbothered by it. (Of course, no one does introspection quite like Kendrick Lamar, and within the context of the rest of DAMN., “HUMBLE.” takes on new meaning, particularly when juxtaposed with its predecessor, “PRIDE.”) But even in a vacuum, “HUMBLE.” is undeniably great, thanks to a sinister beat from producer Mike WiLL Made-It, the beautiful simplicity of its “hold up bitch, sit down/be humble” chorus, a touch of body positivity (“show me something natural like ass with some stretch marks”) and another A+ performance from an artist who seemingly is incapable of delivering anything but that. —Bonnie Stiernberg

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