#just make vide noir 2 surely there is more….

[aturnoftheearth]

Speaking to you with Vide Noir as my favorite album I will say that it sounds similar HOWEVER they had a lot of different sounding songs on Long Lost so like. As much as Who Laughs Last might have that kind of sound there's no way they'd just go and make a Video Noir 2 that would be boring as hell. We heard the whispers from the void we've heard those demos I think we're gonna get a lot of variety. HOLD OUT HOPE MY FRIEND WE WILL FIND OUT TOGETHER ❤️

literally reading this looking like this

and clinging on to the fact that the demos for “let the devil come” and “is there anybody out there?” and “look back” and that one 22 second clip all sound different and seem like they pull elements from all the different albums

[lauren-no-why]

17, 19, and 2 (or 3 if that works better. ik we're kinda limited on options) for lord huron?

17: A fandom take I didn’t think about until I saw it, and I fully agree with

Actually, the dual narrative purpose of a lot of the songs is what comes to mind here. When I was listening to everything, piecing together my best possible interpretation of the storylines, I didn't see how completely purposefully some songs are written to be from one character's perspective and yet be used to illustrate another's. It's like the band created a bunch of fictional artists and their music, and then used those fictional artists' songs to fucking… make a fandom playlist for their own characters?? It's hilarious and I love it but man, didn't see how it was being done until I think I read Kirb talking about it at one point and now I'm 100% behind that being the rationale for a lot of the songs being presented the way they are. Like, well, I know we're all sick of The Night We Met but obviously it's the perfect example of this and I should have realized after seeing the music video just how widespread this is throughout at least Vide Noir and probably Long Lost.

19: Favorite headcanon

Oh my goodness, how do I pick. Well, I think it has to be everything I've come up with for the Redmayne boys, since they lack backstory. Again I will point people to this fic as a place to get at some of what's going on in my head for them.

But I'll also give a tiny characterization rundown for the two that canon gives us nothing on:

Alex - oldest of the three. Quiet, kinda stoic, but absolutely fiercely dedicated to keeping the gang united, functional, vicious, and yet like, a whole thriving little found family community in a world where everything is stacked against all of them. Religiously (not literally religious, but, cultishly? lmao) dedicated to the World Ender. Sociopath with low empathy but really really good at caring for the people around him to the point where he can in fact seem soft and even warm. He's the big supportive pillar for the gang and he's basically the reason that the Redmayne family unit is so cohesive. Functionally aromantic in that he just has more important shit to take care of and also I'm not sure he's like, fully capable of relating to people in a normal way anyway. He got picked to lead for a reason and he's extremely good at doing that, and a lot of people have suffered as a result, and for these boys and girls, that's a very very good thing.

Dale - middle boy. Brilliant, creative, witty, but it's all sex drugs and rock and roll for him. Keeps up with politics and local events primarily as a way to figure out how to strike and where in order to cause the most damage to whoever the gang goes after. Responsible when he has to be, but he'd rather be high and writing songs and playing shows and feeling all the energy from the crowd - or all the energy from the rest of the Enders as they ride out on the streets at night, howling at the stars, keeping the city under their control. Some who knew him as a kid probably are very disappointed that he's "squandered" all his creativity and intelligence but he'd prefer to say he's doing it exactly right, because the freedom of being a World Ender and the ability to hit back at society for all it's done to keep the people down is far more important to him.

2/3: favorite fic I've read or written myself

Hhhhgh there's so little to pick from, this feels unfair to the handful of really lovely people who have written anything at all to have to pick one! So first off, if you've written fic, I love you. If you haven't written any but are thinking about it, please, this desert is so dry and I am so thirsty.

But uh, I'm not going to pick one of mine, that feels even more cruel. No no, I absolutely adore your little Dale-centric thing, actually. Like I said when I read it, it just feels very spot on, very World Enders, having an entire conversation while some dead person is just casually burning away there, and, I don't know, I need more Enders, I need more Dale, this fic hits the spot. Lots of spots. It's been a bit since I re-read it actually, guess it's time to go do that haha.

[electricshoebox]

song tag meme

Oh this was just the distraction I needed, thank you for the tag @adventuresofmeghatron! 

Tagging: @molliehaswords, @desynchimminent, @atombombbaddie, @lordezukos, and anyone else that might want to do it. No pressure, of course, but I’m always hungry for new music. 

Rules: list ten songs you’ve been liking hearing lately

I liked the idea Megh had to add some lyrics, so I’m gonna do that too. Also sorry in advance for repeating artists, they’re just the sound I need lately. No particular order, just as I thought of them.

1. “Gimme a Minute” by PVRIS “Gimme a minute, gimme a minute / Thought I got through it, maybe I didn’t / Thought it was over, maybe it isn’t / Just gimme a minute, gimme a minute” 

2. “Human” by Daughter “Underneath the skin there’s a human / Buried deep within there’s a human / And despite everything I’m still human” 

3. “Keep” by Mother Mother “So I’ll keep breaking, I’ll keep breaking my heart / Until it opens again / I’ll keep falling, I’ll keep falling apart / Until I’m whole again.”

4. “Helium” by Glass Animals “I guess I want you more than I thought I did / Now that I know a part of you’s not part of this.”

5. “No Mercy” by PVRIS “If you’re gonna make it hurt show me no mercy / And let it rain, and let it rain”

6. “Robot Boy” by Linkin Park “And you’re sure you’ve hurt in a way / That no one will ever know / But someday the weight of the world / Will give you the strength to go”

7. “So Down” by Mother Mother “And I believe, I believe in the pain, man / I believe it’s the way to find peace again / I’m trying, yeah, I’m trying”

8. “Separate” by PVRIS “And pull away the world from me / I don’t mind / As long as they don’t separate you from me / I’ll be fine”

9. “Oh No!” by Marina and the Diamonds “One track mind, one track heart / If I fail I’ll fall apart / Maybe it is all a test / ‘Cause I feel like I’m the worst, so I always act like I’m the best”

10. “Vide Noir” by Lord Huron “Where can you go when it’s all in your head? / These are the last words that I ever said”

[ladynodrinette]

Marinette gets her wisdom teeth removed

AO3

Part 1, 2, 3

Ever since Adrien's wisdom teeth removal video, it had become a tradition in the class for everyone to film their own, whether they tried to avoid it or not. And God did Marinette try. When her dentist told her to make an appointment to get her wisdom teeth removed, Marinette made sure not to say anything. When she made the appointment and went for another regular check-up, Marinette made sure not to say anything. She made sure to keep her mouth zipped in front of Nino and Alya, but it all failed when an akuma attack came and as she scrambled for an excuse she accidentally mentioned it.

She was sitting nervously in her chair waiting for Alya to press the play button and wondering what she could have possibly said. Knowing Alya was in the room with her, this video was bound to be 90% Adrien and 10% just plain embarrassment (not that the Adrien part wasn't gonna be embarrassing). She wondered what she could have possibly talked about, hoping and knowing her identity wasn't at stake (Alya would have talked about it before showing the whole class for sure), but she wondered if she'd mentioned the recent situation with Adrien at all. Ever since the video was shown in class, Adrien made sure to cut down all communication with Marinette to a bare minimum and as much as it made her sad, she didn't want him to know that.

There was, however, no more time to dwell about the situation as the video had started playing and Marinette was already embarrassed. The vide cut into from behind Marinette and for reasons unknown to pretty much everybody, Marinette's hands were up in the air and she was yelling 'Woo'. The class giggled and Marinette hoped the rest of the video didn't involve any speaking.

When Alya stood directly in front of Marinette, holding the camera, Marinette put her hands down and greeted her in a voice similar to one of a toddler said 'Hewwo'.

"Hey, how you feeling, Mari?"

Marinette reached out to hug her friend but before she managed to do so she slumped back with an adorable giggle. The whole class cooed and video-Marinette said: "Never better."

"We need to tank the doctors," she suddenly said.

"Why do you want to thank them?" Alya asked as if she knew her best friend was going to come up with a ridiculous response.

Marinette motioned for Alya to get closer and whispered: "They could have killed me but they didn't."

Both the Alya in the video and the one by her side laughed along with the class and Marinette too found her antics silly. Since she had no memory of what happened it felt like she was watching a stranger rather than herself.

"Why are you speaking like a baby?" Alya asked.

"Ur speaking like a baby," video Marinette said and put her tongue out.

A blond nurse came into the room, walking over to the counter on the side and asking: "How are you doing?"

Marinette stared at him in awe and smirking she said: "Oh, I'm feeling just fine," the childish voice completely gone.

When the nurse left with a bottle of some sort, Marinette abruptly turned around to Alya and said: "Isn't he so hot? He looks just like Adrien!"

And there it was, the embarrassment Marinette knew awaited her. A blush spread on her face and she didn't even hear the whole class 'Ooh'-ing as she stared at Adrien's back. Adrien had a little bit of a blush on himself, but he was flattered and a bit relieved since he thought his embarrassment was gone thanks to this.

"Is that why you think he's hot?" Alya asked and she knew she was adding fuel to the fire.

"Duh," video-Marinette responded and somehow Marinettelet out a squeak as her face somehow got redder. Adrien also felt his cheeks get warmer and he hoped the segment of the video where he was mentioned was over.

"Let's not talk about him anymore," video-Marinette suddenly said. Marinette's eyes widened as she stood up from her hands and Adrien's shoulders slumped as the class went quiet.

"Why not?"

"What kind of a guy calls a girl cute and stops talking to her for months?" Adrien's brows furrowed and he looked back to look at her but even though she could feel his glance she didn't look his way.

"Oh, sweetie he's embarrassed," video-Alya tried to comfort her but Marinette pushed her away.

"He's embarrassed?" her voice raised, "I'm the one that can't speak to him without going blg-djdl-uh" she said while putting out her tongue and changing her expressions a couple of times and the whole class laughed but Adrien still felt bad. He stopped talking to Marinette out of pure embarrassment but he had no idea he could hurt her that way or that she would notice at all.

Suddenly, a blush came onto video-Marinette's face and she said: "Oh my God."

"What's wrong?"

Video-Marinette's face fell into her hands and she mumbled and had it not been for Nino's captions appearing for the first time in the video, maybe the class wouldn't have understood it: "I accidentally called him hot stuff the other day."

The video cut into another scene, with the blond nurse at the counter, fumbling with something and Marinette speaking to him "Has anybody ever told you you look a lot like Adrien Agreste?"

The guy sighed and looked back at Marinette: "Yes, you, like 26 times."

The whole class giggled as the nurse left the room and Marinette leaned her head to the right and looked at Alya: "Do I have a thing for blonde hair?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, Adrien and that guy," Marinette giggled adorably and Adrien blushed.

"That guy doesn't count since he looks like him. Who else?"

Video-Marinette blushed suddenly and looked away. Unfortunately, Marinetteknew where this was going. A certain, blonde-haired green-eyed superhero has been hanging out with her on her balcony at least once a month for the past few months and he's been both a comfort and a total distraction for Adrien. She'd been denying ever feeling anything for him but somehow knowing that she mentioned him while drugged and unaware made all her denial useless.

"OhmyGod Mari what aren't you telling me, girl, spill!"

"Chat Noir," Marinette mumbled quietly and blushed a little more. Adrien's shoulders raised in confidence and a smirk was on his face for the first time since the video started playing.

"Since when?!" Alya's high-pitched voice said and a couple of people covered their ears.

"I dunno, shut up," video-Marinette said and pushed Alya away.

"What's got you having a thing for him?"

"Well he is sexy," video-Marinette said and as the class yelled 'Ooh' she wished the Earth could swallow her whole, "but he's so annoying." Adrien knew exactly why she said that and he grinned and Nino teased him thinking he was grinning because Marinette was insulting Chat Noir.

"Why would you say that?"

"Puns," Marinette said frustrated and Adrien's grin grew even wider, "you can't tell him anything without him going:"

Marinette stood up, wobbly on her feet and placed her hand on her chest: "Me-OW."

"Or when he goes: 'Is it hot in here or is that just me?'" video-Marinette said and began taking off her jacket and Alya screamed: "Mari, no!" and the clip was cut there.

Another clip of Marinette sitting on the chair, hugging her knees started playing and Marinette was singing the theme song for the movie about Ladybug and Chat Noir. She then looked at Alya and said: "Do you want me to steal Nino's cap and stitch 'Daddy' onto it?"

The screen only showed the counter and the only thing that could be heard was Marinette's 'Me-OW, Alya' followed by another one.

The class was giggling and soon the last clip rolled in: "Do you have a message for the class?" Alya asked, standing in front of the camera with Marinette in the background.

"What do you mean for the class?"

"We're gonna play this in class on Monday," Alya said and the look of horror struck Marinette's face.

"If you promise to never speak about this again, I'll bring a box of macaroons for everyone."

The clip ended and suddenly it was of Marinette in a car holding the camera herself.

"Nino, Alya calls you daddy in her sleep."

Alya squeaked on the seat next to her and Marinette giggled with the class as the video ended.

[magnesiaandlemonjuice]

Friday 15 December 1826

7 25/60

11 35/60

In my room at 8 25/60 - from 8 40/60 to 11 50/60 wrote page 3 and the ends and under the seal all very dense and close, to M-

comforting and affectionate in answer to her last

She got my last on the Tuesday -

be gone to find me so upset and unhappy at her doubts repents of them and cannot be easy till she hears I have forgiven her had before the receipt of mine written very sensibly against my being too intimate or too familiar with Mrs B have said I quite agree but it is difficult to exercise the candour she advises one cannot talk of changed regard without giving a reason I cannot give one must say this and that (meaning I cannot own my real circumstances with [Pi - Mariana]) do as well as I can and think [Pi - Mariana] ought to be satisfied whether I am with Mrs B or not I am the same to [Pi - Mariana] my mind is made up repeat this three or four times in the course of the letter [Pi - Mariana] will understand that she may come to me when she likes “if you cannot be well enough to be happy never mind expediency” - a very kind letter surely [Pi - Mariana] will be at ease again and we shall go on well

M- has been very ill - say how anxious I shall be till I hear from her again -

still hint at going to toulouse if she wishes it -

Breakfast at 10 55/60 which and reading the whole of the paper took me till 12 1/4 - sent off my letter to “Mrs Lawton, Lawton hall, Lawton, cheshire Angleterre” at 11 1/2 - finished dressing - mending my stockings - wrote the above of today all which took me till 1 3/4 - went out at 2 - at a little after 12 sent George with my gown to Madame Coutart (my worst merinos) to be mended - and she sent me back another volume by the Comte de Montlosier, a sequel to his memoire - went direct to martin emballeur rue des des capucines for a box to sit upon, to raise my seat when writing - thence to mellerios to order sugar tongs - thence thro’ the gardens along the rue de Seine to the Luxembourg and Odéon seeking No 24 rue de l’Odeon, Carter Cutler, for knives - the man speaks very bad French - asked 66/. a dozen for the best knives en ivoire and 20, I think, for the carving knife and fork - an Englishman came in while I was there - I suppose Mr Carter sells almost exclusively to the English; for surely he is too dear for the French - I find that almost perhaps one should say all the people who advertise in Galignani are dear and aim at catching English custom - I had a long, dirty walk to seek this man - but nothing like seeing and judging for one’s self - sauntered thro’ the marché Saint Germain - and after passing thro’ 3 or 4 streets got back again into the rue de Seine - asked the price of hot roasted apples, looking very good - one sol a piece - I shall know what to give in this quarter - returned along the quai - went to Legrand rue du Bac No 12, where Mrs Barlow bought knives 2 years ago - a very civil honest woman in the shop - would sell me the best knives at 45/. a dozen what they sold at 48/. (Mrs Barlow bought this price to be sure a man in the rue Saint Honoré the other day asked me only 40/. for the same sort of knives en ivoire, but I think the steel was inferior) - 19/. for the carving knife and fork having a ressort spring to prevent the knife from slipping making a difference of 2/. - instantly bought the 2 latter and 1/2 dozen of the former, and 2 very pretty silver dessert knives (surely cheap at 7/. each) to match, and 4 knives for the kitchen (the steel of the same quality - manches noirs) at 2/50 - never better satisfied with any purchase I have made - just in time to pass thro’ the gardens and got home at 4 3/4 - wrote the last 15 lines which took me till 4 1/4 - ordered the box (vide line 3 from the bottom of the last page) because it just occurred to me that raising my seat by the nos of Fosbroke’s Archaeology which being soft yield to my weight and rise towards the back, may perhaps have some effect upon me - may perhaps cause the something like tendency to piles? - I yesterday got George’s small box belonging to the hind seat of the carriage, and it certainly raises me much more comfortably and coolly - Found that the black book I got of Whitley (the same size as this but only about 1/2 as thick) for copies of letters etc. will do for my weekly summaries and that it will contain them for 13 years to come - I shall therefore save my 14 francs and not get a new one? The man brought the knives from Legrand (rue du Bac No 12) - Dinner at 6 20/60 - came into the salon at 7 3/4 - from 8 to 10 25/60 wrote 1 page small and close to IN [Isabella Norcliffe] - came to my room at 10 1/2 - very fine day - wet evening after dinner - raining heavily at 10 and for 1/2 hour afterwards O [two dots, marking discharge]

[Margin - fine morning F46o at 8 25/60 a.m. 50o at noon. 50 1/2 - 5 1/2 p.m. 49 1/2 - 10 1/2 p.m.]

SH:7/ML/E/10/0030

[aaronmaurer]

Music I Liked in 2018

Every year I reflect on the pop culture I enjoyed and put it in some sort of order.

Are alternative and indie rock viable formats anymore? What do those labels mean in the year 2018? (What did they ever mean, really?) My favorite sonic moments of the year appear to be more out of step with the general populace and critical circles than ever before, and yet, I still go to a lot of concerts and seeing many of these acts live this year in sold-out venues proves that there is still an audience out there for guitar-based music. If that’s your thing (and no worries if it isn’t), give some of these records a shot.

15. Ruins / Tender Offerings EP – First Aid Kit

Sweden’s harmonic folk sister act returned at the beginning of the year with the accomplished Ruins. It may not have hit the heights of their career-best Stay Gold, but it still provides moments of sweeping beauty. However, it’s the 4-song collection of outtakes from the same sessions that cements this album cycle on my list: Tender Offerings is even more immediate and quietly affecting than its parent record.

14. Arthur Buck – Arthur Buck

Personal favorite singer/songwriter Joseph Arthur teamed up with former R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck this year for a collaboration that hews more towards Arthur’s influence than Buck’s. That’s not a bad thing and this is a recent highlight of Arthur’s prodigious output. If the collaboration continues to foster such energy and inspiration, I hope it extends well into the future.

13. Malibu Nights – LANY

I’m not quite sure how to classify LANY; in my analysis they have as much in common with emo as pop music, and their synth-heavy sound doesn’t readily slot into rock formats. Regardless, I find their music easily approachable and their lyrics to cut with a similar sincerity as the likes of Jimmy Eat World. Malibu Nights is concise and consistent, two things that cannot be said of 2017’s self-titled full-length, and it is all the stronger for it.

12. Black Panther the Album – Various Artists

Black Panther the Movie was one of the highlights of the year (see my film picks coming soon) and its companion soundtrack follows suit. A mixtape curated by and featuring Kendrick Lamar, this album of original material manages to form a cohesive unit as opposed to a collection of random tracks (i.e. last decade’s Spider-Man 3 soundtrack – which I actually liked, on the whole…). Wakanda forever!

11. Love Is Dead – CHVRCHES

The third LP from Scotland’s CHVRCHES was viewed as a letdown by much of the critical community, and as someone who ranked 2015’s Every Open Eye as that year’s favorite album, I would have to agree – to a point. Love Is Dead still has plenty of fantastic arena and festival-ready anthems to its credit and I don’t blame the trio for leaning into their pop side for this one. The album is incredibly front-loaded with “Graffiti,” “Get Out” and the Matt Berninger collab “My Enemy” coming in the first third, but there are strong moments all the way through and it’s definitely one of the most enjoyable listens of the year.

10. Wildness – Snow Patrol

After a 7-year hiatus, Snow Patrol returned with Wildness and I have to admit I was initially disappointed. However, I have found that with repeated listens this record has really grown on me. The emotional transparency of Gary Lightbody’s songwriting remains intact and you can feel his authenticity on songs like “Life On Earth,” “Heal Me” and “A Youth Written In Fire.” Definitely worth spending some time with.

9. [untitled] EP / [Untitled] – mewithoutYou

Philadelphia’s post-rock luminaries made a surprise return this year with some of their best work to date. An EP arrived in August and rather than a preview of October’s full-length release (only a single song is repeated, in a different version), it functions as a compelling work in its own right and finds the band embracing their more meditative and melodic tendencies. By contrast, the LP leans a bit more into the band’s harder edge – but not completely eschewing quieter moments – without sacrificing any of the lyrical depth or deft musicianship they are known for. It feels like a creative renaissance for a group soon to enter their third decade.

8. boygenius EP – boygenius

The only negative to this stellar collaboration between singer/songwriters Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus is that it’s only six songs long. The artists are each given space to shine and when the harmonies kick in, it’s transcendent. Here’s hoping it’s not the last we hear from them as a trio.

7. Be More Kind – Frank Turner

A blazingly earnest call-to-arms for hope in the face of the current political and social landscape, Be More Kind is filled with rousing sing-alongs about decency and making a difference. “Don’t Worry,” “Little Changes,” “Brave Face” and the title track are among the most positive and affirming songs I’ve heard in recent memory, but it’s the rousing and reclaiming anthem “Make American Great Again” that marks my favorite moment on this near-perfect record.

6. Come Tomorrow – Dave Matthews Band

Old habits die hard, and even though my enthusiasm has waned since my obsessive high school & college days, I’ll still go to bat for much of Dave Matthews Band’s music. Their first studio album in 6 years is somewhat a catch-all of songs they’ve been playing live for a while but hadn’t recorded, and as such, is a bit overlong and slightly disjointed. Even so, there is a melancholic wistfulness that pervades many of the record’s highlights including “Samurai Cop (Oh Joy Begin),” “Virginia In the Rain” and “Come On Come On,” which rate with their best work.

5. Upside Down Flowers – Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness

Andrew McMahon’s latest effort is a very nostalgic look back at not just his early career in Something Corporate (“Teenage Rockstars”) but to his childhood as well (“Ohio,” “House In The Trees”). What could come across as navel-gazing or self-mythologizing instead becomes universal in its specificity and his most impactful work in years.

4. Art of Doubt – Metric

Every few years, Emily Haines and Co. grace us with an album of self-empowerment anthems, some of which make more of a personal impact than others. This year’s Art of Doubt was initially a sleeper that I find I keep returning to, discovering new layers of resonance each time. It now ranks alongside Fantasies and Synthetica in the band’s discography to me.

3. Mirror Master – Young the Giant

On their fourth record, Young the Giant deliver some of their most diverse and hooky tunes yet, including the Eastern-tinged “Superposition,” the introspectively moody “Glory” and the soaring anthem “Simplify.” While I’ve counted myself a fan of their previous work, this one coheres in a new way for me that is immensely rewarding.

2. Vide Noir – Lord Huron

Lord Huron have yet to make a misstep and their third full-length proves their most sonically wide-ranging yet. From the driving energy of “Ancient Names, Pt. I,” to the old-timey crooning of “Wait by the River” to the blown-out guitar of “The Balancer’s Eye,” a range of styles are employed. Even with these varied modes, everything hangs together to create an atmospheric quest into darkness for meaning beyond this plane.

1. Layers of Us – Mimicking Birds

There is a spacious ambience to the latest from Portland’s Mimicking Birds, on which acoustic guitars are traded for splashes of mood-setting synthesizers and lyrics pondering humanity’s place in the cosmos and impact on the planet. Despite the dread and existentialism that permeates some tracks, I find a lot of beauty and hope shimmering through the record. It is by far the album I listened to the most in 2018 and perfect for the winter months (during the Winter Olympics I found myself daydreaming alternate realities where the gorgeous and haunting “Belongings” could soundtrack a gold medal figure skating performance).

Here’s a sampling of songs from each of these records if you want an easily-digestible mix:

 Bonus! An additional mix of other singles, b-sides, covers and more from 2018 that I really like:

Double Bonus! 7 Best Live Performances I Saw in 2018: 

7. U2 – Experience + Innocence Tour at the United Center, May 22nd

The companion to 2015’s Innocence + Experience Tour shared a stage and some common songs, but for the most part was a unique experience that stood on its own. Still telling a loose story of the band’s history through the lens of their Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience albums, this arena tour centered around the newer material of the latter, which – being one of my favorite albums of 2017 – I was quite happy with. Closing the show with the same excellent two-song final sequence as that album, and a beautiful visual element that formed a bookend with the I+E Tour, was an inspired and moving choice.

6. Lord Huron – Pandora Presents The Stack at Concord Music Hall, September 20th

I was lucky to see Lord Huron twice this year during the Vide Noir tour cycle, and the second time was even better because A) it was a free event (put on by Pandora) that included free Sam Adams!, B) it was in a small venue and C) they reached all the way back to their first EP to end the night with “We Went Wild.” It took me right back to the night I was introduced to them at an intimate Lollapalooza pre-show at the Double Door in 2011, where this then-unknown band captivated me with their atmospheric percussion and guitar rhythms. They’ve yet to let go.

5. The National – Lollapalooza Aftershow at Metro, August 2nd

The National are at a point in their career where they headline festivals and play large theatres, so it’s rare to see them at a 1000-capacity venue like Chicago’s Metro anymore. Fortunately, the concert hall often hosts huge bands on Lollapalooza weekend for late night “aftershows” (which are always nearly impossible to get into) and I somehow scored tickets to the National’s performance there the night before they headlined the fest. It was great to see the band tear through a setlist spanning their whole career that was significantly different from what they did the following evening. The finale of an acoustic “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks” – at around 2am – was a beautiful communal moment.

4. Beck – Riot Fest, September 15th

I’ve seen Beck a few times over the years and I think his current setlist might be his best ever, a great mix of all his musical permutations (though missing any songs from Mutations…). Latest record Colors was one of my favorites of 2017 and that material was fantastic live alongside classics like “New Pollution,” “Loser” and “Girl.” The stage and lighting design were a lot of fun as well and provided a visually engaging and exciting backdrop. While the festival setting meant a truncated show, I won’t hesitate to catch him again whenever he returns to town.

3. Mew – Frengers 15th Anniversary Tour at Brooklyn Steel, October 14th

Mew are a Danish indie/prog rock/dream pop band that have a number of great albums to their credit. One of my favorites is Frengers, which I didn’t actually discover until a few years after it was released in 2003. Imagine my good fortune to discover one of the few US dates on its anniversary tour happened to coincide with my trip to New York this fall. Hearing the record performed in its entirety, from the opening guitar+drum salvo of “Am I Wry? No” to the final soaring cacophony of “Comforting Sounds” was a moment out of time in the best possible way.

2. boygenius – Thalia Hall, November 13th

A truly transcendent night of music that began with each of the collaborators – Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker – playing her own masterful set, then all coming together for a finale of their entire EP. The vocal control evident in the contrast between the raw power unleashed on “Stay Down” and the restraint on the acoustic and un-miked closer “Ketchum, ID” proved these ladies really can do anything.

1. Frightened Rabbit – The Midnight Organ Fight 10th Anniversary Tour at Thalia Hall, February 16th

This is incredibly bittersweet, in light of frontman Scott Hutchison’s death in May. Scotland’s Frightened Rabbit played two nights in Chicago during a brief album anniversary tour, hosting what turned into an audience sing-along of Midnight Organ Fight in its entirety along with a mix of other favorites including “Holy,” “The Woodpile” and “The Oil Slick.” Losing such an honest and powerful voice this year hurt a lot. I’m so thankful I had one last evening of catharsis with him.