#kelli was on FIRE in this ep

[imjustavenuxwithaboomerang]

[leslieseveride]

*cracks knuckles* let's do this thing (watch chicago fire)!!!!!!!

[smallandalmosthonest]

my s8 wishlist:

bottle episode (no calls all day, firefam torments gerrard, ends with gerrard fired because ravi filed a complaint like a normal person)

tommy calls buck "baby"/buck calls tommy his boyfriend

trapped dads in the same ep that christopher says he wants to come home

ravi begins episode

mara back with the wilsons leading to buckley-han pregnancy #2 reveal

lucy donato returns and we get lucy/tommy and lucy/ravi bestfriendism

a hen/chim episode similar to the jonah arc

eddie 'oh' moment

more may grant bring her back we miss her!!!!!

carla and eddie missing christopher together (we miss her!!!!!)

taylor kelly returns to help expose ortiz's corruption (reluctant buddie/taylor team-up)

[housewarningparty]

Your turn!

It's halfway through the year! Got any favorite albums/books/tv shows/whatever to recommend?

thanks to you @badwolfwho1 who both asked me!

music:

right off the top i'm gonna recommend 3 pop albums bc i almost never have this many TO recommend. but tei shi's valerie, empress of's for your consideration, and shygirl's club shy EP have all been on constant repeat for me this year.

big year for metal also - in particular crypt sermon, job for a cowboy, darkest hour, gatecreeper, aborted and tzompantli were all incredible. i feel like between seeing them live and the release of cure, this is the first time erra has really clicked for me and i'm loving it.

for post-hardcore i've loved the debut LPs by with sails aheads and your ghost in glass. the EP lonely people by love rarely was on repeat for me for weeks also - really great stuff.

i got heaven by mannequin pussy slaps too. and i also really, really want to recommend you could do it tonight by couch slut - if you love the queasy, depraved noise that chat pile make, you absolutely should be listening to couch slut.

i threw a couple little playlists together to roundup some of my faves:

(extended version here)

honorable mention: as was really apparent from my charts this year, i spent A LOT of time listening to the saosin s/t again. but also got really back into grouper this year - especially her 2021 album shade, which i missed entirely when it came out.

books:

okay for music i focused mostly on 2024 releases but for books i won't be so strict.

shirley jackson: a rather haunted life by ruth franklin was REALLY good and provided a lot of great insight into jackson's work and also just had some really interesting history in it. really enjoyed it.

hit so hard by patty schemel a rock music and addiction memoir by the drummer of Hole. very dark and upsetting at points, but compelling. was very illuminating re: the 90s seattle music scene and the drug culture around it, provided a lot of context and detail to some stuff i thought i already knew about. really great stuff.

penance by eliza clark - this is a fake true crime book that REALLY got under my skin. it's a meta commentary on true crime as a fandom and an industry and the exploitation inherent in it. it's a mirror to make you stare at your own internal biases. it's SO fucking 2014 tumblr. i've gotten like three other people to read it and they all went insane like me. highly recommended.

hex by thomas olde heuvelt - very late to the party on this one but i loved it. translated AND localized from dutch, with very interesting results. almost goofy to start and ends up totally bleak. i adored it.

magic for beginners and white cat, black dog by kelly link - REALLY falling in love with kelly link this year. read these two and currently re-reading stranger things happen and i just adore her style. weird but SO heartfelt, surreal and dreamy, as often horrifying as it is sweet. she's so talented, i'm really excited to read the book of love later this year.

between two fires by christopher buehlman - FINALLY read this and i loved it. absolutely deserves the hype. kinda wild that dark ages horror isn't more of a thing? i re-read buehlman's the blacktongue thief too and really loved it, definitely cemented it as one of my favorite fantasy books. i'm reading the daughters' war now and enjoying it a lot.

i also re-read the golden enclaves by naomi novik and had such a great time with it.

tv shows:

finished my buffy re-watch! been watching a ton of xena with @holdsteady and @nataliving this year too - we just finished s3 and it was insane and i loved it soooo much.

i watched under the bridge and thought it was very good, but i'd recommend people learn a little about the real reena virk case before engaging.

hacks season 3 was INSANE it made me crazy i loved it so much.

haven't watched much tv aside from that!

[agentcable]

Chicago Fire Season 6 Ep. 19 "Where I Want to Be"

Casey is skeptical of Cordova after a lot of money was found missing from a fire at a drug cartel's house. Kidd makes a big decision.

If you want to watch the series for yourself, stop reading! This post contains spoilers to the storyline.

Otis is working hard in therapy. Chief Boden talked to Otis, who said he's frustrated and wants to keep therapy going. The team heads out to a fire.

Some heavy equipment overheated and it's an active crime scene. Inside, there are drugs and money. People are trapped inside. Stella is calling Cordova for help, but he isn't there. Cordova suddenly appears. Captain Casey asks where he was. Cordova says he saw something. The captain tells him to help out with Kelly and the team. Stella is still trying to break down a door when help arrives. A woman is rescued and taken to the hospital. After the fire, Chief thanks Captain for a good job.

The Chief asks how Cordova is doing. He says he's OK. Otis watches the news about the fire. Herrmann says drug dealers put all their money in one place. They need to diversify. Otis says they need Herrmann to manage their money. Herrmann says someone needs to teach them about money.

Sylvie asks Stella how life is with Kelly. She says great, then mentions something his mother said: he can be fickle about relationships. Sylvie says Kelly has changed since his wedding in Vegas. Stella wants to know more, but they get a call and have to go.

Sylvie and Gabby arrive at the scene of a gang hit. Five victims were killed and left on the back of a car trunk with the word "LADRON," meaning "thief," written on it. At the station, Antonio says, the cartel has been active since the fire. $100,000 is missing, and they'll search until they find it. It'll be a bloody month.

Kelly and Stella are alone. She asks if he was ever married. Kelly asks who told her, but she doesn't say. Kelly says it was a crazy time. They had both just lost people they loved. Stella says it would have been good to have heard about it. She asks if there are other secrets. He says no, he was young when this happened.

Gabby sees Marlena, the fire victim. She says she doesn't know about the drugs. Gabby asks if she knows who stole the money. Marlena asks Gabby if she knows what happens to people who talk. They cut off your limbs and your head. Marlena tells Gabby that someone tried to kill her. There was a lot of smoke, he was over six feet tall with a heavy coat, and he pushed her into the cage and shut it. She thought she was dead.

Antonio asks the captain questions about the day of the fire. The captain says Cordova disappeared for a while. Antonio looks like he knows something. The captain asks him to tell him if it involves his unit. Otis is at the bar. He tells Sylvie that HQ said he's training too hard. Sylvie says he should slow down and not risk his career. Captain talks to Cordova about the missing money. Cordova was the only person in the room. Cordova is angry and raises his voice. He says he wants the Captain gone because he's with his wife. The Captain tells him to calm down. Gabby tells Captain he was asking Cordova the wrong questions. She says she hasn't looked at this objectively because she has a past relationship with Cordova.

Herrmann's wife comes to the station and tells him that she was to talk about Lee Henry. He was watching porn in his apartment. Stella is checking the equipment. The Captain comes in and speaks to her. She asks if he knew Kelly was married. He says not to worry. Stella says Kelly always holds back from her. He says he deals with things like that and just tries to be patient.

The Chief and Captain call Cordova into his office. The Captain apologizes for the other night. The Chief tells Cordova this is off the record. Cordova says he saw someone in the fire and went after him, but couldn't get to him because of the smoke. He was a tall guy. He says he should have followed orders, but he wanted to prove he deserved to stick around. That's all he is guilty of. Cordova asks Gabby to stand by him, but she refuses. There's a call. It's an accident with a baby stroller on a bridge. IT was a drive-by shooting. The captain saves the baby while Herrmann and Cordova help.

Back at the station, Otis talks to Cordova. Cordova says he's been floating for two years and likes it here. Cordova says he's rooting for Otis on the next assessment. Otis tells the Captain that Cordova is a good guy and doesn't want to hold everyone back. If he doesn't get his clearance, he is going to step back. The captain asks Kelly for help with a file.

Herrmann takes the apartment from his son and might rent it. Kelly asks Herrmann if he's serious about renting the aparment. She might rent it from him and move out. Herrmann says it's hers if she wants it.

Kelly has found something in the home where the fire was. There is unaccounted space that may be enough for someone to hide. The captain, chief, and Cordova go over his steps. He takes them to a room where he followed the ghost. They find a trapdoor and a guy inside on the floor. They found the money on the guy's body. Antonio will tell people the money was found and ask them to stop the violence. Captain apologizes to Cordova for doubting him. He says he'll call HQ as soon as they have an opening.

At the station, Stella tells Kelly she asked Herrmann if she could move in with him. Kelly is surprised. She says she's concerned because he was only married for a month. Gabby looks mad at Captain when Cordova arrives. He says he can't join 51 because he doesn't want to cause trouble and wants to move on. The captain says he has to do what's right and will support him. Cordova says he's lucky. Captain says Gabby hears it and she's touched.

Otis is at the hospital. The team is texting him to support him It makes him happy. Stella is moving in with Herrmann. Kelly arrives and is surprised. She says it doesn't change how she feels. Kelly says he doesn't care where she lives.

[dustedmagazine]

Dust Volume Nine, Number 10

Older, but not a bit wiser, the Hives return

Fall comes with its smell of maple in the leaves, its intimations of mortality and, this year, its share of unsettling events—war in the middle east, AI in everything and the murder of our beloved Bandcamp by capitalist privateers.  (We are not equating these things by any means.)  Like always, we turn to music, the annihilating blare of metal, the agile interplay of improvisation, the well-shaped contours of pop, depending on our individual tastes.  We hope you’ll find something to ease your own personal burden in all this as well.  Contributors include Bryon Hayes, Bill Meyer, Andrew Forell, Tim Clarke, Jonathan Shaw, Ian Mathers, Alex Johnson, Jennifer Kelly and Ray Garraty. 

Due to technical issues we're posting this in two parts, so don't miss the second one.

Ad Hoc — Corpse (Shame File Music / Albert’s Basement)

Ad Hoc was a Melbourne-based improvising unit, an experimental outfit that should have higher prominence. It only took 40-plus years, but Shame File Music and Albert’s Basement are finally spearheading a reissue initiative. Last year saw the arrival of the trio’s sole release, the hypnotic Distance cassette. It disappeared the moment it became available. Corpse documents an unconventional live performance from the group. They prepared their instruments (guitars, an EMS Synthi AKS synth and tape loops) for performance prior to the arrival of the audience and then shut off their amps. When all were seated, the trio turned on the amplifiers and unfurled an aleatoric blast of sound. The resulting music is far removed from the ambient tone clusters of Distance. The first piece shimmers in a way that calls to mind Matthew Bower’s Sunroof project, while the latter piece bathes in guitar noise so thick that it may have influenced The Dead C’s The Operation of the Sonne EP. Ad Hoc have today’s noisemakers beat: Corpse presents itself with a freshness that belies its 1980 provenance.

Bryon Hayes

Axolotl — Abrasive (Souffle Continu)

The French trio Axolotl existed for a few years in the early 1980s, and it reflects the aesthetic concerns of its time. Guitarist Marc Dufourd’s playing betrays some acquaintance with the work of Derek Bailey and Henry Kaiser, and the fibrous tones and agile exchanges between reeds players Jacques Oger and Etienne Brunet recall Evan Parker. All three double on electronics, hand percussion and utterances. These accessories, in combination with the concentration of the album’s 12 tracks, give the music a truculent attitude and just-the-facts brevity that brings to mind punk and post-punk. This may be free improvisation, but it is improvised from a point of view, and it’s that informed attitude that makes the album worth visiting nearly 40 years after its original release.

Bill Meyer

Will Butler + Sister Squares — Self-Titled (Merge)

Will Butler joins with Sister Squares — multi-instrumentalists Jenny (Butler’s wife) and Julie Shore, Sara Dobbs and drummer/producer Miles Francis — for their debut album. Bouncy, heartland rock garlanded with that 1980s Fairlight and Linn drum sound mixes with touches of art rock as Butler emotes wholehearted. The influence of the 20 years Butler spent with Arcade Fire is inescapable, but it feels like the quintet have also been listening to Billy MacKenzie (“Long Grass”) and Russell Mael (“Arrow of Time”) as well as Springsteen, Mellencamp and company. “Hee Loop” sounds like a mash of Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel. The themes and emotions can be big in that Arcade Fire way that’s equal parts exhilarating and exhausting, but the album works best when the band dial down the melodramatic flourishes as on “Car Crash” and “The Window,” where Butler is right in your ear, tired, disillusioned, real. This is a record I wanted to like both more and less. For every heartfelt moment and interesting musical choice, there’s a cringe-inducing gestural overreach that makes you wince. A bit like his former band but with enough promise to persevere with.

Andrew Forell

Claire Deak — Sotto Voce (Lost Tribe Sound)

Melbourne-based composer Claire Deak’s last release on Lost Tribe Sound was 2020’s The Old Capital, a fantastic collaboration with Tony Dupé. In my Dusted review I said, “There’s so much wonderful stuff going on across these seven songs that it’s a delight to revisit.” As its title suggests, Deak’s solo debut, Sotto Voce, very much sits at the opposite end of the musical spectrum. This is subtle, minimal music that softly arises out of silence and speaks an elusive language. The background to the album’s creation is Deak’s exploration of the work of two women composers from the early baroque era, Francesca Caccini (1587–c.1645) and Barbara Strozzi (1619–1677). The dominant musical elements are strings, harp and voice, with other instruments coloring the edges of these understated, starkly beautiful compositions. Across the album’s 42 minutes the music feels, at times, to be battling the entropy of erasure, struggling to be heard amid the cacophony of these overstimulated times. For that reason alone, it’s necessary to invest your attention and listen closely. The experience is eerie and transportive.

Tim Clarke

Mike Donovan — Meets the Mighty Flashlight (Drag City)

On a musical Venn diagram showing the intersecting circles of garage rock, lo-fi, and psych, Mike Donovan has set up his sandbox. With Sic Alps he veered more noisy and lo-fi; with Peacers he favored a straight-ahead garage-rock sound. On this new record with Mike Fellows, AKA The Mighty Flashlight, Donovan steers in the direction of shambolic psychedelic-pop in the vein of the Olivia Tremor Control. (To anyone who knows and loves OTC, this is obviously a very good thing.) The splashy drums and percussion tracks feel like a gestural afterthought rather than a rhythmic backbone the songs are built around, and Donovan and Fellows steer these songs into some choppy, unexpected waters. Opener “Planet Metley” is the clearest and most successful distillation of their aesthetic, offering up a staggering range of ideas in under four minutes, stopping and starting erratically, the bass roving all over the fretboard. At the other end of the spectrum, “Laurel Lotus Dub” is the kind of experiment that sounds like it was more fun to create that it is to listen back to. Between these two extremes there’s the junkshop boogie of “A Capital Pitch,” which features the hilarious line, “Hanging out on the ramparts with some dickheads in black,” the concise drum-machine and organ instrumental “Amalgam Wagon,” and the plaintive, country-flavored “Whistledown.” Wherever Donovan roams it’s usually worth following, and Meets the Mighty Flashlight is a winning collaboration that fizzes with fun.

Tim Clarke

Everything Falls Apart — Everything Falls Apart (Totalism)

“Somn” means sleep, or more poetically death. It’s the title of six of the seven tracks from Everything Falls Apart, the self-titled album from the duo of Belgian bassist Otto Lindholm (born Cyrille de Haes) and English producer Ross Tones. Those titles (numbered six to 11) and the coda “Wonderfully Desolate” tell you only part of the story of the music the pair produce. Their conversation focuses on the nuance of the Lindholm’s double bass which Tones swathes in electronic effects, stretching notes and motifs into near drones in timbres that rise from the murk like lugubrious sentinels. This is seriously heavy music but the dynamism of the duo’s understanding and interplay distinguishes Everything Falls Apart. Whilst many of the pieces focus on stasis and decay, “Somn 9” is a desert storm with clicking percussion, almost didgeridoo like growls from the bass and screeching electronic noise. On “Somn 11”, deep bowed notes support Lindholm’s move through the registers as if shaking from fitful dreams into the morning light. “Wonderfully Desolate” is comparatively unadorned, a string quartet playing against the end times, shimmers of light through the cracks.

Andrew Forell

False Fed — Let Them Eat Fake (Neurot Recordings)

Is it accurate to call a band including members of legendary underground acts Amebix (Stig Miller), Nausea (Roy Mayorga) and Broken Bones (Jeff Janiak) a “supergroup”? It might help to note that Janiak has sung for Discharge since 2014, and Mayorga has done a couple stints as drummer for Ministry. All names to conjure with (though a few of us first encountered Mayorga as a teenager back in the 1980s Lehigh Valley hardcore scene, when he drummed for Youthquake; West Catty Playground Building forever, man). In any case, the players have pooled their talents to create this death-rocking, sorta goth, sorta post-punk record, and it’s a lot of grim, grimy fun. Most of the music is mid-tempo, grand and romantic in its gestures, but shot through with a crusty growl in the guitars and production tone. The best songs speed things up a bit; both “The Tyrant Dies” and “The Big Sleep” have compelling momentum, complementing the stakes of songs’ ideas. It's Armagideon Time, people. Here’s your soundtrack, from dudes that know.

Jonathan Shaw

Hauschka— Philanthropy (City Slang)

German composer Volker Bertelmann’s 15th album of prepared piano pieces under the name Hauschka is noticeably warmer than some of his previous works. Joined by Samuli Kosminen on percussion and electronics and cellist Laura Wiek, Hauschka continues his exploration of the rhythmic and timbral possibilities of his instrument. At times almost jaunty, there are echoes of Bertelmann’s previous experiments with melancholic atmospherics but the general tone here is welcoming and optimistic. Kosminen adds subtle effects which frame rather than obscure the piano. There’s a touch of Satie in Hauschka’s playful iconoclastic approach to the piano and his deceptively simple melodies, especially on “Loved Ones” where Wiek’s plangent cello lines sustain and decay over an allusive harmony that speaks both of innocence and experience. At the other end of the spectrum, the closing piece “Noise” builds abstract ambience from repeated piano notes, smears of cello and a quiet wash of effects as if the players are enveloped in a thick damp fog. A lovely album for both fans and newcomers.

Andrew Forell

The Hives — The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons (Disques Hives)

There are usually going to be some questions when a band comes back with a new record after over a decade, maybe especially so with an act like Swedish garage/punk flamboyants the Hives; can they match the energy of their youth? Are they still willing and able to give us the old thrills? Or have they (and this is usually asked with a small, tasteful shudder of disgust) matured? It doesn’t take very long into first single/first track “Bogus Operandi” for the concerned listener to have reason for a sigh of relief. Anyone who used to (or still does?) blast “Main Offender” or “Hate to Say I Told You So” or “Walk Idiot Walk” should feel the galvanizing charge of a true, Frankensteinian resurrection once the riff hits. And across these not-quite-32 minutes (the brevity is also a promising sign) Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist and the boys kick up exactly the kind of racket you’d want from them, with tracks like “Trapdoor Solution” and “The Bomb” savoring the kind of gleefully dumb fun they’ve always provided (with a nice sideline in some of Almqvist’s deliberately, over-the-top awful narrators on “Two Kinds of Trouble” and “What Did I Ever Do to You?”). They even continue to throw out small, satisfying variations on the classic Hives sound like the brassy swagger of “Stick Up” and the surprisingly heartfelt thrash of “Smoke & Mirrors”. They may have killed off their “sixth member,” but the Hives are otherwise in rude health.

Ian Mathers

Islet — Soft Fascination (Fire)

The Welsh psych-electronic oddballs in Islet are on their fourth full-length now but show no signs of settling down. Soft Fascination is a bonkers mash up of dance pop, art song, hip hop, noise and folk. “Euphoria” floats a feather-light daze, a la Avey Tare, then punctures it the rat-at-tat of snare, the rifle shot rap repartee of Emma Daman Thomas. Gossamer textures of synth weave in and around the main action, snapping tight at intervals, like sails catching a hard wind. The whole thing is butterfly ephemeral with strong wires holding it up, a combination of daydream and architecture. “River Body,” if anything, tips even crazier, with its infectious sing-song, skip-rope vocals, its tootling toy keyboards, its blasts of noise and friction. And what can you make of “Sherry” which bucks and heaves and shouts out “Ay, ay, ay, ay,” like a lost Matias Aguayar cut? “Ay, ay, ay, ay,” indeed.

Jennifer Kelly

Jute Gyte — Unus Mundus Patet (Self-released)

Unus Mundus Patet is not the most dissonant or challenging record Adam Kalmbach has released during his 20-plus-year run under the Jute Gyte moniker. But neither is this black metal for the kvlt trve believers or for the hipster-adjacent sets, be they transcendental or ecstatic or blackgazy. The songs twist and turn in on themselves, always clear in their expressions of complex musical ideas, and also — somehow, someway — listenable and enjoyable. Avant-garde? Sure thing, and likely a much more authentic iteration of that phrase’s meaning than the music many other metal bands churn out under cover of high-minded beard stroking. See the by-turns undulating and fragmenting “Killing a Sword” or the trudging, vertiginous and then utterly thrilling “Philoctetes.” Jute Gyte doesn’t make music for the background, but if you can give these songs your full attention, you’ll be rewarded. Turn it up and open the portal into somewhere much weirder and more marvelous.

Jonathan Shaw

Danny Kamins / Chris Alford / Charles Pagano — The Secret Stop (Musical Eschatology)

Free improvisation may be a little sparser on the ground in the southern USA than it is in Chicago or New York, but The Secret Stop affirms the vigor of those who participate. Guitarist Chris Alford and drummer Charles Pagano play in New Orleans, and Danny Kamins is a saxophonist from Texas; this encounter took place in the Crescent City. As even players in places like the aforementioned northern cities or London will affirm, travel comes with this territory. Their interactions display a capacity to sustain balance when the energy is high and to back off when doing so will transform the music’s tension. Kamins intersperses long, coarse tones with emphatic pops, and Alford evidences a fluent stutter that suggests he’s spent a lot of time studying James “Blood” Ulmer’s sound grammar. Pagano’s cymbal sizzle and mutating not-quite-patterns provide both forward momentum and a framework within which the action occurs.

Bill Meyer

MIKE \ Wiki \ The Alchemist — Faith Is a Rock (ALC)

The long awaited collaboration between The Alchemist and MIKE took a sudden turn when they took on board another New York rapper Wiki who steals the show here. Both Wiki and MIKE were outcasts recording music in the vein of Earl Sweatshirt, even though MIKE was always a better version of Earl with only possibly a tenth of his fame. Knowing no rest, The Alchemist (that is his fourth collab this year) takes both MCs way out of their comfort zone, refusing to pander to the needs. MIKE and Wiki have to deal with The Alchemist’s fast and thick layered production, and it works for all of them. “Mayors A Cop” is a standout here, and Faith Is a Rock is one strong contender for the tape of the year.

Ray Garraty

Camila Nebbia — Una Ofrenda A La Ausencía (Relative Pitch)

The title translates as An Offering To Absence, which of course raises the question, what’s missing? Camila Nebbia is a multidisciplinary artist who grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina, but has seems to have spent a fair chunk of time moving around Europe in recent years, and is currently based in Berlin. She has a sizable discography, but this correspondent has not heard most of it, so let’s just focus on the album at hand. Its 16 tracks present three facets of her work — acoustic tenor saxophone, electronically adjusted saxophone and poetry — with the first method best represented. The unaccompanied saxophone performances reveal her mastery of both weight-bearing muscularity and adroit tap-dancing on the far side of the fences that confine conventional tonality. But when she layers long tones and feedback, Nebbia becomes a one-woman orchestra transmitting heavy Penderecki vibes. The one poem included, “Dejo que me lieve” (“I let it lie”), is recited in Spanish, and no translation is offered; perhaps home is what’s not there, so she needs to manifest it creatively?

Bill Meyer

[Continued in Part 2, because Tumblr decided we only get 10 audio links.]

[stellariders]

I’ve always noticed this abt the show. Have you noticed that certain ppl come back on the show but as a different character? When I go back to certain szns, I’m like hold up, I’ve seen that person before. These are just extras that we see on a call, but I think it’s interesting to see that same person again. Currently watching szn 1 ep 12 and this one cop I’m pretty sure plays the firefighter Kanel. I think I rlly misspelt that name but he was a friend of Casey’s I believe. Yep this is def the same guy. Not sure if I’m the only one who has payed attention to this detail. Also this one woman who played that girl Bria’s aunt. I’m pretty sure I saw her in one of the episodes in szn 1. If you can’t already tell I’m doing a rewatch just like many others!

yeah this happens a lot. the dirty cop that leaked kelly’s location at the cabin is the same guy from season 8 whose wife killed her mom for money. and the guy from season 11 who delivered the phones to brett and kelly was the same guy from season 9 when stella helped that girl and her brother get out of the gang house. he’s actually a crew member, fun fact. also, darren kyri, who plays ritter, had a role in chicago med as a family member become comes to fire.

[soul-music-is-life]

PLL: Summer School Random Recap Ep 1 & 2

*read at your own risk: THIS HAS SPOILERS*

Tag spoilers if you're going to share.

Just a few of my favorite moments from the first two episodes of PLL: Summer School (PLL: Original Sin, Season 2):

Faran being right all the time:

Ripped out of the headlines. Faran...PREACH, girl. (side note: Sullivan really annoys me. I'm salty AF that she still has a license to practice psychology after not being an adult for the girls in PLL. I get it...A apparently threatened her kid, but woman...YOU ARE THE ADULT!). Also I don't trust her. And I don't like her.

Noa also being right, but in a more blunt manner:

Ah, Noa. Still my favorite. Perhaps it's her characterization or perhaps it's the way Maia portrays her...but I feel like she steals the screen when sharing it and when alone. No surprise given she was my favorite in the first season (still get chills watching that scene with her running through her complex to the roof with A chasing her). But she's upped the game this season. She comes across as so natural in her delivery. Nothing against the others. But sometimes I can tell I'm watching an actor play a character with them, but Maia is Noa. A+. No notes.

Imogen Emison reference?

Wait...wait WAIT...was this an EMISON reference? Am I the ONLY one who saw this?! "Pip gets Estelle in the end." Plus it was an LGBTQ couple who adopted her baby!!

Mouse is coming into her own and I love it:

Mouse and Ash are my OTP. And they play well off of each other.

Calling out the OG PLL:

Was this a shot at PLL and how easily Mona and Charlotte just cruised out when they wanted? Because I love it.

Greg is so not here for this shit:

The first time I laughed so hard I had to pause. Greg is an asshole, but I feel his frustration on the cult shit. And Kelly's "Quiet!" afterwards...peak comedy.

Kelly channeling her inner Alison DiLaurentis:

Oh my GAWD. This was some straight up Dark Alison DiLaurentis on crack shit (or Mona, since..ya know...she ran her best friend over with a car). I'm developing this theory that perhaps Kelly is in on Bloody Mary (goddamn, am I blanking on the Big Bad's name? I think I am). I'm fairly certain her mother and the pastor are evil. I paused when Mouse was reading something on the Spaghetti site and it was word for word worship talking about Bloody Mary being the second coming of Jesus. Also, I just hate religion as a whole. Like Greg, I too, am an atheist.

Mouse's Grandma being the "fun" Grandma:

Okay, so I was super excited that we might have been getting a semi-Grandma Marin character, but after watching I have this awful feeling that this might be a dementia story in the works (I don't know if I believe the "sleepwalking" bit). But she seems like she's going to be a wonderful addition.

Tabby's very pointed reference within a reference:

Tabby out there breaking the 4th wall. And I'm here for it. Given that the writers retconned/rewrote the Ezria adoption due to backlash, I'm kind of glad they read the criticism of Tabby making too many references that piss the viewers off and basically flipped a middle finger at the people who will find positively anything to bitch about. I think it's funny writing. Trolling AF, but still funny.

I hate it when writers cave to the viewers. And as much as I hated the idea of Ezra getting Imogen's baby...I thought it was so dumb to cave to the viewers whining about Ezria getting the kid. People harped on that so much. Ezra can die in a fire for all I care, but I'll go to my grave thinking that the people who complained about Marlene caving to fan service in PLL with the couples in the end are the same people praising the fan service here. And I hate hypocrisy more than I hate fictional characters. I'm a cynic.

Noa being real:

Noa complaining about the fitted sheet was ironic given I was trying to do laundry while watching. Accurate. Side note: I don't know how I feel about this Jen character. I feel like Shawn (Sean? How is it spelled?) is one of the few non-toxic partners in the show (Ash is still bae). I'm all here for bi-representation, but I don't like love triangles and I don't want them fucking with Noa and Shawn/Sean.

And speaking of love interests:

I love this kid and want to protect him:

I've seen buzz of people not trusting Christian...and I get it. First of all...this is PLL. And second of all Christian is a very...themed name for a show that is most likely going to have the faith-based cult be psychopaths.

But I am going to be pissed AF if they make him a bad guy after everything Tabby went through. Also, let's not make the first prominent black male a problem please (not counting the Dollar Store fake Eddie Lamb or Faran's dad, who hasn't really been villainy).

Final thoughts: Goddamn, Sandy ate it hard, bruh. I was kind of excited to see that rivalry between her and Kelly.

Loved seeing the power of speaking up about the sexual assault. HATED Wes still being a character and also telling Tabby to have sympathy for her rapist's mother? No. Sorry. She raised a rapist...who raped TWO girls. And she was victim-shaming Tabby. Where is that Bloody woman with the knife when you need one?

Speaking about someone I hated seeing: Sean's mother is a raging thundercunt.

Also: I've seen mixed thoughts about the couple setting a firm tone with Imogen about the baby, but I'm not going to lie...I get it. Most likely they know the shit going on in their town (move, MOVE NOW WHILE YOU STILL HAVE THE CHANCE!). I do think they were kind of snappy with her, but as viewers we have no idea how often she shows up after having signed a legally binding document about the adoption.

Love interest wise: Don't know how I feel about Ash following the girls to that cabin, but also...why TF would they even GO there?! I like this Christian guy for Tabby. Henry kind of annoyed me crossing Faran's boundaries, but Faran punching Greg out was *chef's kiss*. And Shawn(Sean)/Noa are adorable.

Parents: I'm shifting to Tabby's mom being a favorite just because I think she's going to have the most screen time. It was nice seeing Lea Salonga again though. I still hate Faran's mom and I hate that they are all buddy-buddy after everything she did to her child.

New characters: Please don't let this swim coach turn into a creep, please don't let this swim coach turn into a creep. Also curious about the guy Imogen met at the Ice Cream place. And well...I'm already in love with Christian (but then again I love Noah Alexander Gerry). Jen is a bit wooden. Can't tell if it's the character or actress.

Curious about everyone's thoughts.

Honorable mention I forgot to screenshot and caption:

Mouse: "You're like Linda Hamilton from the Terminator movie. Don't ask me which one, I'm not Tabby. And you (Noa) are basically the Flash." Faran: "Fair." Noa: *shrugs* "Okay."

[kiddstellas]

I’m going to slightly disagree with anon about the Fire fandom being obsessed with biological children but I see where they are coming from. I do agree with people wishing Brett was pregnant before leaving so “they could finally be a family” was weird. That would’ve been so strange in my opinion. They just adopted Julia. She’s like 8 months old. They don’t need another baby right now. I also don’t like the idea that only a biological baby will complete Brettseys family. Feels icky, especially knowing that Brett herself is adopted. It gives the vibe that an adopted child can never be as loved as a biological child.

But, I don’t think it’s right to say we prefer biological children over adopted. With Stellaride, yes we want them to have a baby. But keep in mind that of the 4(?) main characters that have gotten pregnant, 3 were miscarriages across all of One Chicago. Natalie was the only one who had a successful pregnancy and she was pregnant before the show started. I just want one main couple in One Chicago to have a successful pregnancy because their track record is awful right now. If One Chicago had a better track record, I wouldn’t care if Stellaride adopted or if they had a biological baby. I’d be fine with either because they’d be terrific parents either way. I could personally see them fostering an older troubled teenager who they both can relate to.

Also, I think it’s just a very interesting storyline for Stella to be pregnant and then come back to work. Because that happens in real life. Women in the fire industry, even a firefighter, get pregnant, give birth, and still come back to work. It would be very interesting to see Stella being temporarily stepping down as Lieutenant, how she and Severide deal with the pregnancy, and how Stella deals with the aftermath of becoming a firefighter again after having given birth. I think it would be an interesting arc for Stellaride.

I don't interact much with fandom anymore so I'm not sure what was going on before the ep aired but the narrative that a family is only "complete" with a biological child or that an adoption should be last resort is disgusting. Yes, there are many problems with adoption as it's conducted in most countries but that's also due this whole narrative in the first place. And as you said, Brett was adopted. Julia is her child. Matt agreed to that when he asked her to marry him. That should've been the end of the story. It's a good send off. Just take the win and leave it at that. We all know how One Chicago exits can be controversial and badly executed so this one (and again I'm not a fan of them so this isn't biased in any way) is a great one.

As you pointed out and I've said before, I don't trust One Chicago writers with pregnancies storylines. I'll admit that I'm scared if that's the direction they'll go with Stellaride. Would I love to see them have a family? Yes. Would I love to see them tackle a woman in a male dominant career be a mother and still kill at her job after birth? Absolutely!!

Personally, I don't think Stella is there? With Gallo leaving she's building her team again. I think I'm also a bit against it right now because of how much drama plots they've given them lately with both Miranda's and Taylor's absences. I hate both (which is the same) reasons they've given. It's super out of character for either Stella or Kelly to go radio silent on the other. It's even more out of character for Stella to be this distrustful of Kelly after EVERYTHING they've been through, after how much Stella suffered from her last relationship. It doesn't add up. But since that was their way to explain the actors time off, it'd be super quick to throw a baby in the mix. A couple who didn't know whether the other would return home wouldn't in their right mind decide to have a baby. I'd prefer for them to build their trust and relationship back up before getting to that.

But after that, I'd love to see them form a family in any shape or form. I think it's important to show a female firefighter tackle all of that as you pointed out, specially as she's the only one in the show. We had Dawson and she stepped down as a paramedic right before the miscarriage if I'm not mistaken.

In my opinion, I believe Kelly would be far more ready to have a family and a baby than Stella. The man almost had one with his gay best friend like he wants it, it's clear and he's meant to be a dad and heal and break all the generational traumas his dad passed on to him.

[leslieseveride]

AND WHEN KELLY AND STELLA HAVE THEIR FIRST DAUGHTER AND NAME HER LESLIE WHAT AM I GONNA DO THEN?????? WHAT DO YOU EXPECT ME DO THEN HMM????????

[storiesofsvu]

it's thursday bitches

spoilers under the cut

Okay, I was organizing fic and writing shit for the first two hours so I couldn’t live react BUT:

That ep of Mothership was phenomenal. Good job team.

Barely paid attention to Toronto, I can’t get on board yet.

Now it’s SVU time.

“happy hunting” ewww… puke in my mouth, that’s disgusting.

Girl WHAT THE FUCK. I don’t care if you JUST met someone at a hostel that night, you don’t fucking leave them alone in a bar when they’re visibly really drunk and with two guys all over her, come on.

Okay, I’m starting a Velasco line tally: 1

OOOO a full scene! Look at our boy go!

Okay yeah he is finally getting some screen time

These boy may not be the actual perps in this situation, but there is no doubting they’re pieces of shit.

This is gonna be one of those cases with the last minute twist that the other girl is the actual perp, right? That’s why there’s no dna?

I don’t like this squad. I understand rollins not coming back/kelli not wanting to come back (hello, she just had a baby, and would you want to go back to a workplace you were fired from full time?) but I will forever be salty about them getting rid of muncy and churlish, they FIT with the squad, they worked through their issues and worked well together. It was refreshing to have the younger generation coming in and being mentored by liv, fin and Bruno. I like the fbi girl, she’s a great actress, but the vibe isn’t the same.

Ohhhh I forgot about the other guy from the beginning lol

Okay but I DO love three powerful older women interrogating pathetic young twenty something boys

LOOOL and this dynamic of good cop bad cop between Bruno and joe?! LOVE IT.

Bruno is fucking killing me rn, this is hilarious. Prime television.

The fact that there is still another hour of television after this? I’m TIRED. And like..grey’s starts soon too so that’s gonna fuck me up.

This episode has fully sold me on wanting Bruno to destroy me. Sir. Pls.

Something that fell into your lap?! Liv…baby… you wanted to take in every abandoned kid at svu over the past 25 years. You were the mom calvin deserved, you wanted to adopt, you have ALWAYS wanted kids/to be a mother, its been part of her character arc literally the entire time the show was on air. Yes, technically noah kinda fell into her lap, but the way it was addressed here did not seem right lol.

Okay, that episode was actually super good compared to the last few weeks!

Don’t trust this captain at ALL. but like, I don’t think we’re supposed to LOL.

“I don’t know… im not his mother.. thank GOD” lol… we love Jet.

I miss bell…is she gonna pop up at some point? We need her sass/banter

The fact that she went out to do this super nice thing by replacing the flowers for jet cause she let her stay with her and THAT’S when she was attacked. Fuck this. Ugh.

The fact that they’re going through so much effort to block the face/voice of this killer means that we know who they are already, right?

BUT also… if the captain hadn’t called jet specifically to get Elliot to his fucking iab appointment she would have been home and able to protect the girl… so like… im still super sus of her

All of these crusty old white men all look alike and I cannot tell the difference between them. Is it the cap’s dad? Brother? Husband? Random poker night connection?

DIVORCE???!!!! I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING.

…okay but now they could be together somewhere down the road? Like.. they really did bomb us with that ship so I haven’t had time to decide if I like it or not but we’ll see how things go.

Okay so the brother AND the dad are both in on it? Maybe the cap isn’t actually sus and will be blindsided?

Meh, that ep wasn’t that good tonight tbh but two outta our aint bad!

[thetoxicvault]

GIRLSCHOOL

The School Report 1978-2008 (2023)

HNE Recordings Ltd - HNEBOX161

Great Brittain / London / U.K. 🇬🇧

If you was lucky enough to have pre-ordered early you may have got a autographed card (sadly enough, i was not).

• In-depth box set, delving right back to the band’s pub rock roots right up until the present.

• A celebration of Girlschool’s 40 plus years of rocking the globe, kicking off with their independently released 45 ‘Take It All Away’ b/w ‘It Could Be Better’.

Formed at school in the mid-70s, when friends Kim McAuliffe on guitar and bassist Enid Williams joined forces as Painted Lady, Girlschool formed in 1978, swept up as part of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal movement that also gave us Iron Maiden, Def Leppard and Saxon, recruiting lead guitarist Kelly Johnson and drummer Denise Dufort in April 1978.

Debut LP ‘Demolition’ made it into the UK Top 30 in 1980, and the girls even found time while recording their follow up album ‘Hit And Run’ (1981) with producer Vic Maile, to record the ‘St Valentines Day Massacre’ EP with label mates Motörhead as HeadGirl.1982’s ‘Wildlife’ EP would be Enid’s last outing with Girlschool for a while, as she was replaced on bass by Gil Weston for ‘Screaming Blue Murder’ (1982).

Their fourth album, ‘Play Dirty’ (1983), was issued in the States on Mercury Records, who also picked up the option to release their fifth, ‘Running Wild’ (1985). The first album to be released without Kelly Johnson, it saw founder members Kim McAulliffe and Denise Dufort joined by Gil Weston, Jackie Bodimead (lead vocals, keyboards) and Cris Bonacci (guitar).

A new deal with GWR saw albums ‘Nightmare At Maple Cross’ (1986) and ‘Take A Bite’ (1988), by which time the bass slot had been filled by former Rock Goddess Tracey Lamb. Their eighth studio album, the self-titled ‘Girlschool’ came out in 1992 and 2002’s ‘21st Anniversary – Not That Innocent’ marked the beginning of a more prolific time for the band, as they would follow it up with ‘Believe’ (2004), ‘Legacy’ (2008).

CD 4 features many rare B-Sides and non-album cuts, as well as demos dating from 1978 up to 2002 and CD5 boasts an ultra rare live recording from the pre-Girlschool Painted Lady.

This five disc set comes with an extended essay from NWOBHM expert John Tucker, and features plenty of pages of rare photos and sought after memorabilia.

Box Set Credits

Release Coordination : Hugh Gilmour & Steve Hammonds

with special thanks to Giles Lavery

Liner Notes & Compilation : John Tucker

Mastering Andy Pearce & Matt Wortham at Wired Masters

Design & Artwork Gilmour Design, London

Demolition Girls (1979-1983)

1-1 Take It All Away (A-side)

1-2 It Could Be Better (B-side)

1-3 Emergency

1-4 Nothing To Lose

1-5 Demolition Boys

1-6 Not For Sale

1-7 Take It All Away

1-8 Breakdown

1-9 Race With The Devil

1-10 Yeah Right

1-11 Please Don’t Touch (with Motörhead)

1-12 Hit And Run

1-13 The Hunter

1-14 (I’m Your) Victim

1-15 Watch Your Step

1-16 C’mon Let’s Go

1-17 Tush

1-18 Don’t Call It Love (Wildlife EP)

1-19 Screaming Blue Murder

1-20 It Turns Your Head Around

1-23 You Got Me

1-22 Take It From Me

1-23 1-2-3-4 Rock And Roll

Playing Dirty (1983-1988)

2-1 20th Century Boy

2-2 Play Dirty

2-3 Running For Cover

2-4 High & Dry

2-5 Going Under

2-6 Burning In The Heat

2-7 Nowhere To Run

2-8 Are You Ready?

2-9 Let Me Go

2-10 Running Wild

2-11 Love Is A Lie

2-12 Nasty Nasty

2-13 Back For More

2-14 All Day All Night

2-15 You’ve Got Me (Under Your Spell)

2-16 Let’s Go Crazy

2-17 Play With Fire

2-18 Head Over Heels

2-19 Action

2-20 Love At First Bite

2-21 Too Hot To Handle

Still Not That Innocent (1992-2015)

3-1 My Ambition

3-2 Can’t Say No

3-3 Can’t Do That

3-4 Take Me I’m Yours

3-5 Innocent

3-6 Knife

3-7 Coming Your Way

3-8 Mad Mad Sister

3-9 Let’s Get Hard

3-10 Secret

3-11 You Say

3-12 Passion

3-13 Other Side

3-14 I Spy (Dio/Iommi Mix)

3-15 Legend

3-16 Metropolis

I Told You So – Singles, B-Sides (1980-1983)

4-1 Furniture Fire (B-side)

4-2 Nothing To Lose (7″ edit)

4-3 Bomber (St Valentine’s Day)

4-4 Emergency (St Valentine’s Day)

4-5 Tonight (B-side)

4-6 Demolition Boys (Live B-side)

4-7 Tonight (Live B-side)

4-8 Wildlife

4-9 Don’t Stop

4-10 Tush

4-11 Don’t Call It Love

4-12 1-2-3-4 Rock And Roll (ext ver)

4-13 Like It Like That (B-side)

Demos (1978-2002)

4-14 Let’s Spend The Night Together

4-15 Just Don’t Care

4-16 Nothing To Lose

4-17 Baby Doll

4-18 Not For Sale

4-19 Running Wild

4-20 Love Is A Lie

4-21 I Told You So

4-22 Have A Nice Day

4-23 London

The Pre-School Years – Painted Lady Live (1978)

5-1 I Wanted To Boogie

5-2 Be My Lover

5-3 Smoke On The Water

5-4 King of The Blues

5-5 Sometime World

5-6 Rub It In

5-7 I Saw You Standing There

5-8 All Along The Watchtower

5-9 Paper Plane

5-10 Johnny B. Goode

5-11 Shoot Shoot

5-12 How Can I Tell You

5-13 Can’t Get Enough

5-14 All Right Now

5-15 Knocking On Heaven’s Door

5-16 Gimme Some Loving

5-17 Honky Tonk Women

5-18 Change’s Coming

5-19 Hey Joe

5-20 You Keep Me Hanging On

Credits

Bass Guitar – Bernice Cartwright, Jackie Carrera

Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals – Gil Weston, Tracey Lamb

Bass Guitar, Lead Vocals – Enid Williams

Drums – Denise Dufort, Tina Gayle, Val Lloyd

Keyboards, Lead Vocals – Jackie Bodimead

Lead Guitar – Cris Bonacci, Deirdre Cartwright, Kathy Valentine

Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals – Jackie Chambers

Lead Guitar, Lead Vocals – Kelly Johnson

Rhythm Guitar, Lead Vocals – Kim McAuliffe

[gworlto]

ALBUM RANKINGS 2023

full ranking also in text form behind the cut

albums actually released in 2023 are marked with an asterisk at the start. EPs are marked as well.

* wallsocket - underscores

enjoy yourself - kylie minogue

rhythm of love - kylie minogue

to hell with it - pinkpantheress

* that! feels good! - jessie ware

(EP) super ultra mixtape - charli xcx

disco (extended mixes + guest list edition) - kylie minogue

* black rainbows - corinne bailey rae

* with a hammer - yaeji

* don't get too close - skrillex

blu - paola & chiara

* heaven knows - pinkpantheress

the downward spiral - nine inch nails

true romance - charli xcx

* quest for fire - skrillex

light years - kylie minogue

sunshine factory - uffie

30 - adele

hack - information society

* (EP) version up - odd eye circle

fever - kylie minogue

* the loveliest time - carly rae jepsen

* (EP) tori - tori kelly

* (EP) loossemble - loossemble

* extension (the extended mixes) - kylie minogue

[oldxenomorph]

[uno reverse card] top 10 albums

top 5/top 10 anything.

i'm always listening to stuff. (in no particular order)

born this way by lady gaga i know it's corny to say that an album saved my life, but this album ready did save my life. it helped me get through a really, really tough time and gave me the confidence to feel good about myself. also the album is excellent, phenomenal even. truly a game changer for pop music, ahead of its time in many ways. i really do think born this way and the fame monster are gaga's best albums. also perhaps my favorite era in terms of gaga's aesthetics. recommended tracks: marry the night, born this way, judas, the edge of glory

cruelty and the beast by cradle of filth i first heard cradle of filth back in the days of mtv2's headbanger's ball and the video for "nymphetamine" was probably when i first realized i was bisexual. but then i downloaded cruelty and the beast and my first listen of "cruelty brought thee orchids" rewired a part of my brain permanently. i was so happy it finally got the remaster it deserved a few years ago. recommended tracks: cruelty brought thee orchids, bathory aria, lustmord and wargasm, beneath the howling stars

nihil by kmfdm/that total age by nitzer ebb cheating by putting two albums in one number because both were incredibly formative albums for me. i found both of them together in their original cd cases at a half price books when i was in high school. truly the source of my love for industrial music. both are still part of my daily music rotation. recommended tracks: brute, ultra, murderous, fitness to purpose

ask the dust by lorn my friends are probably sick and tired of me putting 374927428 lorn tracks in all my character playlists. but lorn is so good! a friend showed me the video for "ghosst(s)" and it rewired a part of my brain in such a way that i'm still obsessed with this guy's music. ask the dust in particular has some of my favorite tracks, but his most recent albums and eps like remnant and drown the traitor are also really excellent. man doesn't know how to make bad music. recommended tracks: ghosst(s), everything is violence, weigh me down, diamond

stranger fruit by zeal & ardor i first found out about zeal & ardor back when kim kelly was writing about extreme metal for vice and she wrote about them. instantly satisfied a sweet spot in my brain. i think stranger fruit and wake of a nation are the band's best albums, but stranger fruit in particular is so, so good and excellent. you know what i'm talking about. recommended tracks: ship on fire, row row, servants, built on ashes

caligula and sinner get ready by lingua lignota like zeal & ardor, i first found out about lingua ignota in something kim kelly wrote either when she had her column at vice or something else, i forget. caligula is such a stunning album and i've been following kristen hayter's music ever since. also cheating again by pairing this with another album, but sinner get ready is also really, really excellent. (her earliest available album, all bitches die, is also really good and "woe to all (on the day of my wrath)" is a regular feature in my playlists.) i'm really excited for her next album. recommended tracks: fucking deathdealer, if the poison won't take you my dogs will, perpetual flame of centralia, pennsylvania furnace

sing the sorrow and the art of drowning by afi cheating again because it's hard to choose! afi makes consistently good albums! i first heard afi when i saw the video for "girl's not grey" on fuse. (remember when fuse used to mostly play pop punk and emo music videos? yeesh i'm old.) sing the sorrow has a special nostalgic place in my heart. but then i discovered their earlier work when they had a more hardcore/horror punk sound and those were the albums that really stuck with me, the art of drowning in particular. recommended tracks: the days of the phoenix, sacrifice theory, girl's not grey, bleed black

renaissance by beyonce the first beyonce album i listened to in its entirety was lemonade, which is a really spectacular album. but i've been having renaissance on repeat since it came out last year (facilitated by the videos of the renaissance world tour my instagram reels feed kept giving me). also the way the bassline during the chorus in "thique" sounds my headphones literally makes heart go *phwomp* like.... damn. anyway, really great and fun album, truly has taken over my brain. recommended tracks: break my soul, thique, pure/honey, all up in your mind

three cheers for sweet revenge by my chemical romance probably my most listened to album in high school (followed by good apollo i'm burning star by coheed & cambria). i know it's generally agreed upon that the black parade is their best album, but i personally like three cheers a little more. part of it is nostalgia (belting out "i'm not okay" and "helena" whenever it got played) and i just like the grittier sound the album has. still fantastic even after all these years. recommended tracks: helena, i'm not okay, thank you for the venom, i never told you what i do for a living

twin temple (bring you their signature sound.... satanic doo-wop) by twin temple literally what it says on the package: satanic doo-wop. and it's really, really good. satan's got great taste in music. they have a song not on this album that's my favorite, but this is still a really excellent album. i believe they record using the wall of sound technique, which makes their stuff sound really rich. hits the brain just right. recommended tracks: satan's a woman, i'm wicked, let's hang together, femme fatale

[agentcable]

Chicago Fire Season 1 Ep. 1 "Pilot"

After the tragic loss of one of their own, the men and women of Firehouse 51 are trying to recuperate. It has been a month, and Lieutenants Matthew Casey and Kelly Severide are still at odds over Andy Darden's death. However, they must put their differences aside when their colleague Christopher Herrmann's life is at risk. Paramedic Gabriela Dawson is facing disciplinary action for performing a risky procedure in the field to save a girl. Peter Mills arrives at Firehouse 51 for his first day as a Firefighter / EMT Candidate. Casey attempts to resolve his relationship wit hhis fiancée, Hallie.

If you want to watch the series for yourself, stop reading! This post contains spoilers to the storyline.

Two fire trucks are racing towards a scene on the grey streets of Chicago, Illinois on a drab afternoon. The mood inside the trucks is determined but light, and the crew jokingly jabs at one another as the driver speeds down the road. Upon arrival, they discover that a victim is still trapped in the attic. Head of the rescue squad, Lieutenant Kelly Severide, enters first with confidence and fearlessness. Lieutenant Matthew Casey and Andy Darden climb up the ladder. Darde breaks in a window without instruction, but Casey realizes the conditions are still unstable. Casey yells at Darden to stay out, but Darden is already inside.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Severide realizes there's no vent. Thick black smoke gets sucked upstairs, indicating an imminent explosion. Severide hollers for everyone to get down., but it's too late. Trapped, Darden perishes, engulfed in flames as Casey watches helplessly from the ladder.

A month has passed. The entire firehouse is grieving the loss of one of their own. Casey and Severide, who were once close friends, are now experiencing a painful rift due to the death of their mutual friend. Chief Wallace Boden notices the tension and calls them both in to discuss the unnecessary animosity between the leaders. At the firehouse, a new candidate named Peter Mills replaces Darden. Firefighter Cruz gives Mills a quick tour.

In Chicago, paramedics Leslie Shay and Gabriela Dawson respond to a shooting that took place during a drug deal. While treating one gunshot victim, the other injured person emerges from the closet, armed and dangerous. Gabriela handles the situation assertively and persuades him to drop his weapon. Although fear is evident in her eyes, it is apparent that she has dealt with similar life-or-death situations before.

Peter is already on babysitting duty at the firehouse, lecturing a group of kids visiting the station. He explains that this firehouse is special because it has both truck guys and a rescue squad. He proudly explains that the rescue squad is versatile and can handle any situation, including water rescue and extraction. Mills hopes to follow in his father's footsteps one day and join them. An alarm sounds and the firehouse is a flurry of activity as the firefighters put on their gear and load the truck quickly but calmly.

They race towards a bridge where a mother and daughter are trapped in a car after a collision. All actions are carried out in a logical sequence. The scene is intense, and the two are responsive but severely injured. Gabriela assesses the victims while the firefighters remove the doors from the car. Mouch notices a bent windshield and believes that the driver was ejected into the water. The squad immediately sends down two divers. While shadowing Mouch, Mills notices a suit jacket in the car. He surveys the crowd observing the scene and notices that everyone is bundled up except for one anxious-looking businessman. Trusting his instincts, Mills tackles the man, suspecting him to be the driver.

Tension escalates at the firehouse over a mistake made at the scene. The truck and squad are at odds until Chief Boden intervenes, scolding the men for their behaviour. He reminds the team that it has been almost a month since Darden's tragic death and that they need to move past this together. Moments later, Darden's wife Heather arrives, and Casey hands her Darden's belongings, which were cleaned out from his locker earlier that day. Fourteen years of memories collected in a single box. She has two children in the back seat and is struggling to hold it together.

Leslie meets Severide in the hallway and hands him a vial. Severide locks himself in a bathroom stall and injects the medicine into his right arm, which was cramping.

Casey runs into Gabriela outside the firehouse. She invites him to a bar the next night, but he declines, saying he has a date night planned with his girlfriend, though he seems a little wary about it. The scene cuts to Herrmann's house. He and his family are packed up in their van, ready to move back in with their in-laws. Their house is in foreclosure.

Casey is biting into a piece of old pizza when Hallie, his girlfriend, arrives at his apartment with fresh food. After some awkward small talk, Hallie places an engagement ring on the empty counter. We learn that Casey has moved out, and their engagement has ended because he wants to start a family, while Hallie, who is a full-time hospital resident, is not ready for one. They are stuck in the worst kind of relationship limbo. Neither of them wants the same thing, but neither of them can bear to move on.

The crew at the firehouse is pressuring Mills to hit on Shay, unaware that she is gay. Meanwhile, the Chief calls in Leslie and Gabriela to question them about a young girl they encountered during a recent emergency. Gabriela had to perform emergency surgery on the girl and inserted a needle into her heart to save her life. However, this has put Gabiela's job at risk. Casey decides to cook Sunday night dinner for the crew. However, Severide refuses to eat his food and makes a show of it. Casey confronts him outside, and Severide expresses his anger about Casey allowing Darden to enter the scene before it was ready. The sadness and guilt about their friend's death trap both men in a cycle of blame.

At night, some of the truck crew go to the local gym to watch police officers fight each other. This is a regular fight club event, and Chief Boden is fighting a police chief who apparently slept with his ex-wife. The rest of the crew is spread out across the firehouse, listening to Otis's account on the walkie-talkies. However, another fire alarm interrupts them, and the crew quickly rushes off to a house fire down the street.

The fire in the apartment building is intense. Casey is shouting out directions. Casey and Herrmann are searching all the floors for people who are still trapped in the building. Cruz and Mills are doing the same on the roof. The Chief arrives on the scene and warns Casey that they need to leave as black smoke starts billowing out of the windows. Casey and Herrmann are on their way when the brittle floor collapses, sending them tumbling down to the basement.

Upon arrival, the squad find Casey and Herrmann unresponsive. Severide is lowered into the basement and successfully wakes up Casey, but Herrmann is struggling to breathe. They manage to safely evacuate Herrmann from the building. However, Casey and Severide remain trapped downstairs with the flames closing in. Casey is able to reach a higher floor and grab onto Severide, but the two begin to slip. Casey appears unable to hold both his own weight and Severide's. However, Mouch suddenly appears and grabs Casey's feet, assisting in their safe ascent.

Gabriela and Leslie are outside working on Herrmann, who is badly hurt. He is sent to the hospital with a possible tension pneumothorax, but the rest of the crew has made it out safely.

The next morning, Gabriela receives a call from her lawyer informing her of an upcoming trial regarding the emergency surgery she performed on a young patient. Despite the patient being stable and soon to be released from the hospital, Gabriela is facing legal action.

The crew gathers in the hospital waiting room, anxiously awaiting news on Herrmann's condition. Casey steps outside, looking weathered and exhausted from the day's work. He calls Hallie and asks her to come over. Despite their issues, she is still his primary source of comfort.

[dustedmagazine]

Lifeguard — Crowd Can Talk/Dressed in Trenches (Matador)

Dressed in Trenches by Lifeguard

Lifeguard, from Chicago, makes a blistering post-hardcore racket, channeling chaotic, noisy energy into rigorously disciplined forms. This extremely young trio—guitarist Kai Slater, bassist Asher Case and drummer Isaac Lowenstein were all in high school when they started playing together—have a firm grip on rock history, bringing the irregular architectures of Fugazi, the unruly blare of Unwound and the blinding guitar skree of pre-Daydream Sonic Youth together in an arresting way.

Lifeguard records quickly and frequently, laying down singles and EPs typically in a day or so. For a band birthed during the pandemic, it was the only way to keep track of how their sound was evolving. They made a full-length cassette, Dive, in 2020, then three EPs in 2020 and 2021. This recording, their first on Matador, combines their most recent EP, Crowd Can Talk, with the five news songs from Dressed in Trenches. Though the songs span a bit less than a year, you can hear these artists in the process of figuring out their sound.

The (slightly) older material favors the noisier elements of their art, the screech of guitar feedback, the decaying buzz of bass pushed into the red, the thwack, thwack, thwack of unadorned drums, the clangor of two boys shouting cryptic phrases at each other. Yet there’s a form to these onslaughts, an undeniable sense to the way they’re put together. “I Know I Know” is violent but tinged with aching tenderness. “Fifty Seven” chops up phrases into oddly shaped, math-y portions, yet slips some poetry into the way Slater’s voice intersects with bristling aggression. To me, “Typecast,” sounds the most like Fugazi, exploding in off-kilter, unexpected bursts of drum and guitar; the two bands have a fierce complexity in common.

The new songs tilt more anthemic, albeit in a minimalist way. “17-18 Lovesong” runs itself continually into a wall of noise, guitars pulling up as they crash into cement. Its chant of alphabet letters (“C-N-S-A”) has a desolate dystopian vibe, but the instruments rain bright, nearly giddy fire around them. You may have heard that Asher Case’s dad is Brian Case from FACS, and in this one, you can definitely hear the family resemblance. “Tell Me When” pumps up the density of Lifeguard’s sonics, drums rumbling in continuous panic, guitar tones prisming in rainbow arcs of distorted sound, the bass nodding underneath, satisfied with what has been done. Here’s where you can hear the clearest echoes of Sonic Youth, though, Lifeguard has its own intensity and timbre.  

This is an impressive statement from a band that’s still forming itself. Its sound is distinctive and compelling, but still audibly shifting as they go. It’s hard to imagine where they might end up ten or even five years out, but my guess is it’ll be someplace cool and very different from where they are now.

Jennifer Kelly