#nick long machine gun kelly

[lunapaper]

Album Review: 'Past // Present // Future' - Meet Me @ The Altar

Part of the current pop punk resurgence that includes WILLOW, pinkshift, Olivia Rodrigo and (ugh) Machine Gun Kelly, Meet Me @ The Altar have fought to defend the genre at all costs, sticking faithfully to the blueprint mapped out by their forebears Paramore and Fall Out Boy on their 2021 EP, Model Citizen. 

Not much has changed on their debut album, Past // Present // Future. The propulsive beats and snarling riffs remain, along with the cliché-riddled angst that has long made pop punk the subject of ridicule.  

It’s rock by committee courtesy of Jonas Brothers producer John Fields, hell bent on watering down each guitar riff and compressing every vocal, hiding it all behind an impenetrably glossy veneer. In other words, it’s more Radio Disney that RIOT! 

‘Say It (To My Face)’ incorporates some drum n’ bass into its emo-lite punk thrash as vocalist Edith Victoria taunts back at the haters ‘You're so irrelevant, almost didn't commit/Almost didn't write you a second verse/Really wish I could stay, gotta fly to LA/Play a show at The Wiltern.�� I guess I’m considered one of them now (Though Australian homes don’t normally have basements).  

‘Try’ is Sum 41-esque, offering high school-level wisdom in the form of ‘I go through all the same things too/It sucks, it’s true.’ ‘Hello in there Mr. I don’t care/I’ve had better conversations with my wall and my dog,’ she later muses on ‘Same Language,’ its chorus eerily reminiscent of Katy Perry’s ‘Waking Up in Vegas,’ while ‘T.M.I.’ is rather Avril-like as Victoria bares her soul over fuzzy guitars and explosive drums. 

And so the clichés go: ‘I think I'm the worst/Criticize everything 'til it hurts’ (from ‘T.M.I’) ‘Still stuck in your mothers basement/Talk trash, but you're like a million miles away’ (from ‘Say It (To My Face’)) ‘Don't be afraid to let go of the pain/Flowers only bloom if you get through the rain’ (from ‘Rocket Science’), each one more vapid than the last. 

Some of this can be attributed to a trio of early twentysomethings still navigating their way through life, love and other anxieties. Most of it, however, reeks of others trying to mould the band into something they’re totally not, namely writer/producer John Ryan, who co-wrote most of the album’s tracks. 

He’s written for such artists as Harry Styles, Maroon 5, Rita Ora, Pitbull, Jason Derulo, DJ Snake, Fifth Harmony and, funnily enough, Katy Perry and Nick Jonas. He also co-wrote some of One Direction’s biggest hits, including ‘Story of My Life,’ ‘Steal My Girl’ and ‘Best Song Ever.’ 

Why some cheesy pop maestro was assigned to work with a queer pop punk trio of colour (the first ever signed to Fueled By Ramen) is anyone’s guess. Rather than make the songs feel like their own in any way, Ryan and the band just churn out a bunch of bland pop punk tunes about makeups and breakups indistinct from their peers. 

Though there are glimmers of what could’ve been: the hazy ‘Kool’ echoes the headiness, thrill and nauseating anxiety you feel when crushing hard on someone. ‘It’s Over for Me’ has a jackhammer-style energy, while standout ‘A Few Tomorrows’ is dream-spun folk pop straight out of the early 2000s, with Victoria’s snarky, razor-sharp wail softened into a soothing coo. It sort of reminds me John Mayer’s ‘Back To You,’ the kind of song that would play during a montage after the inevitable breakup scene of a teen film or in a CW drama (‘Back To You’ was in Win a Date With Tad Hamilton!, btw). 

Meet Me @ The Altar’s debut comes just as the pop punk renaissance seemingly reaches its saturation point. Everything here is just so bland: The riffs are repetitive, the writing uninspired and the production squeaky clean and painfully edgeless. 

And it’s a shame, because the band have proven in the past that they can do raw and real on 2019’s Bigger Than Me EP, a true love letter to pop punk that showcases the trio’s deft musicality and knack for punchy hooks, from the math rock-style breakdown on ‘Beyond My Control’ to the post-hardcore urgency on ‘Tyranny.’ Hell, even Model Citizen dabbled in a little nu-metal.  

2018’s Changing States is also worth a listen: The vocals are imperfect and the songs sprawling and loose, lacking any real structure. It sounds like it was recorded in a wardrobe, but that’s what adds to its beauty and charm. I’d even go so far as to compare it to Fall Out Boy’s earlier albums.  

What could’ve been a powerful mission statement for the band, a chance to expand on their scrappy, bratty charm, becomes yet another generic power pop record. Past // Present // Future will probably be an album that Meet Me @ The Altar end up distancing themselves from it once they creatively find their feet again. Hopefully no one linked to the JoBros will be involved in the next one... 

- Bianca B. 

[chorusfm]

Cassadee Pope Announces Pop Punk Return

Cassadee Pope has shared the new single “People That I Love Leave” will be out next week and is a return to the pop-punk sound. Full press release below. April 4, 2023 (Nashville, TN) - Today, GRAMMY-nominated, Platinum-certified singer-songwriter, Cassadee Pope, announces her brand new single, “People That I Love Leave,” out April 14th. Co-written by Cassadee, Ali Tamposi (Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, Kelly Clarkson), Roman Campolo (Elton John, BTS), Nick Long (Machine Gun Kelly, Avril Lavigne) and Andrew Luce (Iann Dior, Role Model) and produced by Cassadee, Dan Swank, Mason Sacks, Hosu Yoon and Luce, the high-energy track is paired with emotionally charged lyrics about being afraid of fully letting love in after having been through so much heartbreak.  Pre-save “People That I Love Leave” now HERE.  Always paving her own path in the industry since the beginning of her career, Cassadeebegins a new chapter in her musical journey with “People That I Love Leave.” Having started her career as the frontwoman of beloved, pop-punk band, Hey Monday, “People That I Love Leave” marks a return to form for Cassadee. “This next project has an authenticity that I’ve never been able to tap into before now,” she shares. “Pop and rock music is such a staple in my creativity so to fully return back to that genre feels special and like coming back home.” Speaking on the new direction of her sound, Cassadee shares, “I wanted to lead with a high energy, uptempo song. I love jumping around on stage and always have since Hey Monday. This song gives people a pretty clear picture of where I’m headed sonically and energetically.” Stay tuned for more news from Cassadee coming very soon.  --- Please consider becoming a member so we can keep bringing you stories like this one. ◎ https://chorus.fm/news/cassadee-pope-announces-pop-punk-return/

[newmusicradionetwork]

Sam Tinnesz Teams Up With Nick Wheeler (All-American Rejects) On Break-Up Anthem “Spaced Out”

Nashville hitmaker Sam Tinnesz has released the final single ahead of his long-awaited pop rock project There Goes The Neighborhood across streaming services today. “Spaced Out” featuring Nick Wheeler of the All-American Rejects is an anthem for all those who are tired of having an on-and-off again, complicated relationship status. Swirled with pop-punk guitar-driven melodies in signature Wheeler fashion, “Spaced Out” perfectly embodies the 2000s alternative foundation in Sam Tinnesz’ fourth studio album There Goes The Neighborhood. Produced by Seth Mosley (Dashboard Confessional, Real Friends, Filter), “Spaced Out” was co-written with Nick Bailey, whose songwriting credits include Machine Gun Kelly, Demi Lovato, Marshmello, and jxdn. “When I was writing the chorus to this song, I thought it would be so fun to mention one of my favorite bands in the lyrics, the All-American Rejects! Never in a million years did I think, a year later, I would be able to get one of the members of the Rejects to actually be on the record with me. “ Nick Wheeler, the guitarist, producer and one of the founding members of the band was kind enough to lend me his ridiculously killer guitar skills. I was honestly stuck on the production and couldn’t figure out how to get it over the finish line. Nick came in and sprinkled the last bit of magic dust that we needed to make it feel ready for release. Thankful to have him on it and I really tried my best not to fanboy while we were recording it! This and working with Dashboard for the new record were the highlights of the whole album for me.” – Sam Tinnesz  Nashville RIAA gold selling artist Sam Tinnesz has had viral hits like “Play With Fire” which has amassed over 385 million streams, and “Legends Are Made” which has gotten over 1 billion views on TikTok. He has seen stratospheric success in TV/Film and has featured on gold-selling records like Kygo’s Golden Hour. As a songwriter, Sam has made notable contributions for upcoming releases from Sum 41 and Filter as well as distinguished collaborations with Royal & the Serpent, Banners, Ruelle, etc. Press highlights include Billboard, Forbes, SPIN, Rolling Stone, American Songwriter. Take a listen to “Spaced Out” featuring Nick Wheeler of the All-American Rejects via ONErpm today, and be sure to pre-save Sam Tinnesz February 24 studio release, There Goes The Neighborhood, here. Read the full article

[spinstrackingsystem]

Sam Tinnesz Teams Up With Nick Wheeler (All-American Rejects) On Break-Up Anthem “Spaced Out” Ahead of Forthcoming LP

Nashville hitmaker Sam Tinnesz has released the final single ahead of his long-awaited pop rock project There Goes The Neighborhood across streaming services today. “Spaced Out” featuring Nick Wheeler of the All-American Rejects is an anthem for all those who are tired of having an on-and-off again, complicated relationship status. Swirled with pop-punk guitar-driven melodies in signature Wheeler fashion, “Spaced Out” perfectly embodies the 2000s alternative foundation in Sam Tinnesz’ fourth studio album There Goes The Neighborhood. Produced by Seth Mosley (Dashboard Confessional, Real Friends, Filter), “Spaced Out” was co-written with Nick Bailey, whose songwriting credits include Machine Gun Kelly, Demi Lovato, Marshmello, and jxdn. “When I was writing the chorus to this song, I thought it would be so fun to mention one of my favorite bands in the lyrics, the All-American Rejects! Never in a million years did I think, a year later, I would be able to get one of the members of the Rejects to actually be on the record with me. “ Nick Wheeler, the guitarist, producer and one of the founding members of the band was kind enough to lend me his ridiculously killer guitar skills. I was honestly stuck on the production and couldn’t figure out how to get it over the finish line. Nick came in and sprinkled the last bit of magic dust that we needed to make it feel ready for release. Thankful to have him on it and I really tried my best not to fanboy while we were recording it! Read the full article

[newmusicweekly]

Sam Tinnesz Teams Up With Nick Wheeler (All-American Rejects) On Break-Up Anthem "Spaced Out" Ahead of Forthcoming LP

Nashville hitmaker Sam Tinnesz has released the final single ahead of his long-awaited pop rock project There Goes The Neighborhood across streaming services today. “Spaced Out” featuring Nick Wheeler of the All-American Rejects is an anthem for all those who are tired of having an on-and-off again, complicated relationship status. Swirled with pop-punk guitar-driven melodies in signature Wheeler fashion, “Spaced Out” perfectly embodies the 2000s alternative foundation in Sam Tinnesz’ fourth studio album There Goes The Neighborhood. Produced by Seth Mosley (Dashboard Confessional, Real Friends, Filter), “Spaced Out” was co-written with Nick Bailey, whose songwriting credits include Machine Gun Kelly, Demi Lovato, Marshmello, and jxdn.    “When I was writing the chorus to this song, I thought it would be so fun to mention one of my favorite bands in the lyrics, the All-American Rejects! Never in a million years did I think, a year later, I would be able to get one of the members of the Rejects to actually be on the record with me. "   Nick Wheeler, the guitarist, producer and one of the founding members of the band was kind enough to lend me his ridiculously killer guitar skills. I was honestly stuck on the production and couldn’t figure out how to get it over the finish line. Nick came in and sprinkled the last bit of magic dust that we needed to make it feel ready for release. Thankful to have him on it and I really tried my best not to fanboy while we were recording it! Read the full article

[moontrinemars]

Astrology Quick-List + Informal Survey: The Muses

Researched for my use, compiled and posted for public reference. Disclaimer is in my bio.

Below is a list of the asteroids for the nine muses and a very brief description of what they rule over or are associated with. Under the description I've listed some musicians with notable conjunctions to each respective asteroid. (If I listed every aspect, the post would be a million miles long, and other aspects are as a rule less relevant than tight conjunctions anyway, particularly for asteroids.)

KALLIOPE [22]

Kalliope is the eldest of the muses. She began as the goddess of eloquence, but since the arts were divided into separate domains, is the muse of epic poetry. Her name is translated, roughly, to “beautiful-voiced”.

A Few Musicians with Notable Kalliope Conjunctions: Anais Mitchell [Sun, Mars, Descendant], Judy Garland [Sun], Peter Gabriel [Moon], Vince Neil [Mercury, Vesta, Medium Coeli], Fiona Apple [Venus, Saturn], Mick Jagger [Venus], Jim Morrison [Venus], Hozier [Venus], Carlos Santana [Venus, Terpsichore], Sandra [Venus, Ceres, Vesta], Alice Cooper [Mars], Scott Weiland [Jupiter], Billie Joe Armstrong [Saturn, Pallas, Urania], Aretha Franklin [Saturn], Buddy Holly [Uranus, Melpomene], Gloria Estefan [Uranus, Vertex, Klio], Woody Guthrie [Pluto], Andy Gibb [Pluto, Descendant], Julie Andrews [Rahu], Jimi Hendrix [Rahu, Chiron], Cyndi Lauper [Vertex], Shania Twain [Lilith], Björk [Lilith, Pallas, Juno], Boy George [Ceres, Euterpe, Polyhymnia], Jon Bon Jovi [Ceres, Nessus], Courtney Love [Pallas, Juno], Bing Crosby [Pallas], Trent Reznor [Juno], Susan Boyle [Vesta], Tobias Forge [Pholus], Sid Vicious [Klio, Polyhymnia], Bob Marley [Klio, Urania], Billy Joel [Melpomene], Stevie Nicks [Terpsichore], John Travolta [Terpsichore], Belinda Carlisle [Urania], Tina Turner [Thalia], Diane Warren [Nessus], Diana Ross [Ascendant], Andy Gibb [Medium Coeli], Mitski [Imum Coeli], OP [Chiron, Juno, Polyhymnia]

KLIO [84]

Klio is the muse of history. Her name can be translated as “to celebrate” or “to make famous”.

A Few Musicians with Notable Klio Conjunctions: Barbara Streisand [Sun, Nessus], Jimi Hendrix [Moon, Jupiter], Sting [Moon], Frank Sinatra [Mercury], Joni Mitchell [Venus], Frank Zappa [Mars], Machine Gun Kelly [Jupiter, Ceres], Cher [Uranus], Maria Von Trapp [Uranus], Gloria Estefan [Uranus, Vertex, Kalliope], Shania Twain [Uranus, Pluto, Urania] Tobias Forge [Neptune, Urania], Buddy Holly [Neptune], Ray Davies [Neptune], Prince [Pluto, Urania, Medium Coeli], Courtney Love [Rahu], Frankie Valli [Rahu], John Travolta [Rahu], Joe Strummer [Chiron], Andrew Lloyd Webber [Chiron], Alice Cooper [Ketu], Trent Reznor [Pars Fortunae], Dołly Parton [Pars Fortunae], Nannerl Mozart [Pars Fortunae, Ceres, Thalia], Hozier [Ceres, Pholus], Tina Turner [Ceres, Urania], Chris Isaak [Ceres], Fiona Apple [Juno], Whitney Houston [Pholus], Sid Vicious [Kalliope, Polyhymnia], Bob Marley [Kalliope, Urania], John Lennon [Erato, Descendant], Joe Perry [Erato, Imum Coeli], Phil Collins [Erato], Anais Mitchell [Urania], Eartha Kitt [Urania], Carlos Santana [Urania, Thalia], Scott Weiland [Thalia], Billy Joel [Ascendant], Vince Neil [Ascendant], Sandra [Ascendant], Billie Joe Armstrong [Descendant], Elvis Presley [Imum Coeli], OP [Vertex, Euterpe, Urania, Thalia]

ERATO [62]

Erato is known as the muse of both erotic poetry and mime. Her name translates to “lovely” or “beloved”.

A Few Musicians with Notable Erato Conjunctions: Ray Davies [Sun, Moon, Venus, Saturn, Pallas], John Travolta [Sun], Diane Warren [Sun], Shania Twain [Sun], Tobias Forge [Moon], Billy Joel [Mars], Frank Sinatra [Jupiter, Chiron, Pallas], Buddy Holly [Jupiter], Dolly Parton [Jupiter, Juno], Eartha Kitt [Uranus, Juno], Florence Welch [Neptune], Ringo Starr [Neptune, Ceres, Urania, Descendant], Tina Turner [Neptune], Sting [Neptune, Imum Coeli], Whitney Houston [Neptune, Pars Fortunae, Lilith], Shirley Temple [Pluto], Cher [Chiron, Juno], Bette Midler [Chiron, Juno, Descendant], Cyndi Lauper [Chiron], Billie Holiday [Rahu], Bob Marley [Vertex], Mick Jagger [Antivertex, Melpomene], Sandra [Antivertex], Maria Von Trapp [Lilith], Andrew Lloyd Webber [Lilith], Tamino [Pallas], Frank Zappa [Pallas], Kurt Cobain [Juno], Louis Armstrong [Vesta, Euterpe], Aretha Frankling [Vesta, Pholus, Euterpe], Alice Cooper [Pholus], John Lennon [Klio, Descendant], Joe Perry [Klio, Imum Coeli], Phil Collins [Klio], Barbara Streisand [Euterpe], Jimi Hendrix [Euterpe], Frankie Valli [Polyhymnia], Scott Weiland [Terpsichore], Diana Ross [Descendant], David Bowie [Medium Coeli], Stevie Wonder [Medium Coeli], Belinda Carlisle [Medium Coeli], Boy George [Imum Coeli]

EUTERPE [27]

Euterpe is the muse of lyric poetry. Her name is translated to “well-pleasing” or “giver of much delight”.

A Few Musicians with Notable Euterpe Conjunctions: Trent Reznor [Sun], Ringo Starr [Sun], Peter Gabriel [Sun], Maria Von Trapp [Moon, Vesta, Terpsichore], Mick Jagger [Moon], Bob Marley [Moon], John Lennon [Venus], Boy George [Venus, Ceres, Vesta, Kalliope, Polyhymnia], Joni Mitchell [Mars, Vesta], Jim Morrison [Mars, Vesta], Diana Ross [Mars], Fiona Apple [Uranus], Tamino [Neptune], Gerard Way [Pluto], Nannerl Mozart [Pluto], Ray Davies [Pluto], Frank Zappa [Rahu], Bette Midler [Ketu], Andy Gibb [Ketu, Vesta], Vince [Ketu, Chiron], Machine Gun Kelly [Pars Fortunae, Terpsichore], Prince [Vertex], Eartha Kitt [Pallas], Louis Armstrong [Vesta, Erato], Aretha Franklin [Vesta, Pholus, Erato], Billie Joe Armstrong [Vesta], Buddy Holly [Vesta], Dolly Partom [Vesta], Phil Collins [Vesta], Florence Welch [Pholus], Barbara Streisand [Erato], Jimi Hendrix [Erato], Carlos Santana [Melpomene, Polyhymnia], Whitney Houston [Melpomene], Hozier [Terpsichore], Sandra [Terpsichore], Neil Diamond [Ascendant], Loretta Lynn [Descendant], OP [Vertex, Klio, Urania, Thalia]

MELPOMENE [18]

Melpomene was once regarded as the definitive singing goddess. Since the domains were split, she is addressed as the muse of tragedy. Her name is roughly translated as “celebrate with song”.

A Few Musicians with Notable Melpomene Conjunctions: Belinda Carlisle [Sun], Jim Morrison [Moon], Lana Del Rey [Venus, Rahu, Pallas, Descendant], Bette Midler [Venus], Nannerl Mozart [Saturn, Pluto], Alice Cooper [Saturn, Pars Fortunae], Dianę Warren [Saturn], Buddy Holly [Uranus, Kalliope], Billie Holiday [Uranus], Sandra [Uranus], Gerard Way [Neptune], Joe Strummer [Neptune], John Lennon [Pluto, Pars Fortunae], Andrew Lloyd Webber [Pluto], Sting [Ketu], Vince Neil [Pars Fotunae], Regina Spector [Vertex], Phil Collins [Vertex], Fiona Apple [Antivertex], Mick Jagger [Antivertex, Erato], Bob Marley [Lilith], Joe Perry [Lilith, Thalia], Dolly Parton [Pallas], Aretha Franklin [Juno], Barbara Streisand [Juno], Gloria Estefan [Juno], John Travolta [Vesta], Cher [Pholus, Medium Coeli], Loretta Lynn [Pholus], Billy Joel [Kalliope], Carlos Santana [Euterpe, Polyhymnia], Whitney Houston [Euterpe], Jimi Hendrix [Ascendant], OP [Venus, Ketu]

POLYHYMNIA [33]

Polyhymnia was once the goddess of lyric poetry. However, with the splitting of the domains, she is now the muse of religious hymns. She is, according to some sources, the inventor of the lyre. Her name means “many hymns”.

A Few Musicians with Notable Polyhymnia Conjunctions: Vince Neil [Sun, Pallas], Nannerl Mozart [Moon, Vertex], Julie Andrews [Mercury], John Lennon [Mercury], Mick Jagger [Mercury, Imum Coeli], Phil Collins [Mercury, Pallas], Belinda Carlisle [Mercury, Pluto, Juno], Björk [Venus], Boy George [Venus, Ceres, Vesta, Kalliope, Euterpe], Tamino [Mars], Louis Armstrong [Mars], Loretta Lynn [Mars, Vesta, Terpsichore], Scott Weiland [Jupiter], Jimi Hendrix [Jupiter], Sting [Jupiter], Marilyn Monroe [Saturn], Andy Gibb [Uranus], Whitney Houston [Uranus, Descendant], Anais Mitchell [Chiron], Jim Morrison [Chiron], Maria Von Trapp [Rahu], Buddy Holly [Rahu], Shania Twain [Ketu, Thalia], Joe Perry [Vertex], Stevie Wonder [Antivertex], Diana Ross [Lilith], Billie Holiday [Juno], Mitski [Vesta], Gerard Way [Vesta], Andrew Lloyd Webber [Vesta], aSid Vicious [Kalliope, Klio], Carlos Santana [Euterpe, Polhymnia], Judy Garland [Terpsichore, Nessus], Shirley Temple [Terpsichore], Trent Reznor [Thalia], Kelly Clarkson [Nessus], Dianę Warren [Nessus], Hozier [Ascendant], Frank Sinatra [Ascendant], Cyndi Laup;er [Descendant], Kurt Cobain [Medium Coeli], OP [Chiron, Juno, Kalliope]

TERPSICHORE [81]

Terpsichore is the muse of choral song and dancing. Thus, her name means “delighting in dance”.

A Few Musicians with Notable Terpsichore Conjunctions: Regina Spector [Sun, Ketu], Susan Boyle [Sun], Maria Von Trapp [Moon, Vesta, Euterpe], Andrew Lloyd Webber [Moon], Florence Welch [Mercury, Nessus], Lana Del Rey [Venus, Descendant], Carlos Santana [Venus, Kalliope], Julie Andrews [Mars], Alice Cooper [Mars], Kurt Cobain [Jupiter], Woody Guthrie [Chiron], Tamino [Rahu, Pholus], Louis Armstrong [Rahu], Bing Crosby [Ketu, Vertex], Jimi Hendrix [Pars Fortunae], Courtney Love [Antivertex], Buddy Holly [Antivertex], Vince Neil [Ceres], Loretta Lynn [Vesta, Terpsichore], Whitney Houston [Vesta], Frank Sinatra [Pholus], Frank Zappa [Pholus], Stevie Nicks [Kalliope], John Travolta [Kalliope], Scott Weiland [Erato], Hozier [Euterpe], Machine Gun Kelly [Euterpe], Sandra [Euterpe], Judy Garland [Polyhymnia, Nessus], Shirley Temple [Polyhymnia], Aretha Franklin [Thalia, Nessus], Barbara Streisand [Thalia], Bette Midler [Medium Coeli], Cher [Imum Coeli], OP [Sun, Neptune]

URANIA [30]

Urania should be a favorite among astrologers - she is the muse of astronomy and astronomical writings, which at the time of the height of the worship of the muses, extended into the realm of astrology. Her name means “heavenly one”.

A Few Musicians with Notable Urania Conjunctions: Sid Vicious [Venus, Ceres], Frank Zappa [Venus], Cyndi Lauper [Venus, Nessus], Neil Diamond [Mars], Billie Joe Armstrong [Saturn, Pallas, Kalliope], Judy Garland [Saturn, Pallas], Phil Collins [Saturn], Shania Twain [Uranus, Pluto, Klio], Tobias Forge [Neptune, Klio], Ringo Starr [Neptune, Ceres, Erato, Descendant], Joni Mitchell [Neptune], Joe Perry [Pluto], Prince [Pluto, Klio, Medium Coeli], Mick Jagger [Rahu], David Bowie [Pars Fortunae], Billie Holiday [Pars Fortunae], Stevie Nicks [Pars Fortunae], Courtney Love [Vertex, Nessus], Cher [Antivertex], Vince Neil [Antivertex], Bob Dylan [Ceres], Chris Isaak [Pallas], Fiona Apple [Juno, Klio], Kelly Clarkson [Pholus], Bob Marley [Kalliope, Klio], Belinda Carlisle [Kalliope], Anais Mitchell [Klio], Eartha Kitt [Klio], Tina Turner [Klio], Carlos Santana [Klio, Thalia], Tamino [Thalia], Dolly Parton [Thalia], Peter Gabriel [Nessus], Machine Gun Kelly [Ascendant], Barbara Streisand [Ascendant], Mitski [Medium Coeli], Marilyn Monroe [Imum Coeli], OP [Klio, Euterpe, Thalia]

THALIA [23]

At times considered the other half of Melpomene, Thalia is the muse of comedy, as well as bucolic poetry. Her name could mean either “rich festivity” or “blooming”.

A Few Musicians with Notable Thalia Conjunctions: Regina Spektor [Moon, Pholus], Stevie Wonder [Moon], Kurt Cobain [Mercury], John Travolta [Venus], Maria Von Trapp [Mars], Prince [Mars], Elvis Presley [Jupiter], Sandra [Jupiter, Chiron, Pars Fortunae, Vertex], Billie Holiday [Rahu], Trent Reznor [Ketu, Polyhymnia], Shania Twain [Ketu, Polyhymnia], Bob Dylan [Ketu], Jon Bon Jovi [Ketu, Pholus], Loretta Lynn [Vertex], Björk [Antivertex], Nannerl Mozart [Pars Fortunae, Ceres, Klio], Judy Garland [Ceres], John Lennon [Pholus], Tina Turner [Kalliope], Scott Weiland [Klio], Carlos Santana [Klio, Urania], Joe Perry [Melpomene], Aretha Franklin [Terpsichore, Nessus], Barbara Streisand [Terpsichore], Tamino [Urania], Dolly Parton [Urania], Cher [Nessus], Machine Gun Kelly [Nessus], Frankie Valli [Ascendant], Cyndi Lauper [Ascendant], Andy Gibb [Ascendant], Vince Neil [Descendant], Billie Joe Armstrong [Imum Coeli], OP [Klio, Euterpe, Urania]

Entry Code: 22,84,62,27,18,33,81,30,23

There are more asteroids that can have particular impacts on musical ability and recognition of it, many of which have to do with the mythology of the muses - Apollo, or Orpheus for example - but I'm saving them for a separate post in their own right. Let me know if this is helpful and feel free to talk to me about the muses. ♡♡♡

[wakeupthemembersofbylernation]

Hmm, this is all still so weird. The fact that Nick contacted Netflix and not the other way around? The fact that he hasn’t been asked to take anything down yet and that the writers struck him down with a vaguepost and not with anything specific? (At the very least, I’d say we deserve more transparency as a fandom). I know scammers exist and we shouldn’t just blindly trust Nick again after all that has happened, but I really don’t think he was intentionally scamming people? I think he fully trusted his source and believed he had every reason to? Machine Gun Kellys were quick to call the script fake before Script Gate even happened without considering how complex, difficult, and odd it would be.

That’s a LOT of details to convincingly generate, and I don’t see why someone would do that while running a very public GoFundMe where refunds can happen in a heartbeat? There’s no way Nick typed up a fake script himself. That would be a silly and nonsensical scam, and now that he’s caught, would he really be doubling down on his innocence? Obviously some criminals are stupid, but like, I feel like he would be lawyering up and not responding to emails, right? Also, he’s been collecting ST scripts for years, including the Snowball script that revealed Will’s feelings for Mike long before they went mainstream.

So he has a “source,” a mysterious source who gave him color-coded pages and details few people would randomly add like Mike not recognizing Dr. Brenner. Unless they added them because they are so specific that we would have this train of thought? Idk. I guess it’s possible that this source really did have the dedication to write 90 pages of convincing fanfiction & pass them off as legit, but why? What would be the motive? On the flip side, him frantically deleting all his tweets is sus. But so is everything the Stranger Things writers are doing. The Byler van scene is winning in the poll, and if it stays that way, I guess we can compare the scenes side by side? But if they’re trying to hide things they have full power to edit it for their purposes. I really don’t know how we’re supposed to interpret Script Gate.

Thoughts?

[missmewts]

music//the evans

(seasons 1-7, luke cooper, peter maximoff, there will be more in part two!)

rating; pg

warnings; none???

basically some music artists and songs evan's roles might listen to. the gif isn't evan but gaga is iconic so don't complain

LUKE COOPER...the office, 2010

MGK. don't even argue. he's obsessed with machine gun kelly

but if someone asks, it's kanye west

he's never heard a single song of kanye's

his favorite radio station on sirius xm is the pulse

he really likes sunflower and best friend by rex orange county, but those are the only ones

he gets chills everytime ben platt's 'imagine' comes on. don't ask why.

TATE LANGDON...ahs: murder house, 2011

(toot>tate)

INSANE CLOWN POSSE

but specifically my axe or boogie-woogie-woo tho

MOTHER/MOTHER

he doesn't mention liking them tho cause it's sorta out of place with everything else he likes

nirvana obvi

probably stevie nicks/fleetwood mac

the doors

THE FOUNDATIONS

build me up buttercup, specifically

crosby stills nash & young

eAGLES TOO

he loves the classic vinyl and classic rewind stations on sirius xm

WILD THING BY TROGGS

bLACK BETTY BY RAMJAM

bargain by who ofc ofc

sorry i'm just like a nerd for classic rock

KIT WALKER...ahs: asylum, 2012

the drifters, of course

i count the tears and there goes my baby

AIN'T TOO PROUD TO BEG WHILE HE'S COOKING!!? i could write a whole fic of kit dancing in the kitchen while he makes cookies

sea of love by phil phillips KAKDJED

KIT IS SO PURE

I LOVE HIM

def brandy (you're a fine girl) by looking glass

PUT YOUR HEAD ON MY SHOULDER

LONELY TEARDROPS AAAAAAAH

listens to elvis and jackie wilson

loves the 50s on 50 station

KYLE SPENCER...ahs: coven, 2013

TOTO

he's totally an 80's nerd but he's lowkey about it

that one song from matilda where it's like mmm m mm mmm

WHITNEY HOUSTON

need you tonight. TOTALLY.

SWEET CHILD OF MINE BY GUNS N ROSES

maybe the occasional nirvana song, but he prefers 80s pop

speaking of-

80S JAPANESE POP

STAY WITH ME BY MIKI MATSUBARA AAAA

it's the only title he can pronounce so that's the only song he says he likes <3

he did try to learn the japanese in the song, but he gave up

JIMMY DARLING...ahs: freakshow, 2014

(a lot of inspiration came from "vintage playlist but youre a teenager in love" by rainbeary on youtube)

imagine kit

we all totally know he loves love songs but don't tell him that

LOLLIPOP BY THE CORDETTES

he loves the ronnetes

BE MY BABY

he totally just dances around his caravan, 'we make 'em turn their heads every place we go, so won't you please be my, be my baby!!'

whenever i think of jimmy, soul kitchen comes STRAIGHT to mind. he would totally fuck someone to that

THE ARCHIES

HEY LOVER BY DAUGHTERS OF EVE ASHFFFDTHAT'S SO SOFT I LOVE IT- IMAGINE HIM PLAYING THAT WHILE EVERYONE EATS LUNCH IN THE GRASS BEHIND THE TENT ON THEIR DAY OFF

TEENAGER IN LOVE BY DION & THE BELMONTS OFC

PETER MAXIMOFF...xmen, 2014-19

a sucker for classic rock

sweet dreams (are made of this) obvi

QUEEN AND THE BEATLES

LOVE OF MY LIFE AND HERE COMES THE SUN AHSJDKF THAT'S SO SOFT

billy joel!!!

i love rock n roll by joan jett and the black hearts

BAD REPUTATION

the joker by the steve miller band!!

REM!! REM REM REM

LOVES FOREIGNER

THE ROLLING STONES

START ME UP SPECIFICALLY

JAMES PATRICK MARCH...ahs: hotel, 2015

he loves swing and big band!!

moonlight serenade by glenn miller and his orchestra

IN THE MOOD BY GLENN MILLER

loves glenn miller

it's been a long, long time

yk, that song that we all cry to?

he totally dances around with elizabeth to that song, just singing along all quiet, 'kiss me once, then kiss me twice, then kiss me once again.'

star dust by artie shaw and his orchestra

LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL!

CHEEK TO CHEEK

'darling, did you know, ella's voice, according to ancient studies, is utterly perfect?'

can you tell i adore james

RORY MONAHAN...ahs: roanoke, 2016

totally has one of those spotify radio things

he loves 2000s pop

NELLY FURTADO, BLACK EYED PEAS, BRITNEY SPEARS, YOU NAME IT

he loves yellow by coldplay, though

'pARTAY IN THA USAAAY'

lady marmalade is his ANTHEM

he lives for salt n peppa

SHOOP AND WHATTA MAN

KAI ANDERSON...ahs: cult, 2017

he says he likes death metal and shit but he's a sucker for softies

yellow by coldplay, bubly by colbie caillat, and home by phillip phillips are his top three

he loves mac demarco and girl in red

CAVETOWN

888 specifically, ugh he loves it

BOYS WILL BE BUGS AND LEMON BOY

KAI. IS. LEMON. BOY.

he loves how the guitar comes in nearing the end, like it gets more intense

DAYGLOW

HOT ROD AND CAN I CALL YOU TONIGHT

he relates to hot rod way too much

ALEC BENJAMIN

HERE COMES THE SUN

ugh kai is a softie

[chaos-and-recover]

2, 12, 14, 21, and 29 for the music asks!!

Yay!

2. an album you wish you could hear again for the first time

Jimmy Eat World - Futures, because I did not appreciate it the first time I heard it! I was not that into it at first but it's now one of my favourite albums in the entire world. I would love to be able to go back to hear it again for the first time yet still get it the way I do now.

Also, July Talk - Remember Never Before, because it's not actually out yet and I got to hear it played live front to back at the beginning of this month BUT I JUST WANNA HEAR IT AGAIN IT'S SO FUCKIN GOOD WHY DO I HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL JANUARY.

12. if you could hear any album performed live in its entirety, which would it be?

Lol what a perfect question given that last answer.

I think My Chemical Romance should play The Black Parade all the way through.

But also I'm gonna say Anberlin - Vital, because that's my favourite album of theirs from a genuine music standpoint and not a "this is my comfort album" standpoint, and I feel like it's the most likely to happen given the residencies they're doing this year where they do Never Take Friendship Personal, Cities and New Surrender on successive nights. Also Vital has the last song of theirs I would KILL to hear live and never have (God Drugs and Sex)

14. is there any band/musician who you really strongly dislike? if so, why?

Not to gatekeep pop punk but we need to bully Machine Gun Kelly a little more.

Also I actively dislike Twenty One goddamn Pilots and have had a decade-plus-long vendetta against Metric.

21. what is a song that you like, but that you don’t listen to very often?

Absolute left-field answer here but Stalemate by Joss Stone. It's GORGEOUS and CRUSHING but I just... don't listen to Joss Stone? Like ever? But hang on I gotta go hear that song right now immediately.

29. is there any song that you mostly like, but there’s one specific part of it that you don’t like as much? if so, what is it?

Oh that's a hell of a question.

Okay I think I got it. I really, really hate the 'Am I sexual?' line in Everybody (Backstreet's Back). Like that song is a fuckin JAM but that line? No, Nick Carter, I have never thought you were sexual, especially not when you were like barely 18 when that came out (okay I was 13 so what). Now if Kevin sang that line...

[certifiedmarkleetrash]

songs that make me feel like a main character (includes kpop)

*I made this playlist on spotify, I know I could link it, but I know some of these songs do not tickle everyone’s fancy. ALSO, I listen to a wide range of music (kpop, pop, rock, etc., so its kind of everywhere*

*added the Spotify link*

Please feel free to suggest songs that make you feel like a main character, I would love to listen to them!

I may or may not get some of these songs off of tik tok and if you work at Aeropostale, you might recognize a lot of these songs

I will add new songs too!

Girls in Bikinis - Poppy

12345SEX- UPSAHL

Zombie (English Ver.) - DAY6

Afraid -DAY6

1 to 10 - DAY6

Love me or Leave me - DAY6

Day and Night - DAY6

Stay Tonight - Chungha

Lies - Will Jay

Cosmic Love - Florence + The Machine

Electric Love - BORNS (yes I know the dude is problematic but this song is a main character bop)

Dark Paradise (Parov Stelar Remix) - Lana Del Rey, Parov Stelar

Wildflower - 5SOS

No Shame - 5SOS

Role Model - Phoenix

On My Own - 3LAU, Nevve

In Degrees - Foals

No Going Back - Yuno

Fading Youth - Punctual

Maybe You’re the Reason - The Japanese House

The Hype - LEISURE

All For Us - Labrinth, Zendaya

Sundress - A$AP Rocky

Dang! - Mac Miller, Anderson .Paak

Ladders - Mac Miller

Best Friend - Sofi Tukker, NERVO, The Knocks, et al.

Swan Song - Dua Lipa

Rocket Girl - Lemaitre, Betty Who

Graffiti - CHVRCHES

I Think I’m OKAY - Machine Gun Kelly, YUNGBLUD, Travis Barker

So What - LOONA

Blinding Lights - The Weeknd

Sexy, Free & Single - Super Junior

The Chaser - INFINITE

Treat People With Kindness - Harry Styles

That’s The Way It Is - Daniel Lanois

She - Harry Styles

To Be So Lonely - Harry Styles

Falling - Harry Styles

Psycho - Red Velvet

Adore You - Harry Styles

Watermelon Sugar - Harry Styles

Golden - Harry Styles

But, Honestly - Foo Fighters

Spark - Taeyeon

365247 - DAY6

Deep In Love - DAY6

It’s Okay To Cry - SOPHIE

Lights Up - Harry Styles

My Body - Young the Giant

False God - Taylor Swift

I Forgot That You Existed - Taylor Swift

Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince - Taylor Swift

The Archer - Taylor Swift

WHO DO U LOVE? - Monsta X, French Montana

FACE - Woosung

Best Part - DAY6

Wanna Go Back  - DAY6

Time of Our Life - DAY6

Awkward Silence - Stray Kids

Illusion - ATEEZ

CROOKED - GDRAGON

Don’t Need Your Love - NCT Dream, HRVY

ME - CLC

gogobebe - Mamamoo

Bon Bon Chocolat - EVERGLOW

Photograph - Def Leppard 

Butterfly - LOONA

WANT - Taemin (bop of 2019, fight me)

We Must Love - ONF (stan ONF you cowards)

Youth of the Nation - P.O.D.

Don’t Blame Me - Taylor Swift

I Did Something Bad - Taylor Swift

Sassy Me - Red Velvet 

My My My! - Troye Sivan 

Anybody Out There - Young Mister

Bloom - Troye Sivan

Shout - Tears For Fears

We Are The World - U.S.A. For Africa (can we do a reprise of this for the pandemic PLEASE)

Hysteria - Def Leppard

Livin’ On A Prayer - Bon Jovi

Don’t You (Forget About Me) - Simple Minds

Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic - The Police

Everybody Wants To Rule The World - Tears For Fears

Woman - BoA

Replay (PM 01:27) - NCT 127

1, 2. 3! - Seungri (I hate you seungri, rot in prison, I also hate you put a bop this good)

SEE SEA - Hyolyn

NANANA - IMFACT

I’m Not Afraid - Holland (stan Holland YOU COWARDS)

BLUE MOON - Kyeongri

1, 2, 3 - NCT Dream

Beautiful Feeling - DAY6

Naughty Boy - PENTAGON (okay but who else cried rtk ep 3)

Seesaw - Suga of BTS

Euphoria - Jungkook of BTS

HANN (Alone) - (G)-IDLE

Youngblood - 5SOS

Now or Never - SF9 (bop of 2018 I will fight you on this)

Taking Off - ONE OK ROCK

What’s Good - SVT Rap Unit

Take What You Want - ONE OK ROCK, 5SOS

SUNSET - Kim Donghan

Better Better - DAY6

Feeling Good - DAY6

We Are - ONE OK ROCK

Something New - Taeyeon

Forever Young - BLACKPINK

Take Me Higher - A.C.E.

Spotlight - Pristin V

Good Evening - SHINee

Needing/Getting - OK Go

This Too Shall Pass - OK Go

Call Your Name - JBJ

Trigger - VIXX

Shine - Pentagon (okay but also bop of 2018, and ptg should of gotten their first win with this song, ROBBED)

Egoist - Olivia Hye of LOONA, Jinsoul of LOONA

LIKEY - Twice

I Wait - DAY6

I Smile - DAY6

I Loved You - DAY6

INTRO: Neo Got My Back - NCT

BOSS - NCT U

THANKS - Seventeen

Bad Boy - Red Velvet

LOVE SCENARIO - iKON

Take The Dive - Jonghyun

Heroine - Sunmi

Greedy - Ariana Grande

She Is - Jonghyun

Born Hater - Epik High, Beenzino, Verbal Jint, et al.

Run Away With Me - Carly Rae Jepsen

new - Yves of LOONA

I Just - Red Velvet

Crazy Sexy Cool - ASTRO

Callin’ - A.C.E.

ON/OFF - ONF (stan [and I cannot emphasize this enough] ONF you cOwArDs)

I’M THE ONE - MXM

MOVE - Taemin

Sting - Stellar

You & I - One Direction

Ride - Lana Del Rey 

Pied Piper - BTS

Like This - Pentagon

Don’t Know You - HEIZE

LOVE ME LOVE ME - WINNER

Story of My Life - One Direction

Act My Age - One Direction

Clouds - One Direction

Night Changes - One Direction

Girl Almighty - One Direction

Don’t Hold Me - DMEANOR, Swings

What U Do? - EXO

You Better Know - Red Velvet

View - SHINee

Singing In The Rain - Jinsoul of LOONA

Long Road to Ruin - Foo Fighters

My Hero - Foo Fighters

Will - Jeong Jinwoon, Tiger JK

Really Really - WINNER

I - Taeyeon, Verbal Jint

Why - Taeyeon

WAKE ME UP - B.A.P.

I Got Love - Taeyeon

Deepened - Brave Girls

Learn to Fly - Foo Fighters

Walk - Foo Fighters

Everlong - Foo Fighters

Into the New World - SNSD

Wheels - Foo Fighters

Come on Get Higher - Matt Nathanson

Wonderwall - Oasis

Alone - Heart 

Home Sweet Home - Motley Crue

God is a woman - Ariana Grande

Maker - Big Wild

Me and Michael - MGMT

Are You Bored Yet? - Wallows, Clairo

God’s Menu - Stray Kids

fever dream - mxmtoon

Prom Queen - Beach Bunny

Close - Nick Jonas, Tove Lo

[stevecinematicuniverse]

Your Top Songs 2021

1. deja vu- Olivia Rodrigo

2. Mr. Brightside- The Killers

3. my ex's best friend (with blackbear)- Machine Gun Kelly, blackbear

4. happier- Olivia Rodrigo

5. September- Earth, Wind & Fire

6. Wedding Bell Blues - Laura Nyro Cover- The 5th Dimension

7. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D Overture- Bear McCreary

8. brutal- Olivia Rodrigo

9. Should I Stay or Should I Go - Remastered- The Clash

10. Sugar, We're Goin Down- Fall Out Boy

11. Barbara Minerva- Hans Zimmer

12. jealousy, jealousy- Olivia Rodrigo

13. Youngblood- 5 Seconds of Summer

14. working- Tate McRae, Khalid

15. Leave The Door Open- Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic

16. From Now On- The Features

17. traitor- Olivia Rodrigo

18. Louisiana Hero (From "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier")- Henry Jackman

19. Mother We Just Can't Get Enough- New Radicals

20. I Wish You Would- Taylor Swift

21. drivers license- Olivia Rodrigo

22. Go Crazy- Chris Brown, Young Thug

23. The Players- Christophe Beck

24. We Got Something Cooking- Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez

25. Close- Nick Jonas, Tove Lo

26. No Control- One Direction

27. DB Cooper- Natalie Holt

28. Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be A Long, Long Time)- Elton John

29. Sugar- Maroon 5

30. Ocean's Apart- Michael Giacchino

31. Teeth- 5 Seconds of Summer

32. HandClap- Fitz and The Tantrums

33. The Other Side Of The Door- Taylor Swift

34. Tiny Dancer- Elton John

35. She- Harry Styles

36. favorite crime- Olivia Rodrigo

37. Lonely Heart- 5 Seconds of Summer

38. The Constant- Michael Giacchino

39. WandaVision!- Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez

40. The Way- Ariana Grande, Mac Miller

41. Beautiful Mistakes (feat. Megan Thee Stallion)- Maroon 5, Megan Thee Stallion

42. Skate- Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak, Silk Sonic

43. Tonight Tonight- Hot Chelle Ray

44. Something He Can Feel- Aretha Franklin

45. Kiwi- Harry Styles

46. Escape (The Pina Colada Song)- Rupert Holmes

47. Night Changes- One Direction

48. Blame It on the Boogie- The Jacksons

49. Lost In Japan- Shawn Mendes

50. Confident- Demi Lovato

51. Finesse - Remix; feat. Cardi B- Bruno Mars, Cardi B

52. If I Could Turn Back Time- Cher

53. When We Were Young- Adele

54. Ruin- Shawn Mendes

55. Lifestyle (feat. Adam Levine)- Jason Derulo, Adam Levine, Maroon 5

56. Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)- Looking Glass

57. Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy - Remastered 2011- Queen

58. Wildest Dreams- Taylor Swift

59. Catch Up- Natalie Holt

60. Jealous- Nick Jonas

61. Black Gold- Hans Zimmer

62. We're Good- Dua Lipa

63. Daydream Believer- The Monkees

64. Monsters (feat. Demi Lovato and blackbear)- All Time Low, Demi Lovato, blackbear

65. Someday We'll Know- Mandy Moore, Jonathan Foreman

66. I Gotta Feeling- Black Eyed Peas

67. Body Moves- DNCE

68. good 4 u- Olivia Rodrigo

69. Bad Liar- Selena Gomez

70. Atmosphere - 2020 Digital Remaster- Joy Division

71. Amazons of Themyscira- Rupert Gregson-Williams

72. Mirrors- Justin Timberlake

73. Out Loud- HRVY

74. hope ur okay- Olivia Rodrigo

75. Nervous- Shawn Mendes

76. Small Talk- Niall Horan

77. Outlaws- Alessia Cara

78. Lamentis-1, 2077- Natalie Holt

79. Uptown Funk (feat. Bruno Mars)- Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars

80. You're Such A- Hailee Steinfeld

81. Wanda's Theme (End Credits from "WandaVision")- Christophe Beck

82. STAY (with Justin Bieber)- The Kid LAROI, Justin Bieber

83. Here- Alessia Cara

84. A Marriage of Convenience- Henry Jackman

85. True Love (feat. Lily Allen)- P!nk, Lily Allen

86. All Too Well- Taylor Swift

87. Romancing The Cage- Michael Giacchino

88. Seventeen- Alessia Cara

89. Skyfall- Adele

90. The Last Time- Taylor Swift, Gary Lightbody

91. Remember When- Wallows

92. Greedy- Ariana Grande

93. Kids- OneRepublic

94. Laugh Now Cry Later (feat. Lil Durk)- Drake, Lil Durk

95. Lover Of Mine- 5 Seconds of Summer

96. No Hero Is Born from Lies- Hans Zimmer

97. I Didn't Mean It - Soundtrack Version- The Belle Brigade

98. Toast-Mate 2000- Christophe Beck

99. Don't Go Breaking My Heart- Backstreet Boys

100. Chillin' Like a Villain- Sofia Carson, Cameron Boyce, Booboo Stewart

Italicized = Songs I Knew Before This Year

48/100 songs were italicized

[tessandscottforever18]

Sept 12

Fresh off the UK release of Amazon Studios’ reimagined 'Cinderella', pop icon Camila Cabello talks to Nick Levine about her starring role in the film and her next chapter.

Camila Cabello is in a very good place right now. The utterly joyous video for “Don’t Go Yet”, the lead single from her forthcoming album Familia, shows her dancing around a dinner table surrounded by family, friends and RuPaul’s Drag Race star Valentina. An eyepopping colour palette definitely complements the song: a bright and buoyant Latin bop banger that hits like musical serotonin. In the comments beneath the YouTube video, the singer has added a sweet message: “Hope you guys love this and that it inspires many wine drunk kitchen dance parties for you and your familia.”

The video may be a visual feast, but it’s no fantasy. Cabello says it reflects a recent healing period during which she focused on “collective joy and community and really growing the seeds of my relationships”. The casual dinner parties she threw with partner Shawn Mendes became a nourishing ritual as she stepped off the pop star treadmill for the first time in nearly a decade. This breather was long overdue given that Cabello’s career has maintained an upward trajectory ever since she entered the US version of The X Factor in 2012. Though she auditioned as a solo artist, she ended up landing a record deal as a member of Fifth Harmony, a girl group formed One Direction-style on the show. Four years later, she went solo and cemented her A-list status with “Havana”, one of the bestselling digital songs of all time. She now has more than a dozen platinum singles to her name, including 2016’s collaboration with Machine Gun Kelly, “Bad Things”, and 2019’s “South of the Border” with Ed Sheeran and Cardi B.

Still, Cabello’s pace of life slowed down last year for one reason only: the pandemic. “It’s been an absolutely traumatic thing that’s happened to the world,” she says today, speaking on the phone shortly before she records Spanish overdubs for her movie debut in a feminist reimagining of Cinderella. “But in terms of my mental health, before that particular moment, I was really approaching… ” The 24-year-old pauses, then corrects herself. “I mean, I don’t think I was even approaching, I think I was burned out. And I feel like that necessary forced pause [caused by the pandemic] just allowed me to look at my life differently. It allowed me to recalibrate what makes me happy and what is important to me. I feel like it saved me in a lot of ways.”

Cabello has spoken candidly in the past about her struggles with anxiety, which in turn led to obsessive-compulsive disorder. Today, she likens managing this anxiety to a “constant ebb and flow”, which is made easier by her new therapist, but says the pandemic let her rethink her attitude towards work. “I’m fortunate enough to choose what I say yes and no to,” she explains. “That’s what’s really important to me this time around. If it’s affecting my mental health in a negative way, I’ll say no and do it another way.”

“I feel like the public and the media could almost have become a third person in our relationship.”

A project she’s clearly fully invested in is Cinderella, a new film version of the familiar fairy tale, directed by Pitch Perfect’s Kay Cannon. Cabello stars as the title character opposite Broadway legend Idina Menzel as her non-wicked stepmother and Pose actor Billy Porter as her fairy godparent. According to Cabello, these reimagined characters are just two of the film’s progressive elements. “Those classic fairy tales were all written by men. That’s why the story [of Cinderella] is that of a woman who’s saved by a prince,” Cabello says. “But in our version, which is written and directed by a woman, she’s saved herself and is trying to build her own life. It’s a much more empowering version of the story.”

In fact, Cabello’s Cinderella story has “no evil people in it at all”, because it places the focus firmly on the heroine’s self-actualisation. “Cinderella’s dream is to live an independent life at a time when women aren’t allowed to have careers,” she explains. “So she’s seeing something that’s wrong in the world and not waiting for someone else to correct it for her – she’s doing it herself. I think that’s a really necessary, positive update.”

Cabello has also been using her formidable social media presence – 54.5 million followers on Instagram, 11.9 million on TikTok – to spread some very necessary positivity. After being papped on a run in mid-July wearing “a top that shows my belly”, Cabello told her TikTok followers she thought “Damn!” before remembering that “being at war with your body is so last season”. Today, she says she experiences much less body insecurity since sharing this post. “I felt like I was not alone in feeling that or alone in my frustration,” she says. “And so next time there are pictures of me where my belly is out, there’s gonna be a community of women who have heard me talk about the way that makes me feel and who support me. And that is honestly so liberating.”

She has even used TikTok to break down a human rights issue that is close to her heart. In July, Cabello shared a well-received video explaining that recent protests in Cuba aren’t “about lack of Covid resources and medicine”, but are really “the latest layer in a 62-year-old story of a communist regime and a dictatorship”. She says speaking out in this way was a matter of moral obligation for her. “You know, I’m Cuban and I still have family on the island,” she says – Cabello was born in Havana, then moved to Miami with her parents when she was six. “And so much of what I do is Cuban culture. I mean, ‘Havana’ is one of my most successful songs so far,” she adds. “So when I’m in the United States, showing the beautiful part of Cuban culture, I feel like I also have to be there for the hard part, for the people there who are struggling.”

“If it’s affecting my mental health in a negative way, I’ll say no and do it another way.”

“Havana”, a sultry and infectious celebration of the Cuban capital, was so huge that it could easily have overshadowed her debut album. But thankfully, 2018’s Camila was a cool and cohesive affair that also spawned the brilliant angsty banger “Never Be the Same”. Then in 2019 Cabello launched her second album, Romance, with “Señorita”, a massively successful duet with Mendes that has now racked up 1.9 billion Spotify streams. When Cabello and Mendes confirmed they were dating shortly after its release, they became gossip-site staples – something they remain today – and were accused of faking the relationship for publicity. The impact of this negative coverage on their mental health was barely even mentioned.

Still, more than two years later, Cabello says she and Mendes have managed to maintain their privacy. “I feel like the public and the media could almost have become a third person in our relationship,” she says. “But that’s not been a thing for us because Shawn and I don’t even look at social media like that. Even though we know it’s there, it’s almost like it doesn’t exist for us. And that’s why we don’t live in LA. We live in Miami or Toronto, where there’s less paparazzi and that kind of attention is less of a thing.”

Looking ahead, Cabello says she’s excited for fans to hear Familia, which she feels has greater “intimacy” than her previous albums because she worked so closely with core collaborators Scott Harris, Ricky Reed and Mike Sabath. Because she trusted them implicitly, Cabello says she was able to “freestyle” during recording sessions and really pour her heart out. “You know, there’s one song [I’ve recorded for the album] where I’m talking about my mental health and anxiety without [specifically] saying it’s about anxiety,” she says. “But it’s about what anxiety looks and feels like for me in my body and in my mind. And that wasn’t something I came into the room intending to write about. Ricky just showed me a piece of music he had and it all came out of me.”

Cabello says this “stream of consciousness” songwriting style “never would have happened” when she was recording Camila and Romance because, for her, there was still too much “tension” in the room. But this time around, she felt comfortable enough to be truly vulnerable. In this respect, Cabello draws a comparison between her own creative evolution and that of Billie Eilish, who recently released her acclaimed second album, Happier Than Ever. “I saw this quote from Billie where she said, ‘I wasn’t scared, it wasn’t forced, there was no pressure, it was just really nice.’ And I feel the same way about this album’s process for me,” she says. The message is clear: in both her personal and professional lives, Camila Cabello is in a very good place.

[myonechicagoworld]

CHICAGO FIRE – WARM AND DEAD (S01E13)

                                          [elevator dings]

Renee Royce: Oh [laughs] Oh….

                         No. No, no, no, no, no, no.

Kelly Severide: Come on.

Renee Royce: No! [chuckles]

                         Wow.

Renee Royce: Do you mind taking our picture?

Man 1: Sure.

                                       [camera clicks]

Renee Royce: [laughs]

Kelly Severide: Apartment fire. Ten car pile up. Hand caught in a

                          machine.

Renee Royce: Okay, all right. In Madrid, it is going to be, um, tapas,

                         tapas, dance club, and, um, Catholic Church.

Kelly Severide: You think I can dance?

Renee Royce: Well, I can dance and you can just watch.

Kelly Severide: That I can do.

                           I’ve never done that before.

Renee Royce: Oh, yeah?

Kelly Severide: Yeah.

Renee Royce: Wow. Well then, I guess this is gonna be the first of

                         many new things then, huh?

Kelly Severide: Yeah.

Renee Royce: Yeah.

                                          [kissing sound]

Kelly Severide: What is it?

Renee Royce: I met this doctor.

Kelly Severide: A doctor?

Renee Royce: Not like that. I just, um… Well I put out some feelers

                         to my medical contacts and, um, it turns out that

                         the Chief of Orthopedics over at River Forest

                         Hospital is… pioneering some kind of experimental

                         spinal surgery, and he wants to meet you.

Kelly Severide: Really?

Renee Royce: Yeah. 

                         You know what? Maybe this will help you get to

                          Madrid even sooner. Hm.

                                           [kissing sound]

                                               cutscene

                                            [phone rings]

Chief Boden: Chief Boden. 

Ernie: Do you remember me?

Chief Boden: Ernie.

Ernie: Yeah.

Chief Boden: What’s going on? You okay?

Ernie: No.

Chief Boden: [sighs] Talk to me. Where are you?

                       Ernie.

                       Ernie.

                                           [hangs up]

Chief Boden: Ernie.

                              [car door opens & shuts]

                                     [engine revs off]

                                    [dramatic music]

                                       [siren blares]

                                      [horn blasting]

                                    [truck door shuts]

Christopher Herrmann: Hardware store. Not good.

Matt Casey: Cruz, Mills, vent the roof.

Joe Cruz: Hardware store’s got propane tanks, accelerants.

                                        [explosion]

Matt Casey: Go, go, go!

                                       [siren blares]

Chief Boden: (into radio) Dispatch be advised, Battalion 25’s on

                        scene.

Dispatcher: (over radio) Copy that, 25.

Matt Casey: Got one down.

                                       [metal clangs]

Matt Casey: Herrmann, take his legs.

                                  [overlapping chatter]

Gabby Dawson: No pulse. 

Leslie Shay: Not breathing.

Engine Fireman: Fire’s out, Chief. Looks like another dumpster fire.

                                                - title - 

Gabby Dawson: What’s up?

Otis Zvonecek: The door’s jammed. 

Christopher Herrmann: I told Chief we needed to grease this

                                        puppy before the weather turned.

Mouch: And what, he ignored you?

Christopher Herrmann: No, he told me to do it, but I forgot. 

                                        I’ve been preoccupied. 

Mouch: Weren’t you and Cindy using protection?

Christopher Herrmann: We’ve got four kids, Mouch. I was counting

                                         on my sperm being too tired to make the

                                         swim.

Leslie Shay: Well, I’m gonna head inside and check the levels on

                      the hot chocolate.

Gabby Dawson: Yeah, I’m gonna provide back-up.

Otis Zvonecek: You know, my grandmother had this garage door

                           that was always stuck 2 feet off the ground. So one

                           time I tell my brother Nick, I say, “go inside and

                           grab some butter.”

Peter Mills: What?

Christopher Herrmann: We got a rule. You tell a story that we’ve all

                                         heard a million times, we raise our hand,

                                         you gotta shut up, no questions asked.

Otis Zvonecek: That’s actually impolite and insulting.

Christopher Herrmann: Like that’s on us [laughs]

Peter Mills: I haven’t heard the story.

Joe Cruz: Mills, let’s go.

Otis Zvonecek: Where are you guys going?

Peter Mills: Oh, I asked Cruz to give me driving lessons.

Otis Zvonecek: I-I’m actually next in line to drive 81. You know

                          that. 

                           Lieutenant?

Matt Casey: Not now, Otis.

Otis Zvonecek: [sighs]

Kid 1 (Roman): Hey, I… I got this dog here, if anyone wants it.

Mouch: Don’t even think about it. Had a dog over at 80 when I was

              there. Still have the teeth marks in my ankle to prove it.

Kid 1 (Roman): My dad says he’s gonna throw it in the river if I don’t

                           get rid of it. 

Peter Mills: I’ll take it, or at least I can find a home for it or

                    something.

                                               [dog whimpers]

Kid 1 (Roman): He likes bacon.

Mouch: Well, there’s that.

Peter Mills: Does he have a name?

Gabby Dawson: Aw, dad, can we keep it? Huh, can we? Can we?

                            Can we?

Chief Boden: Keep what?

Leslie Shay: The dog.

Matt Casey: [chuckles softly]

                                               [dog yipping]

Peter Mills: The kid’s dad was gonna drown it if we didn’t take it.

Chief Boden: He can’t stay.

                       I got a call at 67 over at Morningside. They need relief

                       for the next two shifts.

Otis Zvonecek: I’ll do it.

Joe Cruz: What? That’s the slowest house in the city.

Otis Zvonecek: I’ll do it.

Hadley: Oh, what the hell? You’ve got a medical furlough, Severide.

              That means you’re medically required to be out drinking.

Kelly Severide: Yeah, well… this may be more than just a furlough.

                           I’m moving to Spain with Renee.

Chief Boden: Between your history with us and your father’s

                       distinguished career, I can get you arson

                       investigation. Or the academy. Your choice.

Kelly Severide: I appreciate it, Chief, I do. But I’m leaving.

Chief Boden: Kelly… just sleep on it.

Kelly Severide: I have.

Chief Boden: [sighs]

Kelly Severide: Hey. You okay?

Chief Boden: You were right about Ernie. He called, said he was in

                        trouble, and then he hung up. Right before we

                        responded to another dumpster fire. 

                        I don’t know where to find him.

Kelly Severide: You tried to help him, Chief.

Chief Boden: Did I?

Kelly Severide: You reached out to him. You invited him in.

Chief Boden: Kelly, I saw him with this man… everything about it

                       felt wrong.

Kelly Severide: And you handed it over to the police.

Chief Boden: And what have they done, huh? Nothing.

Leslie Shay: Hey, uh, I must have misheard Capp, because he said

                      something about you going to Spain.

Kelly Severide: Yeah. I was gonna tell you this morning, but, uh… I

                           missed you. 

Leslie Shay: How long have you known this?

Kelly Severide: A day. Maybe two.

                                       [alarm buzzes & blares]

(Over PA): Truck 81, Ambulance 61. 425 Lake Street.

                   Infant shooting.

                                             [engine starts]

                                              [siren blares]

Lady 1: My baby. My baby’s been shot. 

                                           [dramatic music]

                                              [door slams]

                                              [gun cocks]

Lady 1: Baby!

Man 2 (Baby): You called the cops?

Lady 1: You’ve been shot, baby.

              Put down that… [yells] Aah!

Leslie Shay: Whoa, take it easy.

Man 2 (Baby): Shut up and stay away from me!

                         I’m not going back to jail.

Gabby Dawson: We’re not the cops.

Man 2 (Baby): This was self defense.

Gabby Dawson: Of course it was.

Man 2 (Baby): You stay where you are.

Leslie Shay: Are you gonna shoot me for helping your mom?

                                      [pounding at door]

Matt Casey: Fire department!

                                   [pounding continues]

Man 2 (Baby): Tell ‘em to stop bangin’!

                         Tell ‘em to stop, or I’m gonna blow a hole right

                         through that door!

                                       [taser buzzes]

Man 2 (Baby): [groans]

                                            [thuds]

Matt Casey: Dawson? Shay?

Gabby Dawson: You can’t carry a taser.

Leslie Shay: Yeah, well [breathing heavily] tell that to Baby.

                                       [door breaking]

Gabby Dawson: Baby here, uh, cold-cocked his mom and then

                            tripped and bumped his head.

Matt Casey: Baby?

Leslie Shay: Where in the code of conduct book does it say you

                      can’t carry a taser?

Gabby Dawson: [sighs] Page one.

Leslie Shay: Oh, I should totally read that someday.

                                          cutscene

Otis Zvonecek: [exhales]

Mouch: Hey, Otis, remember to bring some reading materials with

              you to Morningside.

Otis Zvonecek: [sighs]

Christopher Herrmann: 10 bucks you sell more Morningside

                                         T-shirts to tourists than you get calls.

Otis Zvonecek: Wager denied.

Mouch & Herrmann: [laughs]

Peter Mills: Yo, Dawson, hold up.

                     Hey.

                     Yo, I’m sorry about before. It’s just that on shift, it’s…

Gabby Dawson: Oh, stop it. It’s all right.

Peter Mills: It’s just… you know that it drives me crazy.

Gabby Dawson: We’ll figure it out. 

                            Text me after you get some rest.

Peter Mills: Sounds good.

                                           [dog yips]

                                       [kissing sound]

Peter Mills: Mm.

                                         [horn honks]

Matt Casey: You wanna get breakfast?

Gabby Dawson: Yeah, sure, absolutely. 

                                       [car door shuts]

Leslie Shay: Wow, look at you. You look like you’re about to pop.

Clarice: Yeah, a few more weeks.

Leslie Shay: Thank you. I heard if you eat eggplant, the baby comes

                      right out.

Clarice: I moved out.

Leslie Shay: What? 

Clarice: I told Daniel it wasn’t gonna work… ever.

              And I, uh… I moved back in with my parents.

Leslie Shay: Wow.

Clarice: Yeah, I know. [chuckles] I mean, it’s exactly where I

               imagined my life at 30, back with Barb and Gene in

               my room…

Leslie Shay: [chuckles]

Clarice: ... with the No Doubt poster.

Leslie Shay: Right. 

Clarice: Yeah.

Leslie Shay: And don’t forget pregnant.

Clarice: Well, I know what you’re thinking.

Leslie Shay: What’s that?

Clarice: That the way I live my life finally caught up with me.

Leslie Shay: That’s not what I’m thinking.

Clarice: And you would be right.

              Anyway, um… I just came back ‘cause I wanted to say

              thank you again. And you were a friend to me when I did

              not deserve one.

Leslie Shay: Forget Gene and Barb. Stay with me.

Clarice: No… that’s not why I came back.

Leslie Shay: No, end of discussion.

                                            cutscene

Gabby Dawson: And you don’t wanna get of the wrong side of my

                            abuela. Trust me. She’s got this look that she’ll

                            throw you when she’s aggravated.

                                    [Matt & Gabby laughs]

Gabby Dawson: That means tread lightly.

Matt Casey: Yeah, I can see that.

                      I’m gonna speak up for my mom at the hearing today.

Gabby Dawson: And how does your sister feel?

Matt Casey: Like I’m a traitor.

                     She’s spoken against my mom’s release every year,

                     which is all the board needs to hear to deny parole.

Gabby Dawson: Ugh. That’s a tough one.

Matt Casey: Yeah.

Gabby Dawson: You want me to come with you today?

Matt Casey: Ah, you never know how long these things are gonna

                      go. It could be a few hours before we even get inside.

Gabby Dawson: I’m coming.

                                              [mug clanks]

                                                 cutscene

Receptionist: Chief, you have a call. It sounds urgent.

                        Okay, stand by. Here he is.

Chief Boden: This is Chief Boden. 

Ernie: I’m in trouble.

Chief Boden: Ernie, where are you? 

Ernie: Uncle Ray makes me do it.

Chief Boden: I know. Just tell me where you are. 

Ernie: He’d kill me if he knew I called you.

Chief Boden: I will not let that happen. 

                       Ernie, please let me help you.

                       Ernie. Just tell me where you are.

Ernie: In-in front of some store on South Halsted and Marquette.

Chief Boden: Okay. Don’t move. I am on my way.

                                    [car door shuts]

Chief Boden: Ernie?

                       Ernie!

                                         cutscene

Orthopedic Doctor (Dr. Doriot): We take parts of bone and

                                                      cartilage from one vertebra and

                                                      fuse it onto the next. And then

                                                      we inject your own platelets

                                                      into the area, which increases

                                                      healing. Recovery time could

                                                      be four weeks instead of one

                                                      year.

Kelly Severide: How come I didn’t hear about this from my other

                           surgeon?

Orthopedic Doctor (Dr. Doriot): This isn’t covered by an HMO.

                                                      It’s experimental. I’m not gonna lie

                                                      to you. There are real risks here,

                                                      including partial paralysis.

Kelly Severide: Partial paralysis?

Renee Royce: I am so sorry. I, um… I guess I didn’t realise how

                         risky it was.

Kelly Severide: Hey. 

                           If I’m gonna risk anything, I’ll risk it on you and me

                           in Madrid.

                                        [kissing sound]

                                             cutscene

Parole Board Member: Is there anyone present who would like to

                                        speak either on behalf of or in opposition

                                        to Nancy Annalyn Casey’s request for

                                        parole?

Matt Casey: Yes. My name is Matthew Casey. I’m Nancy’s son.

                      I’d like to speak, please.

Parole Board Member: In four years, you’ve never spoken before,

                                        Mr. Casey. Why now? What’s changed?

Matt Casey: Well, uh, when I was seven, I, uh, I stole a baseball mitt

                      from a sporting goods store. I got caught, and the

                      owner wanted to call the cops, teach me a lesson.

                      But my mom came down there and, uh, got him to

                      agree to let me work off the cost of the mitt by

                      sweeping his floor. And when my sister crashed the

                      family car, my dad wanted to kick her out of the house.

                      But my mom talked to him, worked it out where

                      Christie could work off the repairs by cleaning dad’s

                      office. What I’m-I’m trying to say is that my mom

                      understood punishment, but she also understood

                      forgiveness. She did a horrible thing that she regrets

                      terribly, and she’s paid the price with 15 years of her

                      life. But now it’s time for forgiveness, from all of us.

                      We lost both our father and our mother that day.

                      So, uh… so what’s changed? Well, I have.

                      I forgive her now.

Parole Board Member: Okay. Thank you, Mr. Casey.

Matt Casey: Thank you.

Parole Board Member: Would anyone else like to speak, either for

                                        or in opposition to Ms. Casey’s possible

                                        parole?

                                        All right, then, Ms. Casey. 

                                        We’ll start with a simple question.

                                        Do you feel remorse for your crime?

Nancy Casey: Yes. Yes. Yes, I do… every day.

                                              cutscene

Otis Zvonecek: [exhales] Hey there, fellas. I’m, uh, Brian Zvonecek. 

                           I’m relieving here for the next couple shifts.

                                               cutscene

                                             [door shuts]

                                             [keys clank]

Kelly Severide: Hey.

                          I said hey.

                          I know what you’re doing.

Leslie Shay: Oh, yeah? What am I doing?

Kelly Severide: You’re not pissed at me because I didn’t tell you

                          first. You’re pissed off because you don’t want

                          me to go.

Leslie Shay: Clarice is moving in. She’s gonna need your key.

                                                 cutscene

Otis Zvonecek: [chuckles] This guy, he has a heart attack coming

                           down the stairs. 

                                                 [laughter]

Otis Zvonecek: I mean, his heart stops and everything.

Man 3: I think I heard about that.

Otis Zvonecek: Yeah, yeah. And we had to put the paddles on him

                           and… [clicks mouth] he pops right back up, like,

                           no big deal, you know? I mean, he completed

                           training. I think he’s over at 94. 

Man 3: [laughs]

Otis Zvonecek: Gave him the nickname “Dead Frank.”

                                                [laughter]

Man 3: I know where I heard that story before. You’re the guy with

             the podcast.

Man 4 (Redhead): We love that podcast.

Otis Zvonecek: Herrmann, right? 

                           He put you up to this.

Man 5 (Grey hair): No, nobody did.

Otis Zvonecek: [chuckles]

                                   [alarm chimes and blares]

(Over PA): Truck 67, assist the invalid. 32… [continues indistinctly]

Man 5 (Grey hair): Hey Brian.

Otis Zvonecek: Yeah?

Man 5 (Grey hair): Why don’t you drive?

Otis Zvonecek: Seriously?

Man 5 (Grey hair): Yeah, I’m getting tired of it. Been looking for

                                someone to take over.

                                          [truck door shuts]

                                             [engine starts]

                                                 cutscene

Christopher Herrmann: It’s weird without Otis here. Who am I

                                        suppose to jag?

Joe Cruz: Don’t look at me.

Christopher Herrmann: And Severide’s gone too. I mean, he’s as

                                        cocky as they come, but if you were lying

                                        in the street, he’d give you the shirt off

                                        his back.

Mouch: If you’re lying in the street, why do you need his shirt?

Christopher Herrmann: You know what I mean.

Matt Casey: How many times I gotta tell you to stay out of the first

                      watch crate, Mouch?

Mouch: They tempt me with these marshmallows, Lieutenant.

              What am I supposed to do?

Matt Casey: Give me one.

                      Hey.

Gabby Dawson: Hey. You hear anything?

Matt Casey: Not yet. It could be a couple days.

Gabby Dawson: Fingers crossed.

Matt Casey: Thanks.

Christopher Herrmann: Chief, maybe we should rethink the dog,

                                          eh? Time 51 got one. Plus, it would

                                          really piss off Mouch.

Mouch: No way.

Christopher Herrmann: Peter Mills, where is that dog?

Peter Mills: Um, I found a home for it.

Christopher Herrmann: You did?

Mouch: Thank God.

                                  [alarm buzzes & chimes]

(Over PA): Truck 81, Ambo 61, Engine 51. 78 Racine, Apartment fire.

Chief Boden: That’s Ernie’s house.

                                        [sirens wailing]

                                        [horn honking]

Chief Boden: Ernie?

                       Ernie?

                       I’m going up. 

Matt Casey: Okay. 

                      Spread out!

Chief Boden: Ernie!

                       Ernie, call out!

                       Ernie!

                                    [ceiling collapsing]

Chief Boden: [grunts]

                       Ernie!

                       Ernie, call out.

                       Ernie.

                       Ernie!

                       Ernie!

                       [half gasp half wail]

                       Ernie? Can you hear me?

                       I’ll get you out of here. Come on. Stay with me.

                       [grunts]

                       I’m gonna get you out of here, Ernie.

                       [grunting]

                       Okay, stay with me. Stay with me.

                       Shay.

                       Ernie. Ernie.

                                      [somber music]

                                           cutscene

Christopher Herrmann: [sighs]

Mouch: [grunts] 

                                    [dog whimpering]

Mouch: What is that?

                            [dog continues whimpering]

Peter Mills: I lied. Uh, I… I-I couldn’t find anyone to take her. And 

                    I couldn’t bring her to my place. 

                    Sorry, guys. 

Joe Cruz: Oh! Come here [murmuring to dog]

                                     [dog yipping]

Leslie Shay: [murmuring to puppy]

                                  [kissing sounds]

Joe Cruz: [whispers] Hey. Do you wanna say hi to Chief?

                                 [dog whimpering]

                                [cell phone ringing]

Matt Casey: Hello?

                      Yeah.

                      [whispers] The parole board.

Joe Cruz: I-I know you like my nose but you can’t…[murmuring]

                 [whispers] Look at that. What’s that? Who’s that?

Mouch: [laughs] Ahh, jeez.

              Fine. What are we gonna call this mutt?

Christopher Herrmann: Pouch.

Mouch: Huh?

Christopher Herrmann: Half pooch, half couch.

                                          [laughter]

Mouch: Peter Mills, we’re gonna need some bacon.

Peter Mills: Right. 

Matt Casey: Thank you.

Gabby Dawson: And?

Matt Casey: They granted her parole.

Gabby Dawson: Hey, congratulations.

Matt Casey: Yeah.

Gabby Dawson: What?

Matt Casey: Well, there is one condition. She has to move into a

                      stable household. Meaning with me.

Gabby Dawson: Oh.

                                         cutscene

                                      [door breaks]

                              [door opens and closes]

                                      [siren blares]

                                   [tires screeching]

                                     [horns honking]

                                       [siren blaring]

                                     [tires screeching]

                                        [car crashes]

                                [Boden & Ray grunting]

Chief Boden: Come on! Come on!

Man 6 (Raymond Martin): [grunts & groans]

                                     [tire iron clatters]

                                  [sirens approaching]

Chief Boden: A little boy? A little boy?

Police Officer: Step back! We got it.

                                          cutscene

                                     [truck beeping]

Otis Zvonecek: [exhales]

Man 5 (Grey hair): Nice work 

Otis Zvonecek: [chuckles]

Man 5 (Grey hair): These, uh, these older houses are a tight

                                squeeze.

Otis Zvonecek: Thanks.

                           You know, I come from a family of doctors. But the

                            first time I saw a firefighter jump into a truck and

                             roar off, man, I knew I wasn’t going to medical

                             school. I wanted to drive a fire truck [chuckles]

Man 5 (Grey hair): [chuckles] Your parents okay with that?

Otis Zvonecek: Nope, but I am.

Man 5 (Grey hair): [laughs] Good for you.

                               Hey, you know, this, uh, spot in our house is

                               gonna be permanent. You should put in for a

                               transfer.

Otis Zvonecek: What, are you serious?

Man 5 (Grey hair): Hell, yeah. I’ve laughed harder this week than the

                               last two years.

                                                [both chuckles]

Man 5 (Grey hair): You should see this place in the summertime.

                                Girls everywhere, all wanting a picture with

                                Chicago’s finest [chuckling] It’s the best house

                                in the city.

                                                    cutscene

Man 7 (District Chief Arend): Public defender is saying battery,

                                                  citing you personally and the

                                                  department at large.

Chief Boden: If they wanna have that discussion…

Man 7 (District Chief Arend): You’re having it now.

Chief Boden: I apprehended a suspect in an arson and murder

                       case, a suspect with an APB out on him who the

                       CPD did not have enough manpower

                       [overlapping] to stop him from killing a little boy.

Man 7 (District Chief Arend): Do you wanna go back and take the

                                                 cop’s test? Because it’s not too late.

Man 8 (District Chief Steve Walker): Ah, come on now, Wallace.

Chief Boden: No, no, no, no. These are my bugles. I’m going on

                       furlough. When I get back, you can tell me if I should

                       put ‘em back on again.

                                               [bugles clattering]

Otis Zvonecek: Chief, I just wanna let you…

Chief Boden: Not now.

                                                      cutscene

                                                 [car door closes]

Kelly Severide: I’m a stupid ass. I know.

Leslie Shay: Yup.

Kelly Severide: And I’m sorry. I should’ve… I should’ve camped

                          outside your room to tell you first. 

                          You’re my best friend, Shay.

Leslie Shay: Next time…

Kelly Severide: Hey... 

Leslie & Kelly: [laughs] 

Kelly Severide: No next time, I swear.

Leslie Shay: I’m glad you’re getting yourself healthy, even if it

                     means I have to let you go.

Kelly Severide: No one’s letting go.

Leslie Shay: Come on, let’s go in. I’m cold.

Kelly Severide: All right, yeah.

Leslie Shay: [chuckles] Hey, you know, tasers are totally against the

                     rules.

Kelly Severide: I know that. It’s page one.

                                                [door opens]

Leslie Shay: All you [chuckles]

All: Surprise!

                                        [cheers and applause]

Kelly Severide: You…

                           Hey. 

Renee Royce: Hi.

                                              [kissing sound]

Capp: I’m not sure what we’re gonna do without you.

Kelly Severide: [exhales] Cheers.

                                  [background chatter & laughter]

Clarice: Hey. Look, I…I promise you that I understand, you know,

               this is just an opportunity for us to be roommates.

               Nothing more…

                                            [kissing sounds]

Clarice: What was that?

Leslie Shay: I love you. I’ve always loved you.

Clarice: I love you too.

                                            [kissing sounds]

Gabby Dawson: Mm. You sure you wanna do this, Peter Mills?

Peter Mills: I’ve been waiting all day, baby.

Gabby Dawson: Wanna sneak out of here?

Peter Mills: Your place, ten minutes?

Gabby Dawson: You’re on. 

Peter Mills: Mm…

                                               [laughter]

Firefighters: Kick flips?

                      No, you.

                      No, you.

                                                [laughter]

Otis Zvonecek: I’m telling you, guys, it wasn’t that bad.

                                       [audio muffled, fading]

Renee Royce: Sorry, have… have you seen Kelly?

Matt Casey: Yeah, he’s over there.  

                      Or, was…

Renee Royce: Oh.

                                             [engine turns off]

                                             [distant laughter]

Man 9 (Benny Severide): So it’s 15 degrees, and there was this

                                           homeless guy that used to hang

                                           around in the alley behind the house.

                                           And we find him, and he is frozen

                                           solid. I mean, he’s a block of ice. So

                                           I call the morgue and I say, “Listen.

                                           We got a frozen dead guy, and you

                                           gotta come and pick him up.” And

                                           they say, “Well, he can’t just be

                                           dead. He’s gotta be warm and dead

                                           before we’ll come and get him.” So

                                           we dragged the homeless guy

                                           across the apparatus floor, and we

                                           wait for him to thaw out, for about

                                           ten hours. Anyway, eventually he

                                           got warm enough and dead  

                                           enough to actually be dead, so they  

                                           came and got him.

                                                 [chuckles]

Kelly Severide: You still telling that one?

Man 9 (Benny Severide): Well, I’ll be damned. 

Kelly Severide: Guys. Hey.

Man 10: How you doing?

Kelly Severide: Dad.

Man 9 (Benny Severide): You want something to eat? 

Kelly Severide: Oh, nah. I’m good, thanks.

                           Uh… [deep breath] I’m leaving the CFD.

Man 9 (Benny Severide): What happens when you and this Renee

                                          get tired of each other, and you find

                                          yourself in some godforsaken country

                                          with nothing to show for it but a

                                          pension? 

Kelly Severide: I don’t know. This doesn’t look so bad.

Man 9 (Benny Severide): Trust me. You’re worried about partial

                                           paralysis? How about full paralysis?

                                           ‘Cause that’s what this is [exhales]

                                           There’s no replacing Rescue Squad… but

                                            you already know that. That’s why you

                                            came out here, so I could talk you out of 

                                            going.

                                            Look, I know I wasn’t there for you like I

                                             could’ve been or should’ve been, and

                                             I’m… three wives removed from your

                                             mother and I-I-I’m in no position to give

                                             you advice. But you’re scared, Kelly.

                                             And you know why you’re scared?

                                             ‘Cause you’re not ready for this. Man 10: Benny, you ready?

Kelly Severide: She’s counting on me. I promised her.

Man 9 (Benny Severide): She’ll get over it.

                                           Disappoint anyone. Hell, disappoint

                                           everyone, but don’t ever disappoint

                                           yourself. 

                                           It’s good to see you.

Kelly Severide: You too, pop.

                           [exhales]

                                             [background chatter]

                                                  [distant siren]

                                                      cutscene

Kelly Severide: Hey. 

Renee Royce: What’s going on?

                                                [car door closes]

Kelly Severide: I’m uh… I’m gonna get the surgery. 

Renee Royce: Oh, Kelly, come on. It’s… it’s just not worth the risk.

                         I mean, we’ll do it right. You’ll come with me. You’ll

                         recuperate in Mad…

                         You wanna stay.

                         I should’ve known [chuckles]

                         I was that close to not even telling you. And you

                         would’ve come with me to Madrid. And… the sky

                         would’ve been the limit for us.

Kelly Severide: Hey, hey. What you did might be the most important

                          thing anyone’s ever done for me. 

                          Thank you.

Renee Royce: Well, uh… I guess now we’re even.

Kelly Severide: Yeah. We’re even. 

                                             [kissing sounds]

                                             [car door shuts]

                                                   cutscene

                                              [knocks at door]

Chief Boden: Shonda.

Lady 2 (Shonda): Wallace.

Chief Boden: Can I please see Jimmy?

Lady 2 (Shonda): No. He’s not your son.

Chief Boden: The hell he ain’t. I raised him from the time he was

                        three. Never used the word stepson. Not once.

                        I need to see him.

                                                  [dog barks]

Chief Boden: Hey Ralphie. How are you? I miss you, boy.

Kid 2 (Jimmy): Dad.

                         [murmurs emotionally]

                                                   cutscene

                                               [taps on glass]

Doctor: You ready?

Kelly Severide: Yeah. I’m ready.

                                                    - end -

Definitions:

Orthopedics = Is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system – the bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, and muscles.

Propane = Propane is a form of LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas). Propane is a gas but can be liquefied and stored in a propane gas tank. It is commonly used as a fuel in domestic and industrial applications and in low-emissions public transportation.

Abuela = “Grandmother” in Spanish.

HMO = A Health Maintenance Organisation (HMO) gives access to certain doctors and hospitals within its network. A network is made up of providers that have agreed to lower their rates for plan members and also meet quality standards. Care under a HMO plan is covered only if you see a provider within that HMO’s networks.

APB = All-points bulletin (APB) is a general bulletin broadcast to alert law-enforcement officers over a wide area that someone (e.g. a suspect) or something (e.g. a vehicle) is being actively sought in connection with a crime.

Bugles = Orders are given to the troops by officers, through the use of a large brass device that resembles a megaphone. These were very ornate brass horns. They were commonly called “bugles”.

[det-nicoletterogers]

bops & bullshit || a playlist by nic rogers ( 105 songs ) →

music is huge part of nic roger’s life. and huge is a understatement ( @villageinspo )

All Time Low - Wake Up, Sunshine // All Time Low - Basement Noise // AC/DC - You Shook Me All Night Long // Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child O' Mine // Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody  // Queen - Killer Queen // Queen - Radio Ga Ga // Queen - Fat Bottomed Girls // Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - I Love Rock 'N Roll // TOTO - Africa // AC/DC - Thunderstruck // The Killers - Mr. Brightside // Beastie Boys - Fight For Your Right // Tom Petty - Free Fallin' // The Runaways - Cherry Bomb // Lauv - Superhero // Bon Jovi - Livin' On A Prayer // AC/DC - Back In Black // KISS - Rock And Roll All Nite // Twisted Sister - We're Not Gonna Take It // The Clash - Should I Stay or Should I Go // Rick Springfield - Jessie's Girl // Eagles - Hotel California // AC/DC - Highway to Hell // Aerosmith - Walk This Way // Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - Bad Reputation // blink-182 - I Really Wish I Hated You // No Doubt - Just A Girl // Twisted Sister - I Wanna Rock // Kansas - Carry on Wayward Son // Van Halen - Jump  // Warrant - Cherry Pie // Heart - Barracuda // Pat Benatar - Hit Me With Your Best Shot // Led Zeppelin - Immigrant Song // Thin Lizzy - The Boys Are Back In Town // Creedence Clearwater Revival - Fortunate Son // Pat Benatar - Heartbreaker // Starship - We Built This City // Bruce Springsteen - Born in the U.S.A. // Loverboy - Working for the Weekend // Stevie Nicks - Edge of Seventeen  // Bikini Kill - Rebel Girl // Styx - Come Sail Away  // Pat Benatar - Love Is A Battlefield // Alanis Morissette - You Oughta Know // The Cranberries - Zombie // M.I.A. - Bad Girls // REO Speedwagon - Can't Fight This Feeling // Kesha; The Dap-Kings Horns - Woman (feat. The Dap-Kings Horns) // The Cranberries - Linger // Billy Joel - We Didn't Start the Fire // Meredith Brooks - Bitch // Aaron Tveit - Superboy and the Invisible Girl // The Casanovas - Shake It // Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown - Lipstick Wonder Woman // Machine Gun Kelly - bloody valentine // Mickey Avalon - Stroke Me // Hole - Celebrity Skin // The Knack - My Sharona // Def Leppard - Pour Some Sugar On Me // R.E.M. - It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) // Ramones - I Wanna Be Sedated // Cheap Trick - I Want You to Want Me // The Romantics - What I Like About You // Billy Joel - It's Still Rock and Roll to Me // Beastie Boys - No Sleep Till Brooklyn // Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop  // The J. Geils Band - Centerfold // Tommy Tutone - 867-5309 / Jenny // Stevie Nicks - Edge of Seventeen // John Mellencamp - Jack & Diane // The Beatles - Back In The U.S.S.R. // Billy Idol - Dancing With Myself // The Proclaimers - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) // Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run // The Police - Don't Stand So Close To Me // John Mellencamp - Hurts So Good // The Who - Baba O'Riley // Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode // Violent Femmes - Blister In The Sun // Don McLean - American Pie // Jet - Are You Gonna Be My Girl // The Beatles - I Saw Her Standing There // Weezer - Buddy Holly // The Rolling Stones - (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction  // The Police - Roxanne // Billy Joel - Only the Good Die Young // The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night // The Police - Message In A Bottle // The Beatles - Twist And Shout // Bruce Springsteen - Dancing In the Dark // Chumbawamba - Tubthumping // The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations // Fountains Of Wayne - Stacy's Mom // The Beach Boys - Surfin' U.S.A.  // blink-182 - All The Small Things // The Police - Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic // Simon & Garfunkel - Cecilia // Nena - 99 Red Balloons // 3OH!3 - DONTTRUSTME // Lee Brice - One Of Them Girls // Fleetwood Mac - Rhiannon // Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Blinded By The Light // Social House; Lil Yachty - Magic In The Hamptons (feat. Lil Yachty)

listen to the playlist [ HERE ] 

[poppy-in-the-woods]

Bite me - Chapter 1

Tags: kidnapping, rescuing someone, vampires, biting, being stuck in a bunker.

Word Count: 4328

Author’s note: So, this is my second story inspired by Machine Gun Kelly (or the first one, because I wrote this one first). This one has vampires and I guess it could be classified as a supernatural slow burn romance.

Let me know if you want to be added to the tag list, and as always, every feedback is appreciated.

Let’s get spooky!

He was completely lost. In a city he did not know, with a cell phone that had almost no battery and a car whose GPS did not work. Maybe it was his fault, maybe he should have known that stopping to ask was not a good idea, but the woman seemed kind, and she was extraordinarily pretty; a statuesque brunette who looked like a runway model.

“I can take you, if you want, it's not far,” the woman had said when she heard the address, “and it’s on my way.”

Nick had heard stories of girls who had picked up hitchhikers and had not been seen again, or had been found dead months later, their bodies mutilated and disfigured. He had also heard stories of couples or families picking up strangers and being brutally murdered. But, although he had heard all those stories he had never heard that the abductor was a woman. Maybe if he had paid more attention to the serial killer documentaries that his friend Mark liked to watch, he would have remembered Aileen Wuornos, but he didn't.

He didn't see it coming. He didn't even had time to draw his gun and try to defend himself against her before she knocked him out. He woke up tied to a bed, in his underwear, and with a piece of duct tape as a gag. The woman was not alone, there were two others with her: a blonde and a curly-haired redhead. All three were beautiful, like something out of a painting, and Nick had the fleeting thought that if he died, he would at least get one last nice picture.

But they didn't kill him. He would have preferred they had, actually.

How long had he been there, tied to that bed, bleeding from several bites? One week, two, maybe? Less? He had completely lost track of time. He would slip in and out of unconsciousness at times, fed and allowed to go to the bathroom without a discernible pattern, and since the room had no windows and the blinds were drawn in the rest of the house, he had no way of knowing if it was day or not.

More than hearing it, he felt it, a small change in the air, so slight that it refused to be a sound: the almost imperceptible footsteps of someone barefoot, someone who did not want to be heard. The vampires never bothered to camouflage the sound of their footsteps, they seemed to like the effect they produced on him, the anticipation of the so hated bite. It couldn't be them, so who was? Was there another human with him? Or had someone broken into the house?

The door swung open, revealing a patch of dark grey, and quickly closed again. Someone began to untie him; small hands, with thin and fast fingers.

"If I remove your gag, will you start screaming?" Asked a female voice. Nick shook his head. “Good boy.”

The girl finished untying him and removed the piece of tape from his mouth. She took out a small round lamp from the bag she was carrying and pressed it. Soft white light flooded the room, bringing enough clarity for Nick to see. He noticed that the girl had her boots tied together by the laces, hanging around her neck.

She searched the room in a hurry. The vampires had taken his things away, but they weren't too far from him: his clothes, his wallet, his cigarettes… even his gun; it was all on top of a chair, a few steps from where he had been tied.

“Dress up quickly. And in silence,” she ordered, handing him his clothes.

Nick did what she told him, or at least, he tried. Meanwhile, she was watching.

“Come on, now that the way is clear.” Nick tried to take a couple of steps, but his knees gave out. She caught him before he fell. “Lean on me and don't look back.”

They stumbled out, making a lot of noise. The dark-haired vampire met them on the ladder, but his rescuer pulled out a gun (Nick's gun, actually) and, while helping him down the ladder, emptied the magazine into the attacker's chest, firing at point-blank range. That made the vampire fall back, screaming.

They stepped over the vampire and walked down the short hall to the front door. The girl kicked it open and they went out into the sun; Nick blinked, the sudden clarity hurting his eyes after so long in the dark. The other vampires must have caught up with their sister, because there were screams behind them.

He was about to pass out as he was dragged into a van parked on the sidewalk.

“Please, hold on a little longer,” she asked him as she helped him up.

He passed out as soon as she pulled, running out of there at full speed. When he woke up, the sun had passed its high point. They had stopped at a gas station, and she brought him some food and drink. The desert surrounded them; they were certainly no longer in Vegas.

“I'm sorry it's not more filling, but we don't have time to wait for something to be made for us,” she apologized, handing him the can and the sandwich.

“Thank you… I'm sorry, I don't know your name.”

“Morrigan Monroe, but everyone calls me Momo. You are Nick, right?” He nodded. “Are you feeling better?”

“Yes.”

“Good, because we have to switch cars, so let's go.”

They switched to a jeep. As he ate his turkey sandwich and sipped his Coke, Nick dared to watch his saviour. She was short, juvenile-looking, almost as if she had just passed adolescence, although she was probably in her twenties, and she had extraordinarily white hair and skin, even for an albino. The ashen undertone of her skin was too much like that of her captors.

“You are like them,” she said.

“What?” She asked, not taking her eyes off the road.

“You're a vampire,” Nick said. Fear began to seep into his bloodstream when he saw that she did not deny the accusation. He couldn't go anywhere with the car running.

“I saved you, didn't I?” She replied.

“Why did you do it? And how is it that you can go out into the daylight?”

“Let's go in parts: I've saved you because, even though those three succubae are my family, I don't approve of what they do,” she explained. “You're not the first, you know? But it's wrong. And I couldn't save the others.”

“You could have hurried a bit more,” Nick scolded her.

“I could,” she agreed, “but then we'd both have died. Everything had to be calculated to the millimetre, and although some things have not gone as planned, we are still alive thanks to the fact that when I went for you the sun was high in the sky. Which brings us to your second question. This is what allows me to go out into the daylight,” she said, pulling a flask from her inside jacket pocket.

“Whisky?” He scoffed.

“No, you idiot, angel blood.”

“Where did you get angel blood?”

“I bought it from a rabbi. You can get almost anything on the black market for the supernatural.”

For a moment Nick imagined an angel like the ones in the paintings bleeding from a wrist and an old Jewish man collecting the blood in a golden bowl.

“And where did he get it?”

“I didn't ask him,” she replied, shrugging. “But it's fresh, and taking a sip every hour saves me from being burned by the sun. Speaking of which, cheers!” she added, taking a mouthful from her flask.

Nick caught a glimpse of a drop of the liquid: it was golden, something halfway between molten gold and distilled light.

“It's like a 5000 factor sunscreen for vampires,” he said in wonder.

“Aha. Your bites have opened, when we arrive I will have to heal them.”

Nick shifted restlessly in his seat; the stains on his clothes were tiny, if Momo could see that, what else could she perceive? He didn't like a bit the idea that she could smell his fear, or hear his heartbeat, though he knew she could probably do all of that and more.

They turned off the highway, driving down back roads and finally down a dirt track to a house in the middle of the desert. It was small, one-story, and didn't look very solid.

“We have arrived,” she announced. “Home Sweet Home.”

“It's a joke, isn't it?”

“Appearances aren't everything, Nick,” she said, getting out of the car.

He shrugged, but he followed her anyway; he wasn't going to stay outside when night fell.

The interior of the house presented the same decadent appearance as the exterior, which, coupled with its secluded location, deterred would-be burglars. The furnishings were minimal, old and worn looking, and the appliances looked like something out of a 1950s movie. Nick was sure Mark's grandmother had a fridge like that when they were kids.

“Do you need help with that?” He asked Momo, seeing her reach down to grab the sofa by the frame. She arched an eyebrow in disbelief and moved the couch with one hand. “Okay, I see you don't.”

Underneath was a hatch camouflaged between the floorboards. Momo opened it, revealing a tubular passageway, with metal steps set into the concrete wall, like a manhole.

“Come on in,” she said.

“How are you going to close it and put the sofa on top?” Nick wanted to know, starting to go down.

“Don't worry about it,” she replied, entering as well.

The sofa levitated over the hatch, and she hurried to close it. The sofa fell back into the place it had been, hiding the hatch.

The corridor ended in an unpolished concrete hall with an armoured door, like that of a bank, which had a triple lock: key, numeric keypad and fingerprint reader. Nick noticed that Momo wore the key around her neck, on a chain along with a heart-shaped vial filled with what looked like blood. She then entered an eight-digit code and let the scanner read her left thumbprint.

The door looked heavy, but thanks to the hydraulic mechanism, it opened easily. Momo motioned for him to enter first; Nick shrugged and went inside.

The inside of the bunker did not look the way he would have expected. It was not sterile and metallic or crude and concrete, but rather looked like the interior of a richly furnished hunting lodge.

“Is this place yours?”

“My sire’s, but he lets me use it.”

“Sire,” he repeated, frowning. “What does that mean?”

“It's the word we use to designate the person who turns you. Father or mother would be good synonyms,” she explained.

“You said that vampires are your family, are they your sisters?” He wanted to know, a little apprehensive.

“No, but they are part of my clan. They are the progeny of one of my sire's brothers.”

“So they're your cousins.”

“Yes, my cousins. Now you should take off your clothes so I can examine those bites and heal you,” Momo ordered.

“Surely they can heal by themselves,” he replied defensively. He didn't want to undress in front of her.

“Your leg is getting infected, I can smell it. It’s near a major artery; I would not take risks with septicaemia. Or gangrene,” she added.

“Okay,” Nick said. He didn't know what the hell that septicaemia was, but gangrene scared him.

“Come sit on the couch.”

Nick stripped down to his underwear and sat on the couch. He had a small cluster of bites close together on each arm, on two of the few patches of skin he did not have tattooed, and a third cluster on the inner left thigh, near the groin.

“Gods, they weren't even taking good care of you, huh?” She replied, brushing one of his wounds with the tips of her fingers. Nick flinched. “Let's start with the ones in his arms. Although maybe we should document them first...”

“Is it truly necessary?” He said, grimacing.

“In a case of her word against mine, I am inclined to gather all possible evidence, just in case.”

“Okay then.”

Momo took her cell phone out of her pocket and took pictures of the bites, as well as the rubbing of the cords on his wrists and ankles.

“Done, now we can heal them.”

Nick thought she would go for a first aid kit, but instead of that, Momo pulled out her fangs, pricked her own thumb with one of them and spread her blood over his wound. Nick gasped when he saw it snap shut.

“Wow, that's amazing.”

Momo smiled and proceeded to close the other wound. For the ones in his leg, she did go for a first aid kit and took out gauze and alcohol.

“It's going to sting you a little. Can you lift your leg so I can see it better, please?” Nick did as she asked. “Yes, like this. Spread your knees a little more...”

As she had warned him, it stung when she disinfected the wound, but it was over quickly when she used her blood to close it.

“Much better! Wow, you are very tattooed, huh?” She commented, standing up. Nick shrugged. “Now that you're healed, you could use a shower. You stink a bit.”

“I have no other clothes.”

“I think there must be something of my sire around here that you can use.”

“I'm a tall guy, I don't know...”

“He's tall too,” she interrupted. “I even think he’s a little taller than you. I'll wash your clothes in the meantime, okay? But you desperately need a shower.”

Momo was right, of course: the vampires hadn't taken care of his hygiene while they held him captive, and the desert summer wasn't helping. So Nick followed her into the bathroom.

“You have clean towels here, and there's soap and shampoo in the shower,” she told him. “When you finish, go to the bedroom with the S on the door, there you will find clothes to change into. I'll wait for you in the living room, okay?”

Nick hugged her. Momo was very surprised, but she hugged him too. Her skin was cold, and the contrasting temperatures made him feel the need to pull away from her, but he waited a few more moments. A thank you hug should last more than a couple of seconds, right?

“Thanks. For rescuing me and stuff,” she said.

“It's nothing, really. Now take a shower!” she ordered, amused, and she left the bathroom.

The hot water did wonders for his aching muscles, and since it was not his home and he did not pay the bills, he allowed himself to stay several minutes longer than usual. After the shower, he wrapped himself in a towel and went out into the hall. The door with the S was to the left of him, and when he entered, he found a bedroom decorated with Celtic motifs, lots of dark wood, and shades of green.

He found underwear on the dresser, and after putting on some boxer shorts, he headed for the closet. He found jeans and some T-shirts, not exactly his style, but his size.

He returned to the living room. She was watching TV while she sipped the contents of a thermos, although she did not seem to pay attention to the program, but rather had it as white noise.

“Do you want to eat something?” she asked. “I have some snacks, or the ingredients to make a sandwich, if you want.”

“I'll wait for dinner,” he said, sitting down on the couch with her. “Your sire is a big guy, huh? I had to adjust the belt so that my pants did not fall.”

“Yes he is,” she admitted, smiling fondly. “In his time, he was a hunter and a warrior. He was better fed than others.”

“How old are you?” Nick wanted to know.

She looked at him, and for a moment, she looked like she wasn't going to respond, or that she was going to tell him to get into his own business, yet she just took a sip of her drink.

“I was twenty-five when Sweeney turned me, back in Ireland at the end of the fifteenth century,” she finally said.

“Wow.”

“I shouldn't have lived that long, you know. I'm an albino and that was a sign of bad luck then, or of being the spawn of the devil, but my mother fought tooth and nail for me, and in the end I was allowed to live. At the age of fifteen, my own father accused me of witchcraft. They would have burned me, but Sweeney saved me.”

“Why did he wait ten years to turn you?”

“Well, for two reasons: the first is that it is illegal to turn children, and the second is that I didn't want to be a vampire. I was happy to be a servant in his house. But shortly after the new year, a plague ravaged those lands.”

“Did you get sick?”

“I suppose I got infected in the market, while shopping for the other human inhabitants of the castle, I don't know. But Sweeney didn't want to let me go, so he asked the question again.”

“And you accepted.”

Momo nodded.

“It burned more than the fever, but when it was over, I was like him: cursed forever, immortal, cold,” she explained. “Oh, but the force, the speed, the senses! He taught me to fight, to handle a bow, to hunt. And he renamed me Morrigan, for the Celtic goddess of war and death.”

“What was your name before?”

He knew he had screwed up as soon as he finished speaking, but he couldn't take the words back.

“You don’t ask that, Nick,” she replied, visibly angry. “That name died with me, and almost everyone who knew me by it is dead, so unless you want me to kill you, I won't tell you.”

“Ok, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked.”

“Gods, I don't know why I'm telling you all this...” she sighed.

“Maybe you just want me to like you. You don't want me to be afraid of you, like them.”

“Could be... What's your story?” she wanted to know.

“My tattoos tell my story, I don't have to talk.”

“Okay, Mr. Mysterious, but this is not going to stay this way,” she replied, amused.

“Hey, it's not that I don't enjoy your company, but when can I go home?” Nick asked.

He was thinking that the vacation days he had taken to come to Vegas were probably over. His boss was going to be pissed off when he got back, if he hadn't already fired him, of course.

“Not yet. I have to fix a few things first, to make sure you're safe, or this will all have been for nothing.”

“Do you think they could come after me?”

“I know they don't like having their prey taken from them, and that I emptied a clip on Marie's chest, so she won't be happy with me.”

“Is she still alive?” He asked, amazed. “Or undead, as you vampires say.”

“She's still alive, yes. The bullets are not that effective, unless they are special bullets.”

“And what are you going to do?” He wanted to know. He wasn't liking at all where this was going.

“I can think of several options... and you’ll like none of them.”

“I hope it's not one of those ‘this human is mine’ bullshit,” he said suspiciously. “Don't be offended, but I don't want to be anyone's property, and I don't want a vampire breathing down my neck every night.”

“I’m not offended. But I'm going to protect my investment, so I'll do what I have to do, and if I have to be close to you for the rest of your life...”

“I could report you to the police for harassment, you know?”

“And what would you tell the police?” ‘Agent, I have an insidious feeling that someone is following me,’” she scoffed. “You would never have a way to prove it.”

“You just said you will!”

Momo bit her lip.

“Okay, if you want me to leave you alone I'll do it, but I'd rather you didn't die,” she said at last.

“I am human, someday I will die,” he replied.

“Don't be an asshole, you understood me perfectly. Look, let me try to negotiate with Marie first, and whether or not it goes well, I'll take you home and leave you alone.”

Before Nick could say anything else, Momo's phone started ringing.

“It’s Allegra. The blonde,” she clarified for him, before picking up. She put on the speaker and gestured for him to be quiet. “Hi Allegra, how are you doing?”

“Don't play innocent, Morrigan. I know it was you who stole the tattooed guy from us, and we want you to give it back,” the blonde replied.

“He's not your property, Allegra, and I didn't steal anything, I just rescued him from a situation he clearly hadn't consented to be in.”

“And how do you know? Maybe he wanted to be there.”

“You had him tied to a bed, in his underwear, and you didn't even heal his bites, do you think that someone would be willing to be in that situation?”

“Humans have very weird fetishes,” Allegra excused herself.

“If he really wanted to be there, he would have yelled to let you know as soon as I removed the gag, and he would have refused to come with me,” Momo pointed out.

“Whatever! Marie sends you her regards, by the way,” Allegra said. “She says the next time she sees you, she will fire six shots into your chest, see if you like that.”

“Tell her I'm looking forward to it,” Momo replied, grinning fiercely.

“I hope you have the human well hidden, because being Daddy's little girl is not going to save you this time,” Allegra warned her. “We're going for you, and when we're done, he'll be ours and you'll be dead.”

And she hung up.

“Do you still want me to leave you alone?” Momo asked him.

“No. I don't want to die, please don't let them kidnap me again.”

Fear began to assail him again, and he suddenly felt very grateful to be in a bunker in the middle of nowhere.

“I won't allow it, I swear. Gods, everything has gone so wrong...!” Momo exclaimed, frustrated. “I thought I could negotiate with them, but I guess the shooting has complicated things.”

“You had to, they wouldn't have let us go, and they outnumbered you.”

“Oh, but even if it's not personal, for them it is,” Momo replied.

“It's not the first fight you've had, is it?”

“No. The thing is that there are humans who offer themselves to feed us, we have no need to kidnap anyone, let alone torture that way,” she explained. “But Marie, Allegra and Veronika enjoy instilling fear and torturing people.”

“Is that why you called them succubae?”

“Yes.” Momo seemed to realize something in that moment. “By the gods! Nick, they didn't… they didn't abuse you, did they? Tell me they didn't.”

“Marie liked me a lot, you know. She was the one who bit me on the leg. Every time I thought she was going to bring her hand up to my crotch and touch me, but she never did. They brushed against me, they kissed me… Marie said that when she finished with me I was going to beg, although I don't know how I was going to last that long if I had one of the bites infected,” Nick indicated.

“I suppose they would have healed them as soon as they found out.”

“And start over?” Momo nodded. “How long was I there?” Nick asked.

“Almost ten days.”

“Really? God, it seemed like an eternity!”

“I guess so.”

“We're safe here, right?”

“They can't come in,” Momo confirmed, “but we can't stay forever; we'll run out of supplies at some point.”

“And what do we do?”

“Let's stay here for now, while the food lasts, and I'll find a place we can go next.”

“And after that?” Nick insisted.

“I will have to appeal to the family court. Gather my father and his siblings and present my case. They can't touch us while the process lasts. The result should be in our favour,” she explained.

“What if they still don't leave us alone?”

“Do you remember I told you that there were special bullets to kill vampires?” Nick nodded. “Well, I'll have to get some clips and hope they're enough to stop them.”

“Aren't you a good shot?”

“I'm a top marksman, but it's hard to shoot vampires; we can move at superhuman speed, so the thing of shooting becomes about deducing trajectory to pull the trigger at the right time.”

“I don’t understand.

“You have the starting point and the arrival point. Point A and point B. The bullet should hit somewhere along that trajectory, and smart vampires don't move in a straight line, they move in a zigzag,” she explained. “Have you ever tried shooting something that moves incredibly fast in a zigzag?”

“No, not really,” he admitted.

“It's not easy at all. I was able to shoot Marie because she was at close range, but that won't happen again. For a real duel we prefer bladed weapons, either melee or mid-range, like a sword.”

“Do you fight with swords in the 21st century?” Nick scoffed.

“You can recover from gunshots, but you can’t recover from getting your head off your shoulders,” Momo said.

“True.”

“You should eat something and rest,” she suggested. “You can use Sweeney's bedroom.”

“Are you sure he won’t mind?”

“Yeah, he hasn’t been on this place for a decade. Come on, I'll help you make some dinner.”

[pemdasblog]

PEMDAS - Special Year-End Edition - Albums

I love end of year lists because I like consensus, rankings and numbers. But consensus is all based on who gets to rank, and the people who get the most access to major publication rankings are white men, so the numbers are tainted by white supremacy, misogyny, and many other forms of bigotry.

Which makes it even more interesting to see what gets ranked where.

Here’s a Google Sheet I made of all the lists and I created a formula that basically measures how many times an album placed on a list as well as how high it placed on that list. I’m going to keep updating this list as it’s not done, but it’s fun to play around with right now!

According to my formula and the critics, the top 10 albums of 2020 (in order) are: 

#1: Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

#2: RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

#3: folklore •• Taylor Swift

#4: Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

#5: Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

#6: Set My Heart on Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

#7: Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

#8: Heaven to a Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

#9: Women in Music Pt. III •• HAIM

#10: Rough and Rowdy Ways •• Bob Dylan

I also have a fun, unranked albums list brewing. I’ll release that at the very end of the year.

Click below for all of the publication lists!

The 50 best albums of 2020 •• ABC | Double J

Dan Condon

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Crossover •• Emma Donovan & The Putbacks

The Slow Rush •• Tame Impala

UNTITLED (Rise) •• SAULT

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

Song for Our Daughter •• Laura Marling

What’s Your Pleasure? •• Jessie Ware

The Sharecropper’s Daughter •• Sa-Roc

Sideways to New Italy •• Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever

Sixteen Oceans •• Four Tet

Chose Line •• Benny the Walker

South West •• L-FRESH the LION

Far Enough •• Cable Ties

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

Nyaaringu •• Miiesha

You Be the Lightning •• Tracy McNeil & The GoodLife

Mordechai •• Khruangbin

Suddenly •• Caribou

Our Two Skins •• Gordi

Down In the Weeds, Where the World Once Was •• Bright Eyes

græ •• Moses Sumney

Distance •• Jess Cornelius

King’s Disease •• Nas

Shore •• Fleet Foxes

Batflowers •• Washington

It Is What It Is •• Thundercat

That’s How Rumors Get Started •• Margo Price

ENERGY •• Disclosure

The Ascension •• Sufjan Stevens

Reunions •• Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit

Paid Salvation •• A Swayze & The Ghosts

songs •• Adrianne Lenker

Ohms •• Deftones

Unity •• Gordon Koang

A Hero’s Death •• Fontaines D.C.

Child in Reverse •• Kate Miller-Heidke

K.G. •• King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

Aloha •• Son Little

The Modern Medieval •• Something for Kate

II: The Next Wave •• Quakers

Rome •• Josh Pyke

Fallow •• Fanny Lumsden

Optimisme •• Songhoy Blues

Original Cast Recording •• Braille Face

Colour by Number •• Leah Flanagan

Ultra Mono •• IDLES

What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down? •• Public Enemy

Feral •• RVG

Róisín Machine •• Róisín Murphy

The best albums and songs of 2020 •• BBC Culture

Nick Levine

  Best albums of 2020

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Ungodly Hour •• Chloe x Halle

Rough and Rowdy Ways •• Bob Dylan

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

Róisín Machine •• Róisín Murphy

Set My Heart on Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

SAWAYAMA •• Rina Sawayama

Kitchen Sink •• Nadine Shah

folklore •• Taylor Swift

6 Music Recommends Albums of the Year 2020 •• BBC Radio - 6 Music

BBC Radio - 6 Music Staff

UNTITLED (Black Is) •• SAULT

A Hero’s Death •• Fontaines D.C.

Shore •• Fleet Foxes

Shortly After Takeoff •• BC Camplight

Rough and Rowdy Ways •• Bob Dylan

Kitchen Sink •• Nadine Shah

England Is a Garden •• Cornershop

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

The Universal Want •• Doves

Deep Down Happy •• Sports Team

The 50 Best Albums of 2020: Staff Picks •• Billboard

Billboard Staff

folklore •• Taylor Swift

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

After Hours •• The Weeknd

YHLQMDLG •• Bad Bunny

Chromatica •• Lady Gaga

My Turn •• Lil Baby

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Gaslighter •• The Chicks

Meet the Woo 2 •• Pop Smoke

Women in Music Pt. III •• HAIM

Positions •• Ariana Grande

Good News •• Megan Thee Stallion

Starting Over •• Chris Stapleton

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

Circles •• Mac Miller

Ungodly Hour •• Chloe x Halle

Manic •• Halsey

Tickets to My Downfall •• Machine Gun Kelly

SAWAYAMA •• Rina Sawayama

Miss Anthropocene •• Grimes

Rare •• Selena Gomez

Eternal Atake •• Lil Uzi Vert

Colores •• J Balvin

The Album •• BLACKPINK

Set My Heart on Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

The Slow Rush •• Tame Impala

Before Love Came To Kill Us •• Jessie Reyez

Notes on a Conditional Form •• The 1975

Reunions •• Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit

Fake It Flowers •• beabadoobee

It Was Good Until It Wasn’t •• Kehlani

Map of the Soul: 7 •• BTS

Letter to You •• Bruce Springsteen

Atrapado en un Sueño •• Junior H

The Album •• Teyana Taylor

Ho, why is you here? •• Flo Milli

Emmanuel •• Anuel AA

Love Goes •• Sam Smith

Suddenly •• Caribou

Petals for Armor •• Hayley Williams

B7 •• Brandy

Southside •• Sam Hunt

Mesa Para Dos •• Kany García

Savage Mode II •• 21 Savage & Metro Boomin

Good Souls Better Angels •• Lucinda Williams

Kid Krow •• Conan Gray

Hecho en Mexico •• Alejandro Fernández

A Written Testimony •• Jay Electronica

Blame It on Baby •• DaBaby

Top 10 Albums of the Year 2020 •• Bleep

KiCk i •• Arca

Magic Oneohtrix Point Never •• Oneohtrix Point Never

Phoenix: Flames Are Dew Upon My Skin •• Eartheater

Cape Cira •• K-LONE

Fountain •• Lyra Pramuk

Black Nationalist Sonic Weaponry •• Speaker Music

Help •• Duval Timothy

Karma & Desire •• Actress

Shadow of Fear •• Cabaret Voltaire

Tara Clerkin Trio •• Tara Clerkin Trio

The Best Albums of 2020 •• Complex

Jessica McKinney, Andre Gee, Eric Skelton, Edwin Ortiz, Khal, Angel Diaz, Will Schube, Shawn Setaro, Lucas Wisenthel

After Hours •• The Weeknd

My Turn •• Lil Baby

Eternal Atake •• Lil Uzi Vert

Alfredo •• Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

Burden of Proof •• Benny the Butcher

Savage Mode II •• 21 Savage & Metro Boomin

The Slow Rush •• Tame Impala

Circles •• Mac Miller

Pray for Paris •• Westside Gunn

Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon •• Pop Smoke

The GOAT •• Polo G

From King to a GOD •• Conway the Machine

folklore •• Taylor Swift

Wunna •• Gunna

Ungodly Hour •• Chloe x Halle

YHLQMDLG •• Bad Bunny

A Muse In Her Feelings •• dvsn

A Written Testimony •• Jay Electronica

Meet the Woo 2 •• Pop Smoke

Ho, why is you here? •• Flo Milli

So Help Me God! •• 2 Chainz

Angelic Hoodrat •• Kenny Mason

It Was Good Until It Wasn’t •• Kehlani

The Price of Tea in China •• Boldy James

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Fuck the World •• Brent Faiyaz

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Dark Lane Demo Tapes •• Drake

Young & Turnt 2 •• 42 Dugg

Good News •• Megan Thee Stallion

Top •• YoungBoy Never Broke Again

Mt. Marci •• Roc Marciano

Notes on a Conditional Form •• The 1975

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

One and Only •• Sheff G

Positions •• Ariana Grande

Limbo •• Aminé

UNLOCKED •• Denzel Curry & Kenny Beats

Anyways •• Young Nudy

Legends Never Die •• Juice WRLD

Industry Games •• CHIKA

Reasonable Drought •• Stove God Cooks

Spilligion •• Spillage Village

King’s Disease •• Nas

While the World Was Burning •• SAINt JHN

Only for Dolphins •• Action Bronson

Just Cause Y’all Waited 2 •• Lil Durk

Featuring Ty Dolla Sign •• Ty Dolla Sign

Detroit 2 •• Big Sean

Forever, Ya Girl •• KeiyaA

Top 50 Albums of 2020 •• Consequence of Sound

CoS Staff

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

Set My Heart on Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

Ohms •• Deftones

Chromatica •• Lady Gaga

Alfredo •• Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

Gigaton •• Pearl Jam

Reunions •• Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit

Map of the Soul: 7 •• BTS

SAWAYAMA •• Rina Sawayama

It Is What It Is •• Thundercat

After Hours •• The Weeknd

YHLQMDLG •• Bad Bunny

Heaven to a Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

how i’m feeling now •• Charli XCX

The Ascension •• Sufjan Stevens

Eternal Atake •• Lil Uzi Vert

Petals for Armor •• Hayley Williams

A Written Testimony •• Jay Electronica

Fake It Flowers •• beabadoobee

Likewise •• Frances Quinlan

Ultra Mono •• IDLES

Forgotten Days •• Pallbearer

folklore •• Taylor Swift

Suddenly •• Caribou

Everything Is Beautiful •• Princess Nokia

As Long as You Are •• Future Islands

Magic Oneohtrix Point Never •• Oneohtrix Point Never

Shore •• Fleet Foxes

Letter to You •• Bruce Springsteen

The Price of Tea in China •• Boldy James & The Alchemist

That’s How Rumors Get Started •• Margo Price

Giver Taker •• Anjimile

Twice as Tall •• Burna Boy

Gaslighter •• The Chicks

Shamir •• Shamir

Lamb of God •• Lamb of God

Pray for Paris •• Westside Gunn

Live Forever •• Bartees Strange

The Greatest Part •• Becca Mancari

Power Up •• AC/DC

The Liz •• Armani Caesar

Miss Anthropocene •• Grimes

American Head •• The Flaming Lips

The Neon Skyline •• Andy Shauf

Good News •• Megan Thee Stallion

Honeymoon •• Beach Bunny

The Top 50 Albums of 2020 •• Crack Magazine

Help •• Duval Timothy

Indigo Dream •• E.M.M.A.

Mas Amable •• DJ Python

Heaven to a Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

Big Conspiracy •• J Hus

Duma •• Duma

Alfredo •• Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

how i’m feeling now •• Charli XCX

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

Metal Preyers •• Metal Preyers

From Avoca Hills to the World •• Citizen Boy & Mafia Boyz

Miss Colombia •• Lido Pimienta

Ungodly Hour •• Chloe x Halle

To Feel Embraced •• Sparkle Division

Workaround •• Beatrice Dillon

Set My Heart on Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

Miss Anthropocene •• Grimes

YHLQMDLG •• Bad Bunny

A Written Testimony •• Jay Electronica

Man Alive! •• King Krule

Healing Is a Miracle •• Julianna Barwick

Snoopy •• CS + Kreme

Dark Matter •• Moses Boyd

Pain Olympics •• Crack Cloud

Ho, why is you here? •• Flo Milli

Cape Circa •• K-Lone

Róisín Machine •• Róisín Murphy

Eternal Atake •• Lil Uzi Vert

Microphones in 2020 •• The Microphones

UNTITLED (Black Is) •• SAULT

Chromatica •• Lady Gaga

Modern Bliss •• Roza Terenzi

Ten Billion Angels •• Zora Jones

Pray 4 Love •• Rod Wave

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

Modus Vivendi •• 070 Shake

Cenizas •• Nicolás Jaar

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Black Nationalist Sonic Weaponry •• Speaker Music

Pray for Paris •• Westside Gunn

Second Language •• Minor Science

Forever, Ya Girl •• KeiyaA

Crabs in a Bucket •• Nines

Deep Technik •• MoMA Ready

Live Forever •• Bartees Strange

Send Them to Coventry •• Pa Salieu

Pillowland •• Jam City

Phoenix: Flames Are Dew Upon My Skin •• Eartheater

Every Bad •• Porridge Radio

The 15 best albums of 2020 •• Entertainment Weekly

Leah Greenblatt, Sarah Rodman & Alex Suskind

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

After Hours •• The Weeknd

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Rough and Rowdy Ways •• Bob Dylan

folklore •• Taylor Swift

Gaslighter •• The Chicks

Women in Music Pt. III •• HAIM

A Written Testimony •• Jay Electronica

YHLQMDLG •• Bad Bunny

UNTITLED (Black Is) •• SAULT

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

American Love Story •• Butch Walker

Set My Heart On Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

Your Life Is a Record •• Brandy Clark

Petals for Armor •• Hayley Williams

Exclaim!’s 50 Best Albums of 2020 •• Exclaim!

Exclaim! Staff

God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It •• Backxwash

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Suddenly •• Caribou

Women in Music Pt. III •• HAIM

Miss Colombia •• Lido Pimienta

Heaven to a Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

Rough and Rowdy Ways •• Bob Dylan

Pantayo •• Pantayo

Heavy Light •• U.S. Girls

It Is What It Is •• Thundercat

The Neon Skyline •• Andy Shauf

Miss Anthropocene •• Grimes

Alfredo •• Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

græ •• Moses Sumney

Have We Met •• Destroyer

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

Ohms •• Deftones

The Ascension •• Sufjan Stevens

Legacy •• Aquakultre

folklore •• Taylor Swift

Devouring Ruin •• Wake

How Ill Thy World Is Ordered •• Daniel Romano’s Outfit

Microphones in 2020 •• The Microphones

After Hours •• The Weeknd

Burden of Proof •• Benny the Butcher

What’s Your Pleasure? •• Jessie Ware

DNA Activation •• Witch Prophet

Peaceful as Hell •• Black Dresses

Where Only Gods May Tread •• Ingested

Circles •• Mac Miller

2017-2019 •• Against All Logic

Lianne La Havas •• Lianne La Havas

Stygian •• Atramentus

ELEMENTS Vol. 1 •• TOBi

Reliever •• William Prince

Every Bad •• Porridge Radio

Someone New •• Helena Deland

Pray 4 Love •• Rod Wave

color theory •• Soccer Mommy

Sundry Rock Song Stock •• Yves Jarvis

Finds You Well •• Khotin

Underneath •• Code Orange

songs •• Adrianne Lenker

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

Visions of Bodies Being Burned •• clipping.

Total Freedom •• Kathleen Edwards

Shore •• Fleet Foxes

Free I.H.: This Is Not the One You’ve Been Waiting For •• Illuminati Hotties

The Best Albums of 2020 •• FLOOD

FLOOD Staff

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

græ •• Moses Sumney

Set My Heart on Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

color theory •• Soccer Mommy

Magic Oneohtrix Point Never •• Oneohtrix Point Never

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

After Hours •• The Weeknd

Ungodly Hour •• Chloe x Halle

Women in Music Pt. III •• Haim

Visions of Bodies Being Burned •• clipping.

SAWAYAMA •• Rina Sawayama

What’s Your Pleasure? •• Jessie Ware

Alfredo •• Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

My Agenda •• Dorian Electra

Live Forever •• Bartees Strange

Phoenix: Flames Are Dew Upon My Skin •• Eartheater

Shrines •• Armand Hammer

That’s How Rumors Get Started •• Margo Price

It Is What It Is •• Thundercat

American Head •• The Flaming Lips

Si Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios) ∞ •• Kali Uchis

Song Machine: Season 1 - Strange Timez •• Gorillaz

Moveys •• Slow Pulp

The Gigwise 51 Best Albums of 2020 •• Gigwise

Gigwise Staff

SAWAYAMA •• Rina Sawayama

Set My Heart On Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

folklore •• Taylor Swift

UNTITLED (Black Is) •• SAULT

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Good News •• Megan Thee Stallion

Women in Music Pt. III •• HAIM

Ohms •• Deftones

Circles •• Mac Miller

The Night Chancers •• Baxter Dury

Sex, Death & The Infinite Void •• Creeper

What’s Your Pleasure? •• Jessie Ware

The Archer •• Alexandra Savior

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

color theory •• Soccer Mommy

Mordechai •• Khruangbin

Heaven to a Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

Night Network •• The Cribs

I Disagree •• Poppy

Introduction, Presence •• Nation of Language

Modern Dread •• Denai Moore

K.G. •• King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

To Love Is to Live •• Jehnny Beth

A Hero’s Death •• Fontaines D.C.

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

Working Men’s Club •• Working Men’s Club

We Live Here •• Bob Vylan

Song for Our Daughter •• Laura Marling

how i’m feeling now •• Charli XCX

I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep •• Ghostpoet

925 •• Sorry

Got To Be Tough •• Toots & The Maytals

græ •• Moses Sumney

Viscerals •• Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs

Three Mile Ditch •• The Wytches

England Is a Garden •• Cornershop

It Is What It Is •• Thundercat

In This House •• Lewsberg

Optimisme •• Songhoy Blues

songs •• Adrianne Lenker

Letter to You •• Bruce Springsteen

Big Conspiracy •• J Hus

Every Bad •• Porridge Radio

Monument •• Keaton Henson

Seeking Thrills •• Georgia

Hyper Romance •• Jadu Heart

Container •• The Wants

The Prettiest Curse •• Hinds

In Waiting •• Pillow Queens

The Reson for Hardcore Vibes •• Joe & The Shitboys

Gorilla vs. Bear’s Albums of 2020 •• Gorilla vs. Bear

Chris

Someone New •• Helena Deland

Untitled (Black Is) •• SAULT || Untitled (Rise) •• SAULT

Send Them to Coventry •• Pa Salieu

Weaving a Basket •• Sea Oleena

Modus Vivendi •• 070 Shake

Fires in Heaven •• Salem

Galore •• Oklou

What’s Tonight to Eternity •• Cindy Lee || Cat O’Nine Tails •• Cindy Lee

Miss Anthropocene •• Grimes

Taken Away •• Moodymann

All the Time •• Jessy Lanza

Alletiders •• Alle

WHAT WE DREW 우리가 그려왔던 •• Yaeji

Because of a Flower •• Ana Roxanne

How Much Works •• Sweet Whirl

songs •• Adrianne Lenker || instrumentals •• Adrianne Lenker

The Don of Diamond Dreams •• Shabazz Palaces

Magic Oneohtrix Point Never •• Oneohtrix Point Never

Hunger for a Way Out •• Sweeping Promises

Your Hero Is Not Dead •• Westerman

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

Alfredo •• Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

Remote Control •• Discovery Zone

how i’m feeling now •• Charli XCX

Help •• Duval Timothy

Yes •• Shinichi Atobe

What’s Your Pleasure? •• Jessie Ware

I Was Born Swimming •• Squirrel Flower

Healing Is a Miracle •• Julianna Barwick

Mia Gargaret •• Gia Margaret

I Feel Alive •• Tops

Karma & Desire •• Actress

Crooner qui coule sous les clous •• Oï Les Ox

Bobby Joe Hope •• Jon McKiel

Motherhood •• No Joy

Land of No Junction •• Aoife Nessa Frances

acts of rebellion •• Ela Minus

Cave Vaults on the Moon •• Tan Cologne

Sundry Rock Song Stock •• Yves Jarvis

A Mythology of Circles •• Faten Kanaan

Man Alive! •• King Krule

Inner Song •• Kelly Lee Owens

Good Songs for Bad People •• Drab City

Roped In •• North Americans

Sorceress •• Jess Williamson

Phoenix: Flames are Dew Upon My Skin •• Eartheater

Fantasy Chapel •• Riches

Ride Lonesome •• Young Ejecta

Shimmering Basset •• The Green Child

Silver Ladders •• Mary Lattimore

The 50 best albums of 2020 •• The Guardian

Ben Beaumont-Thomas & Laura Snapes

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?

?

?

?

?

?

Big Conspiracy •• J Hus

folklore •• Taylor Swift

græ •• Moses Sumney

Róisín Machine •• Róisín Murphy

Ungodly Hour •• Chloe x Halle

Rough and Rowdy Ways •• Bob Dylan

What’s Your Pleasure? •• Jessie Ware

A Written Testimony •• Jay Electronica

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

A Hero’s Death •• Fontaines D.C.

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Chromatica •• Lady Gaga

Miss Anthropocene •• Grimes

Heaven to a Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

Workaround •• Beatrice Dillon

Suddenly •• Caribou

Inner Song •• Kelly Lee Owens

UNTITLED (Rise) •• SAULT

Gold Record •• Bill Callahan

Song for Our Daughter •• Laura Marling

It Is What It Is •• Thundercat

Circles •• Mac Miller

Shore •• Fleet Foxes

Heavy Light •• U.S. Girls

Forever, Ya Girl •• KeiyaA

how i’m feeling now •• Charli XCX

Alfredo •• Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

Working Men’s Club •• Working Men’s Club

Notes on a Conditional Form •• The 1975

Savage Mode II •• 21 Savage & Metro Boomin

I Think I’m Good •• Kassa Overall

Suite for Max Brown •• Jeff Parker

Positions •• Ariana Grande

Karma & Desire •• Actress

DISCO •• Kylie Minogue

Made in Lagos •• Wizkid

All the Time •• Jessy Lanza

Rare •• Selena Gomez

Three •• The Necks

The Album •• Teyana Taylor

color theory •• Soccer Mommy

Have We Met •• Destroyer

Visions of Bodies Being Burned •• clipping.

The Best Albums of 2020 Ranked •• The Line of Best Fit

The Line of Best Fit Staff

SAWAYAMA •• Rina Sawayama

The Baby •• Samia

how i’m feeling now •• Charli XCX

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

græ •• Moses Sumney

Rough and Rowdy Ways •• Bob Dylan

Set My Heart On Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

Heaven to a Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

Ungodly Hour •• Chloe x Halle

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

The Worst Generation •• Che Lingo

Healing Is a Miracle •• Julianna Barwick

Big Conspiracy •• J Hus

I’m Your Empress Of •• Empress Of

We’re New Again: A Reimagining •• Makaya McCraven

Visions of Bodies Being Burned •• clipping.

Anime, Trauma and Divorce •• Open Mike Eagle

Beginners •• Christian Lee Hutson

Good News •• Megan Thee Stallion

Show Pony •• Orville Peck

The Angel You Don’t Know •• Amaarae

Inner Song •• Kelly Lee Owens

A Hero’s Death •• Fontaines D.C.

The Amanda Tape •• THEY.

songs •• Adrianne Lenker

JAGUAR •• Victoria Monét

Shore •• Fleet Foxes

Someone New •• Helena Deland

Whatever, Man •• BLACKSTARKIDS

folklore •• Taylor Swift

SOURCE •• Nubya Garcia

Without People •• Donovan Woods

What’s Your Pleasure? •• Jessie Ware

Petals for Armor •• Hayley Williams

Debris •• Keeley Forsyth

Warnings •• I Break Horses

So When You Gonna... •• Dream Wife

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

Twice as Tall •• Burna Boy

Now or Never •• Giggs

SISTER •• Mina Tindle

Circles •• Mac Miller

Mordechai •• Khruangbin

The Prettiest Curse •• Hinds

Chromatica •• Lady Gaga

Women in Music Pt. III •• HAIM

EDNA •• Headie One

Dark Hearts •• Annie

Best Albums of 2020 •• The New York Times

Jon Pareles, Jon Caramanica, and Lindsay Zoladz

  Simmering Emotions, Louder Explosions   Jon Pareles

The Ascension •• Sufjan Stevens

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

græ •• Moses Sumney

folklore •• Taylor Swift

Rough and Rowdy Ways •• Bob Dylan

Lianne La Havas •• Lianne La Havas

Twice as Tall •• Burna Boy

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Mama, You Can Bet! •• Jyoti

SIGN •• Autechre

  The Art of Taking One’s Time   Jon Caramanica

Southside •• Sam Hunt

SAWAYAMA •• Rina Sawayama

Pray 4 Love •• Rod Wave

A Written Testimony •• Jay Electronica

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Shoot for the Stars Aim for the Moon •• Pop Smoke

Ho, why is you here? •• Flo Milli

Poems of the Past •• Powfu

Changes •• Justin Bieber

Starting Over •• Chris Stapleton

YHLQMDLG •• Bad Bunny

Honeymoon •• Beach Bunny

    and 27 more for a chaotic year...

Savage Mode II •• 21 Savage & Metro Boomin

Burden of Proof •• Benny the Butcher

Trap Tumbado •• Natanael Cano

Gaslighter •• The Chicks

City on Lock •• City Girls

Underneath •• Code Orange

From King to a GOD •• Conway the Machine

Dark Lane Demo Tapes •• Drake

Alfredo •• Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

Positions •• Ariana Grande

A Rock •• Hardy

Violence in a Quiet Mind •• Haux

AUNTIE •• Ian Isiah

Atrapado en un Sueño •• Junior H

Levon James •• King Von

Just Cause Y’all Waited 2 •• Lil Durk

God Made a Woman •• Lauren Mascitti

LP5 •• John Moreland

Before Love Came to Kill Us •• Jessie Reyez

Rosetta •• Dua Saleh

Jesus Is Born •• Sunday Service Choir

Easy Money Baby •• Myke Towers

What’s Your Pleasure? •• Jessie Ware

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

After Hours •• The Weeknd

The Dream •• Hailey Whitters

Top •• YoungBoy Never Broke Again

  Rebel Yells, of Passion and Fury   Lindsay Zoladz

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

Women in Music Pt. III •• HAIM

Heaven to a Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

how i’m feeling now •• Charli XCX

What’s Your Pleasure? •• Jessie Ware

Eternal Atake •• Lil Uzi Vert

No Dream •• Jeff Rosenstock

Set My Heart on Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

folklore •• Taylor Swift

The Best Music of 2020 •• The New Yorker

Amanda Petrusich

No. 1 •• Etran de l’Aïr

songs •• Adrianne Lenker || instrumentals •• Adrianne Lenker

Silver Ladders •• Mary Lattimore

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Mama, You Can Bet! •• Jyoti

Rough and Rowdy Ways •• Bob Dylan

Shore •• Fleet Foxes

Alfredo •• Freddie Gibbs & the Alchemist

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

    Honorable Mentions:

folklore •• Taylor Swift

Good News •• Megan Thee Stallion

Un Canto por México Vol. 1 •• Natalia Lafourcade

It Was Good Until It Wasn’t •• Kehlani

A Written Testimony •• Jay Electronica

The New Abnormal •• The Strokes

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

Sheldon Pearce

Microphones in 2020 •• The Microphones

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

græ •• Moses Sumney

Rough and Rowdy Ways •• Bob Dylan

Act II: The Patents of Nobility (The Turn) •• Jay Electronica

YHLQMDLG •• Bad Bunny

Mama, You Can Bet! •• Jyoti

Set My Heart on Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

songs •• Adrianne Lenker || instrumentals •• Adrianne Lenker

color theory •• Soccer Mommy

SAWAYAMA •• Rina Sawayama

Thank You For Using GTL •• Drakeo the Ruler

Shore •• Fleet Foxes

Anime, Trauma and Divorce •• Open Mike Eagle

WHAT WE DREW 우리가 그려왔던 •• Yaeji

Miss Anthropocene •• Grimes

Mutable Set •• Blake Mills

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

APOLLO •• Fireboy DML

Couldn’t Wait to Tell You... •• Liv.e

Live Forever •• Bartees Strange

Ho, why is you here? •• Flo Milli

UNTITLED (Black Is) •• SAULT

Every Bad •• Porridge Radio

Descendants of Cain •• Ka

folklore •• Taylor Swift

Big Conspiracy •• J Hus

Heaven to a Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

Healing Is a Miracle •• Julianna Barwick

The 100 Best Albums of 2020 •• Noisey (Vice)

Noisey Staff

UNTITLED (Black Is) •• SAULT || UNTITLED (Rise) •• SAULT

Ho, why is you here? •• Flo Milli

It Is What It Is •• Thundercat

EDNA •• Headie One

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Bartees Strange •• Live Forever

My Turn (Deluxe) •• Lil Baby

Heaven to a Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

JAGUAR •• Victoria Monét

Meet the Woo 2 •• Pop Smoke

BRAT •• NNAMDÏ

Shame •• Uniform

YHLQMDLG •• Bad Bunny

Send Them to Coventry •• Pa Salieu

Full Wack No Brakes •• Bad Boy Chiller Crew

Shore •• Fleet Foxes

how i’m feeling now •• Charli XCX

Fuck the World •• Brent Faiyaz

Cruisin’ with Junior H •• Junior H

Twice as Tall •• Burna Boy

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

SAWAYAMA •• Rina Sawayama

Inlet •• Hum

Alfredo •• Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

Forever, Ya Girl •• KeiyaA

Eternal Atake (Deluxe) •• Lil Uzi Vert

Lament •• Touché Amoré

A Written Testimony •• Jay Electronica

Set My Heart On Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

color theory •• Soccer Mommy

Rich Slave •• Young Dolph

Fires in Heaven •• SALEM

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

City On Lock •• City Girls

Big Conspiracy •• J Hus

The Great Dismal •• Nothing

Welcome to O’Block •• King Von

songs •• Adrianne Lenker

Thank You for Using GTL •• Drakeo the Ruler

Àdá Irin •• Navy Blue

Featuring Ty Dolla $ign •• Ty Dolla $ign

Scacco Matto •• Lorenzo Senni

Grime MC •• Jme

Viva el Perreo •• Jowell & Randy

Phoenix: Flames Are Dew Upon My Skin •• Eartheater

The Goat •• Polo G

Speed Kills •• Chubby and the Gang

Common Prayers •• Walter Martin

Petals for Armor •• Hayley Williams

Burden of Proof •• Benny the Butcher

Eternity of Shaog •• Esoctrilihum

Magic Oneohtrix Point Never •• Oneohtrix Point Never

Corridos Tumbados •• Natanael Cano

The Prince of Tea in China •• Boldy James & The Alchemist

A Muse in Her Feelings •• dvsn

KiCk i •• Arca

Circles •• Mac Miller

Rise Above Hate •• Unknown T

I Love You 2 •• Hook

WHAT WE DREW 우리가 그려왔던 •• Yaeji

Every Bad •• Porridge Radio

From a King to a GOD •• Conway the Machine

Chromatica •• Lady Gaga

Healing Is a Miracle •• Julianna Barwick

12th House Rock •• Narrow Head

Watch This Liquid Pour Itself •• Okay Kaya

Growth & Development •• 22Gz

Miss Anthropocene •• Grimes

Weight of the World •• MIKE

Auto-Pain •• Deeper

Bino Rideaux •• Outside

Tearless •• Amnesia Scanner

Made in Lagos •• Wizkid

U-Void Synthesizer •• Machine Girl

Take Time •• Giveon

Pure X •• Pure X

Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 2 •• Tkay Maidza

Women in Music Pt. III •• HAIM

Starmaker •• Honey Harper

So Help Me God! •• 2 Chainz

Crabs in a Bucket •• Nines

Descendants of Cain •• Ka

Good News •• Megan Thee Stallion

Blue Eyes, The Harlot, The Queer, The Pusher & Me •• Waylon Payne

Have You Lost Your Mind Yet? •• Fantastic Negrito

Just Look at That Sky •• Ganser

7G •• A. G. Cook

Vibras de Noche •• Eslabon Armado

Immersion •• Primitive Man

Supergood •• Duckwrth

The Weather Up There •• Jeremy Cunningham

Underneath •• Code Orange

El Androide •• El Alfa

Lianne La Havas •• Lianne La Havas

SIGN •• Autechre

folklore •• Taylor Swift

Occupational Hazard •• Mozzy

The Freelancer’s Blues •• Dougie Poole

4 Da 304′s •• KentheMan

Best Music of 2020 •• NPR

NPR Music Staff

UNTITLED (Black Is) •• SAULT

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Miss Colombia •• Lido Pimienta

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

Spilligion •• Spillage Village

Adès Conducts Adès •• Thomas Adès

YHLQMDLG •• Bad Bunny

Source •• Nubya Garcia

Eternal Atake •• Lil Uzi Vert

Blue Eyes, The Harlot, The Queer, The Pusher & Me •• Waylon Payne

Women in Music Pt. III •• HAIM

Lianne La Havas •• Lianne La Havas

Ho, why is you here? •• Flo Milli

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Expectations •• Katie Pruitt

Data Lords •• Maria Schneider Orchestra

Underneath •• Code Orange

on the tender spot of every calloused moment •• Ambrose Akinmusire

JAGUAR •• Victoria Monét

Regresa •• Buscabulla

Dawson: Negro Folk Symphony •• ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra

Ungodly Hour •• Chloe x Halle

The Slow Rush •• Tame Impala

A Small Death •• Samantha Crain

Pauline •• Ashley Ray

Mama, You Can Bet! •• Jyoti

Siti of Unguja (Romance Revolution on Zanzibar) •• Siti Muharam

songs •• Adrianne Lenker

My Turn •• Lil Baby

It Is What It Is •• Thundercat

Live Forever •• Bartees Strange

Spider Tales •• Jake Blount

Silver Ladders •• Mary Lattimore

Set My Heart on Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

Fuck the World •• Brent Faiyaz

Debussy • Rameau •• Víkingur Ólafsson

Muthaland •• Bbymutha

SAWAYAMA •• Rina Sawayama

En Español •• The Mavericks

Thank You For Using GTL •• Drakeo the Ruler

The experience of repetition as death •• Clarice Jensen

Inside •• X Alfonso

Total Freedom •• Kathleen Edwards

Savage Mode II •• 21 Savage / Metro Boomin

some kind of peace •• Ólafur Arnalds

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

Giver Taker •• Anjimile

Don’t Feed the Monster •• Homeboy Sandman

how i’m feeling now •• Charli XCX

The 50 Best Albums of 2020 •• Paste

Paste Staff

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Untitled (Rise) •• SAULT

Set My Heart on Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

Every Bad •• Porridge Radio

color theory •• Soccer Mommy

SAWAYAMA •• Rina Sawayama

songs •• Adrianne Lenker

græ •• Moses Sumney

Suddenly •• Caribou

Reunions •• Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Alfredo •• Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

It Is What It Is •• Thundercat

God Has Nothing to Do With This Leave Him Out of It •• Backxwash

Untitled (Black Is) •• SAULT

Inner Song •• Kelly Lee Owens

Heavy Light •• U.S. Girls

Heaven to a Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

The Great Dismal •• Nothing

Welcome to Conceptual Beach •• Young Jesus

Rough and Rowdy Ways •• Bob Dylan

Healing Is A Miracle •• Julianna Barwick

Youth Pastoral •• Ben Seretan

Microphones in 2020 •• The Microphones

Shore •• Fleet Foxes

Inlet •• Hum

KIND •• Thanya Iyer

Miss Colombia •• Lido Pimienta

acts of rebellion •• Ela Minus

Ultimate Success Today •• Protomartyr

Anime, Trauma and Divorce •• Open Mike Eagle

Bonny Light Horseman •• Bonny Light Horseman

Speed Kills •• Chubby and the Gang

Live Forever •• Bartees Strange

Shadow Talk •• Cafe Racer

Source •• Nubya Garcia

What’s Your Pleasure? •• Jessie Ware

A Hero’s Death •• Fontaines D.C.

Introduction, Presence •• Nation of Language

Women in Music Pt. III •• HAIM

The Baby •• Samia

Forever, Ya Girl •• KeiyaA

Free I.H.: This Is Not the One You’ve Been Waiting For •• Illuminati Hotties

Celebrated By Strangers •• Catholic Action

Lianne La Havas •• Lianne La Havas

Flower of Devotion •• Dehd

Just Look at That Sky •• Ganser

Somewhere •• Gum Country

The 50 Best Albums of 2020 •• Pitchfork

Pitchfork Staff

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

græ •• Moses Sumney

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

Set My Heart on Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

Rough and Rowdy Ways •• Bob Dylan

Heaven to a Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

Women in Music Pt. III •• HAIM

What’s Your Pleasure? •• Jessie Ware

YHLQMDLG •• Bad Bunny

songs •• Adrianne Lenker || instrumentals •• Adrianne Lenker

Eternal Atake •• Lil Uzi Vert

Microphones in 2020 •• The Microphones

Act II: The Patents of Nobility (The Turn) •• Jay Electronica

Heavy Light •• U.S. Girls

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Róisín Machine •• Róisín Murphy

Have We Met •• Destroyer

The Angel You Don’t Know •• Amaarae

Shore •• Fleet Foxes

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

Forever, Ya Girl •• KeiyaA

Every Bad •• Porridge Radio

Miss Anthropocene •• Grimes

SOURCE •• Nubya Garcia

color theory •• Soccer Mommy

Inner Song •• Kelly Lee Owens

Ungodly Hour •• Chloe x Halle

folklore •• Taylor Swift

Live Forever •• Bartees Strange

Shall We Go On Sinning So That Grace May Increase? •• The Soft Pink Truth

Thank You for Using GTL •• Drakeo the Ruler

Workaround •• Beatrice Dillon

Melee •• Dogleg

Descendants of Cain •• Ka

The Passion Of •• Special Interest

Hannah •• Lomelda

Help •• Duval Timohy

Flower of Devotion •• Dehd

KiCk i •• Arca

SAWAYAMA •• Rina Sawayama

Room for the Moon •• Kate NV

Good News •• Megan Thee Stallion

Alfredo •• Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

Fountain •• Lyra Pramuk

Twice as Tall •• Burna Boy

My Turn (Deluxe) •• Lil Baby

how i’m feeilng now •• Charli XCX

WHAT WE DREW 우리가 그려왔던 •• Yaeji

Silver Ladders •• Mary Lattimore

The 60 Best Albums of 2020 •• Pop Matters

Pop Matters Staff

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

What’s Your Pleasure? •• Jessie Ware

Women in Music Pt. III •• HAIM

Heaven to a Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Outland •• Ital Tek

UNTITLED (Black Is) •• SAULT

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

A Hero’s Death •• Fontaines D.C.

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

It Is What It Is •• Thundercat

A Written Testimony •• Jay Electronica

3.15.20 •• Childish Gambino

YHLQMDLG •• Bad Bunny

Rough and Rowdy Ways •• Bob Dylan

folklore •• Taylor Swift

Set My Heart on Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

songs •• Adrianne Lenker || instrumentals •• Adrianne Lenker

Ohms •• Deftones

Gaslighter •• The Chicks

Workaround •• Beatrice Dillon

Shore •• Fleet Foxes

Good Souls Better Angels •• Lucinda Williams

Reunions •• Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit

Inner Song •• Kelly Lee Owens

Private Lives •• Low Cut Connie

Suddenly •• Caribou

Song Machine: Season 1 - Strange Timez •• Gorillaz

Keleketla! •• Keleketla!

Seeking Thrills •• Georgia

Every Bad •• Porridge Radio

I’m Your Empress Of •• Empress Of

Before Love Come To Kill Us •• Jessie Reyez

Róisín Machine •• Róisín Murphy

The Cycle •• Mourning [A] BLKstar

Microphones in 2020 •• The Microphones

Notes on a Conditional Form •• The 1975

The Universal Want •• Doves

We’ve Landed •• Tony Allen & Hugh Masekela

Mama, You Can Bet! •• Jyoti

Eno Axis •• HC McEntire

color theory •• Soccer Mommy

Visions of Bodies Being Burned •• clipping.

Ultrasonic •• Field Works

Sixteen Oceans •• Four Tet

VOICES •• Max Richter

on the tender spot of every calloused moment •• Ambrose Akinmusire

Neon Cross •• Jaime Wyatt

Cenizas •• Nicolás Jaar

To Love Is to Live •• Jehnny Beth

Amazones Power •• Les Amazones d’Afrique

Shall We Go On Sinning So That Grace May Increase? •• The Soft Pink Truth

The Piano Equation •• Matthew Shipp

Making a Door Less Open •• Car Seat Headrest

Silver Tongue •• TORRES

BRAT •• NNAMDÏ

The Night Chancers •• Baxter Dury

Blue Eyes, The Harlot, The Queer, The Pusher & Me •• Waylon Payne

Wooden Cave •• Thin Lear

Quietus Albums Of The Year 2020 •• The Quietus

The Quietus Staff

Dances/Curses •• Hey Colossus

Shall We Go On Sinning So That Grace May Increase? •• The Soft Pink Truth

The Passion Of •• Special Interest

Fountain •• Lyra Pramuk

Energy Is Forever •• UKAEA

Help •• Duval Timothy

Be Up A Hello •• Squarepusher

Kitchen Sink •• Nadine Shah

Send Them to Coventry •• Pa Salieu

Guerilla •• Nazar

Only Darkness Now •• Alison Cotton

Alles in Allem •• Einstürzende Neubauten

SIGN •• Autechre

First Seance •• Land Trance

Duma •• Duma

These Charms May Be Sung Over a Wound •• Richard Skelton

Untitled (Rise) •• SAULT

Debris •• Keeley Forsyth

Type II •• Sex Swing

Dark Hearts •• Annie

Set My Heart on Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

The Common Task •• Horse Lords

Workaround •• Beatrice Dillon

7 Weapons Series •• Howie Lee

Zoom •• Upsammy

Free Humans •• Hen Ogledd

Suite for Max Brown •• Jeff Parker & The New Breed

Cumbia Siglo XXI •• Meridian Brothers

Serpent •• MXLX

Because Of A Flower •• Ana Roxanne

Forever Underground •• Phantom Posse

There Is No Year •• Algiers

Heart’s Ease •• Shirley Collins

Mestarin Kynsi •• Oranssi Pazuzu

Silver Ladders •• Mary Lattimore

DISCO •• Kylie Minogue

Edna •• Headie One

Mas Amable •• DJ Python

Have We Met •• Destroyer

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

Glory Days •• Heather Leigh

Blues •• Lamin Fofana

Gold Record •• Bill Callahan

To Kiss Earth Goodbye •• Teleplasmiste

The Night Chancers •• Baxter Dury

Barbarians •• Young Knives

Fast Edit •• Still House Plants

Jp4 •• Junglepussy

Loom •• Katie Gately

Flower Violence •• Blóm

A Late Anthology Of Early Music Vol. 1: Ancient To Renaissance •• Jennifer Walshe

Cantus, Descant •• Sarah Davachi

Big Conspiracy •• J Hus

Endless Wound •• Black Curse

if i don't let myself be happy now then when? •• More Eaze & Claire Rousay

Seven Storey Mountain VI •• Nate Wooley

L’Inattingible •• Delphine Dora

Rock Sutra •• Sun Araw

Róisín Machine •• Róisín Murphy

Heaven To A Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

The Ascension •• Sufjan Stevens

Visions Of Bodies Being Burned •• clipping.

Returner •• Closed Circuits

Scacco Matto •• Lorenzo Senni

Lamunan •• Antonina Nowacka

Future Teenage Cave Artists •• Deerhoof

Não Fales Nela Que A Mentes •• Nídia

SKEEN •• Mariam Rezaei

Winterreise •• Jerskin Fendrix

May Our Chambers Be Full •• Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou

how i'm feeling now •• Charli XCX

Superstar •• Harry Pussy

The End Of Their World Is Coming •• Dead Meat

Viscerals •• Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs

KiCK i •• Arca

World Serpent •• Memnon Sa

Pedernal •• Susan Alcorn

Cwm Gwagle •• Datblygu

Beyond The Floor •• Geld

Trinity •• Laylow

The Big Exercise •• The Homesick

Malibu Liquor Store •• Shit And Shine

Couldn't Wait To Tell You... •• Liv.e

No Era Sólida •• Lucrecia Dalt

Abscess Time •• Pyrrhon

Thug Ambient •• Dale Cornish

Pillowland •• Jam City

Crabs In A Bucket •• Nines

Hidden In This Is The Light That You Miss •• Regis

Prole Art Threat •• East Man

Evil Spirits Who Prowl About The World Seeking The Ruin Of Souls •• Haq123

Toutes Ces Horreurs •• Satan

Figures •• Aksak Maboul

Mind Hive •• Wire

2020 •• Magik Markers

Training Day 3 •• Potter Payper

Swirling •• Sun Ra Arkestra

Nah Nah Nah Yeh Yeh Yeh •• Luminous Bodies

Aux Pieds De La Nuit •• Nyx Nótt

6 •• Pharaoh Overlord

The 50 Best Albums of 2020 •• Rolling Stone

Jonathan Bernstein, Emily Blake, Jon Blistein, Jon Dolan, Patrick Doyle, Brenna Ehrlich, Jon Freeman, Kory Grow, Christian Hoard, Joseph Hudak, Elias Leight, Angie Martoccio, Claire Shaffer, Rob Sheffield, Hank Shteamer, Simon Vozick-Levinson

folklore •• Taylor Swift

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

YHLQMDLG •• Bad Bunny

Rough and Rowdy Ways •• Bob Dylan

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

Eternal Atake •• Lil Uzi Vert

What’s Your Pleasure? •• Jessie Ware

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

Chromatica •• Lady Gaga

Letter to You •• Bruce Springsteen

City on Lock •• City Girls

Women in Music Pt. III •• HAIM

Ho, why is you here? •• Flo Milli

Map of the Soul: 7 •• BTS

Shore •• Fleet Foxes

græ •• Moses Sumney

Ungodly Hour •• Chloe x Halle

Never Will •• Ashley McBryde

Honeymoon •• Beach Bunny

Positions •• Ariana Grande

Plastic Hearts •• Miley Cyrus

Rare •• Selena Gomez

Manic •• Halsey

To Love Is to Live •• Jehnny Beth

Good News •• Megan Thee Stallion

Reunions •• Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit

Shamir •• Shamir

Sixteen Oceans •• Four Tet

Petals for Armor •• Hayley Williams

After Hours •• The Weeknd

A Hero’s Death •• Fontaines D.C.

Private Lives •• Low Cut Connie

Got to Be Tough •• Toots and the Maytals

Traditional Techniques •• Stephen Malkmus

color theory •• Soccer Mommy

Inner Song •• Kelly Lee Owens

Fake It Flowers •• beabadoobee

McCartney III •• Paul McCartney

Haunted Painting •• Sad13

Alphabetland •• X

Aftermath •• Elizabeth Cook

Starting Over •• Chris Stapleton

Power Up •• AC/DC

The Price of Tea in China •• Boldy James & The Alchemist

Good Souls Better Angels •• Lucinda Williams

Growth •• Kareem Ali

Love Is The King •• Jeff Tweedy

Live Forever •• Bartees Strange

Albums of the Year 2020 •• Rough Trade

Rough Trade Staff

Untitled (Black Is) •• SAULT

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

SAWAYAMA •• Rina Sawayama

Song For Our Daughter •• Laura Marling

Beyond the Pale •• Jarv Is

So When You Gonna •• Dream Wife

Viscerals •• Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs

Bedroom •• bdrmm

Every Bad •• Porridge Radio

Sideways to New Italy •• Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever

England Is A Garden •• Cornershop

Galore •• Oklou

Protean Threat •• Osees

Ultra Mono •• Idles

Suddenly •• Caribou

What Kinda Music •• Tom Misch + Yussef Dayes

By The Fire •• Thurston Moore

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

Wu Hen •• Kamaal Williams

Wake Up! •• Hazel English

Heaven to a Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

Jump Rope Gazers •• Beths

A Hero’s Death •• Fontaines D.C.

Seeking Thrills •• Georgia

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

There Is No Other •• Isobel Campbell

Head Above Water •• Brigid Mae Power

Inner Song •• Kelly Lee Owens

Old Flowers •• Courtney Marie Andrews

Sixteen Oceans •• Four Tet

Loco •• A Certain Ratio

Ummon •• Slift

Coriky •• Coriky

Keleketla! •• Keleketla!

That’s How Rumours Get Started •• Margo Price

Introduction, Presence •• Nation Of Language

some kind of peace •• Olafur Arnalds

Walking Like We Do •• Big Moon

Bug On Yonkers •• Damaged Bug

WHAT WE DREW 우리가 그려왔던 •• Yaeji

Home •• Romare

Infinity of Now •• Heliocentrics

3D Routine •• Mush

All or Nothing •• Shopping

Fading •• Pole

Flower of Devotion •• Dehd

Heritage of the Invisible II •• Aqulies Navarro + Tcheser Holmes

Blue Hearts •• Bob Mould

All the Time •• Jessy Lanza

WILL THIS MAKE ME GOOD •• Nick Hakim

Alfredo •• Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

Myopia •• Agnes Obel

Anywhere But Here •• Habibi

Man Alive! •• King Krule

Invisible People •• Chicano Batman

It Is What It Is •• Thundercat

I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep •• Ghostpoet

Cenizás •• Nicolas Jaar

Straight Songs of Sorrow •• Mark Lanegan

Friday Forever •• Everything Is Recorded

Pleasure Line •• Video Age

Happy Birthday •• Sneaks

Shortly After Takeoff •• BC Camplight

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Voices •• Max Richter

Even in Exile •• James Dean Bradfield

The True Story Of •• Bananagun

Making a New World •• Field Music

Only for Dolphins •• Action Bronson

Midnight Manor •• The Nude Party

The Juice That’s Worth the Squeeze •• Cherry Pickles

The Long Goodbye •• Riz Ahmed

Colourfield •• Dan Michaelson

Stray •• Bambara

Collector •• Disq

Gentle Grip •• Public Practice

Miss Anthropocene •• Grimes

Reunions •• Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Tender Epoch •• Rudy De Anda

Bonny Light Horseman •• Bonny Light Horseman

Moveys •• Slow Pulp

Alphabetland •• X

The Land that Time Forgot •• Chuck Prophet

Up in the Air •• Bent

Mind Hive •• Wire

UNLOCKED •• Denzel Curry x Kenny Beats

Rough and Rowdy Ways •• Bob Dylan

High Risk Behaviour •• Chats

songs •• Adrianne Lenker || instrumentals •• Adrianne Lenker

Have We Met •• Destroyer

The Ascension •• Sufjan Stevens

Visions of Bodies Being Burned •• clipping.

Articulation •• Rival Consoles

Mordechai •• Khruangbin

Marigold •• Pinegrove

It’s Only Us •• Monophonics

Debris •• Keeley Forsyth

Superstar •• Caroline Rose

Truth or Consequences •• Yumi Zouma

Mother Stone •• Caleb Landry Jones

The Best Albums of 2020 •• Slate

Carl Wilson

  ALBUMS

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

Likewise •• Frances Quinlan

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

color theory •• Soccer Mommy

Diet Cig, Bully, The Beths, beabadoobee, Beach Bunny, Mitski, Torres, Down Time, and Emily Brown

Beginners •• Christian Lee Huston

Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was •• Bright Eyes

Artlessly Falling •• Mary Halvorson’s Code Girl

Pedernal •• Susan Alcorn

Zurich Concert •• Jaimie Branch & The Dave Gisler Trio

Beverly Glenn-Copeland

Here It Comes Again [EP] •• Cate Le Bon & Group Listening

L’inattingible •• Delphine Dora

Solar Wind •• Joëlle Leandre, Robert Dick, and Miya Masaoka

Memory Game •• Meredith Monk & The Bang On a Can All-Stars

Fra Det Onde •• Fra Det Onde & Emil Nikolaisen

What’s Your Pleasure? •• Jessie Ware

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

DISCO •• Kylie Minogue

Chromatica •• Lady Gaga

Positions •• Ariana Grande

The Album •• Teyana Taylor

It Was Good Until It Wasn’t •• Kehlani

After Hours •• The Weeknd

Modus Vivendi •• 070 Shake

Songs for Pierre Chuvin •• The Mountain Goats

Getting Into Knives •• The Mountain Goats

Day of the Tiles [EP] •• Human Hearts

Island •• Owen Pallett

Microphones in 2020 •• The Microphones

Gold Record •• Bill Callahan

Home Time •• Darren Hayman

Alphabetland •• X

Untitled (Rise) •• SAULT || Untitled (Black Is) •• SAULT

We Are Sent Here by History •• Shabaka and the Ancestors

Dark Matter •• Moses Boyd

Source •• Nubya Garcia

Universal Beings E & F Sides •• Makaya McCraven

Swirling •• Sun Ra Arkestra

To Know Without Knowing •• Mulatu Astatke & Black Jesus Experience

Dutch from the 5th •• Dutchavelli

Send Them to Coventry •• Pa Salieu

Stormzy & Skepta

Crabs in a Bucket •• Nines

J Hus, Headie One, Tion Wayne, D Double E, Blanco, Young T & Bugsey, Kojey Radical, AJ Tracey, and Ghetts

on the tender spot of every calloused moment •• Ambrose Akinmusire

Suite for Max Brown •• Jeff Parker

America the Beautiful •• Kahil El’Zabar

Omega •• Immanuel Wilkins

Good Days •• Chicago Underground Quartet

8: Kindred Spirits •• Charles Lloyd

Your Life Is a Record •• Brandy Clark

Blue Eyes, The Harlot, The Queer, The Pusher & Me •• Waylon Payne

Gaslighter •• The Chicks

Southside •• Sam Hunt

Never Will •• Ashley McBryde

Starting Over •• Chris Stapleton

Reunions •• Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit

The Way It Feels •• Maddie & Tae

But I’d Rather Be With You •• Molly Tuttle

Bridges [EP] •• Mickey Guyton

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

My Turn (Deluxe) •• Lil Baby

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Mt. Marci •• Roc Marciano

Alfredo •• Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

High Off Life •• Future

A Written Testimony •• Jay Electronica

Good News •• Megan Thee Stallion

Ho, why is you here? •• Flo Milli

Meet the Woo 2 •• Pop Smoke || Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon •• Pop Smoke

Savage Mode II •• 21 Savage & Metro Boomin

Descendants of Cain •• KA

Eternal Atake •• Lil Uzi Vert

folklore •• Taylor Swift

Heart’s Ease •• Shirley Collins

Fretted & Indebted •• Alasdair Roberts || The Songs of My Boyhood •• Alasdair Roberts

Mama, You Can Bet! •• Jyoti

Rejoice •• Tony Allen & Hugh Masekela

Forever, Ya Girl •• KeiyaA

I Think I’m Good •• Kassa Overall

Love-Lore •• Deerhoof

Future Teenage Cave Artists •• Deerhoof || To Be Surrounded by Beautiful, Curious, Breathing, Laughing Flesh Is Enough •• Deerhoof & Wadada Leo Smith || Surprise Symphonies •• Deerhoof

The 50 Best Albums of 2020 •• Stereogum

Stereogum Staff

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

Women in Music Pt. III •• HAIM

folklore •• Taylor Swift

Manger on McNichols •• Boldy James & Sterling Toles

Magic Oneohtrix Point Never •• Oneohtrix Point Never

Lament •• Touché Amoré

Untitled (Rise) •• SAULT

color theory •• Soccer Mommy

Inlet •• Hum

Hannah •• Lomelda

Heaven to a Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

Shore •• Fleet Foxes

Set My Heart on Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

Live Forever •• Bartees Strange

Notes on a Conditional Form •• The 1975

Alfredo •• Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

how i’m feeling now •• Charli XCX

925 •• Sorry

Inner Song •• Kelly Lee Owens

Rough and Rowdy Ways •• Bob Dylan

World House •• Mil-Spec

No Dream •• Jeff Rosenstock

Song for Our Daughter •• Laura Marling

What’s Your Pleasure? •• Jessie Ware

It Is What It Is •• Thundercat

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

Viewing •• Stay Inside

Impenetrable Cerebral Fortress •• Gulch

Microphones in 2020 •• The Microphones

KiCk i •• Arca

2017-2019 •• Against All Logic

The Neon Skyline •• Andy Shauf

The Price of Tea in China •• Boldy James & The Alchemist

Suddenly •• Caribou

Reunions •• Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit

SIGN •• Autechre

Every Bad •• Porridge Radio

græ •• Moses Sumney

Southside •• Sam Hunt

Descendants of Cain •• Ka

Introduction, Presence •• Nation of Language

A Hero’s Death •• Fontaines D.C.

FREE I.H.: This Is Not the One You’ve Been Waiting For •• Illuminati Hotties

Take a Chance on Rock ‘n’ Roll •• Couch Slut

May Our Chambers Be Full •• Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou

It Was Good Until It Wasn’t •• Kehlani

As We Suffer from Memory and Imagination •• Nuvolascura

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

Best Albums of 2020 •• TIME

Raisa Bruner & Andrew R. Chow

folklore •• Taylor Swift

Ungodly Hour •• Chloe x Halle

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Gaslighter •• The Chicks

Eternal Atake •• Lil Uzi Vert

Set My Heart on Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

Agüita •• Gabriel Garzón-Montano

We’re New Again - A Reimagining •• Makaya McCraven

Miss Anthropecene •• Grimes

Celia •• Tiwa Savage

The Best Albums of 2020 •• Uproxx

Uproxx Staff

folklore •• Taylor Swift

Fetch the Bolt Cutters •• Fiona Apple

Spilligion •• Spillage Village

Eternal Atake •• Lil Uzi Vert

Future Nostalgia •• Dua Lipa

Circles •• Mac Miller

Saint Cloud •• Waxahatchee

Women in Music Pt. III •• HAIM

Ungodly Hour •• Chloe x Halle

After Hours •• The Weeknd

Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial •• Roddy Ricch

Shore •• Fleet Foxes

RTJ4 •• Run the Jewels

My Turn •• Lil Baby

Punisher •• Phoebe Bridgers

Ho, why is you here? •• Flo Milli

Heaven to a Tortured Mind •• Yves Tumor

Cuttin’ Grass - Vol. 1 (Butcher Shoppe Sessions) •• Sturgill Simpson

Fine Line •• Harry Styles

Positions •• Ariana Grande

Black Habits •• D Smoke

What We Drew 우리가 그려왔던 •• Yaeji

how i’m feeling now •• Charli XCX

color theory •• Soccer Mommy

Live Forever •• Bartees Strange

Set My Heart On Fire Immediately •• Perfume Genius

Limbo •• Aminé

YHLQMDLG •• Bad Bunny

The GOAT •• Polo G

Rare •• Selena Gomez

Talk About It •• Blimes and Gab

Everything •• Kota the Friend

Good News •• Megan Thee Stallion

Wunna •• Gunna

SAWAYAMA •• Rina Sawayama

Mordechai •• Khruangbin

It Was Good Until It Wasn’t •• Kehlani

Imploding the Mirage •• The Killers

songs •• Adrianne Lenker || instrumentals •• Adrianne Lenker

Pray for Paris •• Westside Gunn

The Album •• BLACKPINK

Better •• Deanté Hitchcock

Queen of Da Souf •• Mulatto

Twice as Tall •• Burna Boy

The Slow Rush •• Tame Impala

A Written Testimony •• Jay Electronica

Fake It Flowers •• beabadoobee

My Agenda •• Dorian Electra

Heaven or Hell •• Don Toliver

The New Abnormal •• The Strokes

Behind-the-Paywall Lists:

LA Times

The Economist