#xx. FOLLOW OR DIE ( promo )

[indeliblymarred]

            ❝ Certainty comes from the evidence                                        -----So interpret the evidence. ❞   ©

[writtenmemxries]

It’s not a double date. Or is it?

I wanted to write something cute because we definitely need it after all that’s been happening these days (*cough* that damn promo *cough*). I sincerely hope you like it! xx

Prompt found online: “It’s not a double date. We’re just third and fourth wheeling.”

1378 words

Dean wasn’t exactly okay with Sam’s idea, and his body language clearly showed it. He was staring at his brother with his arms crossed, shifting his weight from side to side. 

Sam, on the other hand, was agitated. He hadn’t had a date with a girl in... years, probably. A real date, in a real pub, with a real girl.

It was a girl in her thirties, with long blond hair and big brown eyes. Sam obviously fell for her as soon as he saw her, and Dean couldn’t blame him. The girl was stunning, and she was very smart and nice, too.

They had met her in the gym where they had been investigating on the disappearances of some regulars for almost two weeks. She was a personal trainer, she had a body to die for, and to tell the truth, Sam was quite surprised that his brother didn’t immediately hit on her with a bright smile and a wink.

“What can I say Sammy, I’m a meticulous man. I want to do our job without distractions,” Dean told him when his brother expressed his surprise.

Sam raised his eyebrows to his hairline and looked at him with a smirk. “Oh yeah? Since when?”

“Hey, don’t underestimate me. I have great self-control.”

“Not when it comes to beautiful women,” Sam teased him.

Dean gave him a toothy smile. “I just wanted to be a good big brother and let you have all the fun. By the way, what did you say her name was?” he asked, trying to change the subject. How could he even explain to his brother that he always had someone else in mind if he himself couldn’t even acknowledge it?

“Andrea,” Sam replied, combing his hair in front of the mirror.

Dean made a sound of approval. “Andrea. I like it. Aggressive name.”

Sam turned to him, frowning. “Why are you even asking? You know her name, you talked to her!"

Dean slightly blushed and stayed silent.

“Whatever,” Sam murmured. He then asked his brother for an opinion on his outfit.

“Meh,” Dean said with a shrug.

“I think you’re really attractive, Sam,” Castiel said, suddenly appearing behind Dean.

Sam smiled at him. “Thanks Cas.”

“Yeah, thanks Cas,” Dean mocked him. “I still don’t understand why we have to come as well,” he continued, showing his obvious uneasiness.

“As I already explained, Andrea wants to go out with a couple of friends as a first date,” Sam said. "And I told her you were free tonight."

“We’re not exactly friends. I barely remembered the girl’s name,” Dean mumbled.

Castiel put a hand on Dean’s shoulder.  “Dean, relax. It’ll be fun. Like a double date.”

Dean widened his eyes and took a couple of steps back in shock. “What?”

Castiel stared at him, tilting his head to the side, confused. “Isn’t it what a date with four people is called?”

“No Cas. It’s not a double date. We’re just third and fourth wheeling.”

Castiel looked at him, even more confused than before. Sam chuckled, coming to his friend’s rescue. “I will go to this date with Andrea, you will stay with us for a while, then... you can do whatever you like.”

“And that means we can find some chicks for us, too,” Dean said a wink, trying to get rid of the embarrassment he could feel on his cheeks and neck.

“Oh,” Castiel said, looking away. “Alright.”

♡

As soon as they got to the pub, Sam went to greet Andrea, who was waiting for them with a smile. Dean and Castiel stood aside.

“You okay man?”

“Yes,” Castiel answered. He looked around a bit, clearly uncomfortable. “Actually, no. Dean, I don’t think I want to find myself a chick.”

Dean laughed, patting his friend’s shoulder. “Then you don’t have to. We don’t have to. I was just joking, y’know... I don’t care about chicks. I mean, not now.” He licked his lips, then looked away, clearing his throat.

Castiel frowned. “But wouldn’t that make it look like we’re on date?”

“You can have a beer with a friend without it being a date.”

“Okay then,” Castiel said with a sigh. Dean eyed him once more, watching the hesitant movements of the angel. Sam motioned for them to follow him inside, but Dean shook his head. He wanted to stay outside with Cas a little more.

“Cas, what’s the problem?” he asked crossing his arms after his brother had left.

“What do you mean, Dean?”

“I mean that you’re standing there with a broomstick up your ass, slumped shoulders, and the look of someone who has just seen a car hit a kitten.”

Castiel stared at him with narrow eyes. “No car hit any cats, Dean.”

Dean sighed, pinching his nose. “Look, I didn’t want to come either, but Sam asked us, so try to behave like a normal human being for one night, okay?”

The hurt on Castiel’s face made Dean curse himself for being such an arrogant piece of shit. He tried to soften his voice.

“I mean, no weird talk about- demons, or- or angels, or whatever there is- supernatural in our lives. Let’s just be two normal guys having fun together, alright?”

Castiel nodded.

“Come on, smile. Please? For me?” Dean said smiling at him, and Castiel couldn’t help but smile back.

“Okay,” he whispered. “Let’s go third and fourth wheeling.”

♡

Over the course of the evening, Dean realised how relaxed Sam looked with that lady. Happy. He could see it in his eyes, he could see it from the way he spoke to her, the way he slightly touched her, the way he looked at her. The boy was already gone.

Dean grinned, glancing at Castiel, who was getting them another two beers. They probably had too many and he was already feeling a bit dazed, but they were there to have fun, weren’t they?

“And tell me Dean, you and Castiel... how long have you been together?” Andrea asked curiously. Sam faked a cough to hide the laughter.

“W-what?” Dean stuttered, blushing immediately.

“You and Cas- oh,” she froze, realising she had made a mistake. “Oh. I’m sorry, I didn’t- I thought that you- I mean, I thought this was some sort of double date, you know...”

“Uh, we...” Dean began, glancing again quickly at Castiel, who saw him and waved a hand at him. Dean waved back, smiling softly with a warm feeling in his chest. Then, he looked at Andrea.

“Yeah, it’s some sort of double date. But we, me and Cas- we’re not together.”

Sam smiled, keeping his gaze on his drink.

Andrea seemed to relax. “Oh. Well, you would make a beautiful couple.”

Dean smiled to himself. Yes. Yes, we would.

When Castiel returned to the table, Dean stood up, grabbed him gently by the arm and took him outside, feeling the curious eyes of Sam and Andrea burn on him.

It’s now or never, Dean thought, probably driven by the alcohol. You’ve been waiting for this happen for ages. Man up, Winchester. 

He took a deep breath. “This is a date,” he said, looking the angel in the eye.

“Yes, I know. Sam is having fun,” Castiel noted slowly.

“No, Cas. Us. You and me. It’s a date. Like you said,” Dean said, his heart pounding incessantly in his chest.

Castiel looked at him with a gaze so strong and deep that Dean almost felt the need to look away, but didn’t. Instead, he continued to look into those ocean eyes, slowly approaching.

A step. What are you doing Dean.

Two steps. God, stop, can’t you see he’s terrified?

Three steps. You got it wrong, Cas wasn’t sad because he was hoping this was a date with you. Why would he want that?

Four steps. God, stop staring at his lips.

And on the fifth step, Dean did it. He kissed him. He grabbed his face and gently moved his lips against Cas’.

Castiel, who did not expect such a pleasant turn-up that night, parted his lips slightly, kissing him back, licking that lips that tasted of beer and words unspoken. But they had plenty of time to talk this out, once the alcohol had left their system, in the privacy of the bunker.

[ariannewritesstuff]

If you need a place to kick your shoes off somewhere near NAIA after your hours of travel, or maybe after a long day of strolling and gaming, Savoy Hotel has got you covered. Being located in Newport City, Savoy Hotel guests have a convenient access to the luxury mall, resort and casino, and even cinema and performing arts theater. Just outside Savoy Hotel is a variety of retail shops. There’s also a designated spot for shuttle service to and from Resorts World Manila.

Savoy Hotel had its simulation last June 14 to 16, 2018, and my family was able to acquire an overnight stay before its doors publicly open later this month.

With its bright and colorful ambiance, accompanied with the staffs’ warm smiles and courtesy, one will immediately feel the great experience that awaits inside. The lobby was really spacious, and I fell in love with the place.

  The Room

Our room was located at 9th floor. It is equipped with life-saving air conditioner, flat screen TV, and mini fridge. There are comfortable beds with bed runners that match the art on the wall. You also get a hot/cold shower, a nice comfy chair, telephone, and wi-fi access.

  Having a breathtaking view from the NAIA terminal 3, my brother enjoyed watching as the airplanes prepare to take off and land.

The Facilities

The wellness facilities are on the 2nd floor.

Savoy Hotel has an indoor swimming pool. I like their high wall of greens definitely perfect as your swimsuit OOTD background.

In the shower room, there are lockers provided and at the farthest, a sauna is present for your usage. Also located in the same floor is the gym. An instructor is present to guide you with your workout.

The Savoy Café

This is actually the best part of my experience! Savoy Café serves international mouth-watering cuisine. A wide-selection of dishes to indulge on during dinner and breakfast buffets is present.

Dinner 

There may be a vast number of delicious food, unfortunately I failed to take a photo of each table and dish because I want to have a taste of every food possible. Taking photo, and looking for the perfect angle really takes time, though.

There’s a pasta station where you can customize according to your liking. You may choose the type of noodle you want. Three choices for your sauce are present – red sauce, white sauce, and pesto. Also, a crepe station is there – have it the way you want it. May it be filled with fruits or topped with some ice cream.

Among the many food I had that night, I came back to this certain dish a bunch of times. And I really did not care if my dress is about to explode or what because of my bloated feels. My most favorite dish was the Spiced Rubbed Pork Baby Back Ribs with Mango Miso Glaze! Did that name make you drool?  It’s really heavenly – so soft and savory. I never had baby back ribs that good! (I’m sorry, Ma. Savoy Cafe has beaten your cooking!)

Breakfast

I only had a hurried breakfast because I spent most of my time through a morning dip. And of course, a lot of picture taking was included. Arriving at the breakfast buffet with less than an hour before closing and with the limited time I had for eating, I only took quick photos as I passed by the tables.

Savoy Cafe’s hot chocolate was really to die for! I loved the blend of chocolate and milk. It’s sweet but not too much. Having its light color, no wonder that a lot of milk was poured to it. I had roughly 3 cups of it. And that’s the best hot chocolate I ever had!!! (I’m sorry McDonald’s)

Opening its doors on June 28, 2018, Savoy Cafe is off for a delicious start! You may enjoy Savoy Cafe’s lunch buffet for Php 599.00 and diner buffer for Php 699.00. This promo runs from June 29, 2018 until July 31, 2018 only. 

Not only my stomach was full, even my eyes because of their wonderful and bright interiors. And oh, my camera roll too!

Overall, it was a great stay! Though it was just a simulation, and they are leaving their doors open for improvements – they are really good to go.

With aesthetically pleasing design and facilities, courteous staffs, and delicious food, our staycation at Savoy Hotel is truly exceptional.  Time really passes by so fast when you’re having fun. With that, we’ll genuinely come back! You guys must visit, and tell me all the things I failed to include here *wink*.

Savoy Hotel is located at 101 Andrews Ave, Newport City, Pasay, Metro Manila

You may check them online through their website, and Facebook and Instagram accounts for reservation and inquiries.

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored. All ideas and opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.

Thoughts about my blog post? Don’t forget to leave your comments and suggestions. If you don’t wanna miss my posts, follow me if you’re a WordPress blogger too and if not, subscribe via email 🙂 Let life occur to you today! xx

Savoy Hotel Manila Experience If you need a place to kick your shoes off somewhere near NAIA after your hours of travel, or maybe after a long day of strolling and gaming, Savoy Hotel has got you covered.

[lilyevcnz]

WE DID IT!! WE’RE 500 ALREADY

ok so yesterday I reached 500 followers and I want to celebrate! I’ll be doing a bunch of stuff as per usual, but first, the rules:

must me following me

maybe check out my creations?

must reblog this (likes only count as bookmarks!!)

send me an ask teloing me anything you want (like what you had for breakfast lol), your name (if needed) and the emoji(s) (2 max. pls otherwise i’ll die) 

what you’ll get:

🐷  for a detailed blog rate (format under the cut)

🐘   for a compliment /promo (done in groups of 5)

🐸  for a name playlist (format under the cut)

🐬  for a shit name aesthetic! (basically a comic llittle text that hopefully will make you laughinspired by your name)(i stole this from someone i don’t remember sorry)

please bare in mind that despite being easter break i  have to study TONS so I may be a bit slow but I still wanted to celebrate and say thank you for your support xx

also!! feel free to blacklist tesa500 if you don’t want to see this

🐷 detailed blog rate format:

B A S I C url - dgi sorry | not from my fandoms | could be better | pretty cool | really like it | absolutely incredible! domain - don’t have one | dgi sorry | not from my fandoms | could be better | pretty cool | really like it | absolutely incredible! icon - could be better | don’t recognise it | poor quality | pretty cute! | omg awesome | tempted to steal it T H E M E desktop theme - basic tumblr theme | not my style | could be better | kinda pretty | gorgeous | i wanna steal colour scheme - not my taste | pretty | gorgeous | my fav colours! updates tab - don’t have one | i think something’s not right | bit basic | lovely | absolutely perfect nav page - don’t have one | i think something’s not right | incomplete | bit basic | lovely | absolutely perfect about page - don’t have one | i think something’s not right | incomplete | bit basic | lovely | absolutely perfect mobile header - non existent | i don’t get it | not my fandom | bit blurry | alright | lovely | absolutely gorgeous mobile colours - kills my eyes | don’t match | looks nice | urgh aes af P O S T S reblogs - urm non existent ?? | kinda random | not my fandom | pretty good | wonderful | incredible! original edits - you don’t have any | not my fandom | great start | not bad | lovely | so original | gorgeous | omg i’m jelly af of your skills x100000 personal - non existent | not enough | too many | you seem sweet | let’s be best friends tbh

O V E R A L L overall - meh | pretty nice | lovely | incredible following - no sorry | not my fandoms | now | how was i not before?! | yes ofc | you’re one of my fav blogs

🐸 = name playlist

n- song starting w/ n

a- song starting w/ a

m- song starting w/ m

e- song starting w/ e

[guardehn]

*deleting the text or self promoting on this will disqualify you*

Hey there lovely people! Lots of new blogs are coming up here and some of them are so good, that I want to give them the chance to join my faves! So here’s Guardehn’s faves 6.0, to give other amazing blogs a chance! :)

I’m choosing again for pineapples yay, because it’s very summerish (ahh where’s the summer people) to me and it’s such good looking fruit hahaha - am I right or am I right?

- R U L E S -

Reblog this post (I won’t look at the likes) - reblog this more than once so I notice you!

Please be following me (guardehn) - I will check!

If you change your blog (and you’re one of my pineapples) and I don’t like it, I’m allowed to remove your blog from my page :((

- P E R K S -

A spot on my faves page here, disguised as pineapple hahaha - what else?

A new friend (me yay!)

A follow from me if I’m not already

Promo’s whenever you want to!!!!!

Html help/blog advice/… etc.

Tons of new followers!

I will queue a lot from you

- H I G H E R  C H A N C E -

No higher chance! Just make sure your blog is on fleek! Awesome theme (@bravethemes - @moonthemes - @volcanicthemes - @themekid -@painthemes ETC.), nice feautures (!!!!!), an url to die for, sqdjjsqdkflfjd posts and a lovely icon! You can ask advice here. I won’t do advice on my main blog.

- O T H E R -

I will choose when I’m happy with the notes (probably around the beginning of April)

I will choose 20-25 blogs (maybe less, maybe more)

Feel free to ask me questions about this

Banner made by the amazing @rehticent, make sure to check out her banner blog @bannersbyrehticent for more masterpieces or even request one by yourself whoohoo!

Good luck, darlings! Stay flawless <3

Love, Julie xx

[sexatoxbridge]

Dear Anon (who asked, “How can you be friends with people that are frankly bullies? There is a Larry circle of utter assholes and I'm just baffled at how vile they can be against Zayn.”),

It’s quite simple: I’m not. 

I don’t follow or surround myself with people that are bullies. And I certainly don’t follow anyone who is vile about Zayn given that I don’t believe the narrative that’s been built around him since March of 2015.

One of the first things Zayn said publicly after leaving was:

Even Simon’s version of this story is bullshit. Zayn wasn’t happy so Simon - Simon COWELL - let 1/5 of his main source of income just quit on the spot one day? And Simon was just like, “There he go…”

Because Simon Cowell just “heard about it” and gave it his best go at convincing Zayn to stay but in the end was like, “There, there. Here’s a record deal.” No. Simon Cowell is a manipulative psychopath and somehow managed to skirt over the fact that he relentlessly worked these boys as hard as he could for five years expecting them to die the noble death that most boybands do (RIP NSYNC) and trying to make as much money as possible off of them before they did. 

Zayn might be the literal embodiment of this gif:

But I still love that hoe. I love his music…literally the intro to Mind of Mine is some of the best fifty-seven seconds of music I’ve ever heard. Not to mention the rest of the album which deserved so much more than the half-arsed promo it got. No doubt thanks to the fact that it’s still linked to Syco’s ineptitude.  

So yeah when people are having their petty bitch fests about how much they hate Zayn I’m just like 

Because it is distinctly hypocritical to sit here and analyse everything ever about Louis and Harry but as soon as Dan fuckin Wootton whispers Zayn’s name it’s gospel? I think not. Niall even told everyone not to pay attention to the media.

Why has Liam gone out of his way to make everyone aware that he’s still friends with Zayn?

And why was Zayn part of the RBB tableaus? 

Five x’s for five members.

Look at all dat yellow.

So, yeah. That’s why every time I see people hating on Zayn I’m like 

I don’t know the truth, but I do know that what has been printed about Zayn leaving is so wildly inconsistent with the actions of the band and Zayn. And Liam is out here trying to shut down all the rumours himself. He gonna take everyone who badmouthed Zayn out like 

Anyway, I’m not posting that ask, since you explicitly asked me not to. Also it names specific people and I don’t need to give them any direct attention on my Pro-Zayn blog. 

If you’re interested in reading more about my thoughts on Zayn you can go here: http://sexatoxbridge.tumblr.com/tagged/sao+zayn or follow @mellygrant who is Zayn’s personal Hype Man.

And finally...for all the people being vile...just think, What Would Harry Styles Do? 

Thank you for your ask! xx

[geek-scientist]

tag thingy

tagged by the love of my life @haileyahayes!! (srsly tho...love....light of my life.....i would die for her....)

Rules: Tag 20 people you want to know better

Name: Andrea  Nicknames: Andy, Dre, or DreDre B) Star sign: pisces pls spare me from these homestuck thoughts Height: 5′5″ Hogwarts House: gryffindor but I honestly feel like a gryffinpuff Favourite colour: grey like the color of my room, sounds super angsty but it’s a really pretty grey (think rainclouds??) Favourite animal: I HAVE TOO MANY AH Average hours of sleep: anywhere between 6-8 hours ye Favourite fictional character: y the fuck would u make me choose  Number of blankets I sleep with: 3  Favourite singers/bands: right now it’s panama, the wombats, kings of leon, and the xx Dream trip: new zealand!! there’s a national park where the rivers have beds made out of jade :’) Dream job: wildlife conservationist yo When was this blog created: 2012 I think holy s hit Current number of followers: 693 (so if anybody wants to promo me.....pls do..) When did your blog reach it’s peak: hmmm I think it was last year when I posted all the AX 2016 pictures, a lot of people liked them!  Why I created this blog: at first this was meant to be an aesthetic blog but then some asshole introduced me to homestuck and it was all downhill from there Time right now: 8:57 AM Last thing googled: I THINK IT WAS GHOST BLOWJOB BECAUSE I WAS LOOKING FOR A POST FOR A FRIEND I SWEAR AHH Last movie watched: I think it was angus, thongs, and perfect snogging I love that movie :’)  Last TV show you watched: Voltron season 2 yeaaahhh boy B) What are you wearing right now: my comfy pj’s  What kind of stuff do you post: a clusterfuck of memes, fandom related shit, signal boosts, current event related stuff, just a lot of stuff  Do you have any other blogs: yes I do! I have a collab blog with of course @haileyahayes, an aesthetic blog, and an 18+ blog (pls do not seek that one out if ur a minor I beg of u) Do you get asks regularly: HAHA Why did you choose your URL: I’m a science major and also totally punk rock Gender: she/her Pokemon team: mystic  Lucky number(s): 3, 7, and 24

we all know I never tag all 20 ppl so here goes: @bluubelle @thathoereallydidthat @treerainbellabina @ewtord @crystalbohemes @sinister-taint @xarazura @mintyscones @spacegirlie @expandpigeon

I’m sorry if I’ve tagged any of u before, I have a terrible memory and also if u don’t wanna do this, that’s all good! for those of u that do and haven’t been tagged yet, by all means go for it and say I tagged u✨

[maxfreedmanwrites-blog]

My Favorite Albums of the First Half of 2017, RANKED

A lot of indie royalty has returned with new music in 2017, but that’s just not what I’ve been here for the past few years and especially not this year. Taking that a step further, a lot of my favorites this year are artists of smaller stature that already had somewhat of a following but then really blew up this year. And another step further, a lot of these artists are ones I’d been iffy on before but strangely wound up loving this year. The music spans the styles you’d expect from me—female vocals, electronic instrumentation or melancholy guitar arrangements, music mostly produced by one person despite having a full band feel, and some hip-hop sprinkled in. And I’m writing about it all super casually, rather than in ~journalist style~ as I do in my published work that you can find in the WRITING tab up above (yeah shameless self-promo!).

Something else I noticed about this year: I listened to a lot of albums that were just plain uninteresting or maybe even forced. Not bad, just super unappealing. Usually, I’m able to try an album three or four times before moving on; this year, I can think of something like ten albums that I had to stop like six or seven tracks in and question why music journalists have chosen to focus so strongly on these albums. Maybe I’m just jaded via my work with brand new, developing artists, but damn the hype machine sometimes focuses on some truly unmoving, ordinary music. You can ask me for examples if you like, but I try not to publicly shit on bands that aren’t Parquet Courts.

Before I go on to my top ten albums of the first half of 2017, here are ten honorable mentions, in artist alphabetical order, with one short phrase on why I like the album and my favorite song from it. 

Presented as Artist – Album (Label), and * = I work with this artist

Arca – Arca (XL) | A generation’s experimental production genius gone intimate and sensual, but without losing any of his signature strangeness | “Desafio”

Blanck Mass – World Eater (Sacred Bones) | Industrial dance music for people who like their songs to continue growing in catharsis over lengths that would bore the average listener | “Silent Treatment”

Cloud Nothings – Life Without Sound (Carpark) | A band with two bonafide noise rock classics taking the noise out and hitting cruise control | “Internal World”

FOAM – Coping Mechanisms (self-released) * | A band that should be on Exploding in Sound and has both jokes AND millennial anxiety | “Get On Board”

Hand Habits – Wildly Idle (Humble Before the Void) (Woodsist) | Candle-burning, effervescent guitar music for the introverted poet in all of us | “All The While”

Kelly Lee Owens – Kelly Lee Owens (Smalltown Supersound) | Techno and ambient pop songs for the foggy, sparsely packed dancefloors hiding inside warehouses | “CBM” (note: this song originally came out in 2016 which is why I excluded it from my songs of 2017 list)

Kendrick Lamar – DAMN. (Top Dawg Entertainment) | The poet of our time, musically at his most accessible and lyrically at his most relatable | “FEAR.”

Laser Background – Dark Nuclear Bogs (Mutual Crush/Endless Daze) | Fun, squawky power pop that’ll lower your pretensions and excite you the way a great new friend should | “Hymnals”

The xx – I See You (Young Turks) | The one indie royalty return worth getting behind in full so far this year, amping up the grooves and production to riveting effect | “Dangerous”

Yoke Lore – Goodpain EP (Independent Label Alliance) * | Five songs that pop nerds and M83/Panda Bear fans can find common ground in | “Only You”

BONUS: June releases that I’m still getting to know due to how new they are (I started writing this all in the beginning of June) but would all likely be mentioned somewhere here otherwise: Big Thief – Capacity (Saddle Creek); Lorde – Melodrama (Republic); Palm – Shadow Expert EP (Carpark); Palehound – A Place I’ll Always Go (Polyvinyl); Vince Staples – Big Fish Theory (Def Jam)

And now for the main attraction. But first, a Spotify playlist containing the three essential tracks I’ve chosen for each album: https://open.spotify.com/user/126489514/playlist/2PNmHCr6uTYK47K2q1KqSG

10) Feist - Pleasure (Interscope)

Okay, I’ll admit it: I’m pretty sure I had only casually heard Feist’s songs—and by that, I really just mean “1234”—until like the end of 2015 or so. I’m not really sure what inspired me to listen to all her albums out of nowhere, but The Reminder struck the most of all of them. It’s got a few songs that I’ll take to my grave—hot take, James Blake’s “Limit to Your Love” is inferior to the cover—so even though I’m still not sold on Metals, I was very excited to learn in March that the rumors of a new Feist album had been confirmed. And Pleasure happens to be her best yet, on an album level; there are about five songs on The Reminder that totally dunk on anything here, but as full-album experiences go, Pleasure is, well, an absolute pleasure. By my fourth or fifth listen, I had small segments of “Get Not High, Get Not Low,” “I Wish I Didn’t Miss You,” “A Man Is Not His Song,” and “I’m Not Running Away” stuck in my head. Leslie Feist’s voice can burrow into my brain like a worm into an apple, and since it’s very often the center of attention here—this is certainly her most barren album—I’m sold. An album that’s both minimal and stacked with strong riffs—you hearing those guitars on “Pleasure,” “Century,” and “Any Party”?—sounds like just what I needed. This really feels much shorter than 53 minutes. Bonus points for the hilarious, wicked Mastodon sample that ends “A Man Is Not His Song.”

Essentials: “Any Party,” “Century,” “I’m Not Running Away”

9) Mozart’s Sister - Field of Love (Arbutus)

I had a really good conversation with Mozart’s Sister for FLOOD Magazine back in February that might have influenced how much I like this album. On the surface, this is just your ordinary electropop album; it’s catchy as shit and really well-produced, but what exactly makes it so special? Hearing Caila Thompson-Hannant talk about unabashedly aiming for the most maximalist, overjoyed vibes possible really opened this album up to me. I can imagine the uninitiated hearing ���Moment 2 Moment” and passing it off as cloying, but it’s clearly super-exuberant to the point of addiction. Honestly, these songs are just so ecstatic and sturdy that I can’t let them go. Not everyone could make a rally cry out of the phrase “Oooh, sweetheart, sweet, hickory bump!”; I could imagine a lesser artist turning it into more of an infuriating whine. Of course, no good electropop would be without its fair share of darkness; sure, we can have all-out PC Music-style bangers like “Eternally Girl,” but on “Angel,” we also get the ominous wind-up of everything that precedes the adrenaline of the chorus, and “My Heart Is Wild” has a pretty creepy synth riff beyond that whole “I’m totally implying we should Netflix and chill” narrative. I don’t even know if I would’ve given this album any consideration if not for the 2014 Mozart’s Sister album that had a song with the chorus “street boy, hustle, hustle money/street boy, pussy money, pussy monaaaaaay” that landed in my mailbox when I was a music director, so thanks to college radio for keeping it real.

Essentials: “Plastic Memories,” “Moment 2 Moment,” “My Heart Is Wild”

8) Perfume Genius - No Shape (Matador)

Today, in the art of perfectly fucking titled albums: this fucking album. I casually liked Perfume Genius before 2014’s Too Bright, which is when I got into him a bit more (being gay and not liking “Queen” are mutually exclusive), but No Shape has me totally on board. Which is funny, because this is by far his most experimental and, er, shapeless album; Perfume Genius is the only artist I can think of who has gotten drastically more experimental and more acclaimed with every release. Put Your Back N 2 It had a few songs that got me between the blur of a million similar ballads; Too Bright was entirely interesting, but maybe not always thoroughly engaging. No Shape is engrossing as hell at all times—“Every Night,” “Choir,” and “Die 4 You” in sequence marks one of the most bizarre and incomparable passages I can recall in recent years, yet every second is thoroughly enticing. “Wreath” begins enchanting as could be and ends in a singalong swell that has me clicking replay virtually every time; “Sides” is a regal joy that features Weyes Blood—responsible for 2016’s second-best album, haters come at me—on guest vocals, and she sounds like an angel cracking through a beacon of hell. That’s the exciting thing about the album—it’s all demons that Mike Hadreas is processing, and for every evil spirit he exorcises, the listener gets to experience a serenely rewarding moment. I have no clue how to accurately describe this music, and maybe that’s why I keep coming back.

Essentials: “Slip Away,” “Wreath,” “Sides”

7) Sylvan Esso - What Now (Loma Vista)

Everyone loves Sylvan Esso; how could you not? In 2014, their self-titled album went over well with anyone a musician might want to impress: fans, critics, bookers, all the like. Sylvan is one of few acts I can think of that pretty much universally sits well with the indie crowd despite Pitchfork essentially deeming this incredibly talented duo just mediocre (yes, I do think that Pitchfork, no matter what you think of it, can still make or break an artist’s career). Past bangers like “Hey Mami” and “H.S.K.T.” blended intimate production with a dancefloor sense that naturally drew a big audience; What Now is both that and very much not that. This is a far tenderer affair overall, to be sure, but the notably increased production value and crystalline sequencing isn’t responsible for that, strangely. Even last year’s singles—“Radio” and “Kick Jump Twist,” which vastly preceded the album announcement—felt like a big growth despite remaining pretty firmly rooted in the band’s extant world. But songs like “Die Young, “Song,” and “Signal”? These are new, prettier frontiers for Sylvan Esso, and the duo pulls them off with the confidence of an alt-righter denying global warming (everything is political, kids). Somehow existing in both worlds is the miracle of “Just Dancing,” which is one of the better blends of a personal feel and an undeniable, larger-than-life groove that I can think of in recent times. “When we’re dancing you look just like my man” is an amazingly apt sentiment for this duo’s magic: put on their tunes, ball the fuck out, and suddenly everything feels good, sans all the cosmic obnoxiousness of EDM.

Essentials: “Die Young,” “Kick Jump Twist,” “Just Dancing”

6) Run the Jewels - Run the Jewels 3 (self-released)

Look, it counts for 2017. Christmas 2016 is essentially 2017 given that claiming to understand an album perfectly in your first, like, eight days of listening is just bullshit. And RTJ3 is just not immediate; if RTJ2 was a skull-crushing political document of body-thrusting mayhem and immediate bravado, RTJ3 is a comparatively subtle admonishing of the world’s current political state, even though it was completed well before November 9, 2016. “Call Ticketron” is musically thin as Run the Jewels songs go, yet it winds up being one of the album’s best tracks in due time; “Stay Gold” feels almost stupid until that eighth listen when “brain with an ass girl” suddenly clicks as a line praising smart, self-made women rather than anything resembling the misogyny that so pervasively dominates rap. The relative calmness, if it can even be called that, does tire a bit, but since it paves the way for “Thursday in the Danger Room,” I ain’t mad. Did you ever expect a Run the Jewels song to make you cry? Probably not, but if anything, RTJ3 is full of surprises. El and Mike writing about passed family and friends is devastating, and the goddamn Kamasi Washington sax on the chorus is like getting kicked in the stomach after watching the last episode of Six Feet Under. A tearjerker on an RTJ album? This is certainly their most diverse LP.

Essentials: “Hey Kids (Bumaye) (ft. Danny Brown),” “Stay Gold,” “Thursday in the Danger Room (ft. Kamasi Washington)”

5) Jay Som - Everybody Works (Polyvinyl)

I really liked “I Think You’re Alright” when I heard it back when Jay Som announced she was opening the Mitski/Japanese Breakfast tour last year. But I was never all that hot on Turn Into, even though you’d think it’s pretty damn perfect since Melina Duterte (aka Jay Som) released it on Bandcamp, then had it released on Topshelf, and then again on Polyvinyl. Everybody Works actually is pretty damn perfect (or nearly so). Give it like five listens and this beautiful, caringly layered world that seems specifically bound to that space between waking up and actually feeling awake, that 45 minute period after a cat nap where nothing makes sense and your subconscious thoughts wriggle their way to the front of your brain, will open itself up to you.

It’s really not like these songs are doing anything crazy in terms of structure and lyrics; the soft yet vivid production, the strange instruments that pop in every now and again (trumpet, on “The Bus Song” and especially “For Light,” is probably the best example), and the robust, undeniable melodies (plus the intentionally garbage, hilariously dissonant guitar “solo” on “1 Billion Dogs”) are what get me every time. “Remain” is almost a draft of a song, but Melina’s pillowy vocals suffuse the track so much that it feels as heavy and powerful as something much louder and longer. “Take It” sounds like if Real Estate started putting force into their guitars, and every smack of the drum when these guitars land feels like a revelation. And then there’s fucking “Baybee,” which is a great reminder that TOPS were really onto something in 2014 when they reintroduced everyone to wah, phaser, flanger, and all that good stuff. I really like how this whole album feels like Melina’s whispering in your ear to help you come back to the real world, but living in her fantasyland ain’t too bad either.

Essentials: “The Bus Song,” “Baybee,” “Take It”

4) Gabriel Garzón-Montano – Jardín (Stones Throw)

Gabriel Garzón-Montano really likes fruit and insects. I generally don’t care for either of these things (don’t @ me, fruit eaters). Yet even though Jardín is rife with both of these as metaphors for love stories, I can’t pull away from this album. Its best song has a chorus that chants “walk like a tangerine” (a friend suggested this might mean “walk with flavor”), yet I’m not running away. If anything, Garzón-Montano’s brilliantly soulful arrangements and shit-hot vocals keep me coming back to what I’d call the best R&B album since Anderson .Paak became 2016’s MVP with Malibu (which, yes, is also totally a hip-hop album). Dude knows how to write a hook or three, and the line his production walks between D’Angelo’s neo-soul classics and the storied hip-hop instrumentalists that built up Stones Throw, the label that released Jardín, makes for endlessly replayable songs.

This whole affair sounds like if someone who grew up on ‘90s soul music went back in time to an early jazz club and jammed out with the folks there. Tell me the organ (I think it’s very, very synthetic organ) that hums throughout “Sour Mango” isn’t classic jazz. Tell me the bass that slaps under “Crawl” isn’t classic jazz either. And really, tell me the whole smoky sheen and brass section of “Bombo Fabrika” isn’t classic jazz. But what really pushes Gabriel to the top, for me, is how his voice can be pretty damn snarly even at its most soulful. The chorus to “My Balloon” is one of the very best things this album offers, and it’s shockingly nasal for a vocal passage on a soul song, but oh man is it exciting. I would love to take this guy’s balloon to the moon (his own words) and hang with him there for a while.

Essentials: “Fruitflies,” “The Game,” “My Balloon”

3) Fufanu - Sports * (One Little Indian)

Last year, I chose not to include bands I work with on my year-end lists. No more of that! Fufanu is too fucking good to be denied another chance for me to do something beneficial for them. I was going to say I don’t understand why Sports has such a low Metacritic score compared to this Icelandic band’s previous album, but I do, despite not agreeing with it; a lot of people are going to pass Fufanu off as a very ordinary post-punk band (whereas Few More Days to Go, from 2015, is alarming in a way that so much of post-punk is said to lack, though I far prefer Sports). Specifically, a lot of post-punk diehards might pass Fufanu off as such; as someone who also listens to a fuckton of electronic music, I hear a revolution in the ten songs that make up Sports.

Fufanu was originally Captain Fufanu, a techno duo. No, the word fufanu did not gain any meaning when the band name shortened; it’s a made-up word for Fufanu’s made-up world where post-punk and techno come from the same grooves. There’s a big techno heart that drives “Sports,” the title track that’s so good that radio dug it the most of all these songs even though it’s six minutes long and there’s no radio edit. You hear that groove, that synth bursting throughout this thing? That’s techno, baby. It’s in the heart of the stuttering “Gone for More,” the potential pop hit “Just Me,” and the mystifying outro of “Syncing In.” And even when it’s not there, these songs are just gorgeous. When the tremolo guitars swoop in for the final chorus of “Bad Rockets,” it transforms the song from artfully meandering into a nearly out-of-body experience. “Your Fool” is such a gorgeous piece of introspection that it barely needs synths to get its point across, and “White Pebbles” is unsettling as hell without even a synth in earshot.

To give you an idea of just how good this album is, my favorite song has changed about once per month since I first heard this album in October (we began working it in December, and it came out in February). “Sports” to me seemed like the obvious winner for a moment, but then “Just Me” swooped in as the album highlight. “Gone for More” and “Syncing In” had their time in the spotlight too. But I’ve settled on “Liability” as the breadwinner here; it opens the door for any and all Interpol fans to walk right in, but that synth crunching under it suggests something way more forceful than anything Interpol ever came up with (no hate on Interpol, “Slow Hands” and “PDA” are untouchable), and then the guitar break after the second chorus delivers. But the fun’s not over: you ready for another guitar line with 30 seconds left in the song? That’s when the percussive tension breaks too, and even without synths, you’re dancing. So Sports really is a world where electronic music revolutionizes post-punk.

Essentials: “Sports,” “Just Me,” “Liability”

2) (Sandy) Alex G – Rocket (Domino)

A month ago, I was Team (Sandy) Alex G Is Overrated (But Not Bad, I Just Don’t Really Get It). And now here we are, with his newest album sitting this high up on this list. How did we get here?

Let me explain my journey with (Sandy) Alex G. In fall 2014, back when he was just Alex G, I’d heard his name around a lot, but I’d never listened to his music. Then his album DSU landed at the radio station where I was music director (eternal shouts to 90.3 the Core), and I figured I’d review it for adds since I wanted to know what this guy was like. So I put it on during my car ride back from my internship and I. Did. Not. Like. It. At. All. We later got the Trick reissue, and then Alex G signed to Domino and announced Beach Music. I somehow caught him live like five times between the announcement and the release even though I wasn’t a fan, but even then, I was really, really down with his live show. There’s an aggression and confrontational nature to his performances that are definitely not captured on his recordings (or, weren’t—more on that later), which became a frustration of mine as I kept trying out the recordings of someone I once labeled “Elliott Smith, but half-assed.” Sorry Alex. Please forgive me. Although I do still think Beach Music is trying way too hard to be experimental, save “Kicker,” which rules.

So naturally, I had no plans to listen to Rocket, but then someone in my office put it on just to give it a try. I remember going from “what the fuck, is this fucking Alex G?” to “okay, this is really interesting” when “Horse” came on to “oh my GOD wait is this still Alex G?” when “Brick” came on. I immediately downloaded Rocket and put it on as soon as I left work. I definitely liked it. Around my third listen or so, I became addicted to it, and hell, I still am addicted to it. A lot of the press on the album has focused on how country-infused it is for an Alex G record, which might be what got me; although mainstream, major-label, commodified country music is possibly my least favorite thing ever, finely produced, dimly lit country and folk music (i.e., “Jolene” instead of “Not Ready To Make Nice”) is my hotspot, as are the lineage of 2010s women who take cues from it (Angel Olsen, Sharon Van Etten, Lady Lamb, Adrianne Lenker and her band Big Thief, etc.). So yeah, this thing is like if Elliott Smith (enough with this comparison?) embraced banjos, bluesy arrangements, and violins without making it sappy, taking it overboard, or just going full fuckin’ cheeseball with it.

Opener “Poison Root” nails it, really. It’s like a homespun recording of angst, but with an earworm banjo line, and I hear it in my head constantly. I also hear “Proud” in my head constantly because “Poison Root” doesn’t even transition into this song; it just abruptly ends and leaves us with this moving, five-minute piece with male-female vocal harmonies that walk the shrill-affecting line meticulously. “Country” is another one that really sticks, with that soft, bluesy, faded guitar line and those high-pitched, almost nasal vocals. I could write a ton of praise on each of these songs, but I also can’t do that to you, I just can’t, so I’ll just use “Powerful Man” as the best example of how this country-meets-classic-Alex-G thing is so strong—you hearing this really personal tale of not letting a close friend’s (forgivable) mishaps affect the relationship? The funny family story that suddenly becomes one of the most moving sentiments I’ve heard on record this year with “I guess I should have more sympathy/I ain’t never raised a kid/but I bet I’d do a good job if I did”? And the droning sing-speak it’s delivered in? What a song.

Oh, and we haven’t even talked about “Brick,” the greatest Show Me The Body song that never was. This hardcore song hidden in the very middle of a country-ish album, this song that’s still infinitely replayable despite how clunky its lyrics and petulant its lyrics about a failing relationship are, this two minutes of pure gore, violence, and aggression that couldn’t be any better even though it has flaws, the one Alex G song to date that properly captures his live show’s aggression. What a way to divide two amazing halves of a fantastic album.

Oh, and about DSU? I went back and listened, and it’s actually pretty good.

Essentials: “Proud,” “Brick,” “Powerful Man”

1) Priests - Nothing Feels Natural (Sister Polygon)

I’m tempted to play the full-on grandiose statement game and call this the greatest punk album of all time. It isn’t, but only because it can’t be. Calling Nothing Feels Natural a punk album misses the point entirely.

Okay, sure, Priests first caught attention in 2014 with an EP that certainly fits the classic definition of “punk.” The politics of early Priests haven’t faded in the least (although it’s interesting that Nothing Feels Natural was completed before November 9, 2016), but their songwriting has incorporated all sorts of outside elements into what was formerly solely a punk palette. Across nine songs and 34 minutes, you’ll hear bits of surf rock, dream pop, shoegaze, and even orchestral music. And you know what sells it every damn time? The guitars and the vocals.

“Appropriate” is a pretty damn strong declaration of intent, so it’s a great opener; the drums that launch it immediately demand attention, and the guitars that come in after Katie Alice Greer’s initial screed could mark a quieter passage of a metal song. This comes right before “JJ,” which will almost certainly land in my top 10 songs of the decade; it’s surf rock posing as post-punk, the main riff sounding like a Dick Dale invention pushed through a Joy Division filter. “JJ” is driving, hilarious, and unflaggingly catchy all at once, with passages about which cigarette brands are best preceding brief breaths for air, melancholy pianos ensuring the interlude doesn’t pass for anything victorious (it plays that role in the outro instead, where “whoever deserved anything anyway/what a stupid concept” sounds like the sage vision of a deity). “Nicki” throws down some of the album’s most poisoned guitar screams at the moments when they’re most necessary; every new chord after the choruses (especially the third chorus) feels like the gates of hell opening. The guitars that arrive after the first verse of “Lelia 20,” the interlude of “Nothing Feels Natural,” and during the outro of “Pink White House” all feel the same—every note, every chord feels like an ice-cold, super-hot stab directly to the heart.

And this is all without even getting into the lyrics and Katie Alice Greer’s voice. Katie sneers, sings, and whispers over the course of this album, each vocal mode feeling perfect for the moment birthing it. That little quiet section in “Appropriate” where she’s pretty much mumbling and then brings it up to a full snarl? Classic. The little growl before the second verse of “JJ”? Damn. The utter melancholy of “Nothing Feels Natural”? Amazing. And the unusually high-pitched regions of “Suck”? Thrilling. Whether Greer’s singing about consumerism, a shitty ex-lover, men who talk over women, or solitary confinement, she knows exactly the sort of vocals she should provide. I could pore over the lyrics for you, but one of the exciting things about Nothing Feels Natural is that, even at its most political, what Greer’s saying tends to rank second to how she’s delivering her words; “Lelia 20” is probably one of the album’s less political moments, but her vocals throughout are sharp and engaging. Although the social commentary across the album is on point as hell, Greer’s vocals are so transfixing that she could say really anything and it would feel amazing. The exception to this rule is “Nothing Feels Natural,” which is such a devastating analysis of solitary confinement, one that feels like a personal meditation on a close friend or family member’s passing, that its lyrics can’t be ignored. It’s her softest, most delicate vocal performance to date, and it’s really unforgettable.

Special shouts to “No Big Bang,” though. This is the first Priests track to have drummer Daniele Daniele on vocals (because she wrote it). It jumps out from the page a bit even though Nothing Feels Natural is such a fantastic experience throughout; since this is a Daniele song, the drums are especially booming and complex. How the hell is she nearly rapping as she lays down patterns this wild? She finds an amazing match for the frantic delivery and narrative of her lyrics in these wild, head-spinning grooves she’s throwing out. It’s pretty impressive that “No Big Bang” fits so well in the middle of Nothing Feels Natural despite how different it is from the album’s other eight songs, but that’s just the hallmark of a classic album, one that can transform a cynic into a full-on stan.

Essentials: “JJ,” “JJ, “JJ,” Just kidding, it’s actually “JJ,” “Nothing Feels Natural,” and “Pink White House”