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agentnico · 5 years

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Top 20 Best Movies of the Decade (2010′s)

Now that we have entered the 2020s, it’s time to look back on a decade of movie magic. To emphasise the importance of each year, I’ll balance things out by including two films from each year for my Top 20 list. I’ve tried to pick films that both defined this decade as well as appealed to me personally, so my list will of course, as always, be different from yours, but hopefully, I won’t totally irritate you with my humble choice, which I deem worthy to post online for the public eye to witness.

2010:

INCEPTION - “You’re waiting for a train...” Christopher Nolan unarguably is the most exciting and original directors working today. Each time he releases a movie, its an event. A literal must-see at the cinema. Which is why this isn’t the only film of his you will find on this list. With Inception, Nolan gives us a movie that is both enjoyable and imaginative, rewarding the audience for the attention that it demands. Filled with so much detail that if you miss certain shots, you will completely get lost in confusion of the narrative (as confusing as it already is). It’s intense and complex, with great performances from the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy, this movie will leave you lingering for more even after that mysterious ending.

SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD - “You cocky cock! You'll pay for your crimes against humanity!” Once again, another exciting director on this list (oh there are so so many!). Ever since Edgar Wright emerged from the British isles, he’s given us some of the funniest films of the past decade and onwards. His Cornetto Trilogy is a blast, Baby Driver is a blast, Ant-Man was going to be even more of a blast if Marvel allowed Wright to do his magical shenanigans his way, and the upcoming Last Night in Soho will surely be a blast also. With Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Wright creates a meta-clever universe taking inspiration from comic books and video games and filled to the brink with wink-wink-nudge-nudge humour, this is an exciting and very sarcastic over the top endeavor. Also, Brie Larson in this movie.....phew!! And unsurprisingly, its all a blast!

2011:

DRIVE - “I just wanted you to know, just getting to be around you, that was the best thing that ever happened to me.” Drive is more of an elegant exercise in style, and its emotions may be hidden but they run deep. A shamelessly disreputable, stylish, stoic, ultra-violent thriller with amazing stunt work, one of the best opening sequences of any movie this decade and a neon-pumped soundtrack that’s a must-own for all vinyl users, if you still haven’t seen Drive, there’s only one thing you can do. Clue: it’s to go watch Drive.

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL - “Your mission, should you choose to accept it...” Tom Cruise’s deal with the devil allows him to do some literally impossible stuff, and though I don’t condone his Scientology ways, the man’s stunt work and efforts in his area of expertise are worth all the praise and respect. To be honest, I’m commemorating all three of the Mission Impossible flicks that graced our screen this year (Ghost Protocol, Rogue Nation and Fallout). This franchise is like a game of dodgeball, except that Tom Cruise is the dodgeBALL, being thrown and thrust left and right like nobody cares. Also, with me being Russian, the fact that a movie manages to destroy the Kremlin and then have me not hate the film in the aftermath shows that this film is way too fun to hate.

2012:

DJANGO UNCHAINED - “Gentlemen, you had my curiosity, but now you have my attention.” Quentin Tarantino is one of my favourite directors working today. And Django Unchained happens to be my favourite film of his. The writing for this film is orgasmic (I went there!). The way the actors deliver the lines and the lines of dialogue themselves sound almost poetic to my ears. I can quote so many lines from this darn thing. The cinematography is immaculate. The soundtrack choice is great. The performances, my goodness, the PERFORMANCES!! Jamie Foxx does arguably his career-best work here, but also we have Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio both chewing up the scenery, and I’m sure everyone has heard the story involving DiCaprio and the broken glass. Django Unchained is an easy choice on this list for me, and possibly in my Top 10 of all time.

LES MISERABLES - “Do you hear the people sing?” The film that is based on a musical that is based on a book that is based on certain true events. Tom Hooper did an interesting choice of having actors sing live in front of the camera during filming rather than pre-record their voices, and it works to grand effect, though Russell Crowe should have probably been given more singing lessons. The movie is one hell of a way to adapt such a popular stage musical. With an opening shot that emphasises the scale of this picture with a zoom-in towards this big ship during a storm being pulled by these poor prisoners, we are plunged into the despair and conflicts of various characters with adroit narrative thrust so that not a moment feels wasted or redundant. You’d think that a film with hardly any dialogue and an overall reliance on singing wouldn’t be so emotional. Yet, somehow, it works. Also props to Anne Hathaway for winning an Academy Award for being in a film for only 5 MINUTES!!

2013:

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET - “Sell me this pen.” Martin Scorsese’s mad look into Wall Street life is a bombastic caper and running at nearly 3 hours, Scorsese and his editing team manage to keep an astoundingly intoxicating pace that keeps you enthralled and engaged throughout. This one is definitely not for the families, as this R-rated fest is filled with drugs, money, sex and everything you can possibly imagine and paints quite the picture of the rich folks of Wall Street. And the middle of it all a bravura performance from Leonardo DiCaprio. Someone needs to give DiCaprio’s agent a raise, this is Leo’s third appearance on this list and we’re only in 2013!

THE WAY WAY BACK - “I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave. You're having way too much fun, it's making everyone uncomfortable.” Sometimes a little indie flick is enough to lift a human spirit. Real, fun, uplifting and innocent, The Way Way Back dedicated to anyone who felt awkward or out of place at some point in their life, which, let’s be honest, counts all of us. I’m not afraid to admit that. So stop being a b*** and reveal your sensitive side too! Yes, you, the person reading this. Who else could I possibly be talking to? Myself? Maybe. The Way Way Back though is one of the best feel-good indie films of this decade, with the loveable Steve Carell acting very unloveable and Sam Rockwell Rockwelling himself to charm city! If you’ve missed this one, treat yo’self and check it out.

2014:

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL - “And?? Where is it? What's it all about dammit don't keep us in suspense this has been a complete f***ing nightmare! Just tell us what the f*** is going on!!!” Easily Wes Anderson’s best in my opinion (I have a friend who would argue Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums has the better hand but I think my opinion is more valid because it's me), this movie is a glossy, colorful, whimsical deadpan affair with an energetic turn from Ralph Fiennes as the hotel concierge M. Gustave H. as he and his lobby boy run into various Wes Anderson regulars and deal with murderers, stolen paintings, love affairs, prison breaks, and all kinds of crazy shindigs, but all shown in such a casual Wes Anderson way. This movie is like a slice of cherry pie - damn fine!

INTERSTELLAR - “Murphy’s Law doesn’t mean that something bad will happen. It means that whatever can happen, will happen.” As promised, Christopher Nolan makes another appearance on this list, now with his space time-traveling epic Interstellar, where he takes inspiration from the likes of Kubrick and Tarkovsky to give us, as always, a tad bit confusing adventure with great visuals and an interesting narrative (though it does sometimes get lost in its own way), however, the key thing holding this piece together is the father-daughter relationship with Matthew McConaughey and Mackenzie Foy (and Jessica Chastain) managing to bring so much raw emotion to their respective roles that you can’t help but want to shed a tear. I mean, I haven’t cried for over 14 years, but I remember when I first watched this film, the audience around me was sobbing quite a few times during the duration of this movie. Give it to Nolan to give us the emotional moments!

2015:

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD - “Oh what a day! What a lovely day!!” Easily the best action movie of this decade. Sorry John Wick, neither you or Tom Cruise could defeat this beast. The sheer, limitless invention behind this movie's exhilarating, preposterous chase scenes highlights action filmmaking at its finest. With big monster trucks and a random guitarist rocking-it in the middle of all the action, it’s like a nihilistic version of a Cirque du Soleil show! And it makes Tom Hardy the calmest person on-screen; no idea how it managed that.

STEVE JOBS - “I sat in a garage and invented the future because artists lead and hacks ask for show of hands.” If there is anyone who can make formulaic, mathematical or technological sound fun and exciting, its Aaron Sorkin. The man has a talent for writing screenplays about difficult and complicated topics yet turning them approachable for the casual moviegoer. Pair him with director Danny Boyle, and the result is Steve Jobs, a look at the man behind the phone. Narratively set during three important product launches of Jobs’, we get to see the behind-the-scenes of his relationships with his colleagues and family members, and this character study is one that could have easily fallen into generic biopic tropes, but it holds it’s own right till the credits roll. Also props for showing that Seth Rogen can actually do a serious role. Who would’ve thought that pot-smoking fella had dramatic chops in him?

2016:

NOCTURNAL ANIMALS - “Susan, enjoy the absurdity of our world. It’s a lot less painful. Believe me, our world is a lot less painful than the real world.” Fashion designer Tom Ford does sew his suits well. Apparently, he can also make great films too, with 2009′s A Single Man and with said Nocturnal Animals. This movie is truly incredible and I remember it taking me and my friend by surprise when we first watched it at the cinema. It’s shocking. Horrifying. Depressing. Upsetting. Altogether exhilarating. Being of a fashion background, Tom Ford directs the hell out of this movie, with gorgeous shots and great use of colour as well as managing to masterfully create tension and suspense when necessary. Honestly, I know Tom Ford is probably busy at a department store somewhere, but the guy needs to make another movie. The man has a talent.

LA LA LAND - “Here’s to the ones who dream, foolish as they may seem. Here’s to the hearts that ache; here’s to the mess we make.” Oh, La La Land. Damien Chazelle’s follow-up to the also excellent Whiplash. People who know me well know how much I love this movie. An old-school tour-de-force musical that’s a love letter to jazz and the golden age of Hollywood. The city of stars never looked so good. Featuring catchy original songs, excellent dance choreography (the sequence to the song “Lovely Night” is especially memorable) and a romance tale ten times better than the forsaken The Notebook, La La Land is one special movie. I know many are put off by the film’s not so happy ending, however for me it was the only way this narrative could have ended.

2017:

BLADE RUNNER 2049 - “We’re all just looking out for something real.” Similarly to Nolan, Denis Villeneuve is proving to be one of the most exciting directors working today. He’s the man behind such films as *deep breath* Prisoners, Enemy, Sicario, Arrival and Blade Runner 2049. And those have all been done within the last decade. The man constantly makes quality movies of various genres, though lately, he has been leaning more towards science fiction, which is a-okay in my books, since as Blade Runner 2049 proves, he can turn science into fiction like butter on bread. A sequel made 30 years after Ridley Scott’s classic, this visually breathtaking piece is arguably even better than its predecessor with many moments giving you the “wow wow wow wow wow WOW!” factor, and when Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford are both on-screen they are dynamite. Forget the new Star Wars film (that’s right, I'm throwing shade there), Blade Runner is where it’s at!

PHANTOM THREAD - “The tea is going out. The interruption is staying right here with me.” The supposed last Daniel Day-Lewis film, as he has now apparently retired from acting, but let’s be honest, nothing stops him from simply unretiring at any point. Exhibit A - Joe Pesci. However, like Pesci, if he comes back I’ll only be happy. He’s one of acting greats of our time, and his collaborations will director Paul Thomas Anderson bring out some of his best roles. Phantom Thread is a marvel of a movie. No, I don’t mean that’s its part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I mean as in it can fill one with wonder and astonishment. Phantom Thread is PTA’s Gothic dark fairy-tale romance film, which expertly planned shots and scenes where every word of the dialogue counts. There is no wasted moment. And as the film transpires to its dark and unsettling climax, one begins to realize that this, THIS, is what filmmaking is about. Telling an engrossing story in an interesting way with crisp-clear shots and off-the-chart acting at play, with great costume design on display, although the latter is unsurprising due to a major aspect of the movie revolving around fashion.

2018:

MANDY - “You ripped ma shirt!! You ripped maaa shiirrt!!” An acquired taste for sure, however, Mandy is indeed something truly special. From first glance, this film might seem like nothing out of the ordinary, especially from the point of view of the plot. Its the usual revenge flick. However director Panos Cosmatos’ vision and how he presents it is so much more unique. And what’s not love in this film? There’s something for everyone! It’s artsy and slow enough for the critics, hip and metal for the nonchalant, gory and violent for the hardcore genre fanatics and of course the Nic-Cage-rage factor is present for the fans of the actor. Alright, it may not be a family film, but this one is worth a watch. The whole thing is bound together by this psychedelic otherworldly environment, with the whole movie conceived in this dark, unsettlingly beautiful yet horror-filled aura that might stray people away, as it might be just too different for them, however, if you are looking for something different to watch, take mandy. I mean, watch Mandy!

A STAR IS BORN - “Music is essentially 12 notes between any octave. Twelve notes and the octave repeats. It’s the same story told over and over. All the artist can offer the world is how they see those 12 notes.” The film that began all the rumours surrounding Bradley Cooper’s and Lady Gaga’s affair. People, heads up, they are actors! They were putting on a performance! Jeez. That being said, I totally ship them. Nuff’ said. The film though? Yes, it’s good. Some country-style music, romance blooming, Gaga can apparently act, people sing about shallows for some reason...all together works for a pretty decent motion picture. Also, the fact that Bradley Cooper wrote, directed, produced and starred in this gives me so much respect for the guy. He poured his heart and soul into this. And Lady Gaga absolutely shines!

2019:

PAIN & GLORY - “Writing is like drawing but with letters.” Director Pedro Almodovar semi-autobiographical film takes a close look at how one deals with acceptance, being forgotten, symptoms of depression and generally all fairly negative attributes, but delivered in such an honest and profound way that there is a strange lightness that emerges from it all. Antonio Banderas is uncannily vulnerable in the lead role, delivering such an earnest performance that shows a man that is filled with melancholic regret who seeks his own form of redemption. This movie is a thing of beauty.

PARASITE - “You know what kind of plan never fails? No plan at all. If you make a plan, life never works out that way.” Parasite is easily the most original and surprising films of 2019, and possibly the decade, managing to subvert expectations and blend together so many different genres so naturally. To spoil any narrative element of this movie would be a sin, like this one in particular works best when not knowing anything about it. This movie comes to us from Bong Joon-Ho, a South Korean director behind such films as The Host, Memories of Murder, Okja, and Snowpiercer. It’s nice to see the awards ceremonies giving him the proper recognition finally. He deserves it.

That sums up my Top 20 Best Movies of the Decade list. Of course, there are so many other great films that came out in these 10 years, such as Whiplash, When Marnie Was There, Paterson, Silence, Kubo and the Two Strings, The Nice Guys...I can go on forever. Cinema is a constant ever-growing medium, and it is fascinating to see how it changes through the years, in some ways improving and in some parts not so much. In any case, I look forward towards a new decade of, hopefully, great movies, however, let’s be honest, for all these great films there’s always a Norm of the North, a Scout’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse or frickin’ Cats. But let’s hope those will be kept to a minimum. In any case, bring on the 2020s!

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davidmann95 · 4 years

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Superman’s 10 Best of the ‘10s

Good Miracle Monday, folks! The first third Monday of May of a new decade for that matter, and while that means that today in the DC Universe Superman just revealed his secret identity to the world on the latest anniversary of that time he defeated the devil, in ours it puts a capstone on a solid 10 years of his adventures now in the rear view mirror, ripe for reevaluation. And given there’s a nice solid ‘10′ right there I’ll go ahead with the obvious and list my own top ten for Superman comics of the past decade, with links in the titles to those I’ve spoken on in depth before - maybe you’ll find something you overlooked, or at least be reminded of good times.

A plethora of honorable mentions: I’m disqualifying team-ups or analogue character stories, but no list of the great Superman material of the last decade would be complete without bringing up Cave Carson Has A Cybernetic Eye #7, Avengers 34.1, Irredeemable, Sideways Annual #1, Supreme: Blue Rose, Justice League: Sixth Dimension, usage of him in Wonder Twins, (somewhat in spite of itself) Superior, from all I’ve heard New Super-Man, DCeased #5, and Batman: Super Friends. And while they couldn’t quite squeeze in, all due praise to the largely entertaining Superman: Unchained, the decades’ great Luthor epic in Superman: The Black Ring, a brilliant accompaniment to Scott Snyder’s work with Lex in Lex Luthor: Year of the Villain, the bonkers joy of the Superman/Luthor feature in Walmart’s Crisis On Infinite Earths tie-in comics, Geoff Johns and John Romita’s last-minute win in their Superman run with their final story 24 Hours, Tom Taylor’s quiet criticism of the very premise he was working with on Injustice and bitter reflection on the changing tides for the character in The Man of Yesterday, the decades’ most consistent Superman ongoing in Bryan Miller and company’s Smallville Season 11, and Superman: American Alien, which probably would have made the top ten but has been dropped like a hot potato by one and all for Reasons. In addition are several stories from Adventures of Superman, a book with enough winners to merit a class of its own: Rob Williams and Chris Weston’s thoughtful Savior, Kyle Killen and Pia Guerra’s haunting The Way These Things Begin, Marc Guggenheim and Joe Bennett’s heart-wrenching Tears For Krypton, Christos Gage and Eduardo Francisco’s melancholy Flowers For Bizarro, Josh Elder and Victor Ibanez’s deeply sappy but deeply effective Dear Superman, Ron Marz and Doc Shaner’s crowdpleasing Only Child, and Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine DeLandro’s super-sweet Mystery Box.

10. Greg Pak/Aaron Kuder’s Action Comics

Oh, what might’ve been. In spite of an all-timer creative team I can’t justify listing this run any higher given how profoundly and comprehensively compromised it is, from the status quo it was working with to the litany of ill-conceived crossovers to regular filler artists to its ignominious non-ending. But with the most visceral, dynamic, and truly humane take on Clark Kent perhaps of all time that still lives up to all Superman entails, and an indisputably iconic instant-classic moment to its name, I can’t justify excluding it either.

9. Action Comics #1000

Arguably the climax to the decade for the character as his original title became the first superhero comic to reach a 1000th issue. While any anthology of this sort is a crapshoot by nature, everyone involved here seemed to understand the enormity of the occasion and stepped up as best they could; while the lack of a Lois Lane story is indefensible, some are inevitably bland, and one or two are more than a bit bizarre, by and large this was a thoroughly charming tribute to the character and his history with a handful of legitimate all-timer short stories.

8. Faster Than A Bullet

Much as Adventures of Superman was rightfully considered an oasis amidst the New 52′s worst excesses post-Morrison and in part pre-Pak, few stories from it seem well-remembered now, and even at the time this third issue inexplicably seemed to draw little attention. Regardless, Matt Kindt and Stephen Segovia’s depiction of an hour in the life of Superman as he saves four planets first thing in the morning without anyone noticing - while clumsy in its efforts at paralleling the main events with a literal subplot of a conversation between Lois and Lex - is one of the best takes I can recall on the scope on which he operates, and ultimately the purpose of Clark Kent.

7. Man and Superman

Seemingly geared on every front against me, built as it was on several ideas of how to handle Superman’s origin I legitimately hate, and by a writer whose work over the years has rarely been to my liking, Marv Wolfman and Claudio Castellini’s Man and Superman somehow came out of nowhere to be one of my favorite takes on Clark Kent’s early days. With a Metropolis and characters within it that feel not only alive but lived-in, it’s shocking that a story written and drawn over ten years before it was actually published prefigured so many future approaches to its subject, and felt so of-the-moment in its depiction of a 20-something scrambling to figure out how to squeeze into his niche in the world when it actually reached stores.

6. Brian Bendis’s run

Controversial in the extreme, and indeed heir to several of Brian Bendis’s longstanding weaknesses as a writer, his work on The Man of Steel, Superman, and Action Comics has nevertheless been defined at least as much by its ambition and intuitive grasp of its lead, as well as fistfuls of some of the best artistic accompaniment in the industry. At turns bombastic space action, disaster flick, spy-fi, oddball crime serial, and family drama, its assorted diversions and legitimate attempts at shaking up the formula - or driving it into new territory altogether, as in the latest, apparently more longterm-minded unmasking of Clark Kent in Truth - have remained anchored and made palatable by an understanding of Superman’s voice, insecurities, and convictions that go virtually unmatched.

5. Strange Visitor

The boldest, most out-of-left-field Superman comic of the past 10 years, Joe Keatinge took the logline of Adventures of Superman to do whatever creators wanted with the character and, rather than getting back to a classic take absent from the mainline titles at the time as most others did, used the opportunity for a wildly expansive exploration of the hero from his second year in action to his far-distant final adventure. Alongside a murderer’s row of artists, Keatinge pulled off one of the few comics purely about how great Superman is that rather than falling prey to hollow self-indulgence actually managed to capture the wonder of its subject.

4. Superman: Up In The Sky

And here’s the other big “Superman’s just the best” comic the decade had to offer that actually pulled it off. Sadly if reasonably best-known for its one true misfire of a chapter, with the increasing antipathy towards Tom King among fans in general likely not helping, what ended up overlooked is that this is a stone-cold classic on moment of arrival. Andy Kubert turns in work that stands alongside the best of his career, Tom King’s style is honed to its cleanest edge by the 12-pager format and subject matter, and the quest they set their lead out on ends up a perfect vehicle to explore Superman’s drive to save others from a multitude of angles. I don’t know what its reputation will end up being in the long-term - I was struck how prosaic and subdued the back cover description was when I got this in hardcover, without any of the fanfare or critic quotes you’d expect from the writer of Mister Miracle and Vision tackling Superman - but while its one big problem prevents me from ranking it higher, this is going to remain an all-timer for me.

3. Jeff Loveness’s stories Help and Glasses

Cheating shamelessly here, but Jeff Loveness’s Help with David Williams and Glasses with Tom Grummett are absolutely two halves of the same coin, a pair of theses on Superman’s enduring relevance as a figure of hope and the core of Lois and Clark’s relationship that end up covering both sides of Superman the icon and Superman the guy. While basically illustrated essays, any sense of detached lecturing is utterly forbidden by the raw emotion on display here that instantly made them some of the most acclaimed Superman stories of the last several years; they’re basically guaranteed to remain in ‘best-of’ collections from now until the end of time.

2. Superman Smashes The Klan

A bitter race for the top spot, but #2 is no shame here; while not quite my favorite Superman story of the past ten years, it’s probably the most perfectly executed. While I don’t think anyone could have quite expected just *how* relevant this would be at the top of the decade, Gene Yang and Gurihiru put together an adventure in the best tradition of the Fleischer shorts and the occasional bystander-centered episodes of Batman: The Animated Series to explore racism’s both overt and subtle infections of society’s norms and institutions, the immigrant experience, and both of its leads’ senses of alienation and justice. Exciting, stirring, and insightful, it’s debuted to largely universal acknowledgement as being the best Superman story in years, and hopefully it’ll be continued to be marketed as such long-term.

1. Grant Morrison’s Action Comics

When it came time to make the hard choice, it came in no small part down to that I don’t think we would have ever seen a major Golden Age Superman revival project like Smashes The Klan in the first place if not for this. Even hampering by that godawful Jim Lee armor, inconsistent (if still generally very good) art, and a fandom that largely misunderstood it on arrival can’t detract from that this is Grant Morrison’s run on a Superman ongoing, a journey through Superman’s development as a character reframed as a coherent arc that takes him from Metropolis’s most beaten-down neighborhoods to the edge of the fifth dimension and the monstrous outermost limits of ‘Superman’ as a concept. It launched discussions of Superman as a corporate icon and his place relative to authority structures that have never entirely vanished, introduced multiple all-time great new villains, and made ‘t-shirt Superman’ a distinct era and mode of operation for the character that I’m skeptical will ever entirely go away. No other work on the character this decade had the bombast, scope, complexity, or ambition of this run, with few able to match its charm or heart. And once again, it was, cannot stress this enough, Grant Morrison on an ongoing Superman book.

#Superman #Miracle Monday #Opinion

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aion-rsa · 4 years

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Hamilton: Ranking Every Song from the Soundtrack

https://ift.tt/2YTCryx

Imagine the experience of being one of the first individuals to see Lin-Manuel Miranda’s now-classic Hamilton: An American Musical live.

The first thing you notice is the spartan, largely empty stage. Then as Leslie Odom Jr. takes the stage as Aaron Burr followed by Miranda’s Hamilton, you realize that this production about America’s founding fathers is made up almost exclusively of People of Color. That’s a lot to take in from the start. At a certain point, however, you’re bound to realize that the play is about 40 minutes in and The. Music. Has. Not. Stopped.

In addition to its many ingenious quirks and hooks, Hamilton is truly a musical musical. Miranda’s book and lyrics about one of the country’s most colorful and impressive founders has a lot of ground to cover. And it does so at a musical sprint with almost no expository time-wasting in-between.

As such, the Hamilton soundtrack is a staggeringly impressive piece of recent culture. At 46 tracks spread out over nearly two and a half hours, this album closely replicates the experience of a show most could never get a ticket to live. A passionate, thriving Hamilton fandom rose up out of that soundtrack and it continues through to this day.

Now, with Hamilton about to be more accessible than ever by joining Disney+, we decided to rank all 46 of those tracks.

46. Hurricane

The hurricane that ravaged Alexander Hamilton’s Caribbean island home of St. Croix was a crucial part of his life and led to him securing passage to the United States. But the song “Hurricane” uses the storm late in the play as a tortured metaphor for his turbulent public life. It’s undoubtedly the least energetic and weakest full song on the Hamilton soundtrack.

45. Farmer Refuted

“Farmer Refuted” does well to capture a young Hamilton’s rhetorical brilliance early on in the play but doesn’t hold up well against other, more fully crafted tunes. Hercules Mulligan mumbling “tear this dude apart” is certainly a soundtrack highlight though.

44. The Story of Tonight (Reprise)

What would any Broadway musical soundtrack be without a reprise or two? “The Story of Tonight (Reprise)” is certainly fun. But, ultimately, tales of Hamilton’s legendary horniness would have been better suited with a full song.

43. Schuyler Defeated

Just about every line of dialogue in Hamilton is sung… including heavily expository moments like Burr defeating Hamilton’s father-in-law in a local election. The subject matter and lack of true musical gusto makes “Schuyler Defeated” one of the least essential tracks in the show.

42. We Know

It’s a testament to how strong the Hamilton soundtrack is that a song like “We Know” could appear this low on the list. This account of Jefferson and company informing Hamilton of what they know is quite good; it just pales in comparison to the song in which they uncover Hamilton’s misdeeds.

41. It’s Quiet Uptown

This is sure to be a controversial spot on the list for this much-loved ballad. “It’s Quiet Uptown” is indeed composed quite beautifully. It also features lyrics that seem to be almost impatient in nature – as though the song is trying to rush the Hamiltons through the grieving process to get back on with the show.

40. Take a Break

Part of the miracle of Hamilton is how the soundtrack is able to turn rather mundane concepts and events in Hamilton’s life into rousing, larger-than-life musical numbers. “Take a Break” is charged with dramatizing the notion that Hamilton simply works too much with a sweetly melancholic melody. It does quite a good job in this regard but naturally can’t compete with some of the more bombastic songs on the list.

39. Stay Alive

Set in the brutal dredge of the Revolutionary War, “Stay Alive” is a song about desperation. And between its urgent piano rhythm and panicky Miranda vocals, it does quite a good job of capturing the appropriate mood. It also feels like one long middle with no compelling introduction or conclusion.

38. Best of Wives and Best of Women

Talk about “the calm before the storm.” “Best of Wives and Best of Women” captures one last quiet moment between Alexander and Eliza before Aaron Burr canonizes his one-time friend to the $10 bill. It’s brief, lovely, and effective.

37. The Adams Administration

Hamilton wisely surmises that the best way to introduce audiences to new eras of its title character’s life story is through the narration of the man who killed him in Aaron Burr (Leslie Odom Jr.). Odom Jr.’s real flare for showmanship turns what could be throw-away intros into truly excellent material. It also features a hilarious nod to Sherman Edwards’ 1776 musical when Hamilton says, “Sit down, John” and then adds a colorful, “you fat motherf***er!”

36. A Winter’s Ball

Again: Burr’s monologues are always a welcome presence in these tracks. And in “A Winter’s Ball,” he does some of his best work by setting up Burr and Hamilton’s prowess… “with the ladiessssss!”

35. Meet Me Inside

Despite a brief running time, “Meet Me Inside” is able to establish George Washington’s general bona fides and Hamilton’s daddy issues in equal measure.

34. Your Obedient Servant

“Your Obedient Servant” is Hamilton’s loving ode to passive aggression. In just two minutes and thirty seconds, you’ll believe that two grown men could somehow neg themselves into a duel via letter-writing.

33. The Reynolds Pamphlet

You know that old adage of “he could read out of a phonebook and it would be interesting?” Well Hamilton basically does that with “The Reynolds Pamphlet.” The ominous music injects real import into the simple act of writing that would upend the Hamilton family’s lives.

32. That Would Be Enough

Eliza’s refrain of “look around, look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now” recurs at the beginning of “That Would Be Enough” in a truly touching way. This song is a real tonal whiplash from the revolutionary battles and duels that precede it, but it is ultimately strong enough to bring the focus back to Alexander and Eliza and not just the hectic world they inhabit.

31. The Story of Tonight

“The Story of Tonight” is both a clever drinking song among bros and a subtle setup for the show’s larger theme of one’s story being told after they’re gone. The song is both affecting and effective, just a little too short to stand out and make big waves on our list.

30. Blow Us All Away

“Blow Us All Away” is a fun, jaunty little ditty from Anthony Ramos’ Philip Hamilton. It rather ingeniously incorporates the young Philip’s own musical motif before ending in tragedy.

29. Stay Alive (Reprise)

It’s hard for any song to emotionally contend with the death of a child in under two minutes but “Stay Alive (Reprise)” does a shockingly good job. There’s a real sense of urgency to the music before it settles in for poor Philip to say his final words.

28. Burn

Musically, “Burn” is not one of the better ballads in Hamilton. Lyrically, however, its power is hard to deny. Phillipa Soo does a remarkable job communicating Eliza’s pain at her husband’s betrayal. More impressive is how she communicates the only way to work through that pain, which is through burning all of his personal correspondences and writings to her.

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27. The Election of 1800

Hamilton is the rare musical where one character can sing “can we get back to politics please?” and the audience’s response is “hell yeah!”. The show is uncommonly good at dramatizing boring political processes, and “The Election of 1800” is no exception. The song builds up to a pseudo-reprisal of “Washington on Your Side” in a shockingly effective and cathartic way.

26. History Has Its Eyes on You

“History Has Its Eyes on You” is a powerful recurring phrase through the entirety of Hamilton. Each and every time the concept comes up in a song, it truly stands out. Strangely though, the song that bears its name is only in the middle of the pack in terms of the show’s numbers. Perhaps it’s because it occurs near the middle of the first act, before we can properly appreciate its heady themes?

25. Aaron Burr, Sir

One of Hamilton’s most charming traits is how readily it acknowledges what an annoying pain in the ass its lead character can be at times. “Aaron Burr, Sir” is literally the second song of the entire musical and helps establish its playful tone as much as the bombastic opening number establishes a deadly serious one.

24. Guns and Ships

Ballads are nice. “I want” songs are nice. Recurring motifs are nice. But sometimes you need a song that just goes hard. Thanks to “America’s favorite fighting Frenchman” that’s what “Guns and Ships” delivers. Lafayette actor Daveed Diggs faces an enormous challenge in Act One by filling out the character’s growth in bits and pieces. “Guns and Ships” is the reward, where a fully unleashed (and English-fluent) Lafayette makes it very clear what hell he has in store for the British army.

23. Washington on Your Side

Thomas Jefferson is such a dynamo of a presence in Hamilton that one could be forgiven for forgetting how infrequently he turns up. Jefferson (and Daveed Diggs) is operating at an absurdly high capacity in “Washington on Your Side.” Meanwhile the music has a ball keeping up with the increasingly incensed backroom scheming of Jefferson and his “Southern motherfucking Democratic-Republicans!”

22. Right Hand Man

Thirty-two thousand troops in New York Harbor. That’s uh… that’s a lot. While the second act of Hamilton has to work a little harder to capture the drama of the inner-workings of a fledgling government, the first act is able to absolutely breeze through some truly epic and exciting songs covering the Revolutionary War. “Right Hand Man” is one such ditty that really captures the frenetic urgency of a bunch of up-jumped wannabe philosophers trying to topple the world’s most powerful empire.

21. The Schuyler Sisters

Honestly, “The Schuyler Sisters” deserve better than its placement on this list. It’s just that everything that comes after is such a banger, that it’s hard to justify moving up the dynamic introduction of Angelicaaaa, Elizzzaaaaa… and Peggy.

20. Ten Duel Commandments

Imagine how insane you would sound in circa 1998 explaining that there would one day be a musical about the founding fathers that uses the framework of Notorious B.I.G.’s “Ten Crack Commandments” to describe the duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. Then imagine how insane you would sound when explaining that it was great. “Ten Duel Commandments” doesn’t cover the “big” duel of Hamilton. It’s a teaser for what’s to come. Thankfully it’s a hell of a good teaser.

19. Cabinet Battle #2

Hamilton’s two cabinet battles run the risk of being the cringiest part of the show. Every concept has its stylistic limit, and a rap battle between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson should absolutely fly past that limit. Somehow, however, the novelty works and the creativity of Miranda’s writing shines through.

18. Cabinet Battle #1

The two Cabinet Battles are pretty interchangeable on the list. #1 gets the nod because of “we know who’s really doing the planting.”

17. What Comes Next

The trilogy of King George III songs is some of the most purely joyful songwriting on the Hamilton soundtrack. We can dive into the specifics of what really works about the songs in a later entry. For now, know that “What Comes Next” falls the lowest on our list due to featuring only one round of “da-da-da’s.”

16. I Know Him

“I Know Him” also features only one burst of “da-da-da’s.” But it still gets the nod over “What Comes Next” for King George III calling John Adams “that little guy who spoke to me.”

15. Dear Theodosia

Perhaps more so than any other character in Hamilton, Aaron Burr works best on his own. The character (and the man he was based on) plays things close to the vest by design. It’s only through his musical soliloquies that we get a real sense of the guy. That’s what makes “Dear Theodosia” so powerful in particular. Burr wants the same thing for his daughter that Hamilton wants for his son: “Some day you’ll blow us all away.”

14. One Last Time

George Washington owned slaves. Yeah yeah, you can bandy around the usual “bUt He ReLeAsEd ThEm AlL lAtEr In LiFe” all you want. At the end of the day, it’s an inescapable fact for the country to confront. It’s a hard thing for Hamilton, however, a show realistic about America’s flaws but still reverential to its founding story, to deal with. Hamilton presents the George Washington of American mythos for the most part and he strikes an undeniably impressive and imposing figure. To that end, “One Last Time” is one of the most unexpectedly moving songs in the show. Washington is committing one of the most important and selfless acts in American history by stepping aside. Yet there’s a real sense of sadness as the cast chants “George Washington’s going hooo-ooo-ooome.”

13. Non-Stop

“Non-Stop” is an extremely atypical choice for an Act-ender. Hamilton could have just as easily chosen to wrap up Act One with the rebels’ victory over Great Britain. Instead it takes a moment to process that then deftly sets up the rest of its story with “Non-Stop,” which is simply a song about Hamilton’s insane work ethic. The key to the track’s success is how relentless it is, as if it were trying to keep up with and mimic the title character’s pace. Then there are all the usual exciting Act-ending reprisals and recurring motifs to boot.

12. Say No To This

Just as was the case in Hamilton’s life, Maria Reynolds has only a brief role in the show, but her influence casts quite a long shadow. “Say No To This” is a real showcase for both Miranda and Maria actress Jasmine Cephas Jones. This is a devastatingly catchy jazzy number about marital infidelity…. as all songs about marital infidelity should be.

11. Alexander Hamilton

“How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore / And a Scotsman, dropped in the middle of a forgotten spot / In the Caribbean by providence impoverished / In squalor, grow up to be a hero and a scholar?” our narrator Aaron Burr asks in Hamilton’s superb opening number. A play with so many moving parts, and such a high-concept needs an indelible opening track to convince audiences that the madness that is about to follow is worth waiting for. “Alexander Hamilton” is more than up to the task. This is an exhilarating starter that introduces its audience to all the important characters, themes, and sounds of the show. It also has its lead character spell out his full name in a rap, which somehow ends up being awesome and endearing rather than corny.

10. Wait for It

Just like the rest of us, Burr is the main character of his own story. And the show allows him to tell that story in songs like “Wait For It.” “Wait For It” is an exciting, downright explosive bit of songwriting. It’s every bit the “I want” song for Burr that “My Shot” is to Hamilton. And just like Burr and Hamilton are two sides of the same coin, so too are these two songs. Burr is alone once again in this powerful number. And he uses that privacy as an excuse to loudly… LOUDLY exclaim his modus operandi. He comes from a similar background as Hamilton and he wants mostly the same things as Hamilton. The difference between the two of them is that Burr is willing to wait for it all.

9. The Room Where it Happens

Bless this musical for having a song as brilliant as “The Room Where it Happens” only just being able to crack the top 10. There are hundreds of musicals in which “The Room Where it Happens” would be far and away the standout number. For Hamilton, it’s ninth. “The Room Where It Happens” is another example of the show taking a seemingly bland topic (backroom deal-making) and turning it into something transcendently entertaining for its audience and something transcendently illustrative for its characters. This is the song where the borders between Aaron Burr: Narrator and Aaron Burr: Vengeance-Seeker come down. Burr starts off as a patient observer of what kind of nefarious negotiations go into the building of a country before his frustration slowly builds into the recognition that he needs to be in the room where it happens.

8. Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story

Truly there is no more fitting ending to Hamilton than “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story.” At its core, this is a play not only about legacy but about the fungible nature of legacy. Alexander Hamilton is gone and we know his story lives on. But who will tell that story? Like any good closing number, “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story” knows the importance of bringing back many of the play’s core concepts and characters. And none of those are more important than Eliza’s assertion that she is ready “to write herself back into the narrative.” In the end, it’s not the revolutions or the pamphlets but the love. And that’s how one finds oneself in the absurd position of crying over the guy on the $10 bill.

7. What’d I Miss?

Lin-Manuel Miranda has described Thomas Jefferson as the show’s Bugs Bunny. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the ludicrously jaunty track that opens up Hamilton’s Act Two. There might not be a more joyful or outright hilarious three minutes in any of the soundtrack’s 46 songs. After several years spent living it up in France, Daveed Diggs’s TJ returns to the United States. The rest of his fellow revolutionaries have moved on to R&B and rap, but Jefferson is still stuck in full on jazz mode. “What’d I Miss” serves as the perfect introduction to a crucial character and the themes of the show’s second half.

6. The World Was Wide Enough

If “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story” is designed to make the audience cry, then “The World Was Wide Enough” exists to make them gasp. This penultimate song is a truly stunning piece of work. This is a sprawling performance that brings back “The 10 Duel Commandments” in expected yet still emotional fashion. Then at the play’s climactic moment, it cuts out the music entirely to make room for Hamilton’s internal monologue – his one last ride through all the pages he won’t write. Finally it covers the grim aftermath of Burr and Hamilton’s duel as the survivor grapples with what he has done. There is a lot packed into these five minutes of song and each moment is more compelling than the last.

5. You’ll Be Back

If absolutely nothing else in Hamilton worked – if the characterizations were off, if the costumes were too simple, if the “Founding Fathers rapping” concept couldn’t be executed – the play’s two and a half hours all still would have been worth it for this one, tremendously goofy song. King George III (portrayed by Jonathan Groff in the original Broadway production) pops up three times throughout the show to deliver pointed little reminders to the American colonists about how good they used to have it. The first time around is by far the best, in large part because it’s so charmingly unexpected and weird. By the time King George III gets to the “da-da-da” section of his breakup song with America, it’s hard to imagine anyone resisting the song… or the show’s charms.

4. My Shot

While “You’ll Be Back” may go down as the most enduring karaoke song from Hamilton, “My Shot” is almost certainly the play’s most recognizable and iconic tune. Every musical needs an “I want” song in which its lead articulates what they want out of this whole endeavor. Rarely are those “I wants” as passionate and thrilling as “My Shot.” This was reportedly the song that Miranda took the longest to write and it’s clear now to see why. Not only is “My Shot” lyrically and musically intricate, but it does the majority of play’s heavy lifting in establishing Hamilton as a character. Just about everything we need to know about Alexander Hamilton and what drives him is introduced here. And the work put into “My Shot” makes all of its recurring themes and concepts hit so much harder in the songs to come.

3. Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)

In many ways, “Yorktown” benefits from the precedent that earlier songs like “My Shot” established. This is a song that puts energetic renditions of previous lines like “I’m not throwing away my shot” and “I imagine death so much it feels like a memory” to grand use. But for as much as “Yorktown” deftly invokes Hamilton’s past, what makes this song truly special is how solely focused it is on the present. To put it quite simply: “Yorktown” goes hard. It is fast, harsh, chaotic, and thrilling. This is the song that captures the moment that American troops defeated the British empire and “the world turned upside down.” It’s to the song’s immense credit that the music and lyrics capture the enormity of the moment. Also, there’s “stealing the show” and then there’s what Hercules Mulligan (Okieriete Onaodowan) does here in “Yorktown.” We’re in the shit now, and Hercules is loving it.

2. Helpless

“Helpless” might be pound for pound the best musical moment in all of Hamilton. It’s a simple, seemingly effortless love song that, even removed from the context of the show, would sound beautiful coming out of anyone’s car radio on a lovely summer day. Within the context of the show, it’s even better. It acts as a rare moment of celebration for all the characters involved before the Revolutionary War really gets churning and before a young America needs capable young Americans to guide it. What makes “Helpless” truly great, however, is the song that follows it…

1. Satisfied

Wait, wait… why is Angelica saying “rewind?” Why do we need to rewind? We had such a lovely night! The transition between “Helpless” and “Satisfied” is Hamilton’s greatest magic trick. The former presents a night of unambiguous love and celebration. Then the latter arrives to teach us that there is no such thing as “unambiguous” in Hamilton. In a truly remarkable performance, Angelica Schuyler (Renée Elise Goldsberry) teaches us what really happened the night Hamilton met the Schuyler sisters. Angelica will never be satisfied, and it’s because she’s “a girl in a world in which (her) only job is to marry rich.” Hamilton and Eliza’s story is a love story. But it’s also a story of Angelica’s loss. “Satisfied” imbues the musical with a sense of subtle melancholy that it never quite shakes through to the very end. “Satisfied” is the emotional lynchpin of Hamilton, and as such also its very best song.

The post Hamilton: Ranking Every Song from the Soundtrack appeared first on Den of Geek.

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chorusfm · 7 years

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It’s hard to overstate just how tumultuous the past decade of Paramore’s career has been. Since before the recording of Brand New Eyes the band has been regularly rocked by near career-ending shifts. While some bands are lucky enough to go through no lineup changes throughout their career, or when lineup changes do happen the splits are often amicable, Paramore has had no such luck. I don’t need to rehash any of the details of this unrest except to say this: While the turmoil would crush almost any other band, the members that have remained, or returned, to Paramore have fought through all adversity to arrive at After Laughter, the crowning achievement of their career so far.

At once a deeply wistful look back at the past decade-plus of the band’s history and a clear eyed assessment of the future, After Laughter is a record about the moments between total heartbreak and absolute elation. These in-between moments allow us to pick up the pieces broken during the former and come down from the euphoric high of the latter, and reassess what our purpose is here on this floating rock. These moments make up the vast totality of our time on Earth, but for some reason they don’t often feel as romantic.

To use one one of the album’s song titles, After Laughter is a record that is “Caught in the Middle” between joyous sounding music and some of the most dark, introspective lyrics that vocalist Hayley Williams has ever written. The aforementioned song, which begins with a bouncy bass line and could easily have been a No Doubt song from the 90s, starts off with Williams baring her soul and her insecurities: “I can’t think of getting old / It only makes me want to die / And I can’t think of who I was / ‘Cause it just makes me want to cry.” It’s these moments that make After Laughter the most honest Paramore record to date.

Nowhere is this seen more than on “Fake Happy,” a song about how we as humans have a tendency to put on a brave face for the people around us. I have thought a lot about this recently, in light of realizing just how dehumanizing social media is. We let the world see into a tiny sliver of our lives, the brightest moments, while blocking out the darkest parts from view. It’s an inherently unhealthy way to live life, a fact that Williams seems to have come to terms with during the writing process of After Laughter. “Fake Happy” is a song about learning to be open and honest about your insecurities and fears (“If I go out tonight, dress up my fears, you think I’ll look alright with these mascara tears.”), displaying them proudly instead of try to hide them (“I’m gonna draw my lipstick wider than my mouth, and if the lights are low they’ll never see me frown.”)

On a record where Paramore wear their Fleetwood Mac influence on their sleeve, “26” is the band’s “Landslide.” There’s the obvious musical comparison in how a simple acoustic ballad swells into a string composition, one that emphasizes the simple timeless tune in a way that feels effortless instead of overpowering. But lyrically, the song is as stirring and contemplative a tune as “Landslide.” Featuring a clever callback to the band’s 2009 single “Brick By Boring Brick,” “26” develops into a song about holding on to dreams even when your surroundings seem bleak. Williams synthesizes all of the wisdom she has learned over the course of recording the album into the song’s bridge: “Reality will break your heart / Survival will not be the hardest part / It’s keeping all your hopes alive / when the rest of you has died / So let it break your heart.” Without doubt, this is After Laughter’s defining moment.

In a stroke of brilliance, the band enlists Aaron Weiss of meWithoutYou to helm the song “No Friends,” which functions as both an “Idle Worship” outro and a standalone song. The song features a number of lyrical references to Paramore’s early material, “another song I wrote that’s too long god knows no one needs (Looking Up) more misguided ghosts / more transparent hands / they drop a nickel in our basket and we’ll do our Riot dance.” Of all the endlessly fascinating things about “No Friends,” one of the most interesting is that it is essentially a meWithoutYou song embedded within the construct of a pop record. The band apparently gave Weiss free reign to create his own lyrics for the track, which have the same dense, anti-chronological storytelling Weiss’s music often displays. Weiss’s vocals also seem intentionally buried in the mix, to have the musical effect of forcing you to “lean in,” listening closely to the track to catch his words and to turn the turn the track up to ear splitting levels and let its trance-like quality wash over you.

I do think in all honesty I could spend days deep-diving into every track, and I think that just speaks to how meticulously crafted this 12-song collection is.

At about the midway point of the album, Paramore comes through with the perfectly timed “Pool,” which sounds like the perfect mid-2000s pop song. I grew up listening to a Christian radio station in central New Jersey, and the first song I can ever remember really falling in love with and calling my favorite song was Stephen Curtis Chapman’s “Dive.” I doubt the connection between the two songs was intentional, but listening to “Pool” reminds me of the feeling of growing up listening to that song and the exhilaration of falling in love with music.

While the throat-shredding vulnerability of “All I Wanted” and the post-rock bombast “Future” are both iconic previous closers, the band throws a complete sonic curveball with After Laughter’s closing track “Tell Me How”. They settle in to the most mellow conclusion of their career. The sparse instrumentation puts the emphasis on Hayley’s frank, personal lyrics. “Of all the weapons you fight with, your silence is the most violent.” It’s a contemplative way to round a record that belies an unsettled nature to Williams’s personal issues. Just as “Fake Happy” evaluates society’s tendency to put on a brave face in public, “Tell Me How” excoriates the idea that you have to have to have a situation figured out before you can write about it.

One of the many things I find most rewarding about Paramore is just how much they seem to be open-eared listeners of music, and that they trust that their fans are too. You can hear that in their praise of Talking Heads or OK Computer, or in their statement that they were trying to rip off Tame Impala when they first starting writing for After Laughter. But most importantly, you can hear it in the music, which pays great respects to the movements of pop music throughout the past few years towards rhythmic percussion, Caribbean/tropical beats, and bombastic, 80s guitar sounds, while still synthesizing in so many of the things that make Paramore who they are.

You can hear echoes of Paramore’s past here in the ever present characteristics of its three members. Hayley’s savant-like ear for melody and bridge-writing talents, Taylor York’s delicate acoustic guitar playing, Zac Farro’s frenetic drumming style. But more importantly, it’s a record rooted in the present. Most remarkably, it’s a record where a cheerleader chant as audacious as “Low Key! No Pressure! Just hang with me and my weather!” can stand alongside a string quartet and a xylophone hook on the same side of one record, with none of the three feeling out of place. It’s just a seamless amalgam of everything there is to love about and in pop music.

I’m sure Paramore is aware that there will always be people clamoring for Riot Pt. 2, and whereas on albums past they might have been more inclined to give it to them, at least for a song or two (See “Part II” from the self-titled), there seems a willful desire to move past that sort of, excuse the reference, rose-colored hindsight. If you forget everything you thought you knew about Paramore and go in with fresh ears, you will be treated with one of the very best pop records of the moment and one of the most impactful listens in recent memory. So put on your best pair of headphones, or take this in your car and drive around, and, to paraphrase the words of “Pool,” dive right back in.

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mrwilliamcharley · 6 years

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The Remix Pack Vol. 039

Kick off the week with fiery new remixes from Felix Cartal, MELVV, Justice Skolnik, Laxcity, Kwon, Tisoki, and more. Also check out our banging Run The Remixes playlist on Spotify with all our all-time favorite remixes, updated weekly.

Ellie Goulding X Diplo – Close To Me (feat. Swae Lee) [Felix Cartal Remix] | Stream

Felix Cartal is starting off the year on a high note. After being tapped for an official remix of MØ’s “Blur,” Felix Cartal dropped a glorious remix of Billie Eilish’s “When The Party’s Over”. Keeping up the momentum, Felix Cartal has stepped up with an official remix of Ellie Goulding and Diplo‘s “Close To Me”. Lifting the track into a euphoric pop-house anthem, Felix Cartal surrounds Ellie Goulding’s vocals with luscious guitar melodies, deep bumping basslines, and glittery percussion. Felix Cartal has created a vibe with this one.

Katelyn Tarver – Kool Aid (MELVV Remix) | Stream

MELVV is stepping up with some fiery remixes this year. Having already flipped Petit Biscuit’s “Safe,” MELVV is back with a playful spin on Katelyn Tarver‘s “Kool Aid”. Flooding the pop original with flirty melodies, snappy percussion, and wonky synths, MELVV crafts a glitchy future pop banger. MELVV has outdone himself with this one.

Alina Baraz – Floating (feat. Khalid) [filous Remix] | Stream

Filous has grown to become one of our favorite remixers with his delicate indie takes on artists like Jeremy Zucker, Kiiara, and now Alina Baraz. Spinning Alina Baraz and Khalid‘s “Floating” into a sensual indie electronic dream, filous fills the track with gorgeous guitar melodies and breezy percussion. Easy and breathtaking, filous’ “Floating” remix will instantly hypnotize any listener. This is one of filous’ finest remixes to date.

ODESZA – White Lies (Justice Skolnik Remix) | Free Download

Justice Skolnik has kept us on our toes this year with a multitude of flawless remixes of Disclosure, Jai Wolf, and most recently LSD. Clearly, Justice Skolnik has no intention of stopping, as the future bass artist just released an amazing remix of ODESZA‘s “White Lies.” The track remains true to Justice’s signature sound and comes across more as a future house song than a future bass. With beachy bells, rich pianos and crisp drums, Justice Skolnik’s flip of “White Lies” is the perfect spring/summer jam for those months around the corner. This is one of Justice Skolnik’s finest remixes yet. – Aaron Root

San Holo – Lift Me From The Ground (Laxcity Remix) | Free Download

Laxcity has become one of our favorite rising artists with his shimmering debut album Catharsis and recent official remix of Ekali and Medasin’s “Forever“. Back with another stunning flip, Laxcity has reinvented San Holo‘s “Lift Me From The Ground”. Drifting into a romantic future bass dream, Laxcity’s luxurious downtempo remix is pure perfection. Laxcity has proven himself a force to be reckoned with.

Post Malone & Swae Lee – Sunflower (Kwon Edit) | Stream

Kwon has consistently impressed with his remixes of Manila Killa and AObeats, Jai Wolf, and Captain Cuts. Reemerging with a vibrant new edit, Kwon has taken on Post Malone and Swae Lee‘s “Sunflower”. Kwon brings a luscious downtempo future feel to the track by adding deep throbbing basslines, electrifying synth melodies, and crisp percussion. Kwon has stepped up with a vibey new favorite.

Billie Eilish – bury a friend (Elijah Hill Remix) | Free Download

Rising producer Elijah Hill has been gaining traction with his dark takes on Khalid, Twenty One Pilots, and Ava Max. Back with his second Billie Eilish remix, Elijah Hill has flipped “Bury A Friend” into a gritty trap banger. Ghostly and ominous, Elijah Hill spills eerie basslines and twitching percussion over the Billie Eilish original. Elijah Hill is definitely one to keep an eye on this year.

Party Favor – Blame (feat. Naïka) [Tisoki Remix] | Stream

Party Favor absolutely stunned with his recent single “Blame” and now he’s tapped Tisoki for a bass heavy remix. Anthemic and explosive, Tisoki amplifies “Blame” with grungy basslines and wild trap melodies to take the track to a whole new level. Tisoki has seriously stepped up with this one.

The Chainsmokers – Hope (Parker Remix) | Free Download

Parker exploded onto the scene with his wild Spark EP but has been quiet in recent months. Making a splash with a new remix of The Chainsmokers‘ “Hope,” Parker builds the track into wild trap anthem. Bursting with chaotic basslines, Parker turns the track into a glitchy banger. This is festival trap at its finest.

Deadmau5 – Raise Your Weapon (Voliik Remix) | Free Download

Voliik first caught our eye with his remix of k?d’s “Tokyo” alongside Slooze and he’s back with another monstrous remix. Taking on the heavy task of flipping Deadmau5‘s “Raise Your Weapon,” Voliik does the track justice. Spinning the Deadmau5 classic into a grungy, electrifying bass banger, Voliik has unleashed his dark side. Voliik is definitely one to keep an eye on this year.

TELYKast – Talk Again (BVRNOUT Remix) | Free Download

BVRNOUT has made our radar with this impressive remix of TELYKast‘s “Talk Again”. Soaring with sensational melodies and breezy percussion, BVRNOUT brings an elegant dance-pop spin to the TELYKast original. BVRNOUT is certainly one to watch this year.

Khalid – Better (Rennie! Remix) | Stream

Rising R&B producer Rennie! has caught our eye with his official remix of Khalid‘s “Better”. Sultry and atmospheric, Rennie!’s “Better” remix flows with snappy percussion and easy guitar melodies to craft a sensational downtempo R&B wonderland. Rennie! has absolutely perfected this Khalid remix.

Lauv & Troye Sivan – i’m so tired… (Matte & Alex Cortes Remix) | Free Download

Matte and Alex Cortes‘ latest venture is ready to explode on any dancefloor. Spinning Lauv and Troye Sivan‘s latest hit “i’m so tired…” into a dance-pop gem, Matte and Alex Cortes drape tribal-inspired percussion and glistening melodies around the vocal duet. Flirty and emotional, Matte and Alex Cortes have created a classic with this collaborative remix.

TELYKast – Somebody Else (feat. Jordy) [Squalzz Remix] |

Squalzz has seriously impressed with his official remix of TELYKast‘s “Somebody Else”. Amping the track into a vibrant future bass anthem, Squalzz adds cute xylophone melodies and shiny synths around Jordy‘s pop vocals. Squalzz is a newcomer to keep on the radar.

Ariana Grande – God Is A Woman (We Rose Remix) | Free Download

Up and coming duo We Rose have been making waves with their remixes of Boombox Cartel and San Holo. Back with another stunner, We Rose have remixed Ariana Grande‘s “God Is A Woman”. Edgy and dramatic, We Rose have crafted an intricate future bass soundscape that beautifully surrounds Ariana Grande’s iconic vocals. We Rose are definitely ones to keep an eye on this year.

Whethan – Savage (feat. Flux Pavilion & MAX) [Synymata Remix] | Free Download

Newcomer Synaymata has exploded with this remix of Whethan and Flux Pavilion‘s “Savage”. Bringing a dark future-trap soundscape to MAX‘s anthemic vocals, Synamata has crafted an explosive remix. Synamata’s “Savage” remix screams festival banger with its harsh synth stabs and bombastic percussion. Synamata has certainly caught our eye with this one.

Zara Larsson – Ruin My Life (Fells & Sleepless Kid Remix) | Stream

Fells and Sleepless Kid have seriously stepped up with their collaborative remix of Zara Larsson‘s “Ruin My Life”. Transitioning the song into a melodic future bass dream, Fells and Sleepless Kid immerse Zara Larsson’s pop vocals in shimmering synths and glittering percussion. Fells and Sleepless Kid’s “Ruin My Life” remix is absolutely magical.

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'The Remix Pack Vol. 039

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newssplashy · 6 years

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LEADVILLE, Colo. — As Goose Gossage, a coffee cup in hand, stepped onto the deck outside his cabin on a recent morning, he considered the view.

Beyond the small lake in front of him, a broad grass valley gave way to an escarpment of spruce and pine that climbed until it ran out of oxygen, leaving exposed the tops of a snowcapped, snaggletooth row of 14,000-foot peaks.

Gossage, who turns 67 next month, first came to the edge of this former mining town one summer in the late 1950s, singing, “America the Beautiful,” while riding in the back of his Uncle Bert’s Jeep on what was then a day trip from his home in Colorado Springs.

Gossage bought one cabin here in 1974, just as his Hall of Fame pitching career took root. He bought the cabin next door, one that belonged to a Maytag heir, in 1978, after the New York Yankees bestowed on him what was then an eye-popping, free-agent contract for a reliever: six years, $2.85 million. Ever since, the cabins have served as retreats — to hunt elk, fish for trout and revel in the solitude.

“I was put on Earth to be a baseball player and to throw a baseball; I’m convinced,” Gossage said. “But my whole life isn’t that. I’ve got another life. I love my life. I love being up here. The mountains — if you’ve ever grown up around an ocean or the mountains, the power of those are incredible. They’re in your DNA.”

If Gossage sees this place as a sanctuary, as the ideal counterweight for the 23 years he spent bouncing from city to city, including a season in Japan, it is not hard to see it now as an island — a place where he is living in exile.

Few sports franchises embrace their history as firmly as the Yankees, and few former ballplayers relish reliving it more than Gossage. But that was not enough to prevent the Yankees from banishing Gossage from two of his most cherished rituals: working as a spring training instructor and participating in Old-Timers’ Day, which is Sunday, when the Yankees play the Tampa Bay Rays.

The culprit, not surprisingly, was his mouth.

In recent years, Gossage had become a headache to the Yankees, railing about what was wrong with today’s game to any reporter who would ask. His short, expletive-laced answer was: just about everything — analytics “nerds,” bat flips, drug cheats and how Mariano Rivera (and other modern-day closers) had it easy throwing just one inning.

Then, when word got out before spring training that Gossage had not been invited to return as an instructor, he incinerated any bridge that might have led to reconciliation, laying into general manager Brian Cashman as “a disgrace” and “an embarrassment.”

Gossage’s pique toward Cashman stems from the general manager’s not returning his call more than a decade ago when Gossage was hoping to garner an invitation to minor league camp for his youngest son, Todd, who had recovered from a detached retina at the end of his college career.

Gossage does not blame the Yankees for casting him out. “I didn’t leave them any choice,” he said.

He understands that these episodes have painted him as a cartoonish character — the foul-mouthed crank whom the game has passed by. “Grumpy old man; get off my lawn; another pie in the face,” he said with a laugh. He particularly likes “get off my lawn.”

Yet a fuller portrait might be of a man who is as vulnerable and bighearted as he can be vicious and boorish, who feels a great debt to the game but can’t find an open avenue to give back.

Or maybe he just can’t let go.

“He’s not very good about accepting the changes because he loves baseball so much,” said his wife, Corna, with whom he has three grown sons. “Everything is always going through change, so you can’t expect it to be the same as when you played. He wants to keep it as pure as it used to be and he can’t, so it’s a source of frustration to him.”

Few have seen as many sides of Gossage as Bucky Dent, who roomed with him in Class A ball in Appleton, Wisconsin, teamed with him to win a World Series, and managed him with the Yankees in 1989.

“There’s a lot of things that people don’t understand because they only see the gruff side of him,” Dent said. “He’s all baseball. His life has been baseball, but he’s got a heart of gold. He’s a lovable guy. I love him to death.”

Asked if he was saddened that Gossage could not restrain himself, Dent said, “That’s just Goose.”

A Fierce Facade

Gossage, who grew up in a working-class neighborhood in Colorado Springs, realized early that he had a gift for throwing things — first rocks, then footballs and baseballs. He had never been out of the state until he boarded a plane for Sarasota, Florida, after the Chicago White Sox drafted him in 1970 and gave him an $8,000 signing bonus.

Shortly before he left, he borrowed his brother’s car and drove to his favorite spot, near the Wilson Ranch, where his father, who had died the year before from emphysema, used to take him to hunt rabbit and deer,.

Gossage sat under a pine tree and cried.

“I was scared to death,” he said. “I thought Hank Aaron and all the greats put their pants on different, that they were fictitious characters that didn’t really exist. But through those tears I had a talk with myself, that there aren’t going to be any woulda, shoulda, couldas. When I made that commitment to myself, I felt this weight off my shoulders.”

The White Sox, the first of nine teams for whom he would play, had the foresight to stick Gossage — with his tempestuous demeanor and blazing fastball — in the bullpen, where he could let his adrenaline ride.

Even now, nearly 50 years later and with a left ankle that had to be fused after decades of landing on it, Gossage ambles in his familiar slump-shouldered, pigeon-toed gait. His hair is white and mostly gone, although his Fu Manchu mustache — the one that somehow evaded George Steinbrenner’s grooming police — remains.

Gossage can still reach back for that intimidating glare, the one that radiates an uncomfortable intensity — particularly when the subject is Cashman. But he admits that it was largely a facade, that the cocksure confidence he projected on the mound was fragile.

So it was that Gossage broke down when he described how Steinbrenner consoled him in private after Gossage gave up a three-run homer to George Brett that sealed Kansas City’s sweep of the Yankees in the 1980 American League Championship Series.

As Gossage wiped away tears, he moved on to another story: how Catfish Hunter extended a hand and then a dinner invitation with several teammates after Gossage had collapsed amid a pile of clothes in his locker after throwing away two bunts in the bottom of the ninth inning in Toronto shortly after he came to the Yankees in 1978.

This brought more tears. “You have no idea what that meant to me,” Gossage said, wiping his eyes.

This is the 40th anniversary of the Yankees’ 1978 championship season. It was the only time Gossage won a title, and he treasures the season because of how it unfolded. The Yankees, after trailing Boston by 14 games in mid-July, caught and passed the Red Sox by mid-September, but could not shake them. The Yankees won six in a row in the final week but lost on the final day of the season to force a one-game playoff at Fenway Park.

While Dent is remembered as the unlikely hero that day for his three-run homer over the Green Monster, Gossage helped the Yankees hang on for a 5-4 victory, stranding the tying run at third base when he retired an old nemesis, Carl Yastrzemski, on a pop-up for the final out.

Two weeks later, he was on the mound at Dodger Stadium, retiring Ron Cey on a pop-up for the final out as the Yankees, after losing the first two games to the Los Angeles Dodgers, clinched the title.

“To go through the absolute lowest, to experience everything in one year, was completely overwhelming,” Gossage said. “After the game that we clinched, after the World Series was over, there was no celebration. We were all sitting at our lockers — I think we were all kind of in disbelief.”

No Olive Branches

Old-Timers’ Day at Yankee Stadium had always been a chance to rekindle memories like those, even if the event has evolved over the years. The former players no longer change into their pinstripes alongside current players in the home clubhouse but in an auxiliary room where stories are not so easily swapped and bonds between generations not so easily forged.

The Yankees have invited eight members of the 1978 team to Sunday’s festivities.

If today’s Yankees are largely petrified of saying something provocative, the Bronx Zoo teams of the late 1970s just needed to be asked.

Manager Billy Martin, perpetually hired and fired, had a drinking problem that was nobody’s secret. Star player Reggie Jackson and captain Thurman Munson openly feuded. Gossage missed two months with a thumb injury in 1979 after he brawled in the showers with burly designated hitter Cliff Johnson. And lording over it all was the bombastic Steinbrenner.

“If those guys didn’t like you, it was honesty,” Gossage said. “Now, nobody says anything no matter how bad it is.”

As he sat in a vintage wooden chair in his wood-paneled cabin, surrounded by his hunting trophies — deer, owls, rams and fowl — the only remnant of his playing days was a Yankees travel bag stuffed with clothes from his home in Colorado Springs. Gossage said he did not watch much baseball these days, maybe an inning here, an inning there. The game, with more strikeouts, more home runs and fewer balls in play than ever, bores him.

The irony, of course, is that many millennials, the ones who might cast him as a dinosaur, feel the same way.

“The strategy is gone,” Gossage said. “Moving guys, cat and mouse, pitchouts — you don’t see that. You don’t see pitchouts because you don’t see steals. You can’t pitch inside, you can’t take out the shortstop, you can’t take out the catcher. Hitters are so offended when they get knocked down because they aren’t expecting it.”

As Gossage got more animated, he turned to replay, which has ensured that most umpiring mistakes are rectified, but at the cost of disrupting the game and largely robbing it of a favorite sight — managers kicking dirt on umpires.

“Wow, that was awesome,” Gossage said. “It woke me up.”

By now, he was worked up — and headed toward his favorite punching bag: the Ivy League-educated numbers wonks who never played the game. They have, he said, turned managers and coaches into baby sitters.

“Here are people trying to control this game that really, really don’t have a clue about the game, period,” he said. “Whatever that computer spits out, that’s it. There are volumes and volumes of knowledge that go into playing baseball — that computer has no idea — and it’s called the human element and it’s everywhere. They think they’ve got it figured out because they won their rotisserie leagues at Harvard.”

Gossage, inflammatory rhetoric aside, has a rather unlikely ally: Rob Manfred, the baseball commissioner. He recently acknowledged that data’s influence had not necessarily been good for the game.

“There is a growing recognition that analytics have produced certain trends in the game that we may need to be more proactive about reversing,” Manfred said last month in an interview with The Athletic. “There are owners that feel that way. There are fans that feel that way.”

But in March 2016, when Gossage criticized Jose Bautista, then with the Toronto Blue Jays, and Yoenis Cespedes of the New York Mets for their exuberant bat flips and decried how analytics nerds were ruining the game, Cashman summoned him.

Cashman asked Gossage to be more considerate, in part because the Yankees have one of baseball’s largest analytics staffs. Before the 2017 season, Cashman called Gossage’s agent, Andrew Levy, extending an offer to return for spring training, but only if Gossage promised not to be disruptive. Levy checked with Gossage, who told the Yankees he was in.

Then, several days into spring training, Gossage, in an interview with NJ.com, decried being compared to Rivera and current Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman, who, unlike Gossage, were rarely asked to get more than three outs.

Another meeting with Cashman ensued, which included Joe Girardi, the manager at the time, and Jason Zillo, the team’s director of media.

Gossage was not invited back this spring.

“We run our organization in a certain way,” Zillo wrote in a statement after Cashman declined to comment. “Goose Gossage believes it should be run in a different way. It is fine to disagree with us and constructive dialogue is a healthy thing, but being disruptive, disrespectful and detrimental to the organization is something different.

“We respect him as a great Yankee and a member of the Hall of Fame,” the statement continued. “But we disagree with his positions and the manner in which he continuously presents them.”

In preparing the statement, Zillo asked if there was any sign of contrition from Gossage, something resembling an olive branch.

It was hard to find one. Peppering his words with expletives, Gossage described having the urge last year to stuff Cashman into a trash can.

“My mom must have been watching over,” he said, “because somebody was telling me: ‘Don’t! Don’t do it.'”

Gossage, who played in a charity golf tournament for the Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center on Monday with several of his former Yankees teammates, said he was sorry he would not be able to experience Old-Timers’ Day, which he has not missed since he was first invited about 20 years ago.

But he was not sorry about anything he had said. “I am absolutely at peace with it,” he said. “I said my say and I’m glad I did. I’m glad I got it off my chest.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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ricardosousalemos · 7 years

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Paramore: After Laughter

Hayley Williams knows how to play the part of the jolly conqueror. Even while singing of anger, betrayal, and disappointment on ever-bigger stages and in technicolor videos throughout the last 13 years, the Paramore leader has projected a pro’s poise along with a child star’s desire to please. Since she was a young teen, Williams has led angsty pop-punk singalongs with the friendly authority of a summer camp counselor. She has bounced around. She has smiled. She has been in complete control. But in the recent video for “Hard Times,” the first single from her band’s fifth album, things are a bit off.

The clip begins with Williams climbing out of a car that’s crashed onto a stage set decorated with cotton-ball clouds, wearing an unsure look: How did I get here? Soon enough, a microphone is put in front of her, and she starts to sing and dance to a bright new-wave bop. But all is not quite right. When she flashes her teeth here, it looks more like a rictus of madness than a sign of genuine pleasure, a wary smile from the rock’n’roll ride Williams has gone through.

Paramore have had enough tabloid-baiting personnel switches to warrant one of those color-coded timelines on the band’s Wikipedia page—because the truth is as long as they have existed, there have been whispers about Williams breaking away as a solo star. Though past members of the Nashville group have quit, whining about their second-fiddle status, you could argue that, by sticking to the idea of being in a rock band with her best friends—not exactly the most au courant concept in an era of ProTools pop—it’s Williams who has made the biggest sacrifice. So, after years of merrily keeping the Paramore lights on, the 28-year-old singer and lyricist considers her life and lets go of her grin on After Laughter.

Which all seems like an immense bummer. But just as this album highlights Williams’ most existentially despondent musings to date, it is also the most fizzy record Paramore have ever recorded. This extreme yin-yang quality is somewhat new for them. When former guitarist Josh Farro was leading the musical charge for their first three albums, his ominous, distorted anthems propelled Williams’ angst as she screamed into the void like a heavy-metal hellion, albeit one informed by a pious Christian faith; on 2009’s Brand New Eyes, which chronicled Farro and Williams’ real-life breakup, the instrumentation and the vocals each fought to tell their side, making for a glorious explosion. After Farro’s departure, guitarist Taylor York took over the musical heavy lifting on 2013’s Paramore, on which the group searched for a new identity, touching on post-rock bombast, string-laden balladry, and the funk-pop of their biggest hit yet, “Ain’t It Fun.” Since then, longtime bassist Jeremy Davis left amid a dispute over songwriting credits (he and the group recently settled a lawsuit) while former drummer Zac Farro, Josh’s brother, returns after six years. All these comings and goings might seem trivial in relation to Williams’ supernova star power, but the drama has always fueled her songwriting, as well as the band’s sound, to an outsized degree.

On After Laughter, York focuses his inspirations the styles of 1980s rock and pop, conjuring a slicked-back take on fixtures like Talking Heads, Paul Simon, and the Bangles. The current members of Paramore barely lived through the ’80s, and for them the decade represents something of an idyll—a time of neon colors and easy rhythms and feel-good fables like The Goonies. Instead of going to war with Williams’ words, the music acts as a gleaming counterpoint, a nostalgic lifeline from one friend to another. On “Forgiveness,” Williams doesn’t offer any, but the song’s lilting Graceland guitars hint at the possibility of a reprieve in the future; “Pool” finds Williams drowning under a wave while the track’s jangling sparkle pulls her above the surface. Music meets message more directly on album highlight “Grudges,” where Williams details her reunion with drummer Zac. “Are you recounting all my faults and are you racking your brain just to find them all,” she sings, peeling apart the fissures of friendship. “Could it be that I’ve changed—or did you?” At this, someone yells “woo!”—or maybe “whew!”—and the whole band tumbles into the chorus.

When the zipped-up hooks falter, though, Williams can seem gauche, especially for someone approaching 30. “Fake Happy” and “Caught in the Middle” come off like the basic complaints of a high schooler, and the maudlin “26” feels indulgent, a teary twinkle that wouldn’t feel out-of-place in a Disney cartoon. Much more intriguing are the album’s final three songs, where Paramore deal with their past and their role as modern idols in surprising ways.

Though After Laughter generally sees Williams exploring the softer nuances of her voice, “Idle Worship” has her seething and spitting as she rejects the heroism that’s so often projected onto her: “You’re wasting all your faith on me.” The song turns Biblical notions of false idolatry, along with radical fear and vulnerability, into a hook built to be sung by thousands of wide-eyed, hair-dyed followers. Meanwhile, “No Friend” is the weirdest thing to ever show up on a Paramore album. Sung by quavering emo intellectual Aaron Weiss of mewithoutYou over a queasy, cyclical riff, it essentially tells the story of Paramore in language that’s dense, referential, and almost shockingly honest, culminating in lines that seem to suggest the band’s craven core: “So let’s make one point crystal clear,” Weiss explains, “You see a flood-lit form, I see a T-shirt design/I’m no savior of yours and you’re no friend of mine.” Once again, this is Paramore dressing themselves down, calling their own motivations into question and exposing their darkest sides. The fact that Weiss’ voice is mixed low enough to be largely unintelligible tempers the song’s startling truth, and feels like something of a cop-out. Then again, this strange song’s inclusion doubles as its own bold statement.

The album ends with “Tell Me How,” which doesn’t sound like anything else here, or in the band’s catalog. With its cascading piano chords, vaguely tropical pulse, and warily confessional words, it could be a standout from one of Drake’s recent releases. It’s sleek, modern, and grown-up. Williams’ hurt here is well-worn, it’s the hurt of regret, of mistakes, of the unending task of moving on. There are no easy answers, no scapegoats. Instead of railing against someone who’s let her down, she responds with shrugging grace: “Tell me how to feel about you now/Oh, let me know.” Williams is not all-powerful, and she’s no longer trying to be.

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omcik-blog · 8 years

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New Post has been published on OmCik

New Post has been published on http://omcik.com/trump-isnt-killing-the-bull-market-heres-why/

Trump isn't killing the bull market. Here's why

More and more business leaders and Wall Street strategists are expressing their worries about what President Donald Trump’s protectionist policies and unpredictable nature might do to the markets and economy.

But we all know that action speaks louder than words. What investors are actually doing is in stark contrast to what people are saying. The Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq hit all-time highs again on Friday.

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And the Russell 2000, an index of small company stocks that tend to do most of their business in the U.S., is now just a few points away from the all-time high it hit last December in the wake of Trump market euphoria.

What’s more, the VIX (VIX), a measure of volatility known as Wall Street’s fear gauge, is down nearly 25% this year as well. If investors were really scared of Trump, the VIX should be much higher.

And CNNMoney’s own Fear & Greed Index, which looks at the VIX and six other measures of investor sentiment, is showing signs of Greed and is not far from Extreme Greed levels.

Of course, Trump still can’t seem to help himself from tweeting about things that, let’s be honest, won’t do anything to help the economy — although Nordstrom investors are richer despite Trump attacking them for dumping his daughter Ivanka’s brand.

But to give credit where it’s due, it looks like the main reason that stocks have taken off again lately is because Trump has promised to unveil a “phenomenal” tax plan soon.

Related: Rare streak for U.S. stocks: Long stretch without a 1% dive

Trump also pledged again to invest more on infrastructure when he met with airline CEOs on Thursday.

That’s what the market wants to hear.

“We still expect fiscal stimulus, lower taxes and less regulation,” said Matt Lockridge, manager of the Westwood Small Cap Value Fund. “The timing is the big question, but it’s coming.”

Lockridge thinks that many companies that generate a majority of their revenues from America should benefit if Trump stimulus winds up kicking the economy into a higher gear.

He likes stocks in a variety of industries, such as movie theater owner Masco (MAS), snack food firm J & J (JJSF) and aerospace equipment company Kaman (KAMN).

Another money manager said he’s also still bullish on small U.S. stocks that could get a lift from Trump policies.

Related: Wall Street has powerful seat at Trump’s table

Barry James, president and CEO of James Investment Research, said he bought the iShares Russell 2000 ETF (IWM) the day after the election because he’s confident Trump’s stimulus plan will boost growth for U.S small businesses.

“When Trump said America first, I really think that’s what he means,” James said, adding that he thinks Internet phone service Vonage (VG), rent-to-own retailer Aaron’s (AAN) and discount chain Big Lots (BIG) could all thrive if Trump’s proposals go through.

But there’s another reason why the U.S. markets are near all-time highs. Despite all of the uncertainty in Washington, the U.S. is still viewed as a paragon of relative stability compared to other parts of the world.

Europe’s economy is still a big wild card thanks to Brexit, the rise of populism in France leading to worries about a so-called Frexit and more worries about the problem that never seems to go away — Greece’s debt woes.

Japan’s economy remains stagnant as well. We’re talking about more than just a lost decade now. It’s plural. And China’s economy is slowing down too.

Bond fund manager Bill Gross has often joked that America is like what Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson sang about in “Sunday Morning Coming Down” — the “cleanest dirty shirt.”

To that end, analyst at bond rating firm Fitch wrote in a report Friday that “elements of President Trump’s economic agenda would be positive for growth,” but added that “the present balance of risks points toward a less benign global outcome.”

Of course, there are two sides to that coin. Trump’s bombast could come back to haunt him.

Related: Oreo make is worried about rise of populism

His continued penchant for reprimanding companies that he disagrees with on Twitter could dent investor confidence.

And while his proposed travel ban on immigrants from seven mostly Muslim countries has been overturned by the U.S. court system for now, the president has vowed to fight for its reinstatement.

Even if he loses that battle, it’s still clear that Trump is serious on turning more inward, with plans for tariffs and border-adjusted taxes that could ignite trade wars with Mexico, China and Japan. That could hurt big U.S. multinational firms and lead to job cuts.

But investors still seem to believe/hope that the merits of Trump’s pro-growth stimulus plans and tax cuts will outweigh the impact of isolationism. Let’s hope they’re right.

Investors may be holding their noses, closing their eyes and stuffing cotton in their ears to drown out the president. But they are still buying stocks.

CNNMoney (New York) First published February 10, 2017: 11:55 AM ET

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newssplashy · 6 years

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LEADVILLE, Colo. — As Goose Gossage, a coffee cup in hand, stepped onto the deck outside his cabin on a recent morning, he considered the view.

The culprit, not surprisingly, was his mouth.

Gossage does not blame the Yankees for casting him out. “I didn’t leave them any choice,” he said.

Yet a fuller portrait might be of a man who is as vulnerable and bighearted as he can be vicious and boorish, who feels a great debt to the game but can’t find an open avenue to give back.

Or maybe he just can’t let go.

Few have seen as many sides of Gossage as Bucky Dent, who roomed with him in Class A ball in Appleton, Wisconsin, teamed with him to win a World Series, and managed him with the Yankees in 1989.

Asked if he was saddened that Gossage could not restrain himself, Dent said, “That’s just Goose.”

A Fierce Facade

Gossage sat under a pine tree and cried.

This brought more tears. “You have no idea what that meant to me,” Gossage said, wiping his eyes.

Two weeks later, he was on the mound at Dodger Stadium, retiring Ron Cey on a pop-up for the final out as the Yankees, after losing the first two games to the Los Angeles Dodgers, clinched the title.

No Olive Branches

The Yankees have invited eight members of the 1978 team to Sunday’s festivities.

If today’s Yankees are largely petrified of saying something provocative, the Bronx Zoo teams of the late 1970s just needed to be asked.

“If those guys didn’t like you, it was honesty,” Gossage said. “Now, nobody says anything no matter how bad it is.”

The irony, of course, is that many millennials, the ones who might cast him as a dinosaur, feel the same way.

“Wow, that was awesome,” Gossage said. “It woke me up.”

Gossage, inflammatory rhetoric aside, has a rather unlikely ally: Rob Manfred, the baseball commissioner. He recently acknowledged that data’s influence had not necessarily been good for the game.

Another meeting with Cashman ensued, which included Joe Girardi, the manager at the time, and Jason Zillo, the team’s director of media.

Gossage was not invited back this spring.

“We respect him as a great Yankee and a member of the Hall of Fame,” the statement continued. “But we disagree with his positions and the manner in which he continuously presents them.”

In preparing the statement, Zillo asked if there was any sign of contrition from Gossage, something resembling an olive branch.

It was hard to find one. Peppering his words with expletives, Gossage described having the urge last year to stuff Cashman into a trash can.

“My mom must have been watching over,” he said, “because somebody was telling me: ‘Don’t! Don’t do it.'”

But he was not sorry about anything he had said. “I am absolutely at peace with it,” he said. “I said my say and I’m glad I did. I’m glad I got it off my chest.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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newssplashy · 6 years

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Opinion: Grumpy gossage napalms his bridges

LEADVILLE, Colo. — As Goose Gossage, a coffee cup in hand, stepped onto the deck outside his cabin on a recent morning, he considered the view.

The culprit, not surprisingly, was his mouth.

Gossage does not blame the Yankees for casting him out. “I didn’t leave them any choice,” he said.

Yet a fuller portrait might be of a man who is as vulnerable and bighearted as he can be vicious and boorish, who feels a great debt to the game but can’t find an open avenue to give back.

Or maybe he just can’t let go.

Few have seen as many sides of Gossage as Bucky Dent, who roomed with him in Class A ball in Appleton, Wisconsin, teamed with him to win a World Series, and managed him with the Yankees in 1989.

Asked if he was saddened that Gossage could not restrain himself, Dent said, “That’s just Goose.”

A Fierce Facade

Gossage sat under a pine tree and cried.

This brought more tears. “You have no idea what that meant to me,” Gossage said, wiping his eyes.

Two weeks later, he was on the mound at Dodger Stadium, retiring Ron Cey on a pop-up for the final out as the Yankees, after losing the first two games to the Los Angeles Dodgers, clinched the title.

No Olive Branches

The Yankees have invited eight members of the 1978 team to Sunday’s festivities.

If today’s Yankees are largely petrified of saying something provocative, the Bronx Zoo teams of the late 1970s just needed to be asked.

“If those guys didn’t like you, it was honesty,” Gossage said. “Now, nobody says anything no matter how bad it is.”

The irony, of course, is that many millennials, the ones who might cast him as a dinosaur, feel the same way.

“Wow, that was awesome,” Gossage said. “It woke me up.”

Gossage, inflammatory rhetoric aside, has a rather unlikely ally: Rob Manfred, the baseball commissioner. He recently acknowledged that data’s influence had not necessarily been good for the game.

Another meeting with Cashman ensued, which included Joe Girardi, the manager at the time, and Jason Zillo, the team’s director of media.

Gossage was not invited back this spring.

“We respect him as a great Yankee and a member of the Hall of Fame,” the statement continued. “But we disagree with his positions and the manner in which he continuously presents them.”

In preparing the statement, Zillo asked if there was any sign of contrition from Gossage, something resembling an olive branch.

It was hard to find one. Peppering his words with expletives, Gossage described having the urge last year to stuff Cashman into a trash can.

“My mom must have been watching over,” he said, “because somebody was telling me: ‘Don’t! Don’t do it.'”

But he was not sorry about anything he had said. “I am absolutely at peace with it,” he said. “I said my say and I’m glad I did. I’m glad I got it off my chest.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

source https://www.newssplashy.com/2018/06/opinion-grumpy-gossage-napalms-his.html

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