#my peak my magnum opus my beloved

[theboarsbride]

Remember these stinkers?🥹🥀🦋👻

[From my gothic horror fairytale retelling of Beauty and the Beast]

[onecanonlife]

gosh i almost feel bad for asking this but in 'careful son' what do you think would have happened if the eggpire won, through whatever means? have a lovely day!

okay so i had to sit on this for a couple of days and really think about it. and my conclusion is that you should feel bad, this ask is cruel and unusual /j /lh

but let’s get into it

so, first of all, on the most basic level, a lot of people would die, and the people who didn’t would join the egg. some i’m not sure about, but techno, eret, puffy, and tubbo would die. i think the fiances would die, and george would join the egg. sam, in ‘careful son,’ was vulnerable enough after losing a canon life and dream escaping that he’d join the egg. phil would also for sure join the egg, and that’s actually something i hinted at once. it was a super super minor detail so i’m not surprised nobody picked up on it, but from chapter eleven:

“Feels a bit scuffed,” Phil agrees, voice slightly distant. His eyes are fixed on the Egg, his fingers absently fiddling with his sword hilt.

phil was 100% hearing the egg in this moment

regarding the fiances, i think that sapnap specifically would refuse to join the egg after seeing what it did to bad, and quackity and karl (if he was there) would side with him. the egg would then have them killed. would this be enough for bad to break free? maybe, but then again, maybe not. he’s in deep at this point, and skeppy’s still in the egg, his lifeforce being fed from

tommy, dream would keep. put in the prison, maybe. not really sure i want to eleborate on this one. he’d also keep ranboo firmly under his thumb

and i think eventually, the corruption of the egg would be the destruction of the entire server. the void would claim it all, and the egg-- or rather, the entity that presented itself as an egg-- would gorge itself on the remains, and then find another server to creep into. leaving the remains of the dream smp to fade into static and glitching distortion, a hole in even the void itself. a graveyard with no graves

and dream, being at this point far more dreamon than person, would go with the egg. and i think he would take tommy with him, the sole survivor of his friends and family and the place he called home. again, not feeling super like i want to elaborate there

and then there’s wilbur

wilbur’s fate would really, really depend on the point of divergence. maybe it happens in that first confrontation in the egg room. maybe wilbur joins the egg then, thus dooming the server. or maybe it’s the second time, when dream breaks out, and maybe everyone gets overwhelmed. i don’t think i ever brought this up in canon, but after techno’s death, the egg only needed one more person’s blood to be spilt on it in order to hatch. if it hadn’t been so determined to get wilbur specifically, it could’ve won fairly easily. but maybe things go wrong in that second fight in the egg room, maybe everyone gets overwhelmed, maybe the eggpire wins that conflict and thus the war. in that scenario, wilbur dies

maybe wilbur can’t convince dreamxd to help. maybe the ambush on eret’s castle is more silent, more effective. again, wilbur probably dies

but the worst possibility of all is that wilbur gives in to the egg in that final confrontation. allows himself to be killed. because not only does the egg hatch, but wilbur never has that realization. never realizes that what he wants and what he thinks he deserves and what he actually deserves are all very different things. never realizes that he wants to live after all, and that he’s always been worthy of it

the worst possibility is that wilbur dies again, still not understanding that he’s loved. and then the rest of the server follows

it should go without saying that i never would have written that, of course. even considering the possibility is... ouch. just. ouch. but you wanted to know what would’ve happened if the eggpire won, so those are my basic thoughts

[terrainofheartfelt]

Daniel Humphrey, Professional Yearner: A Playlist

Here it is folks, my fandom magnum opus. There is truly nothing I love more than going through my music library and projecting all over it.

Here is the link to the youtube playlist

Track listings and color commentary under the cut.

image sources: (x) (x)

We Shall Not Overcome - Frank Turner the thesis of hipster boi from Brooklyn

Because the bands I like / They don't sell too many records / And the girls I like, / They don't kiss too many boys / Books I read will never be bestsellers, / But come on fellows at least we made our choice

Next Up Forever - AJR ah, yes, the Gifted Kid anthem. Major Inside arc vibes

I wanna be next up forever / Find a way to never hit my peak

Crashin' - Jack's Mannequin self-described by the songwriter as a "fuck you writer's block!" song

And even if your voice comes back again / Maybe there'll be no one listening

Crimson and Clover - Tommy James & The Shondells I'll give you three guesses as to what scene this song is about.

Ah, now I don't hardly know her / But I think I could love her

Tumbling Dice - The Rolling Stones as long as this is a place to share my Daniel headcanons (of course it is, this is my tumblr!), this is one of the first things baby Dan learns to play on guitar. this and Tim Buckley. guitarist!dan my beloved.

Say now baby, I'm the rank outsider / You can be my partner in crime

Talk - Hozier It's that vibe of "I am very very into you, so I am overcompensating with intellectualism" while still being heartwrenchingly sincere and these LYRICS. I have to share the whole verse. i have to.

I'd be the voice that urged Orpheus / When her body was found / I'd be the choiceless hoping grief / That drove him underground / I'd be the dreadful need in the devotee / That made him turn around / And I'd be the immediate forgiveness/ In Eurydice / Imagine being loved by me

Dark Blue - Jack's Mannequin we are in the Derena chapter of first love where everything is beautiful and overwhelming and maybe it hurts but in like, a Good way.

Dark blue, dark blue / Have you ever been alone in a crowded room / When I'm here with you?

Can't Take My Eyes Off of You (I Love You Baby) - Ms. Lauryn Hill nothing you can say will convince me that Vanessa DIDN'T get Dan into Ms. Lauryn Hill. Cotillion Vibes.

You'd be like heaven to touch / I wanna hold you so much

Butterflies - Samsa this whole song is just so delightful. and it fuels many a highschool derena hc for me

And I’m not a glass half full kinda guy / Shipwrecked, flags half-mast hull kinda guy

gold rush - tswift this may be a hot take, but this is a daniel song for me, namely, bc of the lyric below.

I don't like that falling feels like flying till the bone crush...My mind turns your life into folklore / I can't dare to dream about you anymore

Brooklyn, You're Killing Me - Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness I had to. also this has that like, summer before senior year vibe in s2

My hand is a braindead magnet / So I keep waking up on fire / Beneath this low rise second city / That's turning good men into liars

Lights - Journey that scene of Dan and Vanessa on the rooftop? yeah.

So you think you're lonely / Well, my friend, I'm lonely too

All I Want - Walk the Moon *john mulaney voice* I think Dan Humphrey is a Bisexual.

Maybe if I went out less on the weekend / Maybe if I just didn't exist / Maybe if I was straight, maybe if I was vegan / Maybe if I still had you to kiss

Hold of Me - Dean Lewis we're really getting into the peak of pining!Dan. aka, 4b/5a Dan.

Then you said, "I need nothing from nobody" / I can see it on your face you're hurting, grab a hold of me

If You Ever Want To Be in Love - James Bay Wanted to ask if we could have been / But my tongue wouldn't break the seal

Bring It On - The Gaslight Anthem "It wouldn't to me."

Give me the fevers that just won't break / And give me the children you don't want to raise

Rock & Roll Romance - Frank Turner You and I could have a rock ‘n’ roll romance... / .... Leave all the loveless lonely behind

Biloxi Parish - The Gaslight Anthem I will eventually haunt you or you'll eventually be my queen / And I'll be with you through the dark / So that you do not go through the dark alone

Do I Wanna Know? - Arctic Monkeys Big Dylan/Claire staircase sex energy here

Maybe I'm too / Busy bein' yours / To fall for somebody new

Moon Song - Phoebe Bridgers Thee song for 5x10 & 5x11. And like—the Eric Clapton AND Jimmy Stewart references????? Makes me go Feral every time.

You couldn’t have / Stuck your tongue down the throat of somebody / Who loves you more

You are sick and you’re married / And you might be dying / But you’re holding me like water in your hands

Blue - Joni Mitchell "I've tried to make it go away, but how do you kill a feeling?"

You know I've been to sea before / Crown and anchor me / Or let me sail away

I've Told You Now - Sam Smith "I don't want to be your friend, Blair. I want more. I want you."

You know what I mean / It's like walking in the heat all day with no water

Jackie and Wilson [Live in America] - Hozier I like this live version better because there's this excited, giddy kind of energy in how mr. hozier plays it live that I think is very Dan.exe has stopped working (end of 517 and beginning of 518)

'Cause with my mid-youth crisis all said and done / I need to be youthfully felt 'cause, God, I never felt young

Cosmic Love [Unplugged] - Florence + the Machine the fact that they had Florence on the show and used her as background noise for b*n d*n*v*n is a CRIME. anyway this poetry is so Dan

A falling star fell from your heart and landed in my eyes

Good Feeling - Violent Femmes Won't you stay with me / Just a little longer? / It always seems like you're leaving

If You Don’t Wanna Love Me - James Morrison You can’t push me too far / There’s no space in my heart / Where I don’t wanna love you

I’m Ready - Jack’s Mannequin the song for Daniel Humphrey, self-saboteur

And every word you say, say something sweet / ‘Cause all I taste is blood between my teeth

Get Hurt - The Gaslight Anthem Have you come here to get her? / Have you come to take her away from me?

And maybe you needed a change or maybe I was in the way

Lover, You Should've Come Over - Jeff Buckley nothing makes me feel like this bridge does.

My kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder... / All my riches for her smiles when I slept so soft against her... / All my blood for the sweetness of her laughter... / She's the tear that hangs inside my soul forever

Fool for Love - Lord Huron I was born to lose 'cause I’m a fool for love

Silver Springs - Fleetwood Mac I couldn't make this without at least one spiteful season 6 Dan song. like. I MEAN:

You'll never get away from the sound / Of the [one] that loved you

Broken Heart - Motion City Soundtrack this song is a nod to scorned Dan turning evil in s6

I'll devise the best disguise / A brand new look and take them by surprise / They'll never guess what's not inside

Chaos and Clothes - Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit Lovers leave chaos and clothes / In quiet corners where you rarely ever go / One day you find proof she was real /Despite your struggle to forget

Never Going Back Again - Fleetwood Mac She broke down and let me in / Made me see where I'd been

Writer in the Dark - Lorde added at a rec from an anon because they absolutely right

I am my mother’s child, I’ll love you ‘til my breathing stops

Both Sides Now - Joni Mitchell I've looked at love from both sides now / From give and take, and still somehow / It's love's illusions I recall / I really don't know love / At all

If I Can’t Have You - Sara Bareilles recently had the epiphany that Amidst the Chaos IS a Dan album

I have to do my best to recall / That I’m thankful that I held you at all

All My Heroes - Bleachers Into focus I'll be coming / Into focus I'll be waiting / Into focus I'll be dreaming / Into focus I'll be something better yet

Even If it Kills Me - Motion City Soundtrack I'm really not as stubborn as I seem / Said the knuckle to the concrete

The Promised Land [Broadway]- Bruce Springsteen Sometimes I feel so weak I just want to explode / Explode and tear this whole town apart / Take a knife and cut this pain from my heart

Heroes and Songs - Brandi Carlile the "letting go of Serena" song

I love you my friend - my dear means to an end / But you're not in my dreams anymore

She Loves You - Gaslight Anthem The opening verse references two major streets in Brooklyn, so.

I've been down / I've been out / Had my head and my heart kicked around

St. Christopher Is Coming Home - Frank Turner Lonely Boy is a self-imposed title sometimes

And at the end I'm just a promise to pick up the phone / When I'm in town

Sleepwalkers - Brian Fallon And I saw her last night with a handsome young man / She was perfect to me, is she perfect to him? / And, Mama, she was famous in my dreams

Black and White Movies - Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness Are you home tonight? / Are you laying in bed watching black and white movies? / All alone tonight / Do you ever rewind to the summer you knew me?

Like a River Runs - Bleachers And I've played the victim for a long long time / And I wanna grow up / From the rhythm of a young, from the rhythm of a younger heart / It leads just like a river runs

Surrender - Walk the Moon And tell me how it ends / I'd do it all again / For one more minute / One more night

Halloween - The Gaslight Anthem how to not paste ALL the lyrics to this song? It’s Dan Humphrey, scourge of high society, and Yearning, and locking eyes across the crowded room, and just…these lyrics make me insane.

And I hate these things but I always attend / A little sip of something to take off the edge / And I make my way through the ghosts in the room / Trying to crack a smile

I think I saw you for the flash of a moment / Your broken heart and the body that holds it … I’ve never been right, have you ever been lied to? / I think I just saw the same scars upon you

Hostage - Jack's Mannequin I don't want your ransom / Just say you'll never leave

Let Your Heart Hold Fast - Fort Atlantic To believe I walk alone / Is a lie that I've been told

Sigh No More - Mumford & Sons Shakespeare reference? Shakespeare reference

Love, it will not betray you / Dismay or enslave you, it will set you free / Be more like the man you were made to be

Umpqua Rushing - Blind Pilot another recommendation from anon. It SO fits.

I’ve been a forest burning no direction / I tried to hold you, I tried everything but running

Graceland Too - Phoebe Bridgers I would do anything, I would do anything / Whatever you want me to do, I will do / Whatever she wants

Baby Talk - Mick Flannery feat. SON Real is in the feeling, baby / Nearer then to thee

Heart heavy in the wind / Blown back to you again

You're True - Eddie Vedder Nothing ever goes my way / But with you here, that all will have changed

Etta James - Brian Fallon Now Etta James, hit that symphony / 'Cause she drifts through my blood like a remedy... / Like Etta said, my love has come along

Rainy Girl - Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness obligatory dilf!dan song!!!!

Sometimes when I'm falling in my dreams / I can feel you falling next to me / I guess we're going everywhere together

Kathy's Song - Simon & Garfunkel I know that I am like the rain / There but for the grace of you go I

[tirorah]

Road to Berlin – The Strike Witches Magnum Opus?

Hello! It’s been a long time. I don’t plan on returning to Tumblr long-term—it simply stole away too much of my time and energy, and I had to do what was best for myself. However, I thought I’d pop in for a very special message.

You see, Strike Witches’ third season, Road to Berlin, has now reached its halfway point. And I need you to watch it.

“Strike Witches?!” I hear you say. “That weird show about girls with no pants that you’re obsessed with for some reason?”

Yes, exactly! Hold on, don’t run away yet! Sit with me for a spell and allow me to explain my boundless love for this silly, emotionally gripping show. Allow me to tell you why it might affect you in the same way, and why Road to Berlin may be the best offering yet.

Welcome to the 501st Joint Fighter Wing

If you’ve heard of this anime, you’ve undoubtedly heard of (or witnessed) its rather infamous claim to fame: a group of teenage soldiers fighting strange creatures in an Alternate Universe World War 2 Europe, flying around with guns and magic-fueled leg machines, and none of them are wearing any decent trousers.

That takes some getting used to, doesn’t it? I’m not going to deny that. But while Strike Witches’ rather peculiar design decisions are inescapable, there’s one thing you need to take into account: Season 1 aired all the way back in 2008. And over those thirteen years, it’s evolved into an experience unlike anything its roots would suggest.

Strike Witches has always been a strange beast. It has a large cast and divides its activities evenly between (light) war drama and slice-of-life shenanigans. And there’s fanservice, lots and lots of it! But the show’s emphasis on risqué camera work, and how that camera work is handled, highly depends on which entry you’re watching.

You see, Strike Witches is strangely ambitious. It could’ve easily taken its bizarre concept and pushed that to its limits, bringing in as much fanservice as possible and playing a simple story in the background as window dressing. But it was never satisfied with just that. Even early on in Season 1, the show deals with heavier themes like pressure, trauma and loss.

And then there are the characters, the undisputed stars of the show. Twelve strong and all with different backgrounds and personal quirks, they may at first seem like TV Tropes come to life. And certainly, sometimes they are. However, as the series progressed, things started to change. Even Season 2, arguably the lightest and silliest of all entries, featured material that built on character development and character growth earned in its predecessor.

With the movie and a trio of OVAs to round out the cast a bit more, the stage was set for Road to Berlin.

The Difficult Road Ahead

When this season was first announced back in 2018, two things stood out to me. First of all, the key visual and promotional video released along with the announcement were much more similar in style to the movies and the OVAs, featuring serious-looking characters and stormy clouds. Secondly, for the first time in Strike Witches history, an entry received a subtitle. Yes, the OVAs were named Operation Victory Arrow, but that was merely wordplay to spell out “OVA.” It wasn’t wholly serious.

Road to Berlin, however, is deadly serious.

Let’s start with an overall theme. The vaunted 501st Joint Fighter Wing has had some major victories, but much of the continent is still under occupation by the Neuroi. The Hive over Berlin is the Wing’s new target, but the journey there is fraught with obstacles. Plans are thwarted and delayed by Neuroi more powerful and far craftier than their 2008 counterparts.

And as the opening song tells us: “We all have flaws.” The Road to Berlin isn’t an entirely literal road; it’s also a metaphorical one. The push to Berlin is their hardest battle yet. Victory can only be achieved if the characters face and overcome their weaknesses. But they’re not alone.

Friendship Is Power

As the characters have long since been established, there’s greater room for growth not just in one character, but also in how that character interacts with others. Road to Berlin chose the best possible route and decided to emphasize character dynamics. Episodes don’t focus on a single character anymore; they focus on relationships, and those relationships are at their peak here.

There’s a newfound maturity to the writing in Road to Berlin, a gentle touch that allows the characters to breathe and be more than their foremost traits. You get a sense that the characters have grown from their experiences; they feel different, more well-rounded, but they still behave exactly as they should. This is difficult to get right, and while I’m sure there might be a few eyebrow-raising moments here and there, the overall result is a cast that continues to improve every week.

Chekhov’s Gun

Underpinning the character work is a highly intriguing execution. Road to Berlin delivers subtle setups and satisfying payoffs in every episode. The pacing is also seriously tight. No moment is left unused, every opportunity for additional development is taken. Even the script itself doesn’t like to waste time; it explains things here and there, but it rightly assumes you know who the characters are and what everything means, so it doesn’t bother with many unnecessary lines.

On top of all that, this season is reaching new heights in confidence and sheer audacity, and it uses that to deliver something truly special. There are interactions here that I never could’ve imagined, twists that genuinely caught me off-guard, moments where I had to sit back and digest what I’d just witnessed.

Not a single episode has been predictable thus far; I’ve had more surprises than I can count. In fact, before I started watching I made a bingo card on a whim, filling it with trends and running gags I’d spotted over the course of the series. Some of those bingo spaces have already been proven wrong, and others are in question. Road to Berlin has done such a spectacular job at simultaneously defying and exceeding my expectations that I honestly have no idea where this journey will take me.

The Fault in Our Stars

Okay, hold up, stop the hype train! I admit, I’m a massive sucker for Strike Witches. One could say this somewhat clouds my judgement. Shocking, I know. So, to make this enthusiastic recommendation fairer, let’s dig into something that I hope to see an improvement on.

There is some terrible imbalance in screen time going on here. I know I said earlier that the cast is great, and it is amazing, but some characters have definitely been favored over others. Yoshika is the main character, of course, so it’s not unreasonable for her to have a large role. Similarly, characters like Minna, Gertrud and Shirley have more experience and higher ranks than the others, which means they have an easier time fitting into scenes.

So, who’s gotten the short end of the stick?

Let’s start with Lynne. She hasn’t had as much of a presence as I’d hoped. The primary reason for this is Shizuka, who’s taken up the role of newbie to the squadron and is often paired with Yoshika because they’re working together. As each episode focuses on the relationships between a select few characters at a time, the others are often relegated to minor roles, and poor Lynne hasn’t had an episode to highlight her yet. I’m sure her moment will come eventually.

I don’t know if the same thing applies to Minna. She’s mostly stuck behind her desk again, it seems, and while she’s definitely had some scenes, her role as Wing Commander hasn’t allowed her as much wiggle room as some of the others. What I want to see from Minna is more time to be a nurturing mom to her girls. The thing is, I’m not sure how they’d accomplish a Minna-centric episode. I suppose they could pair her up with Mio, but even then, I’m uncertain where to take her. It seems redundant to have her be worried out of her mind over Mio again, and she seems to be keeping it together pretty well so far anyway.

In a trend so merciless it’s almost comical, Sanya and Eila seem forever doomed to the peanut gallery. They started out with few lines and have pretty much remained in the background since. Of course, a big factor to it all is their role as the night patrol, which naturally separates their activities from everyone else’s. It’s my current prediction that their relationship is next in line to be showcased. The quality of that episode will likely hinge on how their personalities are tuned, but there’s potential for something great.

And most shocking of all, Mio—She Who Has Practiced Plot Armor Ten Thousand Times—has had the most infinitesimal role of all. I’m of two minds on this. It appears that Road to Berlin has realized that having Mio fly into battle without a shield or Striker Unit is silly, and this is good. On the other hand, Mio is an iconic and beloved character. She deserves some screen time as long as she doesn’t overshadow the others. For now, she seems to be relegated to strategizing and logistics, although I have a hunch that a way to circumvent her newfound vulnerability has already been set up. Time will tell if this ends up being utilized.

Journey’s End

In closing, Road to Berlin highlights the best of what Strike Witches has to offer. It’s striding boldly forward, eager to dazzle us with its animation and audio, grinning as it challenges our preconceptions about where its characters can go and what they can do.

The path to this greatness can be tough. Watching Strike Witches means accepting a number of strange concepts, which can give quite a few viewers a rough start with the series. However, if you made it all the way here and haven’t given Strike Witches a try yet, I sincerely implore you to make the attempt. If you allow the characters to sweep you off your feet, then Road to Berlin could be the apex of a most satisfying viewing experience.

Especially if its second half is as impressive as the first. I, personally, have high hopes. There’s no sky this show can’t conquer.

[mirandagoing4baroque]

Field of Streams: Ariodante, in Concert, While Making Lasagna

The English Concert was supposed to perform Rodelinda in concert at Carnegie Hall on May 3rd 2020. Obviously they did not. In some ways I am lucky--if the Met hadn’t done Agrippina I might have made plans come to New York to see Rodelinda instead. It wouldn’t be unprecedented. In fact, in 2014, I finally got to call in an IOU over a decade old. As I mentioned on this blog, when I was in kindergarten and first heard Alcina, I managed to get my father to promise to take me to see Alcina live whenever it came to the east coast. And more than twenty years later we finally got to see the English Concert perform it in concert in Carnegie Hall. In the intervening years there was a debate about whether Toronto counted as the east coast, but my father insisted that he had only meant the east coast of the United States. And when the English Concert brought Ariodante on tour in 2017 they were kind enough to take the show to the Kennedy Center which was considerably more convenient.

As a replacement for the aforementioned cancelled Rodelinda concert, they streamed a recording of the Ariodante in Concert recorded at and live streamed from Carnegie Hall in 2017. As I mentioned above, I was lucky enough to see this concert at the Kennedy Center when it was touring, and I also watched the stream at the time, and then I rewatched it when it was streamed again this past weekend (twice, I regret nothing). So I am, shall we say, intimately familiar with this production.

Opera in concert is an interesting phenomena. I’ve seen three operas in concert (Alcina, Ariodante, Zelmira) and a few others that were only ‘semi-staged’ (Don Giovanni 2x, Radamisto, Giulio Cesare at Boston Baroque). Well, Miranda, you say, “the monkey paw has curled, and you got what you wished for in the Acis and Galatea review, an opera stripped of any ‘razzle dazzle’ or distractions. So, can the emotional drama stand alone?” On this subject I cannot speak for anyone other than myself but I believe it can and it does. I am sure that there are those for whom the grand sets and costumes are an integral part of the experience, and that is a legitimate position to take, but not one to which I ascribe.

However, especially in these times, watching operas in concert (stay tuned for my review of the Boston Baroque Agrippina stream) makes me think about what the bare essentials of opera are. The sets and costumes are fun, sure, and all other things being equal, I would rather have sets and costumes and the full spectacle. And they can cover a multitude of sins. It is far more difficult to create an entertaining production when it is just the orchestra, the singers, and an empty stage. But this production is, to me, as moving as some fully staged productions I’ve seen. So what is the immutable core of these operas? What is it that I am searching for when I am “Going for Baroque?”

The value I find in opera is as an emotional touchstone. This is not a novel concept, and I am not the first, or even the thousandth to think it. Why it is Baroque Opera for me and Jazz or R&B for you, I cannot say,* but when I hear this music performed well my heart (or my soul, or my grey matter, or whatever the thing is that is that feels the feels) stirs in response. So what I am looking for when I am going to an opera is not a spectacle. I am looking for a conflict that put the characters through a variety of feelings, music that is performed with care in a baroque style, and singers and musicians who will sing or play with pathos, so I can have the transcendental experience of sharing an emotional response with a room of strangers, and most importantly, with my father. We have been watching many of the same streams, and sharing our thoughts over the telephone but it’s not the same as sitting next to him in a hushed auditorium and seeing, out of the corner of my eye, a small small creep across his face as the horns come in because he knows they are my favorite. I am counting down the days until we can share this again.

But enough philosophizing. Let’s review the stream. So we know the standard, how did this production measure up? Well, I watched it four times, so that’s a hint. In fact as to music performed in the Baroque style, this performance could be considered a gold standard (of course along with the Glyndebourne Giulio Cesare). I am such a sucker for period instruments. To my ear the difference between Baroque Opera performed with and without period instruments is the difference between your average red wine vinegar, and an expensive aged balsamic. The red wine vinegar is fine, but the aged balsamic has a far more interesting, layered, intense flavor. This is especially true with respect to brass, where the natural horn is basically a completely different instrument from the french horn. The English Concert has never once disappointed me. Harry Bicket is always a master of the correct tempo, but in this concert, the flowing dance rhythms that undergird the arias really shone.

So next up we have a drama that puts the characters through a variety of feelings. If you need a refresher on the plot of Ariodante, I covered it earlier here (and if you’re too lazy to click the link, think the Hero/Claudius plot from Much Ado About Nothing), but there is no debating that it certainly takes the characters on a roller coaster of emotional situations. The stellar cast dug deeply into the libretto and squeezed every drop of feeling from Handel’s brilliant arias. Ariodante was composed when Handel was at the peak of his operatic abilities and it contains some of his most sublime music. 

Mirroring the tasteful stylings of the orchestra the cast had subtle but effective ornamentations in the da capo sections that elevated the theme but did not obscure it (no mean feat in such arias as “Dopo Notte”).  The King of Scotland was played by Matthew Brook, who I do not believe I had seen before and nor have I seen him since. I really enjoyed his performance and he was an especially capable actor. He leaned into the paternal aspects of the role, and I found his emotional arc quite moving. David Portillo was a wonderful Lurcanio, and I still hope to see him again in something (hint, hint, DC directors). I particularly enjoyed his “Tu Vivi.”  In this aria Lurcanio tries to dissuade his brother Ariodante from choosing suicide after seeing a woman they believe (incorrectly) to be Ginevra let a man into her rooms. It is often sung in a rage, which allows for blistering speed and impressive displays of vocal prowess, but in David Portillo’s interpretation, it was a desperate plea to save his brother's life. By toning the aria down a notch, he accessed some very interesting interpersonal and emotional drama that added novel layers to a familiar aria.

This was my first time hearing Sonia Prina live, but I had fallen in love with her voice on many Baroque recordings. She has a wonderful vibrancy and fluidity  in her lower register, which is particularly critical for women playing Polinesso, in my opinion. Sometimes they can sound a little stilted in the low runs, but she had full power and flexibility. I also appreciated her aesthetic. The punk rock bad guy Polinesso she portrayed was believable as a love interest for Dalinda, and as a villain. It is not her fault that Polinesso’s arias are all a little one note (think Iago’s extensive monologues in Othello).

I absolutely adored Mary Bevan’s Dalinda. I hadn’t heard her prior to this concert, and I eagerly await my next opportunity (still waiting......). She was believable as a young woman who fell in love with the wrong manipulative man and made a mistake. I loved her portrayal of the rising horror throughout the second half as she realized what was going on. I always love "Neghittosi, or voi che fate?", the aria where she calls on the heavens to strike down the man who wronged her, but I found her interpretation to be a particularly affecting vision of female empowerment and rejecting the notion that she was culpable, and laying the blame squarely at the feet of Polinesso, where it belongs.

This was also my introduction to Christiane Karg, who was a vocal standout as Ginevra. I would have liked a little more emotion from her, but, as I’ve acknowledged above, I like my Handel drama cranked to eleven, so that may just be personal preference. Regardless of the acting, her singing was note-perfect and I have no real complaints.

Which brings us at last to Joyce DiDonato. Her performance in this production is one of my most treasured concert memories, and the kind of magic you are just grateful to bear witness to. Any performance of “Scherza Infida” is a miracle of acting and vocal stamina. As I said in my last review of Ariodante, the song is 12 minutes long, and contains four lines of distinct lyrics. To hold the audience’s attention with no prancing dancers in nude bodysuits, with only your voice and the music--that is a gift. But you can google reviews of this production and read critics who know far more about this than I do raving about her “Scherza Infida” and her “Dopo Notte.” I want to talk about the redheaded stepchild of Ariodante’s third act arias “"Cieca notte." This is the moment when Ariodante learns that he was fooled--that he was betrayed by his beloved, that in fact he has betrayed her. (Apparently I have a thing for arias in which Handelian heros realize they have been fooled, see also, “Mi Lusinga” from Alcina) To watch her sing this aria, and to see the distinct waves of realization rolling across Ariodante’s soul as the aria progresses is to watch a master at work. I will at some point write up my magnum opus on how, when properly performed, da capo arias should replicate the structure of the Hegelian Dialectic, but that is a problem for another day.

So there it is, how you can strip away all but the absolute essential bits from an opera and still have a dynamic, dramatic, engrossing evening (even when you’ve seen the thing three times already). Because for me, I got what I needed out of it. I felt that resonance in my soul. I found a little comfort in these times. It’s no replacement for live opera, but it soothed a bit my parched throat. Okay, I lied, I do have a few things to say about “Dopo Notte.” Ever since I watched this stream, I’ve been listening to “Dopo Notte,” the bravura aria Ariodante sings at the end of the show, rejoicing in his reunion with Genevra, almost every day, because it is the tonic I need during these times (you can listen here if you think it might be the tonic your soul needs too). It is a promise I make to myself; permission to let myself hope. A promise that the sun will shine again, that these dark and stormy waters will not drag us under, and that someday I will sit next to my father in a dark opera house, and we will once again share in the experience of Handel’s glorious music.

“After a dark night, the sun shines in the heavens and fills the world with joy...”

*It was definitely the brainwashing. 

[ts1989fanatic]

The 16 Best Taylor Swift Songs to Listen to

It's hard to believe Taylor Swift has been famous for over a decade now—a staggering level of fame that has seen gossip, girl squads, and high-profile relationships come and go. Known for her narrative songwriting, Swift boasts a massive discography broken up into "eras" by her loyal fan base. From her early country beginnings to the dark pop of 2017's Reputation, here are the 16 best Taylor Swift songs.

1

"All Too Well"

Widely considered to be her magnum opus, "All Too Well" tells the cautionary tale of a romance gone terribly wrong. Listeners follow Swift and her lover (feverishly theorized to be Jake Gyllenhaal) as she paints a picture of domestic upstate bliss devastated by a breakup. The nearly six-minute track peaks halfway through, when Swift unravels and drops the line: "You call me up again just to break me like a promise / So casually cruel in the name of being honest." It's dramatic, hyper-specific, and gut-wrenching: Taylor at her finest.

2

"Our Song"

If any song sparks joy, the third single from Swift's eponymous debut album is it. Full of charming lyrics with an equally delightful music video (The tulle! The roses! The makeup and curls!), "Our Song" is a showy display of her burgeoning superstardom.

3

"Blank Space"

Described by Swift as an answer to the media's "psycho serial dater" narrative, "Blank Space" boasts lyrics like, "Got a long list of ex lovers, they'll tell you I'm insane," and "Darling, I'm a nightmare dressed like a daydream." Gone are the sweetly wide-eyed love songs: "Blank Space" is 100 percent biting cynicism.

4

"Enchanted"

An epic love song about the magical moment you first meet someone, "Enchanted" is wistful, dramatic, angsty, and...about Owl City's Adam Young??? Who later covered the song and professed his mutual enchantment???? But literally NOTHING came of it???????? I still have so many questions. It also launched one of her fandom's most beloved memes.

5

"Tim McGraw"

Taylor's debut single is an ode to the songs that transport us back in time. No wonder it cemented her status on country radio—the track bears the same name as country music megastar Tim McGraw, a ballsy and genius move for the then-newcomer.

6

"Last Kiss"

Whomst among us has not cried over their ex to "Last Kiss?" The tune is simple, with each loaded lyric sung in clipped phrases until Swift hits the drawn-out bridge: "I'll watch your life in pictures like I used to watch you sleep / I feel you forget me like I used to feel you breathe." Oof.

7

"Holy Ground"

The song that should've been a single but never was, "Holy Ground" opens with driving drums and the word vomit "I-was-reminiscing-just-the-other-day-while-having-coffee-all-alone-and-Lord-it-took-me-away," making it hard not to get swept up in Taylor's relationship nostalgia.

8

"You Belong With Me"

Unrequited love and high school pretty much go hand in hand, as illustrated in this Swift classic. There's something freeing about the melody that makes you want to sing it at the top of your lungs. One listen to the pleading lyrics "Why can't you seeeeee? You belong with meeeee," and suddenly it's 2009. Ah, simpler times!

9

"Shake It Off"

"My ex-man brought his new girlfriend, she's like 'Oh my god,' but I'm just gonna shake." That lyric? Could move mountains.

10

"Red"

Our songstress takes her favorite lip color and applies it to a whirlwind romance that's like "driving a new Maserati down a dead-end street." The bouncy tune is a bit coy, a bit romantic, and a full-on banger.

11

"The Way I Loved You"

Hidden on Fearless is this sleeper hit about dating a perfectly nice boy who turns out to be, well, boring as hell. Instead, an unimpressed Taylor daydreams about her ex and their batshit-cray romance of yesteryear, singing, "I miss screaming and fighting and kissing in the rain." "Rollercoaster kind of rush," indeed.

12

"Style"

Pop legends Max Martin, Shellback, and Ali Payami join forces with Swift on this moody disco track. The impeccable production is backed by flirty lyrics like, "I got that good girl faith and a tight little skirt." After some back and forth ("I heard that you've been out and about with some other girl," she accuses; "What you heard is true, but I can't stop thinking about you," he admits), Swift throws caution to the wind with the "Take me home" coda.

13

"Picture to Burn"

The banjo! The country accent! The problematic lyrics that were thankfully changed! And who could forget the wonderfully terrible acting in this music video, featuring Taylor's IRL BFF Abigail Anderson.

14

"Delicate"

New relationships are a balancing act: You weigh how much you like someone against the real possibility of it all blowing up in your face. The stakes are high, and Swift knows that: "Is it cool that I said all that? Is it too soon to do this yet? 'Cause I know that it's delicate. Isn't it?"

15

"Wildest Dreams"

I live for The Drama™ and nothing is more Drama™ than the heartbeat intro, string orchestra, and old-glamour vibes of "Wildest Dreams." Makes me want to stand in a nice dress/stare at a sunset real bad.

16

"You Are in Love"

Bleachers’ Jack Antonoff helped out on this bonus track from 1989 (which is reportedly inspired by ex-girlfriend Lena Dunham). Swift sings about a relationship that’s stable and sure—a contrast from her previous stormy love songs. Focusing on details like “The light reflects the chain on your neck” and “He keeps a picture of you in his office downtown,” Taylor reminds us it’s the little things that can make us fall for a person.

ts1989fanatic did your favourite make the list, mine did my #1 Taylor song came in at #15

[zoetropia]

Zoetropia’s Top 10 Albums of 2018

Well, here we are, later than usual but I couldn’t let myself not do it. I didn’t do any music writing this year so this thing is going to be longer than usual, with a lot more extensive honorable mention section than normal. That means I’ll probably lose most of you until you get to the top 10 but oh well. I listened to 163 2018 releases by the time of this writing. These are my favorite.

HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no order)

Yo La Tengo - There’s a Riot Going On: Solid, but solid for YLT is career-best material for most other acts. This band has been around for 34 years and they’re still this inventive, playful, and relevant. Incredible.

Mount Eerie - Now Only: Incredibly powerful (how could it not be?) but it’s more Mark Kozelek than Phil E. this time around.

Foxing - Nearer My God: A swelling, generous Emo magnum opus and its reach extends ever so slightly beyond its grasp by the end. But those first 5 tracks are an absurd collection of excellent songs.

Mitski - Be the Cowboy: Mitski goes full art rock in a very fine of collection of songs that show her range but struggle to cohere.

Phosphorescent - C’est La Vie: Matthew Houck and his band can still cut a lovely and rousing tune, and this album finds him growing up, settling down, and accepting the weight of the rest of his days. But yet, I miss his anger and rebellion. Some might say losing your rage is a sign of maturity. I don’t know if I agree.

Fucked Up - Dose Your Dreams:  Bursting at the seams with pretty much every style of rock that’s possible, but ultimately too shaggy to be a Great album. Still, there’s so much to like in this album, and it’s not afraid to give you more and more of it.

Joey Purp - Quarterthing: Wild, ranging, but most of all fun. Joey Purp finds himself stretching across styles, beats, rhymes, and samples but always sounds like himself. Maybe the most exhilarating rap release of the year.

Earl Sweatshirt - Some Rap Songs: And way out on the outer edges of what rap can be, we have Earl using his extensive powers of wordplay to explore his psyche and fill out the sketches of production that loop samples filled with tape hiss and record pops. It’s a rap record that feels both tossed off and intricate. In a word, effortless.

IDLES - Joy as an act of resistance.: A bit of a sophomore slump for one of my favorite new acts. Maybe they rushed to get the new record out to capitalize on the word of mouth of their bracing debut and a new record is always easier to publicize over a reissue. Still, there are some great, pummeling punk tunes here, and welcome additions to the set of one of the more raucous and rowdy live acts I’ve seen in a while.

Daughters - You Won’t Get What You Want: Brutal and uncompromisingly dark, this is one of the most frightening records I’ve listened to this year (I don’t listen to too much metal). Isolation, alienation, apocalypse, terror, despair. All the good stuff is in here! And while the unrelenting bleakness is part of its “appeal”, I just wish it wasn’t so one note.

The Sueves - R.I.P. Clearance Event: A relentless garage rock record, pumping up and speeding up some of your fairly groovy rock n roll to maximum distortion and maximum speed. They’re loud, they’re snotty, and if they’d leave Chicago, I’d love to see them in a tiny, sweaty venue soon.

Mastersystem - Dance Music: We miss you, Scott.

THE TOP 10

10. Superchunk - What a Time to Be Alive: Superchunk continue to justify their existence after their hiatus with their tightest and angriest collection of songs maybe ever. Always good to have the vets show the kids that they can rock just as hard, and be just as mad at the direction of the world.

9. Darlingside - Extralife: An absolutely gorgeous folk record, filled with beautiful male vocal harmonies and just the right amount of flowing instrumentation to build worlds of warmth. It’s thankfully free of fast strumming and floor stomping and sparingly uses the one-trick of a rousing crescendo in every song to explore more nuanced song structures. But when the trick is pulled out, it’s perfect.

8. Courtney Marie Andrews - May Your Kindness Remain: I love Kacey Musgraves and I was a big fan of her record this year, but this is my favorite country record of this year in a walk. The songwriting is strong and simple, foregrounding Andrews’ powerful voice and sad, longing words, and her strong backing band fills the space in just enough to color in the emotion.

7. Typhoon - Offerings: An enormously ambitious indie rock opera about life, death, art, and memory. Vividly detailed, intelligent, and impeccably orchestrated, this is the kind of record that’s aimed right at what I love. Oh, and it also quotes 8 1/2 so it was never not going to be on this list.

6. Parquet Courts - Wide Awake!: Never ones to shut up and play the hits, Parquet Courts goes full political with this one. Full of righteous ideological anger and the best and most varied songs of any of their releases, Wide Awake! tackles collectivism, environmentalism, economic inequality, violence in America, and how to stay aware, stay sane, find love and companionship, remain peaceful, and take care of yourself and others in a crumbling world. I can’t think of a record that captures this sociopolitical era more completely. And fuck Tom Brady.

5. Car Seat Headrest - Twin Fantasy (Face to Face): Will Toledo’s ongoing deep dive through his psyche takes a backwards turn as he remakes one of the more beloved of his “Bandcamp” albums with a full band this time. And these songs are worth the rework, as they are some of the brightest, heartbreaking, insightful, and detailed that Toledo has written in his young career. The new production doesn’t give them too much shine but instead fills out of enough of the sound to let them speak for themselves. Plus he did it all in a way that still fit the concept of the record. Pretty impressive.

4. Saba - Care For Me: Where Quarterthing is wild and Some Rap Songs is experimental, Care For Me is focused. It’s a sad, angry record about grief, loneliness, and depression. Saba’s flow seems to need to erupt out of him at times, culminating in the astonishing climax of PROM/KING as he describes the moment he found out about the murder of his cousin. It’s powerful, devastating music, and easily my favorite rap release this year.

3. Jon Hopkins - Singularity: It’s been 5 years since Jon Hopkins’ last LP and immediately upon listening to this new record, the time just seems to disappear. This is an album that could have taken a decade to make, or could have just appeared in the sleepless work of one night. As all of Hopkins’ work, it is precise and detailed, intricately textured and arranged. And as much as we know that every song on this album was worked over and perfected note-by-note, it still somehow feels organic and natural. Astounding.

2. Low - Double Negative: Despite being one of the figureheads of the genre, it really felt like Low had exhausted all the possibilities of “slowcore”. While they’ve never made a bad album, the formula of slowcore seemed to be inhibiting them more than anything, and it being 25 years into their career, it would be forgivable for Low to just continue making, say, Ones and Sixes over and over again. This is not what they did. This is easily best album Low has ever released. They twist and warp and distort their sound into shapes that are at once gorgeous, ominous, foreboding, isolating, and expansive. It is a remarkably cohesive album united around a sound that ebbs and flows, builds and decays, resolves and dissolves constantly and consistently. This is the undisputed masterpiece of Low’s career and I hope they keep getting better.

1. Beach House - 7: Similar to Low, it also seemed like Beach House had exhausted the possibilities of their brand of widescreen dream pop. To my mind, Bloom was the album they were working to all along and after that, they seemed a bit lost. Depression Cherry and Thank Your Lucky Stars had some nice tunes, but they were records that made it seem like the band didn’t know what to do now that they’ve reached their destination. And the two records made at the same time definitely didn’t help counter the impression that they lost their focus. But 3 years later, Beach House returned with their (duh) seventh album, and it’s the most focused statement of their career. It’s swirling and immersive, dialing up their shoegaze influence to build every song to an enveloping world of sound. It’s the perfect album to crank up my headphones and get lost in and Beach House is the perfect band to deliver that kind of album. It mines all the peaks of their previous records and melds them into one massive record that so consistently aims at my musical pleasure center that it seems a bit unfair to all other acts. I’m so glad that they found they way back, and that the way still points upward.