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angelasscribbles · 1 year

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In Your Room Chapter 8: Past, Present, Future

Series: In Your Room

Fandom: TRR

Pairings: Leo x Drake

Rating: MA

Warnings for this chapter: Language, under aged drinking

Song Inspiration for the series: In Your Room by The Bangles

Word Count: 1,720

My other stuff: Master List.

Hana watched in awe as Drake and Leo gulped down their water in an attempt to see who could drink it the fastest. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen two people more competitive. Have they always been like this?”

“These two have been competitive since the day they met!” Liam told her, “I think it started the day Drake knocked him off his polo pony.”

“Off his high horse, literally!” Drake laughed as he slammed his glass down on the table, “I win!”

“You waited until I was distracted!” Leo protested, ignoring that he had just lost the water-drinking contest, “Otherwise, you never would have unseated me!”

Drake scoffed loudly, “I’m a better horseman than you, Leo!”

“See?” Olivia arched her eyebrows at Hana, “It never ends.”

“Yeah,” Max agreed, “They got so competitive with the fencing that they weren’t allowed to spar with each other anymore.”

“Damn!” Riley shook her head in amusement, “That bad huh?”

“Football, Rugby, shooting pool, darts, hell, who could eat the most,” Savannah verified, “They competed over literally everything!”

Riley smothered a giggle, “Yes, I’m aware. I’ve seen it firsthand!”

Leo and Drake both had the good grace to look abashed.

“Sorry about that, Brooks,” Drake muttered.

“Yeah, we were wrong for that.” Leo agreed.

“It’s okay,” she waved them off dismissively then wrapped her arms around Liam, “It worked out far better this way!”

Liam beamed down at her, “It certainly did!”

“I think all that competition and snarky bullshit was always just repressed attraction,” Olivia nodded sagely as she took a bite of her salad.

Drake dove for the ball, skidding through the mud and colliding with Leo. He hit him full force, dropping both their bodies to the ground. For a moment time froze as he looked down into those ocean-blue depths, his heart pounding in his chest as the rain pelted down on them.

“Get off me, Walker!”

Drake scrambled up from the ground, face red, mumbling an apology.

“Game is over, I need a shower!” Leo stalked off the field, hoping no one noticed the raging erection in his pants.

“Did they ever get along?” Hana asked, curious how their feelings for each other developed if it was all about competition.

“Oh, sure,” Liam answered, “Usually because I begged them to be nice, for my sake.”

“Well, that,” Max agreed, “but also, they were both so full of disdain for all things courtly, despite being forced to attend.”

Leo smiled as he thought back, “Oh God, remember how we used to ditch out of all those formal events every chance we got?”

“Yeah, he was supposed to be my best friend, but there he’d go, sneaking off with my brother and leaving me to fend for myself with the adults!” Liam complained.

“Really?” Drake’s mouth fell open in disbelief, “We tried to get you to ditch with us all the time, but your goody-two-shoes ass wouldn’t even consider it!”

“I didn’t want to get in trouble, Drake!”

“He’s got a point, little bro,” Leo chimed in, “You were invited, you said no, you can’t blame us for that!”

They sat on the roof looking out over the sparkling lights of the city and the deep inky blackness that was the Mediterranean at night.

“It’s really pretty up here at night,” Drake observed.

“Yeah,” Leo agreed as he produced a bottle of Breckenridge Bourbon Whiskey he’d stolen before they’d snuck out of the gala. He opened it and took a long drink as he gazed out over Stormholt City. When he was done, he held it out to the younger boy, “Want some?”

“Sure,” Drake reached for it, unwilling to admit he’d never tried it. He brought the bottle to his lips and tipped it back, and took a long draw. He squeezed his eyes shut as the liquid slid down his throat, the burning sensation making him cough.

Leo took the bottle back, slapping Drake on the back as he chortled, “Lightweight!”

Drake tried to protest as he drew an arm across his mouth, but he couldn’t make his vocal cords work so he settled for extending his middle finger.

“Seriously man, you okay?” Leo asked, concern seeping into his voice.

“I’m fine,” Drake managed, embarrassment spilling through him.

“First time?” Leo quirked an eyebrow at him.

Drake nodded, looking away.

“First time for everything, no shame in that,” Leo told him as he hopped up onto the ledge and dangled his legs over the side of the roof. He took another long drink as he tilted his head back to look up at the stars.

Drake joined him on the ledge and reached for the bottle.

“You sure about that?” Leo asked, “Because you can’t get drunk and fall off the roof. Liam would never let me hear the end of it.”

“Just shut up and give it here!”

Leo shrugged as he handed it over, “Okay, it’s your funeral.”

Two hours later they lay on their backs on the roof staring up at the night sky. Drake was definitely drunk. They had exhausted all avenues of conversation from sports and girls to horses and cars.

“We should probably get back to our rooms,” Leo said as he stood.

“Okay,” Drake tried and failed to regain his feet as a wave of dizziness washed over him. He lowered himself back to the ground, “Maybe we could just sleep up here?”

“Yeah….no,” Leo extended his hand to help him to his feet, “They’ll have the entire king’s guard looking for us, come on!”

He helped him back to his room, made him swallow some Tylenol then tucked him into bed. As he turned to leave Drake called his name.

Leo turned around, “Yeah?”

“You’re not so bad. I actually kind of like you, you know.”

“What?” An elated surprise thrilled through him. Drake didn’t mean he liked him, liked him, did he? “What do you mean you like me?”

The only response he got was the sound of Drake snoring.

Leo was sure he didn’t mean it like that anyway. “I like you too,” he said softly before slipping out the door.

“Well, I suppose you have a point,” Liam relented, “At any rate, I’ve forgiven you.”

“Forgiven us for what?” Drake demanded.

“Yeah, little bro, don’t blame us for your lameness!”

“Right. I’m the lame one,” Liam rolled his eyes, “I’m not the one that denied my own feelings for years, Leo!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means Drake came out at seventeen and you just kept pretending you didn’t like him!”

“You have a date tonight? Who is she? I’ve probably already fucked her.”

“Not a her,” Drake replied evenly as he smoothed down the front of the deep blue button-up shirt and checked his look in the floor-length mirror.

“Wait…what?” Leo felt frozen to the spot as a multitude of emotions flooded through him. None of which he was ready to cope with.

A searing white hot jealously pierced his heart.

It was one thing when they were both fucking women. It was one thing when he could convince himself that Drake was straight. It was one thing when he could deny that he himself was anything other than straight, Cedric Vescovi notwithstanding.

It was a far different thing to be confronted with the fact that all the turbulent, seething emotions that Drake inspired within him were within the realm of possibility, yet completely out of his reach because he could not bring himself to admit to any of them.

Instead, he had opted for snarky remarks and sneering condescension most of the time. He had been afraid that any small crack in his armor, any bit of kindness or real emotion shown would rip him open wide and let all the feelings that scared him most flood out for the world to see.

Then Drake was leaving for college and any opportunity he might have had to confess his feelings and find out if they were returned was slipping right through his fingers.

“I’m just wondering why you have to go so far away!” Leo glared at his younger brother’s best friend.

“Why do you care?” Drake shot him a confused look.

“I don’t!” Leo protested, “But my brother is going to miss you. You could just stay here and attend university with him. Then you’d see each other a lot more often. You could be roommates even, if you wanted!”

Something in Leo’s tone brought Drake up short. He stopped and gave the other man a long searching look. He opened his mouth to speak, and Leo’s heart jumped into his throat.

“There you are!” Liam called out as he rounded the corner with Max and Olivia in tow, “Are you ready? We can’t be late, you’re the one in charge of the bonfire!”

They were going to a private beach party as a bit of a bon voyage for those of them that were off to university in the fall.

“I’m ready,” Drake responded, turning away from Leo, and just like that, the moment was gone.

Leo pushed his plate away. His brother wasn’t wrong. He had wasted years pretending to be straight. “Yeah, well, you have the same father I do, so you should understand why.”

The teasing smile disappeared from Liam’s face. He did know. “My apologies, I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just taking the piss out of you.”

“I know,” Leo gave him a half-hearted smile, “It’s fine. Just having a bad day. What’s for dessert?”

Liam leaned over and lowered his voice sympathetically, “I’m sorry our father is such a cretin. It’s too bad you were born before me.”

Leo froze. “What did you just say?”

“What?” Liam looked confused then he glanced at Riley who was leaning away chatting with Savannah before responding, “Oh, nothing. Just that it’s a cruel irony that either our sexuality or our birth order wasn’t reversed.”

Liam had already bought an engagement ring. He was just waiting for the right moment to pop the question. He was so distracted by the sight of his girlfriend that he missed the expression on his brother’s face.

Leo sat staring at his brother, dumbfounded as his future exploded and then reassembled itself in his head.

He knew what he had to do.

#trr au #the royal romance #drake walker #leo rys #angelasscribbles #Drake x Leo #Dreo #choices fic writers creations #cfwc fics of the week

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tomorrowillbeyou · 28 days

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funniest person in the world to boop rn would be riley breckenridge

#i just find it really beautiful that he has a tumblr

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chorusfm · 2 months

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Thrice Wrap Up Tour

Thrice have wrapped up their current tour and are now going to “go into hibernation for a bit and make some new music.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Riley Breckenridge (@rileybreck) --- Please consider becoming a member so we can keep bringing you stories like this one. ◎ https://chorus.fm/news/thrice-wrap-up-tour/

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gazettereview · 11 months

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Dog Survived 5 Weeks in the Mountains Before Being Found by Hiker -Read more at https://gazettereview.com/dog-survived-5-weeks-in-the-mountains-before-being-found-by-hiker/ - https://gazettereview.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/riley-the-dog-found.jpg #US

Dog Survived 5 Weeks in the Mountains Before Being Found by Hiker

Zach Hackett, who recently moved to the Breckenridge area, was 3,600 meters up in the Colorado mountains when he heard the faintest of noises. In a later interview, he said it wasn’t a bark nor a cry—but something in-between that sounded like a ‘yip’. After looking around, he spotted the source of the sound—a small […]

https://gazettereview.com/dog-survived-5-weeks-in-the-mountains-before-being-found-by-hiker/

#US

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trendydigests · 11 months

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A Dog's Miracle: How Riley Survived Five Weeks in the Rockies

Riley, a 9-year-old sheltie, had a rough start to the year. His owner, Mike Krugman, lost his wife to heart failure in January. Riley was her dog, and he always slept on her pillow. He was also the smallest of six dogs in the Krugman homestead in Breckenridge, Colorado, but he acted like the “Alpha dog” and “boss of the house”. On April 8, Riley ran away from his home. Krugman let him out at the…

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tyang-xo · 1 year

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MAKNAE Cast

Below the cut you will find in depth descriptions about the MAKNAE OCs and their real life OCs!

Hana Rhee played by Miyeon Jung played by Go Minsi

Onscreen Hana Rhee is the youngest of the Rhee family. Her older brother, Glenn, is her only company when she and her sister are left stranded in America during the outbreak. Hana is the youngest at the camp, but it makes matters even worse that she isn’t fluent in English. MAKNAE follows her story from landing in America until she meets her forever life. The road is long and hard, but Hana is a survivor through and through.

Offscreen Miyeon Jung is a free spirited but hardworking up and coming actress. She was born in Minnesota, US and raised in Incheon, South Korea. Her favorite thing to do is acting and she takes pride in her work. She started out in small roles and plays around local theaters and commercials before getting a big break in The Walking Dead season 1. She plays Hana Rhee and enjoys the challenges that come up while playing on a dark show. She hopes to further her career and work in both America and South Korea. Her dream is to star in a lead role.

Taeyang Choi played by Hyunsu Lee played by Yoo Taeyang

Onscreen Taeyang is the sole survivor of his family. He was brought in by Tyreese and Sasha Williams near the beginning of the outbreak. He is momentarily considered to join the prison group until Rick Grimes kicks the group out. He then ends up in Woodbury with his group.

Offscreen Hyunsu was born in Busan, South Korea. He moved to Sacramento, California when pursuing his dream career in television and media. He joined a film school when he was fifteen before being recruited by Angela Kang to join The Walking Dead season 3.

Daniel Rhee played by Riley Song played by Choi Yeonjun

Onscreen Daniel is the heart and soul of the group when he arrives.When the world initially falls, he and his brother are separated. He ends up being found by the Claimers group along with Jae. When Hana is in danger by the Claimers hands, Daniel is the one to put on an act to save her from a worse fate. Once he is a part of the group, he is the mood maker and rock that keeps them together when times are rough.

Offscreen Riley is a runner up on the X-Factor. He didn’t win, but he got lots of fame from the promotions. Greg Nicotero recruited him to The Walking Dead season 4 when one of Greg’s friends directed Riley’s music video. He is most like his onscreen character as he is always mentioned in interviews as being the spark the cast and crew need on tough filming days.

Ben Rhee played by Donghyun Kang played by Choi Beomgyu

Onscreen Ben is the second youngest next to Hana. His older brother, Daniel, is his inspiration. When he is separated from Daniel, Ben is found by Abraham Ford and his group. He joins them on the road to D.C. in hopes of doing something better with his life than lying back and hoping others will protect him.

Offscreen Donghyun is the nephew of executive producer, Angela Kang. Initially, he was only meant to be in two episodes from season 4, but the writers ended up loving Ben’s character and the chemistry between him and the rest of the cast, namely Steven Yeun and Alexandra Breckenridge.

Jae Park played by Minhyuck Gang played by Kim Youngkyun

Onscreen Jae shows a cold exterior. When his best friend, Ben, is lost and he and Daniel are found by the Claimers, he shuts down and won’t let anyone aside from Daniel in. When Hana is saved by Daniel, Jae is initially annoyed and tempered. His thoughts are on his own survival before anything else. He later becomes close to Daryl Dixon, forming a father-son relationship.

Offscreen Minhyuck starred in a drama opposite of Miyeon. When the drama was released, the crew of The Walking Dead adored he and Miyeon’s chemistry and wrote in a character specifically for him in season 4.

#twd fanfiction #twd ocs #oc #ocs #tyangxo ocs #maknae wattpad

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gf-ra · 2 years

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Horror Novels: Haunted Houses

If these walls could talk........Would you listen?

For fans of fright, here are six novels featuring haunted houses. The locations in these books hold many secrets and many dangers. Do you dare to dive in?

The Invited by Jennifer McMahon

"In a quest for a simpler life, Helen and Nate have abandoned the comforts of suburbia to take up residence on forty-four acres of rural land where they will begin the ultimate, aspirational do-it-yourself project: building the house of their dreams. When they discover that this beautiful property has a dark and violent past, Helen, a former history teacher, becomes consumed by the local legend of Hattie Breckenridge, a woman who lived and died there a century ago.

With her passion for artifacts, Helen finds special materials to incorporate into the house—a beam from an old schoolroom, bricks from a mill, a mantel from a farmhouse—objects that draw her deeper into the story of Hattie and her descendants, three generations of Breckenridge women, each of whom died suspiciously. As the building project progresses, the house will become a place of menace and unfinished business: a new home, now haunted, that beckons its owners and their neighbors toward unimaginable danger."

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

"What was it like? Living in that house. Maggie Holt is used to such questions. Twenty-five years ago, she and her parents, Ewan and Jess, moved into Baneberry Hall, a rambling Victorian estate in the Vermont woods. They spent three weeks there before fleeing in the dead of night, an ordeal Ewan later recounted in a nonfiction book called House of Horrors. His tale of ghostly happenings and encounters with malevolent spirits became a worldwide phenomenon, rivaling The Amityville Horror in popularity—and skepticism. Today, Maggie is a restorer of old homes and too young to remember any of the events mentioned in her father’s book. But she also doesn’t believe a word of it. Ghosts, after all, don’t exist. When Maggie inherits Baneberry Hall after her father’s death, she returns to renovate the place to prepare it for sale. But her homecoming is anything but warm. People from the past, chronicled in House of Horrors, lurk in the shadows. And locals aren’t thrilled that their small town has been made infamous thanks to Maggie’s father. Even more unnerving is Baneberry Hall itself—a place filled with relics from another era that hint at a history of dark deeds. As Maggie experiences strange occurrences straight out of her father’s book, she starts to believe that what he wrote was more fact than fiction."

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James

"Vermont, 1950. There's a place for the girls whom no one wants--the troublemakers, the illegitimate, the too smart for their own good. It's called Idlewild Hall. And in the small town where it's located, there are rumors that the boarding school is haunted. Four roommates bond over their whispered fears, their budding friendship blossoming--until one of them mysteriously disappears. . . . Vermont, 2014. As much as she's tried, journalist Fiona Sheridan cannot stop revisiting the events surrounding her older sister's death. Twenty years ago, her body was found lying in the overgrown fields near the ruins of Idlewild Hall. And though her sister's boyfriend was tried and convicted of murder, Fiona can't shake the suspicion that something was never right about the case. When Fiona discovers that Idlewild Hall is being restored by an anonymous benefactor, she decides to write a story about it. But a shocking discovery during the renovations will link the loss of her sister to secrets that were meant to stay hidden in the past--and a voice that won't be silenced. . . . "

A Sudden Light by Garth Stein

"In the summer of 1990, fourteen-year-old Trevor Riddell gets his first glimpse of Riddell House. Built from the spoils of a massive timber fortune, the legendary family mansion is constructed of giant, whole trees, and is set on a huge estate overlooking Puget Sound. Trevor’s bankrupt parents have begun a trial separation, and his father, Jones Riddell, has brought Trevor to Riddell House with a goal: to join forces with his sister, Serena, dispatch Grandpa Samuel—who is flickering in and out of dementia—to a graduated living facility, sell off the house and property for development into “tract housing for millionaires,” divide up the profits, and live happily ever after. But Trevor soon discovers there’s someone else living in Riddell House: a ghost with an agenda of his own. For while the land holds tremendous value, it is also burdened by the final wishes of the family patriarch, Elijah, who mandated it be allowed to return to untamed forestland as a penance for the millions of trees harvested over the decades by the Riddell Timber company. The ghost will not rest until Elijah’s wish is fulfilled, and Trevor’s willingness to face the past holds the key to his family’s future."

The Family Plot by Cherie Priest

"Music City Salvage is a family operation, owned and operated by Chuck Dutton: master stripper of doomed historic properties, and expert seller of all things old and crusty. But business is lean and times are tight, so he’s thrilled when the aged and esteemed Augusta Withrow appears in his office, bearing an offer he really ought to refuse. She has a massive family estate to unload - lock, stock, and barrel. For a check and a handshake, it’s all his. It’s a big check. It’s a firm handshake. And it’s enough of a gold mine that he assigns his daughter Dahlia to personally oversee the project. Dahlia preps a couple of trucks, takes a small crew, and they caravan down to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where the ancient Withrow house is waiting - and so is a barn, a carriage house, and a small, overgrown cemetery that Augusta Withrow left out of the paperwork. Augusta Withrow left out a lot of things. The property is in unusually great shape for a condemned building. It’s empty, but it isn't abandoned. Something in the Withrow mansion is angry and lost. This is its last chance to raise hell before the house is gone forever, and there's still plenty of room in the strange little family plot."

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

"One postwar summer in his home of rural Warwickshire, Dr. Faraday, the son of a maid who has built a life of quiet respectability as a country physician, is called to a patient at lonely Hundreds Hall. Home to the Ayres family for over two centuries, the Georgian house, once impressive and handsome, is now in decline, its masonry crumbling, its gardens choked with weeds, the clock in its stable yard permanently fixed at twenty to nine. Its owners—mother, son, and daughter—are struggling to keep pace with a changing society, as well as with conflicts of their own. But are the Ayreses haunted by something more sinister than a dying way of life? Little does Dr. Faraday know how closely, and how terrifyingly, their story is about to become intimately entwined with his."

Note: Descriptions sourced from goodreads.com

#books #reading #horror #horror novels #horror books #reading list

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ghostcultmagazine · 3 years

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ALBUM REVIEW: Thrice – Horizons-East - Self Released

ALBUM REVIEW: Thrice – Horizons-East – Self Released

Two decades after their debut, the ever-evolving rock quartet Thrice have finely crafted a dynamic set of songs that are not only sonically pleasing, but lyrically awakening. Their eleventh (Self-Released) studio album, Horizons/East, is an eclectic collection of songs that practices extensive experimentation while maintaining the rawness of previous releases. Continue reading

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#album review #album reviews #Colleen Kanowsky #Dustin Kensrue #Eddie Breckenridge #Horizons/East #music reviews #piano #poetic lyrics #Post Hardcore #Post Rock #post-Rock Bubble #Riley Breckenridge #rock #Rock Music #Teppei Teranishi #Thrice

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fuckyeahthricearchive · 6 years

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#thrice #dustin kensrue #riley breckenridge #teppei teranishi #eddie breckenridge #palms

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chorusfm · 3 months

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Riley Breckenridge on New Podcast

Riley Breckenridge of Thrice is on the latest episode of The New Scene podcast. (Overcast link.) --- Please consider becoming a member so we can keep bringing you stories like this one. ◎ https://chorus.fm/news/riley-breckenridge-on-new-podcast/

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frankys-playlist · 6 years

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Thrice in Ernie Ball Dustin Kensrue special "My Swiss Army Knife"

#Dustin kensrue #Teppei Teranishi #Riley Breckenridge #Ed Breckenridge #Ernie Ball #Thrice #gif #gif set #franky's playlist #frankys-playlist #franky-ts

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hermitologist · 6 years

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My 17 Favorite Records of 2017

Hello, Internet. Yet another year has passed, and because I’ve made a habit of making year-end lists, this old man has gone and done it again.

I listened to a veritable buttload of music this year on my morning runs, which I decided to post about on Instagram most days in a concerted effort to keep myself accountable bore every last one of my followers to death. I think it’s working.

What follows, is my list of favorites. Not “best”. “Favorite”. *My* favorite. So, spare me the “Your list sucks. WTF. I can’t believe “A Vest For Jerome” by Turd Circus isn’t on there!” comments. I’m sorry we don’t have the exact same taste in music. :)

As usual, I feel like the top 5 or 6 here are pretty carved in stone, but the last 12 and some of the honorable mentions could totally be flip-flopped depending on which side of the bed I woke up on. I actually fiddled with a few spots five minutes before posting this, which is either a testament to that or Exhibit 4,923 in my undiagnosed OCD case.

Anyways ... TL;DR. Here’s what I was into this year. I hope you find something you enjoy.

IMPORTANT: Please let me know what I might missed out on (as I’m sure there’s a ton of it), and share some of your favorites in the comments below. Thanks!

17) Japandroids - Near To The Wild Heart Of Life

This didn’t quite grab me the way Celebration Rock did, but it’s got a good number of super infectious earworms that got stuck in my brain at the top of the year.

Listen here.

16) Sorority Noise - You’re Not As ____ You Think

Excellent “emo”with that feels like it could very easily fit into Brand New’s discography (and I mean that in a very complimentary way). Highly recommended if you’re looking for something to fill that void.

Listen here.

15) Queens of the Stone Age - Villains

This took a little while for this record to sink its teeth into me, but once it did, it didn’t let go. The arrangements are so nuanced that I’ve found little bits of ear candy each time I’ve listened to it, and while the mix is not my favorite, the songs are so brilliantly catchy and drumming so monstrous, I’m hooked. And Jon Theodore is the best drummer on Earth. That��s not debatable either. It’s fact.

Listen here.

14) David Bazan - Care

It’s no secret that I’m a sucker for anything and everything Bazan. His lyrics and the timbre of his voice cut to my core, and the songs on Care are no exception -- even when they’re delivered over minimalist electronica (which is not my favorite vehicle by any stretch). Another Bazan masterpiece.

Listen here.

13) Glassjaw - Material Control

This record is perfect in that it is exactly what it needs to be. It’s Glassjaw doing what they do best -- intense, vibey, groovy, heavy post-hardcore that is a logical follow-up to Worship & Tribute, while flexing and pushing enough to make it feel fresh. A tremendous return to form, and a record that was well worth the wait.

Listen here.

12) Julien Baker - Turn Out The Lights

Sprained Ankle blew me away and knocked me on my ass, and somehow, some way, Baker has leveled up and topped that. The stripped-down “artist + guitar” intimacy is still there, but the heavy moments hit even harder because of the additional orchestration on this record. Such a promising future for her.

Listen here.

11) The Life & Times - S/T

Another excellent record from some of one of Kansas City’s best bands. There are few who do airy, melancholic, spacey, dynamic rock better than these guys. And Chris Metcalf is one of the best drummers on the planet right now -- so pockety, tasteful, and effortless. Highly recommended if you dig Failure, Shiner, Hum, Antenna-era Cave In, et al.

Listen here.

10) METZ - Strange Peace

This beast is 36 minutes of noisy, nasty, heavy post-punk with stellar guitar and bass tones, and badass drumming that sounds like the best parts of Nirvana and Young Widows had a perfect lovechild. I dare you to listen to this record and not have an overwhelming urge to play it as loud as you possibly can and headbang until your eyes fall out of your skull.

Listen here.

9) CHON - Homey

I really enjoyed this when it came out, but it wasn’t until we spent five weeks on tour with them and got to see them shred a handful of these songs on a nightly basis that it really grabbed ahold of me. This record is stellar. Sure there are a ton of notes, but they’re all tasteful, never bogged down in painfully long prog opuses, and there’s so much feel here ... which is so rare in the new world of insanely chopped, gridded and sampled prog. The splashes of hip-hop and glitchy Prefuse 73 style electronica are a killer addition to the mix as well. This is the feel good record of the year for me.

Listen here.

8) Kendrick Lamar - DAMN.

There really isn’t another rapper who holds a candle to Kendrick at the moment, and this might be the best work of his career. I haven’t had a hip-hop record hit me like this in at least a decade. I was hooked from the second the beat dropped in DNA., got roped in even more by the slow jam LOVE., and HUMBLE. sealed the deal. What a beast.

Listen here.

7) Cloud Nothings - Life Without Sound

This record rules, but I’m not sure I can put my finger on exactly why I like it so much. It’s got tiny elements of so many bands I love or used to love without being overly referential. It’s got a melancholic vibe but never lacks energy. And it is packed with really, really well written and catchy songs without full-blown pop circus. You know you’re listening to a great record when you’re playing a deep cut and uncontrollably blurt, “Fuck, this song is good.”

Listen here.

6) Converge - The Dusk In Us

Nobody does it better than these dudes, and it’s been that way for the better part of two decades. The Dusk In Us is yet another record a discography full of bar-setting hardcore/metal/noise records that elevate the ceiling of the genre and make everyone else sound/look bland in comparison. This one slides right into the #3 or #4 spot in that storied discography. So great.

Listen here.

5) Manchester Orchestra - A Black Mile To The Surface

This is one of those rare records that blows you away on first listen, and gets better with each subsequent listen. The former happens when the songs --stripped to their bones -- are stellar, and the latter happens when the arrangements and mix are somehow even more stellar. ABMTTS checks the shit outta both of those boxes and then some. Aaaand it was made with multiple producers, but doesn’t sound disjointed in the slightest, which seems damn near impossible. It’s the perfect Manchester Orchestra record ... “The Gold” was stuck pleasantly in my head for a majority of the year.

Listen here.

4) Pile - A Hairshirt Of Purpose

Disclaimer: I am a late adopter of the majesty of Pile, but I am happy to announce that I am hopelessly hooked on their soulful, noisy, schizophrenic, (occasionally) dreamy, fusion of post-punk, blues, and all sorts of other good things. My entry point was Dripping, but A Hairshirt ... cemented my love for this band. It’s weird, it’s beautiful, it’s energetic, it’s heavy, it’s ethereal, and the musicianship is frustratingly good. If you know, you know ... if you don’t, just trust me. Spin it with an open mind and meet one of your new favorite bands.

Listen here.

3) Propagandhi - Victory Lap

I grew up on Epitaph and Fat Wreck Chords punk rock in the 90s, and these guys (and gal) are legitimately the only band of that era that continue to excite and inspire me. I look forward to every release, and they manage to deliver every. single. time. It’s not a nostalgia thing with Propagandhi. Chris Hannah’s lyrics, melodies, and guitar playing continue to push the boundaries of what can be done in that genre. You might expect a group of 40-year-old punks to decline or at least plateau, but they’re still on an upward trajectory and it’s inspiring as hell. Bonus points if you’re a parent and can listen to “Adventures In Zoochosis” without tearing up. Victory Lap is outstanding -- one of their three best records without question.

Listen here.

2) Cloakroom - Time Well

If you’ve been following me here, on Twitter, or Instagram, it’s no secret that I’ve got a massive soft spot in my heart for bummer jams -- especially bummer jams of the heavy variety. Time Well is a damn near perfect in those regards. It’s shoegazey without being tired or overly jangly, mildly doomy without being mind-numbingly boring, and fuzzy without sounding like it was recorded inside a sleeping bag. I’m pretty sure I listened to this record more than anything else this year, and after probably a hundred spins, it hasn’t lost any of its luster. It’s outstanding (and it’s got some damn tasty drumming on it too).

Listen here.

1) Elder - Reflections Of A Floating World

My buddy Scott Evans (Kowloon Walled City vocalist/guitarist, Antisleep recording engineer/producer, multi-talented human, generally outstanding dude, recommender of many amazing bands) turned me on to these guys earlier this year by sharing 2015′s Lore with me. That record f-ing floored me. Riffs for days. Heaviness. Prog vibes. Stoner rock goodness. Dynamics. Space. Sabbath-y vocals. It checked all of the boxes. Needless to say, I couldn’t wait to hear Reflections Of A Floating World.

ROAFW dropped in June, and it’s even better than I could have imagined. I’d wager that there are more sick riffs on this record than your favorite band has in their entire discography. I dare you to listen to this and not get a twitch to start a play air guitar. Also: How the shit do you write 15-minute songs that don’t bore people into catatonia? This is how. Just like this. Parts never drag, parts never feel like they’re just filler, and there isn’t a wasted moment in 64 minutes of music. That’s a remarkable feat in and of itself. This is a goddamn timeless record, and there’s no doubt I’ll have it in heavy rotation for the rest of my life.

Listen here.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

The Effects - Eyes To The Light

Brutus - Burst

Nate Smith - KINFOLK: Postcards From The Edge

Employed To Serve - Warmth of A Dying Sun

God Mother - Vilseledd

Slowdive - Sugar For The Pill

Hundredth - RARE

Mutoid Man - War Moans

Grizzly Bear - Painted Ruins

Quicksand - Interiors

Death From Above - Outrage! Is Now

Power Trip - Nightmare Logic

Health - DISCO3

Vince Staples - Big Fish Theory

All Them Witches - Sleeping Through The War

Code Orange - Forever

Blis - No One Likes You

Bjork - Utopia

Less Art - Strangled Light ;)

MY FAVORITE RECORD OF 2015 THAT I DIDN’T HEAR UNTIL 2017

Town Portal - The Occident

MY FAVORITE RECORD OF 2004 THAT I DIDN’T HEAR UNTIL 2017

The Stella Link - Mystic Jaguar... Attack!!!

CURRENT PODCAST QUEUE

Chapo Trap House (Grey Wolf Feed)

The Trap Set

Song Exploder

Slate’s The Gist

Slate’s Hang Up & Listen

INTERCEPTED

The FilmDrunk Frotcast

Deadcast

How I Built This

Freakonomics Radio

Radiolab

This American Life

#music #musician #year end lists #top 17 #thrice #riley breckenridge #hermitology

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