From the writer of one of my favorite short story collections, Jesus' Son - this is the recently deceased Johnson's final collection. And this and Jesus' Son perfectly bookend his career - almost as if the characters from the earlier book could be the old, mortality-laden characters in this book. Beautifully written.
This book is simply, in a word, bonkers. If they made it into a movie, they'd have to pretend it was fiction because no one would believe the ridiculous shit Leary and Nixon pulled. It's a delightful historical screwball comedy.
A stunning long-term mass murder committed by whites to take money away from a community of very rich Native Americans who had the good fortune and misfortune to have oil under their land.
Do you suspect your job is bullshit? Then it probably is. Think of it as a safeguard baked in to capitalism to keep people too busy to do things like unite to get rid of capitalism.
It's been a long time since I've read a comic and have actually been creeped out by the imagery. This is an effective haunted house tale with an anti-Islamophobia twist.
In 2018, Jeff Lemire juggled a bunch of creator-owned titles (not to mention a handful of work-for-hire super hero titles for DC and Marvel). And I picked up and enjoyed every one of his creator-owned series.
Black Hammer - this is an expansive super hero universe that Lemire has created for Dark Horse (sort of like Mike Mignola's Hellboy) - with mini-series, one shots, ongoing series and spin-offs. These stories are overflowing with ideas. And the core books - Black Hammer Volumes 1 and 2 - felt a little Watchmen-like - yeah, it's that good.
Descender - a beautiful family-oriented sci-fi epic. I was recommending this for people were all caught up on Brian K. Vaughan's Saga and wanted something similar to tide them over.
Gideon Falls - a paranoid horror tale about a mysterious barn.
Royal City - This was a subtle drama set in a post-industrial America focused on a family haunted by its own ghost - literally.
Tom King's run on Batman, like Scott Snyder's a few years ago, are some of the best Batman comics written in the past 30 years. He has characterization down. And he finds humor in the all the best places. Plus, he's in it for the long haul - so you can see someone planning out a bigger tale with pieces in motion that will come together down the line.
Usually you get a good story or great art in mainstream comics, but rarely do you get both paired up - and Mister Miracle is one of those rarities. This is next-level storytelling - a definitive graphic novel for a cult character in a large universe.
Biggest Surprise: MAD Magazine I grew up on MAD Magazine, so I admit that I've always had a spot in my heart for it. But this year MAD Magazine rebooted - starting over with #1 and a new editor - and holy-shit it got good. And it got relevant. And it's pretty goddamn fearless. Just pick up the year end (#5) 20 Dumbest Things of 2018 issue and tell me it's not great. I dare you. No, I double-dog dare you.
1. Wide Awake! by Parquet Courts There's hope for indie rock and its name is "Parquet Courts." A pretty diverse array of songs too.
2. The Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves Contemporary country gets a great songwriter.
3. Invasion of Privacy by Cardi B. She's very concerned about bitches and her money.
4. Freedom's Goblin by Ty Segall Segall is vying hard to be the next Bob Pollard in terms of productivity. Awesome psyche-rock.
5. Space Gun by Guided By Voices Speaking of Bob Pollard - the new GBV lineup seems to have revitalized the singer - this one is a later-era GBV classic.
6. Sparkle Hard by Stephen Malkmus I'd been saving this line for too long and ended up using it on a friend's FB post about the song "Bike Lane", but here goes: In the song "Bike Lane" (about Freddie Gray's murder without justice while society finds superficial satisfaction in a new bike lane) Malkmus delivered a more political take on Baltimore than any Baltimore band with a major release this year (or pretty much any since Double Dagger disbanded). He also manages to use autotune ironically. A surprisingly relevant album from someone typically aloof and abstract.
7. Elastic Days by J Mascis With every new Mascis/Dinosaur Jr. album, I assume I'm not going to buy it because, well, there's not really a lot of variation in sound. And then, like this album, I hear a song or two and I realize I need those songs.
8. Hey! It's The Pandoras by The Pandoras This surprising '80s revival (sans a deceased lead singer) is a delightful all-woman garage rock gem.
9. Hell-On by Neko Case While Neko gets well-deserved credit for having one of the most beautiful voices in music, I feel like she doesn't get enough credit for her songwriting. Here, the songs shine brighter than the vocals (which are still heavenly).
10. Wham! Bang! Pow! Let's Rock Out by Art Brut If you know Art Brut, you know what to expect: very British talk-sung lyrics over songs that seem dashed off but are actually pretty smart. I had come to belive there would be no more Art Brut records, so this was a pleasant surprise when it came out late in the year.
11. Riddles by Ed Schrader's Music Beat While still quirky, intense and angular, Dan Deacon's production gives a number of the songs here a more complex Deacon vibe.
12. Bottle It In by Kurt Vile More quality bedroom jams.
13. Rebound by Eleanor Friedberger Friedberger continues to flourish in her post-Fiery Furnaces career as a '70s-esque singer/songwriter type.
14. 7 by Beach House One of Beach House's finest efforts.
15. The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs... by Wye Oak Like Beach House's 7, this too is one of Wye Oak's best.
16. Tell Me How You Really Feel by Courtney Barnett Barnett swaps witty tales with more autobiographical content.
17. I'll Be Your Girl by The Decemberists Yes, I get that it's not cool to dig the Decemberists (I'm guessing cuz they seem too theater-geeky), but I've always liked 'em. This one is more a collection of songs than an album - but the songs it collects are pretty good, diverse, and often, not typically Decemberist-y.
18. What A Time To Be Alive by Superchunk A surprisingly political late entry into Superchunk's solid catalog.
19. Digital Garbage by Mudhoney Like Malkmus and Superchunk, Mudhoney is another '90s-era band unafraid to address contemporary issues and the effort pays off in dividends.
20. Hope Downs by Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever Rock with a hybrid-sixties-era vibe.
21. Kill The Lights by Tony Molina A more reserved, reflective (some may call "mature") Molina album.
22. Wanderer by Cat Power This album is kind of all over the place - but in a brilliant way - and as I type this - I realize the name of the album is descriptive of what you'll find.
23. Wrecked by Dumptruck One of my favorite underground '80s bands delivers a consistent comeback.
24. Jericho Sirens by Hot Snakes Another unexpected return that delivers rock like a heart-punch.
25. Jingles Collection by Mean Jeans I'm not typically a Mean Jeans fan (their brand of Ramones-esque tribute punk gets tiresome too quick), but here they deliver a funny album of jingles for a number of ridiculous corporate products.
The final album from Baltimore's Snakes - a band I fell in love with at 2017's Hampdenfest. The songs have a country-noir feel - like they could be on the soundtrack to HBO's True Detective show.
1. Sorry To Bother You by Boot Riley One of those classic indie/cult films I tend to adore. Regardless - the vision is great, the characters are relatable and the commentary on capitalism is spot on. Just terrific! It leaves you with a "Fuck yeah, why aren't there more movies like this?" feeling.
2. Mandy by Panos Cosmatos Nicolas Cage redeemed. This psychedelic revenge fever fantasy is the very definition of phantasmagoric.
3. Isle Of Dogs by Wes Anderson An animated anti-dog conspiracy propagated by cat people (typical). Amazing animation. Lovable voice action. Another Wes Anderson classic.
4. The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs by The Coen Brothers The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs is a delightful, if disconnected, western adventure loaded with Coen Brothers magic and charm.
5. Vice by Adam McKay Whereas McKay had large and by-design inscrutable concepts to explain in The Big Short - ambiguous financial products that lead to the Great Recession of 2008, here he just has to tackle one rather difficult and irredeemable man. McKaye doesn't have as much to explain so much as simply remind us - up to our eyeballs in the Trump-era, that there was a Dick Cheney and that the Bush Administration, under some of his influence, did a lot of nasty shit.
It's not that I stopped going to record stores this year, or buying physical music. But I've stayed on top of what's new and "special" by futzing around a lot on Bandcamp this year. Here are ten recordings that came out this year that I fell in love with.
Garagey punk rock from Buenos Aires that reminds me of the first Hot Snakes record. I got turned onto these folks from the Terminal Escape blog, which in turn led me down the Bandcamp rabbit hole this year.
One of many bands to come to prominence since I split town. These two cuts have tided me over while I wait for a new record from this Baltimore punk quartet.
I started getting into more doom/sludge metal this year, and this rad recording from Baltimore's Ben Price is a big reason why. This pairs well with the eternal gloom of the Pacific Northwest.
I'm not certain how you'd categorize these punks from FLA. Post-hardcore? Indie? Emo? I've replayed this a lot since its release in late September. It's super sassy and mega energetic.
Another Terminal Escape recommendation. This LA-based garage pop duo wouldn't be out of place on Burger Records...except there's no kitschy visual hook. Just excellent punky jams that remind me of '60s girl groups AND early LA punk pop.
Fuck...I'm so glad these Portland crusties have a new record. I'm also in shock that it's been more than 15 years since I saw them live. When did I get so old?
Speaking of bands that I haven't seen in 15 years...this is probably my favorite Cursive record since "The Ugly Organ" came out in 2003. Just more of the cynical, aggressive, hardcore-influenced indie that this Omaha institution has been making for over 20 years.
Another one-man band from Baltimore, this time dropping skramz-influenced grind/math rock. This reminds me of bands that played first at Charm City Art Space that I'd never see play again; full of passion and anger and teenage emotion.
The second full-length from this French hardcore band hasn't left my iPod since I snagged a copy earlier this year. Super melodic...like a mix of Oi! and mid-80s Dischord HC. Also noteworthy for being one of the nicest cassette releases I've seen in years, courtesy of Malaysia's Pissed Off Records.
I've been kirking out over these grimy Nashville punks since their first demo came out last year. This new set of recordings came out the last day of November and MIGHT be the best thing I've snagged all year. Just angry, fuzzed out, lo-fi destructo jams.
Jesse Morgan lives in the PNW and misses carousing in the Baltimore of five years ago.
Screaming Females "All At Once" (Don Giovanni) I'm a huge evangelist for this band and their back catalog and especially their live shows. That said, I didn't listen to their last studio rec Rose Mountain as much as the others. Happily, All At Once is a return to form. Each of the four sides revels in a specific identity. Just tremendous.
Notches "Almost Ruined everything" (Salinas) The pride of Dover, New Hampshire cranking out a second LP's worth of songs that would have fit seamlessly into the Ringing Ear Records catalog (no small compliment).
Lithics "Mating Surfaces" (Kill Rock Stars) Jagged and prickly like Wire, tons of hooks, the occasional speedbump. What's not to love?
Collate "Liminal Concerns" (self-released) Chilly and driving, a balm against the loss of Mark E. Smith.
Superchunk "What A Time To Be Alive" (Merge) Meet the new boss, same as the old boss..
50 Shades Freed Director: James Foley Foley here tells the story of a restless, dissatisfied young man, and his camera follows the protagonist about like a puppy, wheeling and reversing and crowding up close; switching abruptly (without dissolves) as abruptly as the young man himself loses interest in one matter and goes on to the next. Form and subject are perfectly matched in this work. I love this almost as much as I love the band Panic at the Disco.
The subject is the anti-hero-not to be described by the favorite cavil word "amoral" but immoral and living in an immoral world. He may have got there because of his revulsion or our exclusion of him, but that is where he now lives by upside-down standards. Already familiar to us through numerous works from Jairy through Celine to Camus, he now appears on the screen: fucking a chick-and engaging us. We do not bleed for him as the child of uncongenial parents or as an underprivileged waif. He is not to be cured by any of the cozy comforts of psychoanalysis or social meliorism. The trouble with this young man, although he doesn't specifically know it, is history. If we understand him, it is because we know that he is contemporary society in extremis: that the dissolution of religious foundations and conceivable futures are in him carried to the ultimate, short of suicide.
In short.....this movie is the visual equivalent of the band Panic at the Disco.
Gotti Director: Kevin Connolly A triumphant piece of filmmaking-journalism presented with the brio of drama. Every frame is active and vivid, and you can feel the director's passionate delight in making these pictures move....as well as my penis.
The movie's underpinnings could have been linked together: they suggest that the Mafia and other organized-crime gangs are continually being destroyed from within by raw male lawlessness.....which is awesome. I love male lawlessness....followed closely by the band Panic at the Disco.
Death Wish Director: Eli Roth Watching Death Wish is almost like an exercise in deciding what is more perfect: Rogier Stoffers cinematography and gorgeous deep focus; Mark Goldblatt's exceptional editing; Eli Roth's magnificent direction; or the film's superlative script told in a non-linear structure. I spaced out during a lot of it because I couldn't stop thinking about something weird that happened at work..but every time my attention returned I felt aroused. I love male lawlessness, but I also love the band Panic at the Disco.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Director: J.A Bayona A work of straightforward emotion and pulse-quickening tension. Like other Marxist thinkers and artists of his time, Bayona believes that political revolution demands a revolutionary aesthetics and a revolutionary cinema....so Dinosaurs seem like the natural choice.
Bayona's radical innovations in camerawork, composition and (most of all) dinosaurs are part of a global shift in mass consciousness. T-Rex is my favorite dinosaur, but Pterodactyl put in a really solid performance and I wouldn't be surprised to see an Oscar nod for "Best Bird." The only thing obviously missing is a song by the band Panic at the Disco.
This year, we asked Shank readers and contributors what their favorites of 2015 were without the whole rigmarole of creating a list. We also asked them to give a few sentences what made it their favorite. These are the results.
FAVORITE ALBUM: SOMETIMES I SIT AND THINK, AND SOMETIMES I JUST SIT BY COURNEY BARNETT BENN RAY: Lyrically one of the more charming albums I've heard in ages. But more than that, Barnett also has some pretty decent songs to back up those lyrics. I'll admit that I had to struggle at first to get past her Australian accent, but listening to her sing "Depreston" on repeat was a pretty easy fix.
FAVORITE ALBUM: I LOVE YOU HONEYBEAR BY FATHER JOHN MISTY JAMIE PARRISH: It sounds like all those albums from the '70s when musicians would rent a house in the Hollywood hills to hold up and record an album hoping the golden west would produce a sound that would convey their desire for a happier time. This album does all that but much better than any band from the '70s ever did or could.
FAVORITE SONG: "I LOVE YOU HONEYBEAR" BY FATHER JOHN MISTY LAURIE ROLLINS ANDERSON: Romantic orchestration and raw, graphic lyrics.
FAVORITE ALBUM: SOMETHING MORE THAN FREE BY JASON ISBELL CARL D. ORR: There are definitely individual songs from other artists I like more than any one song on Isbell's record. But for flat-out quality songwriting and end-to-end listenability, he's doing it right. Thanks for asking.
FAVORITE ALBUM: EDGE OF THE SUN BY CALEXICO STEVE ASHBY: There was a lot of good music that came out in 2015, but this album spent the most time in my CD player. A beautiful record.
FAVORITE ALBUM: SILVER BULLETS BY THE CHILLS DON CLARK: After almost two decades, New Zealand's finest return with a super-jangly, guitar-heavy masterpiece.
FAVORITE ALBUM: MCIII BY MIKAL CRONIN SKIZZ CYZYK: Too often I hear a songwriter described as “original” only to discover “predictable” would have been more accurate. I don’t see a lot of raving about Mikal Cronin’s songwriting, but over the course of his first three albums now, he really deserves a lot of the hype other artists are getting. Catchy, fun influences, and songs that didn’t write themselves… I’ll take more of that whenever I can get it.
FAVORITE ALBUM: 1989 BY RYAN ADAMS ADRIENNE KINSEY: All of your favorite songs from Taylor Swift's 1989 but now as a folksy version. Can't get enough of this record.
FAVORITE COVERS RECORD: 1989 BY RYAN ADAMS BENN RAY: Taylor Swift + Ryan Adams = pretty decent Bruce Springsteen
FAVORITE GIMMICK ALBUM: TIE!!! 1989 BY RYAN ADAMS MEOW THE JEWELS BY RUN THE JEWELS JESSE MORGAN: Whether it's the former Mr. Mandy Moore singing T.Swift songs, or remixing Killer Mike & El-P to the sound of cats meowing and purring, THESE are the best records from 2015 to bump in your CR-V and get confused looks about.
FAVORITE COMEBACK: NO CITIES TO LOVE BY SLEATER-KINNEY BENN RAY: I would say shortly after their first or second record, I thought to myself, "I really dig this, but how many records of this sound am I going to need?" Years later, the correct answer is "All of them." S-K manage to explore new areas and with each record, and No Cities To Love is their New Wave record. One of the best albums of the year.
FAVORITE FIRST NEW RECORD IN 50 YEARS: THIS IS THE SONICS BY THE SONICS BENN RAY: No, this isn't an archival collection - this is The Sonics' first, new, proper record of new material in nearly 50 years. And it hits harder than just about any other rock-n-roll record that came out in 2015.
FAVORITE COUNTRY MUSIC: TIE!!! TRAVELLER BY CHRIS STAPLETON PAGEANT MATERIAL BY KACEY MUSGRAVES BENN RAY: I tend to prefer my country music to include some kind of qualifying prefix like ALT or "Old" or something... anything that delineates it from the mainstream pop sludge that comes out of Nashville and calls itself "country music." This year, these two releases had me dropping the prefixes to my country listening and wrestling my comfortability. And I'm happier for having done it.
FAVORITE SINGLE: BANK ROLLS REMIX BY TATE KOBANG DIRTY MARTY: I remember years ago reading a Tom Waits interview where he suggested that a good way to make songs more interesting is to use names of your town's specific bars and streets and neighborhoods. Mr. Kobang goes nuts with this advice, filling the track to overflowing with Baltimore geographic information. Another important aspect of this choice is the fact that that I discovered this song on actual terrestrial radio. I was returning from an errand and happened to have the radio on 92Q. I heard it from the very beginning as I was parking and I was trapped in the car, transfixed. Now, I ask you, how many more times in our lives can this possibly happen? I might hear an NPR interview with a music blogger who has curated a list of important music, sure, but this was a moment where I was listening to a commercial music station and a DJ decided to play a local independent track and I heard it and said “Holy shit, this is amazing!” I’m not sure, but I’m nostalgic enough that I’m already treasuring the memory of first hearing Bank Rolls Remix.
FAVORITE LIVE SHOW: MY MORNING JACKET AT RED ROCKS JAMIE WATSON: Yeah, we're goddamn hippies.
OTHER FAVORITE MUSIC MOMENTS OF THE YEAR JONATHAN SUPER: It was great to play with Coke Bust. It was great hear and see O Inimigo. Suck Thoughts is a butt.
FAVORITE PODCAST: MILLENNIAL JAMIE PARRISH: Once you get past all the stuff indulgent generational navel gazing there is a good story with great production quality.
FAVORITE PODCAST: THE MYSTERY SHOW HOWARD YANG: Starlee Kine solves mysteries and on the way meets Brittany Spears and measures Jake Gyllenhaal's height
5 FAVORITE REGGAE ALBUMS BY DAVE ALIMA 5. Iba Mahr- Travelling Home. While Iba Mahr had a breakthrough hit with his chune Diamond Sox (a tribute to argyle socks) I prefer this one as it displays the subtly and beauty of his voice.
4. King Mas- As I Rise Great riddim by Green Lion Crew and King Mas rides it tight and heavy.
3. J. Boog and Sizzla- Stand Firm J Boog,the Compton born singer, has had a nice few years with quality releases. This is on the Social riddim and he has a pretty nice chune going when in comes Sizzla and lights the whole place on fyah!
2. Kabaka Pyramid- Well Done Kabaka Pyramid is one of the musicians in the new roots revival (along with Iba Mahr, Proteje, and of course Chronixx). This is a brilliant sarcastic applause to all the politicians trying their absolute best to destroy our country/world. As Kabaka says...give thanks for the effort.
1. Macka B- Never Played a 45 Sometimes reggae music is full of word play and double meanings but often times there are songs based on a singular straightforward concept. This song by legendary dancehall toaster Macka B is literally about 7" 45 records. Let me just put this lyric from the song right here....
"Now i'm not saying that you should be playing the 7" 45 only but if you are able go buy a turntable- you can even get one with a usb."
This year, we asked Shank readers and contributors what their favorites of 2015 were without the whole rigmarole of creating a list. We also asked them to give a few sentences what made it their favorite. These are the results.
FAVORITE VIDEO GAME: HER STORY (a murder mystery game available on iOS or Steam) ELLEN SWEENEY: One of the best narratives I experienced this year, packaged in a novel format which brings full-motion video gaming into the Google era. The format is accessible to anyone who has used a search engine, or spent an hour going down a rabbithole of Youtube videos, but executed well enough to catch the notice of game critics.
FAVORITE BOARD GAME: PANDEMIC LEGACY ELLEN SWEENEY: The original Pandemic is, hands down, one of the greatest cooperative board games of all time; Legacy adds a plot-twisting narrative experience over the course of a dozen or so sessions. Rules shift, new complexities are introduced, old ways of approaching the game become obsolete. Plus, the way the game is packaged is just plain fun -- adding stickers to the game board and rule book as things evolve, opening mystery boxes when a game event is triggered, tearing up cards that are removed from the game.
FAVORITE MEAL: TACOS @ GUERO'S, AUSTIN STEVE ASHBY: Less for the meal, and more for the entertaining stories about Matthew McConaughey, Thomas Hayden Church, and a tray of drinks dumped on Andie McDowell and her family by the bartender.
FAVORITE MEAL: VEGAN CURRY WITH RICE ADRIENNE KINSEY: Nothing warms the heart and soul like "homemade" Golden Brand curry.
FAVORITE MEAL: VEGE-KOME RAMEN @ RAMEN MISOYA, MONTREAL JONATHAN SUPER: Nooooooooodles! Yummy broth! Happiness.
FAVORITE MEAL: HOMEMADE BURGERS PATRICK STORCK: New to 2015 meals narrows the field. I did make a batch of burgers with cumin and tomato paste and black pepper. On top was a paste from slow cooking garlic and cilantro in black beans until paste. Some crumbled feta sprinkled on that and you've got a very tasty burger.
FAVORITE MEAL: STEAMED CRABS, CONRAD'S SEAFOOD HOWARD YANG: getting local True Blue steamed crabs at Conrad's in Perry Hall.
FAVORITE BEER: ATOMIC MUTATION (UNION CRAFT X ATOMIC BOOKS, BALTIMORE MD) LISA HARBIN: Well, it was a joint effort by two of my favorite neighborhood establishments (Union Craft Brewing and, duh, Atomic Books) and it was just a delightful beer. It wasn't heavy but had a lot of flavor, kind of spicy and a little odd, but delicious. Also, the label kicked ass.
FAVORITE BEER: SNOWPANTS (UNION CRAFT, BALTIMORE MD) DON CLARK: Although it's winter as I write this, which may lend some context to my choosing it as my favorite, this full-bodied oatmeal stout chases away the blizzard blues but remains a favorite year-round..
FAVORITE BEER: DROPOUT DOUBLE IPA (RUBBER SOUL, SALISBURY MD) STEVE ASHBY: Runner up, Burley Oak’s Dark Matter Sour from Berlin, MD.
FAVORITE BEER: SWEET BABY JESUS (DUCLAW, BALTIMORE MD) SKIZZ CYZYK: A peanut butter and chocolate beer. That name says it all.
FAVORITE BEER: MONKENSTEIN (HOMEBREW) PATRICK STORCK: Brewed as a personal batch by the good folks at The Curioso podcast, Monkenstein is a hybrid brewed from the dregs of all ten active Trappist breweries available commercially. After a tasting of all ten in the spring, Monkenstein took almost a year to properly brew and ferment, but sweet lord is it worth it. Not available for purchase, sorry.
FAVORITE BEER: HEATER ALLEN HANDCRAFTED LAGER (HEATER ALLEN, MCMINNVILLE OR) HOWARD YANG: We need to embrace a great lager again.
FAVORITE BEER: MAINE ROOT BEER / BAR HARBOR ROOT BEER JONATHAN SUPER: Whatever Root Beer Eightbar has at the time 'cause I like root beer.
FAVORITE LIQUOR: FIREBALL JAMIE WATSON: I've always wanted to be a person who just sips liquor in a sophisticated manner, and now I am, only with the most downmarket frat boy swill ever.
FAVORITE LIQUOR: PAPPY VAN WINKLE 20 YEAR FAMILY RESERVE HOWARD YANG: Trying Pappy Van Winkle 20 yr Family Reserve- straight up- worth the hype.
FAVORITE LIQUOR: NONE JONATHAN SUPER: Keep your poison out of my life.
FAVORITE COFFEE: SWEET VALLEY HIGH BLEND (COUNTER CULTURE COFFEE) ADRIENNE KINSEY: This year Counter Culture Coffee combined their two main Ethiopian coffee beans to create a delicious super blend. The citrus acidity and honey sweetness of Haru paired with the fruity, light Idido created a harmonious song perfect for any palate.
