MM Romance

Kindle Unlimited

• Enchanting Exposition (Demon Magic #4) by Alice Winters - Amazon - (fantasy, established couple, series must be read in order, mage/demon, saving friend from dark magic, trapped in dark magic book, found family) - 317 pages
  
• Swipe Left, Power Down, Look Up by Amy Lane - Amazon - (contemporary, soccer coach/barista, sports adjacent, professional upheaval, sunshine MC) - 145 pages
  
• Under Your Skin by Lee McCormick - Amazon - (dark contemporary, mortician/serial killer, mortician covering up for serial killer, morally grey & obsessive MCs, angst, check CWs) - 386 pages
  
• New Tricks (The Les's Bar Series #4) by Jodi Payne & BA Tortuga - Amazon - (contemporary, gay bar meet cute, widower MC, 24/7 dom/sub, BDSM, MC new to BDSM, grief, check CWs) - 281 pages
  
• Moonlight Magic (Dark Forest Pack) by Annabelle Jacobs - Amazon - (MMM, paranormal, fae/witch/shifter, hurt/comfort, mates, angst, suspense, possessive shifter MC ) - 338 pages
  
• Pi (Code Name: Rodeo #1) by Thia Mackin - Amazon - (MMMM, paranormal?, maybe poly?, members of a SEAL team, action/adventure) - 238 pages
  
• Immersion Play (Leather and Lattes #1) by Katherine McIntyre - Amazon - (contemporary, kink café setting, one MC new to kink, daddy/brat, grief, check CWs) - 297 pages
  
• Icebreaker: An MM Hockey Romance (Portland Lumberjacks #1) by Blair Brady - Amazon - (contemporary, hockey, rookie/veteran, age gap, grumpy/sunshine) - 226 pages
  
• The Cry of the Night (Blood and Moon #2) by Alex Vale - Amazon - (dark fantasy, vampire MCs, established couple, series must be read in order, opposites attract, slow burn, action/adventure, check CWs) - 264 pages
  

Kobo & Kobo Plus

• The Bump by Sidney Karger - Kobo & Amazon - (contemporary, rom com, relationship in crisis, road trip, freaking about about coming baby, secrets, opposites attract) - 363 pages
  
• Forever Yours, Kit: Gay Childhood Friends to Lovers Romance by Atreus Rosewood - Kobo & Amazon - (contemporary?, takes place in the 90s?, childhood friends to strangers to lovers, coming of age, second chance, forgiveness, "it's always been you") - 244 pages
  
• Dangerous Recall by Tyler Anne Snell - Kobo & Amazon - (contemporary, bodyguard/client, mystery/suspense, murder investigation) - 219 pages
  
• Nearlywed by Nicolas DiDomizio - Kobo & Amazon - (contemporary, rom com, engagement in crisis, early honeymoon to recharge, opposites attract, age gap) - 345 pages
  
• Blaze of Cortez (Rain City Tales #8) by Brent Archer - Kobo & Amazon - (contemporary, firefighters, workplace romance, coming out, trauma, check CWs) - 328 pages
  
• These Bittersweet Vines (The Eastern Quarter's Mana #2) by Dorian Valentine - Kobo & Amazon - (fantasy, magic, prince/bodyguard, amnesia, action/adventure) - 514 pages
  
• The Shabti - Kobo & Amazon - (paranormal historical, 1930s, mystery/suspense, horror, former medium/Egyptologist, haunted Egyptian relics, dangreous ghost haunting, Jewish rep)
  

Other

• After: Puppy Love: MM Romance Novella Short Story (Trick of the Light #3) by Abigail Hunter - Amazon - (contemporary, established couple, series must be read in order, photoshoot setting) - 53 pages

Other Queer Romance

Kindle Unlimited

• The Pleasure Protocol: A Scorching Billionaire Romance by Darcy Romaine & Kat Alexander - Amazon - (MF, contemporary, bisexual MC, billionaire/escort, BDSM, collared FMC) - 328 pages
  
• A Heart Bleeding Gold (Midnight Series #3) by H.M. Darling - Amazon - (FF, fantasy, vampire FMC, starting over, angst, check CWs) - 212 pages
  
• For Blood & Soul (Tales of the Immortals #3) by Tara Lynn - Amazon - (MMF, fantasy, vampires, established relationship, series must be read in order, action/adventure) - 368 pages
  

Kobo & Kobo Plus

• Looking for Love in All the Haunted Places by Claire Kann - Kobo & Amazon - (MF, paranormal, asexual FMC, sentient haunted house, love triangle between MCs and the house?, FMC with ESP investigating haunted house, single dad, opposites attract) - 415 pages
  
• Here for the Wrong Reasons: A Novel by Annabel Paulsen & Lydia Wang - Kobo & Amazon - (FF, contemporary, rom com, dating show contestants competing for a man, cowgirl/influencer, opposites attract, grumpy/sunshine, slow burn, challenging comp het) - 365 pages
  
• Ice + Alligators by Angel Martinez - Kobo & Amazon - (FF, fantasy, ice fairy/alligator, ice fairy is banished to alligator's swamp, working together to defeat humans who threaten swamp) - 103 pages
  
• The 7-10 Split: A Romantic Comedy (Peach Blossom #1) by Karmen Lee - Kobo & Amazon - (FF, contemporary, rom com, second chance, enemies to lovers, Black FMCs, high school teachers and co bowling coaches, start & bring HS bowling team to victory) - 289 pages
  
• Second Night Stand by Karelia Stetz-Waters & Fay Stetz-Waters - Kobo & Amazon - (FF, contemporary, ONS to lovers, ballerina/burlesque dancer, dance troupe competition show rivals) - 334 pages
  
• A Liaison with Her Leading Lady by Lotte R. James - Kobo & Amazon - (FF, historical, playwright/theater owner, opposites attract) - 301 pages
  
• Bonded (New Eden #2) by Jessica Marting - Kobo & Amazon - (MMF, sci fi, cyborg/cyborg/human, human FMC, second chance MM, starship setting) - 186 pages
  

Other

• Unexpected You (Sapph in the City #1) by Chelsea M. Cameron - Amazon - (FF, contemporary, boss/employee, romance authodisaster assistant, ice queen MC, age gap) - 233 pages
  
• Their Human to Entice (Unit A12 #7) by Morgan Robinson - Amazon - (MMF, sci fi, alien/alien/human, established MM alien adds third human woman, mates, woman needs a mate to leave Earth) - 213 pages
  

Audiobooks

MM Romance

• Nearlywed by Nicolas DiDomizio, narrated by Michael Crouch - Amazon - (contemporary, rom com, engagement in crisis, early honeymoon to recharge, opposites attract, age gap) - 9 hrs 2 min
  
• Dangerous Recall by Tyler Anne Snell, narrated by Michael Dean - Amazon - (contemporary, bodyguard/client, mystery/suspense, murder investigation) - 5 hrs 21 min
  
• Volatile (Unlucky 13) by J.R. Gray, narrated by Tor Thom & Iggy Toma - Amazon - (contemporary, rehab resort setting, bandmates, sexual awakening, check CWs ) - 6 hrs 23 min
  
• Ghostly Findings (Ghostly #2) by E.M. Leya, narrated by Greg D. Barnett - Amazon - (paranormal, mystery/suspense, medical examinedetective, slow burn) - 6 hrs 7 min
  
• Rise (Wings 'N' Wands #2) by AJ Sherwood & Jocelynn Drake, narrated by Joel Leslie - Amazon - (MMM, fantasy, established relationship, series must be read in order, 2 dragon shifters & 1 human, set in Brasil, fated mates, magic, action/adventure) - 10 hrs 30 min
  
• The Amazing Alpha Tau Self-Improvement Project (Alpha Tau #2) by Lisa Henry & Sarah Honey, narrated by Nick J. Russo - Amazon - (contemporary, college, frat boy/nerd, boyfriend tutoring, banter) - 6 hrs 2 min
  
• Point Blank (Badlands #6) by Morgan Brice, narrated by Kale Williams - Amazon - (paranormal, established couple, series must be read in order, psychic/detective, mystery/suspense, wedding planning, ghosts) - 6 hrs 55 min
  

Other Queer Romance

• Loyalty (Halcyon Diivision #3) by E.J. Noyes, narrated by Abby Craden - Amazon - (FF, contemporary, mystery/suspense, established couple, series must be read in order, save the world by finding a secret password) - 10 hrs 5 min
  
• A Liaison with Her Leading Lady by Lotte R. James, narrated by Beatrix Ayliff - Amazon - (FF, historical, playwright/theater owner, opposites attract) - 8 hrs 56 min
  

Review: Lady on the Cusp
I've taken a deep dive (participated in the Band Camp live stream, ~6 cover-to-cover listens, and play-on-repeat for specific songs to refine my rating) into of Montreal's latest album, Lady on the Cusp, and here are my thoughts on each track. Overall, it's another "average" album from Kevin Barnes. It feels like a more subdued sound compared to earlier experimental works like Skeletal Lamping, but it lacks the exuberance and uniqueness that made those earlier works noteworthy. As Kevin's sound has evolved, especially over the last decade, the music has been less enjoyable to sing along to. It's not that it's relegated to background music, but that the intensity of my enjoyment waxes and wanes in this album and several of the previous releases. Glimpses of inspiration in a few songs (Soporific Cell, Sea Mines That Mr. Gone) make me reminisce for the musical focus and cohesion of some of the earlier works.
Track-by-Track Review:

1. Music Hurts the Head - Rating: 8
   • "Rock and roll is dead. That's why it's cool!"
2. 2 Depressed 2 F**k - Rating: 5
   • Lyrically scattered and musically incoherent.
3. Rude Girl on Rotation - Rating: 8
   • The best guitar riffs on the album. The lyrics of the chorus (stepping on scorpions to lose my erection, really?) prevent me from singing along to the earworm.
4. Yung Hearts Bleed Free - Rating: 7
   • Don't mix up your prayer and anal beads, Kevin.
5. Soporific Cell - Rating: 10
   • IMO the best song on the album. The second half of this song is very catchy.
6. I Can Read Smoke - Rating: 5
   • I expected this would be a skip for most people. After reading some of the comments on the subreddit, I re-listened to this multiple times. It's one of my biggest head-scratchers on the album. I can't relate to those who enjoy it, but I'm glad its sound is appealing to others.
7. Pi$$ Pi$$ - Rating: 9
   • Cool sound, depressing lyrics. This track has grown on me quite a bit since the first round of the album.
8. Sea Mines That Mr. Gone - Rating: 9
   • Saxophonic bliss. Reminiscent of an older sound, like Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies. "I'll probably die in character" is tragic and powerful.
9. Poetry Surf - Rating: 6
   • "Impotent vagina" = this song. Lyrically, I need my dictionary to understand it, which kills the immersion.
10. Genius in the Wind - Rating: 9
    • Funky, experimental, and interesting.

Overall Rating: Lady on the Cusp is a mixed bag, offering glimpses of brilliance amidst tracks that don't quite hit the mark. While it doesn't quite capture the vibrant energy of past albums, it has its moments that remind us of Kevin Barnes' unique musical prowess.

Hello,
First time Reddit poster. Started watching in 1998 and wound down in 2011.
I read/hear a lot about how Shawn Michaels/HHH pulled a last minute swerve for Shawn to win the European Championship over The British Bulldog at the 1997 One Night Only PPV. The detractors say that although Shawn's excuse was that he was doing it for "heat" and to make the title mean something, he didn't really do much with it and treated it as an afterthought joke. The D-X vs Hart Foundation feud happened a little bit before I started tuning in, but over the last 10-15 years, especially with more "shoot" interviews available, books/articles published, etc. it's possible the narrative of what happened at One Night Only is a mischaracterization of Shawn Michaels.
What We Know: In 1997, The British Bulldog aka Davey Boy Smith -- a member of the heel stable, The Hart Foundation -- is the European Champion and is always expected to "go over" whenever the WWE travels to Europe. 9/20/97 is the One Night Only PPV, in Birmingham, England.
What has been said by a few sources: Up till the day of the show, Davey was under the assumption that he was not going to lose the title to Shawn Michaels, since England is obviously within Europe. What made this event extra special is that there had been a plan for him to be escorted to the ring by his sister who was sadly stricken with a terminal illness. There would've then been cheers all around for this valiant hero and the 11,000 fans would then be sent home happy with a feel-good story.
Here is where things get murky: The same sources state that Shawn and HHH decided to pull a fast one on Vince McMahon an hour or so before it was show time. The two demanded that Shawn beat Davey for the European Championship. Has Shawn or HHH ever independantly admitted that it was in that short of a turnaround and that the two went behind Davey's back? Even Jim Ross says that Davey was with Shawn and HHH when the idea to change the finish was pitched and blames Davey for not "protecting himself." That means Davey agreed and was not forced. As mentioned earlier, the excuse that has been used is that Shawn felt that it would be a great way to draw "heat" since there was very much a pro-Davey crowd watching and so the return match in the Spring of 1998 (when they headed back to not just the UK, but this time in Manchester which was The Bulldog's billed hometown) would have a massive redemption arc which would be that much greater for the fans. In the meantime, Shawn would have good matches and elevate the European Championship, something, quite frankly, he was better at than Davey. It ties into the reasoning that has been given in that Shawn (arguably being at the peak of his ability), would be able to make that title mean something (like what he did for the Intercontinental Championship).
However, because of the backstage Kliq stories which continue to come out, the manner in which Shawn later dropped the European Championship, and the fact that there really was no return match for Shawn vs. Davey since both were out of the WWE by then, many fans have pointed to this PPV as an "obvious" example of the weight Shawn and HHH carried backstage. In recent shoot interviews, Bret Hart (who would leave the WWF six weeks later in spectacular fashion) has said this match was simply a way to make Davey and the rest of the Harts look foolish.
What you can't deny is the heat in the arena, after the match, was white-hot.
Okay with that background established, let's look to see why I feel that what happened at the One Night Only PPV is a mischaracterization of Shawn Michaels:

• The Hart narrative.
  • It's hard to put a lot of stock into "he said, she said," but in case you want to take it as gospel...in Page 256 of Shawn's book (yeah, yeah, I know) Heartbreak & Triumph, he details that Davey was on board with the plans -- with no mentions of if it was pitched an hour before or days earlier. If fans are ready to believe Bret, why can't they leave wiggle room for Shawn?
    • While Shawn certainly has excuses (and apologized) for his sophomoric hijinx and makes himself sound like a creative genius, Bret has consistently come off as two things: 1) Making himself look heroic 2) Making himself look like he's had a perpetual gloomy cloud over him at every stage of life. His book, My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling, briefly mentions this match and some nonsense of how he "saw the light die in Davey's eyes that day, darkness seeping into a heart that was giving out." Statements like that (and ones he continues to say) are dangerous, essentially telling fans that Shawn is partly responsible for the death of Davey Boy, stemming from this match. Huge mischaracterization.
  • Bret points to how Davey told everyone he expected to win, promised everyone that he was going to win the match for his English fans and especially his sister...as proof that Shawn swerved plans at the last minute just to needle the Harts ("It was designed to make us all look stupid." -- Inside The Ropes ).
    • What? There's literally thousands of instances where wrestlers lose in their hometown and use real life to push stories. And finishes change all the time. The new storyline made long term sense and Vince/Creative agreed. It could have been great, but no one expected Bulldog to quit six weeks later because of the Screwjob. No one expected Shawn's back injury to happen a couple months after that.
  • Diana Hart Smith (Davey's wife and Bret/Owen's sister) in 2012 said, regarding the changed finish, you "have to do what you're told." However, she is not credible, by Bret's own words, stemming from his reaction to a largely fictional biography on the Hart Family, written by Diana (Under the Mat).
• Davey was still booked to look strong, despite losing.
  • The RAW before the event, Davey had his knee "injured" from chair shots by HBK/HHH. And yet Davey still didn't "quit" when locked into the Figure Four at the PPV (even with HBK getting help from all the members of D-X). The match was stopped, akin to Stone Cold vs Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13. Diana Hart Smith even got involved in the post match antics with Chyna.
  • I don't believe, for a moment, the Hart family -- especially Bret -- didn't fully agree to how it all precisely happened especially when you're getting non-wrestlers involved inside the ring. If they wanted to change it, they could've.
    • There's been no mention from Bret about going to bat for Davey and them getting rejected.
• Bret Hart and the Hart Foundation still had a lot of backstage influence.
  • This wasn't Savio Vega or Dean Douglas eating an unnecessary pin. There is an established history of the Harts wanting to do things their way. Bret was World Champion and by far the highest paid wrestler on the roster so although Shawn had stroke, Bret certainly did too. And Davey had been with the company and had success far longer than Shawn (though in interrupted stages). DQ/Countout results are a common occurrence for situations where two powerful wrestlers/factions don't want to "job" to one another. In fact, the 10/6/97 RAW had Bret changing a finish where he was supposed to eat a pin from HHH (via HBK interference) into a Countout.
  • Yes, certainly, maturity was something Shawn and HHH lacked but you have to remember that unlike the Harts, they were not nepo-babies raised in the industry. And they were much younger (Shawn is 8 years younger than Bret whereas HHH is 12 years younger). Even Davey could be considered a nepo-baby since Dynamite Kid was his first cousin and he debuted in the WWF largely because Stu Hart cut a deal to include his son-in-law.
• Bret's possible thought process
  • My opinion (yes, speculation) is that Bret knew he was out the door and so he didn't care too much about what happened to Davey's European Championship since he had his own issues he was dealing with, regarding WCW contracts, Wrestling with Shadows, and dropping the World Championship. He mentioned how stressful all that was. What is fact though is that Davey wasn't someone Bret held in high regard. From talking about him not being able to construct matches, to being under the influence, to personal life issues, to even forcing Davey to cut his long braided hair because according to Davey's family, Bret said it was starting to look too much like his (even though it wasn't the same type nor color).
  • I also feel that with everything that happened between that period, and to Brian Pillman, Owen, and Davey dying very young, it understandably left an awful taste in their mouths. It all gets magnified a bit. Then add that Bret's time with WCW wasn't really anything extraordinary (for his standard), and his constant reminding us of how Goldberg ended his career makes me believe that there still is a grudge with HBK/HHH which will never truly go away. And unlike Shawn who seemingly has moved on, Bret hasn't. Which is why he keeps establishing the narrative that the Hart Foundation was always in the right and the D-X was always in the wrong.
• Finances
  • 1997, the WWF was in peril. House shows and merchandise were selling, but PPVs were not. Having a swerve on a PPV makes the next one "must see TV" (again, this was a world before streaming). In this instance, the next time they came to England. Nitro was still beating RAW.
• Storyline
  • Shawn had only recently turned heel (after SummerSlam, a month earlier). The plan was established from back then to have a heel Shawn face Austin at WrestleMania XIV. This was an era where there really was only one major show per week (and some on tape delay) and most fans did not have internet access at home, so establishing quick, obvious heat was important. What better way than to "screw" Davey in front of his fans and family? Beating Davey in the USA wasn't going to do it because, remember, Davey was a heel in the USA. 9/29/97 (two days later) Davey faced Vader in New York. Vader was about to beat him clean and then the Harts stormed in and used weapons on Vader, resulting in a DQ.
    • If not beat Davey, a former Intercontinental Champion, then who? The talent roster was quite thin and a memorable Undertaker program was upcoming. Also, Shawn had not had a singles belt since Feb 1997. Nevertheless, the ratings jumped towards the end of 1997.
• Defending the European Championship
  • How many of you remember Davey ever defending the European Championship on RAW or a PPV? From the moment he won it on 2/26/97, over the next seven months, he defended it only four times on non-house shows. Even if you include house shows, the vast majority of the defenses were in the USA so it was hardly a Europe-only belt. All the four RAW or PPV matches ended in DQ/Countout type finishes. I'll be honest, I haven't watched every single one of those matches but I do see that he beat HHH via pinfall, as one of his first defenses on 2/28/97. Davey regained the belt on 10/26/99 after he came back, but lost it six weeks later on 12/12/99 as he started spiraling, defending it only a handful of times on TV.
  • Shawn, unlike Davey, really could make that belt mean something so I do believe the Manchester return match in the Spring of 1998, after he dropped the World title to Austin, would've been big (not unlike Hart vs Bulldog at SummerSlam 1992). Even his most ardent haters will admit to HBK's talent. Yes, he dropped it to HHH in a comedic fashion on 12/11/97 but what was the alternative? With Bret leaving/gone and Shawn in a program with The Undertaker (who didn't need the European Championship since he was about to face Kane), as a World Champion (earlier than he thought he was going to be -- Screwjob plans were hatched later than Sept) him randomly losing the European title would've made him look bad even if it was lost in an underhanded fashion. Losing it to Owen could've been a possibility but Owen would win the Intercontinental Championship on 10/5/97 so that wouldn't really make sense neither. That said, the two of them faced one another on 10/20/97 in a title for title clash (No Contest). Owen later beat HHH for the European title on 2/26/98 (and then lost it back) and the two later had a WrestleMania XIV match for it. So dropping it to HHH made sense. Look at the roster back then and tell me who an alternative could have been?
  • Shawn gets a lot of heat for not defending the European title as often as some feel he should have. But as of 9/20/97, the WWE didn't know what Bret was going to do. Shawn infamously won the World Championship on 11/9/97. I'm not going to rehash the backstage Montreal play-by-play but I firmly believe that if Bret stayed with the WWE for a bit longer, Shawn would have had more time to have matches for the European title. The problem is everything happened so quickly. Unlike Davey, it's not like Shawn spent seven months as European Champion and defended it only four times on TV. Shawn did defend it three times on TV but in 2 1/2 months including an epic with Shamrock on RAW on 11/3/97, before he won the World title from Bret. Between a program with The Undertaker, leading D-X, and becoming World Champion sooner than he expected, there was no time (or really justification) to defend the European title even more often, when he had a program with Austin coming (in arguably the biggest title change in history).

TL:DR Even if (big, if) the finish was changed an hour before showtime, Davey agreed to the finish (with what I believe is with the Hart family on board -- but seeing how it all played out over the next few months and years left a bad taste and narrative change). Shawn winning the European Championship was what was best for business. Therefore Shawn flexing his backstage power "just because" or "only to hate on the Harts" makes zero sense.

TGIF, weekend is in sight!
I try to price fairly based on current spot and recent sold comps. If anything seems way out in left field, please feel free to chat with me.
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I play Canada a lot (home nation and also was very easy to understand and play with as a beginner) and I’m finding it to be very easy to win the war for Mother England.
Step 1) research speed: Canada is now built to research things stupid fast with all their new (and old) buffs. Get all the research buffs/decisions as early as possible. By the end of 1936 you should be able to have the political power, and industrial advisors (the latter only costs 50 after a 35 day focus), as well as used 200pp to get German and Italian scientists. Take the focus “commonwealth ties” and “Montreal laboratory” to get another 5%.
Step 2) readying for war: You’re gonna wanna try and get as many civs through focuses early on to reduce the effects of the Great Depression. After Anschluss you can take the focus which is locked by world tension, and within a few focuses most of the negative effects should be gone. This should be early 1939 by now. Prioritize an industry focused on armour and air. For a navy just build anti-submarine 1936 destroyers, you can even build some light cruisers to buff up the convoy escorts.
Step 3 manpower) Canada can actually field a decent sized army now that its focus tree isn’t locked to manpower or industry. From early to late 1939 you’re going to want to focus on getting to the “send in the zombies” and get to limited conscription, you’ll still have the Quebec manpower debuff but you should field an army of around 350,000 by the end of 1939.
Step 4) strategic deployments: Use your units and manpower wisely, it’s strongly recommended you put two infantry divisions (9-0 or 9-1) on the El-Alemain tile and Italy will throw countless lives at you while your allies clean up east Africa securely. With the rest (12-16) divisions at the wars start, have them waiting in Scapa flow until Germany declares on Norway. Send two divisions to each port and let the Germans waste away divisions, and even better Norways divisions are enough to clean up the Germans so you don’t have to move troops and lose the entrenchment.
Step 5) wait and liberate: as the Germans waste divisions in Norway, and the Italians in North Africa, the Soviet Union will eventually start holding and pushing the Germans back before Moscow. Use your newly built up army of tanks to invade and liberate France. Leave Italy to the UK and US. Drive to Paris ASAP so France can deploy troops in Europe, and use your tanks to quickly encircle and drive to Berlin.
Step 6) invade Japan: by this point Japan is almost entirely overextended and attrition riddled, the US probably has drastic naval superiority and probably even captured Iwo Jima. Invade from wherever you see fit, but make sure your hundred strong fleet of destroyers are escorting

I'm an escort who took a bad fall a few months ago and haven't been able to work since. I finally called a PI attorney and of course they're asking about my employment.
I don't know if I should say I'm unemployed or if I should admit being an escort. I don't make a ton of money and much of it is untraceable. I just don't want to screw up this case! I'm not a "slippin jimmy" kind of person but I have a torn disc and it's unbelievably painful

First
“Ma’am, we’ve got contacts.”
And so it begins. Captain Mary Flowers stood on the bridge of the battleship Indomitable Spirit, surrounded by flashing consoles, hum of machinery and methodical tapping of the bridge crew. Her plush chair seemed to offer even less comfort than usual. The atmosphere on the bridge was simultaneously tense and subdued.
Six colonies have burned so far, the few refugees carrying with them the news of cleansings, orbital bombardments and savage executions of anyone unfortunate enough to get caught.
“We have 97 confirmed transit emissions. Scratch that, 201. 298. Intelligence has finally delivered. Three enemy fleets right on time Captain.”
Her crew was well trained and dependable and after a year of non-stop training she had every bit of confidence in them. Lieutenant Brown was a prime example. He was a skilled sensor tech with multiple recommendations under his belt, as most of the officers had to have to even be considered for a post on a battleship.
“417. Seems I gave Intelligence too much credit. 513.” Brown’s voice began losing its upbeat tone, as the number climbed higher. “814… 909… 1013.” By the end all colour drained from his voice. A silence settled on the bridge as her other officers stopped just to process the information.
With 57 vessels under her command she was already in for a fight against the predicted 3 fleets. Concordat’s ships were much smaller and less defended than humanity’s counterparts, but even then 20 to 1 odds seemed impossible to beat.
“Time before they’re in range?” Her cold icy tone carried across the frozen bridge, breaking out her officers from their stupor. She was glad they were probably distracted enough not to notice how tightly she gripped her chair. She could not afford to tremble. She will not tremble in front of the crew.
“Uhh… range… um…”
“Give me the time Tactical.”
“Missile envelope, 2 hours 23 minutes. Laser 7 hours 47 minutes. Kinetic 10 hours 47 minutes ma’am. They are burning straight for us.”
“Navigation, plot a course around Archimedes, we’ll come around and gather speed. Sensors I want to know which enemy ships are Transports ASAP. Bring us to Yellow Alert.”
“Plotting course around Archimedes aye.” “On it Captain.” “Yellow alert, aye ma’am.”
Give them jobs to do and no time to think of what is to come. That unpleasant duty rests squarely on her shoulders. Although there isn’t much that can be done. With over a thousand ships, the god damned crabs can simply fly circles around her fleet. Fleet Intelligence truly dropped a massive ball.
It made her glad she did not take them up on the offer to join. She was a young engineer then, slowly climbing the ladder, back when she was still with… James. He was so handsome in that marine uniform of his. Young too, just as her. And he could make her laugh hard enough it hurt, while holding her tight in those muscular arms of his.
Then she chose the Navy and he got discharged.
She couldn’t say she regretted it, really. Command is what she truly wanted and where she felt accomplished. Yet, a small part of her wished that was not so, still.
They found each other again too, after over twenty years. A marine turned mechanic, he now owned a few shops down on Archimedes. She met him down at the spaceport while off duty. He was fixing a car on the side of the street, teaching his son. He had a son!
She couldn’t help herself but to talk to them. One thing led to another and well they ended up in bed. And then went out for dinner. Soon enough she was spending her time off duty with the two of them.
Piotyr was a hybrid. A human-wolf genetically modified super-soldier program failure that James had adopted a mere 2 years after they split. She couldn’t quite believe how easily he accepted her. How both of them accepted her. It was silly she knew, but every time she looked at him she couldn’t help but feel kinship. Like she was his mother, his real mother.
She donated her DNA to the project, but so did half the navy, the odds they used her’s and that the resulting hybrid was Piotyr was so infinitely small that it might as well have been impossible. Yet she couldn’t help how she felt.
“Ma’am we’ll be around the planet in 5 minutes. Estimated time for the Laser envelope is 4 hours.”
Now she had a job to do.
“Open a channel to all ships.”
“Aye ma’am, channel open.”
“This is Commander Mary Flowers speaking. You all have heard the stories of what the Concordat does to conquered colonies and you all see the number of enemies arrayed before us. Let me be clear. There is no way out for us.”
She paused for a few moments. Her words needed to sink in.
“There are 13 million souls on the planet below us. Thirteen million lives that the Concordat wishes to slaughter or enslave.”
In three minutes they will come from behind the planet and see what formation the enemy took.
“Our objective is to hold for time. Every second we hold, another life will be evacuated. Every ship destroyed, every crab killed will help the militia hold on longer. And make no mistake, we will give them no mercy. We will gut their fleet like the fish they are.”
One minute thirty.
“The Concordat made the mistake of underestimating us. Let us ensure they pay in blood for every light year they take. Ready the missile salvo. Focus fire on the enemy vanguard. Fire on my mark.”
She smiled. The crabs did underestimate her. Three enemy fleets burned on a direct course for her fleet. Two were spreading out to cover other angles and wouldn’t be able to fire on her. The rest was escorting their Transport ships, massive slow vessels each transporting up to 50 thousand of their warrior caste.
All she had to go through was the 300 ships. Once they were past that, the Transport’s defenders wouldn’t be able to do much, not with the speed her fleet would have gathered by then. If anything was left of her fleet by then.
“Mark.”
The hull shook, as hundreds of Mk.7, grav-drive atomic space-superiority missiles launched, quickly reaching their terminal velocity on their final journey. The 16th Defense Fleet followed behind.
****
Not sure if I should mark it as PI. It is based on the previous post which was a prompt response. So. Let me know if it's any good.

Today's additions are:

• Ponomarev / Obrazeena Massacre - Sonic Oblivion (Tags: experimental, distortion, drone, feedback, metal, noise, Milwaukee) [Utech]
  
• UNEARTHLY RITES - Ecdysis (Tags: death metal, metal, old school death metal, stenchcore, Finland) [Prosthetic]
  
• Musala nan Eilan - Glossolalia (Tags: rock, ambient, celtic rock, drone, instrumental, neoclassical, oriental rock, post-rock, Nancy) [FOUNDING OUR OWN GLORIOUS CHAPELS . Wild Bless You !]
  
• Aquilus - Bellum II (Tags: atmospheric metal, black metal, metal, neo-classical, neo-folk, symphonic metal, atmospheric metal, black metal, folk metal, grey metal, metal, neo-classical, neo-folk, progressive metal, symphonic metal, Melbourne) [Independent]
  
• Inherits The Void - Scars Of Yesteryears (Tags: atmospheric black metal, black metal, french black metal, melodic black metal, metal, post black metal, black metal, Clermont Ferrand) [Independent]
  
• DEMANDE À LA POUSSIÈRE - Kintsugi (Tags: black metal, doom metal, metal, post metal, post-hardcore, sludge metal, Paris) [Independent]
  
• I LIKE TO SLEEP - Bedmonster's Groove (Tags: free jazz. improvised music, jazz, progressive rock, norwegian jazz, power jazz, powerjazz, powerjazz to the people, prog rock, Trondheim) [Independent]
  
• Nubiyan Twist - Find Your Flame (Tags: afro jazz, jazz, rnb, soul, London) [Strut]
  
• Matt Mitchell - Illimitable (Tags: jazz, improvisation, improvised music, piano, solo piano, New York) [Obliquity]
  
• Travis Orbin - Dotty Ditties, Volume 5: Here Are Some More New Songs (Tags: experimental, funk, jazz, metal, progressive, rock, Delaware) [Independent]
  
• Dan Loomis - REVOLUTIONS (Tags: jazz, choral, deep nu jazz, new music, nu-jazz, New York) [Adhyâropa]
  
• Laura Perrudin - DOKSHA (Tags: alternative, contemporary r&b, future soul, neo-soul, abstract, alternative jazz, alternative pop, electronica, experimental jazz, experimental pop, jazz, noise groove, noise pop, singer-songwriter, vocal jazz, France) [Independent]
  
• Spaceslug - Out Of Water (Tags: metal, doom stoner, stoner doom space rock, stoner rock, stonerdoom, Wrocław) [Independent]
  
• Marjana Semkina - SIRIN (Tags: acoustic, chamber pop, chamber prog, dark chamber, dark folk, folk prog, sleepwalking music, United Kingdom) [Independent]
  
• DJIIN - Mirrors (Tags: 70s inspired stoner doom, french stoner doom rock, rock, fuzz, oriental rock, post-punk, psychedelic, psychedelic rock, rock prog, Rennes) [Independent]
  
• Plastic Dogs - The Third (Tags: alternative, metal, progressive rock, alto saxophone, freestyle, guitar rock, guitars, improvisation, improvised, jazz and improvised music, noise, progressive metal, saxophone, Nagoya) [Ono Ryoko 小埜涼子]
  
• ANCST - culture of brutality (Tags: black metal, metal, metalcore, blackened crust, blackened hardcore, blackened metalcore, crustcore, death metal, deathgrind, grindcore, metallic hardcore, sludge, Berlin) [Independent]
  
• CARNOPHAGE - Matter of a Darker Nature (Tags: metal, brutal death metal, death metal, dissonant, dissonant death, old school brutal death, old school death, tech death, technical brutal death metal, technical death, technical death metal, turkey, turkish death metal, Türkiye) [Transcending Obscurity]
  
• MONUMENT OF MISANTHROPY - Vile Postmortem Irrumatio (Tags: metal, austria, brutal death, brutal death metal, brutal technical death, brutal technical death metal, death metal, deathcore, deathgrind, metal, slam death, tech death, technical death, technical death metal, Austria) [Transcending Obscurity]
  
• WILD POWWERS - Pop Hits & Total Bummers Vol. 5 (Tags: rock, grunge, indie, indie rock, psychedelic, Seattle) [Independent]
  
• Effluence - Necrobiology (Tags: metal, brutal death metal, death metal, experimental brutal death metal, free improvisation, goregrind, United States) [Independent]
  
• Ba'al - Soft Eyes (Tags: atmospheric black metal, blackened post metal, metal, black metal, doom metal, post black metal, post metal, post rock, post-metal, progressive metal, sludge metal, \u200esludge metal, Sheffield) [Independent]
  
• Fergus McCreadie - Stream (Tags: jazz, scotland, folk, jazz-folk, scottish folk, Glasgow) [Edition]
  
• thisquietarmy - Les estampes (Tags: ambient, drone, experimental, post-rock, shoegaze) [Independent]
  
• Wheel - Charismatic Leaders (Tags: coheed & cambria, haken, metal, rock, coheed and cambria, insideout, mastodon, prog, prog rock, progressive, progressive metal, progressive rock, London) [InsideOut Music]
  
• Ordovician Records - GRAND DEMISE OF CIVILIZATION - The Blaze of Abaddon (Tags: metal, black metal, death metal, technical metal, thrash, Minneapolis) [Independent]
  
• Steph Richards - Power Vibe (Tags: brooklyn, experimental, electronic, improvisation, new music, New York) [Northern Spy]
  
• Ghost on Mars - Out of Time and Space (Tags: black metal, metal, progressive rock, dark metal, melodic dark metal, progressive metal, Rome) [Willowtip]
  
• Brume - Marten (Tags: metal, rock, doom metal, heavy metal, psychedelic, sludge metal, stoner metal, San Francisco) [Magnetic Eye]
  
• Into It. Over It. - Interesting Decisions: Into It. Over It. Songs (2020 - 2023) (Tags: emo, indie, indie rock, low-fi, psychedelic, rock, singer-songwriter, singer-songwriter, stoner, Chicago) [Independent]
  
• Agriculture - Living is Easy (Tags: metal, black metal, ecstatic black metal, Los Angeles) [The Flenser]
  
• Liminal Shroud - Visions of Collapse (Tags: canada, metal, atmospheric black metal, black metal, Victoria) [Willowtip]
  
• Necropanther - Oblivion Jones (Tags: black thrash, black thrash metal, blackened thrash metal, death metal, metal, thrash metal, black metal, blackened thrash, melodic death metal, Denver) [Independent]
  
• Ceremony of Silence - Hálios (Tags: metal, atmospheric death metal, black metal, blackened death metal, death metal, progressive death metal, Slovakia) [Willowtip]
  
• Sexual Jeremy - Bleachers (Tags: experimental, experimental electronic, experimental rock, indie rock, no wave, no-core, noise, noise rock, New York) [Decoherence]
  
• Vesseles - I Am a Demon (Tags: depressive black metal, metal, atmospheric black metal, black metal, symphonic black metal, Santa Clara) [Independent]
  
• The God Awful Truth - All That Dark & All That Cold (Tags: metal, technical deathcore, technical metal, breakdowns, deathcore, dissonance, hardcore, mathcore, metalcore, progressive metal, progressive metalcore, Denton) [Independent]
  
• Luke Stewart - Unknown Rivers (Tags: experimental, electronic music, jazz and improvised music, Brooklyn) [π (Pi)]
  
• Mdou Moctar - Funeral for Justice (Tags: alternative, world, africa, guitar, niger, rock, tuareg, Agadez) [Matador]
  
• Olga Reznichenko Trio - Rhythm Dissection (Tags: berlin, jazz, lorenz heigenhuber, maximilian stadtfeld, olga reznichenko, traumton, traumton records, jazz, piano trio, Leipzig) [Traumton]
  
• Moisson Livide - Sent Empèri Gascon (Tags: black metal, death metal, metal, ambient, traditional music, Angers) [Antiq]
  
• Reiko Füting - brokenSong (Tags: choral, contemporary classical, solo piano, vocal, vocal ensemble, New York) [New Focus]
  
• Aklash - Reincarnation (Tags: atmospheric black metal, black metal, doom, metal, folk metal, space rock, UK) [Independent]
  
• USURP SYNAPSE - AssIIAss (Tags: illinois, punk, emo-violence, experimental, noise rock, noise-rock, post-hardcore, post-metal, screamo, skramz, Ladysmith) [Zegema Beach]
  
• Sarah Hennies - Sarah Hennies: Motor Tapes (Tags: ensemble dedalus, sarah hennies, talea ensemble, ensemble 0, Brooklyn) [New World]
  
• Onsetter - Onsetter (Tags: hardcore, metal, noise, punk, sludge, Boise) [Mishap]
  
• DELIRIA - PHANTASM (Tags: atmospheric black metal, black metal, blackgaze, depressive black metal, depressive rock, metal, post black metal, atmospheric doom metal, doom metal, doomgaze, gothic metal, post-metal, shoegaze, shoegaze black metal, San Francisco) [Independent]
  
• Abhoria - Between the Strains (Tags: black metal, blackened death metal, metal, atmospheric, technical, Los Angeles) [Independent]
  
• Modney (Pyroclastic Records) - Ascending Primes (Tags: classical, adventurous music, contemporary, electronic, experimental, violin, New York) [Pyroclastic]
  
• Tim Garland - Moment Of Departure (Tags: jazz, bandleader, composer, improviser, saxophone, London) [Independent]
  
• darius - Murmuration (Tags: rock, hardcore, instrumental, post, stoner, Bulle) [Independent]
  
• 假日貞操 Virgin Vacation - Dapple Patterns (Tags: experimental, instrumental, krautrock, psychedelic, Hong Kong) [Independent]
  
• Ibibio Sound Machine - Pull the Rope (Tags: world, disco, highlife, nigerian, psychedelic, United Kingdom) [Merge]
  
• Simon Nabatov Quartet feat. Ralph Alessi - Lovely Music (Tags: jazz, avant-garde, clean feed, composition, piano, quintet, Cologne) [Simon Nabatov]
  
• Kee Avil - Spine (Tags: alternative, electronic, experimental pop, folk, noisepop, Montreal) [Constellation]
  
• Transcendance - SPHERE - Objet Violent Non Identifié (Tags: atmospheric black metal, black metal, darkspace, metal, sphère, transcendance, astral black metal, cosmic black metal, France) [Independent]
  
• Sulaco - Black Cloud (Tags: metal, death metal, grind, noise rock, progressive, Rochester) [Independent]
  
• Jon Poulin - LITTLE CHAOS (Tags: metal, punk, rock, acoustic guitar, alternative rock, independent, indie, instrumental, Massachusetts) [Independent]
  
• HANDS HOLDING THE VOID - In the Absence of Light: Music for Electronics & Console Guitar (Tags: experimental, ambient, drone, electronic, noise, psychedelic, Chicago) [Independent]
  
• Oddisee - And Yet Still (Tags: hip hop, hip-hop/rap, j.cole, jazz rap, kendrick lamar, mello music group, oddisee, rap, alternative hip-hop, alternativehip-hop, big krit, hiphop rap, jazz, lofichillhop, rap alternative, Washington) [Outer Note]
  
• Diminium - Dominant EP (Tags: black metal, metal, modern black metal, atmospheric metal, avantgarde, death metal, eclectic, groove metal, melodic death metal, progressive metal, ukraine war, war, war metal, Kyiv) [Independent]
  
• Goodhost - Attacks (Tags: Rock) [Independent]
  
• Ellipsis Quintet - Aristotle's Dilemma (Tags: jazz, progressive jazz, progressive jazz fusion, progressive rock, progressive rock, rock, progressive metal, world fusion, worldfusion, Graz) [Independent]
  
• Permanence - The Collapse Of Singularity (Tags: metal, technical death metal, Venezuela) [Independent]
  
• age of strange cults - Age of Strange Cults (Tags: metal, hardcore, instrumental, noise metal, noise rock, post-metal, sludge metal, Vienna) [Independent]
  
• Jack Quartet - John Luther Adams: Waves & Particles (Tags: Classical) [Cold Blue Music]
  
• Amina Figarova - Suite For Africa (Tags: Jazz) [AMFI]
  
• Manuel Hermia - Selene's View (Tags: Jazz) [BMC]
  
• WILLOW - empathogen (Tags: Jazz) [Three Six Zero]
  
• Kamasi Washington - Fearless Movement (Tags: Jazz) [Young]
  
• Olly Alexander (Years & Years) - Odyssey (Tags: Pop) [UMC (Universal Music Catalogue)]
  
• Galactic Empire - Ahsoka Theme (Tags: Metal) [Pure Noise]
  
• Luna Li - Fireworks in the Rain (Tags: Electro) [Independent]
  
• Skyler Parker - Songs With My Friends (Tags: Metal) [Clammiest]
  
• DAATH - The Deceivers (Tags: death metal, metal, progressive metal, Atlanta) [Metal Blade]
  
• From Dying Suns - Calamity (Tags: death metal, metal, progressive metal, thrash metal, Canada) [Independent]
  
• Mat Ball - Amplified Guitar II (Tags: experimental, aleatory, drone, experimental, generative music, prepared guitar, Montreal) [The Garrote]
  
• Mat Ball - Amplified Guitar 2 (Tags: Rock) [The Garrote]
  
• Scott Wollschleger - Scott Wollschleger: Between Breath (Tags: New York) [New Focus]
  

I'm a coordinator at an academic institution in Montreal, I work really for the PI and handle a few projects. I wanted to know the status of jobs/market in Canada right now. Layoffs like the US? Outsourcing? What's it like if I wanted to go to the industry side?

Hello all,
Stats (ORM / NJ Resident): cGPA: 3.95 MCAT: 516
~1000 hr. volunteering/paid work as urgent care assistant (simple patient charting, analyzing urinalysis/COVID swabs, helping out doctors, escorting and interacting with patients)
200 hours shadowing their primary care physicians
1000+ hours as a full-time virtual scribe doing primarily pre-charting work with no patient interaction; primarily familiarizing with terminology and the analytical process behind diagnoses
~100 non-clinical/service hours with a non-profit helping ship medical supplies/ventilators to my home country post-COVID-19
I am considering taking another gap year before I apply, in order to do research and hopefully acquire a letter from the PI and bolster my application. I plan on applying to NYC/PA/NJ schools, including schools like Sinai, Einstein, etc.
As it stands, I don't feel confident enough in my experiences to apply to T30 schools. I think engaging in research would give me more to talk about in my essays/interviews, compared to the few stories I have now.
Also, I don't want to be labeled as a reapplicant if I apply this cycle, and have it hurt my chances in the future.
Would taking another gap year to do research/non-clinical volunteering significantly improve chances for better schools?
Or is a 516 MCAT too low for ECs to make a substantial impact?

Today's anniversaries are:
2009

• Isis - Wavering Radiant (Rock, Hard Rock)

2011

• Abstract Deviation - Abstract Deviation (idm, metal, ambient, djent, electric guitar, experimental electronic, fusion jazz, glitch, jazzy, odd meter, progressive metal, progressive rock, Russia)

2013

• Brian! - Ⅰ (experimental, progressive rock, ambient, amplified bassoon, avant-garde, chromatic, ithaca underground, math rock, post-rock, rock in opposition, Ithaca)

2014

• The Peter Snell Experience - Life in the Controposphere (progressive metal, progressive rock, psychadelic rock, rock, space, ambient, concept album, life in the controposphere, the peter snell experience, zombie, zombies, Wellington)

2015

• Ajoyo - Ajoyo (Jazz)
  
• Bastards - Ēthos (rock, hardcore, melodic hardcore, Denver)
  
• Native Construct - Quiet World (metal, progressive metal, Boston) Read our review.
  
• Polyphia - Muse (Alternative, Rock)
  
• Secondborn - Symbols ()
  
• The Tangent - A Spark in the Æther: The Music that Died Alone, Volume Two (Pop, Rock)
  
• Vitiated - Promo (death metal, extreme metal, metal, quebec, québec, tech-death, vitiated, canada, tech death, technical death metal, Canada)
  

2017

• Amnutseba - Demo (metal, black metal, death metal, doom metal, heavy metal, USA)
  
• Anakim - Monuments to Departed Worlds (death metal, metal, progressive death metal, melodic death metal, technical death metal, United Kingdom)
  
• Ant Antic - Blood Sugar (contemporary r&b, electronic, rnb, ambient, downbeat, electronica, Berlin)
  
• Artificial Brain - Infrared Horizon (death metal)
  
• Dead Lights - Mesma (alternative, metal, rock, hardcore, post-hardcore, Brisbane)
  
• Dystopia - Chaos philosophōrum (black metal, death metal, metal, atmospheric, doom metal, psychedelic, trombone, trumpet, Den Helder)
  
• Enthalpy - A Choice to Make (metal, metalcore, rock, metalcore, post-hardcore, Saint Petersburg)
  
• Gallops - Bronze Mystic (electronic rock, experimental, instrumental, post-pock, electronica, experimental rock, motorik, Wrexham)
  
• Hessaja - Planet Sedam: Ison (punk, crust, grind, hardcore, powerviolence, sludge, Mainz)
  
• Ingurgitating Oblivion - Vision Wallows in Symphonies of Light (metal, progressive death metal, death metal, dissonance, progressive death metal, Berlin)
  
• Kari Ikonen - Ikonostasis (Jazz)
  
• Malviaje - Memorias (experimental, math rock, post-stoner, Buenos Aires)
  
• Markus Reuter, Sonar, and Tobias Reber - Falling for Ascension (ambient, classical, experimental, world, jazz, minimal, modern classical, soundscapes, zen funk, Berlin)
  
• Martyr Defiled - Young Gods (metal, death metal, deathcore, Nottingham)
  
• Mish - Entheogen (metal, progressive metal, Sydney)
  
• Molly Drag - Whatever Reason (alternative, montréal, bedroom pop, dream pop, indie rock, lo-fi, pop, slowcore, Montreal)
  
• Ni - Dedoda (alternative, classic, experimental, jazz, rock, space, Linz) Read our review.
  
• Omar Rodríguez-López - Solid State Mercenaries (alternative, alternative rock, at the drive in, rock, the mars volta, United States)
  
• Outrun the Sunlight - Red Bird (metal, audiotree, caspian, chicago metal, cloudkicker, djent, instrumental-metal, post-metal, post-rock, progressive metal, the contortionist, uneven structure, Chicago)
  
• Permanence - Primordial (rock, post-rock, progressive metal, Singapore)
  
• Procol Harum - Novum (Rock)
  
• Rendered Helpless - Entities of Transdimensional Existence (brutal death metal, death, deathcore, doom, guttural, metal, slam, slamming brutal death metal, Christchurch)
  
• The Cruelest Animal - Soothing Rays of Eternity ()
  
• The Physics House Band - Mercury Fountain (alternative, experimental, jazz, progressive rock, rock, Brighton)
  
• The Stranger - The Stranger (metal, progressive rock, acoustic, progressive metal, Brisbane)
  
• Uneven Structure - La Partition (metal, djent, progressive metal, thall, Montpellier)
  
• Virus - Investigator (metal, rock, Oslo)
  
• When Icarus Falls - Resilience (metal, cinematic music, czar of crickets, hardcore, metal, pop, post-hardcore, post-metal, post-punk, posthardcore, postmetal, postrock, switzerland, Switzerland)
  
• Yolk - Solar (rock, avant rock, experimental rock, Dunkirk)
  
• Yowie - Synchromysticism (avant rock, experimental, progressive rock, avant-garde, experimental rock, math rock, Antarctica)
  

2018

• Black Sails for Red Seas - Chasing Giants (blackgaze, metal, post-metal, post-rock, shoegaze, sludge, Montreal)
  
• Īnferī - Revenant (black metal, metal, symphonic metal, death metal, melodic death metal, symphonic death metal, tech death, technical death metal, thrash metal, Nashville)
  
• Japanski premijeri - Rdeče pike (idm, jazz, electronica, exotica, folktronica, fusion, modular synth, primorsko-goranska, rock, science fiction, slovene, Rijeka) Read our review.
  
• Lefty Fish - Hello Kittie's Spank (experimental, metal, punk, rock, free jazz, funk, grindcore, hardcore, hardcore punk, jazz, metal, Yogyakarta) Read our review.
  
• Merzbow, Mats Gustafsson, Thurston Moore, and Balazs Pandi - Cuts up, Cuts Out (jazz, experimental, free improvisation, free jazz, improvised music, noise, Vienna)
  
• أقزام شرق العجوزة ('Aqzam shrq aleujuza / The Dwarfs of East Agouza) - الفئران لا تأكل السينثيسايزرز (Alfiran la takul alsaynthaysayzrz / Rats Don't Eat Synthesizers) (alternative, electronic, oriental, world, Beirut)
  

2019

• Jackie Frank Russell Ⅲ - Songs for Siblings (metal, noise, academic, ambient, avant-garde, classical, electronic, folk, prog rock, progressive metal, Elmhurst)
  
• Jean Derome - Somebody Special (improvisation, jazz, jazz trio, jean derome, quartet, vocal, Montreal)
  
• Lori Freedman - Solor (improvisation, lori freedman, new music, bass clarinet, clarinet, composition, contemporary, Montreal)
  
• Monicker - Spine (free jazz, improvisation, Montreal)
  

2020

• Frank Macchia & Brock Avery - Rhythm Abstraction: Gold (jazz fusion)
  
• Golden Spine - Universal Prayer (world fusion)
  
• Ocrilim - The Great Silence and Emptiness (experimental folk)
  
• Pi 1 - Odyssey, the Evolution of Pi 1.1 Shodoukan: Question (post-rock)
  
• Tim Daisy & Ken Vandermark - Consequent Duos: Series 2A (free improvisation)
  
• आभास (Ābhāsa) - १ (Eka) (post-metal, sludge) Read our review.
  

2021

• Stasidion - Cascadia (progressive metal)
  
• 藤枝伸介 (Fujieda Shinsuke) Group - Informel (spiritual jazz)
  

2022

• Clarent Blade - Return into Forever (power metal)
  
• Elden Sky - Arcane (atmospheric black metal)
  
• Elden Sky - Wonderous Storm (ambient)
  
• Helioss - Contre ma lumière (atmospheric black metal)
  
• Northern - Endless Sail to the Edge of the World (post-rock)
  
• Swampworm - نهب (Nahab) (black metal)
  
• Te Ruki - Marako Te Ruki (atmospheric black metal)
  
• Vater denke - Astralprojektion (post-black metal)
  
• Vile Creature & Bismuth - A Hymn of Loss and Hope (progressive doom metal)
  

2023

• Abrupt Decay - As It Came for Me, So Shall It Come for You (mathcore)
  
• Alexander Hawkins Trio - Carnival Celestial (avant-garde jazz)
  
• Alfa Mist - Variables (nu jazz)
  
• Angus McSix - The Sword of Power (power metal)
  
• Argenthorns - The Ravening (progressive black metal)
  
• Atavistia - Cosmic Warfare (melodic death metal)
  
• Bell Witch - Future's Shadow, Part 1: The Clandestine Gate (funeral doom metal)
  
• Ben Wendel - All One (modern jazz)
  
• Brand of Sacrifice - Between Death and Dreams (metalcore)
  
• Brian Thornton & Iranian Female Composers Association - Sirventès (contemporary classical)
  
• Circle of Sighs - An Invocation (progressive rock)
  
• David Cook - Loyal Returns (modern jazz)
  
• Dawn of Ouroboros - Velvet Incandescence (atmospheric black metal)
  
• Daydream Flights - The Garnet Bracelet (blackgaze)
  
• Decipher - Arcane Paths to Resurrection (black metal)
  
• Diabys - Portals of Annihilation (technical death metal)
  
• Dim Wind - The Futility of Breathing (post-rock)
  
• Eux - Mor(t)sang (post-black metal)
  
• Genocide Doctrine - Sleepers (deathgrind)
  
• Gyrdleah - Spellbinder (atmospheric black metal)
  
• Hely - Plode (nu jazz)
  
• Hernán Cassibba - Nuevos aires (jazz fusion)
  
• Hunteress - Destruction Horizon (alternative pop)
  
• Jain - The Fool (pop)
  
• John Zorn, played by Incerto - Multiplicities Ⅱ: A Repository of Non-Existent Objects (modern jazz)
  
• Kenny Reichert - Deep Breath (modern jazz)
  
• Kirch Van Lux - Volume 2 (avant-garde jazz)
  
• Le Bœuf Brothers - Hush (modern jazz)
  
• Lee Weisert - Recesses (contemporary classical)
  
• Mélancolia - Hiss through Rotten Teeth (blackened deathcore)
  
• Muluu Baqqalaa - Akkana dubbiin (Afropop)
  
• Muluu Baqqalaa - Damaa shoolee kiyyaa (Afropop)
  
• Neverus - Burdens of the Earth (melodic death metal)
  
• Nikola Tesla - Шелест тёмных голосов (Šelest tëmnyx golosov) (post-metal)
  
• Ogives - La Mémoire des orages (experimental post-rock)
  
• Osi and the Jupiter - Riders of the Gallows, Volume 1: Cedar and Sage (neofolk)
  
• Ox en Mayo Alto - Vulpes: del fuego, quebrador del Hielo 9 (post-rock)
  
• Pestifer - Defeat of the Nemesis (progressive death metal)
  
• Phaeton - Between Two Worlds (progressive metal)
  
• Porenut - Mislives (black metal)
  
• Predatory Void - Seven Keys to the Discomfort of Being (sludge metal)
  
• Q-fonía - Al fin de la cordura (technical death metal)
  
• Slugcrust & Swamp - Bind (sludgegrind)
  
• Ten 56 - Downer (nu-metalcore)
  
• Terese Lien Evenstad - Movement (modern jazz)
  
• Terms - All Becomes Indistinct (experimental math rock)
  
• The Eating Cave - The Miscalculation (technical death metal)
  
• Tilo Weber - Tesserae (experimental jazz)
  
• Tim Berne, Hank Roberts, and Aurora Nealand - Oceans And (avant-garde jazz)
  
• Ultraphallus - No Closure (noise rock)
  
• Ultraphauna - No No No No (avant-prog)
  
• Violett Pi - Baloney Suicide (experimental pop)
  
• ベコー (Bekō / Becko) - Present Day / Present Time (nu-metalcore)
  
• 千代田区 (Chiyoda-ku) - Selecta Perspective (math rock)
  

Of Montreal's Springtime Is the Season ends with this little ditty that goes something like:
"The springtime is the season where everyone's a friend / Loneliness and desperation both come to an end / No matter how you died through winter, in spring you're born again / Your life might not be going good but spring helps you to pretend / It helps you pretend."
That's capturing the current vibes nicely, where everything seems to be slowly coming back to life around town. You know, flowers blooming and stuff. Lots (and we mean LOTS) of events and openings, and we haven't even begun to think about summer.
Legault may still not know the price of a 4 1/2 in Montreal and turkeys may be breaking into senior's residences, but here in Montreal, things are just a little less exhausting and a bit more encouraging.
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Thursday

• Les Grands Ballets Canadiens presents the dual choreographic performance Carmina Burana by the talented Romanian choreographer Edward Clug and Jeunehomme by Uwe Scholz with choir and orchestra.
• A selection of works from the Collection Majudia, including artworks by more than 500 Canadian and international artists, entitled Chimeria is on now at Arsenal art contemporain.

Friday

• The JIA Foundation has the pleasure of inviting you to its Reflection Exhibition on Chinatown House, and a community celebration for this cultural space.
• You ever been out to Smoke Meat Pete in L'Île-Perrot? Sure you have. But have you ever been out to Smoke Meat Pete when blues musicians take the stage?

Saturday

• Montreal's largest indie market, Collectif Créatif MTL, is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a huge Spring Market featuring over 100 unique local brands.
• Cinema Moderne is screening the Big Lebowski, and—of course—they'll be serving White Russian cocktails for $10 at their café-bar. If you miss out, it'll happen again on April 24th. The Dude abides.

Sunday

• L'Affichiste is getting bubbly with a Prosecco Sunday where you can get sauced while you're shopping for vintage posters.
• The MAC's new exhibition, femmes volcans forêts torrents, features nine women artists currently living in Québec with visually rich works evoking investigated landscapes and territories.
• One of Canada’s most renowned living artists, Winnipeg artist Wanda Koop's exhibition WHO OWNS THE MOON is on now at the MMFA.

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Full Story → https://PiQSuite.com/reuters/iran-navy-escorting-iranian-commercial-ships-to-red-sea-commander-says
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Iran's navy is escorting Iranian commercial ships to the Red Sea, Naval Commander Shahram Irani said on Wednesday, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

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Full Story → https://PiQSuite.com/reuters/bmo-chief-says-us-economy-improving-calls-california-a-strategically-important-market
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The U.S. economy was showing signs of stronger than expected growth, with California being a strategically important market, said the head of Bank of Montreal, which has rapidly expanded in its southern neighbour.