SONGS OF THE YEAR, 2023
The best albums of 2023 can be found here. Click through the links below to listen to the songs. :)
20. "MAKING THE BAND (DANITY KANE)", EARL SWEATSHIRT
19. "GOOD LIES", OVERMONO
18. "RUSH", TROYE SIVAN
17. "I SWEAR, I REALLY WANTED TO MAKE A 'RAP' ALBUM BUT THIS IS LITERALLY THE WAY THE WIND BLEW ME THIS TIME", ANDRÉ 3000
16. "HEAVEN", MITSKI
15. "POUND TOWN", SEXYY RED & TAY KEITH
14. "OVULE (feat. SHYGIRL) [SEGA BODEGA REMIX]", BJÖRK
13. "STRONG [I. JORDAN REMIX]", ROMY & I. JORDAN
12. "RAPPER WEED", BILLY WOODS & KENNY SEGAL
11. "MOUNT MEIGS", LONNIE HOLLEY
10. "IT'S MY FAULT", ANOHNI AND THE JOHNSONS
9. "A&W", LANA DEL REY
8. "SEAFORTH", KING KRULE
7. "EVEN IT OUT", FEVER RAY
6. "DAZIES", YEULE
5. "BOY'S A LIAR, PT. 2", PINKPANTHERESS & ICE SPICE
4. "CONTACT", KELELA
3. "PRETTY IN POSSIBLE", CAROLINE POLACHEK
2. "SO YOU ARE TIRED", SUFJAN STEVENS
1. "CO-STAR", AMAARAE
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The First Assist {Self Para}
Prior Reading:
How could I refuse? {Self Para}
Hiding In The Shadows {Flynn & Smee}
In The Dark Corners {Self Para}
Trust {Self-Para feat. James}
Timing: Late November.
Everyone had their assignments.
Gil and Leo were both in place as potential bidders.
Holley although not on active duty watching the comms and being their eyes in the ceilings.
James outside, coordinating the strike when they were given the signal.
(Sorry Jake wasn’t technically here at the time)
Flynn, he was using his alias for the last time.
Behind the scenes Flynn watched everyone now, it was easy to tell who was in the know and who thought this was just another black market art dealer.
Those were the ones rushing around, making sure every artwork was the correct one, that the line up was correct and the information was readily available.
The others had buyers lined up. A price already set. They didn’t need to double check anything. They couldn’t, what they were fencing wasn’t something they could check on without blowing their cover.
Smee was here, Alex was here.
The buyers were flooding in and the crackle of his ear piece signaled that Gil and Leo were both inside.
Pushing off the wall, Flynn knew his assignment. The low level fencers, that’s who he was gathering information on.
The actual agents would handle the big guns.
Flynn walked by the couple other fencers in the area as they conversed lowly.
Mikey and Lola, Both new to the scene but focusing on illegal magick items. Truly green if he was able to find that out while walking by them. It was almost a shame knowing they would be arrested while they were green.
Whoops. He should be using the RAS thought process. They were getting a new start after they just started on the wrong path.
Actual bullshit in his mind.
Texting as he walked he sent off the information to Holley, adding quick pictures for the file, for the arrest.
The next person was Alex, the person who got him into this. He had to wonder if she knew what she was doing, what she had gotten into.
Probably.
But this was Alex- an old contact that had helped him out before, and while he didn’t want to. He had a soft spot for her. She had always been good to Flynn though.
She smiled at him as Flynn walked toward her, starting to speak, Flynn shook his head slightly as he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. Pressing it into her hand walking right past her and not looking back. Not when he felt her eyes on him, not when he heard her heels click as she got out of there.
James would see her leave, the cameras would catch it too, but he knew she could escape. She always managed to.
And she would burn that paper. She had to.
Flynn didn’t know but just as this life burned into nothing he had to imagine that would burn along with it.
That’s the last of them. They are closing the doors.
We need some proof they are purchasing it while knowing what they are, or else we only have them on purchasing illegal paintings.
That was Flynn’s job. The records were here. The pre-set deals, who the auctioneer had to close quickly on once it hit a certain price. Give or take 50,000.
He had to find it before someone could burn it as the raid started.
Slipping past everyone, Flynn headed toward the back room as everyone headed to the front and he could hear the auctioneer start his speech.
Getting into the office wasn’t hard, find the safe, even easier. People needed to stop putting them behind paintings and only having one painting in the room- for an art auction house too. It was kind of pathetic.
Neither here nor there.
Getting to work on the safe, Flynn twisted the lock of what was supposed to be an impenetrable safe and yet he watched the pins fall into place without pressing his ear against it. Thankfully considering the way his heart beat so loud and so fast he could barely hear the agents in his ear.
The first two pins locked in.
Anyone could walk in and he’d be dead before anyone could help him, before anyone would know.
The third pin followed.
Something could be going wrong right now and Flynn wouldn’t be able to do anything, if he left without the list, he would have ruined everything.
The fourth pin fell in place.
This was a hell of a lot worse than just being the getaway driver. That he could do. He could leave anyone behind if needed, and yet- Flynn now was in the heart of it, He would be the one left behind.
The last pin fell in place and Flynn ruffled through all the paperwork taking pictures as Holley advised sending it immediately to their system.
List is copied, Putting everything back and heading out.
Flynn stated simply, putting everything back the way he found it and slipping back out of the office.
Good Job Rider, now get backstage again so one of us can arrest you when we get in there.
I swear if someone tackles me. I’m fighting back.
Please do.
Rolling his eyes Flynn did what he was told heading back stage watching as each painting went out.and came back being sold.
Waiting it out though had Flynn questioning how cool it was to be an agent. Waiting around doing nothing?
Bullshit.
Go Go Go! Last painting has been sold.
Flynn barely heard the wording as doors slammed open and screams rang out. Instinct had Flynn jumping up and moving toward the nearest exit alongside Mikey and Lola when James and other agent kicked open a door, guns pointed at them.
“Down on the ground! Now!”
Flynn hesitated the same as the other two but as more agents flooded the place, the other two slowly lowered to the ground and Flynn followed suit.
“Oh Happy day.” An Agent from London grinned snapping the cuffs onto Flynn. “Always a good day to put away those that help others get away with this stuff.”
“Mikey Strutham, Lola Pierce, Nick Holden. You’re under arrest for the tracking of stolen artwork, forgeries and illegal magick goods.”
Good job there Flynn. Keep it up a little longer. I promise we won’t let you stay in handcuffs for too long….Maybe.
Flynn rolled his eyes as person after person was marched out and put into cars.
It was over, he was alive and he had helped put away some people.The items would be returned however best they could be and illegal dealers were off the street.
The world was just a little bit safer, but Flynn knew the truth because these guys would just be replaced and it would start over.
Of course that was neither here nor there. But right now?
Mission Classification: Success
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Ginger Radio Hour #053
[A thank you note sent to the Beacon Prison Books Project.]
Show Notes December 5, 2023
Listen to archived episode.
Theme: Books.
The Beacon Prison Books Project gets free books to incarcerated people across New York. The project was founded and bloomed at Binnacle Books in Beacon in 2019 and has since mailed out 3,000+ books. Cofounder Mark Trecka and Michal Mart, one of the lead organizers of the project, talk about the program and how anyone can donate and help. Hudson Valley partners include Blackbird Infoshop, Half Moon Books, Oblong Books, Rough Draft Bar & Books, and World's End Comics.
Playlist:
Sufjan Stevens “A Running Start” Album: Javelin 2023
SQÜRL & Marc Ribot "Garden of Glass Flowers” Album: Silver Haze 2023
Jaimie Branch "birds of paradise" Album: FLY or DIE II: bird dogs of paradise 2023
Björk and Rosalía “Oral” 2023
Janelle Monáe feat. Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 "Float" 2023
Lonnie Holley & Sharon Van Etten "None Of Us Have But A Little While" Album: Oh Me Oh My 2023
Four Tet "Three Drums" 2023
Temps “fitinthiscostume” Album: AFTER PARTY EP 2023
Aesop Rock “On Failure" Album: Integrated Tech Solutions 2023
Poison Girl Friend “Nobody” Album: Heisei No Oto / Japanese Left-field Pop From the CD Age 1989-1996
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