Month: December 2020

Miley Cyrus is fresh off the release of her latest album, Plastic Hearts, an occasion she has marked with a new Rolling Stone cover story.

One topic she discusses at length is putting a focus on the music instead of the other things that come with it. Cyrus said that at some points in her career, it has felt like the “pop culture moments,” as she put it, somewhat overshadowed the actual music:

“I think that I’m really embracing — and everyone else is embracing, too — that the music is a priority right now. [Points to giant photo of her licking an ice cream cone shot in 2013.] Look at this f*cking wall. That wasn’t about the music for a moment. The music was driving it, but all those things from that era, especially with Bangerz, the pop-culture moments almost eclipse the music itself. I guess I’m just in love with the fact that for once it feels like it’s really focused on the music, and I think I felt that I almost took some blame for the distraction sometimes.

I remember comments saying, ‘Why the f*ck do you distract everybody with getting naked and shaking your ass when you’re a f*cking talented-ass singer?’ But because I did grow up watching the Cher show religiously, I love show business. I love entertainment. I love pop culture. I love unforgettable moments. I think there was a balance of me just loving making big media moments but also a sadness in the fact that I would think, ‘Did anyone even hear my song?’ When you think of ‘Wrecking Ball,’ you don’t think of the pain. You don’t think of me looking directly into the camera, breaking the wall, crying, reaching out. You remember me getting naked, and I don’t know whose fault that is. I don’t know if that’s mine or the way that our brains are programmed to think sexuality, for lack of a better word, trumps art.”

Touching on a similar point elsewhere during the conversation, Cyrus said her mother was “angry” at her for dancing on a pole at the Kids’ Choice Awards in 2009, saying, “I think even she felt it could be distracting from what I was doing. She knew the voice and talents that I could showcase. She was like, ‘What the f*ck? You have the biggest song. Can you just make it about the song? Why do you have to make it about being a stripper?’”

Read the full feature here.

Ever since The Mandalorian first debuted, Star Wars fans have been hoping the show would feature the most notorious bounty hunter of them all, Boba Fett, who frankly, is the entire inspiration for the Disney+ series. Well, they just got their wish and in a big way.

(SPOILERS from The Mandalorian Episode 14: The Tragedy will be found below.)

While Boba Fett was first teased all the way back in the season two premiere, there were questions about whether he would even appear in The Mandalorian again. Considering a spinoff miniseries was announced shortly after his brief cameo, a lot of Star Wars fans speculated that Boba Fett wouldn’t fully return until then. Fortunately, they were wrong. The classic bounty hunter played a prominent role in “Chapter 14: The Tragedy,” where he not only teamed up with Mando, but whooped an insane amount of stormtrooper ass before donning his iconic armor. And people are here for it. Morning hadn’t even hit in the East Coast, and already Boba Fett was trending on Twitter where the reactions are still pouring in. Clearly, this was the version of the character that Star Wars fans have been waiting for since his all-too-brief appearance in the original trilogy.

Further down in the nerd weeds, Star Wars fans were also quick to notice that the episode finally set the record straight that Boba Fett and his father Jango Fett are true Mandalorians. Until now, the official story was that Jango stole his armor and therefore wasn’t a real Mandalorian, but that is no longer the case. It is now canon that Jango was a foundling just like Mando.

Fans are also buzzing about what kind of team-up is going to happen in the final two episodes of the season because Mando has a helluva roster to choose from going into his confrontation with Giancarlo Esposito’s Moff Gideon.

Mando, Boba Fett, and Ahsoka going up against the Darksaber and Dark Troopers? Slap it in our dorky veins.

Approximately 25 years after it started, 2020 is finally coming to an end. As is customary in the music world, before one can look ahead, one must look back. The latest episode of Indiecast is no exception, with Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen reflecting on a year of excellent releases in the indie world to choose their ultimate top five. Featuring efforts from The 1975, Bartees Strange, Dogleg, Bob Dylan, and more, Hyden and Cohen have each respectively crafted their list of 2020’s definitive records. If you’re looking for more music that you might have missed this year, check out our full list of the year’s best albums here and the indie-specific list here.

As for new selections in this week’s Recommendation Corner, Cohen has been spinning I Had Everybody Snowed, the debut solo album from Taking Meds vocalist/guitarist Skylar Sarkis that has been a work in progress for nearly a decade. Hyden, on the other hand, has been enjoying 2020, the aptly titled latest effort from Magik Markers, their first in seven years.

New episodes of Indiecast drop every Friday. Listen to Episode 18 on Apple Podcasts and Spotify below, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts here. Stay up to date and follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

In a video recorded in November, Austin mayor Steve Adler, a Democrat, urged residents of the Texas city to stay at home unless necessary… while he was vacationing at a beach resort in Mexico. As the Austin American-Statesman reported, “As he pressed the public to help stop the spread of the virus in recent weeks, Adler had not previously disclosed details of his private actions. He gave no indication in his Facebook video that he was outside the city as he discussed Austin’s rising number of cases and reviewed the number of hospital patients.”

It was a bad, hypocritical look from a Democratic politician, which as Trevor Noah explained in Thursday’s episode of The Daily Show, makes them just as bad as (if not worse than!) Republican anti-maskers.

“I’m sorry, man. Everyone has given up their lives and then you’ve got these politicians who are just hypocrites out here? What, you guys think corona respects your office too much to come after you? Because don’t forget: it got the president of the United States, it’s not going to be star-struck by Governor Hair Gel,” the host said, referring to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who recently attended a lavish dinner party at the French Laundry. Noah knows that Republicans are also having non-socially distanced parties, but “everyone expects them to do this… In a way, these Democrats are even worse than the anti-maskers because of their hypocrisy. At least when those dudes break the rules, they’re open about it.”

You can watch The Daily Show clip above.

There’s an excellent photo wherein a man is washing his car in the midst of a rainstorm — a redundant and pointless activity that is likely a signal of an impending downward spiral. If 2020 was good for anything, it’s the amount of inspiring indie music that has served as a glimmer of hope and kept us from that place of washing our car during a rainstorm. There were a lot of these bright moments in the indie rock canon this year, even when the world at large felt dark.

With many artists incorporating everything from jazz to R&B to folk to punk into the span of a single album, the term “genre-defiant” has lost all meaning, and much of what was released has instead implored the music world at large to take a step back and simply widen the definition of what “indie” music can be. Whether it be breakout debuts from Blackstarkids, Bartees Strange, and Dogleg, or defining statements from veteran acts like Tame Impala, Fleet Foxes, and The Killers, 2020 had a lot to offer, musically.

It’s never too late to try and find the silver linings of a difficult time, so check out our ranking of the year’s 30 best indie albums below.

30. Sault – Untitled (Rise)

To tell the truth, it’s hard to know exactly what genre list to slot Sault into. Weaving together elements of jazz, soul, R&B, and funk, this mysterious duo offered up two game-changing albums in 2020, without really letting the world know much at all about them. But it’s the kind of music that needs no context besides the world that it’s released into, sounding like the sound of revolution as it appeared on the cusp of happening around us.–Philip Cosores

29. Ratboys – Printer’s Devil

On their previous releases, this excellent Chicago band functioned as a duo backed by a revolving cast of musicians. But on Printer’s Devil, Ratboys have morphed into a big-sounding rock band, with guitarist Dave Sagan’s fattened riffs pushing singer-songwriter Julia Steiner out of her introspective comfort zone and toward something more aggressive and commanding, evoking the glory days of super-catchy late-’90s pop-punk.–Steven Hyden

28. Samia – The Baby

After several short-form projects over the last few years, Samia’s long-awaited debut album The Baby showcases her most focused and refined work to date. Across its eleven tracks, The Baby creates a world that is lush and ambient, filled with biting lyrics delivered across a spectrum of different vocal stylings that revel in the process of learning how to be yourself, with nobody’s help but your own.–Zac Gelfand

27. Kevin Morby – Sundowner

After leaving his comfortable life in the big city, Kevin Morby returned home to the suburbs of his Kansas City hometown. The change was jarring in more ways than one. He was suddenly faced with differing political opinions as well as a sense of longing nostalgia during sunset. Pouring all these emotions into a 4-track Tascam in a shed on his property, Morby successfully captured the vastness of the American landscape (political and otherwise) in his serene album Sundowner.–Carolyn Droke

26. Blackstarkids – Whatever, Man

Blackstarkids got signed to Dirty Hit (The 1975, Beabadoobee) just a few days after sending the label a cold email. Just out of high school, the signing story is a testament to the young group’s versatility, one that is reinforced on Whatever Man, an album that is impressive in its scope, incorporating each member’s wide-ranging influences into one coherent and focused piece of work.–Zac Gelfand

25. Young Jesus – Welcome To Conceptual Beach

At a time when many artists seem content to mine the same relatively narrow sonic and thematic terrains of long-established archetypes — “the punk band,” “the confessional singer-songwriter,” “the indie-pop star” — this Los Angeles band strikes out with an uncommonly bold sound that aspires to the overpowering emotional directness of indie’s grandest classics from the ’90s and ’00s, while also exploring experimental, even esoteric instrumental textures deriving from jazz-inspired improvisations that often push their songs past the 10-minute mark.–S.H.

24. Andy Shauf – The Neon Skyline

The Canadian favorite earned a Polaris Prize nomination for his previous album, 2016’s The Party, and his new release from the top of the year, The Neon Skyline, has earned similar acclaim. In a time when attention spans are dead goldfish short, Shauf uses his album as an impactful storytelling device that shows off his exemplary abilities both musical and narrative.–Derrick Rossignol

23. Jeff Rosenstock – No Dream

While Jeff Rosenstock’s intentions have always been pure, what sets his fourth album apart is how good he has gotten at sweetening his politically charged songs with irresistible pop touches like squealing synths, power-pop guitar jangle, and infectiously danceable rhythms. Rosenstock confirms every suspicion you have about how the system is corrupt and must be destroyed, and then his music reminds you that being alive still deserves to be celebrated.–S.H.

22. Thundercat – It Is What It Is

On his 2017 breakout album Drunk, LA jazz panjandrum Thundercat held back little, exposing all the goofy, gross, and horny thoughts on his mind. I hesitate to say he grew up on It Is What It Is, but the concerns are a little more farsighted and forward-looking. They’re also a little sad; in the years since Drunk, ‘Cat’s gotten a little older, he’s seen his close friend Mac Miller overdose, he’s gone through the same insane downward news spiral we all have and he’s emerged more or less intact, but not unchanged. He can still be a little silly — “Dragonball Durag” is a damn delight — but songs like “Black Qualls” show the cracks just under the surface. There’s a smile in his eyes but tears building in the corners — held back only by his acceptance of the hand he’s been dealt which, dammit, he’s going to play. –Aaron Williams

21. Jason Isbell – Reunions

Back in the aughts, Jason Isbell was a hard-drinking malcontent who struggled — against himself more than anything — to realize his potential. Over time, however, he would become one of the most respected songwriters in the game. His seventh album, Reunions, feels like the culmination of this evolution, with a collection of songs that feature some of his finest writing yet on the struggles to be good in a trying world, set to sturdy-as-ever classic-rock melodies.–S.H.

20. Jean Dawson – Pixel Bath

Jean Dawson grew up going back and forth between Mexico and the US, which led to a lot of musical exposure for the artist, which has resulted in a truly diverse new album in 2020. That descriptor gets thrown around a lot in music when an artist does two or more things well, but Pixel Bath has both indie rock and an ASAP Rocky guest spot.–D.R.

19. Grimes – Miss Antropocene

Whether she’s surviving on spaghetti for two years, unsuccessfully naming her first child X Æ A-12, or creating a sleep lullaby app, Grimes consistently proves she’s in a lane of her own. Her fifth studio album Miss Anthropocene reflects the same newfangled approach to pop by bridging dark synths with brooding lyrics and AI futurism while taking some surprisingly personal turns.–C.D.

18. Dogleg – Melee

Dogleg is a young band that thrives on stage, but even though they haven’t been able to tour behind their debut album, Melee is still clearly some of the best (punk) music 2020 has to offer. It’s an in-your-face album that also takes listeners inside the head of Alex Stoitsiadis, who tackles some personal issues with his full force.–D.R.

17. The Strokes – The New Abnormal

When it was announced that The Strokes were working with Rick Rubin, it was natural to assume that The New Abnormal would be a deliberate evocation of Is This It. But The New Abnormal, thankfully, is not that. It sounds, in fact, like an amalgam of the ’80s synth-pop and stoner-experimental chicanery of the previous two Strokes albums, but with stronger songs, like “The Adults Are Talking” and “At The Door.”–Steven Hyden

16. Beabadoobee – Fake It Flowers

The debut effort from Beabadoobee sounds like it could be the soundtrack to a teen movie, and that’s exactly what 20-year-old Bea Kristi was going for. Taking equal inspiration from the biggest grunge acts and lo-fi indie staples, Fake It Flowers is an epic film score for growing up, with moments ripe for a party, and others that beg for introspection. — Z.G.

15. Tame Impala – The Slow Rush

Although it might feel like decades at this point, the latest effort from Kevin Parker was released only a few months ago. Awash in blissful soundscapes and dissonant reverb-soaked guitars, The Slow Rush boasts Parker’s refined and increasingly undeniable pop hooks that make Tame Impala one of the most revered acts in modern indie.–Z.G.

14. Adrianne Lenker – Songs

It’s no secret that Big Thief vocalist Adrianne Lenker is an incredibly prolific artist but the past year has confirmed the notion. After the lockdown put the band’s two-album tour plans on hold, Lenker retreated to an isolated cabin in western Massachusetts. Her time in quarantine resulted in the tender album Songs, which showcases Lenker’s poetic songwriting while bringing her wooded surroundings to life through samples of babbling creeks and chirping birds.–C.D.

13. The Killers – Imploding The Mirage

The Killers have never been a band to be recognized by critics in the moment, with their albums gaining more esteem with each passing year. But the fans have always seen through that, with the Vegas rockers now showing more of a cultural footprint and influence than many of their “cooler” peers. So it’s nice to see their return to anthemic form, Imploding The Mirage, getting its deserved due from both sides of the aisle, as the band smartly looked to both collaborators and their own history to craft one of the most delightful and sturdy efforts of 2020.–Philip Cosores

12. Khruangbin – Mordechai

Khruangbin tried something different this year by linking up with Leon Bridges for the collaborative Texas Sun EP, but they had another project that was more in their traditional wheelhouse. Their wheelhouse isn’t exactly traditional, though, as they continued to develop their increasingly successful incorporation of disparate rock influences.–Derrick Rossignol

11. Perfume Genius – Set Me On Fire Immediately

As the album title vividly suggests, Mike Hadreas’ latest Perfume Genius album is dramatic in an in-your-face way. That is territory he has navigated successfully throughout his career, but he chases it here perhaps more strongly than he ever has. He previously told Uproxx of the title, “It’s almost like a greediness for fuller feelings.”–D.R.

10. Bartees Strange – Live Forever

The debut album from Bartees Strange is also one of the most innovative and exciting LPs of 2020. Taking cues from alternative rock, hip hop, jazz, and everything in between, the eleven track effort is what Steven Hyden calls “a showcase for an artist who seems equally capable of sounding like The National, Frank Ocean, James Blake, or the dozens of artists that fit in the wide-open space between those reference points.” — Z.G.

9. Soccer Mommy – Color Theory

Following the massive success of Soccer Mommy’s debut album Clean, the pressure was on for the 23-year-old to pen a compelling follow-up. Color Theory took on the challenge and then some by honing Soccer Mommy’s moody sound with layered production while using colors as lyrical and sonic inspiration. The album touches on themes of blue depression, yellow illness, and gray mourning through the lens of a 20-something still learning to find herself.–C.D.

8. Yaeji – What We Drew

“I’ve got waking up down,” Yaeji deadpans on her frenetic lead-off single, setting the tone for how muted her 2020 mixtape, What We Drew, will be. Singing and rapping in both Korean and English over foggy house production and jittering beats, she establishes herself as one of the year’s underrated pop stars, potentially a blueprint for how restrained voices might infiltrate the genre from the inside out. Leaning more into the producer role, but never backing off fantastic vocals and a flair for the dramatic, Yaeji is only just beginning to peel back her layers.–C.W.

7. Sturgill Simpson – Cuttin’ Grass — Vol. 1 (Butcher Shoppe Sessions)

As Sturgill Simpson made clear speaking with Uproxx, his 2019 record Sound & Fury took that title to heart, with maybe an emphasis on the latter. But 2020 saw a Covid diagnosis and a canceled tour, with Simpson somewhat surprisingly sounding more at peace than ever on Cuttin’ Grass — Vol. 1 (Butcher Shoppe Sessions). The songs may not be new — they are bluegrass renditions of past favorites — but the spirit of them is something fresh, as Simpson finds a perfect marriage for his classic country croon. The resulting record was a beacon during a particularly rough year for his audience, with Simpson playing the role of steadfast captain with particular grace.–P.C.

6. Yves Tumor – Heaven To A Tortured Mind

Yves Tumor spent the past few years establishing himself as a compelling enough creative force to join the esteemed ranks of Warp Records artists. 2020 brought the experimental artist’s second album for the label, Heaven To A Tortured Mind, and it saw him present his adventurous tendencies in more accessible ways. As Uproxx’s Philip Cosores previously noted, though, “As much as this is the most accessible album in Tumor’s career, it’s by no means easy.”–D.R.

5. Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher

After the debut album Stranger In The Alps catapulted her into the mainstream, fans were curious to see where Phoebe Bridgers would take her eloquent indie music next. Proving her knack for stirring lyricism, Bridgers’ sophomore album Punisher is a collection of contemporary ballads for those coping with heartsick nostalgia, expertly striking a balance between soulful musings and refreshingly up-tempo tunes.–C.D.

4. Fleet Foxes – Shore

Though the album opens with a never-before-heard vocalist, Uwade Akhere, the surprise guest only makes the return of Robin Pecknold’s signature tenor all the more sweet a song later. On “Sunblind,” the strongest song of Fleet Foxes’ storied career, he celebrates and mourns, yearns and rejoices, replete with the harmonies and meticulously constructed melodies that have carried this Seattle band from warm, bedroom folk to songwriting legacies. Shore is a gigantic step forward for Pecknold and his mates, and more proof that the best bands only get better, and more believable, with time.–C.W.

3. Haim – Women In Music Pt. III

With a debut that put them firmly on the indie-pop map and a sophomore album that found some of that acclaim recede, the Los Angeles Haim sisters rolled into their third album with milder expectations from both fans and critics. And maybe that’s part of the reason why Women In Music Pt. III feels so titanic, as it not only eclipses the trio’s previous highs, it shows that we never really knew their potential at all. Some of the classic rock and ’90s pop touchstones that they’ve always cited are still there, but so is a firm identity that exists beyond the scope of their influences. Haim have truly arrived.–P.C.

2. Waxahatchee – Saint Cloud

A full-180 from the alt-rock revivalism of Waxahatchee’s 2017 LP Out In The Storm, Saint Cloud evokes the lived-in, earthy Americana of Katie Crutchfield’s hero, Lucinda Williams, whose 1998 classic LP Car Wheels On A Gravel Road is an obvious thematic and sonic touchstone. Sparking acoustic guitars and soulful keyboard tones echo through every track, with Crutchfield’s high, lonesome vocals positioned squarely at the heart of an understated country-rock mix. Her best album.–S.H.

1. Fiona Apple – Fetch The Bolt Cutters

What makes Fetch The Bolt Cutters feel like a new high-water mark for Fiona Apple — is it possible to rank all five of her albums as tied for her best? — is how she has pared her music down to the barest essentials, while also deepening and broadening her lyrics, finding fresh nuances that eschew easy answers or reductions. This is her rawest record, but also her funniest, distinguished by sparse yet eccentrically detailed soundscapes that provide a backdrop for Apple to fully explore every aspect of her (and perhaps your) highly contradictory inner life. She’s furious and forgiving, full of love and hate, and capable of both eviscerating and soothing her subjects.–S.H.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

There have been rumors of something more than platonic going on between Rihanna and ASAP Rocky for years now. These rumors have been elevated to a new level in recent days, though, as the pair was apparently seen spending time together as a couple. Fans are already imagining how gorgeous the duo’s kids would be, but it would seem Lil Uzi Vert is not part of those conversations. In fact, it looks like he’s taking the dating rumors kind of hard.

Until recently, Rihanna was the only account Uzi followed on Instagram, but since the new dating rumors surfaced, he unfollowed her and now follows nobody on the platform. Then, last night, he took to his Instagram Story to share a low-res paparazzi photo of Rihanna and Rocky out and about, writing on it, “Can’t be true.”

Uzi has long been public about his admiration of Rihanna. In April, Rihanna shared a brief clip of her lifting her shirt to show off some high-waisted underwear she had on, and Uzi took a blurry screenshot of the clip and posted it on his Instagram Story. In February, Uzi shared a photo of himself in front of Rihanna’s Fenty pop-up store in New York. In November 2019, he said that he hoped to become “the one” for Rihanna, writing on Twitter, “I think when I become THE ONE she will be my friend till that day I don’t wanna hear about her she 2 perfect.”

Meanwhile, Uzi has some other healing to do, as he accidentally stabbed himself in the face recently.

Wild Turkey makes some damn fine whiskey. The heritage shingle produces a wide variety of the stuff, too — in both the bourbon and rye categories. Alas, even with a deep bench of quality juice to draw from, the brand is most often associated with its powerful and very hot Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon. For many drinkers out there, the cheap and ubiquitous bottle offers an entry point to all things whiskey, becoming a nostalgic touchstone from the first sip onward.

Today, we’re here to point out that there’s more to the brand than good ol’ 101. Much more.

When we talk Turkey (sorry), it’s key to note that there are more expressions to choose from than even a whiskey aficionado might realize. 14, in total. Living whiskey legend Jimmy Russell — along with his son and heir Eddie Russell — have built an expansive line of rye and bourbon whiskeys that are 1) affordable and 2) quite often delicious. Of course, we all have different expectations when it comes to what’s “affordable.” Still, there are only two bottles that cost more than $70. As for flavor, your personal palate will surely come to bear in what you think of the juice. But if you like “classic” bourbon (and rye) flavors, you’ll have to concede that the dirty bird helped define what that phrase even means.

To rank the 14 whiskeys in Wild Turkey’s core line (we’ll save the flavored expressions for another ranking), we looked at one factor above all else: Taste. Price played some role in the top three, but it wasn’t a deal-breaker for any particular bottle. That being said, we have to point out that we were almost always splitting hairs by the time we got to the top five.

Let’s dive in!

14. Wild Turkey 101

ABV: 50.5%
Average Price: $25

The Whiskey:

A lot of Wild Turkey’s character comes from the hard and deep char they use on their oak barrels. 101 is a high-rye and high-ABV bourbon that leans into the wood and aging, having spent six years in the cask. A little of that soft Kentucky limestone water is added to cool it down a bit before bottling.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a sweetness that feels like buttery toffee next to creamy vanilla and a note of citrus next to charred oak. The taste delivers on those notes and adds more vanilla pudding, sharp rye spice, butterscotch, and a hint of fresh and sweet tobacco leaves. The end is bold and long with the spice, oak, and sweetness lingering on the senses while heating you to your soul (this is what’s called the “Kentucky hug,” although this particular embrace isn’t overly gentle).

Bottom Line:

Look, something has to be in this spot. And cards on the table, this is likely to be the most off-putting version of Turkey given its boldness and heat. That all being said, this is an excellent cocktail base — especially if we’re talking an old fashioned — thanks to the high ABVs and big flavors.

13. Wild Turkey 101 Rye

ABV: 50.5%
Average Price: $40

The Whiskey:

This is the sibling bottle to the bourbon above. Same heavily charred barrels. Same six-odd years mellowing in those barrels. The difference, naturally, is that this is rye, instead of corn-focused bourbon. That adds a little nuance to the juice that pairs with the higher-ABV a little better.

Tasting Notes:

The peppery rye spice is cut with rummy Christmas cake topped with rich vanilla ice cream next to a clear note of toasted oak on the nose. The taste leans into the spice with a rye-version of the Kentucky hug, as hints of cedar, white sugar, popcorn, and charred bitterness lurk in the background. Like the bourbon, the end is long and hot, with pops of peppery spice, creamy vanilla, and charred wood. A very distant wisp of smoke acts as a button on the end.

Bottom Line:

This expression edges out the bourbon in that the higher ABV matches a little bit better with the warming and sharp spices of the rye mash bill. This is also a solid cocktail base. Try it in a Manhattan or eggnog.

12. Wild Turkey Rye

ABV: 40.5%
Average Price: $25

The Whiskey:

This juice rests in the same, deeply charred oak but only for four to five years. The whiskey is then cut with soft limestone water to bring it down to a more manageable and accessible 81 proof.

Tasting Notes:

Big notes of rich vanilla marry sharp and peppery spice with a hint of minty apple. The taste leans into the spice as the vanilla smooths out the texture with mild notes of chewing tobacco, Granny Smith, and buttery toffee next to a hint of sourdough bread. The end is long, oaky, and spicy, warming you through and through.

Bottom Line:

This is a very good rye whiskey for only $25. It’s also a solid workhorse bottle that shines as a cocktail base, in a highball, or even on the rocks as a sipper in a pinch. Again, that’s saying a lot at this price point.

11. Wild Turkey Bourbon

ABV: 40.5%
Average Price: $16

The Whiskey:

This fairly new expression is Eddie Russell’s stamp on his dad’s legacy. The younger Russell devised this lower-proof bourbon to be another workhorse whiskey for the mixing crowd who also might take a sip on the rocks every now and then. This is achieved by letting the juice rest in deeply charred oak for six to seven years before it’s cut down to 81 proof for bottling.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a matrix of mild spice, bitter oak, ripe stone fruits, creamy vanilla, and, dare we say, salted caramel up top. The taste delivers and expands into peach cobbler territory with plenty of vanilla, brown sugar syrup with baking spices, and an almost smoky oak edge. The end is another left turn, with a dusting of dark chocolate over the top of a honeyed underbelly as the oak, spice, and stonefruit fade away.

Bottom Line:

This has no business tasting as good as it does for less than $20. This is designed for cocktails but works wonders on the rocks — a little water really lets it open up — making it almost too easy to drink.

10. Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit Single Barrel

ABV: 50.5%
Average Price: $60

The Whiskey:

Jimmy Russell hand selects eight to nine-year-old barrels from his warehouses for their individual taste and quality. Those barrels are then cut down ever-so-slightly to 101 proof and bottled with their barrel number and warehouse location.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a roundness to this sip that’s enticing. The nose is a classic mix of bold vanilla, baking spice, oak, and fruity sweetness. That fruit edges towards dark berries with notes of worn leather, aged oakiness, and a sweet and rose-water-forward marzipan nuttiness shining through. The end lasts a while on your palate and in your senses, leaving you warmed up and wanting more.

Bottom Line:

If you’re already a fan of 101, this is the next step in your Turkey journey. At only $60 for a single barrel expression, you can’t beat the price. This really works as a sipper with a little water or ice to help it bloom.

9. Russell’s Reserve Rye 6 Years Old

ABV: 45%
Average Price: $45

The Whiskey:

Russell’s Reserve is where we really dive into the “good stuff.” This expression is a collaboration between Jimmy and Eddie Russell, who search through the center cut of barrels in their rickhouses for the exact right minimum-six-year-old ryes to create this expression.

The end results are a window into the Russells’ shared palate for whiskey.

Tasting Notes:

This a subtle rye with hints of crusty rye bread soaked in apple honey paired with a hint of vanilla. The rye spiciness isn’t overdone, allowing more of a sweet Christmas cake full of dried fruit, nuts, and spicy rum to shine through than, say, black pepper. The oakiness shines late as the spice, sweetness, and vanilla fade away like a silk scarf billowing behind a Wes Anderson character.

Bottom Line:

Is this a top three rye for Wild Turkey or a number nine whiskey? This list is getting hard because this stuff is really easy to drink and doesn’t break the bank while delivering unique and tasty dram.

8. Russell’s Reserve Bourbon 10 Years Old

ABV: 45%
Average Price: $38

The Whiskey:

Sticking with the Russells and their barrel hunting expeditions through their rickhouses, this expression hits some pretty high marks. The juice is a marrying of bourbons Jimmy and Eddie Russell handpick from their minimum ten-year-old barrels. They then cut it down to a very accessible 90 proof for bottling.

Tasting Notes:

This is “classic bourbon” in a glass. Notes of vanilla bean, caramel, holiday spice, and oak greet you with a hint of fruit. The oak weighs in on the palate, with hints of orange oils, dark chocolate (when water is added), more Christmas spices, and a distant whisper of smoke. The finish is just the right length, with rehashes of the oak, spice, orange, and vanilla notes leading towards a lingering sense of old leather and sweet maple.

Bottom Line:

This could cost twice as much and folks wouldn’t bat an eye. Drink it neat, with water or ice, in a highball, or make a killer cocktail.

7. Wild Turkey Longbranch

ABV: 43%
Average Price: $40

The Whiskey:

A few years back, Wild Turkey brought on Matthew McConaughey to be the brand’s Creative Director and create his own whiskey. The product of that partnership was launched in 2018. The juice is a wholly unique whiskey for Wild Turkey, thanks to the Texas Mesquite charcoal filtration the hot juice goes through.

The bourbon then goes into oak for eight long years before it’s proofed and bottled.

Tasting Notes:

Christmas spices meet oily vanilla and subtle caramel up top. The palate adds orange oils and buttery toffee to the mix, as the spices edge upwards on the palate, next to a creamy vanilla pudding body. That velvet texture builds throughout, with toasted oak and cedar notes as a hint of sweet firepit smoke arrives on the long and satisfying finish.

Bottom Line:

It was hard to place this one. It’s such a standout amongst the line. It’s easily sippable yet works in a highball or cocktail. It has a great looking bottle. It feels like the perfect act break between the more standard bottles of Wild Turkey and the one-offs.

6. Russell’s Reserve Rye Single Barrel

ABV: 52%
Average Price: $65

The Whiskey:

This hand-selected single barrel expression hits on some pretty big classic rye notes (“classic” is becoming a theme here, as anticipated). The juice is selected from the center cuts of the third through fifth floors of the Wild Turkey rickhouses. There’s no chill filtering and the expression is only slightly touched by water for proofing.

Tasting Notes:

The peppery spice greets you with a sense of an old barrel, worn leather, and soft vanilla, with a light touch of sweetness. The body is svelte with fresh tobacco leaves accenting that hot pepper and mellowing cinnamon. There’s a musty barrel edge that leads towards a cedar box full of cigars, vanilla beans, and toffee on the long fade.

Bottom Line:

This is where we start splitting hairs, folks. Is this inherently “worse” than anything below it on the list? Probably not. Still, this is a ranking and Wild Turkey makes a hell of a rye but their brightest expressions are always going to be their bourbons.

5. Wild Turkey Rare Breed Barrel Proof Rye

ABV: 56.1% (varies)
Average Price: $62

The Whiskey:

This rye is a blend of the best of the best barrels in the Wild Turkey rickhouses. The juice is chosen from four, six, and eight-year-old barrels and blended, then bottled. There’s no chill filtration to clean up the look and there’s no water added to cut it down to proof.

This is pure rye in a bottle.

Tasting Notes:

This is a masterclass in what rye spice can be with notes of black pepper and Christmas spices counterpointed by pine resin dank and almost sweet root beer. The palate brings about a velvet texture with notes of vanilla and dark chocolate cake when water is added. There’s a balance of all that spice, wood, resin, and subtle fruitiness that lasts on your tongue and senses for a while, drawing you back for more.

Bottom Line:

This might be in fifth place on this list, but it’s also the top-ranked rye. It’s a great sipper with a little water that, again, could easily cost twice as much.

4. Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel Bourbon

ABV: 55%
Average Price: $60

The Whiskey:

This is a highwater mark of what standard Wild Turkey can achieve. The Russells select the “honey barrels” (those special barrels that are as much magic as craft) from their rickhouses for single barreling. The juice is non-chill filtered but is cut down slightly to proof with that soft Kentucky water.

Tasting Notes:

Vanilla cream spiked with orange oils and sprinkled with toasted coconut mingle with spicy oak and buttery cake. The body of this sip is edgeless with easy notes of marzipan, dried roses, vanilla pods, Christmas spices, and plenty of toasted oak. With a little water, the toasted coconut returns with a dark chocolate and almond vibe — like a bespoke Almond Joy from the fanciest of candy shops.

Bottom Line:

A single barrel for less than $100 is a steal, especially when they’re this drinkable. Don’t sleep on making an awesome cocktail with this either. It shines in a Manhattan.

3. Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Aged 17 Years

ABV: 43.4%
Average Price: $170

The Whiskey:

This is a masterpiece from Eddie Russell that highlights b-o-u-r-b-o-n flavors in every sip. For this mainstream Master’s Keep (there are a few limited-edition versions every year, too), Russell hand-selects 17-year-old barrels of Turkey that “travel” between their wooden and brick rickhouses, traversing roughly 200 miles over 17 years.

Tasting Notes:

This is bourbon with a capital “B.” There are clear and bold notes of smoky oak, oily vanilla pods, buttery toffee, orange orchards, the barns bulging with drying tobacco leaves. The spice kicks in with a Christmas cake edge that leads towards a salted caramel, bitter coffee, and toasted oak presence. The end is soft, velvety, and full of each of the notes fading in succession through your senses as it gives you that signature “Kentucky hug” (like a favorite uncle this time, rather than a horse-wrangling family friend).

Bottom Line:

This is another one that’s hard to place. It’s so damn easy to drink, and it’s rewarding to drink. It’s also a bit pricy… but compared to the price for other 17-year-old expressions of bourbon out there it’s a bargain!

2. Wild Turkey Master’s Keep Bottled in Bond

ABV: 50%
Average Price: $210

The Whiskey:

This lands above Master’s Keep whiskey thanks to a few small factors. As for the craft, this expression comes from one distilling season. So the 17-year-old barrels in this bottle are all from the same distillation time and bottled at the lawful bottled in bond standard of 100 proof, allowing more of the barrel’s character to come through.

Tasting Notes:

There’s a bold nose of spicy Christmas cakes spiked with orange oils, candied cherries, and dried apples next to vanilla pods and worn saddle leather. The palate is the epitome of smooth in every way with a subtle warmth and balanced flavors. It takes you out back at a roadside BBQ, hanging next to the old brisket smokers, with notes of melted fat and burnt sugars. Those flavors are subtle and only really come out with water but they’re there and delightful.

The end doesn’t overstay its welcome but leaves a smile on your face.

Bottom Line:

This was just released this year and will surely be a brand cornerstone going forward. Just make sure to add some water or a rock to really let this one blossom.

1. Wild Turkey Rare Breed Barrel Proof

ABV: 58.4% (varies)
Average Price: $50

The Whiskey:

This is the mountaintop of what Wild Turkey can achieve. This is a blend of the best barrels that are married and bottled untouched. That means no filtering and no cutting with water. This is a classic bourbon with nowhere to hide.

Tasting Notes:

Crème brûlée greets you with a nice dose of Christmas spices, mild pipe tobacco, orange zest, and a distant hint of fresh mint sprigs. There’s a pine resin nature to the woody flavors on the palate that accents the orange oils, spices, vanilla, and sweetness. The sip takes on a Christmas cake-feel late, with a velvet end that is just the right amount of everything you want from a bourbon.

Bottom Line:

This wins out on two counts. 1) It’s f*cking delicious. 2) It’s crazy cheap for what it is.

You can make a killer cocktail with this bottle and not fret about the price. At the same time, you can drink this whole bottle neat or with a rock and, again, not worry about the price. It may not have the most unique flavors on this list or even clock in as the cheapest-for-quality. It simply hits all the right notes of accessibility, taste, and price together.

Taken as a whole, it can’t be beaten.

That all being said, the last five expressions left us revising this list a lot. Our recommendation is to find the tasting note that entices you and go in that direction.

A few days ago was the one-year anniversary of The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights,” which amazingly hasn’t really moved that far off the peak of the charts. Even more amazingly, it didn’t rack up a single Grammy nomination despite being perhaps the year’s biggest song. Whatever the case, The Weeknd is continuing to celebrate the track, doing so today with a new remix featuring Rosalía.

The track doesn’t have any big aesthetic changes or compositional changes beyond slotting Rosalía in here and there. She adds new vocal contributions throughout the song, including an opening verse that translates to, “I tried to call / I’ve been alone a lot, actually / Maybe you teach me how to love / Maybe / I no longer consume nothing / And you won’t have to do too much / If you touch me you will light me up / Baby.”

As for Rosalía, she has had a relatively quiet year. That might be because she has resisted the pressure to force creativity during the pandemic, as she said previously, “There’s this kind of pressure to be creative or busy most of the time, with lots of activities and progress, and I’m trying to run from that. I’m trying to do things that help keep me mentally healthy, and if that includes making music, then great. But I won’t lie — there are days when I just watch a show and eat a packet of cookies.”

Listen to the new “Blinding Lights” remix above.

Baby Yoda (not Grogu, never Grogu) has been through a lot this season. He nearly had his throat slashed by a knife, he was almost eaten by a giant sea monster (karmic retribution), and he has a dumb name. But in “Chapter 14” of The Mandalorian, it’s the audience who goes through a lot. Did anyone else reflexively shudder when they saw the episode title, “The Tragedy”? I was immediately nervous, for Mando and for Baby Yoda, and that tension never went away. But “The Tragedy” is misleading, because there wasn’t just one tragedy, there were two. Three, if you consider the nomadic life that Boba Fett has lived since falling into the Sarlacc pit. But let’s focus on the main two.

1. The Razor Crest, as essential to The Mandalorian as the Millennium Falcon is to Star Wars, is no more. It was blown up by an Imperial Cruiser captained by a darksaber-wielding Moff Gideon. That “piece of junk” had been in a constant state of repair and disrepair all season — all series, really — so maybe it’s a good thing that it was destroyed. It was a money pit for Mando, who honestly didn’t seem all that broken up about losing his ship (I’ll never forget you, space toilet). He’s probably happy that he won’t have to deal with pit droids again. Or maybe he was focused on the other tragedy.

2. As Mando, Fennec Shand, and Boba Fett (“Boba Fett? Where?”) are distracted by cannon fodder Stormtroopers, Moff Gideon sends four Dark Troopers, as predicted, to snatch Baby Yoda and return him to the Empire’s ship. They blast off into lightspeed, leaving Mando a sad dad. Baby Yoda can take care of himself, but only to a certain point: he wrecks two Stormtroopers with his Force abilities, but is quickly worn out by the effort. By the end of the episode, he’s been stunned and handcuffed, and I cried.

LOOK AT HIS LITTLE HANDCUFFS.

Now it’s on Mando, along with Fennec, Boba Fett, and Migs Mayfeld, the space-Boston character played by Bill Burr from season one, to track down the Imperial cruiser and rescue Baby Yoda before Dr. Pershing can do unspeakably terrible things to him. I hope they all blow Moff Gideon’s face off.

On Thursday, Warner Bros. announced that their entire 2021 slate of films, which includes The Suicide Squad, Dune, Matrix 4 and a whole host of other films, will be premiering on HBO Max for a 30-day window, alongside a traditional domestic release (or as traditional as this can be right now considering the circumstances of an ever-worsening pandemic). This news has sent shockwaves through the industry, with many on social media lamenting this will likely be very bad news for movie theaters. Obviously, no one knows if that will be the case long term, but for now this decision seems to make sense for the studio. Let me try to explain why.

On Thursday afternoon I had a lengthy phone conversation with a Warner Bros. studio insider and from that conversation I got a better idea of what their thinking is with this rollout (which they were clear to point out is domestic only, and temporary). After listening to what this studio insider at Warner Bros. had to say, I do believe that they made a serious effort with “theatrical only” with Tenet, and if any studio knows what works and what doesn’t right now as far as “theatrical only,” it’s Warner Bros. And with the infectious disease experts saying things are about to get a lot worse in the United States, I get the sense they made a decision based on that forecast and their experience domestically with Tenet. In reality, spending the money to market films for people who can’t even see them doesn’t make a lot of financial sense.

My biggest takeaway from the whole conversation with the Warner Bros. insider was that it’s just a bad situation for literally all of us these days and they just made the best decision they thought they could for the foreseeable future. As for what this means beyond 2021, I honestly don’t think anyone really knows yet. So, ahead, let’s just say this is an informed opinion on what I gather is going on with this decision for 2021.

Let’s go back to the release of Tenet, a movie that for all intents and purposes performed fairly well internationally, but underperformed in the United States, by a filmmaker who is notorious for his approach to a “theaters only” distribution. (I personally was critical of the decision for that movie to play only in theaters.) This past March and April were a nightmare in New York City, where I live, and the thought of going to a movie theater seemed both frightening and ludicrous. By the time Tenet came out over Labor Day weekend, COVID cases were at a relative plateau and the conventional wisdom was that the movie theaters that were closed in New York City and Los Angeles would be reopening soon. Of course, that never happened. Here in New York City, movie theaters are still closed and, to this day, I have not seen Tenet. Though I still saw all the marketing for Tenet, which went wasted on me since I was never in a position to see the movie unless I left the state.

And therein lies the crux of a problem, spending millions of dollars on marketing for a movie that many people aren’t even able to see. And as we head into the winter, by all accounts, things are about to get a whole lot worse. The prediction by the experts is that by the time Wonder Woman 1984 comes out at the end of December, we could have, if we don’t already, a full-on health crisis on our hands and the idea of going to a movie theater in the United States will not be realistic for a lot of people.

Look, for me, I can’t be critical of Warner Bros. for releasing Tenet in theaters (which I very much was), then turn around and be critical of them for letting people see their movie slate, safely, in 2021. Like I said, I still haven’t seen Tenet and it’s literally my job to see movies and I have had no way to see it without traveling out of state. That, to me, seems unsustainable right now. I love movie theaters. I can’t wait to get back to a movie theater. But even with a vaccine on the horizon, experts still think that things won’t start looking like normal again until at least the third quarter of 2021.

And so, again, spending loads of money to market films for people who can’t even see them just doesn’t make financial sense.

You can contact Mike Ryan directly on Twitter.