“Change” by Big Thief

I listened to the album Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You by Big Thief for the first time earlier this month and its first track, “Change,” just hit the hardest for me. Adrianne Lenker’s voice is beautiful–lingering and haunting–as she contemplates what change looks like at different levels and symbols: a butterfly, night and day, and a suitcase. Ultimately she determines that not only is it inevitable, but necessary, and sometimes beautiful.

I love the rhetorical questions, one after the other: Would you stare forever at the sun / Never watch the moon rising? / Would you walk forever in the light / To never learn the secret of the quiet night? She asks as if it is too ridiculous to even contemplate. Who would want to live without seeing the moon or how the world looks at night? These questions are a set up to much more difficult questions later in the song. Eventually she asks, Could I feel happy for you / When I hear you talk with her like we used to? The question mirrors her earlier ones in a confrontation of change, but it’s a different kind of ridiculous. The idea of feeling happy for the person you loved in a new relationship does not yield an immediate, obvious response like her earlier questions. Lenker doesn’t give a firm answer, but the song ends on an earlier verse, only shortened: Would you smile forever, never cry? A final question addressing the inevitabilities of being a human in the world, able to experience the beauty of change within happiness and heartbreak.

—Elise

Dimension 20: A Court of Fey & Flowers

I watched a lot of Dimension 20 seasons in fall and winter, and I’m almost tempted to put the whole of D20 in general as my recommendation. It really is that consistently good. But as each season tackles different genres with their own storytelling styles and beats, I’ll distinguish one more than the other. A Court of Fey & Flowers takes a regency twist on D&D, doing away with a long campaign of battles and replacing it with regency matchmaking and politicking. 

In this season, each player comes from a different Court (“The Court of Wonder,” “The Seafoam Court”) and aims to matchmake, cause scandals and rumors, and appear reputable in front of their courtly peers. What keeps this season exciting are the mechanics that the Dungeon Master and storyteller, Aabria Iyengar, introduces: letter writing at the top of most episodes, a reputation tracker that has consequences for its characters, and a clear revelry in the genre they’re satirizing (hence the title). Aabria has a keen eye for spotting character drama and expanding it with plot points. Each player takes delight in spreading gossip and making wagers, even as each character has something to hide. 

The result of this experiment in genre (Regency, fantasy) and form (table-top role-playing) is exciting and impressive. When two characters are randomly thrown together based on dice rolls in the second episode, it begins a season-long dramatic romance that–despite being created on the spot by comedians–is thematically better written than many romances in actual TV and movies. And two other cast members use the genre to engage in delightful foppery and foolishness, even as their characters seem more and more respectable. It creates some of the funniest D20 scenes in its whole run. 

There are many D20 seasons I could have chosen for this recommendation–the exciting and carefree sci-fi of Starstruck or the satirical neo-noir of Mentopolis–but A Court of Fey & Flowers takes your heart and runs away with it. 

—Peyton