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5 Thriller Showtime Series For Mystery Fans In Canada

With the likes of big streaming players like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, and Hulu, most Canadians consider these platforms are the ultimate content treasure. However, you are missing the trick if you are ignoring the premium TV channel Showtime.

Initially launched back in 1976, Showtime is among the longest-running cable TV networks still roaring. Over the years, the network has produced prestige TV content, offering iconic dramas, witty and cultured comedies, and informative talk shows.

Every year, Showtime adds fresh supplies of high-quality content to its content library from daring, freakish horror dramas to blockbuster crime capers, gripping thrillers, and much more.

Showtime is geo-restricted and exclusively available in the USA. Wondering what it has to offer? Unblock Showtime in Canada using a VPN to watch impressive content.

Keep on reading if you are a hardcore TV show fan who loves watching thriller series, and currently looking to watch something different. Let’s explore the 5 thriller Showtime series for mystery fans In Canada.

American Rust

Director: John Dahl

Creator: Dan Futterman

Cast: Jeff Daniels, Maura Tierney, David Alvarez, Julia Mayorga, Alex Neustaedter, Bill Camp, Rob Yang, Mark Pellegrino, Emily Davis, William Apps

Genre: Crime, Drama

IMDB Rating: 7.2/10

Number of Seasons: 1 season

Based on a novel by Philipp Meyer with a similar name, “American Rust” dives into the shabby American dream through the point of view and eyes of a police chief who lives in a small Rust Belt town in Pennsylvania on the southwest side.

Chief Del Harris (played by Jeff Daniels) gets shocked and is in a compromising situation when a boy is accused of murder. What is bothersome for him is that he is the son of the woman Harris is in love with. And so the complications continue rising as the investigation of the case proceeds.

Active Shooter

Director: Star Price

Creator: Aaron Saidman

Cast: Eric Harris, George Brauchler, Will Beck

Genre: Documentary 

IMDB Rating: 8.6/10

Number of Seasons: 1 season

Active Shooter is a documentary series that takes a profound look at 8 mass shootings that happened in the U.S. Every episode of the series focuses on one shooting event, exploring its bits and hidden facts on how it unfolded from the start and inspecting every little detail looking at the impact these shootings left on the community around and on the country overall. 

There is also the footage of the interviews conducted with the survivors, and the families of victims,  who were the very first responders capturing all of the sorrow and terror from these events. These also cover the courage and determination, and how these were born from these life-changing tragedies.

Yellowjackets

Director: Eva Sørhaug

Creator: Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson

Cast:  Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci, Tawny Cypress, Juliette Lewis, Sophie Nélisse, Ella Purnell, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Samantha Hanratty, Sophie Thatcher, Courtney Eaton, Steven Krueger, Liv Hewson

Genre: Action, Adventure

IMDB Rating: 7.9/10

Number of Seasons: 1 season

“Yellowjackets” is a horror story and coming-of-age drama. The series tells the narrative of a wildly talented soccer players team of high-school girls who manage to come out alive from a plane crash deep in the wilderness of Ontario, a remote northern wild area. 

The series records their fall from being a thriving team to conflict with each other, and the cannibalistic clans they encounter, while also trying to track back to the lives they had. 25 years after this event happened they disclose the truth regarding how they survived that crash.

Brotherhood

Director: Ed Bianchi, Henry Bromell

Creator: Blake Masters

Cast: Jason Isaacs, Jason Clarke, Annabeth Gish, Fiona C. Erickson, Kevin Chapman, Fionnula Flanagan, Brian Scannell, Kerry O’Malley, Billy Smith

Genre: Crime, Drama

IMDB Rating: 7.7/10

Number of Seasons: 3 seasons

Tommy Caffee, who lives with his brother in an Irish American neighborhood is a complete family guy. His ambition and clever street smartness are something that helps him walk the world of Providence politics with confidence, always trying to protect the Hill, his hometown, at any cost.

Unfortunately, he has a gangster brother named Mike, who comes back to town, in hope that he can take over the underworld activities happening around the city. Complicating things for Tommy.

Ray Donovan

Director: John Dahl, Tucker Gates

Writer: Ann Biderman

Cast: Liev Schreiber, Jon Voight, Paula Malcomson, Eddie Marsan, Pooch Hall, Dash Mihok, Katherine Moennig

Genre: Crime, Drama

IMDB Rating: 8.3/10

Number of Seasons: 7 seasons

Ray Donovan is looked upon as a “fixer” in L.A by most of Hollywood’s elite. One go-to guy who the city’s athletes, celebrities, and business tycoons call in order to clear up the mess they are in and to disappear their problems. It is a way more lucrative project than working his previous job as a merciless South Boston thug.

But the past Ray has can not be erased or bought with any amount of money in his pocket. A past that continuously keeps coming back at him to haunt him. This powerful suspense series unfolds when an unexpected prisoner is released from prison, his father, setting off a series of events that just shakes his whole family to the core.

Conclusion 

While competing with its long-standing rival networks like Starz and HBO, as well as online streaming upstarts like Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+, Showtime has firmly stood tall and is still going on.

It offers a variety of programming, including TV shows, films, on-demand content, and Live coverage of sports and related news. However, in this article, we have provided you with a list of the 5 best thriller series on Showtime that you must watch in Canada.

Album Review: Stella Donnelly, ‘Flood’

Just a couple of songs into Flood, Stella Donnelly slows down. ‘Restricted Account’ is a tender piano ballad unlike any she has offered to the public before, but represents a mode of songwriting she’s more than comfortable embracing on the follow-up to her impressive 2019 debut, Beware of the Dogs. Her voice is sweet and composed, rarely rising to the delicately quivering vibrato that made earlier love songs like ‘Mosquito’ so immediate and gripping. Instead, she lets the song breathe, unfurling with layers of instrumentation that don’t so much compliment as float along her stream of words, like lifting a thought into a dream. “I’ll be your lover” is the one where she settles, wrapping it around Julia Wallace’s lush flugelhorn before allowing her vocals to be fully submerged. Later, on ‘This Week’, a downbeat song about the daily struggle of nurturing your mental health, horns once again tangle forth to provide gentle reassurance as Donnelly practices her way around the phrase “I feel better,” teasing out the possibilities.

Flood may not be as brightly lit as Donnelly’s debut, but it radiates the same warmth and empathy that it made it stand out. As easy as it is to point out the musical shift that marks the new album, what leaves a bigger impression is her renewed perspective, both matured and occasionally fanciful, which plays out in how she utilizes the space in her songs and the subtleties of her voice. Instead of beginning her process by writing on the guitar, she opted for the piano, which she has said gave her “permission to be more vulnerable, because for me it’s a childhood instrument.” From the album’s opening notes, there’s something refreshing about hearing her rediscover that part of herself: ‘Lungs’ is literally sung from the point of view of a child that’s watching their parents’ eviction, brought to life by a snappy disco beat that dissipates only for the song’s most cutting statement: “Big man, proud with your new stripe/ I’ll be a child, rest of my life.” As if to drive the point home, the record proceeds with ‘How Was Your Day?’, a similarly and deceptively upbeat song that switches the focus on adults doing their best to discard vulnerability until the seams start to show.

Leading off with these songs, then, is a smart sequencing decision, making the transition to sparser tracks – where the tone is more introspective than observational – a natural and satisfying one. ‘Underwater’ is as raw as the album gets, with barely any accompaniment to soften the pain caused by a toxic relationship, except a subtle hum, a glimmer of light at the peak of isolation. Here, she pulls the anger that cut right through on ‘Boys Will Be Boys’ inwards: “I take on your anger and hurt,” she sings, a startling confession that takes on a wider, brighter resonance when shared with others. On ‘Oh My My My’, a song written after the death of her grandmother, her voice reaches a register so low it’s almost defamiliarizing, worn down by a devastating yet persistent sentiment: “Part of me died.”

Donnelly has a unique way of examining the power dynamics that occur when you let others into your life, the shadows they cast when they’re gone, and how difficult it is to find grounding from within. That incisiveness was evident on Beware of the Dogs, but Flood expands her range significantly. ‘Medals’ is the closest it comes to the guitar-driven indie pop of the last album, and its biting humour fits the sardonic nature of the lyrics. But when she poses the question, “Why is it so paralysing to see the one you love dance?/ Are you holding their hand, or holding back each other?” it comes off less like an attack than an honest intimation – Donnelly delivers it not through bared teeth, but eye to eye. Elsewhere, like on the title track, her use of metaphor to portray the push and pull of relationships feels vivid and intimate, and her language moves fluidly and deliberately from poetic to direct. “Looking for diamonds in the gallows,” she sings on ‘This Week’, “Looking for me inside someone else.”

In the early days of the pandemic, Donnelly and her partner were forced to retreat to the rural town of Bellingen, where she became interested in birdwatching. She has described the experience of being in nature as antithetical to that of being a musician; a humble way of “being my small self,” as she put it in press materials. But it’s a joy to watch her vision and confidence grow on Flood, sometimes sidestepping the self but not entirely abandoning it. On the final track, ‘Cold’ – which, like ‘Lungs’, is elevated by lively production from Methyl Ethel’s Jake Webb – her vocals gleefully soar and stretch in the background like Sugarcubes-era Björk. By the time it closes out with a repeated chant of “You are not/ Big enough/ For my love,” the declaration of self-worth seems almost redundant; not one thing, she’s already convinced you, could possibly hold it.

Whitney Release New Songs ‘Memory’ and ‘County Lines’

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Whitney have released another pair of tracks from their upcoming album Spark. ‘Memory’ features a string arrangement by Trey Pollard, while ‘County Lines’ features string arrangements by Rob Moose and Sam Gendel on saxophone. Take a listen below.

“The lyrics of ‘MEMORY’ illustrate someone processing and eventually accepting their fear of death,” the band explained in a statement. “Halfway through writing the song our bandmate Will Miller sent along the chords for what would become the outro of the song without ever hearing ‘MEMORY.’ It was one of those harmonious moments where two separate ideas somehow fit together immediately. The final third speaking to the afterlife in a way we wouldn’t have been able to match with words.”

Spark is set for release on September 16 via Secretly Canadian. It includes the previously shared songs ‘Real Love’, ‘Blue’, and ‘Twirl’.

Girlpool Break Up

Girlpool have announced they are breaking up.

“After 9 years, we have decided to take a break from Girlpool and go our separate ways as songwriters,” the band wrote in a statement. “This upcoming tour will be our last one – it will be an ode to the past, a celebration for the future, and something we will pour both of our hearts into completely. We are each other’s biggest fans and always encourage each other to stretch and evolve, whether that means it’s alongside one another or not.”

The band also revealed they have canceled a number of dates on their upcoming tour, which was set to kick off September 6 in Sacramento. Refunds for these shows will be available at the point of purchase. You can find the remaining dates below.

After meeting as teenagers at the Los Angeles all-ages venue The Smell in 2013, Harmony Tividad and Avery Tucker released their self-titled EP the following year. They put out their debut album, Before the World Was Big, in 2015, following it up with 2017’s Powerplant and 2019’s What Chaos Is Imaginary. Their most recent album, Forgiveness, came out earlier this year.

Sep 8 Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
Sep 9 Seattle, WA – Crocodile
Sep 10 Vancouver,BC – Fortune Sound Club
Sep 22 New York, NY – Elsewhere
Sep 23 Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts
Sep 24 Washington, DC – Black Cat
Oct 7 San Francisco, CA – August Hall
Oct 8 Los Angeles, CA – El Rey

Momma Cover The Breeders’ ‘Divine Hammer’

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Momma offered their take on the Breeders’ ‘Divine Hammer’ during a live session for SiriusXMU. Check out their cover below.

‘Divine Hammer’ appeared on the Breeders’ 1993 album Last Splash. Momma released their third LP, Household Name, back in July. Read our Artist Spotlight interview with Momma.

 

FaltyDL Announces New Album ‘A Nurse to My Patience’, Collaborates With Julianna Barwick on New Song

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FaltyDL has announced that his new album, A Nurse to My Patience, will come out on November 11 via his own Blueberry Records. To accompany the announcement, the Brooklyn producer has released a new single, ‘Four Horses’, which features Julianna Barwick. Check it out below.

“I fell back in love with song writing on ‘Four Horses’ and feel absolutely blessed to have Julianna Barwick echo my sentiments,” FaltyDL (aka Drew Lustman) said of the collaboration in a statement. “I have been a fan of hers for years and this was truly a dream. I often feel restless and unfulfilled, and this song is me emptying these thoughts, concerns, and traumas across 2.44.”

In addition to Barwick, the new album – which follows 2016’s Heaven Is for Quitters – features contributions from Interpol’s Paul Banks, Mykki Blanco, Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard, Medicine’s Brad Laner, and Gang Gang Dance’s Brian McGraw.

A Nurse to My Patience Cover Artwork:

A Nurse to My Patience Tracklist:

1. XTOC [feat. Brad Laner]
2. Berlin
3. One Hitter
4. Come See Us [feat. Paul Banks]
5. Four Horses [feat. Julianna Barwick]
6. One Way or Another [feat. Mykki Blanco]
7. A Vow
8. God Light [feat. Joe Goddard]
9. Zoo Jarre
10. Play a Little Rough With Me
11. A Brother Bears the Silence [feat. Julianna Barwick]
12. Doves Fears [feat. Brian DeGraw]

Snail Mail’s Lindsey Jordan, Phoebe Bridgers, Fred Durst to Appear in New A24 Horror Film ‘I Saw the TV Glow’

Phoebe Bridgers, Snail Mail’s Lindsey Jordan, and Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst are set to appear in I Saw the TV Glow, a new horror film from We’re All Going to the World’s Fair director Jane Schoenbrun, as The Hollywood Reporter reports.

The film follows two teenaged outcasts, played by Justice Smith Brigette Lundy-Paine, who obsess over a scary television show, but the line between TV and reality begins to blur when the show mysteriously gets canceled.

Haley Dahl’s Sloppy Jane (featuring Phoebe Bridgers) will appear in the film alongside the band King Woman. As Stereogum points out, the director recently responded to a tweet that read “bring back sick bands in fake clubs on tv shows” by saying: “on it.” The cast also includes Amber Benson, Ian Foreman, Michael Maronna, Conner O’Malley, Emma Portner, and Danny Tamberelli.

“Big news!! Behold the cast of I SAW THE TV GLOW, which if I might humbly brag is the coolest, wildest (and queerest) cast anyone has assembled in a minute,” Schoenbrun tweeted. “I cannot wait for everyone to see the incredible work we all made together!!”

“Just honored beyond belief to announce that I’m acting in the fucking genius Jane Schoenbrun’s new movie I Saw the TV Glow,” Snail Mail wrote on Instagram.

I Saw the TV Glow is produced by A24 and Emma Stone’s Fruit Tree. We’re All Going to the World’s Fair, Jane Schoenbrun’s debut feature, came out earlier this year with a soundtrack composed by Alex G.

How To Plan The Ideal Weekend Getaway With Friends

It is very easy to get used to daily routines and activities. But once in a while, going on a weekend trip, whether it’s for a fun bachelorette party or a long birthday, is a great way to break that cycle and recharge. It’s also the best opportunity to explore a new location without the stress of traveling very far. Studies show that 85% of people planned weekend trips in 2018 alone! Whether you’re new to spending weekends out of town or not, these tips will help you make the most of your time with your close friends. 

  • Decide on the type of trip you want

Going on a trip with friends involves a lot of work, especially if you all have varying tastes and preferences. The best thing you can do when deciding what you want to get out of your trip is to find a location that offers something to each person. If you all have the same goals, it makes finding a location much better. If you all want to relax in a quiet area, it will make more sense to get out of the city and spend your time enjoying the peace. If it’s for a beach party, heading to a coastal area would be the ideal choice. 

  • Stock up on food and drinks

The weekends are already short, and you wouldn’t want to spend your time away with friends, driving to and from local grocery and convenience stores to buy food and drinks. Instead, why don’t you list all the important items you need and carry them along on your trip? Since you’re going with buddies, you can all chip in on the essentials, such as snacks and drinks. Bottled cocktails are excellent alcohol choices since you can carry them anywhere and they come ready-made. They should make for some fun drinking games with your friends. 

  • Don’t overcommit to several activities

It can be very tempting to keep your schedule full during your little break, especially if you’re heading to a new destination and are excited about doing activities with your friends. But it would be best if you remembered that you are on vacation and should give your body the chance to rest. Keep your plans or schedule to a minimum and as flexible as possible. Even though you will be with your buddies, ensure you spend time with yourself and explore your new location. You must also keep an open mind, especially if you get the chance to try something new. Your friends would appreciate your enthusiasm. If you commit yourself to too many activities and plans, you might find yourself burning out instead of having a good time. 

Planning a fun weekend away shouldn’t be a hassle with these tips. If you can figure out what you want from this trip, stock up on some delicious and convenient foods and drinks, and keep your plans flexible, you should have the perfect time away with your close friends.

How much is the minimum amount I can deposit at an online casino?

This is a very common question among newcomers to online casinos, as they often want to try the online casino at the lowest possible cost. However, as we will see below, this depends on many factors that we must take into account.

First of all, we must take into account the currency in which we want to play, as it is not the same to bet in euros or in Japanese yen. For example, casinos with low deposits can be found at https://casinotop3.com/ja/500-yen-deposit/ for betting in Japanese yen. However, to deposit in dollars or euros, we will have to go to another type of casino.

Therefore, first of all we must take into account the currency in which we want to deposit.

Normally, the most common currency casinos are the ones that most frequently allow low deposits, as there are many users who handle that currency and want to reach all kinds of audiences: players who want to play with little money and high rollers who want to risk more by playing harder.

The next important aspect is the payment methods that casinos have available, as there are payment methods that do not allow deposits below a minimum amount. In this case, if the casino does not have different payment methods that allow lower payouts, we will not be able to deposit excessively low amounts.

For example, some payment methods that allow small deposits are the casino’s own credit or debit cards, which should allow payments of even one cent.

The regulations of the countries where the casino has obtained its gaming licence are also important, as some regulations may set the minimum and maximum payout that players can make when depositing a balance at the casino.

Should I deposit the minimum possible balance?

This depends on many things. Firstly, it depends on the amount of money the player wants to risk. The money that we deposit in the casino we should think that it is lost, as this is the most common thing that can happen.

On the other hand, we should think about whether we want to benefit from any casino bonus we have available to claim, as if we are going to claim the casino bonus, it may be a good idea to wait to make a larger deposit and be able to get more bonus money.

It also depends on what we want to play and the minimum bets the casino allows on those games. If, for example, we want to play roulette and the minimum bet is 500 yen, we will not be able to deposit less than that amount if we want to be able to play.

Therefore, we cannot always say that the best option is to deposit the minimum, although it can be a very interesting option if we want to try a new casino and we do not have a bonus available or we can use it in the next deposit we make, which can be higher to take advantage of the bonus.

Cannabis and Music: The Perfect Combination

You’ve probably noticed how music changes under the influence of cannabis. Everyday sounds begin to be reincarnated and become a fabulous scale, played by an incredibly talented artist. Have you noticed how unremarkable bands under the influence of cannabis seemed to us to be geniuses in music?

Like bread and butter

After going, say it, to the best dispensaries in California with a lucky purchase, we suddenly notice all the depth of the sound, apt instrumental passages, and transitions, and generally understand that this music gives us goosebumps. It is, of course, pleasant and stimulating to listen to tracks under the influence of cannabis. But have you ever wondered why this happens?

In the 1970s, scientists conducted research that cannabis improves a person’s ability to hear sounds around 6,000 Hz. What’s more, scientists have assumed that given the euphoric state, the user should like these sounds more. Smokers are also more sensitive to sound intensity thresholds and have a better perception of speech, i.e. texts. 

That is, they can distinguish words from background noise much better than in a sober state. The same applies to distinguishing musical parts and instruments. It turns out that under the influence of marijuana, a person becomes a kind of musical expert and critic.

What about the brain?

Cannabis, reaching the cells of the brain, of course, changes perception. How?

Current brain mapping studies show that cannabis increases sensitivity in the parietal area and right hemisphere of the brain when comparing responses to the same song before and after smoking cannabis. 

The function of the parietal zone is information processing, and problem-solving. The right hemisphere of the brain is associated with creative imagination and intuition. Accordingly, under the influence of cannabis, creative potential is activated, and in particular, listening to music becomes more pleasant.

Jazz cigarettes

It turns out that cannabis has a positive effect not only on the perception of music but also on its creation. That is, it turns out that the world’s masterpieces were created under the influence of cannabis, and perhaps even because of this they are so emotionally perceived by listeners.

Indeed, even at the beginning of the last century, musicians were inspired by cannabis smoke for a more insightful performance. Rumor has it that such legendary musicians as Louis Armstrong and Cab Calloway were keen on marijuana.

In America’s jazz clubs in the 1900s, cannabis-infused cigarettes were sold. They came from the ports of New Orleans, which is called the legendary jazz city. These cigarettes were called jazz cigarettes as a symbol of the inseparable connection between music and weed.

Breakthrough jazz improvisations arose precisely under the influence of cannabis, which freed creative thinking and raised it to a new level of consciousness.

Love, religious, pop-culture

In the heyday of the psychedelic revolution of the 1960s, weed was indispensable. Bob Dylan spoke unashamedly about smoking marijuana, and Paul McCartney called The Beatles’ song “Got to Get You Into My Life” a confession of his love for cannabis. If you listen to this song, it has a playful vibe and a positive attitude, and the cannabis context is very noticeable in it.

But no musical genre is more closely associated with cannabis than reggae, which originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. Reggae is closely related to the Rastafarian religion, where smoking cannabis is considered a sacred ritual. The father of reggae – Bob Marley – became famous all over the world, and millions of fans of this genre braided dreadlocks. Thus, Rastafarianism has become a subculture, in which the pride of place is occupied by the enjoyment of the weed.

The reggae style became a derivative for such musical genres as dub – where the rhythm acquires such depth and atmosphere that it can immerse the listener in transcendental states.

Electronic exploration

With the rise of electronic music, artists have the opportunity to experiment with sounds as they please. Synthesizers, samplers, computers, and drum machines spawned a whole range of genres such as IDM, breakcore, dubstep, industrial, EBM, and ambient.

In some places, music has become similar to the stream of consciousness of aliens, and marijuana in this context is very appropriate – both when creating and listening. At famous raves, powerful breakbeats are always accompanied by the aroma of cannabis.

At the same time, smoking cannabis firmly entered the circle of rappers and hip-hoppers. The Album Dr. Dre’ The Chronic, named after the potent cannabis and featuring a hemp leaf on the cover, has sold 5.7 million copies. Snoop Dogg generally became almost the biggest adept of marijuana after Bob Marley.

But what can we say – cannabis has not bypassed any of the subcultures. Punks, rockers, metalheads, and even country music lovers do not disdain him.

Instead of the conclusion

Cannabis has properties to heighten the sensation. So any music we like, we’ll like it even more when smoked. Cannabis and music seem to complement and reinforce each other in our perception of both of these factors. So combining them is very logical and incredibly pleasant.

So if you still haven’t made music a companion to smoking marijuana, now is the time. It doesn’t matter if you listen to it on speakers at home, with headphones, or go to a concert – strong impressions are guaranteed in any case.

And for those who want something special, you can even become a musician for yourself. Even if you have never picked up a tool. You can take, for example, African bongs or maracas and try to play along to your favorite artist in a state of cannabis euphoria. Experts say it is an incredible experience that releases creative energy, clears the mind, and fills with unprecedented pleasure. So why not?