Cartoon cameo // Mayor Chow? as a vampire holding up a C8 sign, spider lurking

Reviews // Issue 01 · October 2026 · Halloween Edition // checked Sun 4 Oct 2026

Ranked.

Three ranked lists: music, movies and TV, and nights out. Only things that are out now, and only with a real critics' score behind them. Each card links to the review.

Music, ranked

albums out now · by C8 score

Every album here is out and has been reviewed by named critics. Ranked by its C8 score, which starts from those critics' published scores.

4.29C8 /5

Music · Album8.5/10

Broken Social Scene: Remember the Humans

Arts & Crafts · 8 May

4.29/5C8 scoreweighted · how we score

Score breakdown

Critics30% · measured4.25Under the Radar 8.5/10
Your taste20% · our read5.00One of your anchor artists
Originality15% · our read3.50A deliberate return to roots with the You Forgot It in People producer, not a reinvention
Depth / emo meter15% · our read3.25Under the Radar leads on energy and vitality, not heartbreak
Label10% · measured5.00Arts & Crafts: one of your anchor labels
Connections10% · measured5.00Toured with Metric and Stars, both on your list; Feist returns

Their first studio album in nearly a decade, back with You Forgot It in People producer David Newfeld, with Feist returning. Under the Radar says it "brims with vitality from the outset".

Why you · Circul8r's takeThe anchor of your Arts & Crafts lane, and the best-reviewed record from your list this year. Missed it in May? Start here.

Jim Scott, Under the RadarRead it: Under the Radar · Exclaim!

4.22C8 /5

Music · Reissue8/10

Band of Horses: Everything All the Time (20th Anniversary)

Sub Pop · March 2026

4.22/5C8 scoreweighted · how we score

Score breakdown

Critics30% · measured4.00PopMatters 8/10
Your taste20% · our read5.00One of your anchor artists
Originality15% · our read3.50A landmark in 2006, but this is a reissue: the new material is demos and rarities
Depth / emo meter15% · our read4.00PopMatters: "sentimental without being saccharine"
Label10% · measured5.00Sub Pop: one of your anchor labels
Connections10% · measured4.00Anchor artist; Sub Pop roster also includes The Postal Service and Wolf Parade

A 19-track expanded edition of the 2006 debut, with the band's 2005 tour EP plus demos, rarities and live cuts. PopMatters calls the album a landmark. The anniversary tour has no Canadian dates announced.

“A declaration that rock music could be big without being dumb, sentimental without being saccharine.”

Why you · Circul8r's takeYou know the album. The new part is the 2005 tour EP and the demos, early versions of a record you already love.

PopMattersRead it: PopMatters · JamBase · Wikipedia · Sub Pop

4.19C8 /5

Music · Album9/10 Clash

Jim Legxacy: black british music (2025)

XL Recordings · July 2025

4.19/5C8 scoreweighted · how we score

Score breakdown

Critics30% · measured4.50Clash 9/10
Your taste20% · our read4.25UK rap rooted in the grime scene, with indie and emo edges
Originality15% · our read4.50Clash: "genre-spanning eclecticism", from emo-indie to dancehall-adjacent
Depth / emo meter15% · our read4.75Clash: balances grief and euphoria, confessional storytelling
Label10% · measured4.00XL Recordings: respected indie, not one of your anchor labels
Connections10% · measured2.00Track with Dave; no documented link to your anchors

Fifteen tracks mixing rap, emo, lo-fi and Afrobeat samples, rooted in Black London. Clash praises how it balances grief and euphoria. In 2026 he was runner-up for BBC Radio 1's Sound of 2026 and won Best Male and Best Newcomer at the MOBOs. His track with Dave, "3x", won Song of the Year.

Why you · Circul8r's takeThe new name from the scene Skepta and JME built. Mike Skinner-style storytelling over beats that drift toward indie. If you only try one discovery here, try this.

Liam Murphy, ClashRead it: Clash · Wikipedia

3.98C8 /5

Music · Album68%

The Antlers: Blight

Transgressive · Oct 2025

3.98/5C8 scoreweighted · how we score

Score breakdown

Critics30% · measured3.40Spectrum Culture 68%
Your taste20% · our read5.00One of your anchor artists
Originality15% · our read3.50Spectrum Culture: a bigger, more expansive sound suits them
Depth / emo meter15% · our read4.25A record about environmental collapse; soft and expansive
Label10% · measured4.00Transgressive: respected indie
Connections10% · measured4.00Anchor artist; no documented link to your other anchors

A record about environmental collapse that grows from minimal arrangements into wide soundscapes. Spectrum Culture says not everything works, but the bigger sound suits the band. They have no 2026 dates on Songkick.

Why you · Circul8r's takeIn case it slipped by last fall: a bigger, more ambient Antlers. Best on headphones.

Holly Hazelwood, Spectrum CultureRead it: Spectrum Culture · mxdwn

3.92C8 /5

Music · Album3/5

Death Cab for Cutie: I Built You a Tower

ANTI- · 5 June

3.92/5C8 scoreweighted · how we score

Score breakdown

Critics30% · measured3.00Kerrang! 3/5
Your taste20% · our read5.00One of your anchor artists
Originality15% · our read2.75Kerrang!: the band "channel their indie roots"
Depth / emo meter15% · our read4.75A divorce album; Kerrang!: emotionally raw, at times overly sentimental
Label10% · measured4.00ANTI-: respected indie
Connections10% · measured5.00Ben Gibbard also fronts The Postal Service, another of your anchors

Their first album after two decades on Atlantic, and a divorce record. Kerrang! calls the best moments the band at its melancholic best, but finds some tracks overly sentimental.

“poetic, but not overwrought”

Why you · Circul8r's takeFor you, Gibbard's songwriting is the point, and critics say that's what still works here. Expect a sad Sunday listen, not a reinvention.

Mischa Pearlman, Kerrang!Read it: Kerrang! · BrooklynVegan · Wikipedia

3.76C8 /5

Music · Album70 AOTY

Dermot Kennedy: The Weight of the Woods

Island / Interscope · 3 Apr · deluxe 11 Sep

3.76/5C8 scoreweighted · how we score

Score breakdown

Critics30% · measured3.50Album of the Year critic average 70/100 (Hot Press 80, AllMusic 70, Irish Times 60)
Your taste20% · our read5.00One of your anchor artists
Originality15% · our read2.50Irish Times: he "too often plays it safe"; Hot Press frames it as a return to his folk roots
Depth / emo meter15% · our read4.25Hot Press: homecoming, spiritual searching and introspection; lead single "Funeral"
Label10% · measured3.00Island / Interscope: major labels
Connections10% · measured4.00Anchor artist; no documented link to your other anchors

His third album, produced mainly by Gabe Simon, with uilleann pipes, concertina and a chamber choir. It went No. 1 in the UK and Ireland. Critics split: Hot Press gave it 8/10 as a "magnificent" return to folk roots, while The Irish Times called it a missed opportunity that plays it safe, with "Turnstile" the standout. Album of the Year averages it at 70 from three reviews.

Why you · Circul8r's takeBig-hearted, solemn and very you. Critics say the middle stretch is where it lands; start with "Turnstile" and the single "Funeral".

Hot Press · AllMusic · The Irish TimesRead it: Album of the Year · Hot Press · The Irish Times · Wikipedia

3.74C8 /5

Music · Album79 AOTY

Nia Archives: Emotional Junglist

Island · July 2026

3.74/5C8 scoreweighted · how we score

Score breakdown

Critics30% · measured3.95Album of the Year critic score 79/100
Your taste20% · our read4.00Jungle and drum & bass with songwriting up front
Originality15% · our read4.25Slant: the reverse-chronology structure shows real ambition
Depth / emo meter15% · our read4.75A breakup album; Slant: "making even joy hurt"
Label10% · measured3.00Island: major label
Connections10% · measured1.00No documented link to your anchors

A breakup album told in reverse, from numbness back through obsession to romance, over jungle breakbeats. Slant credits its structural ambition. It's the top-ranked drum & bass album of 2026 on Album of the Year's critic aggregate.

“The album's best trick is making even joy hurt.”

Why you · Circul8r's takeBreakbeats with the pace of Calyx & TeeBee, and songwriting that would sit next to Maggie Rogers. Proof that drum & bass can carry a heart.

Jon Negroni, SlantRead it: Slant · Album of the Year

3.61C8 /5

Music · Album + liveTreble: positive

Sylvan Esso: Ow ∞

Psychic Hotline · 11 Sep · History, Mon 19 Oct

3.61/5C8 scoreweighted · how we score

Score breakdown

Critics30% · measured3.75Treble: positive review, no number (scored from its wording)
Your taste20% · our read4.25Soft electronics under a folk voice, close to The Postal Service
Originality15% · our read3.75Treble: synth-pop turning "more delicate", but drawing on late-2000s indie
Depth / emo meter15% · our read4.50Album theme: "Living hurts forever, and then it stops" (Amelia Meath)
Label10% · measured3.00Psychic Hotline: their own label
Connections10% · measured1.00No documented link to your anchors

The duo's fifth album, produced by Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn. Treble hears their synth-pop turning more delicate, with late-2000s indie influences and folk sensibilities.

“captivating music that manages to be both precious and a little vicious”

Why you · Circul8r's takeThe nearest thing to a new Postal Service record: soft electronics under a folk singer's voice. They play History two weeks from today.

Adam Blyweiss, TrebleRead it: Treble · Shore Fire Media

3.41C8 /5

Sound#1 Quietus

Gilla Band: Pugnello

Rough Trade

3.41/5C8 scoreweighted · how we score

Score breakdown

Critics30% · measured4.25No. 1 for September at The Quietus, No. 2 at Paste (no numbers; scored from rankings)
Your taste20% · our read2.00Harsh noise rock, far from your anchors
Originality15% · our read4.25Paste: "caustic, hi-fi harsh", industrial-influenced
Depth / emo meter15% · our read4.00Paste: explores grief through sound
Label10% · measured4.00Rough Trade: respected indie
Connections10% · measured1.00No documented link to your anchors

The rare album both lists agree on. The Quietus ranks it first for September. Paste has it at No. 2 and calls it caustic and hi-fi, an album working through grief in noise.

The Quietus · Paste · Tue 29 SepRead it: The Quietus · Paste

#10

3.27C8 /5

SoundPaste pick

Protomartyr: Hotel Usona

Album

3.27/5C8 scoreweighted · how we score

Score breakdown

Critics30% · measured4.00In Paste's September top 10 (no number; scored from ranking)
Your taste20% · our read2.75Post-punk, adjacent to your indie-rock side
Originality15% · our read3.50Paste: "remarkable coherence"
Depth / emo meter15% · our read4.00Paste: urgent and politically articulate
Label10% · measured3.00Label not verified; scored as non-anchor
Connections10% · measured1.00No documented link to your anchors

Urgent, political post-industrial rock that Paste says holds remarkable coherence across nine tracks.

Paste · Tue 29 SepRead it: Paste

#11

3.09C8 /5

Sound#1 Paste

Carly Rae Jepsen: Day and Night

Album

3.09/5C8 scoreweighted · how we score

Score breakdown

Critics30% · measured4.25No. 1 for September at Paste (no number; scored from ranking)
Your taste20% · our read2.00Pop, outside your lanes
Originality15% · our read3.75Paste: "spatially and texturally interesting" production
Depth / emo meter15% · our read3.00No critic signal on depth; scored neutral
Label10% · measured3.00Not on one of your anchor labels
Connections10% · measured1.00No documented link to your anchors

Paste's top album of September, singled out for production it calls spatially and texturally interesting.

Paste · Tue 29 SepRead it: Paste

#12

2.86C8 /5

Music · AlbumMixed

Gracie Abrams: Daughter From Hell

Album · 17 July

2.86/5C8 scoreweighted · how we score

Score breakdown

Critics30% · measured2.50NME and Slant: lukewarm, no numbers (scored from their wording)
Your taste20% · our read4.50One of your anchor artists
Originality15% · our read1.75Slant: she "has yet to discover a sound or sensibility that truly distinguishes her"
Depth / emo meter15% · our read3.00NME: a reckoning with her younger self, but the sentiments often "fall flat"
Label10% · measured3.00Not on one of your anchor labels
Connections10% · measured2.00Aaron Dessner collaborations; no link to your other anchors

Her third album, with Aaron Dessner returning as a collaborator. NME calls it "more plodding than enlightened" but likes the second half. Slant says she hasn't yet found a sound that sets her apart.

Why you · Circul8r's takeThe honest flag: if you loved the last one, critics say lower your expectations. Go straight to the second half.

NME · SlantRead it: NME · Slant

The C8 score

albums · out of 5

Every album gets a Circul8r score out of 5, to two decimals, weighted across six things. Three are measured from sources. Three are our read of what critics wrote, set against your taste, and they are labelled that way on every card.

Critics · 30%Published scores, converted to /5 (8.5/10 becomes 4.25, 68% becomes 3.40). Where a critic gave no number, we score from their wording and say so.
Your taste · 20%How close it sits to your anchors, from Fred again.. to Broken Social Scene to Skepta. Our read.
Originality · 15%Does it feel new? Based on what critics say about its sound. Our read.
Depth / emo meter · 15%Deep or vapid? Grief, heartbreak and honesty score high. Our read.
Label · 10%5 for your anchor labels (Sub Pop, Arts & Crafts, RAM), 4 for respected indies (ANTI-, XL, Warp, Rough Trade, Transgressive), 3 otherwise.
Connections · 10%Documented links to artists you love: shared members, tours, labels. 1 if we found none.

Movies & TV, ranked

released titles · critics' score /5

Only films and series you can watch now. Critics' scores are put on one scale: a Rotten Tomatoes percentage divided by 20, a score out of 5 as given.

5.00/5 · 100% first reviews

Screen · Series100% first reviews

Pluribus

Apple TV · season 1

Vince Gilligan's sci-fi drama stars Rhea Seehorn as a romance novelist who is one of the few people immune to an extraterrestrial threat. Its first reviews were unanimously positive, with some notes on pacing later in the season.

Why you · Circul8r's takeThe Project Hail Mary feeling on TV: one ordinary person, an alien problem, and a lot of thinking. From the creator of Breaking Bad.

Rotten Tomatoes roundupRead it: Rotten Tomatoes

4.85/5 · 97% RT

Screen · Film97% RT

Resident Evil (Zach Cregger)

In theatres since mid-Sept

Cregger's reboot holds 97% on Rotten Tomatoes from 91 reviews, the highest-rated video game adaptation on the site, and opened to a franchise-best $60 million. CGMagazine gave it 8.5/10 for gore balanced with humour.

Why you · Circul8r's takeSame director as Weapons, whose 93% on Rotten Tomatoes is right behind this one. Horror with a sci-fi engine, while it's still on the big screen.

VGC · CGMagazine · ABC NewsRead it: VGC · CGMagazine · ABC News

4.50/5 · 4.5/5 Tom's Guide

Screen · Series4.5/5 Tom's Guide

Slow Horses, season 6

Apple TV · finale Wed 21 Oct

Gary Oldman's band of MI5 rejects, adapting the novels Joe Country and Slough House. Tom's Guide gave it 4.5/5 and one critic called it possibly the best season yet. Seasons 4 and 5 scored 100% and 96% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Why you · Circul8r's takeThe smartest spy show running: Lioness-level stakes, but darker and funnier. Start at season 1 and you'll catch up fast.

The Mac Observer roundupRead it: The Mac Observer · Wikipedia

4.10/5 · 82% RT

Screen · Series82% RT

Lioness, season 3

Paramount+ · from 2 Aug

Zoe Saldaña, Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman return, with Ian Bohen joining as a Delta Force K9 handler. Rotten Tomatoes has it at 82% from 11 reviews, down from season 2's 90%. Critics split between "best yet" and "messy and chaotic".

Why you · Circul8r's takeIf you haven't finished it: critics say it goes bigger and more geopolitical. Worth it, but expect a rougher ride than season 2.

SuperHeroHype roundupRead it: SuperHeroHype · TechRadar

2.60/5 · 52% RT

Screen52% RT

Digger

In theatres · 2 Oct

Critics are split. Tom Cruise's committed turn, Riz Ahmed and the production design get praise. The satire gets called heavy-handed, and the twist ending divides people.

Critics' roundup · Fri 2 OctRead it: Rotten Tomatoes

Nights out, ranked

restaurants & bars · Toronto Life 2026

Toronto Life's 44th annual ranking of the city's best new restaurants, published 25 May 2026, in its own order.

#1
SeahorseSummerhill
Seafood, with an oyster bar and seasonal fish
#2
Brasserie CôteAnnex
French bistro with global influences
#3
Bar EugenieHarbord Village
Casual fine dining with Filipino-influenced plates
#4
Oldeseoul TavernBeaches
Korean pub: burgers and creative small bites
#5
PunchDowntown
Indo-British cooking at Le Germain Hotel
#6
The OndaWychwood
Japanese-Korean omakase at a nine-seat counter
#7
Radici ProjectLittle Italy
Italian-Japanese on College Street
#8
N. L. GinzburgLittle Italy
Italian-Jewish trattoria
#9
SammarcoSt. Lawrence
Italian bisteccheria (steakhouse)
#10
Mozy'sLiberty Village
Fast-casual Iranian-Canadian charcoal chicken

Ranking: Toronto Life