Catching Up
New music from Cowboy Sadness & PACKS, interviews with Marie-Helene Bertino & Sleater-Kinney, new fiction from K-Ming Chang, and more
I’ve been catching up this week. A little snow knocked out my internet Monday evening, only to be revived late Thursday evening after a provider switch.
For a couple of days, I asked dumbed down smart speakers the weather or the time. I instructed them to stream music that was unavailable. Positively, the turntable still worked, as did my phone to stream to bluetooth speakers. I was able to work on some neglected writing projects. I had more time to read.
This weekend I am catching up on Largehearted Boy posts missed last week and returning e-mails. Being away from work on the site (even only for a few days) is refreshing but also enlightening. I am reminded of my passion for sharing the good word about books and music, and always excited to return to the work.
Look for extra author playlists on Largehearted Boy this week…
A Playlist of the Week’s Best New Music (7 albums, 80 songs, 5 hours and 9 minutes)
This week’s new music releases include a new albums by Cowboy Sadness, Packs, Sleater-Kinney, Bolts of Melody, Green Day, glass beach, and Mary Halvorson.
Largehearted Likes:
Snow
NYC had its first measurable snowfall in almost two years this week, which makes the cold temperatures almost bearable.The tamale vendor outside the Greenpoint Ave. G subway stop
My mornings are hectic as I rush to catch the 6 a.m. train to school, but thanks to Maria, I always have something delicious and filling for breakfast.
Largehearted Book & Music Links:
Dream casting for the forthcoming film adaptation of Ottessa Moshfegh’s novel My Year of Rest and Relaxation
Cowpunk Past & Present
Here are some major touchpoints from the cowpunk catalog to be found on Bandcamp, from genre originators, to fast followers and regional spin-offs, to artists proudly self-identifying with the genre today.Jordan Castro’s essay on lifting weights
Lifters who practice mind-muscle connection resist the crass dichotomy of here and there, the gross binary of resting and flexing. They enter into the entire process. They feel their muscles stretch and strain. They feel them tear. They involve themselves directly in the middle. The middle is the hardest place to be. The middle is the part nobody thinks about.Blondshell’s interview with Carrie Brownstein & Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney
Down To You: Joni Mitchell’s Court And Spark At 50
Joni Mitchell's sixth album was a change of gear, coming deep from within the ME decade, its romantic entanglements dissolving to reveal a deeper search within but far from being solipsistic Mitchell’s rumination strikes a universal chord, says Matthew LindsayJami Attenberg interviewed about building writing communities online and off
The Origins and Influence of Brian Eno’s Pioneering Album Ambient 1: Music for Airports
No matter how many times I listen to this record, I always marvel at how it is about limitation. It’s about knowing when to say when. In terms of actual sonic events, they’re pretty few and far between. It is an impressionistic piece of music built on repetition where the idea is that Eno has created a world of sound, but you create a world of meaning within it.Michael Cunningham on his new novel
When I ask whether the success of The Hours has ever felt like a double-edged sword, he says, with humorous ruefulness, that: “I know some people have never forgiven me for not just writing The Hours over and over and over again.”
Last Week’s LHB Feature Posts:
Eric Schlich’s playlist for his debut novel Eli Harpo’s Adventure to the Afterlife
“At its heart Eli Harpo’s Adventure to the Afterlife is about a thirteen-year-old boy in crisis with his family, his faith, and his sexuality. My own musical taste (especially at thirteen) has always been pop-centric and tied to narrative.”