Welcome Distractions
New music, book reviews, short stories and more from blog this week
Plus lots of links to other good stuff that didn’t get there (yet)Is this a useful email? Forward it to a friend who might like it.
Happy Friday! Don’t get too close, I’m just getting over some kind of illness.
I NEED YOUR HELP: People are sending me poetry books to read and I don’t know how to read poetry. I want to do a good-faith reading but I’m afraid I’ll biff it! Do you have a method? Do you have a resource? I feel like I’m in grade 9 English class again. If you have any wisdom, please share.
I’m excited about next week: I’ve got a few books lined up (two classics and one brand new one) that are all kind of fairy tale-adjacent. I’m feeling like maybe I should have a theme for it, like myths and monsters or something.
I have a soundtrack for it though: this new Kathryn Joseph record perfect - it’s creepy, haunting minimalism that’s just loaded with atmosphere. Her story is pretty great too: she didn’t release her first record until she was 40, and she’s won awards and had some pretty solid success since. WE WERE MADE PREY. is her fourth record, and it’s one I’m feeling you’ll see on a couple end-of-year lists (at least one that I can confirm).
The big thing from this week was the post about Dawn Tasaka Steffler’s flash fiction. I’m telling you, if you haven’t seen it, stop now and click that link. She writes about lots of things, but her stories of parenting a trans child hit me right in the feels, as they say.
Being comfortable in your own skin is easy to take for granted for us cis folk. Watching my kid flourish as their true self has been inspiring, terrifying, difficult and endlessly rewarding. For years I’ve believed that as a parent, you can learn more from a teenager than you can teach them, and it seems that Dawn feels the same way.
Anyway, thank you for reading! Here’s some stuff to check out:
Off the blog: links you shouldn’t miss
You should watch the second season of The Rehearsal. It has a dozen jaw-dropping, literally unbelievable moments in it. And the last two minutes have haunted me all week. Here’s a spoiler-filled interview with Nathan Fielder in Vulture about it.
William Gibson is one of my favourite writers. from Reddit, here’s a piece about his drug-fueled time in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood. Here’s a CBC interview with a likely high Gibson.
And a related Five Books piece on the best Cyberpunk novels of all time.
The new Mhaol record is pretty good, but not as good as this performance of “pursuit” on KEXP:
Dan Sinker writes about the ‘Who Cares’ era, where everything is created to be ephemeral, and mostly valueless. It’s the antithesis of what we’re doing here. Make good things and share them!
Here’s one more show video: a band called Babydoll Deadbeat, shot by legend Lou Smith. No presence on T&W just yet, since they haven’t released any music:
What got your attention this week? Got a hot take on something? Hit reply and let me know.
On the Blog
Reading:
Read Dawn’s stories! Do it now. I’ll wait.
Girl on Girl was a book I didn’t think I’d like but I’m glad I ignored that reflex. Sophie Gilbert writes about the subversion of the feminist movement in the last 30 years in a way that’s approachable and relatable. Highly recommend.
Cyborg Fever by Laurie Sheck was sent to me as a pre-publication read. It was super challenging, but once I got into it I was blown away.
The AI Con by Emily Bender and Alex Hanna was too snarky and undercooked for me.
The Shortlist: Got a ton of stories (and a poem!) in the shortlist this week. Read the poem! It’ll take like 40 seconds, and change your day. It made me think if the Sophie Gilbert book.
Got a short story? Send it my way
Listening:
So much music this week. I’ve been getting advance listens to a bunch of records, which is fun but stressful. Without being able to compare notes with other reviews, I’m always worried that I’m completely missing the mark.
Kathryn Joseph is new to me, but I love her tense and atmospheric new record.
CIVIC has been a favourite for a while, and being able to hear their record pre-release was a treat.
I’ve featured Miynt before too, and her brand new record is absolutely something best heard in one sitting (on vinyl, in a forest in 1975)
The debut record from Brooklyn duo Pry is chaotic and addictive
Brigton’s CIEL is #dutchindie by proxy - the first two singles from their upcoming record are great.
(T-T)b was on the True Names compilation, and their recent record is somewhere in the Pavement/Grandaddy Venn diagram.
Soot Sprite shared the backstory for their flawless new record, which I just received on vinyl.
The Setlist: 27 tracks, 95 minutes. Standout tracks by Olivia Brown & roxy phantom, Carlyn and Agora Sci-Fi.
Listen on Apple Music or Spotify
What’s on your playlist? Send me your faves
Next week: Myths and monsters for books, I guess. Music from Yndling, Walter the Producer, OG blog fave Kathy Katouzi, and NYC punks Shaggo. So much more.
I’m so excited. Thanks for being here.
-hugh
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