Welcome Distractions
A better way to waste your weekend.
books | music | short stories | rambling
Hi! You’re here! Thank you.
I’ve spent the week just trying to stay ahead of things. A whole lot of records I’ve been looking forward to came out today, and without thinking I committed to publishing pieces about them all. So every spare moment from last Friday has been spent listening, taking notes, researching and simply basking in the seven records I published pieces on today.
I was afraid of the task last week at this point: we’re each our own harshest critic, and I worried that I wouldn’t have the will or ability to give each record the careful consideration I want to - these are records I like and recommend, and I’d already promised the artists or their representatives a piece on release day.
It worked out. I’m proud of all of these pieces, though I won’t take on a task like that again anytime soon. It’s made me a better thinker and writer, though it cost me considerable sleep and treasured reading time.
Next week I’m shifting into year-end mode, beginning to figure out how to organize the books and music to make my year-end picks. 2025 has been a year of incredible growth for Turn & Work, and it looks like I’m going to finish with more than a 500% growth in traffic to the site over 2024.
I take it as a form of flattery that many of the people that I deal with seem to think there’s a team here. It’s just me! Though I think that might be changing soon. I do think that having a couple of contributors will broaden and deepen the subject matter and writing styles on the site.
And now:
Off the blog: links you shouldn’t miss
The Baillie Gifford Prize shortlist is out. This always puts me onto a few new great nonfiction books, and I’ve heard of exactly ZERO on this year’s shortlist. Christmas shopping, done.
Eclectic readers are eclectic, unless they like romantasy. This is a weird bit of data but I enjoyed reading it. I’m not eclectic enough! What are you reading? Tell me!
Formerly famous dirtbag Louis C.K. wrote a book. Apparently it sucks! Good. This review of it doesn’t suck though:
The book would probably make more sense if it was about an alien who landed on earth than a boy who is meant to be a real human born and raised in Texas. But C.K. seems to have wanted to write about a Faulknerian man-child in the years before he came of age, and he filtered that through a facile, tedious misunderstanding of our state.
50 Cent adjusted for inflation. It’s dumb but the fact that the writer went through with the visual is inspiring.
A graphic novel about Axl Rose! This one is decidedly not on my Christmas list. But the Interpol one is.
THE FAR SIDE IS BACK, kinda.
Etymological Mysteries: Flabbergast, gimmick and humdinger are all words with unknown origin. So is fart. Do with that what you will.
Whoever writes the Monday Meeting posts for the Line of Best Fit is brilliant. This piece about how mistakes make the art work is fantastic.
…it’s the unpredictability of life and art that makes the whole exercise worthwhile. That is the core principle around which I believe everything else is organized.
Three things about AI:
Just How Bad Would An AI Bubble Be? is kind of a terrifying look at the market right now
Medium’s AI problem: Felicia Sullivan writes about why Felicia Sullivan writes. There’s a lot of inspiring bits in this one.
Anil Dash writes about how ChatGPT’s AI browser only exists to access more training data. If you use this you’re a fool.
What got your attention this week? Got a hot take on something? Hit reply and let me know.
On the Blog
Listening:
Blue Deputy’s Backstory is a richly specific piece, that draws clear lines indicating how exactly a piece of art influenced Andy Bunting’s music. If you missed my piece on their record from last week, here it is.
Weakened Friends’ new record is a revelation - the sound of someone finding comfort in their own skin. It’s one of the best of the year.
Joyer’s new record is very fussed over and meticulous, despite sounding super lo-fi
The Noisy’s The Secret Ingredient is Even More Meat is the deluxe edition of their debut record from last year - every deluxe edition should be this fussed-over.
ugly ozo’s debut EP is a barnburner that shouldn’t work, but it does.
France’s wavepool makes nostalgic, throwback rock that feels like taking a break by the pool
Rebecca Foon’s trip-hop inspired orchestral pop is brilliant
Low Girl’s long-awaited debut record is brilliant, as is their Backstory
Just Mustard’s new record is a welcome evolution into a more euphoric space.
Lunch Break featured quick hits on Gen, First Umpire and SCALER.
The Setlist: 2 hours of wildly diverse music, you should check it out for sure this week.
Listen on Apple Music or Spotify.
Reading:
The only book I wrote about this week was The Nenoquich, which I don’t really think I liked. I respected it, but I’m not sure that my life is richer with another book about a misogynist loser.
The Shortlist: is off this week. Sad trombone.
Something I should read or hear? Send it my way
Next week: Back into books, starting with Great Black Hope by Rob Franklin and Gilded Rage by Jacob Silverman. I promise a solid Shortlist too. And a new short story on Thursday.
-hugh
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