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August 19, 2009
Shorties (Daniel Handler, Kurt Vile, and more)
Jacket Copy interviews Lemony Snicket author Daniel Handler about curating the CD for the Believer's annual music issue.
SF Weekly profiles singer-songwriter Kurt Vile.
Free-spirited but not quite punk, Childish Prodigy makes the most of Vile's blissfully aimless wanderings. The album was primarily produced by Jeff Zeigler of the Philly shoegaze band Arc in Round, though "Blackberry Song" and "Overnite Religion" were recorded at Granduciel's house and then dumped to a computer for overdubs. There are two hidden tracks, "He's Alright" and "Goodbye, Freaks," while seven-minute tunes like "Freak Train" and "Inside Lookin' Out" heighten the truly surreal vibe.
The San Francisco Bay Guardian profiles Ben Chasny of Six Organs of Admittance and Comets on Fire.
Author Carlene Bauer creates a music playlist at Paper Cuts.
The New York Times' City Room blog explains how libraries deal with challenged books.
The San Jose Mercury News examines the allure of zombies in film and fiction.
"What I love about zombies is the mindless lack of direction or purpose," says Danny A. Quintanilla, 32, a San Jose bartender who can't wait to get his gangrene on. "They don't have a lust to seduce some fair maiden like Dracula. ... There's just the instinct to eat, nothing else."
The top 100 science fiction blogs.
AbeBooks lists 20 books of shattered childhood.
Josh Neufeld talks to the Times Picayune about his graphic novel, A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge.
"I'm used to being ignored and working in obscurity," he said. "I've been a cartoonist for so many years. I'm just so happy to strike a blow for the nonfiction comic. The medium of the comic itself is still very much the underdog in the world of literature, but people are beginning to appreciate it. Nonfiction novels are a smaller subgroup. That's the niche I've worked in my whole career, and it makes me happy."
BBC News lists forthcoming Michael Jackson memorabilia, including a singing teddy bear.
The Guardian declares this the "summer of the chunky book."
Complex interviews author John Wray.
Verbicide interviews musician/cartoonist/publisher Zak Sally.
Metromix Atlanta lists the top 18 rock documentaries.
The city of Denver offers a Beat poetry driving tour.
Stream Mew's new album at the band's MySpace site.
Win three Spy vs. Spy comics compilations in this week's Largehearted Boy contest.
Follow me on Twitter for links that don't make the daily "Shorties" columns.
also at Largehearted Boy:
daily mp3 downloads
Try It Before You Buy It (mp3s and full album streams from this week's CD releases)
weekly music & DVD release lists
tags: music books popculture indie news
