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July 22, 2012
Shorties (Micachu and the Shapes, Colson Whitehead, and more)
The Guardian profiles Mica Levi of Micachu and the Shapes.
Some see Micachu's music as an exciting, wonky new form of pop. Others, understandably perhaps, find it impenetrable. (At this point, it's worth noting that there's a plate on the wall of the container, a gift from Mica's mum. Recalls Levi: "She said to me after the first album, 'You'll never make it platinum, so I thought I'd send you some ceramic.'") But whichever way you look at it, you couldn't accuse Levi and her bandmates Raisa Khan and Marc Pell of being pretentious so-and-sos. Spend any time in their company and you see musicians that are less crawling up their own fundaments than on the lookout for fun, genuinely hunting for something that sounds good to their ears.
The Boston Globe interviews author Colson Whitehead.
The Independent recommends young adult fiction for summer reading.
The Guardian profiles author Laura Lippman.
The Independent interviews Lippman.
The Telegraph profiles legendary reggae artist Jimmy Cliff.
Still venerated by generations of musicians, Cliff has performed with the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello and the late Joe Strummer. It was the Clash frontman who introduced Cliff to Tim Armstrong of US punk band Rancid, the producer of the new record, and the man who reconnected Cliff with his original sound.
At the Guardian, Shehan Karunatilaka lists the top cricket books in literature.
The Telegraph reviews Dylan Jones' new book When Ziggy Played Guitar and Four Minutes That Shook the World.
Author Adam Ross shares a literary guide to Nashville at Poets and Writers.
Flavor Crystals visits The Current studio for an interview and live performance.
Weekend Edition examines Lumbee Indian singer Willie Lowery's place in music and social history.
All Things Considered interviews Carissa Phelps about her new memoir, Runaway Girl.
Read her Book Notes music playlist for the memoir.
At the Independent, singer-songwriter Beth Orton shares her pop culture obsessions (music, books, televison, and films).
Win seven books (featured on this site's Book Notes series in the coming week) and a $100 Threadless gift certificate in this week's Largehearted Boy contest.
Amazon MP3
Amazon MP3
Follow me on Twitter, Google+, Tumblr, Pinterest, Facebook, and Stumbleupon for links (updated throughout the day) that don't make the daily "Shorties" columns.
also at Largehearted Boy:
previous Shorties posts (daily news and links from the worlds of music, books, and pop culture)
100 Online Sources for Free and Legal Music Downloads
Atomic Books Comics Preview (the week's best new comics & graphic novels)
daily mp3 downloads
Largehearted Word (the week's best new books)
Try It Before You Buy It (mp3s and full album streams from this week's CD releases)
weekly music & DVD release lists
