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January 27, 2013
Shorties (Why the Under-30 Crowd Loves Fleetwood Mac, Susan Steinberg on Experimental Writing, and more)
The Telegraph examines why the under-30 set is excited about the Fleetwood Mac reunion and 3-disc reissue of the band's Rumours album (out January 29th).
But why is Rumours so beloved among my generation? Its resilient popularity is, of course, in part due to the timeless quality of the music, which is warm and sweetly melodic, with coruscating harmonies, breezy rhythms, and virtuoso guitar flourishes. By 1977, Fleetwood Mac had had almost a decade to hone their songcraft, via several line-up changes and subtle changes in style, and Rumours shows a band at the pinnacle of their pop powers. It’s an album that’s chock-full of potential singles, all lushly produced to create an almost faultless, glossy soft-rock sound. It’s sold 40 million copies worldwide, making it one of the bestselling albums of all time, and everyone from family pop quartet The Corrs to Californian hardcore band NOFX have covered its songs. All of this is testament to its broad appeal.
Susan Steinberg discusses the current state of experimental writing at Publishers Weekly.
I've learned that the term experimental makes some people uneasy. I try to imagine what they imagine. Words scattered violently across a page. Numbers instead of letters. Violated punctuation. And I guess I understand why there could be resistance; there often is to that which goes against our expectations. But in art, I often want my expectations, which are generally low, to be shattered.
USA Today profiles the band The Lone Bellow.
The Lone Bellow looks to be 2013's breakout folk-rock act, in the vein of The Lumineers, Mumford and Sons or the Civil Wars.
Sterling Lord (literary agent of Jack Kerouac, Ken Kesey, and others) talks to the Associated Press about his new memoir, Lord of Publishing.
At the New York Times, Peter Hook discusses the early days of Joy Division.
The finalists for the 2013 Man Booker International Prize have been named.
Popcast discusses music copyright law and the shift in power from labels to artists.
USA Today recommends bedtime story apps for toddlers.
Members of the band Sigur Ros were interviewed by the Reddit community.
Jonathan Grotenstein talks to All Things Considered about his new book Ship It Holla Ballas!: How a Bunch of 19-Year-Old College Dropouts Used the Internet to Become Poker's Loudest, Craziest, and Richest Crew.
All Things Considered interviews Adam Ant about his new album Adam Ant Is the BlueBlack Hussar in Marrying the Gunner's Daughter.
Author Teddy Wayne discusses the impact Emanuelle Arsan's novel Emamanuelle has had on his life and writing at NPR Books.
And only now, in rereading it, do I recognize how far the book's argument reverberates beyond the erotic. The writing I most enjoy now delights in the moment's contours and textures, not surprising plot twists. The best work seduces the reader through nuanced details and observations, and does away with italics and exclamation points. It takes pleasure in the ambiguous interstices of life while dismissing its flagrant resolutions. In short, it arouses.
The Observer makes the case for Kraftwerk as the world's most influential band.
Monkey See profiles possible winners of Monday's Caldecott medal for the most distinguished American children's book of 2012.
Amazon MP3 offers 100 albums on sale for $5 each.
Amazon MP3 offers over 1,400 albums on sale for $3.99.
Amazon MP3
Amazon MP3 offers over 400 jazz albums on sale for $1.78.
Amazon MP3
Follow me on Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, Google+, 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)
The list of online "best of 2012" book lists
The list of online "best of 2012" music lists
100 Online Sources for Free and Legal Music Downloads
Atomic Books Comics Preview (the week's best new comics & graphic novels)
Book Notes (authors create playlists for their book)
daily mp3 downloads
Largehearted Word (the week's best new books)
musician/author interviews
Note Books (musicians discuss literature)
Try It Before You Buy It (mp3s and full album streams from this week's CD releases)
weekly music & DVD release lists
