We listened to a lot of music this year. The new music we enjoyed the most ran the gamut from blissed-out ambient work to cathartic examples of hip-hop and hardcore. Also in there were some notable collaborations, expansive artistic statements, and next-level work from artists in their prime — a sonically disparate mixtape that never fails to energize.
In our afternoon reading: thoughts on Iceage’s new album, new writing by Jim Ruland and Jason Diamond, and more.
In our morning reading: nonfiction by Rumaan Alam, exploring Chris Kraus’s filmography, thoughts on Iceage’s new album, and more.
In our morning reading: an excerpt from Jesse Ball’s new novel, talking translation with Christina MacSweeney, and more.
In our weekend reading: thoughts on new albums by Iceage and Weyes Blood, a guide to lesser-known literary monsters, thoughts on the appeal of weird fiction, William Gibson recommends books, and more.
Alexander Chee on the work of Mavis Gallant, notes on Wolf in White Van, interviews with Justin Taylor and Owen Pallett, an excerpt of Nicholas Rombes’s forthcoming novel, a prize for second novels, and more.
New writing from Lauren Groff, thoughts on new books from Jim Ruland and Christopher Beha, interviews with Scott Cheshire and Michel Gondry, and more.
Tao Lin signs a deal, bringing Joseph Heller back from the dead, Harold Bloom talks, and much more.