In our morning reading: thoughts on new albums by Run the Jewels and Noveller, looking ahead to books due out in the second half of the year, and more.
Stuart Hyatt on Turning Bat Sounds into Stunning Ambient Music
What would you say if I told you that one of the year’s best ambient/drone albums was made from field recordings of bats? That’s the story being Ultrasonic, the 8th album to be released under the Field Works name. Stuart Hyatt, the man behind the project, recorded the sounds made by bats in Indiana. From there, the recordings were used by a group of prodigiously talented musicians — including Kelly Moran, Noveller, Eluvium, and Christina Vantzou — to create a series of stunning ambient soundscapes. I talked with Hyatt via email about the project’s genesis and the permutations that this album underwent en route to its completion.
Afternoon Bites: Noveller, Selena Chambers Interviewed, Madison Smartt Bell’s Playlist, Molasses Books, and More
In our afternoon reading: music recommendations from Noveller, interviews with Selena Chambers and David James Keaton, and more.
Afternoon Bites: Priests, Joe Halstead’s Latest, Sleater-Kinney’s Live Album, and More
In our afternoon reading: thoughts on the new album from Priests and Sleater-Kinney’s live album, a look back at literary 2016, and more.
Afternoon Bites: Thomas Page McBee Interviewed, Garth Risk Hallberg, Noveller’s Latest, and More
In our afternoon reading: thoughts on Harper Lee, an interview with Thomas Page McBee, a review of the new Noveller album, an excerpt from Garth Risk Hallberg’s forthcoming novel, and more.
Morning Bites: Megan Mayhew Bergman on Collecting, Early Go-Betweens, Miranda July Interviewed, Noveller, and More
In our morning reading: a new essay from Megan Mayhew Bergman, interviews with Noveller and Miranda July, scenes from the East Village in the 1990s, and much more.
Morning Bites: Jeff VanderMeer, Jen Doll on “It’s Complicated,” New Noveller, Justin Taylor on Book Tours, and More
In our morning reading: multiple trips to Jeff VanderMeer’s Area X; new nonfiction from Michelle Dean and Jen Doll; new music from Noveller; Justin Taylor on book tours; and more.
Morning Bites: New Kazuo Ishiguro, Shirley Jackson Stamps, Lindsay Hunter, Nick Thornburn on “Serial,” and More
A new novel is on the way from Kazuo Ishiguro, Luke B. Goebel interviewed Lindsay Hunter, notes on Curationism, Nick Thornburn talked about his work on Serial, and more.