In our morning reading: thoughts on Sunwatchers’ new album, nonfiction by Kiese Laymon and Amal El-Mohtar, and more.
Jeff Tobias on “Recurring Dream,” Saxophones, and Technological Control
Jeff Tobias has been a part of two of the most consistently great outfits making music these days, Sunwatchers and Modern Nature. But Tobias’s own skills as a songwriter are also considerable, and his new solo album Recurring Dream makes that very clear. It abounds with eminently catchy pop that grapples with sophisticated and complex themes, and it further reinforces Tobias as one of the most interesting musicians working today. I talked with Tobias about the album’s genesis, technology, and what’s next for him.
Morning Bites: Percival Everett, Chelsea Bieker Interviewed, Ben Katchor, Sunwatchers’ Latest, and More
In our morning reading: an interview with Percival Everett, thoughts on Sunwatchers’ new album, and more.
Morning Bites: Lydia Millet Fiction, Reema Zaman, Laura Lippman Interviewed, Sunwatchers, and More
In our morning reading: new fiction by Lydia Millet, an interview with Laura Lippman, the Tournament of Books begins, and more.
Afternoon Bites: T Kira Madden Nonfiction, Édouard Louis, Sunwatchers’ Latest, Rikki Ducornet Interviewed, and More
In our afternoon reading: nonfiction by T Kira Madden, thoughts on new work from Sunwatchers and Édouard Louis, and more.
“The Other Channel Is Just Chaos”: A Conversation With Dan Friel
The first time I ever saw Dan Friel play music was in Parts & Labor, the gloriously urgent noise-rock group of which he was a founding member. (“Fractured Skies,” from their 2007 album Mapmaker, sits very high on my list of great side one/track ones.) Since Parts & Labor’s final show in early 2012, Friel has released two solo LPs on Thrill Jockey, moved from north Brooklyn to Park Slope, and become a father. One can find the thematic influence […]