My continual obsession with the lyrics and music of a band called Why? won’t be diminishing even a little, as frontman Yoni Wolf announced to Pitchfork they’ll be releasing another album this fall. The new LP is titled Eskimo Snow and was recorded at the same time as Alopecia, only to be postponed for a while as it began to take on a personality of its own. I love surprises. (Rumor also has it they’re coming to Bham later this year.)
Related: I’m downloading a free mixtape by Themselves called theFREEhoudini. I missed Themselves at Bottletree a month or two back—they’re a band featuring former member(s?) of cLOUDDEAD (group that spun anticon. records and a couple of acts including Why?). The mixtape also features guest spots from Yoni, Aesop Rock, Slug from Atmosphere, and nearly a dozen rappers I’ve never heard of. Download it for free.
I’ve been in and out of a motorcycle safety class all weekend, getting rained on half the time while trying to avoid looking like an idiot, and have just now finished recording tomorrow’s podcast for Some New Trend.
I’m afraid Dostoevsky will have to wait. (I almost deleted that last sentence, for fear of it being the most pretentious thing said on the internet all day.) My About section has been updated with a new photo by handsome man Cary Norton. Sorry I haven’t been blogging much. Try not to forget about this place, and I’ll try not to forget about it either. One day it’ll be more frequent and interesting. Promise.
I (sort of) found my way on the good doctor’s blog again, with a link I sent him from the Guardian. It’s about an unauthorized Catcher in the Rye sequel. Seems like a young author looking for easy attention. The Swedish publishers have apparently found their “niche amongst the useless, the trivial and the potentially offensive.” Reminds me of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
If you’ve never checked out Dr. Frank’s blog, music or books, it’s never too late to do so.
This was book #19, posted in a slightly different form atSome New Trend:
While makinga listlast month, I came across an interview with M.T. Anderson where he mentioned his devotion for an unusual children’s series from Finland. I was intrigued and mystified. The thing about reading children’s books is it can feel a little silly when you’re an adult. Such was never the case withMoominvalley in November, the first I went for at the library. Having no idea this English translation of author/illustrator Tove Jansson’s book was the final in the series, I dove right in. It didn’t seem to matter. At some point I expect I’ll be reading the rest.
This Moomins book focuses on six creatures and their individual travels to the Moominfamily home. The main characters are absent, but mentioned frequently. Descriptions of autumn and the approaching winter are not only poetic, but nearly perfect at times. The writing can be funny (maybe more so in theother books?), but there’s also a great deal of pain. As suggested by the cover, the tone is rather grim, as each character deals with his or her share of loss and alienation. But the narrator speaks of spending time alone as if it’s a positive thing. These concepts are key, and might be what make Tove Jansson’s fiction so unique. She’s made an art out of not talking down to children. Characters are selfish yet likable, and each come to complex realizations regarding their place in the larger community. Also, the quirky illustrations are so welcoming, you can’t help but get into it.
