Posts by author
Max Gray
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Song of the Day: Supernatural
It is not a simple task to gain favor with an artist as widely revered as Prince, but the L.A.-based neo-soul trio King managed to do just that, simply through the power of their music. Anita Bias joined forces with…
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Weekend Rumpus Roundup
The “the stirring, hot-blooded motion” of the poems in Irene McKinney’s collection Have You Had Enough Darkness Yet? is striking, given its posthumous publication. Charlie Atkinson reviews this “curious” and sometimes “playful” examination of mortality, noting the poet’s competence and…
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Song of the Day: “Let Her Go”
Mac Demarco’s voice and “slacker” guitar are the essence of “laid back.” The artist’s distinct sound is a far cry from other Montreal-based contemporaries like Arcade Fire. His bubbly track “Let Her Go,” from sophomore album Salad Days, makes us picture…
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Song of the Day: “What Light”
Wilco has seen its fair share of adversity. The group, led by songwriter Jeff Tweedy, has picked up and dropped band members at various times between 1994 and 2004. However, its current iteration feels right. That cohesion is evident in…
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Song of the Day: “Hooked”
Call it a love song, call it a crush song—either way, Mayer Hawthorne’s infectious track “Hooked,” off his 2011 album How Do You Do, reels us in and does not let us go. The old school soul sound that permeates the…
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Song of the Day: “Nakamarra feat. Q-Tip”
It’s rare—and usually a good sign—when a debut album is met with acclaim from such well-respected hip hop names as Questlove, Erykah Badu, and Q-Tip. So it goes with Hiatus Kaiyote, the “future soul” group from down under, fronted by the…
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Weekend Rumpus Roundup
In response to Dave Eggers’s new book, Your Fathers, Where Are They? And The Prophets, Do They Live For Ever?, Alex Kalamaroff takes us on a guided tour of the “dialogue novel,” a genre where conversation between characters is “the primary…
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Song of the Day: “In My Room”
The Beach Boys might be best known for their bubbly early melodies celebrating wholesome teenage fun in a bygone era, but their more interesting work subverts this effervescence to beautiful effect. Take “In My Room”, the languid Brian Wilson-penned single…
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Weekend Rumpus Roundup
First, a little creative encouragement from Grant Snider to jump start August. Then, in this review, Andrew Fulmer examines Jeff Alessandrelli’s use of the poetic “factoid.” Alessandrelli makes a series of successful allusions in his collection, This Last Time Will Be The First. It is…
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Song of the Day: “Another Man’s Vine”
Tom Waits is a master of irony. Just when we thought we understood his bone-clattering, tooth-gnashing, growling songs of woe, he hits us with “Another Man’s Vine.” The ballad—off the 2002 record Blood Money—is a heartfelt and affecting piece, infused…
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Weekend Rumpus Roundup
In the Sunday Interview, Anna March talks with Robin Black about her debut novel, Life Drawing. Black—who also received acclaim for her short story collection, If I Loved You, I Would Tell You This—begins by discussing her approach to writing character.…
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Song of the Day: “Red Eyes”
The War On Drugs decided to name themselves after a bitter conflict, but their last album, Lost in the Dream, invokes anything but strife. Though the lyrics of “Red Eyes,” the second track off the record, are inscrutable at times—“Come…