Posts by author
Max Gray
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Weekend Rumpus Roundup
First, for Day 23 of National Poetry Month, Valerie Wetlaufer’s “Method” uses third person to describe a victim of mysterious migraines, and for Day 24, Tyehimba Jess calls for the curtain to rise “to show the face that is known” in…
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Song of the Day: “Berlin Got Blurry”
Strangeness is not altogether a new concept for Parquet Courts, a NYC-based band that resists labels but falls somewhere between garage rock and post-punk, with an overarching sympathy for “indie” (whatever that means today). The arty group have gained notoriety…
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Sound Takes: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
That historical context takes center stage right from the outset
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Weekend Rumpus Roundup
To kick things off, Brandon Hicks offers us the hilarious illustrated life story of a “Born Failure.” Then, National Poetry Month continues at The Rumpus. First, Amanda Deutch’s “Island Factory” uses couplets to tell a tragic story of immigrant labor in…
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Song of the Day: “Too Small For Eyes”
The delicate, wounded sound of Kristine Leschper’s voice is the first thing that stands out from her band Mothers’s new release, When You Walk A Long Distance You Are Tired. Like a reed instrument, it trills and dips with a gentle dexterity…
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Weekend Rumpus Roundup
First, National Poetry Month at The Rumpus continues with Carrie Murphy’s “Beauty Work” and two poems from Amaud Johnson. Next, a harrowing tale of addiction and related heart disease from Paul Vega in the Saturday Essay. Vega’s innovative form helps…
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Song of the Day: “Hey, No Pressure”
Anything you want your life to mean It can mean Hey no pressure …Ray LaMontagne sings on his gritty, head-nodding new single, “Hey, No Pressure,” a track that fully embraces the strains of Jimi Hendrix and psychedelia that rose to the…
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Weekend Rumpus Roundup
First, National Poetry Month at The Rumpus continues with Paula Bohince’s “The Flint River” and Adam McGovern’s “Perseid meteors, 2015.” Meanwhile, the inimitable Brandon Hicks illustrates the exhaustive contents of his 2005 Saturn Ion. Then, in the eighth installment of The Conversation, Jayson…
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Weekend Rumpus Roundup
First, in the Saturday Essay, Tyrese L. Coleman unearths the history behind her surname and the results of a DNA test. The results say she is 69% African, 33% originating from Benin, 29% European, and less than 2% Asian. Coleman digs deeper and considers the likelihood of…
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Song of the Day: “Devil In A New Dress”
We can accuse Kanye West of a lot of things—arrogance, insensitivity, paranoia, ingratitude… the list goes on. But one thing he is not guilty of is dishonesty. The longer he spends in the international media spotlight (and he’s going on thirteen years…
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Weekend Rumpus Roundup
First, in “Empowerment Inc.,” Brandon Hicks satirizes those who whitewash the legitimate challenges of women, people of color, and the LGBTQ community. Then, in the Saturday Essay, Haley Swanson reaches for solace in the face of her mother’s drinking problem and…
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Song of the Day: “Misunderstood”
The incredible cacophony of the bridge on Wilco’s definitive ballad “Misunderstood” is all the more striking because of its contrast with the rest of the tender, harmonious song. The brilliance of songwriter Jeff Tweedy is on full display here as…