1) Flock of Dimes, “Head of Roses” / Jenn Wasner is a miracle maker. Half of the vital band Wye Oak, she expands and exercises her voice differently with Flock of Dimes. Her latest effort under that name is mesmeric, a little bit of musical magic. Wasner creates enveloping soundscapes, ever-so-twitchy grooves and plenty of moments for her voice to console and cajole.
2) Ratboys, “Happy Birthday Ratboy” / Ratboys have released some of my favorite music over the past few years, and they manage to reach back and forward on this delightful set. The band celebrates 10 years’ distance from its debut EP by re-recording the songs, adding a decade’s worth of memories and experiences to an already thoughtful, heart-on-sleeve approach.
3) Alina Stefanescu, “Maggie, We Keep Driving” for Moist Poetry Journal / So much to like about Stefanescu’s latest (including its presence at a new, dynamic journal); but she really had me in these lines: “You love these kids more than mayo on french fries, more than midnight, more than your own mother loved you which is the algebra of ashes.” Ride along with the poet for this meditation on parenthood, friendship and the (tiny and terrifying) ties that bind.
4) Diane Seuss, “frank: sonnets” / I’m about halfway through Seuss’ latest collection and I’m already out of adjectives. Sensual, tragic, wry, sentimental, nurturing, skittish, bold-as-hell. Seuss’ work is all these things and much more. This is a true feat of expression (and emotional awareness) that will no doubt be celebrated at the end of the year.
5) Seth Wieck, “Larry McMurtry and Wendell Berry at the Dairy Queen” for Front Porch Republic / The terrific Texas poet Seth Wieck uses his words to “pencil lines between these stars and make constellations” uniting the recently-departed McMurtry and the steadfast Berry in a wonderful essay on perception, connection and our visions of who writers are—and what their work can do.