1) Sunny War, “Anarchist Gospel” / Sunny War’s latest lives up to its birth name; these songs sound as though created in a truly sacred space, yet guide listeners toward their own singular destinies. Sunny War cuts a Tracy Chapman-esque figure at the album’s fore, singing with more miles on her tongue than first seem possible. Those experiences as well as the sounds and people she’s gathered along the way—including collaborators such as Allison Russell, Chris Pierce, Dave Rawlings and Jim James—flesh out a musical and lyrical picture as wide-open as the road, as particular as each passing scene.
2) Young Fathers, “Heavy Heavy” / On their fourth record, the Scottish band twines moody introspection and exuberant expression to create a real level of attraction. These songs draw you into their depths, then push you out the door to see something more.
3) John Frusciante, “:II.” / The guitarist and composer rightly hailed as the real, painterly genius within the Red Hot Chili Peppers has taken beautiful, meaningful diversions throughout his career, no doubt satiating creative wanderlust and uniting different sides of his head. Frusciante’s latest road less traveled comes in the form of an electronic record that is ambient and textured, as unsettling as it is consoling. This is a deeply rewarding listen for anyone interested in the other lives of a brilliant maker.
4) The works of Haruki Murakami / During a work sabbatical, I wound my way through Murakami’s benevolently mind-bending novel “Kafka on the Shore,” at full attention with every page. Then I turned what time I had left to his slight but delightful nonfiction tome “The T-Shirts I Love,” which is exactly what it sounds like—a tribute to garments he’s collected over time. Or, hear Murakami puzzle over the proper verb form:
“I’m not particularly interested in collecting things, but there is a kind of running motif in my life: despite my basic indifference, objects seem to collect around me.”
In all his work, this thread runs through: that we collect the stuff of life if only we keep our curiosity sharp. This makes Murakami one of my favorite writers, no matter the matter.
5) Billy-Ray Belcourt, “A Minor Chorus” / The multi-genre writer’s debut novel might also be titled and termed “A Minor Miracle.” Belcourt’s book beautifully weaves its way through the inner monologue and creative considerations of a would-be novelist trying to understand himself on and off the page; in his narrator’s labors of love, queerness and his Driftpile Cree Nation heritage form both questions and answers. The work is self-referential without reading like inside baseball, and Belcourt’s characters are warm and genuine—always possessing another degree of difficulty or glorious dimension than we first realize.