1) Iron and Wine, “Lori” / The latest Iron and Wine EP finds Sam Beam joining forces with the band Finom (formerly Ohmme) for a soft, moody four-song set. Among the most memorable moments: “Like Patsy Would,” steeped in strings and strangely reminiscent of Beam’s work with Calexico; and “Halfway Home,” a fatherly bit of advice about bad men.
2) Suede, “Autofiction” / The U.K. stalwarts have never stopped aiming for the rafters, and once again they connect with this melodramatic and melodic set strong enough to cast out personal and romantic demons.
3) The Beths, “Expert in a Dying Field” / Few indie-rock acts are as consistently sharp and tuneful as this New Zealand band. Led by singer Elizabeth Stokes, the band is three for three—creating an initial triad of records that stand up to the best of the last decade. Fans of Courtney Barnett, Ben Kweller and Pavement will both hear something familiar and discover something new to grasp.
4) Joan Didion, “Slouching Toward Bethlehem” / Finally catching up with a Didion classic that more than lives up to its decades-long reputation. Didion’s keen insight into California culture both captures the present and projects back onto the future—our present—helping us properly discern the signs of subtle shift and movement. And Didion’s chapter “On Keeping a Notebook” should be required reading for anyone tempted to take up the mantle of writer:
“I imagine, in other words, that the notebook is about people. But of course it is not. … Remember what it was to be me: that is always the point.”
5) T.C. Boyle, “I Walk Between the Raindrops” / Each story, and situation, in Boyle’s new collection leaves something to savor, a question to ponder, a mirror to hold before your face and ask which characters you resemble. Boyle masterfully handles the form, satisfying each story with detail and scribbling—in the far margins, off the actual page—thoughts to stick with you.