If a new album from Fred Thomas wasn’t enough, the news that Chan Marshall will be releasing her first record in six years made my week. I’m not usually crazy about album trailers but I’ll make an exception for Cat Power. She’s one of those artists I don’t know I need until I hear it. The Greatest still haunts me twelve years later. Now I just need something to distract me from the fact that this won’t be out until October.
I saw Fred Thomas open for Eleanor Friedberger last year at Third Man Records downtown. His verbose indie pop on last year’s Changer caught me completely off guard. How had I overlooked an artist whose music so resonated with me? “Open Letter to Forever” is the perfect mix of poignancy and comedy. It’s a song that makes me smile every time I hear it.
Yesterday, Fred’s first single from Aftering debuted at The Fader. I can’t wait to hear the rest of the album in September.
“Life. It’s literally all we have. But is it any good?”
Andy Daly’s Forest MacNeil takes Rick Steves’ sensibilities and applies them to all manner of absurdities. Review is great, but I guess this means we won’t get a Don de Mello sitcom…for the daddies.
I loved True Detective. I’m still reading articles about how the show will end and all the speculation surrounding it. Heck, they could interview anyone who was on set, even if it was just for a day, and I’d probably read that.
Here’s the Vulture’s interview with the production designer talking about the effort that went into building Carcosa. It’s amazing.
After a binge viewing session while I was home sick during Watchathon (honest!), History Channel’s new show, Vikings, became one of my favorite shows on TV. The first season just ended, but if you’re looking for Sons of Anarchy set in the Dark Ages, then this is the show for you.