After a couple of weeks in the U.K., seeing what may be the final ELO concert and a one-off Cat Stevens full-band set between Van Morrison and Neil Young, we’re back. Here’s what you missed in June: Little Simz, two Brian Eno albums, WITCH, Hotline TNT, Duo Ruut, Durand Jones & The Indicators, Jeanines, Goat Girl, and more! [Spotify]
Speaking of Jones… “Fittingly, there’s been a great deal of growth and maturation since Durand Jones and the Indications’ 2021 album Private Space. We’re still in the world of retro soul with modern, hip-hop-tinged production, but the disco and funk influences of that third album have given way to gentler, altogether more romantic moods; the O’Jays, William DeVaughn and other Philadelphia soul heavyweights; the Chi-Lites and even Barry White.” - from the Guardian
“Without a full band present, Stone became a one-man ensemble. He leaned heavily into overdubbing – recording one instrument at a time and building his songs from fragments. Using multiple tape machines, he’d layer each part onto previous takes…”- from the Conversation obit of Sly Stone.
“Her desolately beautiful seventh solo album, Michelangelo Dying, was supposed to come out last year. Instead, exhaustion and persistent illness after the dissolution of a long relationship, and her desert dream with it, meant everything had to stop.” - the Guardian, on Cate Le Bon
“‘I was walking and going back and forth to the bathroom, and I just kept singing, like, “I’m talking shit and having fun…”’ She wrote down the words and stepped into the lavatory to record it on her phone.” - from the Spin feature on S.G. Goodman
“‘Nobody makes a record like that for the money’: how Gang of Four made Entertainment!” - in the Guardian
Film/Theater
“But it’s so beautiful, and it’s so rare, for someone to look you in the eyes and share something of themselves. And there’s so much that isn’t said, but even in just the briefest of moments, it’s like, That was me, or, I feel that.” - Jodie Comer, in GQ
Bonus
The Yes Men and Trillionaires For Trump (inspired by our old Billionaires For Bush thing) created a GoFundYourself for all the millions of American citizens who lost their health coverage, thanks to the Republican Party.
My next book, with the working title We Have No Troubles Here: Art, Sex, Tragedy, and the Real Story Behind “Cabaret,” will apparently be published on the 60th anniversary of the musical’s first performance, October 2026. (Yes, 2026. The publishing industry is slow.) More details to follow!