THIS BEAUTIFUL, RIDICULOUS CITY (Kay Sohini, 2025)
Only six weeks into the year and we've been gifted 2025's first Great comics work: by turns beautiful, informative, poetic, mouthwatering, and heartbreaking, Sohini manages to make me miss cities even more than I do all the time. Her true gift here, though – thanks to her impeccable eye for the beauty of the smallest detail – is that she makes me feel as at home in her NYC as I felt when I made my first treks to that magical city all too long ago. She has found her home’s beating heart and is in perfect synchrony with it; highly, highly recommended.
A RAGE IN HARLEM (Chester Himes, 1957)
Last week being the week of better-late-than-never first exposures to late 50’s-on NYC luminaries: first, John Cassavetes and SHADOWS; and now, Chester Himes and A RAGE IN HARLEM. By the end of the first chapter, Himes made it to my "favorite authors" list: character, rhythm, fury, life, hope, horror, love, hate ripping from every page. Everything I hope for from crime fiction and then some, another body of work to be devoured.
CLOUDWARD – Mary Halvorson
Took two listens to fall in love but once I did, I fell hard: much more of an insanely-talented-composer-who-happens-to-be-an-insanely-talented-instumentalist's record than an insanely-talented-instrumentalist-who-happens-to-be-an-insanely-talented-composer's. In Halvorson, I trust.
66 RUE L – Chantal Michelle
Haunting and evocative synthesis of ambient and jazz and musique concrète into something wholly her own. A most happy discovery – will have this one on heavy rotation for awhile.
THEY LIVE IN MY HEAD – Bush Tetras
Leave it to one of originators of no-wave/post-punk to release something so primal, modern, and electrifying nearly 45 years after they first formed. So good.
