Listen: The sound of the life of mind by Ben Folds Five
More than a decade after breaking up, Ben Folds Five have reunited in their middle age(s) to release a brand new album. Considering the fun but often juvenile jams of their previous oeuvre, this might seem like a bit of a weird decision for a bunch of middle aged dudes, but with the benefit of Folds’ own impressive and more mature solo career, this album is well worth a listen. The piano and lyric driven pop is at its best in songs like Hold that thought and Sky high. Away when you were here is the high point of the album, with Folds reflecting on the truths learned about his dad from the vantage point of being a father himself. Whatever you do, don’t take the first single Do it anyway and its b-grade rip-off of Weezer’s Keep fishin’ video as a good example of what this album can do: it’s patchy but definitely worth a go.
Read: Days of destruction, days of revolt by Chris Hedges and Joe Sacco
Half investigative journalism/social commentary, half graphic novel, this over-too-quickly book is an insightful and unique exploration of post GFC America and the people who suffer the most when the economy goes bad: minimum wage earners. While covering a lot of ground with the people the authors meet, Hedges manages to make new, interesting insights seem like old logic, while Sacco’s pictures illustrate the personal stories with more than the words otherwise imply. When I bought this book on Amazon, I had no idea it would be part graphic novel, but I loved it all the more for it. So good that I exhaustedly dropped it onto my face in bed while trying to read it all in one go. Highly recommended (from Amazon.com)
Watch: The third season of Louie
The second last episode of this season made my soul have a crying orgasm. The last episode is this week.
