There are only a handful of new titles hitting the shelves next week. But as they say, anything more than a handful is a waste. And according to the 19980s silver screen classic Weird Science, anything more than a handful and you’re risking a sprained tongue. But that barely even makes sense. Anyway, here’s the lowdown. Don’t sprain yourself:
De La Soul
By Dave Heaton
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “De La Soul is a short biography about the highly influential hip-hop trio written by PopMatters and The Big Takeover writer Dave Heaton. De La Soul have been an indestructible creative force over the past 30 years. From the nonconformist humor of their day-glo debut 3 Feet High And Rising to their eventual role as hip-hop elders, the trio are a model of fearless evolution and perseverance. They’ve toured the globe, worked across genres, and helped to establish the Afrocentric collective known as Native Tongues. De La Soul conveys the scope and depth of their legacy, going behind the scenes to look at how they formed, trace the evolution of their sound over three decades, and discuss why the group still matters today. De La Soul began in Long Island, New York, as a collaboration among three young fans of the evolving culture and incipient musical genre of hip-hop. Their 1989 debut, with its hit single Me Myself And I, was an overnight success, launching the trio into a lifelong vocation they didn’t realize they were pursuing. Navigating industry challenges, fickle musical trends, and personal tragedy, they’ve built an artistic legacy and made an impact on listeners and musicians across genre boundaries.”
The Essential…Taylor Swift
By Caroline Young
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Since signing her first recording contract at just 16, Taylor Swift has gone from a well-regarded country singer to a global pop phenomenon. Dubbed the world’s biggest pop star, she is the first woman to have four albums in the Billboard chart’s Top 10 at the same time, and as of 2023, thanks to her Eras Tour, the first live music billionaire. Beyond music, her cultural impact is vast, with her life dominating column inches like no other celebrity this century. The ’Taylor Swift factor’ influences everything from regional economies through her ticket sales and tours, to guitar sales to women, and inspiring 65,000 people to register for voting ahead of the 2020 U.S. elections. With stunning images and insightful text, The Essential…Taylor Swift details the key to her phenomenal success; from her bestselling song- writing talent to her business acumen and ‘big sister’ personality, and how she shifted from country to pop and dominated the music industry, while facing down misogyny and the haters.”
Dream Machines: Electronic Music in Britain From Doctor Who to Acid House
By Matthew Collin
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “An expansive and illuminating account of the development of electronic music, told with passionate enthusiasm by Matthew Collin, the critically acclaimed author of Altered State and Rave On. Dream Machines tracks the music’s evolution from early avant-garde experiments after the Second World War through psychedelia, art-rock and synth-pop to electronic dance music, sampling and the techno era. As well as profiling the sonic futurists who pioneered new styles, it documents the scenes and underground movements that built a thrillingly diverse electronic music culture in its formative decades. Based on interviews with key players and a wealth of in-depth research, Dream Machines explores genres as diverse as space rock, electro-pop, ambient, dub, industrial music, prog, electro, hip-hop, hi-NRG and house, highlighting how developments in electronic music were shaped by changes in society as well as technological advances.”
The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Vol. 1)
By Carl Cafarelli
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Our favorite records don’t live in isolation. Each one has a story. Insisting that an infinite number of tracks can each be THE greatest record ever made (as long as they take turns), writer and DJ Carl Cafarelli’s book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Vol. 1) ties together threads connecting classic rock, soul, pop, punk, hip-hop and bubblegum across decades of hits, misses, critics’ darlings, one-hit wonders, Rock And Roll Hall of Famers, and complete unknowns. The result reads like an irresistible mix tape in book form, compelling the reader to follow its flow from song to song and chapter to chapter as if it were a novel. As an experienced pop historian and journalist, Cafarelli knows the importance of recording facts and figures accurately. But passion is of equal importance. We don’t crank the volume for fave rave sounds as academics; we listen as fans, as people living this complicated life with music as not merely its soundtrack, but as its heartbeat. Records reflect our hopes, our disappointments, our successes, our mourning, our love, our bitterness, our fear, and our will to dance in spite of it all.”
Post-Punk And Philosophy: Rip It Up And Think Again
By Joshua Heter & Richard Greene
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Post-Punk And Philosophy is a collection of 20 chapters by philosophers who are also post-punk fans, discussing many different aspects of the post-punk phenomenon. When does simplicity become too simple? Was punk a white proletarian movement? Are the best post-punk bands really pre-punk? Does technological innovation guarantee musical or artistic innovation? Does rock have a future? Post-Punk And Philosophy is a worthy follow-up to Punk Rock And Philosophy (2022), also edited by Joshua Heter and Richard Greene.”
