The Loose Connections Recommender #27
On Looking Deeper, French Connections & Things Are Not Always What They Seem
With my new album just coming out, I feel like I’ve been relentlessly talking about myself recently, so it’s a joy to have the opportunity to share all the brilliant stuff in the world that’s been sustaining, disturbing and inspiring me!
I love to multitask, so I am always reading something while I’m walking around, doing chores, cooking etc, listening in the car and the kitchen and while out and about in the world, which it feels like I have been a lot, so I’m now really looking forward to a quiet and productive week, which I feel like I haven’t had in a very long time.
Always keen to hear recommendations for other great stuff I can consume when I’ve done a little more work of my own; hit me up!
Read
Rachel Kushner’s latest novel Creation Lake takes us inside the worlds of eco-revolutionaries, narrated by the disdainful but savagely observant freelance undercover American agent Sadie Smith, on a mission in rural France. Rebels, gurus, manifestos, thievery large and small, capitalism, gas station food, masquerades, delusions of grandeur and impressive breast implants all have their place in this exceptional work of fiction bursting with a dizzying array of threads that challenge and illuminate our perceptions of the world.
According to the publisher ‘Creation Lake is a novel about a secret agent, a thirty-four-year-old American woman of ruthless tactics, bold opinions, and clean beauty, who is sent to do dirty work in France’. Its been shortlisted for the Booker Prize, among various other accolades.
There’s also been some must-read, revelatory, disturbing, conscious challenging essays around the music industry by Substack writers recently:
Chappell Roan Doesn't Owe You Shit by
on the dark side of fandom and ‘stan’ culture. This is behind a paywall but so worth it if you’re able.Both The Rockstar Must Die by rock musician
and this NY Times article ‘I Knew Diddy for Years. What I Now Remember Haunts Me’ by , who was editor-in-chief of the influential Vibe magazine in the 90s, amongst many other things, demand reflection on and recognition of so much appalling, entitled and predatory behaviour by famous musicians that was somehow given a public pass.Listen
Even though I am often fascinated, I am not generally a lover of the true crime genre, mainly because I struggle to feel ok about the horrible death of a real person forming the basis of a whole genre of entertainment - however, I love great investigative journalism, deep storytelling, complex characters and mystery, and for those reasons I do enjoy a great true crime podcast.
As usual I am late to the party, this is not a new podcast (2021), but I have been totally engaged by West Cork recently, a 14 episode podcast meticulously investigating the brutal murder of French documentary producer Sophie Toscan du Plantier in a tiny, isolated Irish village. The reporting is deep, unbiased and open to the constantly evolving twists and turns of the utterly perplexing case, while always centring Sophie as a real person, not just a salacious victim. This podcast is brimming with humanity and the ever-rippling effects of a murder on a small town. A Netflix series based on this is underway and there are apparently various docos out there too.
Shell Game is a very smart, brand new independent podcast by veteran journalist
that investigates developments in AI and interrogates what might be coming for us in the near future, including AI therapy and personal chatbots created to deal with boring Zoom meetings. Unfolds like a thriller and will leave you questioning every audio/online communication you engage in from now on - and safe only in the knowledge, that things are definitely not what they seem.Go deeper here on Substack at
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The three albums I’ve been enjoying discovering the most this month are:
MJ Lenderman - Mannings Fireworks
Instant classic. Friday night or Sunday morning. Lingering laidback lyrics. Get on it.
Suki Waterhouse - Memoir of a Sparklemuffin
It’s a rare achievement to produce a raft of perfect pop songs that evoke the past and yet are totally original but Suki Waterhouse has pulled it off with great aplomb. Funny, snarky, honest, raw lyrics set to super catchy riffs - a new favourite that feels like a serious keeper. I find myself putting it on every time I jump in the car.
Christian Lee Hutson - Paradise Pop. 10
For what’s it worth, this album’s broody minimalist instrumentation and richly detailed lyrics that unwind like reading a great book, remind me of hearing Sparklehorse for the first time; instant love.
Watch
The new French Apple TV series ‘La Maison’ is a soapy but compelling portrait of an iconic French fashion house desperately trying to stay afloat and relevant after a tantrum filled with racist tirades by it’s elegant head designer becomes public. Classy performances and high end aesthetics lend gloss to the non stop dirty dealings that would have been right at home in Dynasty or Dallas. The series has been described as ‘Emily in Paris meets Succession’ and that’s actually not too far off the mark. Only three episodes in but I am enjoying it immensely.
What shall I read/listen to/watch next?? What are you loving?
Lo x
Sharing, liking, and generally spreading the word about Loose Connections really help me do what I do - thanks for being here with me.
I am a big Kushner fan--"The Flamethrowers" is a fantastastic novel, which I read twice--and "Creation Lake," I'm afraid, is a dud. Read the recent New Yorker review, which confirms my feelings.....
Thanks for the Shell Game tip off. I don’t listen to poddies but I have subscribed to his Stack. Wheesh I don’t like this stuff at all. How on earth will teachers keep teaching with all this around? Gobsmacking.