WHAT POP CULTURE HAS ON TAP FOR JUNE
New books, new movies, new music and more will start summer entertainment off right.
Here are some of the best new releases in books, music, movies and more on the horizon in June. Dates are subject to change without notice.
1. “But What If We’re Wrong?: Thinking About the Present As If It Were the Past” by Chuck Klosterman (Blue Rider Press).
Full disclosure: Chuck Klosterman is a friend of mine. In his new book, the former New York Times Ethicist talks to various folks — writers such as George Saunders, Junot Díaz and Amanda Petrusich, artist David Byrne, celebrity physicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and Austin filmmaker Richard Linklater — about, essentially, how certain we are that we are correct. About what? All sorts of things: the nature of gravity or time, how rock music will be regarded in 2516, the second Golden Age of Television, the possibility that we as a species have learned all that we could possibly learn. You know: Klosterman stuff. And in typical Klosterman fashion, the theory he posits — it is “impossible to understand the world of today until today has become tomorrow” — is both pretty obvious and possibly not even a question. But the thing that has built Klosterman’s audience is the fact that he asked it, he asked a bunch of people about it and they discussed it with him. As much as any author I have ever encountered, Klosterman writes in a way that never makes the reader feel as if he knows any more than the reader does. This is much tougher than it sounds — David Foster Wallace, a key Klosterman influence, was incredibly good at this — and it has given Klosterman the audience he has today. You, the reader, can discuss this stuff with Klosterman at 7 p.m. June 16 at BookPeople. ( June 7) 2. The Melvins, “Basses Loaded” (Ipecac Recordings). Between touring musicians and permanent (as it were) players,
the “core Melvins — guitarist Buzz Osbourne and drummer Dale Crover — have played with more than a dozen bassists in over 30 years of sludgy existence. Per the title, this album features six masters of the lowend, including Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic, Redd Kross bassist Steve McDonald, Butthole Surfers bassist Jeff Pinkus and Fantômas’ Trevor Dunn. It’s also the band’s 24th studio full-length since the band started in 1984. Not too shabby, gents. (Friday)
3. Paul Simon, “Stranger to Stranger” (Hear Music/ Concord). Our own Peter Blackstock loved Simon’s recent show, and now the extremely veteran singer-songwriter delivers his 13th solo album, this one reportedly a bit less lyrically straightforward than “So Beautiful or So What.” (Friday) 4. Tegan and Sara, “Love You to Death” (Warner). At press time, we’ve heard four songs off the new album from this Canadian indie/ electro pop duo: the punchy “Boyfriend” and “U-Turn,” the slightly chiller “100x” and now the insanely catchy “Stop Desire.” They are extremely good at this sort of thing. (Friday) 5. “End of Watch” by Stephen King (Scribner). The finale to the trilogy that began with the Edgar Award-winning “Mr. Mercedes” and continued with “Finders Keepers.” Look for a final confrontation between the “Mercedes Killer” and the team of Bill Hodges and Holly Gibney. ( June 7)
6. Band of Horses, “Why Are You OK” (American Recordings/Interscope). Some may ask, “Why are you still a band?” Others may simply be thrilled that this, the band’s first record since 2012 and first for Interscope Records, is in stores as of ... ( June 10)
7. Shawn Colvin and Steve Earle, “Colvin & Earle” (Fantasy). Two on-and-off Texas musicians come together with one-time Austin musician Buddy Miller for the Americana duets albums of which you (or at least KGSR, KUTX and Sun Radios) have been dreaming. Will it be this year’s “Raising Sand?” ( June 10)
8. Nick Jonas, “Last Year Was Complicated” (Safehouse/Island). This is the third solo album by Li’l Nick Jonas, of Jonas Brothers fame. Look for guest spots from Tove Lo, Ty Dolla $ign, Big Sean and Daniella Mason. ( June 10)
9. Allen Toussaint, “American Tunes” (Nonesuch). “American Tunes” includes songs from a 2013 solo session and an October 2015 session; work on the record wrapped right before Toussaint died in November. Featuring musicians Bill Frisell,Leisz, Jay Charles Bellerose, Lloyd, guestGreg vocalistand pianist RhiannonVan Dyke Giddens Parks. ( June10. Neko10) Case, k.d. lang and Laura Veirs, “case/ lang/veirs” (ANTI-/Epitaph). Speaking of records KUTX will lose its mind over ... Lang and Case contributed to Veirs’ 2013 album “Warp and Weft,” and the trio recorded this album last year in Portland, Ore. The three will play the Long Center in Austin on Aug. 3. ( June 17) 11. Sarah Jarosz, “Undercurrents” (Sugar Hill). Actually, this seems to be a fairly Americana-heavy month, what with this Austin-turned-New York artist’s fourth album. ( June 17)
12. Radiohead, “A Moon Shaped Pool” (XL Recordings). Everyone has already probably formed an opinion on this record, which was released on MP3 May 8. If you had a hankering to buy it on CD or 180-gram double LP, now is your chance. ( June 17)
13. Red Hot Chili Peppers, “The Getaway” (Warner). Yes, they are still around. They will always be around. There will never not be a RHCP album coming soon. This one is produced by Danger Mouse, which is maybe the 50-something altrocker version of being produced by Rick Rubin, except these guys were produced by Rick Rubin before it was a career-revival thing. ( June 17) 14. Swans, “The Glowing Man” (Young God). Allegedly the final album to bear the Swans name in this go-around of lead Swan Michael Gira using the Swans name. Austinite Thor Harris plays on this one, as he has on the last few. If you had told me in 1995 that Swans, who seemed like a spent bullet back then, would be one of the best rock bands of 2016, I would not have believed you. At all. ( June 17)
15. Neil Young + Promise of the Real, “Earth” (Reprise). A double live album of performances from the 2015 tour by ol’ Neil and Promise of the Real, aka the band led by Willie Nelson’s kids Micah
and Lukas. ( June 17) 16. “Finding Dory.” The long-awaited sequel to the still-terrific 2003 film “Finding Nemo,” one of the all-time best Pixar movies. Writer/director Andrew Stanton returns, as do Ellen DeGeneres as Dory and Albert Brooks as Marlin. Boy, Disney is having quite a little year, huh? ( June 17)
17. The Avett Brothers, “True Sadness” (American/Republic). Speaking of being produced by Rick Rubin, these brothers’ ninth studio album and 12th overall is once again produced by label head Rubin. ( June 24)
18. Rae Sremmurd, “SremmLife 2” (EarDrummer/Interscope). The second (and much anticipated) album from this Atlanta-via-Mississippi duo sticks with the dirty South/trap music hip-hop that made them rising stars. ( June 24) 19. “Independence Day:
Resurgence.” I saw the original on my 22nd birthday. (Look, it was a slow year, what do you want from me?) The whole crew is back except for Will Smith, whose character has been killed off. His spot in the story is replaced by Liam “the other” Hemsworth, which ... dang, Will. ( June 24) 20. “Free State of Jones.” Matthew McConaughey stars as Newton Knight, a Southern unionist who led an armed rebellion against the Confederacy in Jones County, Miss., during the Civil War. ( June 24)