10 IT GETS ME HOME, THIS CURVING TRACK: OBJECTS AND ESSAYS

Ian Penman

FITZCARRALDO

Incapable of dumbing down, Penman had NME readers reaching for their dictionaries in the post-punk years. He retains the same daunting intelligence in this essay collection, which featured a fine take on mod, a gloomy assessment of James Brown and a sublime meditation on Frank Sinatra. Challenging, but worth it.