Books of the Year - 2018

Books of the Year - 2018

1. Michael Diamond and Adam Horovitz - Beastie Boys Book

Ad Rock and Mike D decided it was time to tell the story of the Beastie Boys in a way that mirrors the band's unlikely metamorphosis from prankster white boy rappers to elder statesmen of hip hop. If you ever read a copy of their short-lived 90's magazine Grand Royal you'll get a sense of the editorial style. Chock full of unseen photos, hilarious stories, and the assorted detritus of their Beastie lifestyle, this book will leave any fan smiling.

2. Viv Albertine - To Throw Away Unopened

To Throw Away Unopened is a fearless dissection of one woman's obsession with the truth - the truth about family, power, and her identity as a rebel and outsider. It is a gaping wound of a book, both an exercise in blood-letting and psychological archaeology, excavating what lies beneath: the fear, the loneliness, the anger.Yet it is also a testament to how we can rebuild ourselves and come to face the world again. Every memoir is a battle between reality and invention - but in her follow up to Clothes, Music, Boys, Viv Albertine has reinvented the genre with her unflinching honesty.

3. Rob Young and Irmin Schmidt - All Gates Open: The Story of Can

All Gates Open is as unique of a book as Can were as a band. It's sonics reached new heights as they pulled from their jazz and experimental background to create a heavily rhythmic, minimal music that redefined what it meant to be a popular band. The book comprises two elements of equal weight: a biography of the group by Rob Young and a Symposium curated by Irmin Schmidt. The latter explores, in Irmin's own voice and that of his collaborators and admirers, the tentacular influence Can have had upon not just popular music, but also the visual arts, poetry and film.

4. Nadja Tolokonnikova - Read and Riot - A Pussy Riot Guide To Activism

Nadya Tolokonnikova, founding member of the Russian activist group Pussy Riot, is a creative activist, professional protestor, brazen feminist, shocking visual artist, and force to be reckoned with. Read & Riot is structured around Nadya’s ten rules for revolution (Be a pirate! Make your government shit its pants! Take back the joy!) and illustrated throughout with stunning examples from her extraordinary life and the philosophies of other revolutionary rebels throughout history. Rooted in action and going beyond the typical “call your senator” guidelines, Read & Riot gives us a refreshing model for civil disobedience, and encourages our right to question every status quo and make political action exciting—even joyful.

5. Jeff Tweedy - Let's Go (So We Can Get Back)

Coming in at #5 is the fascinating memoir from Wilco's prolific leader Jeff Tweedy. Few bands have inspired as much devotion as the Chicago rock band Wilco, and it's thanks, in large part, to the band's singer, songwriter, and guiding light: Jeff Tweedy. Jeff tells stories about his childhood in Belleville, Illinois; the St. Louis record store, rock clubs, and live-music circuit that sparked his songwriting and performing career; and the Chicago scene that brought it all together. He also opens up about his collaborators in Uncle Tupelo, Wilco, and more. Honest, funny, and disarming, Tweedy's memoir will bring readers inside both his life and his musical process, illuminating his singular genius and sharing his story, voice, and perspective for the first time

Top 10 Books of the Year - 2018:

1. Michael Diamond and Adam Horovitz - Beastie Boys Book

2. Viv Albertine - To Throw Away Unopened

3. Rob Young and Irmin Schmidt - All Gates Open: The Story of Can

4. Nadja Tolokonnikova - Read and Riot - A Pussy Riot Guide To Activism

5. Jeff Tweedy - Let's Go (So We Can Get Back)

6. The Residents - The Brickeaters

7. Jenny Hval - Paradise Rot

8. Tony Drayton - Ripped and Torn

9. Tim Mohr - Burning Down The Haus

10. David Stubbs - Mars By 1980: The Story of Electronic Music

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