Roundup
Music
After a slow start, the past couple of weeks have been busy and buzzy with new album releases. Last week featured the Charli xcx’s soundtrack to the highly controversial Wuthering Heights film adaptation and a hotly anticipated new release from ’00s RnB star Jill Scott, To Whom This May Concern. Both are likely a bit ‘out there’ to find mainstream success, with the Charli album being heavily produced and the Jill Scott album leaning heavily into traditional African beats and cultural themes. Mileage will vary but for me both albums worked well. The highlights this week are a return-to-form EP of protest music from U2, Days of Ash, and a new album from Mumford & Sons, Prizefighter. On the singles side, I’ve been impressed by the pre-release single from Bleachers’ new album, “you and forever.”
Albums
- To Whom This May Concern (Jill Scott)
- Wuthering Heights (Charli xcx)
- Prizefighter (Mumford & Sons)
- Days of Ash (U2)
- My Lover (Claire Rozencranz)
Songs
- “Homewrecker” (sombr)
- “you and forever” (Bleachers)
Reading
My reading continues to have some fits and starts this Winter, but here are some recent highlights:
- Sankofa, by Chibundu Onuzo (2021)
- When the Museum Is Closed, by Emi Yagi (2023)
- The Rules of Magic, by Alice Hoffman (2017)
- Apparently, Sir Cameron Needs to Die, by Greer Stothers (2026)
- Madonna in a Fur Coat, by Sabahattin Ali (1943)
- The Forest on the Edge of Time, by Jasmin Kirkbride (2026)
Matthew Root 