ALBUM | When BENJAMIN BOOKER's raspy blues-rock fills your headphones for the first time, you'll wonder how you could have missed what must have been a lengthy career up until this point. Then you'll Google him and realize these dozen songs — ranging from longing blues to old-school rock to something on the edge of punk — are his first. Booker's self-titled debut album just came out last month, but he's already had a hell of a summer, playing Letterman and Conan and opening for Jack White. Give the album a listen and hop on the bandwagon.
NEWSLETTER | We spend all day on the Internet and yet there's still plenty we've missed by the end of the day. For a good mix of fascinating reading and a little Internet "junk food," subscribe to Caitlin Dewey's daily newsletter LINKS I WOULD GCHAT YOU IF WE WERE FRIENDS. Dewey is a Washington Post writer who focuses mostly on Internet culture, so her picks usually feature stories from the tech realm, a good long read to bookmark for later and an adorable animal gif. Subscribe at tinyletter.com/cdewey.
PODCAST | If you've read Sherman Alexie or Jess Walter, it's unlikely you feel just OK about them. Their writing brings to life a certain brand of the Inland Northwest that has created super-fans across the country. Their latest endeavor — a podcast called A TINY SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT — is likely to do the same. Each episode features unpublished works from both writers, interviews (so far: writers, a musician, Alexie's wife's friend Polly) and plenty of banter that makes the whole thing feel like you're out to dinner with old friends. Find it at infiniteguest.org/tiny-sense or wherever you get your podcasts.
