Apart from a worn-out copy of Dumpster Decorating for Dummies, Gossip Wolf has little use for books. But last year local writer Maryse Meijer carved out an exception to that rule with the short-story collection Heartbreaker, which brims with oddly relatable (and often horny) weirdos seeking connection in an unsympathetic world—including an arsonist who falls in love with his own fires. Songwriter Kenny Childers of Bloomington alt-rockers Gentleman Caller was similarly impressed—he says he read one story “50 times in a row”—and he and his band have since recorded a cycle of response songs called No One’s Daughter. Meijer describes the album as expanding on her book’s moods, feelings, and ideas: “The cool thing about the album for me is getting to hear my characters speak beyond Heartbreaker,” she says. Childers is currently funding a vinyl pressing via Indiegogo; backers can get signed books, T-shirts, and LPs.
Chicago’s Joey Rubbish recorded the Rubs’ new HoZac LP, Impossible Dream, all by his lonesome—the same way Nobunny and Jay Reatard often worked. Like those dudes, Rubbish has made a ripper! Gossip Wolf is stoked as heck to premiere the lead cut, “Wrong, Right Girl,” which is destined to be a summer jangle-pop classic. Throw on a pair of shorts and head to the Reader‘s website to listen! The Rubs celebrate the LP’s release at East Room on Wednesday, May 24, with Slushy, Dry Dreams, and headliners the Tough Shits.
It’s been too long since Gossip Wolf heard from the Clams—their most recent release, a self-titled EP, is nearly three years old. The local shoegaze trio, who know how to get a little bit country, return this week with Gunslinger, an album they say they started tracking about seven years ago. They’ve been streaming the sprawling single “Hike You” on Bandcamp, and the album comes out through 1980 Records on Friday, May 19. That night the Clams celebrate the release with a show at Elastic. v
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