New Album:
Another , the new album by the Human Hearts, is out now on Shrimper Records. CDs, and a double 10" vinyl edition designed by graphic novelist David Heatley, are for sale here. Digital downloads are available from Midheaven, Amazon, and iTunes.
From Robert Christgau's Expert Witness review: "Franklin Bruno knows pop ... My favorites on this consistently and straightforwardly songful album are the rocking 'Cheap Sunglasses,' about the girlfriend he saw through, and the rumbaing 'Not Just When We Kiss,' about the one he stuck with."
Digital EP:
A download-only EP, anchored by the live favorite "Flag Pin," is available through Bandcamp. All four songs exclusive to this release; no physical version currently planned.
New Book:
The Accordion Repertoire (Edge Books) is my first full-length collection of poems; copies are available here. From the publisher's description: "Franklin Bruno's poems move through the languages of commerce and philosophy, the forgotten codes of old Hollywood and the radio serial, and the contested spaces of the contemporary city with musicality, anger, and wit."
(Read "Flash Crash" at Lana Turner. Read "Approach to Ziggurat" at Sink Review.)
33 1/3 Book:
My book on Elvis Costello's 1979 album Armed Forces, published in Continuum Books' 33 1/3 series, is still available.
News and Appearances:
The Human Hearts (full band) are playing with The Scene Is Now and Heroes of Toolik on Fri. 5/19 at Fontana's, 105 Eldridge, NYC. We play in the middle: 9 pm. $10.
New writing: A short essay on pop songs in movie soundtracks appears in the April issue of Frieze.
My essay "Wouldn't It Be Milchadik," on 1950s parody LPs based on My Fair Lady, with audio clips of many of the recordings discussed, is currently up at the Triple Canopy website.