No Expectations 152: Lasagna

Stellar new LPs from Ultra Lights, Nixon Boyd, and more. Plus, an. excellent New Orleans novel and some thoughts on reading.

No Expectations 152 (cover image by Zack James)

No Expectations hits inboxes on Thursdays at 9am cst. Reader mailbag email: Noexpectationsnewsletter@gmail.com. Daily Chicagoan, the local news newsletter I produce at my day job with WTTW News (PBS Chicago), can be found here.

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Headline song: Babehoven, “Lasagna”

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Thanks for being here. Last week, The Atlantic published a cover story by Rose Horowitch headlined “The End of Reading Is Here.” It cites research showing the number of Americans who read a book or even an article on any given day has declined by 40% in the past two decades, that just 16% say they read for pleasure, and that these declines are happening “across age groups, gender, and education levels.” It’s a sobering and strikingly well-written piece, but it was almost 9,000 words, so I watched a short front-facing camera video on TikTok summarizing the main points. Just kidding. I got through it in one sitting, and you should too at this link.

At one point, the writer interviews Leah Price, a historian of reading at Rutgers University, who says, “[Reading’s] becoming a kind of niche hobby, like stamp collecting or growing orchids.” As someone who runs an email newsletter about independent music, I know a thing or two about niche hobbies. If you’re reading this blog (or any publication), your relationship to the written word is already healthier, or at least more hyper-specific, than the median. I’m preaching to the choir here, I know, but reading has been such an essential, magical, and useful force in my life I can’t imagine where I’d be without it.

As a kid, I loved reading, and I’m lucky I was taught to do so. Whenever we’d visit my grandparents, that meant we’d take a trip to the bookstore. Sure, often those excursions came with ice cream or a hot dog, but we’d always end up at a Barnes & Noble or local store. Eventually, I grew out of Star Wars books and A Series of Unfortunate Events (my accidental introduction to the Magnetic Fields) and went for Kurt Vonnegut, Flannery O’Connor, Ernest Hemingway, Mary Shelley, Gabriel García Márquez, Dave Eggers, Michael Chabon, Ralph Ellison, and others. I didn’t know at the time how formative those experiences would be, but today I couldn’t be more grateful.

Like music and movies, which Roger Ebert called “a machine that generates empathy,” books are a vital way to enrich your own curiosity, experience another perspective, and find a tangible connection with another human being. When you read, you train your attention, witness how someone thinks over long periods of time, learn something new, and realize that whatever distinctions there are between people—borders, class, ethnicity, age, gender, or religion—we are more alike than we are different. This impulse is what you should nurture, and it’s what makes life worth living.

When I come across statistics like, “Last year, 57 percent of Americans placed a bet” (as opposed to the 38 percent in 2022 who read a novel or short story), it’s easy to despair. Another one is a doozy: “Americans legally bet $166.94 billion on sports in 2025.” On paper that’s a lot, but it’s even more mind-boggling when you find out that, in America, just $8.9 billion was spent on movie tickets, $11.5 billion on recorded music, $60.3 billion on all non-sports live entertainment, $44 billion on live sports, and $33 billion on recreational books. Gambling on sports (remember: just sports and just legal bets) eclipses all of these things combined.

I don’t particularly enjoy thinking about what those numbers say about our society, but I do know there are ways to rebel, even if it means just setting aside time with a book. The Atlantic story gives several anecdotes of college students despairing at dense classroom reading or using ChatGPT to “translate” the “Old English” of Anthony Burgess’s 1962 novel A Clockwork Orange into more digestible language. While it’s easy to poke fun at younger generations, I don’t think it’s their fault: they were born into an era that values convenience over context, clicks over concentration, and content over the canonical works.

I’m not sure it’s hopeless. When I started a career writing about music, my reading habits shifted from novels and history to music criticism and artist biographies. I thought it’d help my work, and it often did, but my discipline and appetite for literature became stagnant. I’d spend more time on Twitter and figured the online album reviews, reported features, and profiles I’d devour were good enough. Whenever I’d pick up a book, it’d be a struggle between the page and the phone. Only by forcing myself to unplug from the Internet and re-expand my horizons did the spark come back. Reading more novels and nonfiction (that weren’t related to music) made my prose tighter, my curiosity returned, and I’m going through more books than I ever have. If my chronically-online self could get back into it, you can too.

There’s one unassailable fact from that Atlantic story, and it’s when she writes, “The more you read, the easier it is to read, and the more you’re rewarded with new understanding. Eventually the process is more pleasurable than it is challenging.”

One quick thing: Since No Expectations’ very beginning, Adam Offitzer, who runs the always delightful newsletter Hear Hear, has been one of its biggest supporters. I got to meet him in May, and he’s a sweet dude. At that hang, he told me about Encore, a website he made that he’s calling the “Letterboxd for concerts.” You can log shows you’ve attended, see what others are going to, and follow people like me. (On a lazy Sunday, I went through the archive and tried to remember as much as I could: I still need to fix some things like removing shows I didn’t end up making or adding shows outside my regular rotation of venues). It’s still in invite-only beta, so expect some kinks to be worked out, but he’s given No Expectations readers a “skip the line” link to check it out for yourself. This isn’t an ad: I just like Adam and hope this cool idea works out.

Here’s the spiel for new subscribers: Each week, you get a wildcard main essay (often new album recommendations), a 15-song playlist, as well as updates on what I’m listening to, watching, and reading. Sometimes you’ll get an interview with an artist I love, and other times it’ll be a deep dive into one band’s discography. Since I’m a Chicago-based writer, this newsletter is very Midwest-focused. So, if you live in this city too, you’ll also receive a curated roundup of upcoming local shows to check out.

Here’s where I politely ask for money: This newsletter is something I write in my spare time after work. It does not have a paywall and won’t for the foreseeable future due to the generosity of my readers. I am not in the business of gatekeeping. If you have the means and like what you read, I’d encourage you to sign up for a paid subscription. If your budget is tight, telling a friend about a band you found out about here is just as good. You can also post about No Expectations and say nice things. That works too. It’s still $5 a month—the cost of one Old Style plus tip at Rainbo Club. Every bit helps, keeps this project going, and allows it to stay paywall-free. It’s rough out there, so it means the world you’re reading and supporting this writing project.

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Four Albums Worth Your Time This Week

Mary in the Junkyard, Role Model Hermit

London has been fertile ground for indie rock experimentation. From the chaotic proggy virtuosity of Black Midi and its resulting solo spin-off projects, the art school folky exuberance of the gone-too-soon Tapir!, and the slow-core and jazz-inflected rock of Still House Plants, you can find artists there carving their own lane in vastly different ways. Though Mary in the Junkyard are undoubtedly the most pop-forward of the bands listed above, their off-the-wall approach to percussion, doggedly chameleonic approach to genre, and the one-of-one charisma of vocalist Clari Freeman-Taylor set them apart. Her voice is sharp, personality-filled, and able to contort around the labyrinthian rhythms that bassist and violist Saya Barbaglia and drummer David Addison concoct. “Blood” is propulsive, with the tinny fuzz of a winding guitar riff and Freeman-Taylor intoning, “I won’t let you down / If you let me in / You can forget about / All the pain babe.” Elsewhere, woozy strings and a brooding energy pervade throughout “New Muscles” and spectral folk provides a backdrop for “Candelabra.” It’s a dynamic debut that, as it traverses uncharted territory, still feels wholly cohesive thanks to the real chemistry between this trio.

RIYL: The New Eves, Porridge Radio, Lily Seabird

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Nixon Boyd, Every Time We Turn A Corner

Since 2007, Nixon Boyd has been known as the lead guitarist for the beloved (and underrated) Canadian indie rock band Hollerado. After almost twenty years, he’s finally stepping out on his own with an understated but supremely catchy and tasteful debut, Every Time We Turn A Corner. While there is a bounty of hooks, there aren’t the frantic power chords, swaggering or bombastic choruses of his main band. Instead, there’s a lighter touch: pared-back pop, hushed folk, delicately bouncy grooves, and a clear, painstaking dedication to his craft. “Trouble of Your Own” is airtight pop-rock, with a George Harrison-evoking slide solo and a shuffling folk rhythm. You’ll hear why some writers have given him Elliott Smith comparisons on songs like “Blindfolded,” but there’s a brightness and an ease that’s fully Boyd’s. The press materials mention how a lost hard drive forced him to start from scratch. While I’m sure that was a harrowing setback at the time, there’s very little I’d change in this humble gem of a record.

RIYL: Greg Mendez, Whitney, Stephen Steinbrink

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proun, Maybe Luck

When I first mentioned Austin, Texas proun a few years back in this newsletter, it was by including their song “Exit the Room” in a weekly playlist. At that point, it was the solo project of songwriter Jamie Weed, but now, it’s a full-fledged collaborative band with bassist Dante Zatto and drummer Alex Peterson joining the fold. Their debut, Maybe Luck, benefits from the more expansive, adventurous, and muscular sound that comes from three friends working together and jamming. Throughout the 10 patient but often pummeling songs here, there are shades of ‘90s alt-rock, 2010s emo, and more recent pedal-tinged bedroom folk, but it all hits like a breath of fresh air. The title track is aided by a serpentine, chiming guitar riff while the standout “Stumped” begins as plaintive slowcore before short-circuiting into an explosive jam. Weed excels at catharsis throughout, whether it’s quiet emotions or ones begging for a primal scream.

RIYL: Youbet, Foxing, Lomelda

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Ultra Lights, Pleasure’s All Yours

John Robinson has been an Atlanta-based indie rock lifer who’s played in various bands for the better part of two decades. Now 42, he’s seen trends come and go and cycle back again. For his new musical outlet Ultra Lights, he’s dissected rock to its most basic, primal, and pleasurable parts. He draws as much from the Strokes as he does Oasis, Wire, and his Georgia compatriots Omni. The singles, the stomping post-punk of “Good Enough” and the raw, anthemic “Bad Feeling,” might be two of the best rock songs I’ve heard all year: endlessly infectious, energetic, and armed with a wealth of sonic reference points to impress any crate-digging fan. The latter of those tunes came about when Robinson and his wife and bandmate Leela Hoehn saw Lifeguard play and were shocked at how good they were being that young. “It’s over for me,” Robinson remembered thinking, in a retelling to Stereogum. As much as I love the youthful noise-rock trio from my city, I’ll be revisiting Robinson’s undeniable songs just as much, if not more.

RIYL: Kiwi Jr, Pavement, Eddy Current Suppression Ring

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What I listened to:

The No Expectations 152 Playlist: Apple Music // Spotify // Tidal

1. Babehoven, “Lasagna”
2. Kevin Copeland & The Big Net, “All Over Now”*
3. Ultra Lights, “Good Enough”
4. Nixon Boyd, “Trouble of Your Own”
5. Eliksa, “Only A Matter Of Time”
6. Sharp Pins, “Saturday Sun”
7. Ty Segall, “Black Paint”
8. mary in the junkyard, “Blood”
9. Sam and Louise Sullivan, “Love & Devotion”
10. Elizabeth Moen, “Renaissance Man”
11. proun, “Stumped”
12. Starcleaner Reunion, “Never Odd or Even”
13. HOTT MT, “Golden Record”
14. Anthony Calonico, “Whispers”
15. Luluc, “Dopamine Slot Machine”

* = Not on Spotify.

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Gig recap: Blue Earth Sound at Top Note Theatre (7/9)

Blue Earth Sound is the jazz project kickstarted by NE-HI and Spun Out’s James Weir, who’s been one of my best friends for the past decade. We bonded, not just over basketball, but over a love for old soul, funk, jazz, and house records. So it was not a shock to see a lifelong rocker start a new project this vibey, atmospheric, and groove-minded. On the heels of his latest release, The St. Louis Sessions, Weir took his band to the haunted top floor of Metro Chicago for two intimate gigs Thursday night. (The space is called the Top Note Theatre, and it’s where Guns N’ Roses rehearsed and wrote much of Use Your Illusion, which is surprisingly not why it’s haunted). I loved the set, especially their cover of the Meters’“Loving You Is on My Mind.” It’s always great to see your buds rip it during a gig, and I’m happy I got another chance to witness an underused part of an iconic venue.

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Gig recap: Deeper, Dehd, Joe Glass, Hurray For the Riff Raff, TV Buddha, Margo Price at Square Roots Fest (7/10-11)

If there’s one thing about Chicago, it’s that we take the neighborhood street festival very seriously. No matter where you are in the city during the summer, chances are there will be a well-curated music fest featuring some of your favorite artists happening blocks away. On Friday, I went with a few friends to Lincoln Square to see local heroes Deeper and Dehd. The next day, I took a couple different buds back to see newsletter favorites like Joe Glass, Hurray For the Riff Raff, TV Buddha, and Margo Price. Deeper played a couple new tunes, Joe Glass made a very convincing Paul Westerberg during his cover of “Left of the Dial,” Hurray For the Riff Raff did a surprise rendition of Joan Osborne’s “One of Us,” and a Margo Price gig meant that I got to see my favorite guitarist, Friend of the Newsletter Sean Thompson, in action. A magical way to spend a weekend.

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What I watched:

U.S. Against the World: Four Years with the Men’s National Soccer Team (HBO)

One genre I’m an absolute sucker for is the “behind-the-scenes sports documentary.” Yes, it’s often inessential, cookie-cutter, and too manicured by the teams themselves and their army of PR professionals, but I don’t care. I’ll watch it all. So, it’s no surprise that I really enjoyed HBO’s five-part look into the locker room of the United States’ men’s national soccer team. It tracks the four years between the 2022 Qatar World Cup and the 2026 North American World Cup (where, spoilers, the USMNT got booted in the Round of 16). I started this to hype myself up before the Belgium game, and it was solid enough that I happily continued following their unceremonious 4-1 loss.

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What I read:

Lives of the Saints (by Nancy Lemann)

In 1985, the New Orleans-raised writer Nancy Lemann published a slim but transportive novel called Lives of the Saints. It followed a woman returning home from college out east and finding herself back in the old money milieu of the Emerald City. Though it wasn’t a smash success upon release, it found a second life after it went out of print. This year, it was reissued thanks to New York Review Books with an introductory essay from Geoff Dyer. Now, the 70-year-old Lemann is enjoying a much-deserved revival thanks to the book’s lyrical grace, meditative use of repetition, and its ability to find humanity in dysfunction. Lemann is at home as a clear-eyed outsider observing a party happening around her. She’s never cold or distant, but so immersed that her insight into her characters is both pinpoint perceptive and emotionally searing. At just 144 pages, you won’t want it to end. Like its setting, it’s old, out of time, yet still relevant.

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The Weekly Chicago Show Calendar:

The gig calendar lives on the WTTW News website. You can also subscribe to the newsletter I produce there called Daily Chicagoan to get it in your inbox a day early.