THE BELIEVER JULY/AUGUST MUSIC ISSUE

$16.00 $8.00


After a half decade away The Believer has returned home to McSweeney’s. To celebrate the momentous occasion, we’ve dug through our archives and found an extremely limited number of classic and timeless issues for your purchasing pleasure. Once these are gone, they’re gone forever.

Table of Contents

Marcel Dzama in conversation with Will Butler
The artists chat about music, dance, and childhood to mark the release of the soundtrack to Dzama’s new film, included in this issue.

Reflections of Jacmel by Joshua Jelly-Schapiro
On the trail of Arcade Fire as they tour an unexpected locale: Haiti.

“Balletomane”: a new poem

Without You I’m Nothing by Alexandra Molotkow
Exploring a seldom-considered but surprisingly fruitful literary micro genre: the memoirs of rock stars’ ex-lovers.

Meredith Monk interviewed by Ross Simonini
“My music is not all angelic. Some of it is dark. Some of it is funny. Some of it is very sad. Some of it is very joyous. So I feel like if I do a concert, hopefully this whole spectrum is in there.”

Forgetting the Motor City by Douglas Wolk
Exploring the hits, misses, and mysteries of fifty years of Motown records.

Nancy Sinatra interviewed by Erik Morse
“When I was crying at the very end of the take, Lee was celebrating in the booth. And he kept that take. But that’s what happens when you’re acting a part. You get wrapped up in it.”

What the Swedes Read by Daniel Handler

Glenn Branca interviewed by Joseph Neighbor
“New ideas tend to come from people who haven’t been indoctrinated by the establishment.”

“Comics” edited by Alvin Buenaventura

Schema: Song Schematics by Michael Hamad

Pillow of Air by Lawrence Weschler

Reviews
Martin Seay on Sky Ferreira, Jeremy Schmidt on Jesse and the Revelator, Amanda Davidson on Pamela Lu

Killer Mike interviewed by Eric Ducker
“The beats will tell me what to do.”

The Process by Ian S. Port
tUnE-yArDs’ Merrill Garbus discusses making the song “Left Behind.”

Real Life Rock Top 10 by Greil Marcus

Reuben Cox microinterviewed by Adam Baer

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