The holidays are almost over and we know we’re chomping at the bit for something new.

So, try this:

The second best magazine in the world (Tiger Beat we are still rooting for your return), Oxford American, just released it’s 10th Annual Music Issue.  This is a whopper and you should be digging in to it.  Smart people writing about amazing music AND a free double-disc album of some of the great Southern sounds, well ever.  If you’ve never attempted Oxford American, this is the best place to start.

CHECK IT OUT HERE!

Here’s hoping everyone has a safe, wonderful, warm holiday from everyone here at Light In The Attic.  Drive slow, drink copiously, and berate your family whenever you can.

Oh yeah, the snow may have ceased for the moment, but it’s still an icy apocalypse out there and we at Light In The Attic just want to make sure you good folk keep it safe during these, at times trying holi-days.  Yup, that’s it, no music news, no monumental announcements, just the sweet warmth of our care passed from our swelling hearts to you cherubs of light.

Keep it safe!

Well, as always, we shady character here at Light In The Attic failed to keep on tour strict schedule of getting things done in terms of our news page. If it angers you and your obsessive need for schedule, we apologize, sometimes the epic parties, attractive Hollywood starlets, and massive amounts of drinking cut in to our usual stellar work ethic.

But we’re back with a couple of gristly bits for your reading enjoyment.

So chomp on down and enjoy!

THE BUILDERS AND THE BUTCHERS

Techmonkey Noah stumbled upon this amazing Portland band late one night in a seedy alley while searching for half-drank beers to keep his, er, “drink on”. One part Decemberists, one part Dylan, one part sheer, bat-fucking craziness, The Builders and The Butchers are the real deal. It’s a stunning mix of folk, madness and narratives fueled by blood, crime and a dark history set in barren towns and even more barren landscapes. Lead singer Ryan Sollee’s voice is a haggard falsetto that rings out over the barrage of acoustic mandolin, banjo and bass. Hate yourself for not already owning their debut album, hate yourself even more for not having seen them live yet.

The Builders and The Butchers – Red Hands

MICHAEL CHABON – MAPS AND LEGENDS

Michael Chabon is pretty much the most accessible literary God we have producing right now. His books are brilliant takes on what he would hate for us to call “guilty pleasures”. Genre-based fiction that eschews trite descriptions and the like in favor of brilliant writing, amazing world creation, and some of the best damn sentence construction you’ve ever seen.

Maps and Legends is Chabon’s first non-fiction collection and it focuses on his thoughts on stories, genre, and the current state of “entertainment”. The hard cover is being put out by McSweeney and the beautiful tri-fold jacket sleeve lives up to their usual amazing aesthetic sensibilities.

We highly recommend this.

Purchase it here.