4/24/2025

SERVICE by John Tottenham Semiotext(e) May 6th 2025 A book review by Alexander Laurence



SERVICE by John Tottenham

Semiotext(e) May 6th 2025

A book review by Alexander Laurence


Service is the first novel by John Tottenham. He is known for his four books of poetry. Service is a plain title that doesn’t give much away. Service? I was guessing that it was supposed to be a neutral title like Post Office or Closer. But it turns out that it is named after an obscure song by The Fall.


The novel begins with what I call “a bookstore set piece” where the main character, Sean, a writer and journalist, interacts with customers at a bookstore/cafe. It’s a section that shows him in the wild. Bookstores are a place where lonely people and misanthropes meet. There are fake smiles, unwanted phone calls, stupid questions. In this toxic situation I suppose that Sean provides a “service.” He spends most of his time worrying about yelp reviews and being competitive with other budding writers. In this first section, he encounters a dandy writer named Cyrus Fapper who is currently writing a memoir. Many writers and books are mentioned. Sean thinks it’s all crap. He likes Barbara Pym though. As it says in this book: “Life is plotless.”


The Part B that follows here talks about how writing is useless. If the “Set Pieces” take place in the bookstore, there is another contrasting part, that takes place in the narrator’s apartment. He often meditates about living as a writer and money and bills. In this first Part B section, Sean notices a drunk Mexican who is passed out on the lawn. He talks to a neighbor who is on the cell phone. He thinks about the neighborhood and gentrification, and young people moving in, and joggers everywhere. He can’t relate to it.


He walking and ends up at the bookstore again for Set Piece 2. This time he meets his boss Gilbert. They talk about the yelp reviews. A customer talks about a “man with gray hair.” Sean doesn’t care about the reviews. Gilbert is off to an AA meeting. Sean then has an encounter with Greg Roach, who is an old musician who now works at the cafe. Sean seems disappointed that this guy has some minor success in music, and gets to go to Japan.


The second time we go to Part B, now Sean is thinking about his lack of success as a writer, and the dying art of journalism and magazines. He looks as his life as a slope. Writing was a “service” that people used to be paid for. Then comes all the credit card debt. Sean got a part time job at this bookstore. He thought it was a temporary thing, but he is still here after five years. His friend Mitchell calls and tells him he’s going out with an actress Lyn Lamrock. Sean is a flaneur and lives a bohemian life.


Set Piece 3 starts with a litany of book names and questions: “D’you have the new Patti Smith book?” etc.


Sean decides that he is going to give up writing.


A friend Jackson Valvitcore wrote a book The Death of The Novel.


Set Piece 4 starts with making coffee. Sean pushes the book cart out the door. He makes a 200 song mix of Bob Dylan. He thinks about Dylan. People comment on the songs. Some homeless guy tries to sell some mediocre books. The set pieces take place in the bookstore. Part B takes place outside the store. It gets more complicated as he has reveries about writing and music.


The next Part B takes place during a hangover at home. He starts to walk around in Downtown LA and Grand Central Market. He thinks about food. He worries about creditors and credit cards. Most of this part is about Downtown.


Set Piece 5: we are back in the store. He thinks about the singer Jackson C. Frank. He decides that he only likes dead artists. He thinks that only young people romanticize the dead. Sean buys some drugs and tries to write. He reads more yelp reviews about himself. He notices some woman from Brentwood. A friend talks about having a sexual encounter with another girl.


In this part the narrator is worried about gray hairs and being old. As he gets older all his friends are getting into long term relationships and having kids. He runs into Bill and his wife. She is pregnant. He later goes to a Whole Foods and sees a friend of his ex-girlfriend. He avoids her. He celebrates writing 20K words. It’s a third of a potential novel. Maybe the one we are reading now?


Set Piece 6 starts out with twenty boxes of used books. Some friend died and this is his collection that Gilbert buys. There is talk about an old friend Joe who went to Portland and now has a kid. He encounters Teddy Morbid who wrote a memoir about addiction.


He has a drink with Jackson Valvitcore. He starts worrying about writing and getting writer’s block.


Back at the bookstore for Set Piece 7, he notices a friend named Cindy. He is visited by Paul the millionaire. This is a wild part of the book where almost all the previous characters come in the bookstore or are mentioned. That ends part one.


Section two begins at home. Weeks have passed. More time spent writing. He starts to calculate page counts. He pads the story.


Set Piece 8 he is back at the bookstore. He meets Greg Roach and his Japanese girlfriend. He thinks about Robert Walser and some minimalist writers that he likes. This is a very long section with conversation that would happen in a bookstore.


He begins to review what he has written. He think of ways to waste time at home.


In Set Piece 9, he meets a successful writer, Melinda Waterform. She is a name dropper and just back from Italy. He begins to start thinking about writers and their travel. Did they have to work? Were they all rich? How could they all afford to live? Later, a young person wants to read his novel in progress.


He is back at home. He looks at old notebooks and writings and becomes depressed.


Set Piece 10 takes place at a bar. He talks to a kid about his novel which the kid has suggestions about. He meets with Mitchell. Mitchell is complaining about his relationship with the famous actress. Jackson Valvitcore talks about how easy it is for him to write. Sean becomes jealous and competitive. JV will help Sean get published. He thinks “Damaged Goods” is a good title for the novel. He reads about an old friend, Bob McGilt, who is rich and bought an expensive house nearby and is moving to LA.


Set Piece 11: back at the bookstore. Gilbert tells Sean that he is wasting his time working at a bookstore. Sean needs the money. Gilbert thinks he should focus on being a writer. Sean notices online that Teejays is closing and he’ll have to go elsewhere to buy food.


At home, Sean worries about debt collectors, after defaulting on several credit cards three years previous. Mitchell is freaking out. He is trying to write a script and continue going out with an actress. He gives the drugs to Sean.


Set Piece 12 at the bookstore. He gets a threatening letter. The bookstore is filled with loud annoying people. Aaron complains about dogs. A successful journalist from the LA Weekly recognizes Sean and they have a chat. Sean and the kid go to the bar and talk about the novel again. The kid wants to know where all the sex scenes are?


Sean thinks that this is his last chance to write a book.


Set Piece 13 at the bookstore: Sean is getting annoyed with people’s questions. He think that it’s a dumb idea to get a liquor license. No one wants to drink in a bookstore. The kid mentions that there is too much complaining in the book. End of part two.


He has his 49th birthday. He starts counting words again. He gets locked out of the house. He finds a letter from a debt attorney. He thinks about hiring an attorney himself.


Set Piece 14: Bob McGilt has visited the bookstore. He doesn’t care.


He talks to a lawyer about how much money he owes and whether he should declare bankruptcy. He talks to the kid about the novel again. He starts to have first novel syndrome. He thinks about selling stuff on ebay.

In Set Piece 15, Sean talks to an author who is reading at the bookstore that night. He helps set it up. He is distracted by a Fall fan who claims to have all their early shows on tape. The chapter is more about The Fall. There is a bit about Narcotics Anonymous and recently dead musicians. There are more yelp reviews.


There is a literary conversation with Jackson Valvitcore.


Sean starts to feel lost as a writer. He has fears of debt. He talks about the novel with the kid.


In Set Piece 16, he receives a late night email from Gilbert. There is some bookstore banter. He thinks about writers who start later in life. Three people call about Yerbe Mate. It turns out to be a prank.


Sean tries to write.


In Set Piece 17 Bob McGilt shows up and Sean avoids him. Mitchell calls and says he’s unable to deliver the drugs.


In Set Piece 18, Gilbert is looking for a fridge. He has bought a house.


Sean tries to write the novel. He gets two negative emails from Gilbert about work.


In Set Piece 19, Sean and Gilbert argue about the emails. Gilbert suggests that he take off Sunday. He comes in anyway.


Sean calls a few people. He calls up Mona. They try to have sex. He thinks of deleting some descriptions of people in his novel.


In Set Piece 20, they discover that Mike Supper has written a book. Sean gets switched to the Sunday night shift. Aaron is planning his own suicide.


Sean starts to worry about his debt and his upcoming court appearance. He calls Mitchell about the drugs. He needs them to finish the novel. Mitchell has become friends with Bob McGilt who is his neighbor. He talks to the kid about the novel. He calls Mitchell’s friend to get some drugs.


In Set Piece 21, he gets a slice of pizza. He notices the new book by Jackson Valvitcore. Sean confronts a customer.


Sean gets the drugs and tries to start writing again.


In Set Piece 22, Sean apologizes to Gilbert. There has been 25% reduction on wages by a debt collector. People start asking questions. Sean starts throwing books at people and telling them to leave. Gilbert comes in, sees what happened, and tells Sean to go home.


Sean calls up a few lawyers. Gilbert sends him an email to confirm that he has been fired. He has finished his novel, and he thinks about the ending. He sells some books. He sells some to the bookstore and Gilbert gives him some money. Another employee offers to help him publish his book. It ends.


This book is about bookstores and what it’s like to be a writer. It’s a satire. Bookstores are horrible places. The workers are unhappy. They are failed writers. Even the writers who are successful seem like they are lucky and out of touch elites. To be a writer these days is to be disrespected. Bookstores are full of mediocre books and people who don’t read. It’s a losing battle. But this book takes all that on, and it is probably the most realistic portrait of what it’s like to be in the literary game these days.



SONS OF RAPHAEL RETURN WITH THOMAS BANGALTER-PRODUCED “NIGHTS ARE FOR LOVE”

SONS OF RAPHAEL RETURN WITH THOMAS BANGALTER-PRODUCED “NIGHTS ARE FOR LOVE” 


NEW SINGLE APPEARS AS MAIN TITLE THEME IN AMAZON PRIME SERIES “ÉTOILE”


STREAM IT NOW

Sons of Raphael photo by Nikolaj Møller

 


Sons of Raphael, the duo comprised of brothers Loral & Ronnel Raphael, have returned with the double single "Nights Are For Love” / "At Dawn I Look For You" produced by Thomas Bangalter and released today on his label Alberts & Gothmaan.

 

"Nights Are For Love” also serves as the main title theme for the newly released Amazon Prime series "Étoile" by Amy Sherman-Palladino & Daniel Palladino (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel / Gilmore Girls) starring Luke KirbyCharlotte Gainsbourg, and Gideon Glick. Watch the trailer HERE.

 

The show also features music from Sons of Raphael’s 2021 debut album Full-Throated Messianic Homage. Most recently, Sons of Raphael wrote original music for Sofia Coppola's film Priscilla.

 

For more information on Alberts & Gothmaan : WEBSITE / INSTAGRAM

Bad Suns Announce New Album 'Accelerator', Share Lead Single "Slow Karma"


Bad Suns Announce New Album ‘Accelerator’ Out August 8th via Epitaph

Share Reassuring Lead Single “Slow Karma

Bad Suns by Sarah Eiseman

Today, indie-pop mainstays Bad Suns announce plans to release their new album ‘Accelerator’ out on August 8th via Epitaph Records.  More than a decade after their debut, on their joyous fifth album the Los Angeles trio are taking stock of everything they’ve been through together as a band and pushing into a bright future with a renewed sense of purpose. PRE-ORDER HERE

Bad Suns also share the hook-packed gem “Slow Karma” which doubles as frontman Christo Bowman’s mission statement for Accelerator. An intimate and cathartic track, the album opener finds Christo at a personal and professional crossroads as he confronts old habits and makes a life-changing decision.

I was at a point in my life where it was becoming abundantly clear to me that I needed to make some changes in order to progress and live the life that I really wanted,” Christo says. “Getting sober is really hard, but then it quickly becomes the most rewarding thing in the world. ‘Slow Karma’ is about accepting that this is gonna be difficult. And I don't know exactly what's ahead, but I know this is the direction I'm supposed to be moving down. I can't control the world around me, but I can control the way that I react to the events taking place and the way that I move through the world.”

“Slow Karma”

WATCH | LISTEN

Since 2012, Christo Bowman (vocals/guitar), Gavin Bennett (bass) and Miles Morris (drums) started making music together as teenagers and went viral almost immediately with their magnetic blend of indie-rock and ‘80s synth sheen. After four hit albums, the trio reached a point where they needed to recalibrate and recenter if they wanted to continue. Recording their exuberant 2023 EP Infinite Joy was a cleansing experience that served as fuel for Bad Suns and set them on a thrilling path forward into making Accelerator, which comprises 12 new tracks brimming with dance-pop hooks and poignant lessons learned.  

We saw the Infinite Joy EP as a new beginning for the band. I felt this yearning once again,” reflects Christo Bowman. “'Accelerator' being our fifth album, our first studio album as a trio, and the first album of my 30s, we knew that this was going to be really important. We didn't want to take that lightly. We asked ourselves, how do we live up to the occasion? We saw this album as a mountain we wanted to climb.”

Following the lead of previously released track “Communicating” (currently #30 on the alternative rock charts), anthemic opener “Slow Karma” reveals a riveting pop turn for the band, showing how Accelerator is still steeped in the original DNA that made Bad Suns a feel-good viral sensation with early hits like “Cardiac Arrest.” The rushing pop melodies may mirror Accelerator’s title, but its lyrics are filled with stop-and-think moments where Christo surveys his past actions and makes the intentional choice to embrace personal growth and impending fatherhood.

My 20s were a challenging time with a lot of peaks and a lot of valleys,” he says. “There's a lot of joy, a lot of mistakes. This album is ultimately about finding the strength within yourself to assess the damage that's been done and make the changes that you need to in order to take control of your own life.”

As Bad Suns move into their latest era, one filled with exciting personal and professional milestones, they’ve never been more harmoniously aligned. “While making this album, I turned 30, I got married, I found out I was having a kid,” the frontman muses. “Going to the studio every day and being in the room with the guys, I had this sense that I'm going to look back and know that was probably one of the best times of my life.”

Accelerator Tracklisting
1.    Slow Karma
2.    Ready To Take Flight 
3.    Mystery Girl
4.    Communicating 
5.    Why Am I Like This?
6.    Madeline
7.    Just Like Magic
8.    Back To Zero
9.    What’s Best For You
10.    Postcard
11.    Wait In The Car
12.    Do The Twist Of Fate

Bad Suns On Tour
Apr 25 – Addison, TX – Taste of Addison
May 3 – Liverpool, NY – Sharkey's Event Center
May 28 – Fresno, CA – Strummer’s
May 29 – Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades
June 1 – Colorado Springs, CO – The Black Sheep
June 3 – Omaha, NE – Slowdown
June 4 – Milwaukee, WI – Vivarium
June 6 – Detroit, MI – El Club
June 7 – Cleveland Heights, OH – Grog Shop
June 8 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
June 9 – Albany, NY – Empire Underground
June 11 – Richmond, VA – The Broadberry
June 12 – Norfolk, VA – The NorVa

Loyle Carner announces new album due 6/20 + world tour

LOYLE CARNER ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM HOPEFULLY ! OUT JUNE 20TH ON ISLAND EMI


ANNOUNCES WORLD TOUR


NEW SINGLES “ALL I NEED / IN MY MIND” OUT NOW

hopefully ! album art


“A beautiful, blistering masterpiece” - 

THE OBSERVER


“Loyle Carner is opening himself up to the world”

NME


“His most essential album to date”

THE WIRE


“all i need / in my mind”

LISTEN: 

https://loylecarner.lnk.to/twosongs


hopefully !

PRE-ORDER: 

http://loylecarner.lnk.to/hopefully


(April 24th, 2025) - Today, Loyle Carner announces his new album hopefully ! releasing on Island EMI on June 20th. The news comes on the heels of two new songs “all i need / in my mind,” the A-side oscillating between images of rage and hope, while the B-side combines a hazy, sun-warmed classic of languid sounds and lyrical soul-searching.


Loyle Carner is also announcing a global tour today kicking off with dates across Europe beginning in October, continuing on to the UK in November and following with North American dates in February 2026. The world tour follows his 2023 debut sold out North American tour and will also come after his upcoming headline Glastonbury set. Album pre-sale opens on April 30th at 9AM local time, with Live Nation and SJM pre-sale on May 1st (9AM), Spotify pre-sale beginning on May 1st (12PM), and tickets available for general sale on May 2nd (9AM). 


A life-affirming exploration of fatherhood and childhood, hopefully ! is buoyed by a positivity and lightness of touch achieved in large part by stepping out of his comfort zone. In a series of firsts - singing, producing, accidentally forming the band of his dreams - Loyle Carner cultivates healthier boundaries, whilst also allowing his audience in - the album’s moving artwork features his muse of a son, who can also be heard throughout the record.


hopefully ! signals a new era in which Loyle Carner continues to push the boundaries of his art and himself. A passionate advocate around his experiences of dyslexia and ADHD - notably founding the Chilli Con Carner cookery workshops - last year he received an honorary doctorate from UAL in recognition of his powerful rise thus far. 


A musician, writer, director, producer, entrepreneur and actor, Loyle Carner first emerged with A Little Late EP, and has since forged a signature blend of unflinching, diaristic lyricism with ambitious, genre-disruptive sounds. His debut album, Yesterday’s Gone, untangled personal experiences of grief, and the pressures of coming-of-age; follow-up, Not Waving, but Drowning, further showcased Loyle’s ability to set lithe rap against old-soul wisdom. A cathartic turning point proved to be 2022’s hugo: a taut, textured exploration of Black identity and anger, which also secured his second Top 3 album. Having been twice shortlisted for the Mercury Prize - and scored further BRIT and NME Award nominations - Carner has earned an impassioned worldwide following, with 1.1B streams, campaigns with global brands (YSL, New Balance, Nike) and sold-out shows including Alexandra Palace, Wembley Arena, Eventim Apollo, O2 Academy Brixton and Royal Albert Hall in his beloved London hometown alone.  This journey climaxed in a headline appearance at All Points East’s 35,000 capacity Victoria Park last summer, which hopefully ! emerged in the wake of.


Loyle Carner was also recently confirmed to make his acting debut in Mint, a BBC drama from BAFTA-nominated Scrapper director Charlotte Regan, with further exciting visual projects to follow.


Listen to “all i need / in my mind,” pre-order hopefully ! and stay tuned for more from Loyle Carner soon.




Upcoming Headline Tour

 10/7 - Stockholm, SE @ Annexet

10/8 - Oslo, NO @ Sentrum Scene

10/11 - Amsterdam, NL @ AFAS Live

10/13 - Copenhagen, DK @ KB Hallen

10/15 - Berlin, DE @ UFO im Velrodrom

10/16 - Hamburg, DE @ Sporthalle

10/18 - Munich, DE @ Zenith

10/19 - Zurich, CH @ Hall 622

10/21 - Frankfurt, DE @ Jahrhunderthalle

10/22 - Cologne, DE @ Palladium

 10/24 - Paris, FR @ Zenith

10/25 - Brussels, BE @ Forest National

11/2 - London,UK @ O2 Academy Brixton

11/3 - London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton

11/4 - London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton

11/5 - London, UK @ O2 Academy Brixton

11/7 - Cardiff, UK  @ Utilita Arena

11/9 - Dublin, IE @ 3Arena

11/12 - Glasgow, UK @ O2 Academy

11/13 - Glasgow, UK @ O2 Academy

11/14 - Glasgow, UK @ O2 Academy

11/17 - Newcastle, UK @ O2 City Hall

11/18 - Newcastle, UK @ O2 City Hall

11/19 - Newcastle, UK @ O2 City Hall

11/20 - Birmingham, UK @ O2 Academy

11/21 - Birmingham, UK @ O2 Academy

11/23 - Manchester, UK @ O2 Victoria Warehouse

11/24 - Manchester, UK @ O2 Victoria Warehouse

11/25 - Manchester, UK @ O2 Victoria Warehouse

12/2 - Brisbane, AUS @ Fortitude Music Hall

12/4 - Sydney, AUS @ Sydney Opera House Forecourt

12/6 - Melbourne, AUS @ Sidney Myer Music Bowl

12/9 - Perth, AUS @ Metro City

2/19 - Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall

2/21 - Toronto, CAN @ History

2/22 - Montreal, Canada @ Beanfield Theatre

2/24 - Boston, MA @ Royale

2/26 - Washington DC, WA @ The Fillmore 

2/27 - Brooklyn, New York @ Brooklyn Paramount

3/3 - San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Ballroom 

5/3 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Novo


Connect with Loyle Carner:

Instagram YouTube | TikTok

Ezra Furman Unveils “Power of the Moon” Single/Video | Nat'l Tour | LP out May 16

Ezra Furman


Unveils “Power of the Moon” Single + Video

Available across platforms here


10th Studio Album, Goodbye Small Head

due out May 16 via Bella Union

Goodbye Small Head album pre-order


North American Tour

Tour dates below + here

Photo credit: Eleanor Petry 


Renowned multi-disciplinary artist Ezra Furman has released the new “Power of the Moon” official video, an existentialist wrestling match with whoever’s in charge of the universe. Tinged with psychedelic 60s guitar licks, bouncing percussion and Ezra’s signature lyrical poetry, this is the latest cut off her 10th studio album Goodbye Small Head due out May 16 via Bella Union and available to pre-order here.


Watch + Share: “Power of the Moon” video


Ezra shares about “Power of the Moon”: “I took over five years writing this song. I’m not saying that makes it good, but it does mean that it means a lot to me. It’s another in my series of songs that make sweeping declarations about “the human mind” (cf. “Ordinary Life,” “Poor Girl A Long Way From Heaven”).


The lyric is me taking on a problem I’ve had all my life: I believe in God and I can’t explain why to anyone; I don’t even understand it myself. I have no evidence, no argument and no doubt. I think it might just be the kind of brain that I have, one with a need to “take the frame from the painting / and let the colors bleed out into the room.” I love a diffuse God, one who is everywhere, underlying everything, and who absolutely does not fit into my little consciousness with all its rational rules. My God makes no sense. That’s one thing I love about her. That’s how I know she’s much bigger than anything we could have invented.


When things stop making sense, that’s when the world of night has its hooks in you. That’s when the moon takes over. You wake up one day and you realize you can never really understand anything, and then you’re into the poetic, under the power of the moon.


This spirituality of mine has, annoyingly, not alleviated the existentialist nausea I’ve always felt. I’m overwhelmed by this God-haunted world. The train is on its way to flatten you. The blues come around to devastate you. But I find myself enjoying this nauseous life anyway. Especially when we get a good drum machine going and Jorgen plays a hypnotic bass line and then Sam and Ben come in with their perfect parts and existence feels like a real cool time.


Amazingly, somewhere within me I believed that this could add up to a hit song. God, what’s my problem?”


Written during a maelstrom of overwhelm, the album title is a nuanced homage to the 1999 Sleater-Kinney single “Get Up”. Many songs on the new album are steeped in the helpless transcendence of being suddenly overcome, undone. Over the course of her illustrious career, Furman has scored Netflix’s Sex Education, authored Lou Reed: Transformer for the 33 ⅓ series, became a mother and most recently collaborated with Sharon Van Etten to cover Sinead O’Connor’s “Feel So Different” for the TRANSA benefit compilation by the not for profit organization Red Hot – just to name a few.


Ezra Furman North American Tour - TICKETS


4/24: Lowell, MA @ The Town and The City Festival (solo)

7/8: Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall

7/9: St. Paul, MN @ Amsterdam

7/10: Des Moines, IA @ Lefty’s Live Music

7/13: Indianapolis, IN @ Turntable

7/14: Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups

7/15: Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls Theatre

7/16: Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom

7/17: Ferndale, MI @ The Loving Touch

8/3: San Diego, CA @ Music Box

8/5: Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom

8/6: Santa Cruz, CA @ Moe’s Alley

8/7: San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall

8/10: Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom

8/12: Vancouver, BC @ Hollywood Theatre

8/13: Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile

10/20: Montreal, QC @ Fairmount Theatre

10/21: Toronto, ON @ The Axis Club

10/22: Troy, NY @ No Fun

10/23: Portland, ME @ State Theatre

10/26: Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom

10/27: Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer

10/28: Washington, DC @ Union Stage

10/29: New York, NY @ Webster Hall

SERVICE by John Tottenham Semiotext(e) May 6th 2025 A book review by Alexander Laurence

SERVICE by John Tottenham Semiotext(e) May 6 th 2025 A book review by Alexander Laurence Service is the first novel by John Totten...