You've Got the Links

This week’s links dispatch is brought to you from the kids who keep knocking on my bedroom window because they think it’s funny to make my puppy lose her shit barking. And all the naps it inspired. Next week will be sponsored by barbed wire.

Good Reads

The Animals Are Talking. What Does It Mean? (New York Times)

I love it when the linguists and the biologists fight. This isn’t an article about dogs pushing buttons, but about the very definition of communication, down to the biology that humans have selected as a defining factor and deconstructing the meanings of chirps, sonic reverberations, and gestures.

Breaking Down the ‘Jaw-Dropping’ Lawsuit That Has All of Reggaeton in Its Sights (Billboard)

If you know me at all, you already know I’m obsessed with lawsuits involving copyright and music. This one is a humdinger that seeks, 30 years after the fact, to grant ownership of a rhythmic pattern to two musicians — one of whom is dead. Is it a giant overreach or will their lawyers establish legitimate grounds? Given the way the legal system for copyright has been going the past decade, who knows. But the implications for an entire genre of music are serious.

Unrestrained by Tradition, Mexican Wine Finds Itself at a Crossroads (Wine Enthusiast)

Truly everything you need to know about Mexican wine, its embrace of sustainable methods, and why its production is already in danger from tourism — all written by a name some of you music nerds might recognize as the longtime publicist at Sub Pop and Matador, depending on which era your nerdery rests in.

Peak Badu (The Cut)

Erykah Badu is an enigma, but she isn’t. This is a profile of her, but it’s poetry. I’ve met her, I’ve listened to her music, and I still have no idea who she is — and this piece offers a good interpretation of why.

As Temperatures Rise, Bakers Are Feeling the Burn (Eater)

I bought a bag of ciabatta rolls at Costco, giving no mind to the energy it took not only to bake them this summer but to keep the space those ovens must have been habitable for humans. Or the refrigerators that kept the dough cold and how much harder they had to work. Or how much product might have been wasted baking during the summer. I’m thinking about it now.

Ladies and gentlemen, a song for the September Gurls.

Good Stuff

Weigh for It with Ronald Young, Jr.

I started this podcast after seeing it in Podcast: The Newsletter and I began with a collaborative episode with Articles of Interest called “Articles of Weight.” I have never heard the reasons that mass retailers don’t make plus size clothing, despite some 60+ percent of the population of America being plus, like this. It made me think about who tells stories in the podcast world, why a lot of influencer podcasts don’t work for me, and how much I appreciate in-depth research that is packaged as storytelling.

Now You’re One of Us by Asa Nonami

If you’re looking for a scary season read, this is a chilling, slow-motion thriller about family secrets and hidden ancestry. If you’re into culty stuff, it hits those notes too.

The Grip of It by Jac Jemac

Another great spooky season read about mental health in which a house is more than a house. I read it right after I bought and moved into my first house and it scared the crap out of me.

Feels Like Fall on Spotify

My fall playlist, all too brief (probably) just like this season. Full of randomness, oldies, and seasonal comforts. It’s a mood.

My Stuff

El Carlos Elegante Asks Diners to Reconsider What They Think They Know About Mexican Food (Eater Dallas)

Ever just completely wiff it on a first draft? That happened to me with this article. It finally went up and, thanks to the patience of many people, turned out pretty well. The photos were totally different from anything we’ve ever done — we captured the staff having family meal on a Monday. The idea sprung from a moment in the interview, when chef Aguilar said their family meal is usually as good as, and often better than, what’s on the menu. And seeing the faces of the often invisible Latinx people who prepare the food at fancy restaurants all over Dallas felt like a move.

Anyway, my autumn’s done come even if the temperature in Dallas hit 100 today. I’m cosplaying fall with brown sugar syrup in my coffee and my lightest sweaters.