April may be the cruellest month — but it could turn out to be the coolest one for new music books, if next week’s lineup is anything to go by. From Jesse Malin’s memoir and bios of Pet Shop Boys, Rolling Stone, Doug & The Slugs (finally) and more, to not one but two musical true-crime tomes — and even a new collection of Rik Emmett’s poetry — there’s a little something for everyone out there. Read all about ’em:
Almost Grown: A New York Memoir
By Jesse Malin
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Almost Grown is a raw, honest and often funny account of how a hyperactive kid from Queens made his dreams come true — and the hustlers, sweethearts, misfits, and lifelong friends he met along the way. With Jesse Malin as its streetwise narrator, the book has more in common with The Basketball Diaries or Just Kids than with a standard rock memoir. Although music is at the core of Malin’s soul, Almost Grown welcomes the reader into the tumultuous inner world of a boy from a broken home determined to create a life he could love. In 2023, Malin was struck with a rare spinal stroke that paralyzed him from the waist down. The longtime runner and vegetarian went public with this news — and his fierce resolve to walk again. The massive outpouring of love and support culminated in the release of Silver Patron Saints: The Songs Of Jesse Malin — with 28 celebrated artists covering his songs to raise money for his recovery. On Dec. 1 and 2, 2024, Malin gave his first public performances since his stroke, taking the stage for two sold-out concerts at New York’s Beacon Theatre.”
Pet Shop Boys Volume: The Complete Visual Record
By Chris Heath & Libby Sellers
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Pet Shop Boys — Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe — are one of the most successful duos in the history of pop. Three-time Brit Award winners and six-time Grammy nominees, they have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, including No. 1 hits such as West End Girls, It’s A Sin and Always On My Mind, and platinum-selling albums, Please, Actually and Very. Uniquely spanning the worlds of music, art, film, theater, design, and fashion, Pet Shop Boys have forged an identity as unforgettable as their sound. From the seminal graphic design of their record sleeves to their groundbreaking videos and innovative stage shows, they have set the bar for the visual presentation of pop. Celebrating the 40th anniversary of their first album in 1986, Pet Shop Boys Volume is the definitive retrospective of the duo’s career. Expanding upon Pet Shop Boys Catalogue, published two decades ago, it presents their entire visual output to date, year by year. The book showcases sleeve artworks and packaging, stills from each video, film, and performance, stage sets and costume designs, photoshoots, publications, and even Christmas cards, as well as every collaboration with luminaries including Mark Farrow, Wolfgang Tillmans, Martin Parr, Bruce Weber, Sam Taylor-Johnson, Derek Jarman, Scott King, Zaha Hadid, Tom Scutt and Es Devlin. Concise commentaries by Chris Heath and Philip Hoare provide illuminating insights into the genesis of each project. With a jacket designed by Farrow and a new conversation between Heath, Tennant, and Lowe, Pet Shop Boys Volume is a visual feast and a sumptuous tribute to four decades of creative innovation.”
Real Enough: The Unlikely Story Of Doug & The Slugs
By Aaron Chapman & Simon Kendall
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Doug & The Slugs carved out a unique spot in the North American music scene after forming in Vancouver in 1977. Too polished to be punk and too irreverent to be slick radio rock, they quickly became hometown favourites. Through a hard-won, rigorous touring schedule, a bar band suddenly found themselves gold record holders, seemingly beloved by everyone from tots to pensioners — a career trajectory almost unheard of today. With a sense of humour never too far from their approach, it thrust lead singer Doug Bennett into the spotlight as the clown prince of Can-rock. But there was a price to be paid, which ultimately questioned the very nature of success. Featuring previously unpublished photos, posters, personal diaries, ticket stubs and Slugs ephemera, Real Enough is at its heart a celebration of Doug & The Slugs, their music, memories, and the ups and downs of lifelong friends, who — as a group of musicians with a lifetime of playing together — still make for a good night out.”
Brand New Beat: The Wild Rise Of Rolling Stone Magazine
By Peter Richardson
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Rolling Stone’s first decade was truly rock ’n’ roll: Chaotic, wild, and unpredictable. Brand New Beat charts the origins and evolution of the magazine during its formative early years in San Francisco. Founded in 1967 by a 21-year-old college dropout, Rolling Stone and its editors were steeped in the Bay Area’s counterculture and viewed rock ’n’ roll as the animating spirit of a social revolution. Reaching beyond music, the magazine delved into the tempestuous culture and politics of the time. Acclaimed author Peter Richardson takes readers inside the iconic magazine during an era of legendary events, major cultural figures, and unforgettable music. Showing how Rolling Stone became a journalistic juggernaut — nurturing music-focused writers like Cameron Crowe, Lester Bangs and Greil Marcus as well as New Journalism giants Hunter S. Thompson and Tom Wolfe — this book reveals how Rolling Stone both exemplified and critiqued the counterculture. Always more than the definitive rock magazine, Rolling Stone leveraged the power of popular music to deliver groundbreaking coverage of historic events, setting a new standard for the next generation of American journalism.”
Starstruck: A Journalist’s Pursuit Of A Fugitive Pop Star, Her Diabolical Maestro, And Their Teenage Sex Cult
By Christopher McDougall
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “In 2000, an international manhunt was underway for Mexican superstar Gloria Trevi, her manager Sergio Andrade, and the young girls in their entourage. They had gone on the run after Trevi and Andrade were accused of the abuse and rape of the girls in their care. How had a superstar gotten involved in a sex cult with nearly a dozen teenage girls? Andrade founded a performing arts school that plucked young girls out of obscurity and promised to cultivate them into stars. His first recruit was Trevi. For many girls and their parents, the opportunity was too tempting to pass up. When a known hitmaker and Mexico’s most famous singer promised they could leave their hard life behind, how could they say no? But already, whispers of abuse had been circulating, and finally, the allegations caught up to them — resulting in a two-year, international chase for the pair and the girls they had taken with them. Finally apprehended in Brazil and imprisoned there, Gloria and Sergio still had tricks up their sleeves. In this hair-raising, masterful investigation, bestselling author and journalist Christopher McDougall uncovers the dark secrets of the “supreme diva of Mexican pop” and her mercurial manager, catching us up on this remarkable case and the civil suit that has recently been brought against them in L.A. Starstruck is an eye-opening story about the allure of fame and the corrupting influence of power.”
California Schemin’: A True Story Of Fakery, Money And Betrayal In The Music Industry
By Gavin Bain
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “How far would you go to make your dreams come true? Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd were two ordinary boys from Dundee with one extraordinary ambition: to become the U.K.’s first hip-hop superstars. Reinventing themselves as Silibil ’N’ Brains, they convinced the music industry they were Californian rap prodigies — pulling off one of the most audacious hoaxes in modern music history. For more than two years, they lived the dream: A huge record deal, MTV appearances, non-stop partying, and rubbing shoulders with Madonna and Eminem. They had fame, money, and everything they’d ever wanted — built on borrowed accents and fabricated pasts. But success came with a ticking clock. The bigger they became, the closer they came to exposure. As the pressure mounted, the lie began to unravel — with devastating consequences. California Schemin’ is a breathtaking true story of ambition, identity and the cost of believing your own myth — now adapted into a major film directed by James McAvoy.”
The Clean: In The Dreamlife You Need A Rubber Soul
By Richard Langston
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “In 1978 in Dunedin , New Zealand, the Kilgour brothers, Hamish and David, and their schoolfriend Peter Gutteridge, got together to form a band called The Clean. When Robert Scott joined in 1980, the band found a combination that endured for nearly 40 years. The Clean profoundly changed alternative music: Hitting the New Zealand charts for months with a single made for $50, Tally Ho!; helping establish Flying Nun and a music scene independent of the big labels; pioneering a low-fi, do-it-yourself approach to rock music; touring the world and influencing bands like Pavement and Yo La Tengo. Raw and immediate, this is the story as told by members of The Clean and their inner circle — fellow musicians such as Chris Knox, Martin Phillipps, Graeme Downes and Ira Kaplan, friends and family, pub promoters and sound engineers, and their good friend Richard Langston. From teenagers in a Dunedin practice room to New York City on 9/11 — this is the band’s history as it unfolds.”
Bowie Odyssey 76
By Simon Goddard
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “1976, and in England the heat is rising. Immigration protests, racist murders, the rise of the National Front and the return of David Bowie, now the Thin White Duke, crowing to the papers how Britain “could benefit from a fascist leader.” But with his incorrigible best buddy Iggy Pop in tow, as he gravitates towards the divided city of Berlin, his wake-up call is coming — and with it a brave new musical direction that will cement Bowie’s place as the most innovative artist of the decade. The seventh volume of Simon Goddard‘s critically acclaimed Bowie Odyssey series is a stark and brutal black-and-white tale of art, anger, discord and salvation.”
Rik Emmett | Leaning Into It: Poems
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Rik Emmett’s second poetry collection originated during the dark limbo of COVID: 2021–22. Five parts go from autofictional narration to observations on the modern world, moving inside out, then outside in. Eventually, Leaning Into It looks beyond. Leaning Into … what? The prevailing chaos of narcissistic, egotistical, patrimonial power-mongering lends these poems renewed vitality, as the author’s frustration and disappointment with current undemocratic global politics play out. How much leaning gets us a tiny bit closer to wisdom? Emmett favors the balatrones, jesters, fools, poets, comedians, and atheists in his social media feeds. Power ignores the balanced values of a sense of humor and a good-natured humility ― but this poetry takes on the world as it is, ultimately leaning into hope.”
The Madman’s Orchestra: The Greatest Curiosities From The History of Music
By Edward Brooke-Hitching
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Join Edward Brooke-Hitching on a backstage tour of the most surprising and eccentric stories in the history of music. From the musical secrets of prehistoric monuments to the future of compositions by artificial intelligence, The Madman’s Orchestra uncovers the most curious tales, madcap musicians, and unusual instruments lost in time. n these pages, discover answers to questions like: What does the song of a black hole sound like? Which composition requires four helicopters and a string quartet with strong stomachs to play it correctly? When should you feed your piano hay? What does the “cat organ” sound like, and is it any more pleasing to the ear than the “hog harmonium”? Fascinating, funny, and at times barely believable, this abundantly illustrated volume is a unique compendium brimming with entertaining facts, stories, and playlists of obscure music that will thrill and delight every music lover.”
Metal Wisdom: Leadership Lessons From Heavy Music
By Krisztina Varga
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Heavy music is loud — but beneath the volume lies something deeper: resilience, identity, honesty, and the courage to face what’s real. Metal Wisdom uses the emotional truth of modern heavy music to reveal what effective leadership requires today: clarity under pressure, grounded intensity, and the ability to lead from who you genuinely are. Through 10 powerful tracks — from Skindred, Jinjer, Electric Callboy, Lorna Shore, Gojira and others — this book transforms raw human themes into practical leadership tools you can use immediately. This isn’t a book about aggression or genre debates. It’s a practical guide to clear, steady, emotionally intelligent leadership — told through the lens of heavy music to amplify the truths people feel but rarely say. Metal Wisdom bridges the gap between the intensity of the pit and the demands of the modern workplace. It’s not a fan diary — it’s a leadership framework built on real experience and emotional honesty. You don’t need to be a metal fan to connect with this book. You only need to be human. Whether you lead a team, a business, or your own development, this book helps you turn your inner edge into something strategic, grounded, and impactful.”
Post Malone’s Big Rig Vol. 1
By Post Malone, Adrian Wassel & Nathan Gooden
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Evil Dead meets Mad Max: Fury Road in Post Malone’s Big Rig, a sulfur-soaked, pedal-to-the-metal gorefest set in medieval Europe, where the only thing standing in the way of the horde of demons infesting the continent is a mysterious armored 18-wheeler seemingly sent from the heavens. In the Dark Ages, demon hordes plague Europe as Hell invades Earth. The Six Petals, a secret sect of The Knights Templar, pray for a holy weapon to drive back the scourge. What crashes to earth instead is The Big Rig, a fully loaded tractor trailer. In the aftermath of its arrival, the only man left standing is an enigmatic former priest. He will become Trucker and lead the fight against Hell — with 25 tons and 18 wheels of demon-slaying machine. It was created by Post Malone, written by Malone and Adrian Wassel, drawn by Barbaric co-creator and Dark Knights of Steel artist Nathan Gooden.