Thursday, November 18 2010
How Close Is Too Close? One Music Writer Considers Where to Draw the Line
Why do we write about music? Why do we try to surround ourselves with people who either share that love or are at the very least part of the reason we feel the way we do? And why, if we sincerely love when those lines cross, can't we do something about it?
Thursday, September 23 2010
Accentuate the Positive: Why Music Critics Write So Many Favorable Reviews
The author is expected to not only justify the album’s existence, but to justify the need to write about it in the first place. Is it any wonder then that such an intensely personal (and often defensive) writing tends to veer towards positivism?
Tuesday, April 6 2010
“A Fanatical Fan with Fanatical Opinions”: An Interview with Jim DeRogatis
Noted pop music critic Jim DeRogatis discusses much with PopMatters, including getting into fights with Wayne Coyne, why Lou Reed is frustrating to talk to, and why Lollapalooza is Wal-Mart ...
Wednesday, March 31 2010
Rush: Rock Music and the Middle Class—Dreaming in Middletown by Chris McDonald
If, like me, you’re a plebe who doesn’t go in for this sort of analysis, go listen to Permanent Waves.
Tuesday, January 8 2008
Coltrane: The Story of a Sound by Ben Ratliff
Story of a Sound isn't just the story of a sound. It's a piece of jazz criticism that passionately questions and enhances the role of jazz criticism.
The Boy Who Cried Freebird by Mitch Myers
Despite reading like a book set on random, Myers is a fantastic writer with a great ear for rhythm.
Thursday, March 29 2007
Inside the Music of Brian Wilson by Philip Lambert
It's the ultimate in the band A = band B + band C style of music criticism, and it grows old quickly.
Wednesday, December 6 2006
Who Owns What?: Engaging the Fog of Hip-Hop
How do the "artist" and "critic" reconcile each other's presence? How literally must one walk this way in order to talk that way?
