Imagine you’re walking through the woods, and you encounter a tree. Suppose you knew that you could have your voice amplified, and your projects circulated, and you could capture the esteem of your peers, and all you have to do to make that happen is chop that tree down. You’d do it, wouldn’t you? If you’re an artist […]
Category Archives: in defense of the genre
Uncle Joe
If Joe Biden were a candidate for the Presidency of California, he wouldn’t win. Californians, it’s pretty clear, would choose somebody better aligned with their own values. Likewise, if he were running for President of this particular house, internal polls suggest he’d be doomed. We’d pick Hilary, or maybe Isobel the Cat. Joe wouldn’t even […]
Critics Poll XXII — Singles
Let’s get the foregone conclusion over with first: 1. Adele — “Rolling In The Deep” (284) There was a moment in December when I thought “Video Games” would win, but that was before we found out Lana Del Rey was a Nazi war criminal or something. Just as it was in the world outside the […]
Critics Poll XXII — Albums
In “The Courage to Be,” the kickass theologian Paul Tillich argues that anxiety is fundamental to the human condition. Confronted by the inevitability of death, we’re hounded by the anxiety of impending nonbeing. Unleashed on earth without any instructions about what we’re supposed to do here, we face the anxiety of meaninglessness. And since in […]
Critics Poll 22
The Critics Poll is back for the 22nd time. You are invited to participate. As always, fill out as much or as little as you want. Please include a name and where you’re from. I like to know! Press the “Hit me!” button on the bottom when you’re done. Deadline for voting: February 3. I’ll […]
The Myth Of The Acid No-Hitter, And Other Drug Stories
As a kid learning about baseball, Dock Ellis was, to me, just another face on a bubblegum card. Not a particularly valuable card, either, considering Ellis was doing his pitching in near-anonymity under the Arlington sun. I would have given you three of Dock for one of Amos Otis or John “The Count” Montefusco. Shortly […]
Critics Poll XX: My Ballot
I’ve always underrated Belle & Sebastian. In ’97, If You’re Feeling Sinister won this poll. I had it behind (among other things) Funcrusher Plus, Be Here Now, and the Dubstar singles collection. I’ve come to count Dear Catastrophe Waitress among the two or three best albums released this decade. It was #5 on my ’03 […]
Critics Poll XX: Miscellany
Man, I love those miscellaneous categories. Gives everybody a chance to pop off and get cranky, and if this Internet isn’t for cranks, I don’t know what it’s for. I’m itching to get to my own ballot, so I’m going to try not to get bogged down with too much explanation. Breeze in, breeze out; […]
Critics Poll XX: Miscellany, Part Two
Trends For 2010 Matt Sirinides: Don’t make me say a blog buzz word. Sudeep Dutt: NOISE. Jason Paul: Hipster music (Ke$ha finally breaks the mainstream.) Efrain Calderon: New artists delivering over-hyped debuts that will be forgotten before you can clap your hands and say, “Yeah!”. Sara Hayes: Lots of crappy pop music, and not enough […]
Disastro
I am really sorry about this. I’ve been struggling with this interface, and today, it tripped me up. For reasons I don’t understand, the software reverted to a prior save just as I was about to post the Miscellaneous Categories page. That page is the biggie. It takes me about two days to do. The […]