Song Of The Year Since William Godwin, the social-problem novel has had several periods of vogue: the early Industrial Revolution, World War I and its aftermath, the White Shadow 1970s, etc. Its central premise — that a reader can emerge from her encounter with a work of art with her compassion for the downtrodden enhanced […]
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Critics Poll 27 — Page three and a half
Ben Krieger asked some questions that I felt I should stop and think about. This is my attempt to answer him. Why do family and friends always instinctively frame our talents potential within the confines of a capitalist model? I know what you’re getting at, and I sympathize — the arts aren’t a business enterprise, […]
Critics Poll 27 — Miscellaneous Stuff
There’s a damned good case to be made that I shouldn’t be doing this at all. In a time of national crisis, squawking about the wonders of the Knowles sisters and various college rock bands is at best uncouth and at worst a conciliatory distraction. I ought to be devoting my attention and my talents, […]
Critics Poll 27 — Singles
Rock is fine. That’s not the present consensus. Nostalgic music fans often treat rock as if it’s on the ropes, or imperiled by inattention in the age of 140 characters, or the exclusive possession of an older generation that won’t share it with newer ones that wouldn’t understand its glories anyway. The Rock And Roll […]
ISIS is baiting you. Don’t fall for it.
This was originally written on November 16, 2015. I’m re-posting it here today because… well, you know why. Travel safe, everybody. Grief, as C.S Lewis explained, can prompt a rational man to do foolish things. For instance, just last night, I read the comments. Not just the comments — I read several articles in famous […]
Play the game tonight ’16
Croquet is satisfying, and video games are addictive, and political scheming has its time and place. But the older I get, the more fun I require, and the more fiercely I cling to my first love: boardgames. Not just any board games, either, but meticulously designed and beautifully illustrated ones that have been coming at […]
Yum ’16
I’ve always been a little suspicious of record reviewers who don’t play in bands. How can they properly evaluate an album if they’re unfamiliar with the delicate art of sticking quarter-inch cables in holes and/or screen freezes and “ProTools has unexpectedly quit” errors? Consequently, as I appear to be incapable of making toast without burning […]
A year in music, and counting
They call me the count because I love to count, and also because of my irritating habit of turning into a bat at night. By day I continue my obsessive-compulsive behavior: list-making, hand-washing, piano practicing, songwriting, etc. Inspired by my role model On Kawara, who seemed like a real g-d head case, I’ve gotten into […]
Critics Poll 27
Couldn’t exactly call it popular demand. But a few people I like very much have asked whether we’re bringing the Critics Poll back for its twenty-seventh year. Since I worry what you say about me when my back is turned, I’m obliging. The rules are the same as always: fill out as much or as little as you like. […]
Listening Schedule 2016
So if you don’t know how we play this game, it goes a little something like this: each day we select two albums released in 2016 and give them an extremely attentive spin. They won’t be the only two albums we listen to that day, but they’ll be the ones we really concentrate on. Because […]