Rolling 2004 Rock Crit Thread

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Please provide examples of recent reviews/essays/articles/blog-entries/books/leaflets/etc that you feel are mighty fine and worth a shout-out. Please provide links when you can. I'm always looking for something good to read. If you must provide examples of stuff that is horrible, make sure that it is really horrible (and thus, entertaining on some level) and/or worthy of debate/discussion. Thanks, you've all been great! As you were.

― scott seward (scott seward), Sunday, 8 August 2004 15:27 (twenty-one years ago)

And speaking of ILM, I would like to call attention to Ian Christe's fine Peccatum review in the October issue of Metal Maniacs and Philip Sherburne's equally fine review of Kompakt 100 in the July issue of Wire. (hey, I get around.) They can be found at a news kiosk near you.

― scott seward (scott seward), Sunday, 8 August 2004 15:31 (twenty-one years ago)

good idea scott (this thread)

― s1ocki (slutsky), Sunday, 8 August 2004 15:36 (twenty-one years ago)

(i have nothing to add to it though, at present--i liked david edelstein's review of i, robot in slate though! i know that's not rock but it made me laugh)

― s1ocki (slutsky), Sunday, 8 August 2004 15:37 (twenty-one years ago)

HEY. I can't keep up with that shit, although SeattleWeekly.com's usually got somethin good on, and that freelancementalists.blogspot.com/ (leave out the wuhwuhwuh yal or you won't get nuthin.) Got a kleenex? Thank you baby. Now! Books!TROPICAL TRUTHS, by Caetano Veloso. He's a musical weenie, but if it's cause he was busy thinkin bout this book, then thats ok. It's like a goddam glass-menagerie-with-christmas-lights-inside-to-show-you-the-way-to-Rubik's-Cube-Chronology, of Tropicalia and Brazil itself, ANYWAY. It makes perfect sense, multi-D. No I wasn't callin *you Multi-D, Rikwando, dont be so sensitive (oh you want me too? well alright then hee)Hic! Oh gawd, better wind this up GOOD BYE LITTLE ROCK & ROLLER, by Marshall Chapman. She's not fat, but otherwise all that, like me hee. It's like autobio in the form of How I Cum To Write That Song: 12 songs or however many it is, with a chapter for each. She goes off on tangent, but always comes back home to the point if she's got one. CD of the songs discussed is also arond, but I don't have it. She's musically 70s Southern Rock & Some Country, which means she tried to bumrush Nashville about 25 years too soon; would be mainstream country now. HAUNTED WEATHER: MUSIC, SILENCE AND MEMORY, by David Toop. Book and its soundtrack are both my-t fine. HEY

― BigFatDrunkChickWithABoomBox, Sunday, 8 August 2004 18:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Who the hell are you and why haven't you posted here before?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 8 August 2004 18:39 (twenty-one years ago)

Ah don't sweat it Mr. Ned cos AHHM,Every, wo-man (our time is now). Well, got kicked out of Barnes & Noble again (they can *afford* a new carpet they were gonna buy INGRAM okay). But, I found some real nice music mags first. If you dig digital but get tired of Mixmag and all those goin ITS GRATE MATE in your face all summer long, and CANT FIND THE WIRE Skot you damn yankee,(sugar on abooboo), then check out: e i ("music electronic and otherwise"), Signal To Noise, and Grooves. The frst 2 are more brainy heady funninfo, butt Grooves is solid statetron too and will call a bore a bore (and a fun a fun don't worry).Also, more wide-ranging is Bob Bert/Linda Wolfe's bb gun, which is like Forced Exposure without fixdulgence of Swanic Oldth and Al Beenie (but *with* Coley and others u mite want writing hunnerts of tiny review). Also good interviews like with James Chance and Vincent Gallobreath for instance. I'm getting a contact high from his b.o. better go HEY

― BigFatDrunkChickWithABoomBox, Monday, 9 August 2004 02:03 (twenty-one years ago)

That hurt my eyes.

― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Monday, 9 August 2004 03:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Rob Sheffield's Franz Ferdinand piece in the Voice was excelente.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Monday, 9 August 2004 03:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, this isn't recent, it's from back in the '90s, but here's Sheffield's review in Radio On of Bryan Adams's "Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman":

"No, I mean, have you ever really loved a woman? I mean, really really? Have you ever ever really really really loved a woman? Huh? I'm talking to you, pal!"

And his review of Jill Sobule's "I Kissed a Girl":

"Yeah, but have you ever really loved a woman?"

― Frank Kogan (Frank Kogan), Monday, 9 August 2004 05:24 (twenty-one years ago)

OH Mr. ROB I LUV U especially in "Details." Y Dont U Call Me No More?HEY

― BigFatDrunkChickWithABoomBox, Monday, 9 August 2004 21:28 (twenty-one years ago)

that franz article is tops. Cheers tim. Very amusing. Is f*** puppy a word in common parlance these days? i'm way out of the loop.

― gallantseagull, Tuesday, 10 August 2004 05:28 (twenty-one years ago)

that bryan adams review is the kind i thing i would've found funny at age 12. maybe. the franz ferdinand thing is ok.

― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 05:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Sheffield's a moron, esp. since I recall him dismissing '90s techno as nothing but a bunch of one-hit wonders. Moreso for gushing over Cobain's diaries like he did.

― Gear! (Gear!), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 05:39 (twenty-one years ago)

The FF thing is pretty well written; it makes me want to listen to a band I dislike and find horribly overrated.

― djdee2005, Tuesday, 10 August 2004 05:40 (twenty-one years ago)

I liked this part OK:

Franz Ferdinand's beat has been compared to Talking Heads a few times, but that seems totally off—the obvious template is Blondie, whose rhythm section circa "Atomic" and "Rapture" the Franz lads have obviously studied in Talmudic detail, and their point of reference is disco, not funk. Their DOR frivolity is an explicit rejection of the clamped-down gender roles of guitar rock in the late '90s.

though it tells us as much or more about what the band isn't as what it is.

otherwise, the only thing the article has to say about FF's music is that it "rocks without a coy wink" (use other verbs plz) ...is "unbelievably sexy and slithery" (ok) ...has "dance-oriented rock riffs" (does he mean guitars?) and maybe sounds something like Blondie, The B-52s, and/or Breeders (although sheffield pulls the tiresome rhetorical trick of crediting these associations to an uncertain "you"--though as noted above he gets into the Blondie association in more detail later).

― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 05:48 (twenty-one years ago)

At least he DOES say those things about their music in a piece that was primarily about the song "Michael," not about the band in general.

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 05:54 (twenty-one years ago)

oh i know, i liked that aspect ok.

― |a|m|t|r|s|t| (amateurist), Tuesday, 10 August 2004 05:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Dave Q. Metallica. Like I need to say anything else.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 15:53 (twenty-one years ago)

I liked this:

http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0432/catucci.php

― scott seward (scott seward), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 20:29 (twenty-one years ago)

dave q's yes piece is this year right?

― cinniblount (James Blount), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 20:47 (twenty-one years ago)

Sure was.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 20:48 (twenty-one years ago)

can't agree about Franz Ferdinand and disco, and I don't mind FF. it's just not very discoey!

― Ronan (Ronan), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 20:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Not to turn this into a Dave Q only thread, but I thought his Fleetwood Mac review was actually the best I have read this year.

http://www.seattleweekly.com/features/0426/040630_music_fleetwoodmac.php.

― Scott CE (Scott CE), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 20:52 (twenty-one years ago)

I feel brain-damaged after reading that (in a good way).

― Fergal (Ferg), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 21:38 (twenty-one years ago)

xpost Ronan, you don't think there is a strong dance music undercurrent in FF? I don't know that I agree with Sheffeild that there is MORE Blondie than talking heads in FF, but there is certainly some Blondie, or at least some disco, and probably some Prince.

― Scott CE (Scott CE), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 21:44 (twenty-one years ago)

And some Josef K.

― JoB (JoB), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 22:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Let us not forget their Sparks fascination.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 11 August 2004 22:45 (twenty-one years ago)

That FM piece was AWESOME. Wow, Dave Q is way funnier when you actually know enough about the band to get all of the jokes ...

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Thursday, 12 August 2004 00:10 (twenty-one years ago)

dave q makes me feel like killing myself

― jess's corpse, Thursday, 12 August 2004 00:13 (twenty-one years ago)

he's a godsend, but people, if we all were dave q the trains would never run on time

― CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Thursday, 12 August 2004 00:15 (twenty-one years ago)

last thing I want is no more Jess and Matt C reviews

― CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Thursday, 12 August 2004 00:16 (twenty-one years ago)

in fact I might sacrifice Dave q to keep you guys, honestly

― CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Thursday, 12 August 2004 00:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Matt's Usher and Pastor Troy reviews and the overwhelming majority of Blackie Lawless Fan Club as my motive

― CeCe Peniston (Anthony Miccio), Thursday, 12 August 2004 00:17 (twenty-one years ago)

Matt's great!

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 12 August 2004 00:20 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.lastplanetojakarta.com/2004/8/writein5.html

'If Richard Nixon had written Pies, he'd still be president today, even though he's dead.'

― Fergal (Ferg), Thursday, 12 August 2004 01:32 (twenty-one years ago)

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