Article Response: Hannah Marcus

Nope, here it is.

Geez guys, I'd really like some feedback. Really. Please? Hello? This thing on?

Patended notes style irks in long form. Pop piece as term paper alienates this Forced Exposure devotee, perhaps because of lack of any favorite stylistic tics as reference points. Eminently capable, less likeable because of it. Liked point made w/r/t Will Oldham. Liked "Then there's Lambchop, and I can't really figure them out." Liked closing paragraph. Would've doubtlessly been more compelling were I familiar with Hannah Marcus. Better than the Wire, with exception of Pouncey. Looking forward to future appearances by Sterling Clover in Freaky Trigger, sure to be above all intensely interesting.

It's a mess, but in the good sense. It will take me a while (and some rereading, I think) to think of something to say, though.

I enjoyed the personal history of Americana - and I think it's cool of Tom to put up an article about alt.country, since I would think (perhaps incorrectly) that he actively dislikes the genre. A lot of the rest lost me - partly because I'm not all interested in Hannah Marcus, partly because I'm not smart enough to understand it ("chronotopic structure" ??). I'm looking forward to more articles by Sterling - I like In Review and his posts here a lot.

Just re-read the Palace section and your comments on the bad-for-you thread - I think it's interesting that you see Palace as a kind of indie-infantile wallower's music. I find him a) much too gnomic and b) much too distanced for that (and I love nothing more than a good indie wallow). Similarly it's hard to avoid the suspicion of distance with the current, more domestic, material, but for whatever reason that stuff is resonating with me more.

Well, it was that sort of music for me at least. I think I started to more dislike palace when I met some LA hipster Moz fan my freshman year who recognized the album I was playing, and I sort of lost that intimacy. But I was on Palace-L for a while, and it had that feel. And I mean this is a certain Palace period -- "There Is No One What Will..." is a different story, partly. But the singles (collected on Lost Blues) and the tunes from Viva! Last Blues and the s/t third... they moved into what I'm talking about. I haven't followed his laters stuff really. He might be moving more to a certain distance now -- especially having gone as "Bonnie Prince" it makes it a good deal harder to take him as seriously as I used to. Maybe if I used to take Backstreet or whatever as "deep" and serious, and connecting with me, and then I grew up and gained some distance, then that could produces the same sort of eventual attitude. Oldham's "sense of humor" that fans laud is his ability to out-prick Lou Reed.