OK, is this the worst piece of music writing ever?

Idk you'd have to ask them. Her blog has a lot of readers so there's clearly some appeal there

If there's one thing we need to fight for, it's not the right of average listeners to opine at length.

uggh

i want to read more about naive people engaging in things like records or drinking expensive wine without context because i suspect their reactions cut more to the essential properties of the thing (this seminal record is blah, this expensive wine tastes the same as box wine) unaided by the heavy lifting of the culture around it, but the sense I got from her record blog was she was actually pretty well-informed about what sort of space each record was supposed to occupy.

"Opine" isn't what she does though. The blog is a journal of her listening experience. I've only read a few entries, but they're well written and probably relatable for people who feel intimidated by their local record shop. There are many levels on which one can engage with a work and she is candid about the lack of prior knowledge she brings to her listening. In an era when anyone can feign expertise using google, this is actually a cool thing to see.

sorry xp

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tS8oyl1gygs

that's fine for a blog, treezy. but what about the 'column space' that goes to thing-of-the-moment nonprofessional noncritics like her from media outlets looking to get their content on the cheap?

exactly -- that's what blogging is for and blog on, avg ppl

I for one welcome more non-specialist, regular joe, shoot-from-the-gut opinions being bruited about on the internet, because I have been starved for such opinions both in real life and on the blogosphere, as they have been drowned out by the so-called 'experts.'

Gotta say, Tree Cool, going on a message board frequented by rock critics in various states of employ and declaring, "I wish more major outlets would replace informed opinions with glorified Amazon reviews by, oh, whatever dumbass they can find" is A+ trolling.

hey that almost makes underemployment sound european and sexy

I'd rather read your reviews than hers, Whiney, but the appeal of her blog is also obvious to me. She's a good writer and her posts aren't really comparable to Amazon reviews imo. I can't really do anything about the job market for writers and didn't say anything about who should and shouldn't be paid to write.

there is generally more/better writing on her blog than people give her credit for, probably because everyone stopped reading it after the outrage died down, "leave the writing to the REAL WRITERS" gatekeeping rarely sits well with me (column space/pay is a consideration but in a lot of cases I think it's deployed as an excuse) and in theory I love the idea of someone doing a project like this and gradually learning more about music and writing and confidence in one's own opinions, however:

- the review was mostly not about the book at all, and my main takeaway from it was "this book sounds fascinating and I want to read more about *it*"
- the idea that something written by a woman, especially someone with as much of a resume as petrusich, is automatically a referendum on How Women Write About Music, sits even worse with me. put another way, I don't understand the mindset where you read/engage with a book like this and what you find most compelling/of interest for non-clickbait-chasing readers isn't "literally scuba diving to the bottom of a river to search for records" but "woman! writing!" or "my blog, let me tell you about it."

yeah the article mainly made me aware of and curious about the book but the 'angle' of the piece seemed a little myopic

the review was mostly not about the book at all, and my main takeaway from it was "this book sounds fascinating and I want to read more about *it*"

Also true of pretty much every book review ever published in The New Yorker, to be fair...

there are ways of being 'not a REAL writer' and there are ways

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9Y3mWDkB6o

According to wikipedia, the last song, “Spoon,” was Can’s only big hit. It was a hit single in Germany. Interesting, because it does not sound like a typical hit!

such good writing

boy that sure makes me want to check out can

If I want to read something amusing if relatively clueless, Chuck Klosterman already exists.

lol i'm not sure i actually read that blog during the initial hub-bub. all in all it's some of most amateurish asinine garbage i've read in my life. all in all in all in all. all in all in all in all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0drC8qVMRk

the review was mostly not about the book at all, and my main takeaway from it was "this book sounds fascinating and I want to read more about *it*"

Also true of pretty much every book review ever published in The New Yorker, to be fair...

― Humorist (horse) (誤訳侮辱), Sunday, July 13, 2014 5:10 PM (6 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

most of those new yorker reviews just seem like the "reviewer" summarizing the book(s) and perhaps throwing in a few critical sentences so it passes as a review/critique. it almost seems like the design is to make actually reading the reviewed book(s) superfluous. IDGI.

are you talking about the 'briefly noted' section? the new yorker for sure does thoughtful book essays.

She's a good writer and her posts aren't really comparable to Amazon reviews imo.

Paris 1919:

Okay, we’re back to romance on side two with “Paris 1919.” This song has almost a musical feel to it

I don't care if some idiot has a blog but praising the writing is a bridge too far

Totally. Here's Trout Mask Replica

Looking at the picture of these hippies on the back cover though, and thinking about how the 1950’s were so straight and polished and then the world basically went crazy in the 60s, it makes you realize that you really can do whatever you want with music, and you should do it.

gonna start "my wife's stupid science experiments" and make snide comments about what her bacterial slides look like

tmi

you really can do whatever you want with music writing

this strain has kind of an... angular look

xpost

Here's Trout Mask Replica
Replacing my copy of Stranded right now with that blog.

it's a long way to the top if you're gonna write a blog

no, that's our whole complaint in this thread, that it's not long at all

lonnggg nights
impossible odds
keepin my eye to the clickhoooole

Couple of local bands here did a gig where they covered McCartney's Ram in it's entirety. (I was there and it was fun). This review showed up in one of the local rags:

Sprïng and Synthcake took the stage to cover Ram, an album which has come to be recognized as an “archetypal indie-rock album.” With a few others dipping on stage occasionally, the sizable group possessed multidiscipline talent enough for a high fidelity capture of Ram’s features: numerous harmonies, keyboard stomping, silly vocalizations, brass instrumentation—the good stuff. The two bands were especially apt for the project given their psychedelic focuses. At risk of listing off the individuals on stage and their respective contributions, or overemphasizing any single person’s contributions, the set was extremely cohesive. Ram, for better or worse, was hated—and is adored—for being a light and fun album and the stage was rife with people who were having a good time. It’s great being able to share that.
While it was an intimate event, when the main event had begun, numerous sans-baby-faced individuals had settled around the venue, undoubtedly there for the promise of Ram. As far as I could tell, they weren’t disappointed. It’s easy to feel like you’re on the outside looking in, but I think everyone at the Biltmore that night was in their element.

"numerous [Comic] sans-baby-faced individuals"

Surprised no one posted this from like two weeks ago: http://arts.nationalpost.com/2014/07/07/concert-review-toronto-urban-roots-festival-sees-neutral-milk-hotel-july-talk-jeff-tweedy-turn-in-memorable-sets/

That deservedly attained cult status on Twitter and Facebook. I assumed I first came across it itt but maybe not.

I still think it's satirizing live reviews.

The first rule of the "worst piece of music writing ever" thread is that entries could be confused with satire.

But wow, Neutral Milk Hotel was mind-blowing. Lots of people have said they’re admirers but I didn’t know their stuff. The singer looked like he was on Duck Dynasty. Their music is sort of like Wilco, but dreamier.

LOL

otm

That reminds me of a shitty review of Dirty Projectors where whoever it was described their sound as a warped pavement record. Some people just have a very limited pool of artists they know about per genre so they'll desperately try to make comparisons that make no sense.

this song is just another rearrangement of the notes mozart used

Jeff Mangum reads "sort of like Wilco, but dreamier", disappears for another 15 years.

http://www.end-your-sleep-deprivation.com/images/awake-vs-rem-sleep-brain-activity.jpg

Jeff Mangum reads "sort of like Wilco, but dreamier", disappears for another 15 years.

god, i hope so!!!!

I thought this was horrible: The 10 Biggest Classic Rock Douchebags

I know, let's shoot a few fish in a barrel, take down a few sacred cows, and scribble 1200 mostly snarky words about them. At some point the author goes from calling out douchebag behavior to simply complaining about their music which seems to be a different thing altogether, meaning he didn't even know his thesis, let alone that it sucked.

I am a fan of some of the musicians on this list and there's a few I don't much like. But the author made me want to get every boxset they cumulatively released, move in next door to the dude and play them at massive volume like they do to people holding hostages until he gave up music writing and became a circus clown.

i feel like LA weekly is sort of known for these kinds of lists where they claim that people widely regarded as great are actually the worst. i love dylan and reed as much as i love anything, but i still think it's sort of funny in a juvenile way to provoke classic rawk fans with these obviously disingenuous arguments.