October 23rd, 2012 at 11:57AM
Bat For Lashes turned 30 and went full life-reclaimative, feminist. I reviewed that shit. 

Bat For Lashes turned 30 and went full life-reclaimative, feminist. I reviewed that shit. 

20 notes #bat for lashes#feminism#feminist shit#strong chicas#the haunted man#music criticism
July 5th, 2012 at 3:20PM
I wrote a bit here about Frankie, and his new album, Channel Orange. Photo by Nabil Elderkin, from my Spin feature on him. Excerpts from my notes written during the listening session: this talented motherfucker this dude is a total student of his predecessors really doe? the fuck!! this is like when kellz first emerged or d’angelo is this what people felt like when they first heard purple rain or hot buttered soul depth of the production is bazonkers epic. amazing. i need better speakers.  THIS DUDE IS LIKE A FUCKING BEACON IN THE FUCKING NIGHT this song is making me think about the afghan poppy trade. WHAT THE HELL THO fundamental respect for women and women’s work FRANK THE FUCK THO DOG! etc. Obviously, I think that the record is good.

I wrote a bit here about Frankie, and his new album, Channel Orange. Photo by Nabil Elderkin, from my Spin feature on him.

Excerpts from my notes written during the listening session:

this talented motherfucker

this dude is a total student of his predecessors

really doe? the fuck!!

this is like when kellz first emerged or d’angelo

is this what people felt like when they first heard purple rain or hot buttered soul

depth of the production is bazonkers

epic. amazing. i need better speakers. 

THIS DUDE IS LIKE A FUCKING BEACON IN THE FUCKING NIGHT

this song is making me think about the afghan poppy trade. WHAT THE HELL THO

fundamental respect for women and women’s work

FRANK THE FUCK THO DOG!

etc.


Obviously, I think that the record is good.

48 notes #frank ocean#channel orange#nabil elderkin#R&B#music#music criticism#important album
February 28th, 2012 at 9:44AM
It’s a shot at everybody. It’s a shot at the stereotypes that people hold and perpetrate against the lower class, ignoring the diversity of the different people and mindsets. It’s also a shot at white rap journalists who are the biggest re-inforcers of these stereotypes through their limited understanding of the culture and environments they write about. — Big Baby Gandhi, saying what everyone is thinking (and also saying)
10 notes #race#music#music criticism#rap
January 4th, 2012 at 1:55AM
Daphne Carr, Carl Wilson and Ann Powers on "Retromania"

cureforbedbugs:

katherinestasaph:

More roundtables! This one’s really good.

Daphne and Carl demolish a book that I’ve been hesitant to read. (Will probably read it someday, I guess. When there aren’t other books to read.)

YESSSSS. DAPHNE OBLITERATES IT. I hated this book so much, it was so antithetical to life and youth and kids figuring out who they are, among other things. And her point about women in the book was well considered. I’ve had a problem with Reynolds’ writing about women since his book with his (awesome) wife Joy Press, which felt like a book almost exclusively about men masquerading as a feminist book (though I’m a bit foggy about all of this as I haven’t read it in several years). [Also the piece that Ann mentions, while well-intentioned, essentially read to me like the synth version of one of those horrible rock mag articles: “WOMEN are playing guitar! AND THEY ROCK!”]

EITHER WAY, read this if you are interested in music criticism, its past (unchecked Reynolds-worship itself could be considered a form of Retromania) and its future. 
37 notes Source: katherinestasaph #MUSIC CRITICISM