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

xp waterface yes

hi 5 marcos

pretty sure british publications have a cover template that has an empty photo slot and insert-band-name spot that reads "____ Are Here to Save Rock n' Roll!!!"

disappointed that ted gioia doesn't know that totally shredding is a v. precise term of praise, though he was supposed to be a discerning critic

He IS a discerning critic: he read several music publications lying on his coffee table

Serious question: Have you guys heard of Ted Gioia before today?

"the leading music periodicals"

http://www.neh.gov/files/imagecache/neh_large/divisions/preservation/images/papersbg.jpg

I follow him on Twitter. He's fairly well-known.

I know him because of jazz stuff

know of him, I mean

x-posts but only if you really believe that "The NME" and "the British Music Press" are synonymous.

i have his history of jazz sitting on the shelf next to me

This really stuck out at me:

The pentatonic scale is a simple concept—just five notes (do, re, mi, so, la) we all learned as children.

"we all". Because yes, I learned what a pentatonic scale was, as a child, but only because my parents were wealthy enough to afford private music lessons. He's blaming the music press when he seems to omit how much musical education has been slashed from the majority of schools. (I have no idea what any of his "football" terminology means either, but hey.)

cmon public schools have pianos with black keys too

People have technical conversations about music all the time, they just use different vocabularies, values, terms, etc. Or tools for that matter. There's so much wrong about piece - but it mostly seems to stem from its belief in a singular public, a set of norms to assess best practice, a single sonic language. I mean, that article can't be serious. It's too crazy.

My public school taught us basic musical concepts, but I do have a feeling that fewer public schools do it now, and that really does pain me, a lot. But I don't think that's the or a primary reason why a review of Justin Bieber doesn't read like NYTimes Classical Music criticism.

People have technical conversations about music all the time, they just use different vocabularies, values, terms, etc. Or tools for that matter. There's so much wrong about piece - but it mostly seems to stem from its belief in a singular public, a set of norms to assess best practice, a single sonic language. I mean, that article can't be serious. It's too crazy.

― MikoMcha, Tuesday, March 18, 2014 11:26 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Right, e.g. I just randomly opened a pitchfork review just now and the term "motorik" appeared in the first paragraph -- that, in a way, is a technical musical term.

yeah to me the things gioia says about technical knowledge betray kind of a questionable assumption that it's only jazz and classical criticism that call for 'specialized' knowledge (thus dedicated musically-focused criticism). shit, what kind of music doesn't?? and the pressures from there being eight million different musics competing for attention probably have a lot more to do with the choices critical venues ended up making than straight up venality and vapidity.

Although it's never a good idea to discount the power of venality and vapidity in any avenue of human endeavor.

But I was told music is a universal language!

it's kind of funny bc pentatonic scale is abt as close to a universal musical language as we have
but it's arrant madness to think "we all" were taught wtf a pentatonic scale is in school. I was in fucking BAND (alto sax) for most of grade school and high school and no one ever told us that, prob because there are no pianos in band.

he didn't say we were all taught what a pentatonic scale was, he said we all learned those notes

i was only taught what pentatonic was in a backhand way, because the music composed with it was apparently either primitive or pop

man that Casablancas article is horrible

i was only taught what pentatonic was in a backhand way

you mean backfingered way

Guitarists tend to know what a pentatonic scale is because it's the easiest way to solo over most rock songs. Others probably have no particular reason to learn it if they're not studying seriously.

in my elementary school music class we learned about it when we played with xylophones

What's so bad about that last article? I only had time to read the first few paragraphs.

lots of hype on the Voidz, I know they are opening for Fear and TSOL at a pizza place in the OC at the end of the month

Man up, it's only the bland old pentatonic scale, not something genuinely exotic like a Hungarian Minor, for instance. Plus, HC Jr. is not only about the melody and harmony but also that rhythmic element you guys love so much: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD3iaURppQw&feature=youtu.be

"For most people living in the world, circa 1920, music was embedded into their life, not chosen as a lifestyle accessory. But gradually, over the next several decades, music’s value as a pathway of personal definition came to the forefront of our culture. Sometimes the shift was barely perceptible, but in retrospect we can gauge its profound impact. For example, people in rural America didn’t choose country music during the early decades of the 20th century, but were literally born into its ethos; yet by the ’70s, country music had evolved into a lifestyle choice, a posture adopted by millions who never roped a steer or herded cattle, but still wanted to affiliate themselves with the values espoused by the songs."

Ah, remember the good old days when you'd rope your own steer!

lol most old country singers were singers because they were lazy and didn't want to work! which is smart if you ask me

america, with its rich history of being born into things

I think maybe it was Peter Guralnick who pointed out (to me, anyway), that country music came to prominence precisely when Americans were LEAVING the countryside in droves.

the guy who wrote that's brother was head of the NEA and fairly conservative

Finally something that makes sense.

the annoying thing about this article is that it actually does make baby steps toward knowing what it's talking about -- citing editorial changes in publications, attempting to tie it to mass cultural changes (which is usually bunk but at least dude's trying) -- and then pins it all on the critics again, as if the reason "gossip and fluff" dominate the music press is just that their critics aren't smart enough

i assume we (the audience) are just getting what we pay for at this point

the examples it cites are weird too -- I guess "dressing like a robot" is supposed to be a reference to Daft Punk, but _Random Access Memories_ had loads of people talking about the music! (the album all but strongarmed you into it but still.) are his idea of the "leading music periodicals" US Weekly or something? or maybe he's just reading the news blurbs and nothing else?

Statement about country music is a great oversimplification but not completely wrong. For the story of someone who was pretty much born into that world, read Charlie Louvin's book. For the more complex picture, read Creating Country Music: Fabricating Authenticity, by Richard A. Peterson.

Know people have a beef with the Gioia brother, but thought Ted's jazz website was very good and his books all have something to recommend. Also like Dana's speculative fiction website, plus he is a big fan of ILB favorite Tom Disch.

Sure, I'm willing to entertain for a second the gross generalization, but what sort of imaginary is being invoked for a time when music wasn't a "lifestyle" choice?

Seriously, reminds me of:

Fry: Now for some good old 20th century tv, ah TV: Do you remember a time when chocolate chip cookies came fresh from the oven? Pepperidge Farm remembers. Fry: ah those were the days TV: Do you remember a time when women couldn't vote and certain folk weren't allowed on golf courses? Pepperidge Farm remembers.

I don't know how much of the popular Country music in the 70s was about ropin' steers, but then in the 20s people really did have fiddle contests with the devil

The sports commentary comparison is deeply flawed. Part of the reason sports commentators talk about this stuff is because they've got so much time to fill not because they're necessarily shining exemplars of criticism. Hours and hours worth, every single day.

If it was my/your job to commentate on an entire Cure gig every day and do several hours worth of pre amble and post-gig analysis on top of that, we'd probably start padding with a lot of technical talk as well.

"Lovely use of triplets by Porl Thompson there - if that isn't pentatonic I don't know what is. And I don't know about you Bob but that's got to be the longest version of A Forest I've heard since The Head On The Door tour. 37 minutes long by my reckoning. I'm looking forward to some paradiddles from Lol Tolhurst later..."

When I see an article about the state of music criticism open with a screengrab from Almost Famous I make sure to sit up and pay attention.

http://24.media.tumblr.com/0860ecc1906405fc8587f5ca7630202c/tumblr_n2nk3dbVzW1qzbo9ao1_500.jpg

i think we can all agree on this

When I see an article about the state of music criticism open with a screengrab from Almost Famous I make sure to sit up and pay attention.

― What is wrong with songs? Absolutely nothing. Songs are great. (DL), Tuesday, March 18, 2014 6:56 PM

we really need to push for new rock critic stock photos

http://cdn.stereogum.com/img/derogatis.jpg

I feel like enough time has passed since his laudable interview about R Kelly that it's OK to make fun of DeRo again.

the gioia essay seems like the stupidest possible take on a v interesting subject

looks like the internet happened to our favorite tumblr:

http://alltherecords.tumblr.com/post/80062534211/brb

A lot of the criticism of this blog is that it plays up this idea that women’s voices are marginal or less important, but for all that has been written, no one has made any effort to reach out to me for comment, or even to ask me a question. One article got my name wrong throughout. It’s clear that critics are more interested in making me a symbol of some harmful stereotype than understanding what this is, or who I am. Talking to me might make that difficult. It might humanize me.

I’m not trying to be someone I’m not. I couldn’t write this blog if I didn’t know who I was and what I like. Unfortunately for my critics what I like often isn’t all that gender transgressive. But that’s not bad or something that I should be ashamed of.

The same holds true for Alex, with whom I’d happily do a blog where he has to read a pile of my favorite children’s books, or go to 10 of my favorite ballets, or go to soul cycle with me for a month and write about it - parts of my life of which he is completely culturally ignorant. The reason we did this project instead of any of those is because of the two of us I’m cooler and more adventurous.

So, if this blog has put me in the category of women with controversial ideas and opinions, then I will happily join it. It’s not my responsibility to compromise who I am in the name of subverting gender stereotypes. And it’s not fair to say that every project that involves a man and a woman should have it’s main focus be gender. I just wanted to comment on the music. I wanted to write in a style I enjoyed, I wanted to learn something new, and I wanted to do something creative with the guy that I love. “Let’s lie on the living room floor and listen to records together!” I have the best marriage ever.