And It Don't Stop on Substack
Robert Christgau's newsletter And It Don't Stop
appears three (or four) times a month on Substack. Subscribe
here.
Robert Christgau's Big-Hearted Theory of Pop
Book Reports features reviews of not only the pop-music
tomes you'd predict but also literary fiction, Marxist-adjacent
cultural commentary, feminist debates over pornography, and even books
about the past decade's financial crisis. It follows a collection that
Christgau published last year, Is It Still Good to Ya? Fifty Years
of Rock Criticism, 1967-2017, which includes Christgau's takes on,
among many other things, classic rock, Kanye West, the music of Desert
Storm, Lollapalooza, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and so-called guilty
pleasures--a category that Christgau rejects, since, for rock critics,
as he puts it, "pleasure is where meaning begins." Together, these
collections make the sneaky case that Christgau is not just the Dean
of American Rock Critics, his self-awarded and perhaps slightly
off-putting nickname, but one of America's
sharper public intellectuals of the past half century, and certainly
one of its most influential--not to mention one of the better stylists
in that cohort. Fun is a big part of why.
--David Cantwell, The New Yorker
News
This Week in Expert Witness
New posts this week in Robert Christgau's
Expert Witness blog:
- Pete Seeger/The Weavers:
- Pete Seeger: The Complete Bowdoin College Concert 1960 (Smithsonian Folkways) A-
- The Weavers: Best of the Vanguard Years (Vanguard '01) B+
- Jack White/The White Stripes:
- Jack White: Blunderbuss (Third Man/Columbia) A-
- The White Stripes: Elephant (V2 '03) A-
Also at MSN Music:
[posted by Webmaster on 2012-05-25] This Week in Expert Witness
New posts this week in Robert Christgau's
Expert Witness blog:
[posted by Webmaster on 2012-05-18] This Week in Expert Witness
New posts this week in Robert Christgau's
Expert Witness blog:
- Odds and Ends 010:
- Katy B: On a Mission (Columbia) ***
- Chromeo: Business Casual (Big Beat/Atlantic/Vice) ***
- Blow Your Head Vol. 2: Dave Nada Presents Moombahton (Downtown/Mad Decent) ***
- SBTRKT: SBTRKT (Young Turks) **
- Santigold: Master of My Make-Believe (Atlantic/Downtown) **
- Tracey Thorn: Love and Its Opposite (Merge) **
- The Ting Tings: Sounds From Nowheresville (Columbia) *
- Lana Del Rey: Born to Die (Polydor) *
- Don't Talk to the Cops/Death Grips:
- Don't Talk to the Cops!: Let's Quit (Greedhead download) B+
- Death Grips: The Money Store (Epic) A-
[posted by Webmaster on 2012-05-11] This Week in Expert Witness
New posts this week in Robert Christgau's
Expert Witness blog:
- Dr. John:
- Dr. John: The Very Best of Dr. John (Rhino '95) A
- Dr. John: Goin' Back to New Orleans (Warner Bros. '92) A-
- Standard Fare/Allo Darlin':
- Standard Fare: Out of Sight, Out of Town (Melodic) A-
- Allo Darlin': Europe (Slumberland) A-
[posted by Webmaster on 2012-05-04] This Week in Expert Witness
New posts this week in Robert Christgau's
Expert Witness blog:
- Odds and Ends 009:
- The Kills: Blood Pressures (Domino) ***
- Dum Dum Girls: Only in Dreams (Sub Pop) ***
- The Shins: Port of Morrow (Aural Apothecary/Columbia) **
- Imperial Teen: Feel the Sound (Merge) **
- Cloud Nothings: Cloud Nothings (Carpark) **
- The Coathangers: Larceny & Old Lace (Suicide Squeeze) **
- The Wax Museums: Eye Times (Trouble in Mind) **
- Dengue Fever: Cannibal Courtship (Fantasy) *
- Nicki Minaj/Macy Gray:
- Nicki Minaj: Roman Reloaded: Deluxe Edition (Cash Money/Universal Republic) A-
- Macy Gray: Covered (429) B+
Also at Barnes and Noble Review:
[posted by Webmaster on 2012-04-27] This Week in Expert Witness
New posts this week in Robert Christgau's
Expert Witness blog:
- Loudon Wainwright III/Lee Ranaldo:
- Loudon Wainwright III: Older Than My Old Man (2nd Story Sound) A
- Lee Ranaldo: Between the Time and the Tides (Matador) A-
- Odds and Ends 008:
- Lee Scratch Perry: Rise Again (MOD Technologies) ***
- Wanda Jackson: The Party Ain't Over (Nonesuch/Third Man) **
- John Hiatt: Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns (New West) **
- Bonnie Raitt: Slipstream (Redwing) **
- Dr. John: Locked Down (Nonesuch) **
- Rick Berlin: Paper Airplane (High-N-Dry) **
- Steve Earle: I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive (New West) *
- Marshall Chapman: Big Lonesome (Tall Girl) *
Also at MSN Music:
[posted by Webmaster on 2012-04-20] This Week in Expert Witness
New posts this week in Robert Christgau's
Expert Witness blog:
- Cotton Mather/Oasis:
- Cotton Mather: Kontiki (Deluxe Edition) (Star Apple Kingdom) B+
- Oasis: Stop the Clocks (Sony BMG '06) B+
- Spoek Mathambo/Big K.R.I.T.:
- Spoek Mathambo: Father Creeper (Sub Pop) A
- Big K.R.I.T.: 4Eva N a Day (free download) A-
[posted by Webmaster on 2012-04-13] This Week in Expert Witness
New posts this week in Robert Christgau's
Expert Witness blog:
- Big Baby Gandhi:
- Big Baby Gandhi: Big Fucking Baby (free download) A-
- Big Baby Gandhi: No1 2 Look Up 2 (free Greedhead mixtape) A-
- s/s/s /Serengeti:
- s/s/s: Beak & Claw (Anticon) A-
- Serengeti: The Kenny Dennis EP (Anticon) A-
Also at MSN Music:
[posted by Webmaster on 2012-04-06] This Week in Expert Witness
New posts this week in Robert Christgau's
Expert Witness blog:
Also at MSN Music:
[posted by Webmaster on 2012-03-30] This Week in Expert Witness
New posts this week in Robert Christgau's
Expert Witness blog:
- Tommy Womack:
- Tommy Womack: There, I Said It! (Cedar Creek '07) A-
- Tommy Womack: Now What! (Cedar Creek) A-
- Fatoumata Diawara/The Lijadu Sisters:
- Fatoumata Diawara: Fatou (World Circuit) B+
- The Lijadu Sisters: Mother Africa (Knitting Factory) B+
[posted by Webmaster on 2012-03-23] This Week in Expert Witness
New posts this week in Robert Christgau's
Expert Witness blog:
Also at Barnes & Noble Review:
[posted by Webmaster on 2012-03-16] This Week in Expert Witness
New posts this week in Robert Christgau's
Expert Witness blog:
- Odds and Ends 007:
- Speech Debelle: Freedom of Speech (Big Dada) ***
- Danny Brown: XXX (Fool's Gold) ***
- Common: The Dreamer/The Believer (Think Common/Warner Bros.) ***
- Atmosphere: The Family Sign (Rhymesayers) ***
- K'Naan: More Beautiful Than Silence (A&M/Octone) **
- Dark Time Sunshine: Vessel (Fake Four Inc.) **
- Tinie Tempah: Disc-Overy (Capitol) *
- Buck 65: 20 Odd Years Volume 4: Ostranenie (Warner Music Canada)
- Todd Snider/The Magnetic Fields:
- Todd Snider: Agnostic Hymns & Stoner Fables (Aimless/Thirty Tigers) A
- The Magnetic Fields: Love at the Bottom of the Sea (Merge) A-
[posted by Webmaster on 2012-03-09] This Week in Expert Witness
New posts this week in Robert Christgau's
Expert Witness blog:
- Sleigh Bells/Cloud Nothings:
- Sleigh Bells: Reign of Terror (Mom + Pop) A-
- Cloud Nothings: Attack on Memory (Carpark) A-
- Homeboy Sandman:
- Homeboy Sandman: The Good Sun (High Water Music '10) A-
- Homeboy Sandman: Subject: Matter (Stones Throw download) A-
[posted by Webmaster on 2012-03-02] This Week in Expert Witness
New posts this week in Robert Christgau's
Expert Witness blog:
- Al Green/D'Angelo:
- Al Green: Al Green Is Love (Hi/The Right Stuff '75) A
- D'Angelo: Brown Sugar (EMI '95) A-
- Odds and Ends 006:
- Bootsy Collins: Tha Funk Capital of the World (Mascot) ***
- Bruno Mars: Doo-Wops & Hooligans (Elektra) ***
- John Legend & the Roots: Wake Up! (Good Music/Columbia) ***
- Terius Nash: 1977 (free Radio Killa download) **
- Betty Wright & the Roots: Betty Wright: The Movie (Ms. B/S-Curve) **
- The-Dream: Love King (Def Jam/Radio Killa) **
- Ray Charles: Rare Genius: The Undiscovered Masters (Concord) **
- The Original 7ven: Condensate (SRR) *
[posted by Webmaster on 2012-02-24] This Week in Expert Witness
New posts this week in Robert Christgau's
Expert Witness blog:
- Etta James:
- Etta James: The Dreamer (Verve Forecast) A-
- Etta James: Matriarch of the Blues (Private Music '00) B+
- Skrillex/Clams Casino:
- Skrillex: Bangarang (Owsla/Big Beat/Atlantic) A-
- Clams Casino: Instrumental Mixtape (free download) A-
Also at Barnes & Noble Review:
[posted by Webmaster on 2012-02-17] This Week in Expert Witness
New posts this week in Robert Christgau's
Expert Witness blog:
[posted by Webmaster on 2012-02-10] This Week in Expert Witness
New posts this week in Robert Christgau's
Expert Witness blog:
Also at NPR:
[posted by Webmaster on 2012-02-03] This Week in Expert Witness
New posts this week in Robert Christgau's
Expert Witness blog:
- Himanshu/Tha Grimm Teachaz:
- Himanshu: Nehru Jackets (free download) A-
- Tha Grimm Teachaz: There's a Situation on the Homefront (Breakfast) A-
- Ani DiFranco/Bhi Bhiman:
- Ani DiFranco: ¿Which Side Are You On? (Righteous Babe) A-
- Bhi Bhiman: Bhiman (Redeye) A-
Also at NPR:
[posted by Webmaster on 2012-01-27] This Week in Expert Witness
New posts this week in Robert Christgau's
Expert Witness blog:
- Odds and Ends 005:
- St. Vincent: Strange Mercy (4AD) ***
- The Weeknd: House of Balloons (XO download) ***
- Adele: 21 (XL/Columbia) **
- Drake: Take Care (Cash Money/Universal Republic) **
- Girls: Record 3: Father, Son, Holy Ghost (True Panther/Fantasy Trashcan) **
- Wye Oak: Civilian (Merge) **
- Fleet Foxes: Helplessness Blues (Sub Pop) *
- The Black Keys: El Camino (Thrill Jockey) *
- Mekons/Destroyer:
- Mekons: Ancient & Modern: 1911-2011 (Sin) A-
- Destroyer: Kaputt (Merge) B+
[posted by Webmaster on 2012-01-20] This Week in Expert Witness
New posts this week in Robert Christgau's
Expert Witness blog:
- Odds and Ends 004:
- Yes We Can: Songs About Leaving Africa (Out Here) ***
- Afro-Beat Airways (Africa Analog) ***
- The Rough Guide to African Guitar Legends (World Music Network) ***
- Boubacar Traoré: Mali Denhou (Lusafrica) **
- Seun Anikulapo Kuti & Egypt 80: From Africa With Fury: Rise (Knitting Factory) **
- Sia Tolno: My Life (Lusafrica) *
- Femi Kuti: Africa for Africa (Knitting Factory) *
- Sidi Touré & Friends: Sahel Folk (Thrill Jockey) *
- Gill Scott-Heron and Jamie xx/Gorillaz:
- Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx: We're New Here (XL) A-
- Gorillaz: The Singles Collection 2001-2011 (Virgin) A-
[posted by Webmaster on 2012-01-13] Most Recent -- More Recent -- More Ancient
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