New in Expert Witness:

• Quelle Chris: Guns (Mello Music) A-
• Epic Beard Men: This Was Supposed to Be Fun (Strange Famous) A-
• Quelle Chris: Being You Is Great, I Wish I Could Be You More Often (Mello Music) **
• Epic Beard Men: Season 1 (Strange Famous) *

Robert Christgau will be at Word Bookstore, 126 Franklin St., in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, Thursday 5/23 at 7:30 PM, for a discussion of his new collection of book reviews and essays, Book Reports: A Music Critic on His First Love, Which Was Reading.

New in Expert Witness:

• The Coathangers: The Devil You Know (Suicide Squeeze) A-
• Priests: The Seduction of Kansas (Sister Polygon) A-
• Camp Cope: How to Socialise and Make Friends (Run for Cover) **
• Ex Hex: It's Real (Merge) *

A new batch of XgauSez questions and answers appeared last Tuesday.

Robert Christgau's second Duke University Press collection in six months, Book Reports: A Music Critic on His First Love, Which Was Reading, is shipping now. Some shopping options are listed on our book page (although consider your local bookseller). You can read the introduction here.

New batch of questions and answers.

New in Expert Witness:

• Bruce Springsteen: Springsteen on Broadway (Columbia) A
• Robert Forster: Inferno (Tapete) B+
• Chris Butler: Got It Together! (Future Fossil) **
• Peter Stampfel and the Atomic Meta Pagans: The Ordovician Era! (Don Giovanni) **

Rolling Stone has published an excerpt from Robert Christgau's new collection, Book Reports: A Music Critic on His First Love, Which Was Reading:

• Field Notes From the Rock Critics Wars.

New in Expert Witness:

• Billie Eilish: When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (Darkroom/Interscope) A
• Little Simz: Grey Area (Age 101) A-
• Billie Eilish: Dont Smile at Me (Darkroom/Interscope) B+
• Little Simz: Stillness in Wonderland (Age 101) *
• Little Simz: A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons (Age 101) *

Robert Christgau's second Duke University Press collection, Book Reports: A Music Critic on His First Love, Which Was Reading, is now ready to ship. 30% off from here with promo code E19CRGAU. Read an excerpt, including the introduction.

Christgau will appear and read from his book at McNally Jackson Independent Booksellers, 52 Prince Street, New York, NY, on Monday, April 29, at 7:00 pm.

New in Expert Witness:

• 6lack: East Atlanta Love Letter (LVRN/Interscope) A-
• Khalid: Free Spirit (RCA) A-
• Kyle: Light of Mine (Independently Popular/Atlantic) ***
• Khalid: Suncity (RCA) ***
• Brockhampton: Iridescence (Everything/RCA) **
• Fat Tony: 10,000 Hours (Don Giovanni) *

A new batch of XgauSez questions and answers appeared last Tuesday.

Official publication date is May 3, but Robert Christgau's second Duke University Press collection in six months, Book Reports: A Music Critic on His First Love, Which Was Reading, is now ready to ship. 30% off from here with promo code E19CRGAU. Read an excerpt, including the introduction.

Christgau will appear and read from his book at McNally Jackson Independent Booksellers, 52 Prince Street, New York, NY, on Monday, April 29, at 7:00 pm.

New batch of questions and answers.

New in Expert Witness:

• Salif Keita: Un Autre Blanc (Believe/Naive) A-
• Hama Sankare: Ballébé (Clermont Music) A-
• Hama Sankare: Niafunké (Clermont Music) B+
• Gato Preto: Tempo (Unique) ***
• Bombino: Deran (Partisan) ***

Gabriella Paiella interviews Robert Christgau and Carola Dibbell for New York magazine's "Marriage: An Investigation": When Infidelity, Infertility, and Cancer Only Make Your Marriage Stronger.

New in Expert Witness:

• Stella Donnelly: Beware of the Dogs (Secretly Canadian) A-
• Sharon Van Etten: Remind Me Tomorrow (Jagjaguwar) A-
• Jenny Lewis: On the Line (Warner Bros.) ***
• Sir Babygirl: Crush on You (Father/Daughter) **
• Girls on Grass: Dirty Power (self-released) *

New in Expert Witness:

• Pedro the Lion: Phoenix (Polyvinyl) A-
• Jason Ringenberg: Stand Tall (Courageous Chicken) B+
• Eric Church: Desperate Man (EMI Nashville) **
• Gurf Morlix: Impossible Blue (Rootball) *
• Bottle Rockets: Bit Logic (Bloodshot) *

A new batch of XgauSez questions and answers appeared last Tuesday.

We've added a book page for Robert Christgau's new book, Book Reports: A Music Critic on His First Love, Which Was Reading (Duke University Press), to be published April 12.

New batch of questions and answers.

New in Expert Witness:

• Ariana Grande: Sweetener (Republic) A-
• Amber Mark: Conexao EP (Virgin EMI) A-
• Diana Gordon: Pure (self-released) ***
• Ariana Grande: Thank U, Next (Republic) ***
• Robyn: Honey (Konichiwa/Interscope) ***

New in Expert Witness:

• Todd Snider: Cash Cabin Sessions, Vol. 3 (Aimless) A
• Leyla McCalla: Capitalist Blues (PIAS America) A-
• Our Native Daughters: Songs of Our Native Daughters (Smithsonian Folkways) **
• Leyla McCalla: A Day for the Hunter, a Day for the Prey (Jazz Village) *

New in Expert Witness:

• Malibu Ken: Malibu Ken (Rymesayers) A-
• Serengeti: Dennis 6e (People) A-
• MC Frontalot: Net Split (Level Up) **
• Serengeti: Jueles - Butterflies (Audio Recon/Deacon) *
• Serengeti: Music From the Graphic Novel Kenny Vs the Dark Web (Burnco) *

New questions and answers were posted Tuesday, March 5: Xgau Sez. New batches will appear every third Tuesday.

New in Expert Witness:

• Dua Saleh: Nūr (EP) (Against Giants) A-
• Dreezy: Big Dreez (Interscope) B+
• Bali Baby: Resurrection (Twin) B+

Two new pieces in Publishers Weekly, related to Robert Christgau's forthcoming (April 12) essay collection Book Reports: A Music Critic on His First Love, Which Was Reading (Duke University Press):

• Book Reports: A Music Critic on His First Love, Which Was Reading: unsigned book review.
• David Varno: Making the Grade: PW Talks with Robert Christgau: an interview with Christgau.

New in Expert Witness:

• Carsie Blanton: Buck Up (Carsie Blanton) A
• The Paranoid Style: Rock & Roll Just Can't Recall + 3 (Bar/None) A
• The Rails: There Are Other People in This World (Thirty Tigers) ***
• Kate Vargas: For the Wolfish and Wandering (Kate Vargas) ***
• Caroline Rose: Loner (New West) **
• The Regrettes: Feel Your Feelings Fool! (Warner Bros.) **

New in Expert Witness:

• Harriet Tubman: The Terror End of Beauty (Sunnyside) A-
• Thiago Nassif: Três (Foom) A-
• Qais Essar: The Ghost You Love Most (self-released) ***
• The Hot 8 Brass Band: On the Spot (Tru Thoughts) ***
• RAM: August 1791 (Willibelle) **
• Nordub: Sly & Robbie Meet Nils Petter Molvaer Feat Elvind Aarset and Vladislav Delay (OKeh) **

New questions and answers were posted Tuesday, February 12: Xgau Sez. From this point, new batches will appear every third Tuesday.

New in Expert Witness:

• Alex Chilton: From Memphis to New Orleans (Bar/None) A-
• Alex Chilton: Ocean Club '77 (Norton) A-
• Big Star: Live on WLIR (Omnivore) B+
• Alex Chilton: Songs From Robin Hood Lane (Bar/None) *

The Village Voice released their 2018 Pazz & Jop package, including:

• Pazz & Jop: The Top 100 Albums of 2018
• Pazz & Jop: The Top 50 Singles of 2018
• Pazz & Jop Voters Ballots: 2018 Albums
• Pazz & Jop Voters Ballots: 2018 Singles
• Pazz & Jop Comments: Let Us Now Praise Kacey Musgraves
• Robert Christgau: The Dean's List: "Reports of the album's death has been greatly exaggerated"
• Carol Cooper: Welcome to the Cardi Party: "The 'secret' of her success is that she is able to simultaneously be and represent different things to different people"
• Sasha Geffen: Fighting a Sense of Stuckness: "Janelle Monáe, Car Seat Headrest, Boygenius, and the year in queer music"
• Jessica Hopper: So, Are Women Here Yet?: "Kacey Musgraves, Janelle Monáe, and the Year of the Woman . . . again"
• Joe Levy: Critical Democracy: Robert Christgau, Ann Powers, and Rob Harvilla on Pazz & Jop's Past and Present.
• Tirhakah Love: This Is Black Genius? "Donald Glover, Janelle Monáe and Kendrick Lamar make some kind of statement."

New in Expert Witness:

• Saba: Care for Me (Saba Pivot) A-
• The Coup: Sorry to Bother You: The Soundtrack (Interscope) A-
• Czarface: Czarface Meets Metal Face (Silver Age) ***
• G Herbo: Humble Beast (Machine) ***
• Saba: The Bucket List Project (Saba Pivot) **
• 1800 Seconds: Curated by Pusha T (Mass Appeal) *

New in Expert Witness:

• The Ex: 27 Passports (Ex) A-
• Idles: Joy as an Act of Resistance (Partisan) A-
• Marie Davidson: Working Class Woman (Ninja Tune) *
• Public Service Broadcasting: Every Valley (PIAS America) *

New questions and answers will be posted Tuesday, January 29: Xgau Sez.