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
Expert Witness: Jazz-Rock Staple Harriet Tubman 
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 Eivind 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.
[posted by Webmaster on 2019-02-15] Expert Witness: Alex Chilton's Fragile Love Songs 
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:
[posted by Webmaster on 2019-02-08] Expert Witness: Saba's Humanist Hip-Hop 
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) *
[posted by Webmaster on 2019-02-01] Expert Witness: The Ex's Protest Music and Idles' Rage 
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.
[posted by Webmaster on 2019-01-25] Robert Christgau's Is It Still Good to Ya? is a finalist for NBCC Criticism Award The National Book Critics Circle Board of Directors has announced its
finalists for 2018 awards. There are six categories, and Robert
Christgau's
Is It Still Good to Ya? Fifty Years of
Rock Criticism, 1967-2017 has been selected as one of the
five finalists in Criticism. The
NBCC Awards have been awarded annually since 1975.
[posted by Webmaster on 2019-01-22] New Xgau Sez New questions and answers were posted Tuesday, January 15:
Xgau Sez.
[posted by Webmaster on 2019-01-15] Expert Witness: The Delines' Depth and Kacey Musgrave's Quiet Sell 
New in Expert Witness:
- The Delines: The Imperial (Decor/El Cortez) A-
- Kacey Musgraves: Golden Hour (MCA Nashville) B+
- Marianne Faithful: Negative Capability (Panta Rei/BMG) ***
- Brandi Carlile: By the Way, I Forgive You (ATO) **
Robert Christgau lists his favorite albums of 2018 in this year's annual
Dean's List.
New questions and answers will be posted Tuesday, January 15:
Xgau Sez.
[posted by Webmaster on 2019-01-11] Expert Witness: Robert Christgau Takes on Mitski's Disquieting Angst 
New in Expert Witness:
- Mitski: Be the Cowboy (Dead Oceans) A-
- Soccer Mommy: Clean (Fat Possum) A-
- Adrianne Lenker: Abysskiss (Saddle Creek) *
- Nice as Fuck: Nice as Fuck (Loves Way) *
New questions and answers were posted Tuesday, January 1:
Xgau Sez.
[posted by Webmaster on 2019-01-04] Lupe Fiasco, Meek Mill, Lil Wayne, and Vince Staples 
New in Expert Witness:
- Lupe Fiasco: Drogas Wave (1st & 15th) A-
- Meek Mill: Championships (Maybach Music Group) B+
- Lil Wayne: Tha Carter V (Young Money) ***
- Lupe Fiasco: Drogas Light (1st & 15th) **
- Vince Staples: FM! (Def Jam) *
New questions and answers were posted Tuesday, December 18:
Xgau Sez.
[posted by Webmaster on 2018-12-21] CupcakKe's Literotica and Leikeli47's Smokescreens 
New in Expert Witness:
- Cupcakke: Ephorize (Cupcakke) A-
- Leikeli47: Acrylic (Hardcover/RCA) A-
- Cupcakke: Queen Elizabitch (Cupcakke) B+
- Leikeli47: Wash and Set (Hardcover/RCA) B+
- Cupcakke: Eden (Cupcakke) ***
New questions and answers west will be posted on Tuesday, December 18:
Xgau Sez.
[posted by Webmaster on 2018-12-14] The Goon Sax's Humble Reflections 
New in Expert Witness:
- The Goon Sax: We're Not Talking (Wichita Recordings) A-
- Mad Crush: Mad Crush (Upon This Rock) B+
- Flasher: Constant Image (Domino) ***
- Weakened Friends: Common Blah (Don Giovanni) **
New questions and answers west posted on Tuesday, December 4:
Xgau Sez.
Events, interviews, and reviews of Robert Christgau's recent book,
Is It Still Good to Ya? Fifty Years of Rock
Criticism 1967-2017:
Note: We are currently experiencing a problem with accented characters
stored in the Consumer Guide database being presented as garbage.
[posted by Webmaster on 2018-12-07] 
New in Expert Witness:
- Sons of Kemet: Your Queen Is a Reptile (Impulse!) A-
- Doctor Nativo: Guatemaya (Stonetree) A-
- Celestial Blues (Ace) ***
- Sons of Kemet: Burn (Naim) **
New questions and answers on Tuesday, December 4:
Xgau Sez.
[posted by Webmaster on 2018-11-30] L7's Feedback-Drenched, Feminist Aggro 
New in Expert Witness:
- L7: Fast andFrightening (Easy Action) A-
- Joan Jett: Bad Reputation (Blackheart) A-
- The Beths: Future Me Hates Me (Carpark) ***
- Lala Lala: The Lamb (Hardly Art) *
New questions and answers last Tuesday:
Xgau Sez.
Also note that the website now has a
RSS 2.0 feed. It is (for now anyway) updated
manually as new articles and/or significant revisions are made to the
website.
[posted by Webmaster on 2018-11-23] Expert Witness: Some Inventive, Alternative Hip-Hop 
New in Expert Witness:
- Homeboy Sandman & Edan: Humble Pi (Stones Throw) A-
- Open Mike Eagle: What Happens When I Try to Relax (Auto Reverse) A-
- Atmosphere: Mi Vida Local (Rhymesayers) **
- 2Mex: Lospital (Water the Plants) *
- Red Pill: Instinctive Drowning (Mello Music) *
New questions and answers will be published on Tuesday, November 20:
Xgau Sez.
Christgau's new book,
Is It Still Good to Ya? Fifty Years of Rock
Criticism 1967-2017, was published October 26 by Duke University
Press.
Website was updated on Thursday, including all Expert Witness reviews
from January to last week.
[posted by Webmaster on 2018-11-16] Expert Witness: Pistol Annies' Sharp 'Interstate Gospel' 
New in Expert Witness:
- Pistol Annies: Interstate Gospel (RCA) A
- Becky Warren: Undesirable (self-released) A-
- Mandy Barnett: Strange Conversation (Dame Productions/Thirty Tigers) A-
- Robbie Fulks/Linda Gail Lewis: Wild! Wild! Wild! (Bloodshot) ***
New questions and answers were published on November 6:
Xgau Sez.
Christgau's new book,
Is It Still Good to Ya? Fifty Years of Rock
Criticism 1967-2017, was published October 26 by Duke University
Press. Some recent reviews and discussion:
Christgau also wrote a new essay about the new book:
[posted by Webmaster on 2018-11-09] Expert Witness: Rich Krueger's Ambition and Paul Simon's Farewell 
New in Expert Witness:
- Rich Krueger: NOWThen (Rockink) A-
- Paul Simon: In the Blue Light (Legacy) A-
- The Chandler Travis Three-O: Backward Crooked From the Sunset (Iddy Biddy) *
- Rich Krueger: Overpass (CDBaby) *
New questions and answers will be posted on Tuesday, November 6, before
the polls open:
Xgau Sez.
Christgau's new book,
Is It Still Good to Ya? Fifty Years of Rock
Criticism 1967-2017, was released last week (October 26) by Duke
University Press.
[posted by Webmaster on 2018-11-02] Expert Witness: A Tribute to Blue Lu Barker (and Blue Lu Herself) 
New in Expert Witness:
- Maria Muldaur: Dont You Feel My Leg: The Naughty Bawdy Blues of Blue Lu Barker (Last) A
- Blue Lu Barker: Remastered Collection (J. Joes J. Edizioni Musicali) A-
- George Jones & the Jones Boys: Live in Texas 1965 (Ace) ***
- Duke Robillard and His Dames of Rhythm (M.C.) **
- Willie Nelson: My Way (Legacy) *
New questions and answers were posted on Tuesday, October 23:
Xgau Sez.
Christgau's new book,
Is It Still Good to Ya? Fifty Years of Rock
Criticism 1967-2017, was released today (October 26) by Duke
University Press.
[posted by Webmaster on 2018-10-26] Expert Witness: Riton and Kah-Lo's Unrap 
New in Expert Witness:
- Riton & Kah-Lo: Foreign Ororo (Last Gang) A-
- I'm Not Here to Hunt Rabits (Piranha) A-
- Next Stop Soweto Vol. 4 (Strut) ***
- Seun Kuti & Egypt 80: Black Times (Strut) *
[posted by Webmaster on 2018-10-19] Expert Witness: Ed Hamell's Brutal, Bastard-Bashing Fantasies 
New in Expert Witness:
- Hamell on Trial: The Night Guy at the Apocalypse: Profiles of a Rushing Midnight (Saustext) A
- Lyrics Born: Quite a Life (Mobile Home) A-
- Mudhoney: Digital Garbage (Sub Pop) ***
- Will Hoge: My American Dream (Thirty Tigers/EDLO) **
New questions and answers were posted on Tuesday, October 9:
Xgau Sez.
[posted by Webmaster on 2018-10-12] Expert Witness: On Noname's Poetic Breakthrough 
New in Expert Witness:
- Noname: Room 25 (self-relesed) A
- The Internet: Hive mind (Columbia) A-
- Blood Orange: Negro Swan (Domino) ***
- Medhane: Ba Suba, Ak Jamm (Grand Closing) *
[posted by Webmaster on 2018-09-28] Most Recent -- More Recent -- More Ancient
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