New Rock&Roll& column at Barnes & Noble Review:

• Bohemias Lost & Found

New reviews:

• The (Inernational) Noise Conspiracy: The Cross of My Calling (Vagrant/American) ***
• Franco: Francophonic (Sterns Africa) *****

New Consumer Guide for January 2009. Featured albums:

• Arriba la Cumbia! (Crammed Discs) [A-]
• Group Inerane: Guitars From Agadez (Sublime Frequencies) [A-]
• Los Campesinos!: We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed (Arts & Crafts) [B+]
• Rich Man's War (Ruf) [A-]
• The Rough Guide to Colombian Street Party (World Music Network) [A-]
• Taylor Swift: Fearless (Big Machine) [A-]
• T-Pain: Thr33 Ringz (Jive) [B+]
• Kanye West: 808s & Heartbreak (Roc-A-Fella) [A-]
• Beyoncé: I Am . . . Sasha Fierce (Music World/Columbia) [B]

By the way, Robert Christgau writes an occasional blog for the National Arts Journalism Program. There's a link on the sidebar to the blog (NAJP Blog), which includes other posts from NAJP writers. Recent posts by Christgau, covering a little more than two months (oldest is 10/24/2008):

• Birth Announcement--Unidentical Twins
• The Vanguard of Something
• A Sonic Sample
• Inbreeding
• Prog-ress
• Freebie Jeebies
• Straight Dope
• Hip-Hop's Brand Loyalties
• Late Registration
• Call for Papers

Slate has published a new set of "The Music Club" roundtable discussions between Jody Rosen, Ann Powers, and Robert Christgau.

1. Jody Rosen: My Top 10 Albums and Top 25 Singles
2. Ann Powers: Twilight of the Pop Gods
3. Robert Christgau: My Lists
4. Jody Rosen: Pop Stars Are Not M.I.A.
5. Ann Powers: In Defense of Axl Rose
6. Robert Christgau: TV on the Radio Unites Us
7. Jody Rosen: The Best Recording of 2008 Was the Oldest
8. Ann Powers: Is the Internet Making Us Love Insular Music?
9. Robert Christgau: Do You Ever Fantasize About Being A Movie Critic?

We should be adding notices every time Robert Christgau appears on NPR's "All Things Considered," but haven't managed to update the website in a timely enough matter. Since August:

• 12/17/08: A "Francophonic" Take On Congolese Pop
• 10/29/08: Sex, Gender Equality In New Girl Talk Album
• 10/01/08: Jean Grae Shows There's No Better Femcee
• 09/23/08: TV On The Radio: Complicated "Science"
• 08/20/08: Old 97's "Blame It On Gravity": Taut and Delicate
• 08/08/08: Conor Oberst: When Love Turns Sour

The whole list is accessible via the NPR link on the sidebar. At the bottom of that page is a link that searches NPR for more recent pieces -- info that should be up to date even when we aren't.

After a two-year hiatus, Robert Christgau's Rock & Roll & has a new home: the online-only Barnes & Noble Review, where it will appear midmonth every month, on the Monday closest to the 15th. As planned, the revived column will cover plenty of rock & roll but have more of that second & in it.

• The List and the Listener

New Consumer Guide for December 2008. Featured albums:

• Buena Vista Social Club: At Carnegie Hall (Nonesuch) [B+]
• Chromeo: Fancy Footwork (Vice) [A-]
• Franco: Francophonic (Sterns Africa) [A+]
• GZA/Genius: Pro Tools (Babygrande) [B+]
• Homeboy Sandman: Actual Factual Pterodactyl (Boy Sand Industries) [A-]
• Love Is All: A Hundred Things Keep Me Up at Night (What's Your Rupture) [A-]
• T.I.: Paper Trail (Grand Hustle/Atlantic) [A-]
• Plies: Definition of Real (Big Gates/Slip N Slide/Atlantic) [D+]

Carola Dibbell's unpublished novel, A Real Piece of Work, has been excerpted in Fence, Vol. 11, No. 2, Winter 2008-2009. It is available from SPD. The table of contents is here.

New reviews:

• El Guincho: Alegranza (XL) ****
• Jesus H Christ and the Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse: Happier Than You (jesushchristrocks.com) ****
• Love Is All: A Hundred Things Keep Me Up at Night ****

New Consumer Guide for November 2008. Featured albums:

• Asylum Street Spankers: What? And Give Up Show Biz? (Yellow Dog) [A-]
• Robert Creeley: Really! (Paris [A-]
• Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip: Angles (Strange Famous) [A-]
• El Guincho: Alegranza (XL) [A-]
• Jesus H Christ and the Four Hornsmen of the Apocalypse: Happier Than You (jesushchristrocks.com) [A-]
• The Mighty Underdogs: Droppin' Science Fiction (Def Jux) [B+]
• TV on the Radio: Dear Science (Interscope) [A]
• Sir Victor Uwaifo: Guitar-Boy Superstar: 1970-1976 (Soundway) [A-]
• Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever Ago (Jagjaguwar) [C+]

New reviews:

• Lucinda Williams: Little Honey (Lost Highway) ***(*)
• The Clash: Live at Shea Stadium (Epic/Legacy) ***(*)

New Consumer Guide for October 2008. Featured albums:

• Kimya Dawson and Friends: Alphabutt (K) [A-]
• Girl Talk: Feed the Animals (Illegal Art) [A]
• Jaguar Love: Jaguar Love (Matador) [A-]
• Kasai Allstars: In the 7th Moon, the Chief Turned Into a Swimming Fish and Ate the Head of His Enemy by Magic (Crammed Discs) [B+]
• Jenny Lewis: Acid Tongue (Warner Bros.) [B+]
• Taj Mahal: Maestro (Heads Up) [A-]
• Raphael Saadiq: The Way I See It (Columbia) [A]
• Wire: Object 47 (Pinkflag) [B+]
• Jeffrey Lewis: 12 Crass Songs (Rough Trade) [C-]

New reviews:

• Raphael Saadiq: The Way I See It (Columbia) ****
• Little Richard: The Very Best of Little Richard (Specialty) *****

TruthDig published a book review by Robert Christgau of Jeff Sharlet's The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power.

New Consumer Guide for September 2008. Featured albums:

• Issa Bagayogo: Mali Koura (Six Degrees) [A-]
• Black Kids: Partie Traumatic (Columbia) [A-]
• Franco: African Classics (Sheer/Cantos) [A-]
• The Hold Steady: Stay Positive (Vagrant) [B+]
• Randy Newman: Harps and Angels (Nonesuch) [A]
• Conor Oberst: Conor Oberst (Merge) [A]
• Stew, Rodewald and Various Artists: Passing Strange (Ghostlight) [A-]
• The Rough Guide to the Music of Romanian Gypsies (World Music Network) [A-]
• Natasha Bedingfield: Pocketful of Sunshine (Epic/Phonogenic) [C+]

New reviews:

• Conor Oberst: Conor Oberst (Merge) ****
• Blondie: Parallel Lines (Deluxe Collector's Edition (Capitol/EMI) ****(*)

The database was updated today, for the first time in several months. All Consumer Guide records up through August 2008 are now in the database. Sorry for any confusion these delays may have caused.

New Consumer Guide for August 2008. Featured albums:

• Jean Grae: Jeanius (Blacksmith) [A-]
• Hammell on Trial: Rant and Roll (Righteous Babe) [A-]
• K'naan: The Dusty Foot Philosopher (iM Culture) [A]
• Seun Kuti + Fela's Egypt 80 (Disorient) [A-]
• Menya: The Ol' Reach-Around (no label) [A-]
• Nas: Untitled (Def Jam) [A-]
• Nigeria 70: Lagos Jump: Original Heavyweight Afrobeat, Highlife & Afro-Funk (Strut) [A-]
• Ponytail: Ice Cream Spiritual (We Are Free) [A-]
• Three 6 Mafia: Last 2 Walk (Hypnotize Minds/Columbia) [C]

New reviews:

• Dr. John and the Lower 911: City That Care Forgot (429) ***(*)
• Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 (Disorient) ***(*)
• Bo Diddley: The Definitive Collection (Geffen) *****
• The Guide: Back Catalogue: Funkadelic