Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, ninnyish noblemen boast in major

July 15th, 2008 • albums and songs, interviews, music
Tags: miles benjamin anthony robinson, paper, paste, pitchfork, tumblr, writing

The only good anagram I could find for Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson was “ninnyish noblemen boast in major.” I didn’t talk about this with Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, but I did talk to him about his LP Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson. The guy was awesome, actually: self-deprecating but super confident, funny and full of stories. There was one I couldn’t include about his grandmother disappearing to follow a traveling tent revival. Or another about how he doesn’t own a computer, but does have a Blackberry. Sometimes talking to a nice guy can make that nice guy’s CD even better, and I don’t know if that’s a good way to form opinions about a record. Luckily, I had formed mine a month or so before.

Possibly the song of the year:

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I’ve also updated my work page with some stuff from Pitchfork, Paper and Paste—I realized I hadn’t put up anything since Sept 2007, which seems to imply I hadn’t worked since then. I most certainly have been working, and for places that don’t start with P, too.

Should I have a tumblr? I registered one a long, long time ago, but didn’t really update, and now it seems like everyone has one, especially people that write. I think that the work/stress of writing all day makes one-button photo/quote publishing extra appealing. And someone told me my blog was very ‘plain’ and ‘texty’ but! I like text, I haven’t gotten tired of text.

Paste Magazine review - Liz Phair’s Exile In Guyville reissue

June 20th, 2008 • albums and songs, music
Tags: exile in guyville, liz phair, paste, reissue, review

My first longer, featured review for Paste is in mailboxes and available via the digital version of the magazine.

“Ant In Alaska” was one of the bonus tracks I wrote about, and it’s the most interesting of those unreleased bits. (courtesy of Stereogum). I tend to approach albums lyrics-first, a good approach when it comes to Guyville especially, and I love Phair’s sparse, but deadly seriousness here.

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Recently in IRL

September 20th, 2006 • general
Tags: emily haines, m ward, paper, paste, resonance, tobey, writing

Two short profiles of M. Ward and Emily Haines, in the last and current issues of Paste (along with a couple of reviews in the former). Paste is becoming my favorite place to write for (next to Pitchfork, because nothing beats hate mail), and I’m not just saying that because my editor there reads and comments on my entries.

Also, some short reviews in Paper and something for Resonance. I don’t have much coming up, because I’ve been doing more at CMJ, and trying to catch up with stuff on the Pitchfork and Paper Thing Walls side.

I’m working on a singles review of the Women Take Back The Noise comp. Playing around with the packaging over the last two nights, Mark and I discovered that Tobey hates noise. He doesn’t seem to mind the playing, but the making. Proof. Check the glockenspiel moneyshot at the end. I found it in the trash a few month ago, and I can play the opening eight notes of “Chicago” by Sufjan Stevens and “Be Gentle With Me” by Boy Least Likely To.

Also, I’ve been reading a lot of this blog over the last two days. It belongs to Sean Nelson, whom I talked to for a story last week, and whom I possibly offended by calling the interview ‘funny and sad’. Anyway. His blog is ostensibly about music but is a lot more personal than most music writers’ blogs (and yes, it’s funny and sad too). I should know better than to keep favorite interviews locked away in (senti)mental files, but whatever. This one can sit next to the Unicorns, Man Man, Danielson, and Feist.

Finally: