Blog Entries [680 - 689]Sunday, January 28, 2018
Music Week
Music: current count 31033 [30993] rated (+40), 251 [257] unrated (-6).
After posting yesterday's
Weekend Roundup,
I read a few more pages into Ben Fountain's Beautiful Country Burn
Again (mentioned in the post) and found this bit, so relevant to
the week's news:
Even a cursory run through American history shows Exceptionalism
has been used to justify monumental bloodshed, oppression, and
profit. Cotton Mather saw "the evident hand of God" in the colonists'
wholesale slaughter of Native Americans in King Philip's War, a
genocide that would eventually roll all the way to the Pacific under
the quasi-religious doctrine of Manifest Destiny. Over 300 years of
slavery were justified on biblical grounds, as, variously, a means of
saving African souls, or adherence to a divinely ordained natural
order. For invasion and conquest in the name of liberty and democracy,
we have the land grabs in Mexico in 1846-48, the Philippines in
1899-1902, and Panama in 1903. For the softer sorts of grabs -- i.e.,
imperialism -- in the early twentieth century, the career of Major
General Smedley Butler (1881-1940) provides a useful guide to
U.S. adventures in Mexico (again), Central America, Haiti, the
Dominican Republic, Cuba, and China. A partial list of U.S.-sponsored
or actively supported interventions, regime changes, and coups d'état
for the latter half of the twentieth century would include Iran (coup,
1953), Guatemala (coup, 1954), Vietnam (coup, 1963; the war,
1965[?]-1973[?]), the Dominican Republic (intervention, 1965), Child
(coup, 1973), Argentina (coup, 1976), Nicaragua (war, 1980s), El
Salvador (war, 1980s), Panama (invasion, 1989), and Haiti (coup, 1991;
invasion, 1994; coup, 2004). Underneath all the high-minded missionary
rhetoric, you will usually find the throbbing heart of the profit
motive.
You can add Venezuela to that list. In fact, you can wonder why
Fountain didn't include it in the first place (or Colombia, which
has been the main base for US troops in Latin America for 20-25
years now).
Still spending a lot of time checking out 2018 albums that have shown
up on various EOY lists (see my
Aggregate), but not finding
much there. Three of this week's four A- releases are actually 2019
releases, all jazz, one dating back to 1966-67. Also got into some old
music, as I noticed a Curtis Amy reissue, and followed that thread.
I've long admired Amy's 1963 album Katanga, so thought it might
be fun to hear more.
Expect a Streamnotes on or near the end of the month. I'll freeze my
2018 list then, and try to work up
some stats for the year. The
Music Tracking file is showing 1074
graded albums in 2018 -- still down from 1185 in 2017, but not as much
as I had expected. I was surprised a couple months ago to find my
Jazz and
Non-Jazz best-of lists were
already evenly balanced. Usually I start out with a big jazz advantage,
then they even off as I catch up with EOY lists. This year, the opposite
has occurred: starting close to even, I'm not up to 63 A/A- jazz, but
only only 53 A/A- non-jazz.
I've been trying tonight to do a database update to the
Robert Christgau website, and
I keep running into character set problems. The database was originally
designed and built in 2001, at which point doing everything using Latin-1
(ISO-8859-1 8-bit characters) seemed to make most sense. That was the
default for MySQL at the time, but over the years MySQL and damn near
everything else moved on to UTF-8. Until recently I've been able to
keep chugging along by twiddling various settings to insist on Latin-1.
At this point, I'm still able to use mysqldump to create a SQL file with
Latin-1 encoding, but when I try to do the same thing through PhpMyAdmin,
even when I explicitly specify ISO-8859-1 output, I'm getting a UTF-8
file. While I can use the command line on my machine, I've gotten into
the habit of using CPanel and PhpMyAdmin to import my SQL dumps into the
public server. Even when I start with a Latin-1 SQL dump file, and set
the character set options in PhpMyAdmin to use ISO-8859-1, the import
operation seems to be filling the database with UTF-8. The result has
been that accented characters coming from the database are garbaged.
(Of course, one suspicious thing is that "latin1" seems to be preferred
by mysqldump, while PhpMyAdmin insists on "ISO-8859-1.)
A few weeks back, I announced that I would be creating a discussion
list for technical and design issues for the Christgau website (and a
few others I work on, including my own). Only a few people have written
to me to sign up, and I have yet to use the list. If you're willing to
help me figure out these technical issues, or if you just want to lurk
as I struggle with them, write me and I'll sign you up.
New records rated this week:
- 10^32K: The Law of Vibration (2018, self-released): [dl]: B+(**)
- Amnesia Scanner: Another Life (2018, Pan): [r]: B+(*)
- Baloji: 137 Avenue Kaniama (2018, Bella Union): [r]: B+(***)
- Boy Azooga: (One) (Two) (Kung Fu!) (2018, Heavenly): [r]: B+(*)
- Brothers Osborne: Port Saint Joe (2018, EMI Nashville): [r]: B
- Cloud Nothings: Last Building Burning (2018, Carpark): [r]: B+(**)
- Christopher Dell/Johannes Brecht/Christian Lillinger/Jonas Westergaard: Boulez Materialism: Live in Concert (2017 [2018], Plaist): [bc]: B+(**)
- Moppa Elliott: Jazz Band/Rock Band/Dance Band (2017-18 [2019], Hot Cup, 2CD): [cd]: A-
- Iro Haarla, Ulf Krokfors & Barry Altschul: Around Again: The Music of Carla Bley (2015 [2019], TUM): [cd]: A-
- Alexander Hawkins: Iron Into Wind: Piano Solo (2018 [2019], Intakt): [cd]: B+(**)
- Human Feel [Chris Speed/Andrew D'Angelo/Kurt Rosenwinkel/Jim Black]: Gold (2017 [2019], Intakt): [cd]: B+(*)
- Juan Ibarra Quinteto: NauMay (2017 [2018], self-released): [r]: B+(*)
- The Jayhawks: Back Roads and Abandoned Motels (2018, Legacy): [r]: B
- Lil Baby: Harder Than Ever (2018, Quality Control): [r]: B+(**)
- Lil Baby & Gunna: Drip Harder (2018, Quality Control): [r]: B+(***)
- Lil Wayne: Tha Carter V (2018, Young Money/Republic): [r]: B+(**)
- Meek Mill: Championships (2018, Maybach Music Group/Atlantic): [r]: B+(***)
- Proc Fiskal: Insula (2018, Hyperdub): [r]: B+(**)
- Joey Purp: Quarterthing (2018, self-released): [r]: B+(**)
- Orquesta Del Tiempo Perdido: Stille (2016-17 [2018], Shhpuma): [r]: B
- Tom Rainey Trio With Mary Halvorson and Ingrid Laubrock: Combobulated (2017 [2019], Intakt): [cd]: B+(***)
- Mette Rasmussen & Chris Corsano: A View of the Moon (From the Sun) (2015 [2018], Clean Feed): [r]: B+(**)
- Mette Rasmussen/Tashi Dorji: Mette Rasmussen/Tashi Dorji (2016 [2018], Feeding Tube): [bc]: B-
- Wadada Leo Smith: Rosa Parks: Pure Love: An Oratorio of Seven Songs (2016-17 [2019], TUM): [cd]: B+(*)
- Teyana Taylor: KTSE [Keep That Same Energy] (2018, GOOD Music/Def Jam, EP): [r]: B
- Assif Tsahar/William Parker/Hamid Drake: In Between the Tumbling a Stillness (2015 [2018], Hopscotch): [dl]: A-
Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries rated this week:
- Ran Blake/Jeanne Lee: The Newest Sound You Never Heard (1966-67 [2019], A-Side, 2CD): [cd]: A-
Old music rated this week:
- Curtis Amy & Paul Bryant: The Blues Message (1960, Pacific Jazz): [r]: B+(***)
- Curtis Amy & Frank Butler: Groovin' Blue (1961, Pacific Jazz): [r]: B+(**)
- Curtis Amy: Way Down (1962, Pacific Jazz): [r]: B+(**)
- Curtis Amy: Tippin' On Through (1962, Pacific Jazz): [r]: B+(*)
- Curtis Amy: Groovin' Blue/Way Down/Tippin' On Through (1961-62 [2013], Fresh Sound, 2CD): [r]: B+(**)
- Curtis Amy Sextet: Peace for Love (1994, Fresh Sound): [r]: B+(***)
- Ran Blake & Jeanne Lee: Free Standards: Stockholm 1966 (1966 [2013], Fresh Sound): [r]: B+(***)
- Paul Bryant: Burnin' (1960, Pacific Jazz): [r]: B+(**)
- Paul Bryant Featuring Curtis Amy & Jim Hall: The Blues Message (1960 [2010], Fresh Sound): [r]: B+(**)
- Bumble Bee Slim: Back in Town (1962, Pacific Jazz): [r]: B+(**)
- Curtis Counce: You Get More Bounce With Curtis Counce! (1956-57 [1984], Contemporary/OJC): [r]: B+(**)
- The Curtis Counce Quintet: Exploring the Future (1958, Boplicity): [r]: B+(***)
- Les McCann Ltd.: On Time (1962, Pacific Jazz): [r]: B+(*)
Ask a question, or send a comment.
Sunday, January 27, 2019
Weekend Roundup
Trump's lockout ended on Friday, for three weeks, anyway. I wouldn't
make a big deal about Trump blinking or caving. He's a born bully, and
still dangerous, so you'd just be taunting him. On the other hand, I'm
pretty much convinced that the purpose of the lockout was to try to
intimidate the new Democratic House, so we might as well acknowledge
that in that regard he failed. Perry Bacon Jr. explains
Why Trump Blinked, although the info graphic on "Trump Approval
Ratings" is probably all you need to know: approve, 39.4%; disapprove,
56.0%. Those are his worst numbers since the 2016 election, and those
numbers have never been above water.
Another big story was the much anticipated indictment and arrest
of Roger Stone. My right-wing cousin on Facebook: "Gestapo tactics
used against Roger Stone! A old man, his wife and a dog. A SWAT team
in full gear for arresting! For shame F.B.I." Of course, Stone's not
the first guy who's been Gestapoed by the FBI. That's pretty much
their standard operating procedure. I can't even especially blame them
here, given that the NRA has pretty much guaranteed that every criminal
in America will be armed. The risk, of course, is that a half-cocked
SWAT team member will freak out and kill someone for no good reason.
We had a prime example of that here in Wichita, about a year ago.
Still, the bigger story is the coup that Trump & Co. tried to
pull off in Venezuela. This one was a bit unorthodox. Normally, one
tries to secure power first, then quickly recognize the plotters to
help them consolidate power. This time Trump recognized the coup
before there were any "facts on the ground," thereby alerting Maduro
to the plot. As I recall, GW Bush recognized a coup in Venezuela [in
2002] that ultimately failed, but even he wasn't as premature as
Trump.
This coup has been preceded by decades of vitriolic propaganda
aimed at delegitimizing the democratically elected Chavez and Maduro
governments. This has made it very difficult to know what reports
are fair and accurate. On the other hand, the historical record is
clear that the US has long exploited Venezuela (and virtually every
other country in Latin America), leading to chronic poverty, extreme
inequality, and harsh repression nearly everywhere -- and this has
long made me sympathetic to political movements, like Chavez's, that
have sought to halt and undo neo-liberal predation (even in cases
where I don't particularly approve of the tactics). Whatever the
facts here, Trump's actions are fully consistent with US policy of
more than a century, and as such should be opposed.
Some links on Venezuela:
George Ciccariello-Maher:
Venezuela: Call it what it is -- a coup. Susan B Glasser:
We interrupt this crisis: Trump, Venezuela, and the crazy politics of
the shutdown:
In typical Trump fashion, the decision about Venezuela happened quickly,
at the last minute, and apparently without the normal process that would
have accompanied such a significant move in any other Administration. . . .
[Senator Marco Rubio] demanded that the Trump Administration recognize
Guaidó as the country's interim leader. Rubio's prodding, along with that
of exile groups, sent the Administration "scrambling," McClatchy News
reported. . . . Just a few hours later, Trump went ahead and did it,
joined by a strong lineup of other countries, including many of
Venezuela's neighbors, as well as Canada and France. . . . In fact,
Trump, who governs by personal instinct, has had an odd obsession with
Venezuela from early on in his Administration, when Rubio brought the
wife of the jailed opposition leader Leopoldo López to make an in-person
appeal to Trump in the Oval Office. Trump professed his willingness to
take military action against Venezuela in the summer of 2017, at the
same golf-course photo opportunity where he threatened to rain down
"fire and fury" on North Korea. . . . In the absence of long-standing
views on many foreign-policy issues, the President has chosen, as he
so often does, to personalize things with Venezuela. Rubio has figured
that out, and adroitly played off it, especially since the Trump
personnel shuffle last spring, which brought two like-minded hard-liners
into the Administration's key foreign-policy jobs: John Bolton, as the
national-security adviser, and Mike Pompeo, as Secretary of State. Both
had advocated tough measures against the leftist regime of Maduro's
mentor and predecessor, Hugo Chávez. Now, with Venezuela descending
into political and economic crisis, members of both parties, including
those, like Rubio, who have been wary of Trump's America First and
damn-the-allies approach to much of the rest of the world, are
supportive of Trump's decision.
Greg Grandin:
How the right is using Venezuela to reorder politics. Jake Johnson:
Ben Norton:
Jon Queally:
While criticizing Maduro, Sanders says US should 'not be in the business
of regime change' in Venezuela: Sanders points out, "The United States
has a long history of inappropriately intervening in Latin American countries.
We must not go down that road again." Michael Selby-Green:
Venezuela crisis: Former UN rapporteur says US sanctions are killing
citizens. Nahal Toosi:
Elliott Abrams, prominent DC neocon, named special envoy for Venezuela.
Leave it to Trump to pick an envoy with a 100% track record of putting
his personal ideological concerns over practical national interests, and
a 0% track record of negotiating the end of any conflicts. Alex Ward:
Some more scattered links this week:
Matthew Yglesias:
2 winners and 3 losers in the deal to end the government shutdown:
Winners: Nancy Pelosi, air traffic controllers. Losers: Donald Trump,
DREAMers, basic rationality and people who like to plan.
Elizabeth Warren's proposed tax on enormous fortunes, explained.
Pete Buttigieg announces his 2020 presidential campaign: Democrat,
mayor of South Bend, IN, and seems to be pretty impressive in that role,
but doesn't have a lot of good opportunities for advancement.
Elizabeth Warren's book, The Two-Income Trap, explained: She
wrote a number of books before getting into politics, and this one from
2004, so-authored by Amelia Warren Tyagi (her daughter), was her first
to attempt a non-academic audience: The Two-Income Trap: Why Middle-Class
Parents Are Going Broke. Lara Bazelon:
Kamala Harris Was Not a 'Progressive Prosecutor'. Jacob Bogage:
Daniel Snyder's new $100 million purchase is the first superyacht with a
certified Imax movie theater. Still, this pales next to Jerry Jones'
"$250 million, 357-foot superyacht." One thing that especially struck me
in Paul Krugman's discussion of "the great compression" was the virtual
disappearance of yachts among the rich c. 1960 (you know, back when the
top-bracket marginal income tax was 90%). Julian Borger: and others:
How Trump has changed America in two years. Robert L Borosage:
Watch how progressives respond when Trump isn't wrong: "Occasionally
the president finds himself on the right side of an issue, and Democrats
can't reflexively act." But, of course, many do. Arielle Brousse:
I'm from Atlantic City. I've seen how Donald Trump's false promises
devastate a community. Robert A Caro:
The secrets of Lyndon Johnson's archives. Aida Chávez:
Congress is pushing sanctions against supporters of Syria's Bashar
Al-Assad. Two obvious problems here: one is that the US has no
business unilaterally imposing sanctions on foreigners; the second is
that this guarantees that the US will continue to be hostile to Syria,
making it harder for Assad to restore order and rebuild the country,
and making sure the US will be unable to do anything constructive.
The fact is that Assad won. Reasonable people should try to work with
him: withdraw foreign support for opposition groups, and try to work
out amnesty/exile agreements rather than risk harsh repression (which
will lead to more resistance, and more terrorism). Adam Davidson:
Robert Mueller got Roger Stone: One of the week's big stories, but
it's been obvious that Stone was going down almost from the start of
the investigation. David Dayen:
Trump's CFPB fines a man $1 for swindling veterans, orders him not to
do it again. Gaby Del Valle:
Amazon is asking companies to create new, Prime-exclusive brands.
This is basically a tactic aimed at consolidating and reaping rents
from monopoly power. If/when Washington gets serious about antitrust
enforcement, prohibiting this is a good place to start. Tara Golshan:
The government is going to reopen. But what's next is going to be
tricky. Karl Grossman:
Darth Trump: Pushing to turnspace into a war zone. Sean Illing:
If you want to understand the age of Trump, read the Frankfurt School:
Interview with Stuart Jeffries, author of Grant Hotel Abyss: The Lives
of the Frankfurt School. I read a lot of Frankfurt School 35-40 years
ago, but have hardly cracked open a book since. I did pick up Dialectic
of Enlightenment a few months back, and noticed that I had underlined
close to half of the book, which provides inadvertent testimony to how deep
I once found it. I quit mostly because I got to where I wasn't learning
new things -- I had internalized their critical stance to such a point I
could anticipate how they would handle any new problem. Still, I'm not
sure they very useful insights into Trump. On the other hand, the history
is bound to be interesting. They're a generation of left intellectuals
who fled Fascism and found something nearly as ominous in America. Trump
easily reminds people of the former, but understanding the latter is more
important, and harder. Paul Krugman:
Robert Mackey:
The plot against George Soros didn't start in Hungary. It started on Fox
News. Michaelangelo Matos:
Fault Lines is an excellent history of US political dysfunction:
Short review of book by Kevin M Kruse and Julian E Zelizer, Fault
Lines: A History of the United States Since 1974. Dylan Matthews:
24 years ago today, the world came disturbingly close to ending. John Nichols:
Trump is entering the terrible twos -- the tantrums are going to get
worse. Gail Pellett:
Gringos without a car -- an ecological decision pays off in cultural
literacy. Robert Reich:
James Risen:
Roger Stone made his name as a dirty trickster, but the Trump-Russia coverup
may finally bring him down. Joshua Rothman:
How to escape pseudo-events in America: The lessons of Covington. Amanda Sakuma:
Gabriel M Schivone:
Why are Guatemalans seeking asylum? US policy is to blame. Headline
could be clearer. US policy is why they flee Guatemala. Why they come
here is harder to say. Perhaps because Americans are so insulated from
the effects of their government abroad? Matt Taibbi:
Jeffrey Toobin:
The dirty trickster: "Campaign tips from the man who has done it all."
Long profile on Roger Stone. The length attests to how long this story has
been anticipated. Tim Wu:
Antitrust's most wanted: "The 10 cases the government should be
investigating -- but isn't." Only keeps it down to ten by including
four whole industry segments. Li Zhou:
Why the government shutdown finally ended: "Floundering government
services, sagging approval ratings, and a failed Senate vote all became
too much for even Trump to take." Ben Zimmer:
Roger Stone and 'Ratf--ing': A Short History.
PS: I asked for comments
last week
on a possible book outline, and got essentially zilch back. To save
you the trouble of a click, I'll just paste them in here:
One thing I feel I need to decide this week (or, let's say, by the end
of January, at latest) is whether I'm going to try to write my unsolicited
advice book for Democrats in 2020. Say it takes three months to write, two
to get edited and published, that gets us to July, by which time we'll
probably have a dozen Democrats running for President. (I'm counting four
right now: Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, Julian Castro, and Tulsi
Gabbard;
Wikipedia lists more I wasn't aware of, plus an announcement pending
from Kamala Harris tomorrow.)
[Ballotpedia
lists eight "notable" declared/exploratory Democratic candidates.]
But that's just a measure of how soon what
Matt Taibbi likes to call "the stupid season" will be upon us. I have no
interest in handicapping the race, or even mentioning candidates by name.
I'm more interested in historical context, positioning, and what I suppose
we could call campaign ethics: how candidates should treat each other, the
issues, the media, the voters, and Republicans. And note that the book is
only directed toward Democrats who are actually concerned enough to get
involved in actual campaigns. Even there, it won't be a "how to" book. I
don't really know anything about running a campaign. It's more why we need
candidates in the first place, and what those candidates should say.
Some rough ideas for the book:
I'm thinking about starting off with a compare/contrast between Donald
Trump and George Washington. They are, by far, the richest Americans ever
to have won office, and otherwise couldn't be more unalike (unless I have
to deal with GW's ownership of slaves, which suggests some similar views on
race). The clearest difference is how we relate to money, and how we expect
politicians with money to serve. I'd probably follow this up with brief compare/contrasts between Trump
and selected other presidents. I might find various presidents that offer
useful contrasts on things like integrity, diligence, intelligence, care,
a sense of responsibility, a command of details, tolerance of corruption.
I doubt I'd find any president Trump might compare favorably to, but it
might be helpful to make the effort. Then I want to talk about political eras. Aside from Washington/Adams,
there are four major ones, each dominated by a party, each with only two
exceptions as president:
- From 1800-1860, Jefferson through Buchanan, interrupted only by two Whig
generals (and their VPs, since both died in office, Harrison especially
hastily).
- From 1860-1932, Lincoln through Hoover, interrupted only by two two-term
Democrats (Cleveland and Wilson).
- From 1932-1980, Roosevelt through Carter, interrupted only by two two-term
Republicans (Eisenhower and Nixon/Ford).
- From 1980-2020, Reagan through Trump, interrupted only by two two-term
Democrats (Clinton and Obama).
There's quite a bit of interesting material I can draw from those periods.
Each starts with a legendary figure, and ends with a one-term disaster. (I
suppose you could say that about Washington/Adams as well, but that's a
rather short descent for an era.) In each, the exceptions substantially
resemble the dominant party. But the Reagan-to-Trump era does reflect an
anomaly: each of the first three eras started with a shift to a broader
and more egalitarian democracy, whereas Reagan was opposite. Each era had
a mid-period nudge in the same direction (Jackson/Van Buren, Roosevelt,
Kennedy/Johnson, but also GW Bush). Of course, the anti-democratic tilt
of Reagan-to-Trump needs some extra analysis, both to show how it could
run against the long arc of American history and why after 1988 it was
never able to post commanding majorities (as occurred in previous
eras).
I then posit that in 2020 the goal is not just to defeat Trump
but to win big enough to launch a new (and overdue) era. This will be
the big jump, but I think if Democrats aim big, they can win big --
and it will take nothing less to make the necessary changes. This is
possible because Republicans, both with and without Trump, have boxed
themselves into a corner where all of their beliefs and commitments
only serve to further hurt the vast majority of Americans. It will be
tough because Republicans still have a stranglehold on a large segment
of the public. But this spell can be broken if Democrats look beyond
the conciliatory tactics and marginal goals that marked the campaigns
of Obama and the Clintons. At some point this segues into a lesson on the need for unity
and tolerance of diversity within the Democratic Party. I'll probably
bring up Reagan's "11th commandment," which served Reagan well but
has since been lost on recent Tea Partiers and RINO-bashers (although
the post-election fawning over Trump suggests that Republicans will
come around to backing anything that wins for them). I'll probably wind up with a brief survey of issues, which
will stress flexibility and feedback within a broad set of principles.
I can imagine later doing a whole book on this, but this would just
offer a taste.
Book doesn't need to be more than 300 pages, and could be as short
as half that. It is important to get it out quickly to have any real
impact. I would consider working with a co-author, especially someone
who could carry on to do much of the promotion -- something I'm very
unlikely to be much good at.
While I can imagine that this could be worth doing, I can also think
of various reasons not to bother. The obvious one is that I haven't been
feeling well, having a good deal of back pain, and having a trouble with
my eyes -- things that have taken a toll from my normal workload over
the last few months. I also seem to be having more difficulties coming
up with satisfactory writing. I spent a lot of time yesterday trying
to write up a response to a particularly annoying Facebook rant, and
never did come up with anything I felt like sharing. I am especially
bothered by self-destructive arguments I see both on the left and the
right of the Democratic Party spectrum, and this sometimes tempts me
to throw up my hands and leave you all to your fates. On the other
hand, sometimes this tempts me to think that all the help you need
is a little clarity that I fancy I can provide.
Just knocked this much off the top of my head, in two sets of a
couple hours each, so this is very rough. Next step will be to try
to flesh out a bit more outline, maybe 3-5 times the length, with a
lot of bullet points. That would be the goal for the next 7-10 days.
If I manage that, I'll circulate it to a few friends, then make a
decision whether to proceed. The alternative project at this point
is probably a memoir, which is something that can take however much
time it takes (or however much I have left).
Comments welcome, and much appreciated.
I haven't made any notable progress in the intervening week, which
is probably not a good sign. I have started reading Ben Fountain's
book, Beautiful Country Burn Again: Democracy, Rebellion, and
Revolution, which is mostly reportage of the 2016 campaign, but
a cut above, partly the writing -- Fountain is best known for his
novel (Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk) -- and partly because
he pays as much attention to the public as to the politicians. (The
paperback subtitle is Trump's Rise to Power and the State of the
Country That Voted for Him. I can't say it's helped me a lot in
thinking about my book, but does keep my head somewhat in the game.
Other books I've read on the 2016 election and/or Trump (latest to
oldest):
- Katy Tur: Unbelievable: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign
in American History
- Allen Frances: Twilight of American Sanity: A Psychiatrist Analyzes
the Age of Trump
- David Frum: Trumpocracy: The Corruption of the American
Republic
- Mark Lilla: The Once and Future Liberal
- Mark Singer: Trump and Me
- Jonathan Allen/Amie Parnes: Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton's
Doomed Campaign
- Bernie Sanders: Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In
- Matt Taibbi: Insane Clown President: Dispatches From the 2016
Circus
Ask a question, or send a comment.
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Music Week
Music: current count 30993 [30949] rated (+44), 257 [263] unrated (-6).
No real reason I didn't post this on Monday, except it was a rough
day and I didn't feel like writing an introduction. Been adding some
polls to the
EOY Aggregate, and will
probably keep doing that until I get to the end of the
Metacritic Top-Tens list, decide what to do with the lists on
Acclaimed Music Forums bulletin board, and/or the Village Voice's
Pazz & Jop critics poll comes out. (No idea when, but I hear
that Robert Christgau will have a small piece there. Last year's
came out on January 22, but as of this writing it's not there yet.)
I can give you a link for the
Uproxx Music Critics Poll, which was hastily opened back when
nobody knew whether the Voice would do anything. They got "nearly
200 critics" to vote, and the top of the list is (in brackets,
first the record's position in my EOY Aggregate list, then my
grade):
- Kacey Musgraves: Golden Hour (MCA Nashville): [2: B]
- Janelle Monáe: Dirty Computer (Bad Boy) [1: A-]
- Mitski: Be the Cowboy (Dead Oceans) [3: B]
- Pusha T: Daytona (GOOD/Def Jam, EP) [4: B+(***)]
- Cardi B: Invasion of Privacy (Atlantic) [5: A-]
- Lucy Dacus: Historian (Matador) [37: B+(*)]
- Ariana Grande: Sweetener (Republic) [15: B]
- The 1975: A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships (Dirty Hit/Polydor) [40: B]
- Boygenius: Boygenius (Matador, EP) [46: B]
- Noname: Room 25 (self-released) [9: A-]
Finishing scores for Other records in my EOY Aggregate top 20 (here
the bracket number is the Uproxx finish):
- Robyn: Honey (Konichawa/Interscope) [14: B+(**)]
- Idles: Joy as an Act of Resistance (Partisan) [88: B+(***)]
- Low: Double Negative (Sub Pop) [18: B+(*)]
- Parquet Courts: Wide Awake! (Rough Trade) [21: A-]
- Kamasi Washington: Heaven and Earth (Young Turks, 2CD) [23: B+(***)]
- Courtney Barnett: Tell Me How You Really Feel (Mom + Pop Music) [39: B+(***)]
- Sophie: Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides (MSMSMSM/Future Classic) [26: B+(***)]
- Christine and the Queens: Chris (Because Music) [43: B+(**)]
- Arctic Monkeys: Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino (Domino) [30: C+]
- Kali Uchis: Isolation (Virgin EMI) [22: A-]
- Blood Orange: Negro Swan (Domino) [84: B+(**)]
- Beach House: 7 (Sub Pop) [15: B+(**)]
- Black Panther: The Album (Music From and Inspired By) (Top Dawg/Aftermath/Interscope) [19: B+(***)]
I can't says as I recognize many of the critics who voted for Uproxx.
(I wasn't invited, nor was I invited to Pazz & Jop, despite having
voted in the latter every year since 2003 -- and a few years back in the
1970s.) I still think Janelle Monáe's Dirty Computer has to be a
pretty solid favorite to win Pazz & Jop. Monáe leads
Album of the Year's Aggregate, with 364 points to 353 for Mitski
and 295 for Musgraves. My list had that same order, albeit with a
much larger point edge, until this last week, when Musgraves edged
into second ahead of Mitski. Metacritic (link above) has Musgraves
edging Monáe out, 98.5 to 97 (with Mitski at 88), followed by Idles,
Pusha T, Cardi B, Low, Robyn, Christine and the Queens, and Ariana
Grande.
I'm not real sure what's going on with Acclaimed's spreadsheets
(they don't seem to be publicly available as such), but the latest
summary I've seen lists the top ten as: Janelle Monáe, Low, Idles,
Pusha T, Mitski, Robyn, Kacey Musgraves, Sophie, Kamasi Washington,
and Beach House, followed by Rosalia (El Mal Querer), Arctic
Monkeys, Cardi B, Courtney Barnett, Parquet Courts, Blood Orange,
Christine and the Queens, Jon Hopkins (Singularity), Kali
Uchis, and US Girls (In a Poem Unlimited). Acclaimed has less
of a US focus, with a lot of non-English lists from Europe and a
few from Latin America -- places where Musgraves falls down and
Idles (and Rosalia) pick up.
Maybe I'll find time (and inspiration) to say more about this when
I wrap up my own little project.
New records rated this week:
- Aphex Twin: Collapse EP (2018, Warp, EP): [r]: B+(***)
- Archivist & Fugal: Undertow (2018, BleeD, EP): [r]: B+(**)
- Daniel Avery: Song for Alpha (2018, Phantasy Sound/Mute): [r]: B+(*)
- Daniel Bennett Group: We Are the Orchestra (2018, Manhattan Daylight Media, EP): [r]: B
- Ran Blake/Clare Ritter: Eclipse Orange (2017 [2019], Zoning): [cd]: A-
- Samantha Boshnack's Seismic Belt: Live in Santa Monica (2018 [2019], Orenda): [cd]: A-
- Bruce: Sonder Somatic (2018, Hessle Audio): [r]: B+(**)
- Dillon Carmichael: Hell on an Angel (2018, Riser House): [r]: B+(*)
- Extra Large Unit: More Fun Please (2017 [2019], PNL): [bc]: B
- First Aid Kit: Ruins (2018, Columbia): [r]: B
- George FitzGerald: All That Must Be (2018, Double Six): [r]: B+(**)
- Helena Hauff: Qualm (2018, Ninja Tune): [r]: B+(***)
- Will Hoge: My American Dream (2018, Thirty Tigers/EDLO, EP): [r]: B+(**)
- Christoph Irniger Pilgrim: Crosswinds (2018 [2019], Intakt): [cd]: B+(**)
- J.I.D: DiCaprio 2 (2018, Dreamville/Interscope): [r]: B+(*)
- Michael Kocour: East of the Sun (2018 [2019], OA2): [cd]: B+(*)
- Adam Kolker & Russ Lossing: Whispers and Secrets (2014 [2018], Fresh Sound): [r]: B+(*)
- Kukuruz Quartet: Julius Eastman: Piano Interpretations (2017 [2018], Intakt): [r]: B+(*)
- Kuzu: Hiljaisuus (2017 [2018], Astral Spirits): [bc]: B+(***)
- Maribou State: Kingdoms in Colour (2018, Counter): [r]: B+(*)
- Bill McHenry Trio: Ben Entrada La Nit (2015 [2018], Fresh Sound New Talent): [r]: B+(***)
- Dave Meder: Passage (2018 [2019], Outside In Music): [cd]: B+(***)
- Miss Red: K.O. (2018, Pressure): [r]: B+(***)
- Kelly Moran: Ultraviolet (2018, Warp): [r]: B+(*)
- Whitey Morgan and the 78's: Hard Times and White Lines (2018, Whitey Morgan Music): [r]: B+(*)
- Greg Murphy Trio: Bright Idea (2018 [2019], Whaling City Sound): [cd]: B+(**)
- Eva Novoa's Ditmas Quartet: Live at IBeam (2016 [2018], Fresh Sound New Talent): [r]: A-
- Objekt: Cocoon Crush (2018, PAN): [r]: B+(**)
- Ross From Friends: Family Portrait (2018, Brainfeeder): [r]: B+(**)
- Dave Rudolph Quintet: Resonance (2018 [2019], self-released): [cd]: B+(*)
- Jamie Saft/Steve Swallow/Bobby Previte: You Don't Know the Life (2018 [2019], RareNoise): [cdr]: B
- Troye Sivan: Bloom (2018, Capitol): [r]: B
- Sleaford Mods: Sleaford Mods (2018, Rough Trade, EP): [r]: B
- Caitlyn Smith: Starfire (2018, Monument): [r]: B
- Walter Smith III: Twio (2018, Whirlwind): [bc]: A-
- Walter Smith III/Matthew Stevens/Joel Ross/Harish Raghavan/Marcus Gilmore: In Commmon (2017 [2018], Whirlwind): [r]: B+(**)
- Wing Walker Orchestra: Hazel (2017 [2019], Ears & Eyes): [cd]: B+(*)
- Ken Vandermark/Nate Wooley: Deeply Discounted II/Sequences of Snow (2018, Pleasure of the Text/Audiographic, EP): [bc]: B
- Leon Vynehall: Nothing Is Still (2018, Ninja Tune): [r]: B+(**)
- Jamie Lin Wilson: Jumping Over Rocks (2018, self-released): [r]: B+(**)
- Peter Zak Quartet Featuring Marcos Varela: One Mind (2017 [2018], Fresh Sound New Talent): [r]: B+(**)
Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries rated this week:
- André Hodeir: Essais: Complete Paris & New York Sessions
(1954-60 [2017], Fresh Sound, 2CD): [r]: B+(*)
- Sun Ra: Crystal Spears (1973 [2019], Modern Harmonic): [bc]: B+(**)
Old music rated this week:
Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music From Vintage Disney Films (1988, A&M): [r]: B+(*)
Grade (or other) changes:
- The End [Sofia Jernberg/Mats Gustafsson/Kjetil Moster/Anders Hana/Greg Saunier]: Svårmod Och Vemod Är Värdesinnen (2018, RareNoise): [cdr]: album title wrong D+
Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:
- The United States Air Force Band Airmen of Note: Global Reach (self-released)
Ask a question, or send a comment.
Sunday, January 20, 2019
Weekend Roundup
The shutdown, or as
David Frum put it, "the President's hostage attempt," goes on,
revulsing and alienating government workers and the public on top
of the revulsion and alienation they first felt when he took office
and started to self-destruct the government. (The exception, or so
we're told, is the ICE border agent union, which relishes the idea
of moving from the backwaters of law enforcement to the closest
thing we've ever had to Hitler's SS.) As I've noted before, the
first and foremost job of every Chief Executive is to keep things
working. In many regards Trump had already broken the organizations
he was responsible for running before he shuttered offices and
halted paychecks (e.g., see the story below on EPA prosecutions).
His new cudgel is blunter, and dumber.
The first thing that popped into my mind when Trump insisted on
shutting down the government is that this is why we don't negotiate
with terrorists. Except I couldn't use that, because I believe that
we should negotiate with terrorists, with hostage-takers, with all
manner of brutes and bullies. I'd even be willing to quote Winston
Churchill, something about "jaw-jaw" being better than "war-war."
But Trump sees this as a test of power, to be resolved by bending
Congressional Democrats into submission. The reason terrorists have
such a poor reputation for negotiating is that, like Trump, they're
insatiable. Republicans have played this budget chokehold card many
times since 1995, always coming back for more, so what Trump is
doing is completely in character. The difference this time is that
Democrats didn't win a major election just to let Trump trod all
over them. They were voted in to resist Republican tyranny, and
this is their first serious test.
One thing I feel I need to decide this week (or, let's say, by the end
of January, at latest) is whether I'm going to try to write my unsolicited
advice book for Democrats in 2020. Say it takes three months to write, two
to get edited and published, that gets us to July, by which time we'll
probably have a dozen Democrats running for President. (I'm counting four
right now: Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, Julian Castro, and Tulsi
Gabbard;
Wikipedia lists more I wasn't aware of, plus an announcement pending
from Kamala Harris tomorrow.) But that's just a measure of how soon what
Matt Taibbi likes to call "the stupid season" will be upon us. I have no
interest in handicapping the race, or even mentioning candidates by name.
I'm more interested in historical context, positioning, and what I suppose
we could call campaign ethics: how candidates should treat each other, the
issues, the media, the voters, and Republicans. And note that the book is
only directed toward Democrats who are actually concerned enough to get
involved in actual campaigns. Even there, it won't be a "how to" book. I
don't really know anything about running a campaign. It's more why we need
candidates in the first place, and what those candidates should say.
Some rough ideas for the book:
I'm thinking about starting off with a compare/contrast between Donald
Trump and George Washington. They are, by far, the richest Americans ever
to have won office, and otherwise couldn't be more unalike (unless I have
to deal with GW's ownership of slaves, which suggests some similar views on
race). The clearest difference is how we relate to money, and how we expect
politicians with money to serve. I'd probably follow this up with brief compare/contrasts between Trump
and selected other presidents. I might find various presidents that offer
useful contrasts on things like integrity, diligence, intelligence, care,
a sense of responsibility, a command of details, tolerance of corruption.
I doubt I'd find any president Trump might compare favorably to, but it
might be helpful to make the effort. Then I want to talk about political eras. Aside from Washington/Adams,
there are four major ones, each dominated by a party, each with only two
exceptions as president:
- From 1800-1860, Jefferson through Buchanan, interrupted only by two Whig
generals (and their VPs, since both died in office, Harrison especially
hastily).
- From 1860-1932, Lincoln through Hoover, interrupted only by two two-term
Democrats (Cleveland and Wilson).
- From 1932-1980, Roosevelt through Carter, interrupted only by two two-term
Republicans (Eisenhower and Nixon/Ford).
- From 1980-2020, Reagan through Trump, interrupted only by two two-term
Democrats (Clinton and Obama).
There's quite a bit of interesting material I can draw from those periods.
Each starts with a legendary figure, and ends with a one-term disaster. (I
suppose you could say that about Washington/Adams as well, but that's a
rather short descent for an era.) In each, the exceptions substantially
resemble the dominant party. But the Reagan-to-Trump era does reflect an
anomaly: each of the first three eras started with a shift to a broader
and more egalitarian democracy, whereas Reagan was opposite. Each era had
a mid-period nudge in the same direction (Jackson/Van Buren, Roosevelt,
Kennedy/Johnson, but also GW Bush). Of course, the anti-democratic tilt
of Reagan-to-Trump needs some extra analysis, both to show how it could
run against the long arc of American history and why after 1988 it was
never able to post commanding majorities (as occurred in previous
eras).
I then posit that in 2020 the goal is not just to defeat Trump
but to win big enough to launch a new (and overdue) era. This will be
the big jump, but I think if Democrats aim big, they can win big --
and it will take nothing less to make the necessary changes. This is
possible because Republicans, both with and without Trump, have boxed
themselves into a corner where all of their beliefs and commitments
only serve to further hurt the vast majority of Americans. It will be
tough because Republicans still have a stranglehold on a large segment
of the public. But this spell can be broken if Democrats look beyond
the conciliatory tactics and marginal goals that marked the campaigns
of Obama and the Clintons. At some point this segues into a lesson on the need for unity
and tolerance of diversity within the Democratic Party. I'll probably
bring up Reagan's "11th commandment," which served Reagan well but
has since been lost on recent Tea Partiers and RINO-bashers (although
the post-election fawning over Trump suggests that Republicans will
come around to backing anything that wins for them). I'll probably wind up with a brief survey of issues, which
will stress flexibility and feedback within a broad set of principles.
I can imagine later doing a whole book on this, but this would just
offer a taste.
Book doesn't need to be more than 300 pages, and could be as short
as half that. It is important to get it out quickly to have any real
impact. I would consider working with a co-author, especially someone
who could carry on to do much of the promotion -- something I'm very
unlikely to be much good at.
While I can imagine that this could be worth doing, I can also think
of various reasons not to bother. The obvious one is that I haven't been
feeling well, having a good deal of back pain, and having a trouble with
my eyes -- things that have taken a toll from my normal workload over
the last few months. I also seem to be having more difficulties coming
up with satisfactory writing. I spent a lot of time yesterday trying
to write up a response to a particularly annoying Facebook rant, and
never did come up with anything I felt like sharing. I am especially
bothered by self-destructive arguments I see both on the left and the
right of the Democratic Party spectrum, and this sometimes tempts me
to throw up my hands and leave you all to your fates. On the other
hand, sometimes this tempts me to think that all the help you need
is a little clarity that I fancy I can provide.
Just knocked this much off the top of my head, in two sets of a
couple hours each, so this is very rough. Next step will be to try
to flesh out a bit more outline, maybe 3-5 times the length, with a
lot of bullet points. That would be the goal for the next 7-10 days.
If I manage that, I'll circulate it to a few friends, then make a
decision whether to proceed. The alternative project at this point
is probably a memoir, which is something that can take however much
time it takes (or however much I have left).
Comments welcome, and much appreciated.
Meanwhile, some scattered links this week:
Matthew Yglesias:
Michelle Alexander:
Time to break the silence on Palestine: "Martin Luther King Jr.
courageously spoke out about the Vietnam War. We must do the same when
it comes to this grave injustice of our time." Yoni Applebaum:
Impeach Donald Trump: "Starting the process will rein in a president
who is undermining American ideals -- and bring the debate about his
fitness for office into Congress, where it belongs." Even after the
2016 election made impeachment possible in the House, I didn't have
any enthusiasm for this particular agenda. But I noticed this line:
"The question that determines whether an act is impeachable, though,
is whether it endangers American democracy." I'm not sure that really
defines the principle, but it sure describes Trump. Long piece, pretty
comprehensive. Jonathan Blitzer:
Frank Bruni:
BuzzFeed's controversial Cohen story raises question: Did Trump want to be
President? "His campaign was a marketing venture. That's why he didn't
want to put business on hold." Will Bunch:
The huge problem with Mueller's Trump-Russia probe that no one talks
about. Isaac Chotiner:
The disturbing, surprisingly complex relationship between white identity
politics and racism: interview with Ashley Jardina, author of White
Identity Politics
Jane Coaston:
Jason Ditz:
Ben Ehrenreich:
To those who think we can reform our way out of the climate crisis:
"Our only hope is to stop exploiting the earth -- and its people." Robert Fisk:
Bernie Sanders, Israel and the Middle East. David A Graham:
Trump's entire shutdown approach, encapsulated in one tweet. Charles Glass:
"Tell Me How This Ends" "America's muddled involvement with Syria. Umair Irfan:
How Trump's EPA is letting environmental criminals off the hook, in one
chart: "Referrals for criminal prosecutions for environmental crimes
are at a 30-year low." Rebecca Jennings:
The controversy around Trump's fast-food football feast, explained. Cameron Joseph:
Trump's companies boosted foreign worker visa use to 10-year high.Fred Kaplan:
Trump's Star Wars fantasy: "The president is proposing the most ambitious
and costly missile defense system since the Reagan era. It won't make us any
safer." I lobbed my wisecrack under Jason Ditz's piece, above. If you look
at this sanely, there are maybe 8-10 countries around the world that this
system might theoretically defend us from, and they are (with good reason)
more afraid of us than we are of them. Why can't we just negotiate a stand
down where we each give up the offensive capability this prays to shoot
down? That would be much safer and much less expensive, especially for the
US (the only nation rich and deranged enough to try to deploy a complete
defensive system, as well as the only nation with a trillion dollar plan
to rebuild its entire nuclear arsenal; other nations wouldn't have to do
more than countermeasures, such as the "dumptruck full of gravel" that
Chalmers Johnson wrote about -- enough to destroy every satellite around
the earth). Of course, it's possible that space-based anti-missile systems
never were a serious technical idea. Back when Reagan first unveiled his
"Star Wars" fantasy, Doonesbury suggested that its SDI acronym really
meant SFI: Strategic Funding Initiative: i.e., a scam for contractors
to soak up billions of dollars.
Trump and Putin's cone of seclusion: On the lack of notes on meetings
between Trump and Putin. Title sounds like a flashback reference to Don
Adams' TV spy comedy, Get Smart's
cone of silence. Dara Lind:
PR Lockhart:
Supporters of Confederate monuments had a very bad week: "The battle
over Confederate monuments is still raging -- and states are losing.". German Lopez:
There are no "feel-good" government shutdown stories: "The government
shutdown is causing a lot of people to suffer. There's nothing good about
it.". Pankaj Mishra:
The malign incompetence of the British ruling class: "With Brexit, the
chumocrats who drew borders from India to Ireland are getting a taste of
their own medicine." Andrew Prokop:
The weekend's Trump-Russia news, explained: Big story here is
Adam Goldman/Michael S Schmidt/Nicholas Fandos: FBI opened inquiry
whether Trump was secretly working on behalf of Russia, but the
timing says more about the FBI's defense instincts in response to
the Comey firing than anything Trump had done. JM Rieger:
Trump used to brag about the click-in online polls his former fixer
tried to rig. David Roberts:
Here's one fight the Green New Deal should avoid for now: "The smart
political move is leaving the question of what counts as clean energy as
open as possible." Jennifer Rubin:
Aaron Rupar:
Amanda Sakuma:
Dylan Scott:
Trump is looking for a new way to cut Medicaid -- without Congress.
Congress has 7 big ideas to cut drug prices. Here's how they work.
Any/all would help (and I can think of a few more), but my preferred
solution is: "7. Rip up our patent system and start from scratch."
Actually, I'd be willing to phase the patent system out, first by
incrementally reducing the 17-year term down to zero, in the meantime
replacing the monopoly grant with arbitrated licensing fees. As this
phases in, you shift research and development costs to "open source"
public development, which in the long run will be more effective. I'd
also try to internationalize this system, inviting other countries to
share in, and add to, the cost savings and development bounty. The
article talks about prizes as incentive for private development. I
think there is a place for that, but it shares with patents the
problem of being a high-risk, high-reward startegy, and tends to
reinforce secrecy. I'd rather see more development subsidized up
front, so there is very little risk, with prizes more as a way of
recognition and reputation-building.
House Democrats are frustrated the shutdown is drowning out the rest
of their agenda. Emily Stewart:
Matt Taibbi:
Jeffrey Toobin:
William Barr and the crucial role of the Justice Department. Janie Velencia:
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wants to raise taxes on the rich -- and Americans
agree. Alex Ward:
- Robert Wright:
How Trump could wind up making globalism great again: I found this
after I wrote the introduction above, but this confirms my basic insight
into Trump's "art of the deal":
A few days before the 2016 election, journalist Andrew Sullivan wrote
this about Donald Trump: "He has no concept of a nonzero-sum engagement,
in which a deal can be beneficial for both sides. A win-win scenario is
intolerable to him, because mastery of others is the only moment when he
is psychically at peace." . . .
Still, in Trump's hierarchy of bliss, dominance does seem to rank at
the top. "I love to crush the other side and take the benefits," he wrote
in a book called Think Big. "Why? Because there is nothing greater.
For me it is even better than sex, and I love sex." He went on to observe:
"You hear lots of people say that a great deal is when both sides win.
That is a bunch of crap. In a great deal you win -- not the other side.
You crush the opponent and come away with something better for yourself."
. . .
Now we've got a president who not only resists playing nonzero-sum
games but actively fans emotions that impede the wise playing of them.
And as if that weren't enough, the fanning of those emotions can
recalibrate the games, making lose-lose outcomes even worse than they
would be otherwise. . . . Trump's policy instincts make good governance
hard, and his political style makes the consequences of bad governance
grave.
Most of the piece goes into Trump's trade deal strategy, which is a
lot like his strategy everywhere else: to demolish his opponent no
matter how much it winds up hurting himself. Then there is this:
Alternative histories are speculative. But the general principle makes
sense: If your policies [Bush in Iraq, Obama in Syria and Libya] bring
instability that in turn breeds fear and hatred, then candidates who
thrive on those things are more likely to get elected. So if there's a
chunk of international law designed to prevent instability -- such as
the UN charter's constraints on transborder aggression -- maybe you
should pay some attention to it, especially if you're going to go around
singing the praises of the rules-based international order [he quoted
Iraq War supporter George Packer, chastising Trump for this]. Yet many
American politicians who sing those praises also championed the Iraq
and Libya adventures.
That those people include Hillary Clinton -- the only alternative to
Trump in the 2016 election -- tells you how far the American political
system is from taking global governance seriously. On the one hand, we
had a candidate who ostensibly supported the UN charter but casually
disregarded it. On the other, we had Trump, who denounced various US
military adventures but disdains the international law that stands in
opposition to military adventurism.
Ask a question, or send a comment.
Monday, January 14, 2019
Music Week
Music: current count 30949 [30913] rated (+36), 263 [260] unrated (+3).
Rated count remains healthy despite my various disabilities. The
breakdown shifted rather dramatically toward "recent reissues, compilations,
and vault discoveries" -- probably because I finally added a few rather
deep compilation-oriented lists to my
EOY Aggregate and its
Old Music companion,
including the complete
Jazz Critics
Poll: Reissues/Historical list. Some other late-breaking polls I
picked up:
The James Brown compilation topped the Ye Wei list, and could have rated
higher had I spent more time with it. The FOLC is one of those retro-rock
things Phil Overeem especially loves. I was vaguely aware that a lot of
Sun Ra had been reissued last year, so when my first two picks turned out
to be especially good, I tried out a bunch more. Trying to figure out the
lay of the land, I jotted down a list of 85 more Sun Ra albums on Napster
that I haven't heard. I should return to them at some point.
There is a new
XgauSez over on
Robert Christgau's website, as well as the
2018 Dean's List. I wanted to get the reviews caught up, but in
the end decided just to post the list. Still don't feel up to starting
the planned site redesign, and probably shouldn't risk it until I do.
I gather there is a Village Voice Pazz & Jop poll in the works,
so that will probably wrap up my EOY list madness. Christgau held back
his point assignments for the poll, although I wouldn't expect them to
post ballots this year after they failed last year. Christgau will be
writing some kind of piece for the poll. For the first time in 15+
years I didn't get an invite, so I find myself losing interest. Much
more info can be mined from my own EOY Aggregate anyway.
New records rated this week:
- Art Brut: Wham! Bang! Pow! Let's Rock Out (2018, Alcopop!): [r]: B+(**)
- David Binney: Here & Now (2018, Mythology): [r]: B-
- Itamar Borochov: Blue Nights (2018 [2019], Laborie Jazz): [cd]: B+(**)
- Peter Brotzmann & Fred Lonberg-Holm: Ouroboros (2011 [2018], Astral Spirits): [bc]: B+(***)
- Chuck Deardorf: Perception (2017-18 [2019], Origin): [cd]: B+(**)
- The Delines: The Imperial (2019, El Cortez): [r]: B+(***)
- Bryan Ferry and His Orchestra: Bitter-Sweet (2018, BMG): [r]: B+(**)
- Joe Fiedler: Open Sesame (2018 [2019], Multiphonics Music): [cd]: B+(***)
- Miho Hazama: Dancer in Nowhere (2018 [2019], Sunnyside): [cd]: B+(**)
- Janczarski & McCraven Quintet: Liberator (2016 [2018], ForTune): [bc]: B+(*)
- Brandon Lopez: Quoniam Facta Sum Vilis (2018, Astral Spirits): [bc]: B+(*)
- Loretta Lynn: Wouldn't It Be Great (2006-17 [2018], Legacy): [r]: B+(**)
- Quinsin Nachoff's Flux: Path of Totality (2016-17 [2019], Whirlwind, 2CD): [cd]: A-
- May Okita: Art of Life (2018 [2019], Origin): [cd]: B+(**)
- Ernie Watts Quartet: Home Light (2018, Flying Dolphin): [cd]: B+(**)
- Zeal and Ardor: Stranger Fruit (2018, MVKA): [r]: B+(*)
- Denny Zeitlin/Buster Williams/Matt Wilson: Wishing on the Moon (2009 [2018], Sunnyside): [r]: B+(**)
Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries rated this week:
- Gordon Beck Quartet: When Sunny Gets Blue (1966-68 [2018], Another Planet): [r]: B+(*)
- James Brown & the Famous Flames: The Federal & King Singles As and Bs 1956-61 (1956-61 [2018], Acrobat, 2CD): [r]: A-
- Feeling Kréyol: Las Palé (1988, Strut, EP): [r]: B+(*)
- Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!! And Rights!! ([2018], FOLC): [bc]: A-
- Gumba Fire: Bubblegum Soul & Synth-Boogie in 1980s South Africa (Soundway): [r]: B+(**)
- Guy Lafitte: His Tenor Sax & Orchestra 1954-1959 (1954-59 [2018], Fresh Sound): [r]: B+(***)
- Guy Lafitte: Quartet & Sextet Sessions 1956-1962 (1956-62 [2018], Fresh Sound): [r]: B+(**)
- Dave McKenna: In Madison (1991 [2018], Arbors): [r]: B+(**)
- John Prine: Live in Asheville '86 (1986 [2016], Oh Boy): [bc]: B+(**)
- Sun Ra & His Arkestra: Sun Ra With Pharoah Sanders & Black Harold: Judson Hall, New York, Dec. 31, 1964 (1964 [2018], Enterplanetary Koncepts): [bc]: B+(**)
- Sun Ra: Astro Black (1972 [2018], Modern Harmonic): [r]: B+(*)
- Sun Ra: The Cymbals/Symbols Sessions: New York City 1973 (1973 [2018], Modern Harmonic, 2CD): [bc]: B+(***)
- Sun Ra & His Arkestra: Discipline 99 (Out Beyond the Kingdom Of) (1974 [2018], Enterplanetary Koncepts): [bc]: B+(**)
- Sun Ra: Of Abstract Dreams (1974-75 [2018], Strut): [r]: A-
- Sun Ra and His Arkestra: Taking a Chance on Chances (1977 [2018], Enterplanetary Koncepts): [r]: B+(***)
- Sun Ra: God Is More Than Love Can Ever Be (1979 [2018], Cosmic Myth): [r]: A-
- Sun Ra: Sun Ra Plays Gershwin (1951-89 [2018], Enterplanetary Koncepts): [r]: B
- Jesse Sharps Quintet & P.A.P.A.: Sharps and Flats (2004 [2018], Nimbus West/Outernational Sounds): [r]: B+(***)
Old music rated this week:
- Sun Ra and His Myth Science Arkestra: We Travel the Space Ways (1960 [2012], Enterplanetary Koncepts): [r]: B+(*)
Grade (or other) changes:
- Joshua Redman/Ron Miles/Scott Colley/Brian Blade: Still Dreaming (2017 [2018], Nonesuch): [r]: [was B+(**)] B+(***)
Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:
- Moppa Elliott: Jazz Band/Rock Band/Dance Band (Hot Cup, 2CD): February 14
- Iro Haarla, Ulf Krokfors & Barry Altschul: Around Again (TUM)
- Alexander Hawkins: Iron Into Wind: Piano Solo (Intakt)
- Heroes Are Gang Leaders: The Amiri Baraka Sessions (Flat Langston's Arkeyes)
- Human Feel [Chris Speed/Andrew D'Angelo/Kurt Rosenwinkel/Jim Black]: Gold (Intakt)
- Greg Murphy Trio: Bright Idea (Whaling City Sound)
- Tom Rainey Trio With Mary Halvorson and Ingrid Laubrock: Combobulated (Intakt)
- Dave Rudolph Quintet: Resonance (self-released)
- Wadada Leo Smith: Rosa Parks: Pure Love: An Oratorio of Seven Songs (TUM): February 15
- Ernie Watts Quartet: Home Light (Flying Dolphin)
Ask a question, or send a comment.
Sunday, January 13, 2019
Weekend Roundup
For many years now, I've identified two major political problems
in America. The most obvious one is the nation's habit and obsession
with projection of military power as its leverage in dealing with
other nations. As US economic power has waned, and as America shed
its liberal ideals, it's become easier for others to challenge its
supremacy. In turn, American power has hardened around its military
and covert networks, placing the nation on a permanent war footing.
This near-constant state of war, since 1945 but even more blatantly
since 2001, has led to numerous social maladies, like domestic gun
violence and the xenophobia leading to the current "border crisis."
The other big problem is increasing inequality. The statistics,
which started in the 1970s but really took off in the "greed is good"
1980s, are clear and boring, but the consequences are numerous, both
subtle and pernicious. It would take a long book to map out most of
the ways the selfish pursuit and accumulation of riches has warped
business, politics, and society. One small example is that when GW
Bush arbitrarily commanded the world to follow his War on Terror lead
("you're either with us or against us"), he was assuming that as US
President he was entitled to the same arbitrary powers (and lack of
accountability) corporate CEOs enjoyed.
I used to wonder how Reagan was able to affect such a huge change
in America despite relatively sparse legislative accomplishments --
mostly his big tax cut. The answer is that as president he could send
signals to corporate and financial leaders that government would not
interfere with their more aggressive pursuit of power and profit.
Reagan's signals have been reiterated by every Republican president
since, with ever less concern for scruples or ethics or even the
slightest concern for consequences. All Trump has done has been to
carry this logic to its absurdist extreme: his greed is shameless,
even when it crosses into criminality.
Still, what the government lockout, now entering its fourth week,
shows, is that we may need to formulate a third mega-ailment: we seem
to have lost our commitment to basic competency. We should have seen
this coming when politicians (mostly Republicans) decided that politics
trumps all other considerations, so they could dispute (or ignore) any
science or expertise or so-called facts they found inconvenient. (Is
it ironical that the same people who decry "political correctness"
when it impinges on their use of offensive rhetoric are so committed
to imposing their political regimen on all discussions of what we
once thought of as reality?)
A couple things about competency. One is that it's rarely noticed,
except in the breech. You expect competency, even when you're engaging
with someone whose qualifications you can properly judge -- a doctor,
say, or a computer technician, or a mechanic. You also expect a degree
of professional ethical standards. Trust depends on those things, and
no matter how many time you're reminded caveat emptor, virtually
everything you do in everyday life is built on trust. We can all point
to examples of people who violated your trust, but until recently such
people were in the minority. Now we have Donald Trump. And sure, lots
of us distrusted him from the start of his campaign. He was, after all,
vainglorious, corrupt, a habitual liar, totally lacking in empathy, his
head full of mean-spirited rubbish.
On the other hand, even I am shocked at how incapable Trump has been
at understanding the most basic rudiments of his job. There's nothing
particularly wrong with him having policy views, or even an agenda, but
the most basic requirement of his job is that he keep the government
working, according to the constitution and the laws as established per
that constitution -- you know, the one he had to swear to protect and
follow when he took his oath of office. There have been shutdowns in
the past -- basically ever since Newt Gingrich decided the threat would
be a clever way to extort some policy concessions from Bill Clinton --
but this is the first one that was imposed by a president.
His reason? Well, obviously he's made a political calculation, where
he thinks he can either bully the Democrats into giving him something
they really hate ($5.7 billion so he can brag about how he's delivering
that "big, beautiful wall" he campaigned on) and thereby restore his
"art of the deal" mojo from the tarnish of losing the 2018 "midterms"
so badly, or rouse the American people (his base, anyway) into blaming
the Democrats for all the damage the shutdown causes. Either way, he
feels that his second-term election in 2020 depends on this defense of
political principle. Besides, he hates the federal government anyway --
possibly excepting the military and a few other groups currently exempt
from the shutdown -- mostly because he's bought into the credo that
"politics is everything, and everything is politics" (which makes most
of the Democrat-leaning government enemy territory).
On the other hand, all he's really shown is that he's unfit to hold
office, because he's forgotten that his main job is to keep the United
States government working: implementing and enforcing the laws of the
land, per the constitution. One might argue that using his office for
such a political ploy is as significant a violation of his trust as
anything else he's done. Indeed, one might argue that it is something
he should be impeached for (although that would require a political
consensus that has yet to form -- not that he isn't losing popularity
during this charade).
Some scattered links this week:
Matthew Yglesias:
Trump's Hannity interview reveals a president out of touch with
reality:
But this is the crux of the matter. He doesn't consider this issue very
important. It's not important enough for him to offer Democrats anything
of substance in a legislative swap, and it's not important enough for him
to have bothered to learn anything about the issue or even develop a
specific proposal. He is imposing huge costs on a huge number of people,
but he personally is suffering nothing more than the indignity of hanging
out in the White House.
And he's so unselfconscious that he actually threw himself a pity party
in the midst of all the problems he's causing. There's no apology here for
the inconvenience, followed by an explanation of why he's doing it. Because
he's not sorry. He wants us to feel sorry for him. And that, in some ways,
is the most disturbing thing of all.
Yglesias focuses on the workers who aren't getting paid, but there
are much larger potential costs to many more people if you can factor
in the work that doesn't get done, and the signals not doing this work.
Much of what the government does is meant to keep companies honest and
trustworthy. Losing that doesn't seem to bother Trump, and indeed most
people may not notice the loss -- until it's too late.
FBI agents' union slams Trump, says the shutdown is harming national
security.
The more Trump talks, the less likely it is he'll get his precious steel
slats: "To get things done, the president needs to shut up." That
Trump keeps trying to make political hay out of the lockout suggests
he's only concerned with the political optics. (On the other hand, if
it isn't talked about on Fox & Friends, is it even real to
him?).
Joe Biden is the Hillary Clinton of 2020: "Americans want outsiders,
reformers, and fresh faces, not politicians with decades of baggage."
In particular, "Why nominate another Iraq hawk?" With Clinton on the
shelf, it's hard to think of any Democrat with more easily attacked
baggage than Biden. (John Kerry has similar problems -- some exactly
the same. And sure, Andrew Cuomo and Rahm Emmanuel were on track to
catch up, but they're already pretty thoroughly discredited.) Biden
is a guy that some in the media enjoy touting and that most Democrats
would settle for, but no one really likes him. (You do know that
Leslie Knope's "hots" for him was a joke, don't you?)
It's not just that Biden, despite his currently strong polling, would
make for a weak candidate if he runs. The entire spectacle of once again
re-fighting every intraparty battle from the past two generations of
Democratic Party politics would be bad for almost everyone at a time
when Democrats should be talking about their ideas for the future rather
than raking over the past.
The real crisis is that Trump has no idea what he's doing.
The shutdown is intractable because Trump's wall is ridiculous and
Republicans know it: "Conservatives won't trade the wall for anything
good because they know it's a bad idea.".
Taxing the rich is very popular; it's Republicans who have the radical
position: "But TV news anchors are rich."
Networks giving Trump free airtime on Tuesday refused to air Obama's 2014
immigration speech.
The "skills gap" was a lie: "New research shows it was the consequence
of high unemployment rather than its cause." Nothing on who knew better at
the time, although I suspect that when I start looking around, Dean Baker
and Paul Krugman will have something to say on that. Peter Baker:
Trump confronts the prospect of a 'nonstop political war' for
survival. Russell Berman:
The impact of the government shutdown is about to snowball. John Cassidy:
Coral Davenport:
Shutdown means EPA pollution inspectors aren't on the job. Tom Engelhardt:
Living on a quagmire planet: "Honestly, this could get a lot
uglier." Trip Gabriel:
Before Trump, Steve King set the agenda for the wall and anti-immigration
politics. Masha Gessen:
Searching for a substantive response to Trump's hateful speech:
"Shutting down the government over the border wall is to policy what
writing a pouty letter to Kim Jong Un is to diplomacy, and the leader
of the Senate opposition should have no part in elevating it." Then
Gessen finds the response she's looking for, from Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez:
The one thing that the President has not talked about is the fact that
he has systematically engaged in the violation of international human
rights on our border. He has separated children from their families.
He talked about what happened the day after Christmas -- on the day of
Christmas, a child died in [Customs and Border Protection] custody.
The President should not be asking for more money to an agency that
has systematically violated human rights; the President should be
really defending why we are funding such an agency at all. Because
right now what we are seeing is death, right now what we are seeing
is the violation of human rights, these children and these families
are being held in what are called hieleras, which are basically
freezing boxes that no person should be maintained in for any amount
of time. . . . He is trying to restrict every form of legal immigration
there is in the United States. He is fighting against family reunification,
he's fighting against the diversity visa lottery. . . . This is systematic,
it is wrong, and it is anti-American.
Jeffrey Goldberg:
Unthinkable: 50 moments that define an improbable presidency: I'll
just list them, and you can go to the page for links and details:
- Donald Trump touches the magic orb
- A cabinet officer likes private planes too much
- The president praises the congressman who body-slammed a reporter
- An overcompensating press secretary lies about crowd size
- Trump tells the Boy Scouts about a hot New York party
- A name-calling feud ends with the secretary of state's ouster by tweet
- The WikiLeaks president goes silent
- The nation loses its consoler in chief
- The first president to complain about an election he won
- Trump waits 19 months to pick his science adviser
- The president's most trusted adviser is his own gut
- A White House economist creates facts for the president
- Trump holds a top secret confab on the Mar-a-Lago dining terrace
- The president just wants to go home
- Trump threatens to strip security clearances from his critics
- Mueller's "witch hunt" is good at finding witches
- Trump leads the country to the longest government shutdown in American history
- The chief justice of the United States corrects the president
- Trump disseminates Soviet propaganda
- The White House punishes a CNN reporter for asking questions
- The buck stops over there
- The president tries to kick transgender service members out of the military
- Trump tweets the wisdom of Mussolini
- Turkish agents assault protesters near the White House
- Trump helps the Saudis cover up a murder
- "We're gonna have the cleanest air"
- The president can't stop talking about carnage
- America gets a first daughter
- The UN General Assembly laughs at the president
- Rain stops Trump from honoring the dead
- The president learns about separation of powers
- The president learns about the Justice Department
- The president lies constantly
- Trump threatens to press his "nuclear button"
- Public humiliation comes for everyone in the White House
- The CIA dead become a TV prop
- You know you're in a constitutional crisis when . . .
- Trump mocks Christine Blasey Ford to a cheering crowd
- A new term enters the presidential lexicon: "shithole countries"
- Trump throws paper towels at Puerto Ricans
- "I have the absolute right to pardon myself"
- Covfefe
- The president calls his porn-star ex-paramour "horseface"
- Trump picks the wrong countries for his travel ban
- Trump declares war on black athletes
- James Comey is fired
- Putin and Trump talk without chaperones
- The president still hasn't released his tax returns
- "Very fine people on both sides"
- Children are taken from their parents and incarcerated
Saddest thing about this list? I didn't have to look any of them up.
Second saddest thing? The umbrella didn't even make the cut. Rebecca Gordon:
Confronting "Alternative Facts": "A Twenty-First-Century Incredibility
Chasm: Life in the United States of Trump." Greg Grandin:
Bricks in the Wall: A history of US efforts to fortify the border
with Mexico, starting in 1945 with a 10-foot high chain link fence that
stretched 5 miles near Calexico, CA, built with materials that had been
used in Japanese-American internment camps. Grandin has a new book on
the subject: The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border
Wall in the Mind of America. Glenn Greenwald:
As Democratic elites reunite with neocons, the party's voters are becoming
far more militaristic and pro-war than Republicans: I can't help but
think Greenwald has cherry-picked a few facts here and turned them into a
gross slander of the Democratic Party base.
Jack Healy/Tyler Pager:
Farm country stood by Trump. But the shutdown is pushing it to the breaking
point. Sean Illing:
Why so many people who need the government hate it: "Everyone benefits
from welfare. Here's why most people don't know that." Interview with
Suzanne Mettler, author of The Government-Citizen Disconnect.
Pull quotes:
"If individual citizens withdraw from public life, the only people in society
who have power are those with lots of economic power."
"We have to find a way to recapture that sense of the government as an
instrument of good in our lives, and we have to stop thinking of it as the
enemy."
"If we become more and more anti-government, we're against ourselves.
We're against our own collective capacity to do anything."
Trump's ties to the Russian mafia go back 3 decades: Interview with
Craig Unger, author of House of Trump, House of Putin. Paul Krugman:
Trump's big libertarian experiment: "Does contaminated food smell
like freedom?
"Government," declared Ronald Reagan in his first Inaugural Address, "is
not the solution to our problem, government is the problem." Republicans
have echoed his rhetoric ever since. Somehow, though, they've never
followed through on the radical downsizing of government their ideology
calls for.
But now Donald Trump is, in effect, implementing at least part of the
drastic reduction in government's role his party has long claimed to favor.
If the shutdown drags on for months -- which seems quite possible -- we'll
get a chance to see what America looks like without a number of public
programs the right has long insisted we don't need. Never mind the wall;
think of what's going on as a big, beautiful libertarian experiment.
Seriously, it's striking how many of the payments the federal government
is or soon will be failing to make are for things libertarians insist we
shouldn't have been spending taxpayer dollars on anyway.
Melting snowballs and the winter of debt.
Elizabeth Warren and her party of ideas: The tide has turned:
Today's G.O.P. is a party of closed minds, hostile to expertise,
aggressively uninterested in evidence, whose idea of a policy argument
involves loudly repeating the same old debunked doctrines. Paul Ryan's
"innovative" proposals of 2011 (cut taxes and privatize Medicare) were
almost indistinguishable from those of Newt Gingrich in 1995.
Meanwhile, Democrats have experienced an intellectual renaissance.
They have emerged from their 1990s cringe; they're no longer afraid to
challenge conservative pieties; and there's a lot of serious, well-informed
intraparty debate about issues from health care to climate change.
Eric Lach:
The corrupting falsehoods of Trump's Oval Office speech. Dara Lind:
Trump's advisers push for emergency declaration -- while assuming it'll be
stopped in court. German Lopez:
Democrats need to think way bigger on guns: Doubts about focusing
on background checks. Dylan Matthews:
All 20 previous government shutdowns, explained. In my introduction,
I blamed the phenomenon on Newt Gingrich, but most of these were prior
to 1985 (mostly when Reagan was president). This doesn't go into further
threats made by Gingrich and later Republican threats aimed at Obama,
although it does include the 2013 shutdown. Related:
Javier Zarrancina/Li Zhou: The astonishing effects of the shutdown, in
8 charts. John McWhorter:
Trump's typos reveal his lack of fitness for the presidency. Greg Miller:
Trump has concealed details of his face-to-face encounters with Putin
from senior officials in administration. Kendra Pierre-Louis:
Ocean warming is accelerating faster than thought, new research
finds:
As the planet has warmed, the oceans have provided a critical buffer.
They have slowed the effects of climate change by absorbing 93 percent
of the heat trapped by the greenhouse gases humans pump into the
atmosphere.
"If the ocean wasn't absorbing as much heat, the surface of the land
would heat up much faster than it is right now," said Malin L. Pinsky,
an associate professor in the department of ecology, evolution and natural
resources at Rutgers University. "In fact, the ocean is saving us from
massive warming right now."
But the surging water temperatures are already killing off marine
ecosystems, raising sea levels and making hurricanes more destructive.
Brad Plumer:
US carbon emissions surged in 2018 even as coal plants closed. Andrew Prokop:
Aaron Rupar:
Amanda Sakuma:
Eric Schmidt/Mark Landler:
Pentagon officials fear Bolton's actions increase risk of clash with
Iran. Adam Serwer:
Trump the toddler: "The president is pursuing a child's strategy for
getting what he wants." Aditi Shrikant:
National parks are getting trashed amid the government shutdown.
This strikes me as one of the most telling stories of the lockout.
I've spent a lot of time working late in offices, and as such I've
noticed people coming in to clean them up every night. It turns out
that it takes a lot of work to keep any place inhabited by humans
from turning into a dump, but most office workers, clocking in and
out on expected schedules, never see that. Emily Stewart:
Dominic Tierney:
The US isn't really leaving Syria and Afghanistan: Author sees
mostly technical problems, largely because the US military is much
better at building bases than dismantling them -- especially when
it wants to do one and not the other. There's also the problem of
not having a coherent plan let alone viable allies. And up and down
the command chain there are people who can't be trusted not to fake
a crisis or provocation if it serves their agenda. Whenever you give
someone like John Bolton the opportunity to explain what Trump means,
it's likely to spin around 180 degrees. Alex Ward:
The government shutdown is hurting America's diplomats -- and
diplomacy. Benjamin Wittes:
Robin Wright:
Pompeo and his Bible define US policy in the Middle East:
Pompeo's speech had three dimensions: it was anti-Obama, anti-Iran, and
in favor of so-called traditional allies, as Robert Malley, the president
of the International Crisis Group and a senior National Security Council
staffer in the Obama Administration, told me. "The first reflects a
politicization of foreign policy for which it is hard to conjure up a
precedent. The second an ideological obsession that does not comport with
reality. And the third an implicit celebration of an autocratic status quo
that masquerades as a tribute to stability. Pompeo's self-proclaimed message
was that America is a force for good. Whether that ever was the case, his
speech was proof that, today at least, it plainly is not."
For more on Pompeo's speech/mission:
Ask a question, or send a comment.
Monday, January 7, 2019
Music Week
Music: current count 30913 [30874] rated (+39), 260 [251] unrated (+9).
The 13th Annual Jazz Critics Poll results were published by NPR early
Saturday morning, with two pieces by Francis Davis:
-
The 2018 NPR Music Jazz Critics Poll: Top 50 new albums (blurbs by
various authors on top ten), five additional blurbs on "Solitary No. 1s"
(records that only received one vote, a 1st place, including one I wrote
on The Music of Anders Garstedt), and one blurb and top ten (or
less) standings for the other categories: Reissues/Historical, Debuts,
Latin, Vocals.
-
Wayne Shorter Travels the Spaceways, with Davis's own year summary
plus his own annotated ballot.
As has been the case since 2009, I tabulated all of the ballots and
formatted them and complete totals
here. Since I posted
all that, I've had to update the files a few times. Most troubling
were cases where I counted votes for the wrong record by an artist
(one of the Esperanza Spalding votes should have been for her 2017
album; two of the Mingus votes should have gone to Live in Montreux
1975. Other problems were routine typos, but all (so far) have
been easy to fix.
Bigger problem is that I never got copied on Richard Scheinin's
ballot, so it didn't get counted. Still unresolved what to do about
that, but I took the trouble to dig his top-25 list out of his
Twitter feed
and added it into my
EOY Aggregate. I've
also added the entire new and historical album lists, but thus
far I haven't dipped into the individual ballots. I've started
to pick up individual ballots from
All About Jazz writers (only a few of whom voted in JCP), and
before long I'll take a look at the
JJA member lists (which I wasn't able to find until today).
I'm also doing some mop-up on rock/pop lists, but I'm starting
to skip lists of little/no interest (chiefly metal). Don't know
how long I'll keep this up, as the EOY list season is basically
done, and the
223 lists I currently
have logged give a pretty fair picture, at least in rock/pop,
hip-hop, and (somewhat less) electronica.
While most of the records below are 2018 releases I've noted on
lists and am belatedly checking out, two of the new A- albums are
2019 releases (and another by Quinsin Nachoff will show up in next
week's report). I'm also treating Eric Dolphy's Musical Prophet
as a 2019 release: physical CDs don't hit the market until Jan. 26,
although a digital release came out Nov. 23, and enough critics
heard and voted for it to finish 3rd in JCP -- alas, not me, not
that it would have cracked my ballot (even if I didn't follow my
recent rule of only voting for historical records I have physical
copies of).
So the only new A- this week from the 2018 lists turns out to
be Spiritualized, which at 49 was the highest-rated album I hadn't
heard yet. I once loved their 1997 album, Ladies and Gentlemen
We Are Floating in Space, but last time I checkec them out the
record got a B-. Wound up playing the new one three times. Next few
EOY Aggregate records I haven't heard don't seem more promising:
Julia Holter, Iceage, Kurt Vile, Deafheaven, Anna Calvi, Cat Power,
Drake, Troye Sivan, Ghost, Lump, MGMT, Daughters, Florence + the
Machine, Jorja Smith, Elvis Costello, First Aid Kit. I'll probably
play a few of those before end of January.
Among the top 50 JCP albums, I've managed to hear 47. The exceptions
are numbers 50 (Elio Villafranca), 48 (Noah Preminger/Frank Carlberg),
and 1 (Wayne Shorter). None of those are available on Napster or
Bandcamp, nor do I recall any download offers. Shorter's Emanon
is a 3-CD live set with a hard-cover graphic novel costing $53.82 on CD
and $156.38 on vinyl. Not sure how well this was serviced -- I don't
even get email from Blue Note these days, which hasn't been a problem
given that everything else they release is available on Napster, and
since they decided to bet on hip-hop fusion they haven't released much
that's worth hearing. (This year: two ***, from Rosanne Cash and Charles
Lloyd/Lucinda Williams; two **, from Kenny Barron and Dave McMurray;
five *: Ambrose Akinmusire, Terence Blanchard, Nels Cline, GoGo Penguin,
José James; five B or worse.)
On the other hand, I've only heard 5 of the top-ten historical,
with Dolphy's Musical Prophet the only physical (too late).
Francis Davis remarked to me that the new albums list seemed to be
governed by "more is better": 3-CD Shorter (and Sorey); 2-CDs from
Akinmusire, Coleman, Halvorson, Salvant, Washington, plus separates
that could have been joined by Threadgill and Thumbscrew (we counted
the former separately, but merged the latter), plus 6-CD monsters
from Okazaki and Kimbrough -- all in the top-20. But the real home
of gigantism is the historical list, where the top 8 were all 2-CD
or more, topped by the 21-CD The Art Ensemble of Chicago and
Associated Ensembles and the 11-CD Sextet Parker 1993.
(I had naively assumed that the latter was just a repackaging of
Braxton's brilliant Charlie Parker Project 1993, so didn't
bother investigating further, but the full digital is available on
Bandcamp. I should take a close look at the site and see what
else is accessible.
I've been tempted to revisit several albums after seeing how they
placed in various lists. The only one with a regrade so far is Tierra
Whack's 15-minute EP Whack World. When Christgau placed it in
his top-10, I thought it might overcome my prejudice against EPs. Even
without the video, it feels remarkably full. I also gave Mitski's
Be the Cowboy (last week's
Christgau A-, number 2 in my EOY Aggregate) another chance, but didn't
for a moment feel like moving my grade above B. I'm usually a sucker
for a well-crafted pop album, but there are several this year that do
precious little for me (Robyn, Ariana Grande; I like Sophie a bit more,
but a recent retry didn't help it). Right now re-listening to Joshua
Redman's Still Dreaming (number 2 for Francis Davis), which
will probably get a small bump.
Just finished reading Suzy Hansen's Notes on a Foreign Country:
An American Abroad in a Post-American World, which winds up with
a thoroughly damning critique of US foreign policy, not least because
it pains her so much to admit to it all. But the cinch for her seems
to have been returning to the US (Brooklyn, Mississippi) and seeing
first-hand how the imperialist bile rots the nation from the inside.
At a more detail level, she illustrates without coming to any real
conclusions the ambivalences she feels about Kemal and Erdogan and
their respective cults with their peculiar ways of both dovetailing
with and rebelling against American hegemony.
New records rated this week:
- 6lack: East Atlanta Love Letter (2018, LoveRenaissance/Interscope): [r]: B+(***)
- Christopher Ali Solidarity Quartet: To Those Who Walked Before Us (2018, Jazz Och Solidaritet): [r]: B+(**)
- Atmosphere: Mi Vida Local (2018, Rhymesayers Entertainment): [r]: B+(**)
- Baco Exu Do Blues: Bluesman (2018, self-released): [r]: B+(**)
- Blue Standard: A Good Thing (2018 [2019], Big Time): [cd]: B
- Benjamin Boone/Philip Levine: The Poetry of Jazz: Volume Two (2012-18 [2019], Origin): [cd]: A-
- Sheldon Brown Group: Blood of the Air (2018, Edgetone): [cd]: B+(*)
- The Coathangers: Live (2018, Suicide Squeeze): [r]: B+(**)
- CupcakKe: Eden (2018, self-released): [r]: B+(***)
- Kris Davis/Matt Mitchell/Aruán Ortiz/Matthew Shipp: New American Songbooks: Volume 2 (2018, Sound American): [bc]: B+(**)
- Dos Santos: Logos (2018, International Anthem): [r]: B+(*)
- Dave Douglas Quintet: Brazen Heart: Live at Jazz Standard: Saturday (2015 [2018], Greenleaf Music, 2CD): [r]: B+(***)
- Fire!: The Hands (2018, Rune Grammofon): [r]: B+(**)
- Tim Hecker: Konoyo (2018, Kranky): [r]: B
- Carlos Henriquez: Dizzy Con Clave: Live From Dizzy's Club Coca Cola (2018, RodBros Music): [r]: B+(***)
- Here's to Us: Animals, Wild and Tame (2018, Hoob Jazz): [r]: B+(**)
- Rolf Kühn: Yellow + Blue (2018, Edel/MPS): [r]: B+(**)
- Jon Lundbom Big Five Chord: Harder on the Outside (2018 [2019], Hot Cup): [cd]: B+(***)
- Mad Crush: Mad Crush (2018, Upon This Rock, EP): [r]: B+(**)
- Adrianne Lenker: Abysskiss (2018, Saddle Creek): [r]: B+(*)
- Jack Mouse Group: Intimate Adversary (2017 [2019], Tall Grass): [cd]: B+(*)
- Grant Peeples & the Peeples Republik: Settling Scores Vol. II (2018, Gatorbone): [r]: B+(**)
- Rae Sremmurd: SR3MM (2018, Ear Drummer/Interscope, 3CD): [r]: B
- Rejoicer: Energy Dreams (2018, ,Stones Throw): [bc]: B+(**)
- Jay Rock: Redemption (2018, Top Dawg/Interscope): [r]: B+(*)
- Jeff Rosenstock: Post- (2018, Polyvinyl): [r]: B+(*)
- Greg Saunier/Mary Halvorson/Ron Miles: New American Songbooks Volume 1 (2017, Sound American): [bc]: B+(**)
- Boz Scaggs: Out of the Blues (2018, Concord): [r]: B+(*)
- Serengeti: Dennis 6e (2018, People): [r]: B+(**)
- Spiritualized: And Nothing Hurt (2018, Fat Possum): [r]: A-
- Stephan Thelen: Fractal Guitar (2015-18 [2019], Moonjune): [cd]: A-
- Martin Wind: Light Blue (2017 [2018], Laika): [r]: B-
Recent reissues, compilations, and vault discoveries rated this week:
- Eric Dolphy: Musical Prophet: The Expanded 1963 New York Studio Sessions (1963 [2019], Resonance, 3CD)
- Svein Finnerud Trio: Plastic Sun (1970 [2018], Odin): [r]: B+(*)
Old music rated this week:
- Chicago Farmer: Midwest Side Stories (2016, self-released): [r]: B+(**)
- Eric Dolphy: In Europe Vol. 1 (1961 [1990], Prestige/OJC): [r]: B+(**)
- Eric Dolphy: In Europe, Vol. 2 (1961 [2006], Prestige/OJC): [r]: B+(**)
- Eric Dolphy: In Europe/Volume 3 (1961 [1990], Prestige/OJC): [r]; B+(***)
- Eric Dolphy: Conversations (1963, FM/Vee Jay): [r]: B+(***)
- Eric Dolphy: Iron Man (1963 [1990], West Wind): [r]: B+(***)
Grade (or other) changes:
- Tierra Whack: Whack World (2018, self-released, EP): [r]: [was: B+(***)] A-
Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:
- Ran Blake/Clare Ritter: Eclipse Orange (Zoning): February 15
- Itamar Borochov: Blue Nights (Laborie Jazz): February 1
- Samantha Boshnack's Seismic Belt: Live in Santa Monica (Orenda): March 15
- Sheldon Brown Group: Blood of the Air (Edgetone)
- Chuck Deardorf: Perception (Origin): January 18
- Joe Fiedler: Open Sesame (Multiphonics Music): February 25.
- Miho Hazama: Dancer in Nowhere (Sunnyside): February 8
- Christoph Irniger Pilgrim: Crosswinds (Intakt): January 18
- Michael Kocour: East of the Sun (OA2): January 18
- Dave Meder: Passage (Outside In Music): February 8
- Quinsin Nachoff's Flux: Path of Totality (Whirlwind): February 8
- May Okita: Art of Life (Origin): January 18
- Jamie Saft/Steve Swallow/Bobby Previte: You Don't Know the Life (RareNoise): cdr, January 25
- Wing Walker Orchestra: Hazel (Ears & Eyes): February 15
Ask a question, or send a comment.
Sunday, January 6, 2019
Weekend Roundup
Another pretty awful week, followed by a few hours grabbing a few
links in case I ever want to look back and see what was happening,
other than my own misery.
One point I've been wanting to make is that over quite some number
of presidential administrations, I've noticed a pattern. At first,
presidents are overwhelmed and wary of screwing up, so they tend to
defer to their staff, in many ways becoming prisoners of whoever
they happened to install -- usually the choice of their staff plus
the party's unelected Washington insiders. However, presidential
staff are usually careful to flatter their boss, faking fealty, and
over time all that deference (even if insincere) bolsters the ego
of whoever's president. Meanwhile the president gets comfortable,
even a bit cocky about his accomplishments, so starts to impose his
opinions and instincts. There are often further stages, and two-term
presidents tend to go to seed six years in (Eisenhower and Reagan
are obvious examples; Nixon didn't get that far; Clinton, Bush II,
and Obama were sidelines with enemy-controlled Congresses). But
we've clearly made the transition from Trump being the front man
to actually being in charge, running an administration and party
that is increasingly deferential to his every whim. And while most
of us thought Trump was pretty nuts to start with, he used to stay
comfortably within the Republican Party playbook. But increasingly,
his chaos and madness are becoming uniquely his own. Sure, he still
has to walk back an occasional notion, like his decision to withdraw
ground troops from Syria. He may even find he has to give up on his
budget extortion ploy (aka, the shutdown).
Lots of bad things are likely to come from this, but one can hope
that two recent trends will only take firmer and broader root. The
first is the understanding that what's wrong with Trump and what's
wrong with the Republican Party are the same things, all the way
down to their shared contempt for democracy and the people. The
second, an outgrowth of the first, is that the Democratic Party is
changing rapidly from a party that opportunistically tries to pass
itself off as a "kinder, gentler version" of conservative/neoliberal
orthodoxy to one that is serious about solving the real problems of
war and powerlessness and inequality that have hurt the vast majority
of American voters so grievously since Reagan.
I didn't write much about these themes below, but there's plenty
of evidence to back them up.
Some scattered links this week:
Trevor Aaronson/Ali Younes:
US ramps up bombing of ISIS in Eastern Syria following Trump withdrawal
announcement. Bruce Ackerman:
No, Trump cannot declare an 'Emergency' to build his wall. Rachel M Cohen:
Could expanding employee ownership be the next big economic policy? David Dayen:
David Frum:
The great illusion of The Apprentice: "Even more than wealth,
the reality-TV show promised its viewers accountability." Masha Gessen:
What does Donald Trump think about when he thinks about "wall"? Elizabeth Goitein:
What the President could do if he declares a State of Emergency. Tara Golshan:
Republican Sen. Pat Roberts expected to announce retirement, giving Democrats
hope of a blue Kansas. Actually, the Democrats would enjoy better odds
running against Roberts, who (much to their surprise) nearly lost in 2014,
than against a generic (but much younger and very likely more right-wing)
Republican. Greg Grandin/Elizabeth Oglesby:
Washington traind Guatemala's mass murderers -- the the Border Patrol played
a role. Ryan Grim/Glenn Greenwald:
US Senate's first bill, in midst of shutdown, is a bipartisan defense of
the Israeli government from boycotts. Mehdi Hasan:
Hassan Hassan:
Moscow's little-noticed Islamic-outreach effort: "Russia is promoting
Islamic moderation in unison with Arab powers -- and further cementing its
position in the Middle East." Nathan Heller:
The philosopher redefining equality: "Elizabeth Anderson thinks we've
misunderstood the basis of a free and fair society." Jack Hitt:
The real story behind the Havana Embassy mystery. Daniel Immerwahr:
The Lethal Crescent: Where the Cold War was hot. Book review of
Paul Thomas Chamberlin: The Cold War's Killing Fields: Rethinking
the Long Peace. Umair Irfan:
A brief guide to David Bernhardt, Ryan Zinke's replacement at the Interior
Department. Robert D Kaplan:
Time to get out of Afghanistan: "The United States is spending beyond
its means on a mission that might only be helping its strategic rivals."
Kaplan has been a hawk on Afghanistan at least since his 1990 celebration
of the CIA-sponsored Soldiers of God: With the Mujahidin in Afghanistan,
and even before 9/11 he's frequently hired on as a paid consultant to the
US military, while writing propaganda like Imperial Grunts: The American
Military on the Ground. So fair to say, if he's throwing in the towel,
the "mission" is totally fucked. Jen Kirby:
What you need to know about Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil's new far-right
president. David Klion:
The Blob: Ben Rhodes and the crisis of liberal foreign policy. Book
review of Rhodes: The World as It Is: A Memoir of the Obama White
House. Mike Konczal:
The Green New Deal is good for the planet -- and the Democratic
Party. Paul Krugman:
Akela Lacy:
Rep. Ro Khanna on Afghanistan: "Trump's instincts to withdraw are correct,
but the tactical implementation matters". Lawrence Lessig:
Trump's border wall demand is constitutionally illegitimate. Dara Lind:
Mujib Mashal:
CIA's Afghan Forces leave a trail of abuse and anger: "The fighters
hold the line in the war's toughest spots, but officials say their brutal
tactics are terrorizing the public and undermining the US mission."
Rather telling, at this late date, that the author still thinks there
is a "US mission" in Afghanistan. Also that Afghan Forces' tactics are
any more brutal than what the US has been doing there for the last 18
(or is it 41?) years. Ella Nilsen:
House Democrats officially unveil their first bill in the majority: a
sweeping anti-corruption proposal: "Democrats will take up voting
rights, campaign finance reform, and a lobbying crackdown -- all in
their first bill of the year." Gail Pellett:
An alternative reflection for 2018 -- thank you note to writers who
nurtured my mind and soul. Andrew Prokop:
Alissa Quart:
Middle-class shame will decide where America is headed: "Who can appeal
to the people who feel the cost like they've gotten a raw deal?" Robert Reich:
In Trump's mind, all deals are private. 'Public interest' means nothing
to him: "At least a scoundrel knows when he is doing wrong. But the
president is blind to the very idea of public interest." David Roberts:
The Green New Deal, explained: "An insurgent movement is pushing Democrats
to back an ambitious climate change solution." Aaron Rupar:
Trump's bizarre Rose Garden news conference shows why he's impossible to
negotiate with: "Unhinged, incoherent, oblivious, and dangerous.". Amanda Sakuma:
Stephanie Savell:
This map shows where in the world the US military is combatting
terrorism -- where "terrorism" is basically anything that
challenges American political and economic power. Tom Scocca:
It's good to talk about impeaching the motherfucker. Adam Serwer:
Emily Stewart:
Why Trump taking credit for low gas prices is a bad idea. Matt Taibbi:
In 2019, let's finally retire 'electability'. Margaret Talbot:
The House Democrats' best path forward: "To counter Donald Trump, and
to prepare for 2020, the Party needs to think big." Ben Taub:
Iraq's post-ISIS campaign of revenge: "The corruption and cruelty of
the state's response to suspected jihadis and their families seem likely
to lead to the resurgence of the terror group." Steven K Vogel:
Elizabeth Warren wants to stop inequality before it starts: "Redistribution
is important, but it comes too late." On the other hand, we're not talking
about a future threat. It's already too late. Jon Wiener:
2019 will be the worst year of Donald Trump's life. Ian Wilkie:
Now Mattis admits there was no evidence Assad used poison gas on his
people. Matthew Yglesias:
Li Zhou:
Trump just warned the shutdown could last for years. That's pretty
unlikely.
Ask a question, or send a comment.
Monday, December 31, 2018
Music Week
Music: current count 30874 [30842] rated (+32), 251 [269] unrated (-18).
Surprised I accumulated so many records given how miserable I've been
all week. I've only been able to sit at the computer for more than an
hour at a time the last couple days. That cut down on how much I could
stream, but I did make a considerable dent in my physical CD queue: as
of this moment, I have zero pending 2018 albums, and not much looking on
to 2019.
I added Robert Christgau's grades to my
EOY Aggregate. I've only been
adding my own grades as I've collected items from other lists, so there
are a lot of things I will eventually add to the list but that aren't
there now. Somewhat surprised that the following Christgau-rated albums
hadn't appeared in any previously compiled list (his grades, then mine,
where I have one):
- Atmosphere: Mi Vida Local (Rhymesayers) [**, **]
- Mandy Barnett: Strange Conversation (Dame Productions/Thirty Tigers) [A-, A-]
- Born Ruffians: Uncle Duke & the Chief (Yep Roc) [*]
- Chris Butler & Ralph Carney: Songs for Unsung Holidays (Smog Veil) [**]
- Chicago Farmer: Quarter Past Tonight (self-released) [A-]
- Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba: Routes (Twelve/Eight) [A-, A-]
- The Coathangers: Live (Suicide Squeeze) [**, **]
- Doctor Nativo: Guatemaya (Stonetree) [A-, A-]
- E-40: The Gift of Gab (Heavy on the Grid) [**]
- Robbie Fulks/Linda Gail Lewis: Wild! Wild! Wild! (Bloodshot) [***, A-]
- Gift of Gab: Rejoice! Rappers Are Rapping Again! (Giftstribution Unlimited -EP) [***, A-]
- Hamell on Trial: The Night Guy at the Apocalypse: Profiles of a Rushing Midnight (Saustex) [A, *]
- Clay Harper: Bleak Beauty (self-released) [B+, *]
- Homeboy Sandman & Edan: Humble Pi (Stones Throw -EP) [A-, **]
- Joan Jett: Bad Reputation [Music From the Original Motion Picture] (Legacy) [A-, A-]
- George Jones & the Jones Boys: Live in Texas 1965 (Ace) [***, ?]
- Rich Krueger: Life Ain't That Long (Rockink) [A, **]
- John Kruth & La Società dei Musici: Forever Ago (Ars Spoletium) [A-, A-]
- Jinx Lennon: Grow a Pair!!! (Septic Tiger) [A-, *]
- Jeffrey Lewis: Works by Tuli Kupferberg (1923-2010) (Don Giovanni) [B+, A-]
- Mad Crush: Mad Crush (Upon This Rock -EP) [B+]
- Wynton Marsalis Septet: United We Swing: Best of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Galas (2003-07, Blue Engine) [A-, *]
- Walter Martin: Reminisce Bar & Grill (Family Jukebox) [*, B]
- Mast: Thelonious Sphere Monk (World Galaxy) [A, ***]
- Medhane: Ba Suba, Ak Jamm (Grand Closing) [*]
- Molly Tigre: Molly Tigre (Very Special) [***, ***]
- Maria Muldaur: Don't You Feel My Leg: The Naughty Bawdy Blues of Blue Lu Barker (The Last Music Company) [A, A]
- Nas: Nasir (Mass Appeal/Def Jam -EP) [*, **]
- Willie Nelson: My Way (Legacy) [*, **]
- Grant Peeples and the Peeples Republik: Settling Scores Vol. II (Gatorbone) [***, **]
- Primo!: Amici (Upset the Rhythm) [*]
- Allen Ravenstine: Waiting for the Bomb (Morphius/ReR Megacorp) [*, *]
- Ike Reilly: Crooked Love (Rock Ridge Music) [**]
- Riton & Kah-Lo: Foreign Ororo (Riton Time) [A-, A-]
- Derek Smalls: Smalls Change (Meditations Upon Ageing) (BMG) [*]
- Sidi Touré: Toubalbero (Thrill Jockey) [***, **]
- The Chandler Travis Three-O: Backward Crooked From the Sunset (Iddy Biddy) [*]
- Wreckless Eric: Construction Time & Demolition (Southern Domestic) [A-, ***]
- I'm Not Here to Hunt Rabbits (Piranha) [A-, A-]
- Outlaws & Armadillos: Country's Roaring '70s (Legacy) [B+, **]
Those are all 2018 releases. Christgau's Dean's List will no doubt
include his usual slew of late finds, but they fall out of
this page.
List is pretty long, but would be longer had I not already counted
lists from known Christgauvians like Chris Monsen (Mekons 77, Amy
Rigby, Elza Soares) and John Smallwood (Rigby, Lyrics Born, Wussy:
What Heaven Is Like). I'll get to more as I find them, and
at some point add in my own thus-far missing grades. Also results
from Jazz Critics Poll, once they become public (soon, I think).
I have
175 EOY lists compiled to
date, totalling 1798 + 46 albums (latter are reissues; very few lists
focus on them so far). Not sure how many more I will pick up before
I give up. The effort came to a standstill ten or so days ago, and
I doubt I'll ever pick up the slack. The top of the list is fairly
stable at this point (not that I've been paying close attention).
My main interest in the list is to identify records worth checking
out, so my intention now is to focus more on lists that line up well
with my own interests. That probably means I've seen enough
metal already. On
the other hand, the current
jazz listings are
only about one-third as deep as the Jazz Critics Poll standings
(154 vs. 487 new albums) and one-fourth as deep as my own personal
ratings (176 vs. 678 new + old albums).
New records rated this week:
- The 14 Jazz Orchestra: The Future Ain't What It Used to Be (2018 [2019], Dabon Music): [cd]: B
- The 1975: A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships (2018, Dirty Hit/Polydor): [r]: B
- Sam Broverman: A Jewish Boy's Christmas (2018, Brovermusic): [cd]: B
- City Girls: Period (2018, Quality Control): [r]: B
- City Girls: Girl Code (2018, Quality Control): [r]: B
- Julien Desprez/Luís Lopes: Boa Tarde (2016 [2018], Shhpuma): [cdr]: B+(**)
- Kit Downes: Obsidian (2016 [2018], ECM): [r]: B
- Jake Ehrenreich: A Treasury of Jewish Christmas Songs (2017 [2018], self-released): [cd]: B+(*)
- Peter Evans/Agusti Fernandez/Barry Guy: Free Radicals at DOM (2017 [2018], Fundacja Sluchaj): [bc]: B+(**)
- Lupe Fiasco: Drogas Light (2017, 1st & 15): [r]: B+(**)
- Lupe Fiasco: Drogas Wave (2018, 1st & 15th): [r]: A-
- Nils Frahm: All Melody (2018, Erased Tapes): [r]: B+(**)
- Gaika: Basic Volume (2018, Warp): [r]: B+(*)
- Nabihah Iqbal: Weighing of the Heart (2017, Ninja Tune): [r]: B+(*)
- Thomas Johansson: Home Alone (2016 [2018], Tammtz): [r]: B+(**)
- Jones Jones [Larry Ochs/Mark Dresser/Vladimir Tarasov]: A Jones in Time Saves Nine (2016 [2018], NoBusiness): [cdr]: B+(***)
- Let's Eat Grandma: I'm All Ears (2018, Transgressive): [r]: B+(*)
- Doug MacDonald Trio: View of the City (2016 [2018], Blujazz): [cd]: B+(*)
- Roberto Magris: World Gardens (2015 [2018], JMood): [cd]: B+(***)
- Mac Miller: Swimming (2018, REMember Music/Warner Bros.): [r]: B+(*)
- Liudas Mockünas: Hydro 2 (2017 [2018], NoBusiness): [cd]: B+(*)
- Joel Moore/Nick Mizock/Paul Scherer/Michael Barton/Paul Townsend: Magnetic EP (2018, Blujazz): [cd]: B+(*)
- Møster!: States of Minds (2018, Hubro, 2CD): [r]: B+(*)
- Simon Nabatov/Barry Guy/Gerry Hemingway: Luminous (2015 [2018], NoBusiness): [cd]: A-
- Judy Night Quintet: Sliding on Glass: Live at 210 (2018, Blujazz): [cd]: B+(*)
- Kresten Osgood: Kresten Osgood Quintet Plays Jazz (2018, ILK, 2CD): [cd]: A-
- Otherworld Ensemble: Live at Malmitalo (2017 [2018], Edgetone): [cd]: B+(*)
- Alister Spence and Satoko Fujii Orchestra Kobe: Imagine Meeting You Here (2017 [2019], Alister Spence Music): [cd]: B+(***)
- Kristen Strom: Moving Day: The Music of John Shifflett (2018, OA2): [cd]: B
- The United States Air Force Band Airmen of Note: Best of the Jazz Heritage Series Volume 1 (2018, self-released): [cd]: B-
Grade (or other) changes:
- Maria Muldaur: Don't You Feel My Leg: The Naughty, Bawdy Blues of Blue Lu Barker (2018, The Last Music Company): [cd]: [was A-] A
Unpacking: Found in the mail last week:
- Jon Lundbom Big Five Chord: Harder on the Outside (Hot Cup): February 1
Ask a question, or send a comment.
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
Weekend Roundup
No Weekend Roundup last week, and I didn't have any intention of doing
one this week either. But when I sat down at the computer today, I figured
I'd copy a few links (without comments) into the notebook for future
reference. Wound up with quite a few. I started with Matthew Yglesias,
then decided to stick to the format I used there: boldfacing the author,
linking the article. Normally I would group related articles, such as
on the shutdown/wall, or the Syria withdrawal, but only in a couple
instances did I do that -- mostly when an article by a unique writer
adds or counters one I already had pegged. I wound up with a couple
very brief comments, noted interviews, and added tag quotes or subheds
under long articles, where the title didn't explain enough.
Still awful sore, but this was probably the first day in ten where
I've been able to sit at the computer for more than an hour without
really paying for it. Managed to listen to some music along the way,
so Music Week tomorrow won't be a total wash.
Some scattered links this week:
Spencer Ackerman/Adam Rawnsley:
$800 million in taxpayer money went to private prisons where migrants work
for pennies. Andrew J Bacevich:
Dean Baker:
Warren-Schakowsky Bill is a huge step toward bringing drug costs
down. Peter Baker/Maggie Haberman:
For Trump, 'a war every day,' waged increasingly alone: "At the midpoint
of his term, the president has grown more sure of his own judgment and more
isolated from anyone else's than at any point since he took office." Doug Bandow:
Why Trump is right to withdraw troops. Zack Beauchamp:
The 9 thinkers who made sense of 2018's chaos: 1 and 2) Steven Levitsky
and Daniel Ziblatt on the big picture of the Trump presidency [authors of
How Democracies Die]; Kimberlé Crenshaw on the battle over "identity
politics" and "intersectionality" [author of On Intersectionality];
4) Kate Manne on the Brett Kavanaugh fight [author of Down Girl];
5 to 7) John Sides, Michael Tesler, and Lynn Vavreck on the midterm elections
[authors of Identity Crisis]; 8) Carol Anderson on the war on voting
rights [author of One Person, No Vote]; 9) Zeynap Tufekci on the
baleful influence of social media [author of Twitter and Tear Gas].
I haven't read any of these, and am rather skeptical of most of them. Peter Beinart:
What the Yemen vote reveals about the Democratic Party. Julia Belluz:
A new Trump rule could take food stamps away from 755,000 people. Christina Cauterucci:
Claire McCaskill's bitter farewell. Juan Cole:
Steve Eder:
Did a Queens podiatrist help Donald Trump avoid Vietnam? Conor Friedersdorf:
Susan B Glasser:
How Trump made war on Angela Merkel and Europe. Justin Glawe:
Immigrant deaths in private prisons explode under Trump. Tara Golshan:
Trump's approval rating drops to Charlottesville levels during
shutdown. Sarah Greenberger:
I worked in the Interior Department. Watching Zinke's tenure was
heartbreaking. Sean Illing:
Umair Irfan:
Dahr Jamail:
Ten ways 2018 brought us closer to climate apocalypse. Patrick Radden Keefe:
How Mark Burnett resurrected Donald Trump as an icon of American
success. Jen Kirby:
Michael Klare:
The Coming of Hyperwar. Paul Krugman:
Jill Lepore:
What 2018 looked like fifty years ago. Eric Levitz:
Eric Levitz: Trump: Give me a wall or I'll engineer a recession. Dara Lind:
Slats, fences, and wall, explained: what exactly the shutdown fight is
about. Adam Liptak:
Roberts, leader of Supreme Court's conservative majority, fights perception
that it is partisan. On the other hand:
Nelson W Cunningham: A holiday mystery: Why did John Roberts intervene in
the Mueller probe? Eric Lipton/Steve Eder/John Branch:
'This is our reality now.' On Trump and the environment: Dismissing
science; Easing a 'war on coal'; Sidestepping protections; Profiting, at
a cost German Lopez:
Bill McKibben:
At last, divestment is hitting the fossil fuel industry where it
hurts. John Nichols:
The Trouble With Patrick Shanahan. Caitlin Oprysko:
Trump sounds 'more like a mob boss than president' with Cohen
attacks. Martin Pengelly:
Matt Peterson:
The making of a trade warrior: on Robert Lighthizer. Related:
Annie Lowrey: The 'madman' behind Trump's trade theory: on Peter
Navarro. Rob Picheta:
Journalists faced 'unprecedented' hostility this year, report says.
Related:
United States added to list of most dangerous countries for journalists
for first time. Gareth Porter:
Trump scores, breaks generals' 50-year war record. Andrew Prokop:
Linda Qiu:
Sudarsan Raghavan:
An unnatural disaster: "Yemen's hunger crisis is born of deliberate
policies, pursued primarily by a Saudi-led coalition backed by the United
States." Frank Rich:
GOP leaders won't tolerate Trump's chaos for much longer. Who's he
kidding? The only other person who still harbors such fantasies is:
Thomas L Friedman: Time for GOP to threaten to fire Trump. David Roberts:
Amanda Sakuma:
Dylan Scott:
Scott Shane/Sheera Frenkel:
Russian 2016 influence operation targeted African-Americans on social
media. Richard Silverstein:
Netanyahu government falls. Danny Sjursen:
Ringing in a new year of war. Emily Stewart:
What the Republican tax bill did -- and didn't -- do, one year later:
"The GOP tax cuts didn't pay for themselves. They did, however, deliver
a lot of stock buybacks." Andrew Sullivan:
The establishment will never say no to a war. Nick Tabor:
The Trump Administration's war on wildlife should be a scandal. Hiroko Tabuchi:
The oil industry's covert campaign to rewrite American car emissions
rules. Matt Taibbi:
Alexia Underwood:
Trump's secret trip to Iraq didn't quite go as planned. Siva Vaidhyanathan:
Facebook workers are the only ones who can hold Facebook
accountable. Peter Wade:
John Kelly confirms he was lying all along: The White House is in
chaos. Philip Weiss:
Sheldon Adelson was a giant loser in midterms -- and Trump is letting
him know it. Matthew Yglesias:
Li Zhou:
Trump as gotten 66 judges confirmed this year. In his second year, Obama
had gotten 49. Two pieces on the late Amos Oz:
Haidar Eid: Amos Oz was no dove; and
Marc H Ellis: Amos Oz and the end of liberal Zionism.
Ask a question, or send a comment.
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