Oh noes!

Kathryn-Jean Lopez and Maggie Gallagher, all is forgiven: WASHINGTON—Reports continue to pour in from around the nation today of helpless Americans being forcibly taken from their marital unions after President Obama dropped the Defense of Marriage Act earlier this week, leaving the institution completely vulnerable to roving bands of homosexuals. “It was just awful—they smashed

Oscar roundup

My ballot for the major categories. Although readers will note I’m not a fan of The Social Network, it’s a better acted, written, and conceived film than the timid, meretricious The King’s Speech — qualities I would not associate with John Adams, I might add. Let me also note: the Academy will likely reward Melissa

Singles 2/25

Now that “Born This Way,” which I’d reviewed here, has generated the expected slew of thoughtful responses, we can turn our attention to R. Kelly’s best ballad in ages. For me that’s saying something — the man is as empathetic as Stalin. All scores from one to ten. Click on links for full reviews. No

Unions: A long death knell

Since I’m currently beached on pg. 404 of Conrad Black’s massive FDR biography, the popularity of a certain quote going around the internetz regarding Roosevelt’s characteristically ambivalent attitude towards collective bargaining struck me as the product of a coordinated effort; no less than four different people of divergent political persuasions have emailed it to me.

Magpies of a sort: Radiohead’s The King of Thieves

As the running time of their albums shrinks, Radiohead’s morbidity has decreased, a development that is inversely proportional to their fans’ knowledge of the “chillwave” and dubstep from which the band draws its inspiration these days. Since both genres depend on dark-nights-of-the-soul, Radiohead’s affinity for them makes sense; what the Thom Yorkers record now more

Happy Sunday

The ditherer: Elizabeth Bishop

William Logan reviews the latest collection of Elizabeth Bishop letters, most of which are directed at The New Yorker‘s persnickety poetry editors. Logan, the critic with the most pungent style in contemporary letters, reminds us that the magazine’s current incarnation, home to exposes like Lawrence Wright’s frightening one on Paul Haggis’ break from Scientology, is

Singles 2/17

The Indie Stalwarts Edition: Fleet Foxes and Decembrists, resorting to snowflakes and oversized gestures, fall short. All scores from one to ten. Click on links for full reviews. Chase and Status ft. Liam Bailey – Blind Faith (7) Tinie Tempah ft. Ellie Goulding – Wonderman (6) The Decembrists – Down By The Water (5) Jessie

Fiscal: a synonym for wanton

I don’t often care for Talking Points Memo, a Politico for liberals, but it sometimes produces excellent reporting. It doesn’t surprise me that not one news story I’ve read today in traditional media outlets has mentioned how Governor Scott Walker, in just six weeks, drove Wisconsin into a fiscal rut by asking for — you

Nice nice baby

Tom’s latest Freaky Trigger post on “Ice Ice Baby” inspires the usual febrile responses. For the record: if you think Ice’s touchstone/punching bag is shit, replay this.

Dinars, bodies, and Merrie Ole England: PJ Harvey’s “Let England Shake”

Where on previous efforts Polly Jean Harvey’s guitar (care of Rid of Me), organ (To Bring You My Love), and duet partner (Thom Yorke on Songs From The City…’ “This Mess We’re In”) grated in the most deliberate fashion, now it’s her high register. On White Chalk it and her untutored piano brought tension to

Happy Sunday

I suppose it’s no surprise that Lloyd Cole’s mid eighties peak as an overeducated musician with an underdeveloped melodic sense matters less than the golden moment in 1990 when he hooked up with Fred Maher, Robert Quine, and a young google-eyed bassist named Matthew Sweet to make a softier, crunchier iteration of Lou Reed’s The