FAQ

"There are two parts of being a good critic. First, you have to know what you like. And second, you have to be able to explain honestly why you like it. Even if the reason is completely disgraceful."

— Robert Christgau

What's this all about?
This is a blog that looks at music, criticism, and music criticism — specifically, Robert Christgau's music criticism. As of the start of this blog, there are 114 albums that have been awarded Christgau's coveted A+ rating. That list will be the starting point for most posts, although — as is the case with most things I do — I'll probably go off on tangents that will, one hopes, stay on message.

Who is Robert Christgau?
I'll save you a trip to Wikipedia:

Robert Christgau (born April 18, 1942) is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".

One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns. He also spent 37 years as music editor for The Village Voice, during which time he created the annual Pazz & Jop poll.

He currently reviews (and grades and discusses) music for MSN and NPR, among other places.

And his significance to you is...?
My musical tastes are diverse in some ways, stunted in others. Christgau's reviews have helped me find music that I ought to listen to, and (as someone who enjoys reading reviews of popular culture, even stuff I'll never get around to reading/watching/hearing) the reviews themselves are fun to read. 

What do you mean?
The reviews are usually pithy — "always as tight and dense as bouillon cubes," says Alan Scherstuhl at SF Weekly — and at various times dense, snarky, and ambiguous, qualities that enrage (or at least spark heated debate between) some people who care a lot more about music than I. Which makes reading and dissecting these reviews all the more fun.

Here's a review of a Famous Album from a Famous Singer. I've Mad-Libbed certain words so you can attempt to guess which Famous Album Christgau is critiquing about. As a bonus, try to guess the grade.

Imperceptible though the movement has been to many sensitive young people, [artist] has evolved. In fact, this apparent retrenchment is his most rhythmically propulsive, vocally incisive, lyrically balanced, and commercially undeniable album. Even his compulsive studio habits work for him: the aural vibrancy of the thing reminds me like nothing in years that what teenagers loved about rock and roll wasn't that it was catchy or even vibrant but that it just plain sounded good. And while [previous album title]'s one-note vision may be more left-correct, my instincts (not to mention my leftism) tell me that this uptempo worldview is truer. Hardly ride-off-into-the-sunset stuff, at the same time it's low on nostalgia and beautiful losers. Not counting the title powerhouse, the best songs slip by at first because their tone is so lifelike: the fast-stepping "[song title]," which turns out to be about a country road gang: "[song title]," which pins down the futility of a macho spree without undercutting its exuberance; and "[song title]," which finally acknowledges that among other things, getting old is a good joke.

The album (of course?) is Springsteen's Born in the USA. Which got an A+.

Fine. So what do you plan to do?
I'm sure this thing will evolve, assuming I don't abandon it after three posts, but right now I expect to look at that list of A+ albums and discuss the review and my own thoughts on the album, as well as anything I can summon that's related to either of those things.

I'll probably pad the blog with highlights of non-A+ reviews, other music I discovered via Christgau, and whatever else is related. Maybe I'll have other people more smarter than me write as well. Let's see how it goes.

What do you know about music?
Not much, I'm afraid. I know what I like. And as Christgau says, to be a good critic, "First, you have to know what you like." (And I'm sure I'll have the "disgraceful" bit covered pretty well.)

How do you pronounce "Christgau"?
Though one might wish it were pronounced CHRIST-gow, it's more likely (based on interviews I've watched) CRIST-gow. But let me know if you have other ideas.