Wednesday, December 20, 2006


The Bow Wow Of Their Day

Prepare for maximum blurbage in January, as I try to deal with the 70+ albums I was relatively grateful to hear this year. Not sure I'm going to get to wrap my head around every album that I'd like to (what is up with this December rap deluge? Is Jay-Z pulling a Greg Ginn and trying to keep his acts from upstaging him? Are they expecting to seduce kids with lots of Christmas money? I REALLY WANTED TO GIVE BOW WOW'S THE PRICE OF FAME A CHANCE!!! HONESTLY, KINDA!!), but there will be lots about lots.

Monday, December 04, 2006

Hi! Are you a record critic? Did you receive a Pazz'n'Jop ballot this week? Rob Harvilla wrote "This will be the first poll in its 33- (or 34-) year history not to be compiled and organized by Robert Christgau, who created it, embodied it, and deserves all credit for its success.I have the highest respect for Bob, who has always been kind and gracious to me. I think what he started here is fantastic and vital, and worth preserving and continuing" in the e-mail. Do you think he's right, and that it's worth forgetting why it is that Robert Christgau doesn't get to run it for the 33rd (or 34th) time? I do too. Let's not worry about who fired who for no goddamn good reason after 30 years! Let's vote!

VOTE FOR HINDER!

VILLAGE VOICE PAZZ'N'JOP ALBUM OF THE YEAR?!?! WITH YOUR HELP, YES!!!

Hinder rocks. Hinder understands the pain of trying to be faithful when your ex has the lips of an angel. Hinder is like Nickelback without the distracting facial hair. If 100+ critics gave Hinder's Extreme Behavior (a top ten platinum smash!) 30 points each, the album would almost be guaranteed the top spot on this year's pazz'n'jop poll! What an exciting possibility! You don't even have to vote for anyone else, though if you feel it's necessary, you could give 9 albums less awesome than Hinder's your remaining 70 points. But if the rules are as they used to be, you don't have to. Plus there's always the Jackin' Pop poll for the ten albums you really liked this year that weren't by Hinder. Vote Billboard Top 5 ballad "Lips Of An Angel" as single of the year as well! What do you have to lose? I know you're worried that being a big fan of Hinder is uncool, but this year's Pazz'n'Jop isn't about cool. It's about Hinder.


Hinder.

Nothing would make me happier than to see Extreme Behavior sitting atop the first nu-Village Voice Pazz'n'Jop poll. I bet you'd get a kick out of it too, so why don't you help make this dream into a reality? Tell every rockcrit you know about the awesomeness of Hinder, and the many reasons they should give Extreme Behavior 30 points on their ballot. You don't want to be the only person in your circle of rockcrit friends who didn't acknowledge how much Hinder belongs at number one. If we can get 100+ people to agree, Hinder will be the album that Michael Lacey and the other proud members of Village Voice Media have to hail as the best album of the year. Unless they disqualify the ballots, which would be really fucking funny.

Please be awesome! Vote for Hinder!