Wednesday, December 6th, 2006

Critics Rate The Critics

U can dance if u want 2, all the critics luv u in New York…
(Photo ganked from the Gawker profile of above star)

Today’s Time Out NY critiques the critics. If you just want the music list, go here.

I largely agree with assessments of Sasha, K, and Jody. But they’re out to lunch on Xgau and Pareles–which I think reflects upon how limited pop critics consider their landscape to be…both Xgau and Pareles have been leading lights in taking African and non-English-language pop seriously. (Although the day someone begins to take non-Japanese-girl Asian pop seriously in a New York paper on an ongoing basis is the day I catch religion.)

A serious question: Why, amidst one of the greatest ongoing immigration waves in history, a wave that overwhelmingly trends young, is “world music” still considered old music for old people? Have at that one, friends, please.

Also: Ben Ratliff, highly underrated. Is there a bias also against critics who know chops? Then again, I’ve just outlined the top 6 so maybe I complain too much. (Not a serious question: Can a critic complain too much?)

Finally, I wish the TONYites had gone deeper than the dailies and weeklies. Perhaps there’s a way to develop a rate-a-critic website, in the same way folks rate professors or whether you’re hot or not. That might be the ultimate slapback of the bloggers against the terrestrial establishment.

But hey, why can’t we continue that discussion here? How would you rate the music critics you read?

posted by Jeff Chang @ 7:33 pm | 1 Comment

One Response to “Critics Rate The Critics”

fatburger says:

December 7, 2006 at 10:36 am

JC,

interesting post… as an authority on the subject I wonder what you think of this village voice article on human beatboxers? do you agree they’re the forgotten element of hip-hop?

http://www.villagevoice.com/music/0649,john,75213,22.html

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