I’m pleased that my first piece about one of my favorite musicians, James Blake, is also my first piece for one of my favorite websites, Hyperallergic, with more to follow. In it, I exhume a bit of personal history through the obsidian idiosyncrasies of Blake’s superlative Overgrown and his new album, The Colour in Anything, all while trying to get at the elusive thing that makes his music stand out uncannily in a crowded field. Read it here.
You’d think it would be easy to write about albums you’ve listened to, thought about and loved for 15 years, but it’s actually very hard, sorting through the fossil record of your thoughts and perspectives, all those different versions of yourself and layers of musical culture, trying to draw them into something coherent. That was my challenge in reviewing these reissues of the first two Modest Mouse records for Pitchfork, two of my favorites ever, and I hope I did them some approximation of justice.
Also of note (to me): In my 10+ years at Pitchfork, I’m pretty sure that this is the first time I’ve handed out a perfect score. I couldn’t think of a better record than The Lonesome Crowded West for me to break the 10.0 seal.
Wax Wroth 