The daily digest of Twin Cities culture | Secrets of the City

I think the "violation of the separation of church and state" basis for the ACLU's challenge to the proposed Dunwoody football field is an uphill battle in the present context, but here's hoping they're successful in blocking the field. It's not at all what the city needs in that spot, IMO.

Regarding the gay marriage ban effort, I have to say the photo of GOP Chair Ron Carey holding up the Washington Times paper with the "Gay Marriage Ban Struck" headline reminds me of old b&w photos I've seen of angry white guys in the South inciting the populace to defend themselves against "uppity negroes" during the civil rights era. All he needs is a fedora, a tobacco-spitting cop or two, and a menacing doberman in the background, and it's 1955 all over again! But seriously, why is hatred so photogenic?

Never mind the ironies and complexities of the present-day struggle for civil rights for gays and lesbians, which sees many devout folks, minorities and otherwise, siding with the forces of oppression. It's a long road...

I have no idea how this is interpreted, but Article 13, Section 2 of the Minnesota Constitution states: "PROHIBITION AS TO AIDING SECTARIAN SCHOOL. In no case shall any public money or property be appropriated or used for the support of schools wherein the distinctive doctrines, creeds or tenets of any particular Christian or other religious sect are promulgated or taught."

Add $88 million to the state budget surplus.

I saw that review, but couldn't make it past the first sentence: "You won't find a tougher sell on neoclassicism than yours truly, so imagine my surprise how this strummy slab from the thrift racks has become one of my early '06 faves." Who is Sam Ubl, and why would he -- or his editors -- imagine that anyone would be interested in his opinions on "neoclassicism," let alone in whatever he's trying to say in the remainder of the sentence. "[S]trummy slab from the thrift racks"? Shut up and review the record, already.

Someone needs to kick Sam Ubl in the junk, for wasting 30 seconds of my life.

I'm pro tapes-n-tapes, but anti-pitchfork. T&T is the best band in Minneapolis when they have Joe from Bridge Club playing guitar with them.

Fucking hilarious.

Cool podcast.

I can go either way on Tapes-n-Tapes, but support Pitchfork. If for no other reason than they have a pretty wide net that brings in all sorts of stuff and their Top 50 brings a lot of discussion.

I agree with the guy that quoted the Pitchfork review. They definitely pull out the thesaurus on those reviews, and they try so, so hard to sound like hipsters. I love words and enjoy increasing my vocabulary each year, but if I need a dictionary to find out their take on the latest Death Cab for Cutie CD, than forget it. I'm not saying they should dumb it way down, and say, "The new CD was great, becasue the music was good and harmonious, and those guys are really onto something," but they take it a bit too far. In addition, I've always thought that if they think half of these new albums that come out have a fraction of the depth of thought put into them, or if the half drunk/half drugged musicians in most cases would even be able to relate to what they write, they're wrong. I've seen so many interviews with stars who have long-winded reviews quoted to them, only to turn around and say, "Oh... don't know what that means really, but it sounds bloody good, heh, heh, heh, buy that bugger a beer mate." I get it Pitchfork

Which words, exactly, are you people having trouble with in that Pitchfork sentence?

Probably the mussolini reference, chuckt.

chuck t: Which words, exactly, are you people having trouble with in that Pitchfork sentence?

I'll break down my response:

"You won't find a tougher sell on neoclassicism than yours truly,..."

Right off the bat, it's a bad sign when a reviewer starts talking about himself in the first sentence of the review. Unless the reader is Sam Ubl's mom -- and I'm not, btw -- they probably are going to wonder why he's talking about himself and his skepticism toward "neoclassicism" instead of ... uhh ... the new Tapes-n-Tapes CD. And even Sam's mom is probably going wonder what he means by "neoclassicism," a word that is defined (at least according to the indie rockers at the OED) as "an early 20th cent. style of composition characterized by a revival of 17th and 18th cent. baroque and classical forms, procedures, and styles, esp. as a reaction against 19th cent. Romanticism."

"...so imagine my surprise..."

Sorry, what was that, Sam? I was thing about something else.

"...how this strummy slab from the thrift racks..."

I met a strummy slab in the thrift racks, once; I'm looking forward to writing about the encounter in a review of the new Mogwai CD.

"...has become one of my early '06 faves."

Except for the part where he writes about "my early '06 faves," this part isn't so bad.

RS is always great for that.

Almost as great for that as they are for handing out 1 star reviews, only to put that same artist on the cover an issue later after the album sells a bajillion copies.

Almost as great for that as they are for handing out 1 star reviews, only to put that same artist on the cover an issue later after the album sells a bajillion copies.

I'm not a huge Rolling Stone Magazine fan, but can you name a specific example -- just one -- where this happened?

Mike S...Maybe if you used more emoticons?

I know Pitchfork isn't exactly an AP venue, but I'd much rather read a music review that focuses on music and gets to something resembling a point, rather than calling out the didactic qualities of the musician's crotch, or some other bit of random idiocy.

MinneapolitanMusic seems to have the right idea, at least in my book.

More discussion of the review here and here.

? - Yeah, the first time I really noticed this was years ago when Linkin Park put out their first album. I read a one star review and just one issue later (it may have been two, but either way it was right quick) they were being heralded as Rock Gods on the cover after "One Step Closer" went big on radio.

RS website has the album rated at 2.5 stars, but I have the hard original copy in a big cardboard box because I am an idiot and don't throw magazines away.

But all of this is neither here nor there nor local.

Sam Ubl is amazing & you are all losers! I know him in real life & he rules. & he loves LDC Soundsystem. & he is a baaaaaaaaaaaad neoclassicist muthafucka.

Nobody believes me, do they? It's true. I am net-stalking my friends.