While Best Music Writing 2008 will hit the stands September 8, it is already in the hands of reviewers, including the insatiable reader and listener Michaelangelo Matos. Many thanks to hims for running down the list of Other Notable Essays. Indeed many are available online and his post has reminded me of a project that I've been wanting to do. So, starting August 8 I'll post two 150 word blurbs on pieces from the Other Notables list. I'll provide links to them so you all can get an idea of what I think makes the piece worthy of its place on the list.
Best Music Writing
Click here for the Best Music Writing Sources
This year's book
Best Music Writing 2008 will arrive in shops October 6, 2008.
Best Music Writing 2007 has been available since October 22, 2007. Get it from:
Your favorite indie book shop, Powell's Books, for $15.95
Or:
Border's, for $15.95
Barnes & Noble, for $14.35
Books A Million, for $11.51
Amazon, for $10.85
Praise for the BMW Series
“A diverse time capsule that grapples with pop music’s most engaging issues.”—Blender
“The stories behind the music can be as inspiring as the music itself…
will likely inspire the reader to seek out a lot of new music.”—New York Press
“…one of the few regular publications to be dependably open to every type of music imaginable…Whether an authoritative aggregation or merely a starting point,
it’s a shame it’s only an annual.”—Relix
“In all it’s quite a celebration of the vast enterprise known as music.”—Signal to Noise
Praise for the 2006 Edition
“Our favorite year-end read.”—Cleveland Scene
“Terrorism, sexual misconduct, and wholesome nostalgia, treated with a discernible backbeat and sprightly writing make for an excellent anthology.” ––Booklist
“the book finally reflects the current state of not just music journalism but music listening… These essays encapsulate a chilly, malefic year for music indeed.” —The Stranger
“Da Capo’s Best Music Writing 2006’s essays create a confrontational, challenging, and varied portrait of music criticism that highlights a visceral reaction to music over academic posturing…”—VenusZine
