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It’s rare to read sharply worded, negative reviews nowadays, and I get it. Writing (and publishing) negative criticism can feel like the most thankless, isolating work in journalism. Few writers are eager to subject themselves to torrents of internet backlash or risk access to artists’ camps, especially to further a form often said to be outmoded by the general populace. But, as many have persuasively argued, it is essential— and perhaps now more than ever, given its diminishing presence in media.It‘s been a relief lately to see younger voices like Constantly Hating (Substack), Antiart (Instagram), and Gabi Belle (Youtube) emerge in new outlets, offering sometimes clumsy but always entertaining takes. Nothing satisfies like a warranted pan backed by a well-argued thesis. It lends color and character to the author, raises stakes and standards for artists, and catalyzes necessary discourse. It also helps frustrated listeners feel seen (and see each other).
Mar 19, 2024
Related Recs
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Bring back hatchet jobs! But for like Substacks and blogs. Oyler's is fun, mainly skewering Tolentino herself (funny!) but I want to see people fighting in formal prose about pieces with subtitles like "summer blues, ex’s, home depot, loss, and cantaloupe,” and “falling in love with the stains in my microwave” — things like that. Toooo much uncritical reposting on Instagram stories and not enough "OKAY lazy metaphor ALERT." We need to be better writers.
But also we should be cringy. We just need to be careful.
Jan 27, 2024
An independent music blog with outstanding ideas. The first article I read was about coolmathgames.com, and I was so excited by the journalism it contained. It's hard to find press with a real voice anymore. I don't find many articles that truly move and inspire me. Since discovering and admiring the blog as a reader, I'm thrilled to have my work featured within it. My essay called Dread Hides Easily In The Basement will be included in the first print edition of No Bells. It's about misogyny in DIY music spaces and my experience as a woman in the Philadelphia scene.
Sep 30, 2024
Did a write up on my personal substance that isn't about clothing (gasp!) and would love to hear any thoughts, especially opposing ones.
In our cultural climate where opinions are thrown in our faces daily, I think it's important for us to weigh out what matters and what doesn't. I talk about ancient Hebrew literature and I make fun of Marvel movies - What more can you ask for?
May 23, 2024
Top Recs from @ryan-schreiber
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It’s no secret that the triangular parcel of land known as The Lot Radio is Brooklyn’s best warm-weather hang and a key hub of New York dance culture. Opened in 2013 and run by Francois Vaxelaire and Pauline La Mell, the site features a DJ booth/shipping container known to host thee most legendary producers in dance music. On any given day, you can relax in the sunshine with friends and a bottle or coffee while listening to artists, critics, record shop owners, or producers mix live on air— or, if you’re lucky, stumble onto a set from Octo Octa, Nick León, or Honey Dijon.
Mar 19, 2024
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I adore music zines. Always loved them. I don’t mean full-on glossy magazines, though I love those, too. I mean the handmade, typewritten, toner-smeared kind made out of printer paper and staples and a burning desire to participate in a tradition of creative writing, interviewing, art-making, and whatever other form of creativity one feels like stuffing into its pages. At the moment, I’m obsessed with a few: Hallogallo, which is run out of Chicago by Kai Slater (of the bands Lifeguard and Sharp Pins) and just published its 10th issue featuring an interview with Stereolab’s Laetitia Sadier; Love Injection, a long-running club culture zine by NYC’s Barbie Bertisch and Paul Raffaele; and Shadow Wolf, the handiwork of Holland-based electronic artist Legowelt.
Mar 19, 2024
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If you’ve got an old iPod, CDs, CD-Rs, or other dead-format music libraries stuffed in a closet or storage somewhere, I have to recommend doing whatever is necessary to give them a new lease on life. Seriously: Order that old Dock Connector cable, buy that used Discman, or lumber around in the attic or basement for those buried boxes. I promise it’s worth every bit of the cost and struggle.I recently took a stack of old hard drives to data recovery, hoping to restore decades of lost photos and writings, but instead spent more time combing the MP3 collection I thought I’d lost in a 2015 crash. All the forgotten albums, remixes, bootlegs, DJ edits, and Soundcloud rips were like accessing an alternate mode of music discovery from an earlier version of myself: Oneohtrix Point Never’s Eccojams and early Games cassettes, DJ Sprinkles’ Midtown 120 Blues, Blawan’s “Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage,” Death Grips’ Exmilitary, and innumerable reggae singles, bloghouse remixes, and techno twelves are back from the grave (and loving it!), co-existing alongside years of Bandcamp purchases.
Mar 19, 2024