Best Music Journalism: April 2014

Mobb Deep - The Infamous (Jayson Greene, Pitchfork)

We haven’t had a review in this rundown yet, but Jayson Greene’s masterful take on The Infamous seems like a good place to start. It’s clear that this is something Greene has been meaning to write for a while, as there are plenty of interesting nuggets of information that he drops along the way. There’s not much more to say about the music itself (classics have a way of doing that), which is why the scene-setting as to the whys and hows this record came to be is so invaluable. (Folded into this review of the classic album is a review of Mobb Deep’s new one as well. Greene is very much not a fan. (It received a 4.9 out of ten, and a characteristically candid response from Prodigy himself.))

The Man From Tomorrow: An Interview With Jeff Mills (Lauren Martin, Thump)

Jeff Mills is not one to mince words, but a recent interview with Thump sees him at his most expansive. Mills’ vision for a future of techno seems potentially bleak throughout – something Lauren Martin points out. But in his explanation, he says that the “world we're racing towards now is that of the individual, and that could be because we need to go through this phase in order to reach a more relevant, substantial one.” It’s rare that you see an interview with a techno producer get this thought-provoking.

The Ballad of Geshie & Elvie (John Jeremiah Sullivan, New York Times)

John Jeremiah Sullivan is no stranger to this series, but we would be remiss if we didn’t highlight his work again. While the premise may not seem like much, Sullivan’s search for two early 20th century blues women is a story told with style and grace. It doesn’t hurt that the New York Times went all out in the presentation either: The videos throughout are essential in understanding why Sullivan spent so long pursuing this.

The Oral History of Rawkus Records (Phillip Mlynar, MySpace)

Backpackers unite: Phillip Mlynar’s epic oral history of the Rawkus label has almost everyone you’d want to hear from on the subject (El-P, Talib Kweli) and a whole host of insiders (PR and A&R types). Although Mos Def is noticeably absent, it hardly matters. With an enormous cast of characters picking up the slack, there are some great insights into a moment when the chasm between underground and mainstream in hip hop seemed impossible to bridge.

Parsing Vybz Kartel’s Sentence (Annie Paul, Active Voice)

It’s been difficult to get a full sense of the Vybz Kartel trial, so Annie Paul’s long and considered look at the Jamaican superstar is welcome indeed. She breaks down the case from its beginnings, and then goes on to analyze why Kartel scared Jamaican authorities so much.

Honorable Mention

Anatomy Of A Beyoncé (Popjustice)
Popjustice provides a proposed classification system for surprise album releases.

Requiem For The MiniDisc (Chris Ott, Medium)
Chris Ott breaks down why the MiniDisc was such a good idea at the time, and why it ended up failing as a format.

Kiss Forever: 40 Years Of Feuds And Fury (Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone)
Brian Hiatt takes a long look at the rock ‘n’ roll machine that is KISS. It’s a lengthy read, but definitely worth it.

Images: Geeshie and Elvie - Robin Wartell, Jeff Mills - Nestor Leivas