9 February 2012
Hatchet job
A couple of days ago The Guardian’s website proudly announced that Adam Mars-Jones’ review of Michael Cunningham’s latest novel, By Nightfall, published in its sister paper The Observer, had been awarded the inaugural Hatchet Job of the Year award.
The prize, which in its material form consists of a golden hatchet and a year’s supply of potted shrimp, is awarded ‘for the writer of the angriest, funniest, most trenchant book review of the past twelve months’. The manifesto published on the award’s website states that it is intended as a means of championing the role of the book reviewer and ‘to promote honesty and wit in literary journalism’.
While that’s a commendable remit, I can’t help but find the ‘Hatchet Job of the Year’ rather depressing. I’m not setting out to defend Cunningham’s novel, which I haven’t read, nor to produce my own hatchet job of Mars-Jones’ review. In fact, Mars-Jones presents a compelling case for why I shouldn’t read By Nightfall, and as such I’d say he has produced a strong review of the book.
However, it’s a pity that the Hatchet Job of the Year favours angry and trenchant reviews. It suggests that a book review can’t be witty or honest if it praises the book under review. People will always enjoy reading things that are acerbically critical, and all the more so in the age of an interactive internet in which they can verbally spar with one another and achieve kudos amongst their peers by coming up with a put-down that is accurate, incisive and funny. But the Hatchet Job of the Year seems to imply that the best reviews are by their very nature negative.
I’m very much in favour of the literary review becoming something that is recognised as a form that one can enjoy reading, rather than merely something that is glossed over in order to determine whether a book is worth bothering worth. As an occasional book reviewer myself (and a more regular reviewer of music), I’d love to see the profile of the form raised. Additionally, I’ll admit that it can be fun to write a negative review: if you’ve had to read a terrible book then it is satisfying to explain what makes it so bad. And the English language does seem to lend itself so well to expressions of dissatisfaction. It’s difficult to rave about something without sounding either clichéd or maniacal, but original barbs are fired far more easily from the pen.
So how about another new prize, which rewards the best positive book reviews. Being able to write a favourable review that’s entertaining and honest, and which doesn’t wax on in such a way that you suspect bribes have been handled, is at least as commendable as being able to wittily explain what’s wrong with a book. Let’s remember that good criticism needn’t always be critical.
29 December 2011
December music reviews
Below are my most recent reviews for Shout4Music, and this will be the last blog post detailing such reviews. I’ve decided to create an additional page collecting links to my reviews, with a view to using the blog page for more in-depth and hopefully more interesting posts. So keep an eye out for both the new reviews page and some proper blog entries in the new year.
Album Reviews:
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones – The Magic of Youth
River Seven – River Seven
Filligar - The Nerve
Henry’s Funeral Shoe – Donkey Jacket
Gig Reviews:
Alabama 3 @ Kentish Town Forum
Mariachi El Bronx @ Kings College
19 December 2011
2011 in Music at PopMatters.com
I’ve made a few contributions to PopMatters.com’s review of the past year in music. My blurb on PJ Harvey’s very successful year can be found in the Artists of the Year section, while in the piece on the 75 Best Songs of 2011 I have two write-ups, one on Elbow’s ‘Lippy Kids’ and the other on Lana Del Rey’s ‘Video Games’. Looking ahead to 2012, I’ve tipped Marques Toliver as one to watch in the new year.
1 December 2011
November music reviews
It’s been a busy month…
Smokey Bastard – Tales From The Wasteland
The Miserable Rich – Miss You In The Days
The Minutes live @ Kentish Town Forum
The Super Happy Fun Club – Go Fun Yourself
Serge Gainsbourg – Histoire de Melody Nelson
Dusty Springfield – Goin’ Back
Hymns – Cardinal Sins/Contrary Virtues
Thee Spivs – Black And White Memories
Summer Camp live @ Efes, Dalston
Pinemarten – If You Thought There Was Any Doubt
8 November 2011
October music reviews
Here are my Shout4Music reviews for the month just gone:
Andy Burrows: ‘If I Had A Heart’
The Wonder Years: Suburbia I’ve Given You All And Now I’m Nothing
Paley & Francis: Paley & Francis
Big Deal @ The Scala, London (live review)
Sonic Youth: Hits Are For Squares
10 October 2011
September music reviews
Not too many reviews for September, as I was away for three weeks, so just a few albums here:
Charlotte Gainsbourg – Terrible Angels
Marmalade – Fine Cuts: The Best Of
27 September 2011
Tom McCarthy’s ‘C’ reviewed at PopMatters
Communication and transmission are in fact at the centre of the novel. Indeed, they seem so central that they do not stop at being mere themes, but act as fundaments upon which the other elements of the text rest. As this somewhat unconventional deployment of devices might suggest, C is not a straightforward book: if McCarthy communicates with his readers then he does so cryptically.
It’s been a while since I reviewed any books for PopMatters as I had a spate of problems getting review copies delivered. Â But I moved last month, so I’m hoping that the postman here is better at his job than the one at my old place. Â British readers might well be aware that Tom McCarthy’s novel C has been around for a while, but what I’m reviewing here is technically the American paperback edition (even though I actually worked from my UK hardback).
The full review can be read here.
26 August 2011
August music reviews
Here are my reviews for Shout4Music.com from the past month:
Mike Oldfield – Incantations (Reissue)
Jerzey Street Band – ‘Haigy’s Girl’
British Sea Power – ‘Georgie Ray’
The Antlers – live review of their performance of the album Burst Apart at the Screen on the Green
26 August 2011
Wilderness Festival review
Another festival review – this time of the inaugural Wilderness Festival in Oxfordshire. Â I was only at this one for the Saturday, due to moving house the same weekend, but the review of that day can be read in its entirety here.
3 August 2011
Camp Bestival reviewed
I was away in Dorset last weekend to review Camp Bestival for Skiddle. Â It’s a festival aimed specifically at families, but I managed to have a great time without fitting into the intended demographic. Â The full review is online here.
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