It’s stunning to me that The Number Ones has now entered the Usher era. It’s still virtual 1998, but this music seems so contemporary. I know that the last couple of (real-life) decades have flown by for me, but wow, just wow.

I see we’ve entered The Rise of the House of Usher.  
Oof. Sorry, that’s all I’ve got.

Counterpoint as someone who had to witness my mother being slapped many times by my father, fuck that take about getting slapped being not a big deal. It shouldn’t matter if it’s man on man, woman on man, what race they are. People shouldn’t be striking each other over jokes. My dad hit my mom because she hurt his pride too.

But how do we comment in a print book?

MEANWHILE, On the New York Bestsellers Charts…

Sorry Stereogum, but I only understand things that are graded on the Cold Stone Creamery scale: Is this album a Like It, Love It, or Gotta Have It?

I believe that only good can come from as many people as possible being exposed to Kate Bush/this song, so I can abide by this.

Normies when they find out the book is 1200 pages long and Tom has appended each chapter with dozens – sometimes hundreds – of pages of rambling personal anecdotes, quasi-relevant chart trivia, reviews of his reviews, and still more inscrutable digressions. As the book progresses, this cast of commentators reveal their distinct personalities and forge a community amidst a devastating pandemic. Michiko Kakutani says “Its not just a book of music criticism, its a daring experimental novel that limns our digitally mediated existence.”

One thing that I like about Tom is that he rarely comes across as a snooty critic that only likes the songs critics are supposed to like. He admits to giving into mainstream gloop at times. He gives into it more than I do in this case. While I recognize the craft going on here, and the emotions that the song can conjure up go deep, when it comes down to it, I don’t very often want to hear it. So that gives it a 6 for me. Almost a 7. And thank you for the backstory of the limited print of singles. THAT surely was the reason this song wasn’t #1 for 8 or 10 or 12 weeks.

As far as the movie goes, it was amazingly well done, but as soon as we saw that mother and her children drowning while locked in the lower class section of the boat…I knew that Mrs. Crawford would never watch that movie again. And she hasn’t. One time was enough.

Classic sibling rivalry. Will Will win or will Win win?

*Rushing to the bottom without having read a single word*

Dudes rock.