Sasha Frere-Jones

1 month ago | 4columns.org | Sasha Frere-Jones

Run the Song Sasha Frere-Jones Sounds to run by: in his fifth book, Ben Ratliff triangulates the rhythms of music, the mind, and the moving body. Run the Song: Writing About Running About Listening, by Ben Ratliff, Graywolf Press, 237 pages, $18•   •   •How do we escape the prison house of language? Music does it, much of the time, and sometimes, dialectically, language disables itself, which critic Ben Ratliff knows.

2 months ago | 4columns.org | Sasha Frere-Jones

The World After Gaza Sasha Frere-Jones The mistitling of Pankaj Mishra’s new book. The World After Gaza: A History, by Pankaj Mishra, Penguin Press, 292 pages, $28•   •   •Israel is death. To say anything else is frosting.

Jan 9, 2025 | 4columns.org | Sasha Frere-Jones

Mood Machine Sasha Frere-Jones Music for nothing and your chill playlists for free: a new book by Liz Pelly on the horror story of Spotify.

Dec 11, 2024 | documentjournal.com | Sasha Frere-Jones

In her newest music video, premiering on Document, Allan traces the seductions of romantic descent In “Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter,” Joni Mitchell sings that “the eagle and the serpent are at war in me / the serpent fighting for blind desire / the eagle for clarity.” How hard does the serpent fight?

Oct 31, 2024 | 4columns.org | Sasha Frere-Jones

Able Noise Sasha Frere-Jones Scraps of sound, stoned marching around: the experimental duo’s debut is an inviting blend of chaos and intimacy. High Tide, by Able Noise, World of Echo•   •   •Able Noise formed in The Hague—a place that should be busier than it is—and call themselves an “experimental baritone guitar and drum duo,” though there are many more instruments than that on their utterly glorious (yes—please put that on a sticker and wave it at your nan) debut album, High Tide.