Idolator Presents Second-“Best Music Writing 2008” (Part One)

Michaelangelo Matos | July 30, 2008 10:00 am
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Every year those of us who read about music compulsively, whatever our professional standing, await Da Capo’s annual Best Music Writing anthology because we want to read good pieces we might have missed the year before. And those of us who do write about music await it to see if we made the Honorable Mention slot. It’s one thing to be in the actual book–you’re informed well ahead of time. But Honorable Mention gives you hope, because the writers usually don’t know until after they’ve received their galleys (because they’re at least ostensibly going to review it), so it’s a nice surprise when it happens.

This year it happened to 50 people. And we’ve tracked down 40 of the pieces that were named. Below, the first of four posts today with links to the runners-up. Congratulations to all, and enjoy.

PART ONE: A-D

Anthony Bartkewicz, “Justin Braodrick,” March 2007, Decibel [here]

Garett Caples, “Hyphy and Its Discontents,” July 11, 2007, San Francisco Bay Guardian [here]

Jon Caramanica, “The Education of Kanye West,” August 26, 2007, New York Times [here]

Arielle Castillo, “Undercover Boy Wonder,” June 12, 2007, Miami New Times [here]

Jeff Chang, “Moving on Up,” January 22, 2007, The Nation [here]

Susan Choi, “Three Record Stores” [the book has it “Three Mix Tapes”], March 30, 2007, Moistworks [here]

Kandia Crazy Horse, “Digital Venuses,” May 9, 2007, San Francisco Bay Guardian [here]

Jane Dark, “the five paragraph essay: ‘it’s britney, bitch’,” November 15, 2007, Jane Dark’s Sugarhigh [here]

Justin Davidson, “The Strange Case of Joyce Hatto,” 2007, eMusic [here]

Elisabeth Donnelly, “For Harry Potter fans about to rock, we salute you,” July 14, 2007, Salon [here]