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michael5000's review
4.0
Terrific set of disparate essays about a range of music by one of the best music writers we've got. It's getting a little bit dated, but it's not Alex Ross's fault if I took nine years to buy his book. He probably would have preferred it if I'd bought it right away, and not a second-hand copy for that matter. Sorry, bro.
beatsbybeard's review against another edition
4.0
Alex Ross writes about music for the New Yorker, and this is a collection of various high-quality essays he's written for the magazine since 1994. He covers Björk, Brahms, Schubert, Radiohead, recordings, Mozart, Esa-Pekka Salonen, John Cage, and much more. He writes from the heart and the brain, engagingly guiding you through his rich experience covering music. I enjoyed it doubly because of the online listening guide that he provides. Great stuff!
mxd's review
2.0
Not an entirely easy read because I wasn't interested in all the music or musicians covered in this collection of essays. I did enjoy parts of it, like the first few essays, the sections on Bjork, Mozart, Radiohead, Bob Dylan and classical music in China. Thanks to an internet-linked guide of music referenced in this collection I also found some new pieces to check out and follow up.
jennistark's review
3.0
I'm always uncertain of Alex Ross's books - a critic posturing as a musicologist is a bit frustrating at times. Mostly, I think this book had some interesting insights, and it was simple to understand and get through. Definitely something I would recommend to my non-musician friends.