Today, Cincinnati’s scrappy afternoon newspaper, The Post, printed its final edition. A bunch of things led up to the demise of the paper that once outsold the larger morning paper, The Enquirer, including a 75 percent decrease in circulation over the last decade, decreasing ad revenue and a few other things. But it’s all moot now. It’s over.
For Ohio, this spells a pretty significant change. Cincinnati was the last big market in the state to have two papers competing for readership. The Cleveland Press succumbed to The Plain Dealer in 1982, and the The Columbus Citizen-Journal buckled under pressure (perhaps unfairly) from The Columbus Dispatch in 1985. Those papers have enjoyed pretty good times since then, and have been able to focus attention on battling the Internet’s effect on the news. Cincinnati journalists, of both the Post and Enquirer varieties, had to scoop each other while keeping their eyes on the Web. That’s a difficult feat these days. I think that the Enquirer was better off for it, and I’m sure the Post journalists wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
When a newspaper closes its doors, it’s like watching a dog get shot. Despite what people would like to think, newspapers are filled with people who really do care about their readers and getting them the information they need. For many communities, the newspaper is a defining part of the lives of their residents. The first draft of history is written in newspapers, from wars down to engagement announcements. To think that subsequent generations of readers won’t get to experience a paper that documented their parents’ lives is almost unimaginable.
The original link I had to the Post’s last story is broken, but here’s the Enquirer’s tribute to their last major competitor. Here’s to giving the people light. -30-
2007 was another year. It marked my fifth year in the Army, my third anniversary with Lindsey and a few other things that are less exciting. I worked away another year and found a few more gray hairs on my head. I had a great time seeing David (in Chicago) and everyone that came to Wooster during homecoming weekend. Some sad stuff happened, too; the father of a good friend of mine died. Despite the setbacks, it was a year of looking into the future.
I’ve been pretty sparse in my updates lately, and I’m not going to promise to be more diligent on adding things to it. I know I won’t get around to it. So, I’m just hoping I can get more into the habit of doing this; don’t hold out hope.
Okay. My real reason for posting is to talk about music, since it seems I do that more here than anything else. This year, my music prowess decreased quite a bit. I didn’t get out to a bunch of concerts and I didn’t spend a huge amount of time seeking out new music to dazzle myself and all my friends. I guess that’s a product of being a big kid and doing all that stuff. Anyway, I did search my iTunes and compiled a list of all the albums I picked up this year. I’ve made a list of the best few. Here it is:
12. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, 100 Days, 100 Nights (soul): This is a really decent soul record that is produced like they did it in the 60s. Jones is a gnarly lady with a big voice, and the Dap Kings do a good job backing her up. I wish there was a big hit on this record. Highlights: “Nobody’s Baby” and “Let Them Knock.”
11. Battles, Mirrored (math rock): This album defies any explanation. Listen for yourself.
10. Of Montreal, Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? (electronica/indie rock): I have never bothered to research this band, nor do I care to. With lyrics like this, there’s no reason to do anything but listen:
I spent the winter on the verge of a total breakdown
While living in Norway
I felt the darkness of the black metal bands
But being such fawn of a man
I didn’t burn down any old churches
Just slept way too much, just sleep
Joyous, electronic rock. Highlights are “A Sentence Of Sorts In Kongsvinger” (quoted above) and “She’s a Rejector.”
9. Kathy Diamond, Miss Diamond to You (electronic): I really like living room dance music. This is the best kept secret of the year. Listen to this as you mix up your nightly bloody mary. Enjoy. Highlights: “Over” and “Another Life.”
8. Common, Finding Forever (rap): A lot of people were turned off by this one, but it keeps finding its way back into my playlist. Of course, on “Finding Forever,” we find Common doing his normal act as that guy with a lot of stuff to say about Black people in the United States, but he still has that edge he never lost. “Black Maybe” is the best on here, followed by “Misunderstood” and “The People.”
7. The Field, From Here We Go Sublime (dance): The Field’s first album is sort of a soaring, ambient house record. Each song on this record seems to be leading you into a but-thumping world of dance music, but that’s deceiving because everything is shaped brilliantly. I can sit down and listen to this late at night as I’m winding down or when I want to dance. Highlights are “A Paw in My Face” and “The Deal.”
6. José González, In Our Nature (guitar/voice): This man’s from Sweden (name might say otherwise, but it’s true), and he can pick a mean guitar. There’s nothing earth shattering about this album. It sounds much like Veneer, González’s last record. But that last one was damn good, and this guy can really write music. He sounds like Stephen Stills with a little more direction. Highlights are “Down the Line,” “In Our Nature” and “Cycling Trivialities.”
5. Spoon, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (rock): I have a weak spot for blue eyed soul, so you can understand my excitement when I heard “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb” on this record. Just about everyone has heard Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga by now, and they know the strong points. There’s not a moment of this thing when I am not having a great time listening. “Don’t You Evah” is another great one.
4. Pinback, Autumn of the Seraphs (indie rock): I’ve had a crush on Rob Crow for awhile. But after the first few Pinback albums, I wondered if there was anything left for Rob Crow to do with this group. I was wrong; this is by far their best. They’ve mastered the little vocal counterpoints at a level I never imagined. This is an easy album to listen to and like. Highlights are: everything.
3. The National, Boxer (indie rock): The National is are a humble group of fellows, or at least they sound like it. Boxer is a great album that doesn’t blow you away with a bunch of complex layering, sampling or anything like that. Matt Berninger has this deep, haunting baritone voice that complements the band’s straightforward approach that reminds me of a group somewhere between Springsteen and The Church. It’s just a really well done record. “Fake Empire” is the opener, and probably the most affecting piece on the album.
2. Róisín Murphy, Overpowered (dance/pop): I thought Murphy’s first solo effort Ruby Blue was a clever piece of pop production. Unfortunately, the public didn’t get producer Matthew Herbert’s play-everything-including-the-kitchen-sink technique, and the album kind of plunked. Murphy’s back with a lot more disco and accessibility. She picked up a few licks from some of her disco ancestors (Tracy Weber’s “Sure Shot” shows up in “Let Me Know.” Murphy improves on it.) and made this one of the better European pop/dance albums of the year. Highlights are “Let Me Know,” “You Know Me Better” and “Dear Miami.”
1. Ted Leo and The Pharmacists, Living with the Living (rock): Ted Leo would be the next Springsteen if Springsteen would just hang up the bandana. If you look at my last.fm profile (see my sidebar application for a link to it), you’ll know I play the crap out of this album. In fact, it’s playing as I type this. His straightforward, punk/pop driven sound appeals to just about anyone, and I’ve never seen a guy who can garner so much cred from hipsters all the way to metalheads. Song highlights are “The Sons of Cain,” “La Costa Brava” and “Who Do You Love?”
