Author Archives: R.J.

Demo

By R.J. | Published: August 22, 2019

Band/Artist: Konvent Album: Demo Best song: “Chernobyl Child” Worst song: None. The demo is four excellent songs. I usually try to write these posts with something of a hook other than “check out this band I like,” but I really just wanted to highlight how much I like the Konvent demo.

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Mare Vitalis

By R.J. | Published: August 16, 2019

Band/Artist: The Appleseed Cast Album: Mare Vitalis Best song: “Mare Mortis” or “Fishing the Sky” Worst song: “Kilgore Trout” isn’t much One of my favorite things currently online is a video series for Deadspin called “Let’s Remember Some Guys.” For the uninitiated, the basic idea of the series is that two Deadspin staff members (David […]

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Samsara

By R.J. | Published: August 15, 2019

Band/Artist: Venom Prison Album: Samsara Best song: “Uterine Industrialisation” and “Naraka “ Worst song: “Self Inflicted Violence” I’m not going to get into my dating life here (short version: I’ve not dated in ages because women sometimes pursue me despite my being a disaster person and I’m not interseted in them. I am incredibly stupid.), […]

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Nest

By R.J. | Published: August 14, 2019

Band/Artist: Brutus Album: Nest Best song: “Fire” Worst song: “Horde V” No one gives a shit about my process – especially since I’m not really promoting this site, not even on Twitter – but I am trying to write more on this site. It’s awfully hard, though, because of the various (rightful) restrictions my job […]

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Mareridt

By R.J. | Published: July 23, 2019

Band/Artist: Myrkur Album: Mareridt Best song: “Elleskudt” or “The Serpent” Worst song: “Kætteren” I love the show Forged in Fire. If you haven’t seen it, it’s basically Top Chef, but for blacksmiths. The host — a former Army Ranger named Wil Willis — gives the contestants some bit of metal to make a certain style […]

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The Catastrophist

By R.J. | Published: June 4, 2019

Band/Artist: Tortoise Album: The Catastrophist Best song: Probably “Ox Duke” Worst song: Nah. As I mentioned in writing about Chris Isaak, I’ve gotten off this blog’s schedule for years now and I’m trying to get back into it. This is easier said than done because I have less optimism about my own skill set and […]

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Heart Shaped World

By R.J. | Published: May 28, 2019

Band/Artist: Chris IsaakAlbum: Heart Shaped WorldBest song: I’m here to talk about “Wicked Game.”Worst song: “In the Heat of the Jungle” is not great. I’m old and tired now, but when I was a young person, music was my first passion (my first and only passion now is my dog). As recently as the beginning […]

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The Life of Pablo

By R.J. | Published: February 15, 2016

Band: Kanye West Album: The Life of Pablo Best song: “No More Parties in L.A.” Worst song: “I Love Kanye West” is dumb. The Life of Pablo was finally released Sunday — two days after it was supposed to be released and three days after a pretty weird fashion show/listening party at Madison Square Garden — and […]

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Abyss

By R.J. | Published: August 6, 2015

Band: Chelsea Wolfe Album: Abyss Best song: “Iron Moon.” “Grey Days.” “Carrion Flowers.” “Crazy Love.” Worst song: “Maw” isn’t as strong as the other songs. What can I say about Chelsea Wolfe that I haven’t already said? The California-based singer/songwriter is my favorite current artist and someone about whom I’ve sung overwhelming praise. Her fifth (or sixth, […]

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Kitsune

By R.J. | Published: April 24, 2015

Band: Marriages Album: Kitsune Best song: “Ride in my Place” Worst song: “Pelt” is the least conventional, but the album plays like one giant song. My lack of writing in this space exposes two things. The first is that I’m a lazy sack of crap and need to work more on getting more reviews up. A scant […]

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  • About Me

    I'm Ross Jordan Gianfortune. I am not a writer, but I sometimes write here about music and my life. I live in Washington, DC.

    I used to review each of Rolling Stone Magazine's top 500 albums of all time. Now I'm writing about albums I own.

    My work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Gazette, The Atlantic, Sno-Cone and a bunch of defunct zines.

    You can contact me at rjgianfortune at gmail dot com.

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