However lazy Escondida is with hooks, however appalling the song "Old Fashioned Morphine," and however nondescript her ensemble chemistry (standout instrument: a singing saw), no comparisons quite do justice to the nearly-solo piano number "Damn Shame." Here, Holland is easily comprehensible. "Tell me one more time why you went away," she quavers. "It makes a little sense in the light of day." This is the kind of album that makes sense in the black of night.

Deaf Jam

Whatever you do, assign someone else to review Jolie Holland's performance on Friday--this guy is gunning for her (CD Reviews, 7/28). Sometime in the past he must have fired his weapon too near his ear, because apparently he can't hear lyrics or good music. The lines he argues with, in the big finish of his snide and snippy review, aren't correct. They're, "It makes so little sense in the light of day." Unlike his assessment of Holland's Escondida, which makes so little sense any time of day.

Julie Jackson Lusby
Houston, Texas

But Lusby misquotes the lyrics of the song. They are as I had them in my review (check the lyric sheet yourself, or read this quotation in another publication).

As it happens, Jolie mentioned the review at her 400 Bar show here in Minneapolis, joking after she performed "Old Fashioned Morphine" that she was worried about playing it because "that guy really hated it--did you read that review?" Turns out, the song was pretty great live...

Second, there was a letter in response to a City Pages cover story I helped write, I Hate 1984 (7/28/04). As I said in the intro, most of what I wrote, as well as all but two of the other essays, originally appeared in the "I Hate 1984" series here at Complicatedfun.com. Personally, I wasn't sure this belonged on the cover (not accompanied by those old photos, anyway--hey, mine was from '85!), but what do I know?

City Pages ran this letter in response:

Underage Cool

How cool were you in 1984? Cool enough to warrant a cover story apparently. So cool that no regional current event could trump the fact that you were hanging out at Oarfolkjokeopus when you were 12. Next time spare a tree and remind Scholtes he's got some vacation time to use up.

Zach Scott
Minneapolis

But Scott has me confused with John Evans, who wrote the essay on Oar Folkjokeopus. When I was 12, I was living in Madison, Wisconsin, and couldn't have pointed out Minneapolis on a map. I was also 14 for most of 1984.

Send your hate mail to pscholtes@citypages.com and I'll post it here and pass it along to the editors.