Yesterday, in the A-section, the Washington Post ran an article about DJ Kool Herc and his efforts to save the Bronx apartment building in which he invented hip-hop back in 1973.

The developer who is trying to buy the building, where DJ Kool Herc spun in the rec room, would, presumably, turn it into something other than a hip-hop museum.

DJ Kool Herc is going to hold a fundraiser to help the tenants buy the building themselves. But wouldn’t this be the perfect acquisition for some hip-hop mogul? I mean, Lexus, shmexus. Who needs another hot tub when you can own the building where it all started? Am I right?

Los Angeles Times‘ Patrick Goldstein seems to think so. Of course, what he’s really talking about is consumer criticism–telling people how to spend their time and money.

I tend to agree more with Robert Christgau, who says–and I’m paraphrasing here–rock criticism isn’t for fans of rock music, it’s for fans of rock criticism.

I know. I know. It’s only April. Way too early to be making predictions about Album of the Year. Plus, it’s a metal record we’re talkin’ about and few will believe that a metal record–even a really catchy, accessible metal record–could ever be, you know, the record. (Those who already worship this album should just go check out the most genius thing on the Internet.)

But it must be said, just so I can say, I told you so: Torche’s Meanderthal, which came out on Tuesday, is this year’s album to beat. Even with its inappropriate title, Where the Wild Things Are cover art, and Heavy Metal Parking Lot lyrics (on “Across the Shield, Steve Brooks sings, “Impalin’ every born knight/Raidin’, pierced the hole, rite”), this album does more, aesthetically, and does it better than anything else I’ve heard this year, or last year.

Seriously.

You can hear Meanderthal here.

People don’t seem to get this, so let’s put it in cable-television terms: the reason that album sales are down is because albums used to be a monopoly of sorts (like cable packages) and once consumers had the option to pick-and-choose the songs they like, overall sales went down (which is why some stations like CBN lobby to keep these packages in place). It’s protectionism. And no protectionism equals lower sales. Which is why I agree with Rick Rubin: You gotta get the art right.

The D.C. area grindcore trio Pig Destroyer doesn’t play here–or anywhere–all that often. But, when it does, it plays on some pretty amazing bills.

The band’s label, Relapse, just announced a new four-date world tour which includes the band’s first-ever stop at the Black Cat:

PIG DESTROYER will first perform a local Washington, DC show on April 11th at the Black Cat along with label-mates MISERY INDEX as well as MAGRUDERGRIND and THE WAYWARD.

PIG DESTROYER will then head to Japan in early May for ‘Extreme The Dojo 20’ as headlined by the re-united AT THE GATES. Also on the tour are PIG DESTROYER labelmates THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN. A listing of PIG DESTROYER live dates can be found below with more tour plans to be announced shortly.

PIG DESTROYER Tour Dates:

April 11 Washington, DC Black Cat (w/ MISERY INDEX, MAGRUDERGRIND, THE WAYWARD)

***‘Extreme The Dojo 20’ Japanese Tour with AT THE GATES, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, MAYHEM, INTO ETERNITY***

May 8 Osaka, Japan Hatch

May 9 Nagoya, Japan Club Quattro

May 11 Tokyo, Japan Studio Coast

Here’s the band’s extreme MySpace page. And here’s an extreme article about Pig Destroyer from 2001 and an extreme review of the band’s latest, Phantom Limb.

I can’t really disagree with Anne Midgette, who reviewed the Washington National Opera’s new production of “The Flying Dutchman” in the Washington Post. It’s a mixed bag (Senta, who was played by Lori Phillips last night, was excellent). But I will say this: the most Wagnerian elements of the opera—the creepy ghosts, the enormous bass riffs, the lines about doomsday and eternal damnation—were enough to ward off the after-work sleepiness that I was feeling at the beginning of the overture. For a metal and horror fan such as myself, it’s a great story, and the abstract expressionist staging was well suited to the telling. Playing through April 10th.

Ballrogg, a Norwegian duo, is coming to Blues Alley for two sets on Wednesday, April 2. The band’s bassist, Roger Arntzen, is a member of In the Country, a Keith Jarrett-esque piano trio that records for one of my favorite boutique labels, Rune Grammofon. I wrote a piece about the Oslo indie and two of its records in the spring of 2005 (”The Fjord Foundation“). Since then, I have yet to hear weak Rune Grammofon disc.

Ballrogg’s debut is on a label called Bolage, not on RG, but that shouldn’t keep you away from this unusual Blues Alley booking. According to its PR, the band will be “exploring the music of Eric Dolphy in a small format, stripped down to only bass and reeds.”

Eric Alterman has an article in the New Yorker this week about the state of the newspaper industry. He makes some great points, but also makes a statement that is more a wail of liberal anguish than a prediction that can be supported by history: the newspaper is in its death throes. (If that were true why would anyone care about this man’s job?)

Seems to me that what he means to say is that the newspaper as we know it is dying.

But hasn’t that been happening for a long time? Morning and evening editions? Several dailies in every large town?

Could it be that the newspaper-in-a-diminished-form will coexist with the internet the same way that movies and television coexist? Or the way that MP3s and vinyl coexist?

The Nationals are requesting your votes for “7th Inning Stretch Song,” “Home Run Song,” and “Victory Song.” As pointed out in this Idolator post, there’s only one local choice in there, Chuck Brown’s “Bustin Loose” (my personal theme music for overeating) and the rest are pretty crappy (though I do get goosebumps whenever I hear U2’s “Beautiful Day”).

You’d think that, instead of Blur’s Fugazi rip-off “Song 2,” we could get an actual Fugazi song. Luckily, there’s a write-in function.

Orpheus Records in Arlington is still open despite staff predictions that the store would be closed by now.

According to store owner Rick Carlisle, “it seems likely” that the bricks-and-mortar version of Orpheus will now stay open through the end of April.

In case you haven’t been following this story, here’s the original news item from Black Plastic Bag and an excellent article from the Washington Post.