Articles By: Josh Langhoff

Sheep & Goats: ¡Latin Music Espectáculo! – plus Casting Crowns, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, & More

You don’t look to the Managing Editor of Entertainment Weekly for music tips, but it was still jaw-dropping to read this in his post-Grammy editorial: “Mumford & Sons’ victory established folk rock as the most exciting and artful movement in music right now.” Do people really think that?...

March 5th, 2013 | Music | Read More

Local H Goes All Qoheleth On Your YOLO

First, some pop music philosophy from the year 2012: “Let’s make the most of the night like we’re gonna die young.” So says Ke$ha, recently obsessed with apocalypse, in her song “Die Young.” Along the same lines: “And if they try to slow you down Tell ‘em all to go to hell!” That...

January 22nd, 2013 | Music | Read More

Commie Rap At the End of the World

The Coup Sorry to Bother You (ANTI-) “The Marxian imagines that he has a philosophy or even a science of history. What he has is really an apocalyptic vision.” —Reinhold Niebuhr, Moral Man & Immoral Society Even if they broached the taboo topics of politics and religion, I bet Boots Riley,...

December 11th, 2012 | Music | Read More

Sheep & Goats: Kari Jobe, the Fresh Beat Band, Neil Young, and More!

Why, it’s nice to be back, thank you! The boy’s in school, the girl naps twice a day, and the house keeps itself perpetually clean somehow, so with any luck this column will return to being a regular affair. To make up for lost time, here’s nine good ones you might have missed, plus a couple Goats....

August 30th, 2012 | Featured, Music, Sheep & Goats | Read More

Sheep & Goats: David Crowder, Springsteen, Chevelle, and More!

Sheep & Goats returns from an unexpected paternity leave! (The paternity was expected, but the need for leave was not.) If anyone has any wise words about why I should like the new Craig Finn album, or anything else, have at it in the comments! A brief reminder of the grading scale: A “Sheep”...

February 3rd, 2012 | Featured, Music, Sheep & Goats | Read More

The Book of Mormon: CCM Album of 2011

If you’re not familiar with the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon, beware: what follows contains heresy and spoilers, and I’m not sure which is worse. As a straight white 30-something Christian, I’m required by law to be a U2 fan. Over the summer my wife and I cheerfully paid a large sum of money...

January 2nd, 2012 | Featured, Music | Read More

Creatively Destroying Borders

Then I took a good look at everything I’d done, looked at all the sweat and hard work. But when I looked, I saw nothing but smoke. Smoke and spitting into the wind. There was nothing to any of it. Nothing. (Ecclesiastes 2:11, The Message translation) Death by Borders On occasion, working at Borders...

September 28th, 2011 | Books, Featured | Read More

Sheep & Goats: Thi’sl, Owl City, Drive-By Truckers, and More!

In Chicago radio news that sort of affects you, my Sunday morning drive-to-church jam, “Street Sermonz With Keno”, has been cancelled. Week after week, Keno Greer has been playing a mix of gospel, Christian R&B, and holy hip-hop that’s musically equal to any other three-hour block...

September 6th, 2011 | Featured, Music, Sheep & Goats | Read More

Sheep & Goats: Burlap to Cashmere, Paul Simon, a Burnside Contributor, and More!

I’m shamefully late to Dan Bejar’s latest album, but since it’s recently been overrated on a bunch of mid-year best-of lists, and since I like how it looks next to the equally listless Moby album — Destroyer and Destroyed together again! — I stuck it in. You can point out what I’m...

July 28th, 2011 | Featured, Music, Sheep & Goats | Read More

Lady Gaga On the Edge of Normal

Lady Gaga Born This Way (Interscope) “Is a dream a lie if it don’t come true, or is it something worse?” – DA BOSS, from “Da River” What he doesn’t consider is that it might be something better. 1. At Burnside I’m a rock critic. If I said I was a theologian I’d be fooling myself,...

June 14th, 2011 | Featured, Music | Read More