"The Rest Is Noise is a great achievement. Rilke once wrote of how he learned to stand 'more seeingly' in front of certain paintings. Ross enables us to listen more hearingly." –Geoff Dyer, The New York Times Book Review
"[A] Brilliant, hugely enjoyable cultural history." –
The Christian Science Monitor "Ross is a surpremely gifted writer who brings together the political and technological richness of the world inside the magic circle of the concert hall, so that each illuminates the other." –
Lev Grossman, Time "It would be hard to imagine a better guide to the maelstrom of recent music than Mr. Ross, who worked on this book for a decade. He has an almost uncanny gift for putting music into words." –
The Economist "
The Rest Is Noise is a long and thrilling ride. . . . [Ross] writes about music in vivid language humming with intelligence. He tells great stories about musicians' lives and illuminates their work with the light of his own experiences." –
Kevin Berger, Salon.com "The best book on what music is about–
really about–that you or I will ever own." –
Alan Rich, LA Weekly