Patrol magazine

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Patrol Magazine
[[Image:]]
[[Image:]] A typical example of Patrol's main page, as of 05-26-08
URL	www.patrolmag.com
Type of site	Music webzine
Registration	No
Available language(s)	English
Created by	David Sessions
Launched	2006
Current status	Active

Patrol Magazine is an exclusively online publication that covers music and other popular arts. While Patrol does not refer to itself as a Christian publication, it has a liberal Christian editorial viewpoint, as evidenced by its coverage of contemporary Christian music and often critical analysis of evangelical culture and trends.

1 History
2 Reviews
3 Other features
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History

Patrol began in 2006 as “The CCM Patrol,” an anonymous blog that published critical reviews of and other articles on contemporary Christian music. The CCM Patrol was acidic and satirical^[1] in tone, making obvious overgeneralizations and hyperbolic points. The blog defended itself on the basis that it was humorous satire, and did not purport to be entirely factual.

In June 2007, The CCM Patrol’s first anniversary, the blog author revealed himself to be David Sessions, then a student of Patrick Henry College^[2] in Purcellville, Virginia. In the months that followed the revelation, several guest contributors began writing reviews for the blog.

In September 2007, The CCM Patrol moved from its blog host, Wordpress, and morphed into a multi-featured web site with its own domain.

In November 2007, The CCM Patrol was renamed Patrol magazine, and moved to its current site. In an editorial introduction, the editors cited “limited content options” as a primary reason for their decision to expand the magazine’s focus beyond exclusive Christian-labeled media. “Our broadened focus will not only allow us to address the creative work that actually interests and inspires us, but also art that might resonate with readers who simply need someone to point the way.”^[3]

[edit] Reviews

Patrol reviews a wide variety of popular music, ranging from contemporary Christian artists to indie rock. Similar to Pitchfork Media, the site employs a 10-point rating scale. The highest rating to date, a perfect 10, was retrospectively given to My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless.^[4] The lowest, 1.9, was given to the Christian band Casting Crowns’ record-selling The Altar and the Door. Patrol called the popular album “puerile and preachy.”^[5]

Patrol has received criticism for allegedly giving lower ratings to music that is specifically marketed as Christian.

The site infrequently reviews popular films; a few recent examples have included Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Cloverfield, Vantage Point, and Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.

[edit] Other features

Patrol publishes a variety feature articles on a weekly basis. They include opinion columns, artist interviews, dissections of cover art, and critiques of reviews in other publications. Patrol has published interviews with several noteworthy Christian and secular artists, including Derek Webb, The Bell, New London Fire, and Andy Zipf.

The site also maintains a daily blog, The Scanner, which gives a more irreverent treatment of popular music, including Christian music.