In the ranks of overwrought music writing that have appeared in the Village Voice, Garrett Kamps is a god among fanboys. His recent review of Cat Power’s flawed but arresting “Jukebox” covers record is especially troubling. It’s not so much the rank misogyny or his John Yoo-level torturing of the em dash that really derails this review, but the fact that he doesn’t seem to know what, exactly, a “cougar” is. Given our close approximation to Orange County, we know all too well. Cougars are sexually aggressive women on the far side of 40 peddling consequence-free hookups to inexperienced young men who will relay the tales in hushed, reverent tones over Halo 3 tournaments with their friends. Does that sound like an apt description of Cat Power (a.k.a. Chan Marshall), who once wrote a song about Patti Smith’s children and her own abortion? Or the one who wrote one of 2006’s most generous, uplifting Southern soul albums, “The Greatest?”

If Kamps is truly hunting for cougars, we can suggest a few better places for him to start trolling.

– August Brown

[Cougar photo by Christine Cotter / Los Angeles Times. Chan Marshall photo by Stefano Giovannini / Beggars Group LTD via Bloomberg News]

An earlier version of this blog incorrectly referred to John Yoo as John Wu. And that was all Margaret’s fault and not August’s, so she will be buying him a latte something-or-another later today. Maybe.