652. The Call, Into the Woods (1987) After enduring some professional tumult, the Call were presumably feeling at least somewhat settled when they got down to recording Into the Woods, their fifth studio album. Its immediate predecessor, the prior year’s … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #652 to #649
Why I Love Kids’ Books in Translation by Rivka Galchen I recently listened to a podcast segment that was almost entirely comprised of the wonderful writers Rivka Galchen and Jia Tolentino chatting excitedly as they browsed through children’s’ section of a … Continue reading Outside Reading — No Room for the Baker edition
According to the promotional commentary accompanying the release of “Lark,” the new single from Angel Olsen, the song took years to complete. It sounds like it, not because of some evidence strain or a fussed-over meticulousness. Instead, the tracks carries … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Angel Olsen, “Lark”
This series of posts covers my long, beloved history interacting with the medium of radio, including the music that flowed through the airwaves. During my first foray into college broadcasting, one of my favorite tracks to play on the radio … Continue reading Radio Days — Speeding Motorcycle
This series of posts is dedicated to the many, many six packs, pony kegs and pints that have sauntered into my life at one point or another. It can be dangerous to visit breweries while traveling, especially with full knowledge … Continue reading Beers I Have Known — Burnt City Brewing Pterodactyl Deathscream
#46 — Raul Julia as Gomez Addams in The Addams Family (Barry Sonnenfeld, 1991) Movie screens weren’t big enough for Raul Julia. He started working in film in the early nineteen-seventies and picked up a few additional credits throughout the … Continue reading Greatish Performances #46
Sometimes comedy illuminates hard truths with a pointed urgency that other means can’t quite achieve. Sometimes comedy is just funny. This series of posts is mostly about the former instances, but the latter is valuable, too. Without delving into the … Continue reading Laughing Matters — How Lord of the Rings Should Have Ended
656. The Headboys, The Headboys (1979) “At the time, it was important to construct an image,” guitarist Lou Lewis noted in explaining the origins of his band the Headboys. “I got a pretty severe haircut and went to the schoolwear … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #656 to #653
Car Talk’s Long Goodbye by Erik Shilling Drawing generously from recent conversations with Ray Magliozzi, the surviving member of the sibling duo that hosted NPR’s Car Talk for many years, writer Erik Shilling does a masterful job of evoking the charms of the bygone radio call-in show (which still airs in cobbled-together “best of” episodes) and marveling at the endurance of a true oddity in the public radio sphere. Magliozzo remains an entertaining figure, recounting his unlikely fame with appropriate level or amusement and marvel. Although it’s most subtext, the piece also hits a soft sentimental spot for me in … Continue reading Outside Reading — Don’t Drive Like My Brother edition
There are songs and styles that will grab me immediately, tapping into the portion of my inner being that never truly exited my old college radio studio. That sliver of me flips through the heavy rotation shelf for all eternity, … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Mikal Cronin, “Shelter”
