60. Ween, 12 Golden Country Greats Of all the band that cycled through 90FM when I was a devoted student, I may have tagged Ween as the least likely to succeed, or at least to achieve any sort of sustained … Continue reading College Countdown: 90FM’s Top 90 of 1996, 60 and 59
I’ve had a couple jumbled weeks with Spectrum Culture with some odd happenstances causing different pieces to get moved around in different ways. I was supposed to have more this week, but it turned out the only full-length piece of mine that went up was a review of the new solo effort by the drummer of the band Real Estate. It was all music for me–and apparently all solo projects week too–as my contribution to the Monthly Mixtape feature entailed writing on a track from the top-notch new Eleanor Friedberger album. Of course I had to write about the song … Continue reading Spectrum Check
Thinking back on it now, I suspect that Spooner was the first hometown band I ever heard on the radio. Growing up in and around Madison, Wisconsin meant I wasn’t exactly in the midst of a thriving music scene, but I still felt that our broadcasters could have done a little better job throwing some support towards the guitar-slinging local heroes. You never know when the next Oh-Needers might be out there. There were the occasional token local showcase programs–typically relegated to the Sunday night timeframe when the stations were fairly certain that practically no one was listening–but as far … Continue reading One for Friday: Spooner, “Mean Old World”
#27 — Goldfinger (Guy Hamilton, 1964) In principle, I admire the recent overhaul bestowed upon the James Bond franchise, the clear shucking off of the outer layer of hoary tradition that made it seem increasingly old-fashioned. I have no calcified veneration for the sanctity of the character, caring not a whit if they adhere to traditions like the timely issuance of new murderous gizmos sure to come in handy on the new mission or the casual introduction, last name first. I even remember being excited about the unsolicited suggestion given publicly to the producers several years ago–by Entertainment Weekly, I … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 60s — Number Twenty-Seven
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. When I was in college, Hamm’s was the punishment beer. I mean that … Continue reading Beers I Have Known: Hamm’s
I frankly loved Richard Linklater’s 1995 film, Before Sunrise, but I would lukewarm on the widely praised 2004 follow-up, Before Sunset. It was still delightfully hyper-verbal and hit the right notes of romantic cynicism, but the film was also a … Continue reading We’re gonna cause talk and suspicion, give an exhibition
#28 — La Dolce Vita (Federico Fellini, 1960) I will concede from the beginning that I sometimes find the vivid abstractions of Federico Fellini to be too dizzying. I recognize his mastery of a certain form of cinema, even celebrate the way he eradicated boundaries with his skillful braiding of dream logic and traditional narrative. And yet there are times when there is just too much unpacking to be done, too much presented as a brazen challenge to the audience to find meaning in the obscurity. He writes an equation on a chalkboard and then uses an eraser to smear … Continue reading Top Fifty Films of the 60s — Number Twenty-Eight
62. Cast, All Change When the debut release from the Liverpool band Cast arrived in late 1995, the primary excitement derived from the presence of John Power, formerly of the band the La’s. That band’s self-titled 1990 album was already … Continue reading College Countdown: 90FM’s Top 90 of 1996, 62 and 61
In a rare occurrence, I didn’t have anything new go up at Spectrum Culture this week. But I am charged with figuring out which 2013 album release I think is worth inclusion on our list of the best of the year so far. By far the strongest album I’ve reviewed for the site–and still probably my choice for the year’s top release–is Yo La Tengo’s Fade. I’d like to see it included (and it had a low enough profile that I’m afraid it will be forgotten if I don’t tackle it), but I’m always reluctant to write on something that … Continue reading Spectrum Check
I’d love to report that I know about the Dublin band Les Enfants and their 1985 album, Touché, because I found it in some used record store, buying the artifact note unheard on the basis of something about the cover or the names of the songs. Certainly it’s easy, knowing what I know about the music, to think I may have correctly guessed a song called “Shed a Tear (There You Go),” hailing from the middle of the eighties, is some lost gem of post-New Wave pop. I was rarely that bold, however, and it’s entirely possible that I’ve never … Continue reading One for Friday: Les Enfants, “Shed a Tear (There You Go)”
Coffee for Two 