Author: Dan Seeger

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Garnett, Gondry, Hitchcock, Sturges, Susser

Dan Seeger

The Postman Always Rings Twice (Tay Garnett, 1946). This adaptation of James M. Cain’s 1934 novel is a film noir classic. It’s an exemplar of the form, and perhaps the perfect introduction to the dark charms of the sub-genre built around the basest of human instincts and the shadows in which the manifestation of those urges are obscured, if only because it spells out its duplicitous so plainly. It’s also, sad to say, only a middling film, unfurling its plot with a rushed anxiousness that sometimes leaves behind necessary depth and character development. Tay Garnett’s directing is moody, but also … Continue reading Garnett, Gondry, Hitchcock, Sturges, Susser

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Spectrum Check

Dan Seeger

This week at Spectrum Culture, I didn’t have a single new piece go up. While I’ve got a whole pile of stuff waiting to be reviewed (four movie screeners and, I think, the same number of new music releases), the site had a low-content week, which honestly couldn’t have come at a better time for me since my work week has been, to put it mildly, exhausting. In place of a weekly recap, it seems like a fine time to offer up a sort of “greatest hits.” Not only because I’ve got a spare week, but because we’re fast approaching … Continue reading Spectrum Check

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One for Friday: The Trash Can Sinatras, “Obscurity Knocks”

Dan Seeger

There are all sorts of bands from my college radio days that I remember fondly for a song or two, but don’t give much of a thought to beyond that. This partially due to the fact that many of the bands that can roughly be categorized as “college radio one hit wonders” had a notably short lifespan, fading entirely into the ether without even the benefit of some version of oldies radio to keep reminding listeners of that one moment in the sun when they created a guitar riff, a beat or a killer hook that kids hovering around the … Continue reading One for Friday: The Trash Can Sinatras, “Obscurity Knocks”

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Top 40 Smash Taps: “Lessons Learned”

Dan Seeger

These posts are about the songs that can accurately claim to crossed the key line of chart success, becoming Top 40 hits on Billboard, but just barely. Every song featured in this series peaked at number 40. In some respects, it’s not all that surprising that country singer Tracy Lawrence’s sole experience with the Billboard Top 40 came with a single he released at the tail end of 1999. The title cut to the then forthcoming album Lessons Learned, his sixth studio release, came out at the peak of pop radio’s embrace of country-western music, fueled by major hits from … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Taps: “Lessons Learned”

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Spectrum Check

Dan Seeger

It was another modest week for me at Spectrum Culture. I only had one full piece go up there, a review of the new album from the Gaslight Anthem. When I was younger, I found it odd that there weren’t more bands emulating Bruce Springsteen, given his significant success. Now that there are a couple who clearly use his music as a touchstone, I actually find it just as strange. His distinctive sound, fueled by rock ‘n’ roll bombast, seems to be harder for bands to transcend than, say, that of the Velvet Underground, which dozens upons dozens of groups … Continue reading Spectrum Check