704. Phil Manzanera, K-Scope (1978) Phil Manzanera was a busy fellow in the late nineteen-seventies. Undoubtedly most famous as the lead guitarist for Roxy Music, Manzanera was dabbling in all sorts of other projects. Tops among them was the band … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #704 to #701
Bob Mould writes about the impact of the Buzzcocks in his memoir, See a Little Light: The Trail of Rage and Memory. As a college sophomore, Mould saw the Buzzcocks opening for Gang of Four. Enamored by what was before him, Mould intently studied the guitar work of frontman Pete Shelley. The scrutiny was obvious enough that Shelley supplemented Mould’s studies by shouting out chord changes as he made them. Elsewhere in the book, Mould recounts meeting Steve Garvey, bassist for the Buzzcocks, enthusing about the long-past show that shaped him. “I was again reminded that I’m simply part of the … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Bob Mould, “I Don’t Mind”
I’ve spent the last few days knocked to the canvas by a cruel summer ailment. Maybe it’s a summer cold or a bout with the flu. Maybe it’s something yet worse that I, a stubborn fool, should have already gone … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Dedicated
708. The Special AKA, In the Studio (1984) Using the most straightforward explanation, In the Studio is the third album from the Specials. The fact that the band is billed as the Special AKA tells a significant story. This wasn’t … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #708 to #705
The press release connected to “Superbike,” the new single by Jay Som, states her goal was to sound like Cocteau Twins and Alanis Morissette. I can’t say I hear everyone’s favorite jagged little Canadian on the track, but the honey-soaked … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Jay Som, “Superbike”
I got my first sense of the sound of I Am Easy to Find, the new album from the National, from a track released by a completely different band. For the album Love is Dead, which came out in 2018, … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — I Am Easy to Find
These posts are about the songs that just barely failed to cross the key line of chart success, entering the Billboard Top 40. Every song featured in this series peaked at number 41. In the late nineteen-nineties and into the … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Whiskey Lullaby”
712. Redd Kross, Neurotica (1987) Technically, Neurotica is the first full-length studio effort by the outfit billed as Redd Kross. The band made their entrance with the 1982 LP Born Innocent, but they were going by Red Cross at the … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #712 to #709
I have my doubts as to whether the picture-to-words exchange rate still operates at a multiplier of one thousand, but I am sure that a photo can make a mighty promise. The arrival, through social media channels, of a studio-snapped … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Sleater-Kinney, “Hurry On Home”
U.F.O.F., the new album from Brooklyn-based band Big Thief, is a lovely, elusive work. The first three letters of the title stand for exactly what anyone would think they do, and the tacked on consonant represents the word “friend.” On … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — U.F.O.F.
Coffee for Two 