Thirty years ago, in the summer of 1988, Hothouse Flowers released their debut album, People. As with many Irish bands of the time, their pathway to broader music business exposure went through the garlanded terraces constructed by U2. Legend has … Continue reading One for Friday — Hothouse Flowers, “Don’t Go”
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. The last appearance Eazy-E made in a … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Foe tha Love of $”
896. Bananarama, Bananarama (1984) The compromises of “Robert De Niro’s Waiting” exemplify the dilemma Bananarama faced during the creative process. In initial conception, the track from the trio’s second album — when was self-titled at the insistence of their label … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #896 to #893
Thirty years ago, in the summer of 1988, Toni Childs released her debut album, Union. A native of California, Childs spent much of the nineteen-eighties on the fringes of the music scene in London. She cultivated several creative relationships there, … Continue reading One for Friday — Toni Childs, “Don’t Walk Away”
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. I think of the various college rock bands from my youth as being hobbled by a lack … Continue reading The Art of the Sell, XTC, “Making Plans for Nigel”
900. The Waterboys, A Pagan Place (1984) When Mike Scott got underway on A Pagan Place, the sophomore album by his band the Waterboys, the preceding material hadn’t yet seen release. Instead of responding to any feedback from the public, … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #900 to #897
Thirty years ago, in the late spring of 1988, Melissa Etheridge released her self-titled debut album. By now, Etheridge has become such a mainstay on the rock scene (albeit one who has arguably shifted to legacy status rather than necessary … Continue reading One for Friday — Melissa Etheridge, “Bring Me Some Water”
For their third full-length release, Scottish band Chvrches are making a concerted charge for broader commercial success. Despite their occasional protests to the contrary, I don’t think there’s too many other realistic interpretations of the choice to bring in an … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Love is Dead
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 his notorious and freewheeling interview earlier … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “State of Independence”
Courtney Barnett clattered into the public sphere — here in the U.S., anyway — with a fitting hesitancy. Her first two EPs were collected together on a release that got the most meager of pushes, as if her modest indie … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Tell Me How You Really Feel
Coffee for Two 