948. Fishbone, Fishbone (1985) “Party at Ground Zero” stands as one of the greatest opening declarations of artistic identity in all of college rock. It’s probably not wholly correct to assert that no one sounded like Fishbone before the Los … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #948 to #945
I’ve long had a particular weakness for performers who simply pick up an acoustic guitar and make greatness happen. It likely stems from my obviously mistaken notion of the outcome awaiting me had I the same skill. More than that, … Continue reading One for Friday — Kristin Allen-Zito,”Cup of Love”
Record albums aren’t novels. They aren’t films or plays or anything else that needs to follow the rules of traditional — or, for that matter, highly non-traditional — narratives. There is zero necessity for a compelling thesis statement or a … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Historian
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 1966, Dean Martin appeared in four … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “A Million and One”
956. Velvet Elvis, Velvet Elvis (1988) Velvet Elvis formed in Lexington, Kentucky, largely because aspiring singer-songwriter Dan Trisko needed an outfit to deliver the tunes he was cranking out with admirable efficiency. The band played through the reasonably robust club … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #956 to #953
I remember it as a slow, melancholy dimming of the lights for a certain kind of record collecting — or, being precise about the era, CD collecting, I suppose. Paul Westerberg was just a few years into his solo career, … Continue reading One for Friday — Grandpaboy, “Psychopharmacology”
960. Plasticland, Wonder Wonderful Wonderland (1985) It’s treacherous to draw heavily drawing on distinctive rock subgenres layered with dust. By the time Plasticland formed — as the nineteen-eighties dawned in Milwaukee, Wisconsin — the version of lush, layered psychedelic rock … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #960 to #957
Twenty-four hours from the moment I am typing these words out, students will be marching. They are marching in anger. They are marching because of their unyielding conviction. They are marching because they are engaged. They are marching because they … Continue reading One for Friday — Patti Smith, “People Have the Power”
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. Toad the Wet Sprocket had the right … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Something’s Always Wrong”
Find the mid-nineteen-nineties version of me and ask him to indulge in a little pop culture forecasting. Specifically, get him to name the titans of alternative rock who’ll be still be around twenty years later, dishing out new music just … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — What a Time to Be Alive
Coffee for Two 