When the Canadian band Stars recorded their cover of “Fairytale in New York,” just in time for Christmas 2005, I don’t think the Pogues song was yet considered an unavoidable holiday classic. It certainly wasn’t prominent enough in the cultural … Continue reading One for Friday — Stars, “Fairytale of New York”
8. Eleventh Dream Day, “Testify” Eleventh Dream Day was a band that seemed to come out of nowhere to storm the college charts, beginning with the release of their major label debut, Beet, in late 1989. Raved about in the … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 40 Cuts, March 16, 1990 — 8 – 5
I landed in college radio in the fall of 1988. By that point in time, there were already loads of artist who were cemented as the signature acts of the left side of the dial: the Cure, the Smiths, R.E.M., … Continue reading One for Friday — The Smithereens, “Crazy Mixed Up Kid”
12. The Smithereens, “Blues Before and After” The second single from the Smithereens album 11, “Blues Before and After” was a perfect example of the slightly tougher sound the New Jersey band generated with producer Ed Stasium. Probably best know … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 40 Cuts, March 16, 1990 — 12 – 9
I’ve alluded to the following before: Being immersed in a college radio station is a little like living in an alternative cultural dimension. This is especially true back in the pre-internet era, where there wasn’t a towering wall of external … Continue reading One for Friday — Will and the Bushmen, “It’s Gonna Be Alright”
16. The Creatures, “Standing There” Siouxsie Sioux was never one to recede from pointed commentary, particularly when it came to sexist attitudes that have long been rife in society. For the first single from the Creatures album Boomerang, she and … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 40 Cuts, March 16, 1990 — 16 – 13
One of the great pleasures of working in college radio is discovering monumentally talented songwriters and artists, and then claiming some sliver of their coolness by playing their songs on the radio. This was especially true in my personal era, … Continue reading One for Friday — Tommy Keene, “In Our Lives”
Even as I’ll admit that I’m fairly detached from up-to-the-minute music scene scuttlebutt, it seems to me there’s a surprising lack of enthusiasm or even basic interest around the release of Colors, the new album by Beck. This is an … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Colors
20. Kevn Kinney, “MacDougal Blues” Back in the day, I don’t think we knew about the ability to claim Kevn Kinney as one of our own. Livin’ on the air in Central Wisconsin, we had a prideful devotion to artists … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 40 Cuts, March 16, 1990 — 20 – 17
The countdown currently occupying our Sundays around here is pulled from the March 16, 1990 issue of CMJ New Music Report, the trade publication that served college radio for a few happy decades before imploding the last couple of years. … Continue reading One for Friday — Blue Aeroplanes, “Jacket Hangs”
Coffee for Two 