THE BETHS Expert in a Dying Field (Carpark) — Elizabeth Stokes, frontwoman for the Beths, describes her band’s output as ““sweetly sung melodies and super-depressing lyrics.” That’s not only a very suitable description of the Beths’ material, particularly on the … Continue reading Medium Rotation — Expert in a Dying Field; Cool It Down
119. Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Get Happy!! (1980) The back cover of Get Happy!!, the fourth studio album by Elvis Costello and the Attractions, features a fine-print note from producer Nick Lowe: “Hi! You’ll have noticed that there are … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #119 to #117
The new Channel Tres single, “6am,” is built on a anxious, post-house groove, which is perfectly suited to the song’s pledge of enduring through a long, hearty night of revelry. The repeated refrain couldn’t be more clear: “We ain’t leavin’/ … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Channel Tres, “6am”
122. Sting, The Dream of the Blue Turtles (1985) “There’s no way I was going to allow just free jazz,” Sting said of his debut solo album, The Dream of the Blue Turtles. “There’s a discipline to pop music that … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #122 to #120
In this week’s news, a great band remains great. This Stupid World, the next album from Yo La Tengo, is scheduled for release in February. Continue reading This Week’s Model — Yo La Tengo, “Fallout”
These posts are about the songs that fell just short of crossing the key line of chart success, entering the Billboard Top 40. Every song featured in this series peaked at number 41. Jerry Lee Lewis wasn’t so sure about … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee”
125. Pretenders, Pretenders II (1981) No one expected the Pretenders self-titled debut album to be a hit, or at least not a hit at the level it reached. The Pretenders only produced one Top 40 single in the U.S., the … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #125 to #123
That guitar. It snarls to life so beautifully. Then the bass and drums join in, like nineteen-fifties hoodlums falling in line for a strut down the city block to signal neighborhood sovereignty. By the time Lexi McCoy starts in with … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Suzie True, “Backburner”
128. Haircut One Hundred, Pelican West (1982) Guitarist and vocalist Nick Heyward and bassist Les Nemes cycled through a few different bands together during the latter half of the nineteen-seventies, none of them really amounting to much. After a move … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #128 to #126
In the time since Caroline Polachek moved on from the breakup of her band Chairlift, it’s sometimes seemed like she’s everywhere doing everything. Her debut solo album, Pang, was released in 2019 to widespread acclaim, but it’s more than that. … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Caroline Polachek, “Sunset”
Coffee for Two 