26. Drivin’ N’ Cryin’, Mystery Road Any band leaning heavily on country music in building out their sound is going to rely fairly heavily on a few different well-worn themes. The band Drivin’ n’ Cryin’ decided to openly acknowledge that … Continue reading College Countdown: 90FM’s Top 90 of 1989, 26 and 25
This week, I tried to satisfy my household’s penchant for films that traffic in monsters and gore by reviewing Stake Land. As is often the case when dealing with this sort of genre fare, it was ultimately disappointing, the promising, inventive elements ultimately unable to outweigh the portions of the film that were pure retread. I’m still longing for that amazing discovery moment that comes from watching something Ti West’s The House of the Devil. I also reviewed the new album from Vivian Girls, which was a little odd having already worked with the band as performers who played at … Continue reading Spectrum Check
I’d been away from radio for several years in the summer of 2001 when I finally found myself back in the midst of a faction of the broadcast spectrum that I hadn’t experienced in nearly a decade. I was part of radio, this time as an advisor rather than a student. Still, I was right there in the heart of the station, my original office located directly across from the main booth. After a lengthy stretch of having to engage in hefty outside scholarship to stay connected to the music that I most enjoyed, it was now all around me … Continue reading One for Friday: The Actual Tigers, “Standing By”
28. The Smithereens, 11 The Smithereens picked up a lot of fervent followers on the strength of the smart, chunky guitar pop on their first two full-length albums, 1986’s Especially for You and 1988’s Green Thoughts. But even those who … Continue reading College Countdown: 90FM’s Top 90 of 1989, 28 and 27
This week, I fulfilled my primary film criticism duties by writing about a nice feature debut by Zeina Durra. It’s one of those films that’s good enough to immediately stir up interest over what she does next. On the other end of the film quality scale, I wrote about a favorite bad movie that is the pure definition of “Guilty Pleasure” to me. Everyone seemed to especially enjoy the opening paragraph. I also had a music review go up. I faced the always tricky challenge of writing about something that didn’t particular move me one way or the other. So … Continue reading Spectrum Check
30. Close Lobsters, Headache Rhetoric Sometimes a band’s back-story has an element so wildly perfect that anyone would be forgiven for suspecting that it’s made up. No one disputed that the Close Lobsters were formed in their homeland in Scotland, … Continue reading College Countdown: 90FM’s Top 90 of 1989, 30 and 29
There was a time when Uma Thurman was an actress that demanded attention. If she was in a film, it merited at least some amount of consideration. Maybe the finished project was actually not very good (or even downright awful) but she alone made it something that at least went into the “maybe” pile when sorting out film-going options. Sadly, I’ve noticed lately that, as I spin the digital dial considering movies to add to our overstuffed DVR, the opposite is now true. Uma’s inclusion in the cast list–especially at the top of it–is a signal to stay away. I … Continue reading Spectrum Check
I started subscribing to Rolling Stone in 1987. I was just starting to refine my muddled music taste into the preferences that still stand today. At the time, there was no student-run college radio station in my immediate area–fairly stunning … Continue reading One for Friday: Michael J. Fox, “You Got No Place To Go”
32. Elvis Costello, Spike By the time Elvis Costello released he album Spike in the spring of 1989, his reputation and personality were already well-established within the music industry. Certainly, he had a vast array of smart, literate songs that … Continue reading College Countdown: 90FM’s Top 90 of 1989, 32 and 31
I am a participant in the World’s Largest Trivia contest. My team is called The Cakers. And “Come On Eileen” is our song. Whenever it’s played–on the radio, over the supermarket loudspeakers, shuffled up by an iPod–it feels like it was played just for us. No matter who’s performing it. In that spirit, with no other fuss, I humbly present this week’s One for Friday song. Badly Drawn Boy, “Come On Eileen” (Disclaimer: Honestly, I spent no time whatsoever figuring out if this is out of print. It doesn’t really matter to me today. I’ll still take it down I’m … Continue reading One for Friday: Badly Drawn Boy, “Come On Eileen”
Coffee for Two 