For the past thirteen years or so, I’ve known with certainty what would pop up in my little corner of the digital world every Sunday. It started when I stumbled upon a CMJ Radio Top Cuts chart that was published … Continue reading Countdown’s End
1. Go-Go’s, Beauty and the Beat (1981) The rejection letter was breathtaking in its condescension. By the time the Go-Go’s were sending their demo around to labels, they had already proved themselves and developing a growing following within their local … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #1
There are a lot of complimentary superlatives that can be heaped on the new song from PACKS, the project that serves as the main creative outlet for Toronto-based indie rock whiz Madeline Link. Rather than wind my way to any … Continue reading This Week’s Model — PACKS, “Paige Machine”
THE MOUNTAIN GOATS Jenny from Thebes (Merge) — Now that the Mountain Goats’ main man, John Darnielle, has solidified his successful side hustle as a nimble novelist, it makes perfect sense that he’s embracing similar deep-dive storytelling in his songwriting. … Continue reading Medium Rotation — Jenny from Thebes; Black Bayou
2. The Police, Ghost in the Machine (1981) After constantly operating under the nettlesome, intrusive scrutiny of their record label, the Police were finally given the opportunity to record a new studio album on their own terms. The trio, comprised … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #2
Michael Stipe Is Writing His Next Act. Slowly. by Jon Mooallem This article about the former lead singer of R.E.M. is a simply a masterful piece of profile writing. With unerring instincts for which details convey the most telling information, … Continue reading Outside Reading — We Are Hope Despite the Times edition
The band Yumi Zouma was formed in New Zealand, but its members are now spread all over the globe. They’ve acknowledged the difficulty in creating together over the course of the past few years, the challenge of geography compounded by … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Yumi Zouma, “Desert Mile”
BOYGENIUS The Rest (Interscope) — Let’s hear it for the boys. Let’s give the boys a hand. Carrying four new tracks like a baton they all grip, Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus cross the finish line together to … Continue reading Medium Rotation — The Rest; All That Was East Is West of Me Now
WILCO Cousin (dBpm) — By the time a band gets to lucky album number thirteen, complacency would be understandable. That’s especially the case if the band has a songwriter who can evidently dash off accomplished new tunes as easily a … Continue reading Medium Rotation — Cousin; Silver
3. The English Beat, Special Beat Service (1982) “We looked at ourselves and realized we had unconsciously overcompensated for the frenetic rhythms of the first album with the slower pacings of the second album,” Dave Wakeling, guitarist and vocalist with … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #3
Coffee for Two 