Midway through the day and into early evening, none of the festival attendees knew if Shane MacGowan was going to show up for his scheduled set. There were all sorts of reasons to surmise that the onetime Pogues frontman would … Continue reading Shane MacGowan, 1957 – 2023
4. The Clash, Combat Rock (1982) “This time we wanted to cut it down a bit,” said guitarist Mick Jones, who shared frontman duties in the Clash with Joe Strummer, of the band’s fifth studio album, Combat Rock. “It was … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #4
It never would have occurred to me that that Sleaford Mods would be an ideal match for one of the most iconic synth-pop singles of the nineteen-eighties, but here we are. That’s clearly my shortcoming of imagination. The opening lyrics … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Sleaford Mods, “West End Girls”
SLOW PULP Yard (Anti-) — Slow Pulp might be the only act that actively tried to preserve some of the limitations they endured during the era of COVID lockdowns. The band that originated in Madison, Wisconsin before setting up shop … Continue reading Medium Rotation — Yard; Bury the Lede
5. Talking Heads, Speaking in Tongues (1983) Nearly three full years passed between the release of Talking Heads’ fourth album, Remain in Light, and its proper studio follow-up, Speaking in Tongues. The span of time was long enough during that … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #5
The Cassette-Tape Revolution by Jon Michaud I am of the exact right age to be enthralled by a brief treatise on the bygone pleasures of the cassette tape, which is exactly what Jon Michaud provides in this piece. Using the … Continue reading Outside Reading — The Compact Audiocassette edition
Tradition holds that the holiday season formally begins with Phoebe Bridgers releasing a cover song as a charity single, but, this year, she’s one of the boys. So Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus are present, too. Joining boygenius are the … Continue reading This Week’s Model — boygenius & Ye Vagabonds, “The Parting Glass”
THE NATIONAL Laugh Track (4AD) — Matt Berninger, the frontman and main lyric writer for the National, talked openly about a relatively recent bout with writer’s block that put the future of the band in doubt. He evidently had quite … Continue reading Medium Rotation — Laugh Track; Black Rainbows
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. Joseph Tucci was a fledging music producer … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Keep On Dancin’”
6. R.E.M., Fables of the Reconstruction (1985) “Lots of kids aren’t willing to listen just to Hall and Oates or whatever,” noted Bill Berry, the drummer of R.E.M., shortly after the release of the band’s third album, Fables of the … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #6
Coffee for Two 