32. The Cure, The Head on the Door (1985) It seemed the Cure were at an end. Post-punk upstarts on their 1979 debut, Three Imaginary Boys, the band rapidly evolved into trailblazers of goth rock on subsequent albums. That process … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #32 and #31
The next Guided by Voices album, Welshpool Frillies, is scheduled for release in July. It is their second full-length album this year. They also released two studio albums last year and two the year before that. They released three studio … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Guided By Voices, “Meet the Star”
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. Paula Adbul had a booming career as … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Knocked Out”
This series of posts covers my long, beloved history interacting with the medium of radio, including the music that flowed through the airwaves. My pal who’s spent many, many years holding down the Sunday night, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. … Continue reading Radio Days — Then and Now: June 18, 2023
34. The Clash, Sandinista! (1980) “We planned to release a lot of singles, but we had trouble with CBS,” Paul Simonon, bassist for the Clash, told a reporter early in 1981, referring to recent scraps with the band’s record label. … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #34 and #33
I like every but of this meaty, mighty rock song from the Brooklyn-based band THICK, but it’s the perfectly constructed chorus that makes it downright unshakeable: “I could kiss you hard right now/ Close my eyes and open up my … Continue reading This Week’s Model — THICK, “Doomer”
36. R.E.M., Murmur (1983) I.R.S. Records was keen to have a full-length R.E.M. studio effort to peddle. The Georgia band’s debut EP, Chronic Town, had been a hit, at least on college radio. Label representatives were confident enough in the … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #36 and #35
On “Build a Bridge,” the new track from Chicago band Deeper, sometimes I swear I hear a Minutemen influence coming through. Then I become convinced that I’m hearing some of the slicked up authority that distinguished the first album by … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Deeper, “Build a Bridge”
ESTHER ROSE Safe to Run (New West) — Esther Rose has done some roving. A Michigan native, Rose spent about a decade plying her musical trade with the city of New Orleans as her home base, putting out a trio … Continue reading Medium Rotation — Safe to Run; Fuse
38. R.E.M., Lifes Rich Pageant (1986) When it was time to record their third album, R.E.M. were worried about meeting expectations. That doesn’t mean there was record company pressure to generate chart-topping hits or a sense that they might not … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #38 and #37
Coffee for Two 