53. New Order, Low-Life (1985) When Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, and Stephen Morris officially formed New Order together, they knew that the music they made under that moniker was going to be compared to their previous band, Joy Division. If … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #53 to #51
The Low-Stakes Magic of Trivia by Richard Morgan It’s always a pleasure — laced with a hint of the unreal — to see the trivia contest to which I’ve devoted ludicrous amounts of time and mental energy get an adoring … Continue reading Outside Reading — The Masters Are Here edition
In detailing the lore of the annual trivia contest staged by student-run radio station WWSP-90FM, I have previously shared that my beloved and notorious team that participates in said contest has an official theme song that just so happens to … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Dexys, “I’m Going to Get Free”
This coming weekend, I’ll participate in the fifty-third staging of The World’s Largest Trivia ContestTM. As per tradition, this week is filled with idle reminiscing about memorable answers in past years. In the early two-thousands, my partner-in-all-things and I saw … Continue reading Trivia Answer of the Day — Cat Power
56. Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians, Globe of Frogs (1988) “My songs are drawn from the same material dreams are,” Robyn Hitchcock told a reporter not long after the release of Globe of Frogs, his first album with A&M Records. … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #56 to #54
There’s no getting around it, “Together Together,” the new song from the L.A. duo Mediocre, calls to mind Wet Leg. It has the wry, understated sense of humor, the easygoing but buoyant cadence, and the sense that they’re tapping in … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Mediocre, “Together Together”
I totally get that the name of the band comprised of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus is a spectacularly snide joke, a jab at the effusive superlative of brilliance often bestowed upon young males with even the slightest … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — The Record
YO LA TENGO This Stupid World (Matador) — Yo La Tengo has been kicking around for so long that it’s easy to take them for granted, especially because they’ve been so prolifically great over the years. Certainly since the back-to-back … Continue reading Medium Rotation — This Stupid World; Breaking the Balls of History
59. Eurythmics, Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) (1983) Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart had worked together in a couple different bands in the nineteen-seventies: first the Catch and then the Tourists. The success of the bands was never more … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #59 to #57
With a sound like rolling thunder, the new track by Australian band Cable Ties acknowledges the stress of modern life. But “Time for You” is ultimately about the way a caring, rewarding partner can cut through all the worry and … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Cable Ties, “Time for You”
Coffee for Two 