71. Eurythmics, Be Yourself Tonight (1985) After achieving international pop chart success in the first half of the nineteen-eighties, Eurythmics experienced their first real career stumble with the album 1984 (For the Love of Big Brother). The duo, comprised of … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #71 to #69
As Dollar Stores Proliferate, Some Communities Say No by Michael Corkery Reporting for The New York Times, Michael Corkery writes about local governments rejecting the incursion of predatory discount shops that underpay employees and strategically drain the local economy, by … Continue reading Outside Reading — Bottom Dollar
My intention with these recurring posts under the This Week’s Model banner is to always highlight my favorite new song released during the preceding seven days, but there are a few sub-rules I try to follow. For instance, in order … Continue reading This Week’s Model — boygenius, “Not Strong Enough”
74. Hoodoo Gurus, Mars Needs Guitars! (1985) After A&M Records blundered through the North American release of Stoneage Romeos, the debut album by Australia’s Hoodoo Gurus, the band and their homeland label, Big Time Records, initially decided to take matters … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #74 to #72
I stole the above photo from Pitchfork, callously cropping out the watermark they included. Given this transgression, I should quote and specifically link to the adoring article they published about the Asheville, North Carolina band Wednesday. Here’s writer Quinn Moreland … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Wednesday, “Bath County”
77. Culture Club, Kissing to Be Clever (1982) Malcolm McLaren knew this young bloke named George had the makings of a pop star. The cunning impresario recruited the androgynously styled club kid to share lead vocalist duties in a new … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #77 to #75
Together, Sam Bielanski and Matty Morand are PONY, a band that hails from Toronto and specializes in fuzzy, buzzy, perfectly compact pop songs. Their latest, “Très Jolie,” performs the grand, glorious magic trick I seek so fervently. From it opening … Continue reading This Week’s Model — PONY, “Très Jolie”
This series of posts covers my long, beloved history interacting with the medium of radio, including the music that flowed through the airwaves. When my pal was looking for substitutes to step in on his Sunday night radio show for … Continue reading Radio Days — Then and Now: February 12, 2023
80. That Petrol Emotion, Babble (1987) Following the breakup of his band the Undertones, guitarist John O’Neill initially thought he was done with the music business. The punk group’s splitting had been acrimonious, in part because he and his brother … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #80 to #78
The Grammys Are Built on a Delusion by Spencer Kornhaber It’s been ages since I cared about the selections made for the Grammy Awards (my obsessive tendencies are directed at a different showbiz trophy), but even I can acknowledge that … Continue reading Outside Reading — Tarnished edition
Coffee for Two 