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”
This series of posts covers my long, beloved history interacting with the medium of radio, including the music that flowed through the airwaves. When I write about my time in radio, I almost always focus on the student-run broadcast outlets … Continue reading Radio Days — March 1995 Adds for WMAD-FM
SUNNY WAR Anarchist Gospel (New West) — Sunny War was based in Los Angeles for several years, but she was born in Nashville and spent many of her formative years in that storied music city. Not so long ago, she … Continue reading Medium Rotation — Anarchist Gospel; Eye of I
62. Pretenders, Learning to Crawl (1984) Around a year after their release of Pretenders II and following the tour that supported it, Chrissie Hynde convened a band meeting. Bassist Pete Farndon was told of his ouster from the group, a … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #62 to #60
Much as I admire the ambition and sonic sweep the National often bring to their music, I must admit that nothing they do hits me in the solar plexus quite like those instances when they strips things down and have … Continue reading This Week’s Model — The National, “Eucalyptus”
65. Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Punch the Clock (1983) As he did from time to time, Elvis Costello decided he wanted to make an album with broader appeal. Following the critical drubbing and commercial disappointment of his 1981 country … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #65 to #63
The band Drugdealer, which is mainly an outlet for Los Angeles singer-songwriter Michael Collins, manages to make it seem like the pop-rock music of the nineteen-seventies never really went away but remaining in a blissful state of perpetual, gentle revision … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Drugdealer, “Lip Service”
Coffee for Two 