30. The Clash, London Calling (1979) “I remember that things were so up in the air, and there was quite a good feeling of us against the world,” Joe Strummer, guitarist and co-frontman of the Clash, told Rolling Stone several … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #30 and #29
Pink Floyd, ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and Me by Charlie Savage Charlie Savage, who’s now a well-regarded political journalist with a Pulitzer Prize on his shelf, recounts his experience a cub reporter when a human interest piece about stoners syncing … Continue reading Outside Reading — The Dark Side of the Trousers edition
This week brought an uncommonly large batch of the new tracks that tugged at my music-loving soul and demanded placement in this weekly spot. At different points, I was sure this week’s model was a recently unearthed gem from the … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Olivia Rodrigo, “Vampire”
INDIGO DE SOUZA All of This Will End (Saddle Creek) — All of This Will End, the third album from Asheville, North Carolina resident Indigo De Souza, is effusive in its caustic cacophonies. De Souza is relentlessly candid in her … Continue reading Medium Rotation — All of This Will End; The First Two Pages of Frankenstein
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”
Coffee for Two 