These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. Realistically, this is as plausible an origin story for the superheroic talent Tina Turner as any. Other … Continue reading The Art of the Sell — Pepsi-Cola, “Creation” with David Bowie & Tina Turner
I believe it’s largely forgotten that the ending of What’s Love Got to Do with It, the 1993 drama in which Angela Bassett portrayed music icon Tina Turner, was controversial at the time of the film’s release. Following nearly two … Continue reading Tina Turner, 1939 – 2023
DEATH VALLEY GIRLS Islands in the Sky (Suicide Squeeze Records) — Melancholy intertwines with hopefulness on Islands in the Sky, the fourth long-playing outing from Los Angeles’s grand conjurers of grindy, gnarly anthems. Frontwoman Bonnie Bloomgarden says the foundational inspiration … Continue reading Medium Rotation — Islands in the Sky; Good Luck
GINA BIRCH I Play My Bass Loud (Third Man) — In certain circles, Gina Birch is a legend. As bassist and vocalist for post-punk icons the Raincoats, Birch helped create music that was foundational to all manner of off-kilter, independently … Continue reading Medium Rotation — I Play My Bass Loud; Shook
42. The Psychedelic Furs, Forever Now (1982) “I enjoy surprising,” explained Richard Butler, the frontman of the Psychedelic Furs, while making the rounds to promote the band’s third album, Forever Now. “We have many hardcore fans, fans of the first … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #42 and #41
The Epic Return of Lucinda Williams by Bronwen Dickey Bronwen Dickey’s profile of Lucinda Williams is utterly splendid. It helps, of course, that the musician has lived a colorful life. In the article, Dickey demonstrates a flair for identifying the … Continue reading Outside Reading — Gravel Roads edition
There are all sorts of reasons I’m susceptible to “My PG Country Summer,” the new single from Origami Angel, There’s the gooey guitar lines that mark it as a fit and proper representation of emo rock and the breakneck pace. … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Origami Angel, “My PG Country Summer”
44. Genesis, Abacab (1981) In many ways, Abacab, the eleventh studio album by Genesis, was a stern rejection of the band’s legacy. Through the entirety of the nineteen-seventies, the group were stalwarts of progressive rock, releasing studio albums that strung … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #44 and #43
46. Men at Work, Business as Usual (1981) Columbia Records executives didn’t think U.S. would warm to Business as Usual, the debut album by the Australian band Men at Work. After rapidly building a reputation as aces live band in … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #46 and #45
48. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, I Love Rock ‘n Roll (1981) “I feel like I’ve paid a lot of dues,” Joan Jett told an Associated Press reporter when the title cut to her sophomore solo LP — and first … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #48 and #47
Coffee for Two 