83. Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Armed Forces (1979) On his first two studio albums, Elvis Costello wanted to keep everything lean and simple. Partially, he was adhering to the punk rock ethos that was prevalent among upstart music acts … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #83 to #81
In need of some big, room-filling rock ‘n’ roll that’s laced with the sort of dread that can only be inspired by a novel written by the author of Watership Down? Don’t worry, Canadian trio the Rural Alberta Advantage is … Continue reading This Week’s Model — The Rural Alberta Advantage, “Plague Dogs”
86. INXS, Listen Like Thieves (1985) Chris Thomas introduced himself to INXS by telling them they were recording their music all wrong. When the Australian band played the Palladium in Los Angeles during the tour to support their 1984 album, … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #86 to #84
ROB AND DICK stand behind the counter. Rob holds a CD in his hand. Rob leans over to Dick. ROB I will now sell five copies of Brothers & Sisters by Steve Mason DICK Do it. Rob pops in the … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Steve Mason, “The People Say”
89. The Police, Zenyatta Mondatta (1980) On the strength of their sophomore album, Reggatta De Blanc, the Police were a major rock act. That was undeniable. Even so, the band’s label, A&M Records, wasn’t satisfied. Although the trio had already … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #89 to #87
When the first boygenius EP came out, in 2018, Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus were all up-and-comers. Baker and Dacus has two solo albums to their credit, and Bridgers had one. Since then, they’ve only commanded more attention … Continue reading This Week’s Model — boygenius, “$20”
This series of posts covers my long, beloved history interacting with the medium of radio, including the music that flowed through the airwaves. It was a bit of surprise to find myself back on the air at my beloved alma … Continue reading Radio Days — Then and Now: January 15, 2023
92. The Smithereens, Green Thoughts (1988) “When people write about things for a living, you like to write about them in a way that people understand them,” Pat DiNizio, the frontman and principal songwriter of the Smithereens, noted shortly after … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #92 to #90
You know what’s a long time between albums? Twenty-four years. Nearly a quarter of a century has passed since the last Everything but the Girl album, Temperamental, was released, in 1999. Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt formally announced the dissolution … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Everything but the Girl, “Nothing Left to Lose”
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. Sarah McLachlan was a cultural force in … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Fallen”
Coffee for Two 