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”
Sometimes comedy illuminates hard truths with a pointed urgency that other means can’t quite achieve. Sometimes comedy is just funny. This series of posts is mostly about the former instances, but the latter is valuable, too. Although I’d prefer to … Continue reading Laughing Matters — The Simpsons, “Deep Deep Trouble”
95. Echo & the Bunnymen, Ocean Rain (1984) Echo & the Bunnymen benefited from a change in scenery when they recorded their fourth studio album, Ocean Rain. After setting up an unofficial home base of Rockfield Studios, located in the … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #95 to #93
What can I type? I simply like the idea of starting the new year with a cool groove. Luckily, Debby Friday is ready to oblige with the track “SO HARD TO TELL,” which is intoxicating in it slippery swerving and … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Debby Friday, “SO HARD TO TELL”
During my undergraduate years, I spent just about every New Year’s Eve on the air at student-run radio station WWSP-90FM. It was my idea to commit the programming that day to counting down the station’s Top 90 albums of the year … Continue reading Radio Days — Then and Now: January 1, 2023
Coffee for Two 