What if getting dropped by a major label is the best thing that could possibly happen? Maybe Muna could have found their way to the current version of their collective creative self under the corporate yoke of RCA Records, but … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Muna
173. Steve Forbert, Jackrabbit Slim (1979) Like a lot of young songwriters, Steve Forbert mostly told his own story on his debut LP, Alive on Arrival. A year later, when it was time to deliver his sophomore effort, the Meridian, … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #173 to #171
Look, I am who I am. Much as I earnestly strive to diversify my musical tastes, becoming genuinely enraptured by blipping, blooping tunes I would have been quick to disregard in the past, there are certain sounds that are going … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Rat Tally, “Longshot”
SHILPA RAY Portrait of a Lady (Northern Spy) — Now seems like the ideal time for a take-no-shit woman howling lyrics of feminist dissatisfaction, doesn’t it? If Shilpa Ray doesn’t quite go full riot grrrl on Portrait of a Lady, … Continue reading Medium Rotation — Portrait of a Lady; Endless Rooms; A Bit of Previous
176. Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Goodbye Cruel World (1984) Elvis Costello was through with the Attractions. The relationship between Costello and his backing back had been souring for some time, and he reached the conclusion that continuing on was … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #176 to #174
NNAMDï is a force. The Chicago-based musician has put out a slew of solo records, played in multiple bands, and co-founded a label, Sooper Records, that is dedicated to showcasing artists whose hail-Mary commercial prospects make them unlikely to get … Continue reading This Week’s Model — NNAMDï, “I Don’t Wanna Be Famous”
ARCADE FIRE We (Columbia) — The first impression of We, the new album from Arcade Fire, is that the rock gods of Montreal are circling back to their foundational sounds after a couple albums tinkering with some electroclash of the … Continue reading Medium Rotation — We; We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. These scruffy Georgians are giving some good advice here. These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, … Continue reading The Art of the Sell — R.E.M. for America’s Libraries
This series of posts covers my long, beloved history interacting with the medium of radio, including the music that flowed through the airwaves. Last night, I continued my busy summer of pitching in one of the mainstays of the Sunday … Continue reading Radio Days — Then and Now: June 26, 2022
179. Jane’s Addiction, Nothing’s Shocking (1988) The cover of Nothing’s Shocking, the second LP from Jane’s Addiction, puts irony to the album’s title, which was presumably always the intent. Polymathic creator Perry Farrell, the band’s frontman, rendered a sculpture of … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #179 to #177
Coffee for Two 