230. Concrete Blonde, Concrete Blonde (1986) When bassist Johnette Napolitano and guitarist James Mankey decided to form a band together, in 1982, they chose the name the Dreamers. They played a few gigs around Los Angeles and elbowed their way … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #230 to #228
So I’ll admit that my weekend plans might make me especially partial to song called “Back to the Radio” at this very moment. But it’s no mere convenience of personal association that makes the new single from the Brixton band … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Porridge Radio, “Back to the Radio”
233. Pixies, Surfer Rosa (1988) Not long after the release of their debut EP, Come On Pilgrim, the Pixies got to work on their first full-length. After plans to simply duplicate the process of recording their earlier tracks were scuttled, … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #233 to #231
Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, Romero makes big swaggering power pop. The opening riff of the newly issued track “Turn It On!” surges with a hard rollercoaster turn of guitar-slinging confidence, and then lead singer Alanna Oliver makes her own assertion, … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Romero, “Turn It On!”
236. INXS, The Swing (1984) INXS headed out for a quick North American tour after making initial preparations to record their fourth studio album. It was to be a critical entry in their catalog because it was following the modest … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #236 to #234
Sometimes what I really need is a lush piece of throwback dream pop, tinged with post-punk sensibility and somehow melancholy and triumphal simultaneously. I suspect there is a time when we all need that. That time is February. The band … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Wings of Desire, “Perfect World”
239. Shriekback, Big Night Music (1986) After three full-length albums, Shriekback had cause to reinvent themselves. During the recording of their third album, Oil & Gold, guitarist and vocalist Carl Marsh left the group. Frontman duties fell to keyboardist Barry … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #239 to #237
Promoting her new single on Instagram, Arlo Parks told her fans to “get ready to throw yourselves around your bedrooms with aching! glowing! hearts!” And ain’t that the truth. Bobbing on a cool neo-soul groove, “Softly” is an emotional accounting … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Arlo Parks, “Softly”
242. Gary Numan, The Pleasure Principle (1979) Anyone looking to provide a sonic example to accompany an explanation of new wave music could do far worse than to select Gary Numan’s “Cars.” Taken from The Pleasure Principle — technically Numan’s … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #242 to #240
It’s that burbling riff at the beginning of the song that really gets to me. A little bit Uncle Tupelo, a little bit Meat Puppets, the guitar makes the song sound like its flopping into wakefulness, still addled over the … Continue reading This Week’s Model — MJ Lenderman, “Hangover Game”
Coffee for Two 