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. In the music biz — like anywhere, … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “New Freezer”
248. Culture Club, Colour By Numbers (1983) Culture Club made a hit record with their 1982 debut, Kissing to Be Clever. Early beneficiaries of MTV attention, there was no guarantee they’d be able to repeat the achievement with their follow … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #248 to #246
Alynda Segarra, the creative wonder behind Hurray for the Riff Raff, knows how to pack feelings into a song. So when she explains that her new single “Pierced Arrows” is about felling discombobulated when knocked asunder by heartbreak, there’s little … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Hurray for the Riff Raff, “Pierced Arrows”
251. The Fixx, Phantoms (1984) “Looking back, I think Phantoms was a dark, reflective album for us,” Cy Currin, lead singer of the Fixx, said of the group’s third studio album. The British band was buoyed by success when they … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #251 to #249
As side hustles go, Young Guv is a nice one. Ben Cook used to play guitar for Fucked up and still serves as frontman for the group No Warning. He also scratches an itch for retro pop under the guise … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Young Guv, “It’s Only Dancin”
This series of posts covers my long, beloved history interacting with the medium of radio, including the music that flowed through the airwaves. This was my favorite time of the year at the college radio station. Technically, FCC rules allowed … Continue reading Radio Days — Winter Break
254. Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars (1988) Word traveled to the major labels that there was a local band in Dallas that was playing to sellout crowds. Reps swarmed to the Deep Ellum neighborhood to … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #254 to #252
Every Saturday, this space is given over to extol the writing of others. Because this particular Saturday lands on the first day of the new year, it seems proper to call attention to some of the articles of 2021 that … Continue reading Outside Reading — Six from 2021
Although the most cursory click-around on this digital slab of opinion makes it clear that I have no reservation about ranking the pop culture artifacts that stir my soul, the exception to that sorting rule comes when I look back … Continue reading Five Songs from 2021
The stack of hyperlinks until the Previously… at the bottom of this post remind me of just how long I’ve maintaining this particular end-o’-the-year tradition. Clicking on any one of those hyperlinks confirms that my summary introduction is almost always … Continue reading Top Ten Albums of 2021
Coffee for Two 