This series of posts covers my long, beloved history interacting with the medium of radio, including the music that flowed through the airwaves. It wasn’t like me to knock on that door, or, more precisely, the jamb around the open … Continue reading Radio Days — The Advisor
263. Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, Easy Pieces (1985) “I could think the sound of this LP is considerably different to the first one,” Lloyd Cole said not along after the release of Easy Pieces, his sophomore outing with backing … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #263 to #261
As we sled into the part of the calendar which is meant to be filled with good cheer, it seems appropriate to turn over this workweek-ending feature to an artist that allows me to pilfer and post an Instagram snap … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Fresh, “Morgan & Joanne”
266. The Rolling Stones, Undercover (1983) Mick Jagger and Keith Richards weren’t getting along. There are plenty of eras from the long history of the Rolling Stones when that statement was true. In the making of Undercover, Richards later pegged … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #266 to #264
Indie kids know that the Christmas holiday season doesn’t begin with the annual Macy’s Street Takeover to Venerate Commerce, nor the stampedes of box-store customers. The first snowfall, Linus quoting scripture, colorful lights adorning city streets, inflatable Santas and reindeers … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Phoebe Bridgers, “Day After Tomorrow”
Presumably, the consensus starting point in conceding dazzlement before the art of Snail Mail remains the songwriting precociousness of Lindsey Jordan. She’s not a kid anymore, as she most certainly was when her first recordings were released. Jordan’s debut effort … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Valentine
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. Because the Clash were nicking design elements from Elvis Presley’s 1956 self-titled album for their 1979 double-album … Continue reading The Art of the Sell — Elvis Presley for London Calling
269. The Greg Kihn Band, Rockihnroll (1981) Years after the release of Rockihnroll, the man who wedged his last name into the middle of its punny title reflected on the album with about the level of nuance and insight that … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #269 to #267
“Flush,” the new single from the Brighton-based band Thyla, is about the exploitative nonsense that happens online as bad actors fuel outrage for fun and profit. The very modern concern is given an appealingly retro sonic treatment, playing with the … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Thyla, “Flush”
272. Thomas Dolby, The Flat Earth (1984) When he made his first recordings, Thomas Dolby took great pride in his fairly isolated tinkering with computer equipment to click towards his finished product. In interviewers, he referred to himself as an … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #272 to #270
Coffee for Two 