For at least a little while longer, every new album is going to feel like it carries the woozy hangover of the lockdown times. I don’t know anything about the genesis of Faye Webster’s new album, I Know I’m Funny … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — I Know I’m Funny haha
323. Peter Murphy, Love Hysteria (1988) Following the dissolution of the landmark band Bauhaus, it took Peter Murphy some time to find the track he wanted to ride on. Following his time as the frontman for the goth rock pioneers, … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #323 to #321
Just like that, we have new music from the punk rock find of 2021. A mere two months after their ferocious performance of “Racist, Sexist Boy” at the Los Angeles Public Library went viral, leading to network television appearances and … Continue reading This Week’s Model — The Linda Lindas, “Oh!”
Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land, the new album from Marina, opens with its title cut. An electrified drum beat and burbling synths are soon joined by Marina’s rich, low-tone vocals declaring “Our ancestors had to fight to survive/ Just … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land
This series of posts covers my long, beloved history interacting with the medium of radio, including the music that flowed through the airwaves. Any time I cross the threshold of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s student-run radio station, WWSP-FM, it … Continue reading Radio Days — Then and Now: July 18, 2021
326. Asia, Asia (1982) Steve Howe was exhausted. The guitarist had spent years trying to keep his longtime band Yes a going concern as key members came and went. Following the release of the 1980 album Drama, the recording of … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #326 to #324
I thought my time in college radio was the heyday of cool bands convening on album to roar through cover versions other acts’ song. For a stretch the early nineteen-nineties, it seemed like barely a week went by without another … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Diet Cig, “The Unforgiven”
329. 10,000 Maniacs, In My Tribe (1987) “I think music can unify people in a way,” 10,000 Maniacs lead singer Natalie Merchant said not long after the release of In My Tribe, the band’s third album. “What can be more … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #329 to #327
Sometimes it’s difficult for me to fathom that Courtney Barnett hasn’t always been there, for as long as I’ve been happy losing myself in the slow flow of melancholy, mischievous rock songs. “Rae Street,” the new track from Barnett, is … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Courtney Barnett, “Rae Street”
Sleater-Kinney began as a partnership between Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker, an outlet for their intertwined expression and furious voices. On Path to Wellness, the band’s tenth studio album and third since a surprise revival in 2015, it is back … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Path of Wellness
Coffee for Two 