380. XTC, Mummer (1983) Not long after the release of Mummer, the sixth album by his group XTC, Andy Partridge mused on the band’s place in the pop-music infrastructure. “I like people to kind of discover XTC,” explained Partridge. “An … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #380 to #378
Based in Melbourne, Australia, the band CIVIC has been kicking around for a couple years, building a strong local following among those who are happiest when they’re leaving a cramped club with sweat-drenched clothes and ringing ears. EPs have been … Continue reading This Week’s Model — CIVIC, “Tell the Papers”
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 March 2013, Beyoncé logged on to … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Flawless” and “Daddy Lessons”
383. The Style Council, Internationalists (1985) The Style Council scored a major hit with their sophomore studio album, Our Favourite Shop. The LP debuted atop the U.K. album chart, and three of its singles made it into the Top 40. … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #383 to #381
386. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Junk Culture (1984) Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark were told they had overreached. The band’s fourth studio album, Dazzle Ships, was an attempt to stretch their creativity, creating challenging soundscapes that tried to bend … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #386 to #384
“Just scroll through my feed to see a history of emotional haircuts,” Miya Folick offers as explanation for why she immediately connected to the song started and offered to her by her musical collaborator Petey. Including an invocation of “a … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Petey and Miya Folick, “Haircut”
Ignorance, the fifth and latest album from the Weather Station, is luxuriant and enveloping. Chiefly the handiwork of Tamara Lindeman, the album melds together tried-and-true folk rock with oblique pop trappings and splinters of jazz to create songs that sound … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Ignorance
389. New Order, Substance (1987) The moment for the titans of college radio to break on through to the mainstream was at hand, or so it seemed. During the spring of 1987, U2 elbowed their way past the likes of … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #389 to #387
I don’t it’s accurate to say that my immediate affection for Esther Rose’s new track, “Good Time,” can be chalked up to the fact that the song was reportedly inspired by a long, misfortune-laden road trip that originated in my … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Esther Rose, “Good Time”
Sometimes comedy illuminates hard truths with a pointed urgency that other means can’t quite achieve. Sometimes comedy is just funny. This series of posts is mostly about the former instances, but the latter is valuable, too. To the degree that … Continue reading Laughing Matters — Yo La Tengo, “Sugarcube”
Coffee for Two 