There’s no way to address the end of 2020 without acknowledging the exhaustion of it all. In a time of refunded concert tickets and closed movie theaters, it’s too facile to state that the still fairly steady stream of recorded … Continue reading Top Ten Albums of 2020
413. Gang of Four, Songs of the Free (1982) According to Hugo Burnham, the drummer for Gang of Four, the band was striving for a slicker, more commercial product when they made their third album, Songs of the Free. But … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #413 to #411
If I’m going to listen to a Christmas song on Christmas day, please let it be a tight, raucous punk tune with lyrics from Santa Claus’s perspective that include sentiments such as “Th Grinch/ He freaks me out/ I’m going … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Pom Pom Squad, “Hello Santa”
416. Eric Clapton, Just One Night (1980) The Nippon Budokan Theater, located in Tokyo, Japan, had a sterling reputation as a venue conducive to live recordings. Bob Dylan made a live album there, as did, more famously and more lucratively, … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #416 to #414
Texas Wedding Photographers Have Seen Some $#!+ by Emily McCullar Writing for Texas Monthly, Emily McCullar details the dilemma faced by wedding photographers in the state she covers, which presumably mirrors the experiences of similar professionals across the country. McCullar … Continue reading Outside Reading — Photo Negative edition
As we stumble to the end of this misbegotten year, it’s only right and proper that our holidays tunes are tinged with melancholy. In the opening lyrics of “Happy Holiday,” the new track from Diet Cig, Alex Luciano sweetly intones, … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Diet Cig, “Happy Holiday”
419. Cyndi Lauper, She’s So Unusual (1983) Through the late nineteen-seventies and early nineteen-eighties, Cyndi Lauper faced a series of setbacks that reasonably should have made her decide that a prime place in the music business wasn’t meant to be … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #419 to #417
With a spectacular guitar riff, beautifully gnarled instrumentation, and vocals that slice like piano wire that’s been repurposed as weaponry, Editrix’s “Chelsea” is exactly the anti-capitalism pile-driver we need this holiday season. Tell Me I’m Bad, the debut album from … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Editrix, “Chelsea”
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. Bob Dylan logged seven Top 40 singles … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Wigwam” and “Watching the River Flow”
422. Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Live Rust (1979) Lest anyone doubt Neil Young’s entrepreneurial spirit, he is one of the few artists who opted to make a live album to document the tour mounted in support of a live … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #422 to #420
Coffee for Two 