These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. Now that our regular Sunday diversion around these here digital parts has shifted to a spot on … Continue reading The Art of the Sell — “Then Came the ‘Reckoning’”
428. The Boomtown Rats, A Tonic for the Troops (1978) The Boomtown Rats were getting big in the U.K. and it was time to conquer the bigger, more lucrative market on the other side of the Atlantic. A Tonic for … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #428 to #426
“The Spirit Of,” the new track by Cloud Nothings, cracks open my id and sluices in everything my younger self ever wanted in a song. It’s guitars and drums and bass, and producer Steve Albini making a lovely smear of … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Cloud Nothings, “The Spirit Of”
These posts are about the songs that just barely failed to cross the key line of chart success, entering the Billboard Top 40. Every song featured in this series peaked at number 41. Antonio Jeffries went nearly as high as … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Like a Woman”
When I write about music, I rely on comparisons. After learning the mnemonic device that asserted that all well-behaved youths of the male persuasion merited a reward of a chocolatey dessert, every other bit of musical instruction that brave souls … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Live Forever
431. Bow Wow Wow, When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going (1983) The English band Bow Wow Wow were one of the earliest beneficiaries of the upstart cable network MTV. Bolstered by the distinctive look and cool charisma … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #431 to #429
It started with a promise: Well, it really started with a fan who posted a joking rendition of the Goo Goo Dolls hit in the style of Phoebe Bridgers, catching the eye of the artist herself. Then, on Election Day, … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Phoebe Bridgers and Maggie Rogers, “Iris”
434. Brian Eno/David Byrne, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts (1981) In between making the second and third albums by Talking Heads, David Byrne and Brian Eno took a side trip. Two restless explorers, the Talking Heads frontman and … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #434 to #432
This song shouldn’t still be relevant. When Tracy Chapman made a rare television appearance this week, performing on the eve of Election Day for Late Night with Seth Meyers, she selected a song she wrote over thirty years ago and … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Tracy Chapman, “Talkin’ ‘Bout a Revolution”
437. Fabulous Poodles, Mirror Stars (1978) For reasons that are hard to discern, Epic Records thought the Fabulous Poodles had the potential to become a major rock band in the U.S. The quartet certainly had the chops, playing tight renditions … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #437 to #435
Coffee for Two 