On “Angelina,” the new single from the L.A. band Kitten, they build a breezy pop sound and deploy a burrowing, irresistible hook to create a perfect song of summer. And why shouldn’t they? The summer never ends where they live, … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Kitten, “Angelina”
440. Depeche Mode, Speak & Spell (1981) “When we did Speak & Spell, we were very young and naive,” Dave Gahan said of Depeche Mode’s debut album. “We got slagged off for being teenyboppers because we didn’t care what was … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #440 to #438
I worked at a little college in the mountains for several years, mostly working with a student crew to book shows and other programs into our little coffeehouse. Those students definitely had their favorites, and, because they had excellent taste, … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Mal Blum, “Nobody Waits”
This perpetually trying year has scrambled a lot of traditions for everyone. Usually, my beloved college radio alma mater stages its biggest fundraiser — which happens to also be one of the biggest community events of the year — every … Continue reading Trivia Answer of the Day — Charlie Allen
This perpetually trying year has scrambled a lot of traditions for everyone. Usually, my beloved college radio alma mater stages its biggest fundraiser — which happens to also be one of the biggest community events of the year — every … Continue reading Trivia Answer of the Day — Burgers
443. Santana, Zebop! (1981) Zebop! represented a return for Carlos Santana, in more ways that one. In the simplest, most measurable sense, the album brought the band bearing his name their greatest commercial success in years. The album was the … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #443 to #441
What am I supposed to do? Not be enthralled by performer who’s tapping into to tuneful grin of Veruca Salt and poppy brashness of Letters to Cleo, but updating the whole sound to feel shiny and new as we careen … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Beabadoobee, “Together”
Blue Hearts, the new album from Bob Mould, opens with something of a fake out. “Heart on My Sleeve” is Mould with little more than his acoustic guitar, strumming a muscular but lean melody as he sings out a weary … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Blue Hearts
446. Neil Young, Trans (1982) Neil Young was living through a strange time in the early nineteen-eighties, so it makes sense that he made some strange records. A cranky iconoclast often misconstrued as a folksy troubadour, Young simultaneously came upon … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #446 to #444
“Stupid boys with broken hearts/ Love to watch you fall apart” is a pretty irresistible chorus, especially when delivered with the bright brio Bleached bring to their songs as a default. There are more tumultuous undercurrents to the sentiment, though. … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Bleached, “Stupid Boys”
Coffee for Two 