According to Courtney Barnett, “Keep On” was a song she practiced every night when touring Europe last year. The stellar singer-songwriter took fellow Australians and label-mates Loose Tooth on tour with her and became enamored with one of their songs, … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Courtney Barnett, “Keep On”
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. Rick James traveled a long, rutted road … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Mary Jane”
632. Santana, Marathon (1979) In many respects, the shifting trends of rock music in the late nineteen-seventies probably felt very accommodating to guitarist Carlos Santana. A master craftsman with his guitar, Santana had major hits with hard rock music as … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #632 to #629
Because sometimes nothing sounds quite as good as big ol’, messed up, slap and bash rock ‘n’ roll. The Deadbeat Bang of Heartbreak City, the new album from Beach Slang, releases January 10, 2020. Continue reading This Week’s Model — Beach Slang, “Bam Rang Rang”
I don’t believe there’s another current performer who’s simultaneously otherworldly and vehemently down-to-earth in quite the same way as Angel Olsen. Part of the equation is fairly easy to work out. Olsen specializes in melding spare, airy music with words that … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — All Mirrors
636. Dead Milkmen, Eat Your Paisley! (1986) Any act that nabs a sizable amount of attention with a novelty hit faces a distinct challenge. The fundamental nature of a single that earns airplay because of its comedic uniqueness is a … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #636 to #633
The cleverness of stupidity by Tom Whyman Drawing a few sharp illustrative examples from classic literature (including a ruse that leads to escape from the military for Orr in Catch-22), Tom Whyman shows how defiant rejection of learning is a … Continue reading Outside Reading — The Orr Stratagem edition
Hailing from Atlanta, the band Omni plays in a style that leaves me fairly helpless. In the most succinct description, Omni plays post-punk, placing their retro sound quite squarely in the chronological territory that loomed very large — and was … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Omni, “Courtesy Call”
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. Palmer James and Curtis Rodgers were high … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Back Up Train”
640. Yes, Drama (1980) Drama, the tenth studio album from Yes, was aptly named. Already icons of prog rock and mainstays of FM radio, the English band was coming off a commercial and critical disappointment with 1978’s Tormato. The fallout … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #640 to #637
Coffee for Two 