Medium Rotation — Boat Songs; Headful of Sugar
MJ LENDERMAN Boat Songs (Dear Life) — The new album from Asheville-based singer-songwriter MJ Lenderman is a revival triumph for the era of sloughy dudes with guitars and an attitude grounded in sardonic misery. Boat Songs, the third solo album … Continue reading Medium Rotation — Boat Songs; Headful of Sugar
Laughing Matters — Lauren Wilford as every woman in a 70s movie
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. Sometimes I just stop … Continue reading Laughing Matters — Lauren Wilford as every woman in a 70s movie
Radio Days — Then and Now: Retro College Countdown from June 1989
This series of posts covers my long, beloved history interacting with the medium of radio, including the music that flowed through the airwaves. As I am occasionally privileged to do, I returned to my college radio alma mater last night … Continue reading Radio Days — Then and Now: Retro College Countdown from June 1989
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #185 to #183
185. Big Country, Steeltown (1984) Big Country has the kind of debut album a rock act longs for. Boosted in part by the surging influence of the new cable network MTV, The Crossing and its single “In a Big Country” … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #185 to #183
Outside Reading — Anger Is an Energy edition
Stay Furious by Jessica Valenti Going all the way back to the time the George W. Bush administration was in power, I believed the most long-lasting damage exacted by that particular crew of amoral miscreants would be the following: A … Continue reading Outside Reading — Anger Is an Energy edition
This Week’s Model — Laura Veirs, “Eucalyptus”
For music fans with a long enough memory, I think there’s probably no way for the new Laura Veris single, “Eucalyptus,” to avoid comparisons to Suzanne Vega. A lilting female voice engaged in plain, crisp storytelling using a staccato rhythm … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Laura Veirs, “Eucalyptus”
The Art of the Sell — General Electric “College Roommate” print ad
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. In 1957, General Electric pitched their line of radios by noting that they made perfect companions for … Continue reading The Art of the Sell — General Electric “College Roommate” print ad
My Misspent Youth — Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona
I read a lot of comic books as a kid. This series of posts is about the comics I read, and, occasionally, the comics that I should have read. When the comic book series Ms. Marvel debuted with an issue … Continue reading My Misspent Youth — Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona
My Misspent Youth — Ms. Marvel by Gerry Conway and John Buscema
I read a lot of comic books as a kid. This series of posts is about the comics I read, and, occasionally, the comics that I should have read. The late nineteen-seventies were boom years for fabulous female characters walking … Continue reading My Misspent Youth — Ms. Marvel by Gerry Conway and John Buscema
Medium Rotation — Second Nature; Growing Up
LUCIUS Second Nature (Mom + Pop) — To the legions who’ve been longing for the next great record that’s suited to be accompaniment for a tearful backwards skate after a roller-rink break-up, Lucius is here for you. Six long years … Continue reading Medium Rotation — Second Nature; Growing Up
Coffee for Two 