Medium Rotation — We; We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong
ARCADE FIRE We (Columbia) — The first impression of We, the new album from Arcade Fire, is that the rock gods of Montreal are circling back to their foundational sounds after a couple albums tinkering with some electroclash of the … Continue reading Medium Rotation — We; We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong
The Art of the Sell — R.E.M. for America’s Libraries
These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, commercials, print ads, and other promotional material that stand as their own works of art. These scruffy Georgians are giving some good advice here. These posts celebrate the movie trailers, movie posters, … Continue reading The Art of the Sell — R.E.M. for America’s Libraries
Then Playing — High-Rise; Daughters of the Dust; The Sign of the Ram
High-Rise (Ben Wheatley, 2015). I have only a passing familiarity with the writing of J.G. Ballard, but I suspect his brand of dystopian social satire is best left on the page. That conclusion is fortified by High-Rise, director Ben Wheatley’s … Continue reading Then Playing — High-Rise; Daughters of the Dust; The Sign of the Ram
Radio Days — Then and Now: June 26, 2022
This series of posts covers my long, beloved history interacting with the medium of radio, including the music that flowed through the airwaves. Last night, I continued my busy summer of pitching in one of the mainstays of the Sunday … Continue reading Radio Days — Then and Now: June 26, 2022
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #179 to #177
179. Jane’s Addiction, Nothing’s Shocking (1988) The cover of Nothing’s Shocking, the second LP from Jane’s Addiction, puts irony to the album’s title, which was presumably always the intent. Polymathic creator Perry Farrell, the band’s frontman, rendered a sculpture of … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #179 to #177
Outside Reading — To No Longer Stand By Things Decided edition
Roe v Wade has been overturned. Here’s what this will mean by Moira Donegan Even before the draft of the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health was leaked to the press in May, the outcome was predictable. That doesn’t … Continue reading Outside Reading — To No Longer Stand By Things Decided edition
This Week’s Model — Beyoncé, “Break My Soul”
I was a relative latecomer to the kingdom of Beyoncé, but I’m a devoted subject now. Given the opportunity I will expound at tedious length on why Lemonade is rivaled by only Fiona Apple’s Fetch the Bolt Cutters in any … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Beyoncé, “Break My Soul”
Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “All That I Am” and “Raised on Rock”
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. Elvis Presley starred in three movie released … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “All That I Am” and “Raised on Rock”
Golden Words — Family Ties, “A, My Name Is Alex”
Since great television comedy always begins with the script, this series of posts considers the individual episodes that have claimed the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series over the years. For most of its seven-season run … Continue reading Golden Words — Family Ties, “A, My Name Is Alex”
Then Playing — The Many Saints of Newark; George Carlin’s American Dream; Old
The Many Saints of Newark (Alan Taylor, 2021). Nearly fifteen years after an exceptional series finale that stirred controversy among people who evidently misinterpreted everything that had come before, The Sopranos gets an utterly needless revival with a prequel feature … Continue reading Then Playing — The Many Saints of Newark; George Carlin’s American Dream; Old
Coffee for Two 