College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #720 to #717
720. The Fall, The Domesday Pay-Off Triad Plus (1987) Nothing about the Fall is particularly easy, and so it is with detailing the origins of the 1987 album The Domesday Pay-Off Triad Plus. To begin, let’s establish that the group … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #720 to #717
From the Archive — Late Night with David Letterman
On the occasion of the announcement of the second season premiere date for David Letterman’s Netflix program, I luckily have this archival piece loaded up and ready to go. Written for the “Flashback Fridays” feature I mounted at my former … Continue reading From the Archive — Late Night with David Letterman
This Week’s Model — Hatchie, “Obsessed”
I’m well aware that I tend to lean on cockeyed comparisons when describing music I like, but I can’t help it. That’s simply how I wrap my understanding around songs that tickle their fingers merrily across buttons I didn’t even … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Hatchie, “Obsessed”
The New Releases Shelf — Father of the Bride
It’s not easy to like Vampire Weekend. I carry enough vaporous remainders of my bygone college radio posturing against bands that didn’t conform to my peer group’s preference for vagabond scruff, all battered sneakers, faulty gear, and romanticized disenfranchisement. From … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — Father of the Bride
Laughing Matters — The Carol Burnett Show, “The Oldest Man: The Doctor”
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. I feel like I … Continue reading Laughing Matters — The Carol Burnett Show, “The Oldest Man: The Doctor”
The New Releases Shelf — In League with Dragons
“Recite the songs that kept me whole/ On the day I hand over command control/ Try to let them all flow into this one,” sings John Darnielle on “Done Bleeding,” the track that opens In League with Dragons. The new … Continue reading The New Releases Shelf — In League with Dragons
My Writers — Elif Batuman
When considering which books to add to my household’s library, I am blessed with neither unlimited resources nor an abundance of time with which to read. There are already stacks upon stacks of bound wonders strewn about the domicile, waiting … Continue reading My Writers — Elif Batuman
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #724 to #721
724. Michael Jackson, Thriller (1982) Looking at the list to this point, I wonder if Thriller was a major catalyst for the shift in the music college radio played, or, more accurately, what college radio chose not to play any … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #724 to #721
From the Archive — Quantum of Solace
For the second straight Saturday, I reach back for a review of a modern Bond film not previously loaded up to this particular site. This was written for my former online home. Quantum of Solace is the twenty-fifth film to feature … Continue reading From the Archive — Quantum of Solace
This Week’s Model — Haybaby, “Get Down”
“I don’t really know/ Why I like you/ I’ve been doing just fine/ On my own,” Leslie Hong sings on “Get Down,” the new single from Haybaby. The band’s sophomore full-length, They Get There, arrives in early June, and the … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Haybaby, “Get Down”
Coffee for Two 