Now Playing — The Holdovers
I’m sure it’s not solely that The Holdovers is set during the holiday season of 1970 that prompts director Alexander Payne to open his new movie with deliberate evocations of the U.S. cinema of that bygone era, beginning with an … Continue reading Now Playing — The Holdovers
Then Playing — Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3; Days of Wine and Roses; The Terminal Man
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (James Gunn, 2023). Writer-director James Gunn officially concludes his run with the star-spanning, misfit heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as one of the few filmmakers who was able to prevent his creative sensibility … Continue reading Then Playing — Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3; Days of Wine and Roses; The Terminal Man
Medium Rotation — Yard; Bury the Lede
SLOW PULP Yard (Anti-) — Slow Pulp might be the only act that actively tried to preserve some of the limitations they endured during the era of COVID lockdowns. The band that originated in Madison, Wisconsin before setting up shop … Continue reading Medium Rotation — Yard; Bury the Lede
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #5
5. Talking Heads, Speaking in Tongues (1983) Nearly three full years passed between the release of Talking Heads’ fourth album, Remain in Light, and its proper studio follow-up, Speaking in Tongues. The span of time was long enough during that … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #5
Outside Reading — The Compact Audiocassette edition
The Cassette-Tape Revolution by Jon Michaud I am of the exact right age to be enthralled by a brief treatise on the bygone pleasures of the cassette tape, which is exactly what Jon Michaud provides in this piece. Using the … Continue reading Outside Reading — The Compact Audiocassette edition
This Week’s Model — boygenius & Ye Vagabonds, “The Parting Glass”
Tradition holds that the holiday season formally begins with Phoebe Bridgers releasing a cover song as a charity single, but, this year, she’s one of the boys. So Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus are present, too. Joining boygenius are the … Continue reading This Week’s Model — boygenius & Ye Vagabonds, “The Parting Glass”
Medium Rotation — Laugh Track; Black Rainbows
THE NATIONAL Laugh Track (4AD) — Matt Berninger, the frontman and main lyric writer for the National, talked openly about a relatively recent bout with writer’s block that put the future of the band in doubt. He evidently had quite … Continue reading Medium Rotation — Laugh Track; Black Rainbows
Now Playing — The Marvels
More than thirty films deep into the improbable experiment in translating the interconnected storytelling of superhero comic books to the screen, it’s borderline impossible to evaluate a new feature-length entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a single film, judged … Continue reading Now Playing — The Marvels
Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Keep On Dancin'”
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. Joseph Tucci was a fledging music producer … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Keep On Dancin’”
Then Playing — The Adults; The Cheap Detective; Thief
The Adults (Dustin Guy Defa, 2023). This barbed dramedy settles in with three siblings who muddle through a strained reunion when Eric (Michael Cera) treks to the hometown where his two sisters, Rachel (Hannah Gross) and Maggie (Sophia Lillis), still … Continue reading Then Playing — The Adults; The Cheap Detective; Thief
Coffee for Two 