College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #38 and #37
38. R.E.M., Lifes Rich Pageant (1986) When it was time to record their third album, R.E.M. were worried about meeting expectations. That doesn’t mean there was record company pressure to generate chart-topping hits or a sense that they might not … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #38 and #37
Outside Reading — A Conductor of Acoustical Resonance edition
Searching for Meg White by Melissa Giannini Melissa Giannini writes about her recent attempts to secure an interview with drummer Meg White, a journalistic task that’s always been difficult but has been essentially impossible in the decade-plus since the White … Continue reading Outside Reading — A Conductor of Acoustical Resonance edition
This Week’s Model — Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, “Save the World”
“Save the World,” the new single from Jason Isbell and his backing band, the 400 Unit, is laudably blunt in addressing the scourge of gun violence in the United States. Even as it’s clear that the lyrics are directly inspired … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, “Save the World”
Medium Rotation — Rat Saw God; Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love?
WEDNESDAY Rat Saw God (Dead Oceans) — The Asheville band Wednesday waste little time before showing how big they can go on the new album Rat Saw God. Both quick-hit opening track “Hot Rotten Grass Smell” (which runs just over … Continue reading Medium Rotation — Rat Saw God; Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love?
Beers I Have Known — Saturday Beer Company Lawn Lines
This series of posts is dedicated to the many, many six packs, pony kegs and pints that have sauntered into my life at one point or another. It was a fine day today. Previous entries in this series can be … Continue reading Beers I Have Known — Saturday Beer Company Lawn Lines
Now Playing — You Hurt My Feelings
As major studio efforts have been almost entirely overtaken by a style of storytelling that relies on threats to very fabric of reality to satisfying the need for ever-escalating stakes and even most indie filmmakers are forced to concoct jarring … Continue reading Now Playing — You Hurt My Feelings
Laughing Matters — Gary Gulman, “Scholastic Role Play”
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. “Oh, you got Lewis? … Continue reading Laughing Matters — Gary Gulman, “Scholastic Role Play”
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #40 and #39
40. Stray Cats, Built for Speed (1982) “Crowds around the world are receptive,” declared Brian Setzer, frontman of Stray Cats, shortly after the release of Built for Speed. “The kids were ready for us, but the record companies weren’t. Now … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #40 and #39
Outside Reading — States of Disgrace edition
Texas Tortures Pregnant Women Who Need Care by Michelle Goldberg Writing for The New York Times, Michelle Goldberg recounts the experience of several Texas women whose medical emergencies were made more dire by the deliberately vague and proudly cruel anti-abortion … Continue reading Outside Reading — States of Disgrace edition
This Week’s Model — Jess Williamson, “Time Ain’t Accidental”
Jess Williamson is no newcomer. She’s been an admirably prolific singer-songwriter for at least ten years, releasing four proper studio albums and a couple EPs as a solo artist. Even so, I suspect that I’m not the only one who … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Jess Williamson, “Time Ain’t Accidental”
Coffee for Two 