College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #104 to #102
104. Bangles, Different Light (1986) There was no official lead singer in the Bangles. On Different Light, the band’s second full-length studio album, every last member of the quartet — guitarist Susanna Hoffs, drumer Debbi Peterson, guitarist Vicki Peterson, and … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #104 to #102
Outside Reading — Jólabókaflóð edition
Iceland’s Christmas Book Flood Is a Force of Nature by Lauren Oster For Smithsonian magazine, Lauren Oster writes about the Icelandic tradition called Jólabókaflóð, which amounts to a holiday season celebration of books. The articles traces the long reverence for … Continue reading Outside Reading — Jólabókaflóð edition
This Week’s Model — Dove Cameron, “Girl Like Me”
Dove Cameron wasn’t born yet when Edwyn Collins was all over alternative rock radio with “A Girl Like You,” the swaggering lead single from his 1994 album, Gorgeous George. But the Disney Channel escapee who had a great big pop-star … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Dove Cameron, “Girl Like Me”
Medium Rotation — The Loneliest Time; Love Me Forever
CARLY RAE JEPSEN The Loneliest Time (604 / Schoolboy / Interscope) — It’s well established by now that the Carly Rae Jepsen pop music factory is about as dependable as they come, every new widget of hooks and beats heaved … Continue reading Medium Rotation — The Loneliest Time; Love Me Forever
Laughing Matters — Starring Kurt Russell Laughing His Ass Off
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. As a companion to … Continue reading Laughing Matters — Starring Kurt Russell Laughing His Ass Off
Then Playing — Dementia 13; Emily the Criminal; Goodbye Again
Dementia 13 (Francis Ford Coppola, 1963). The first feature directed by Francis Ford Coppola is miles away from the elegant import of The Godfather and other more esteemed entries on his filmography. Made within the confines of Roger Corman’s scrappy … Continue reading Then Playing — Dementia 13; Emily the Criminal; Goodbye Again
Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Mr. Pitiful” and “I’ve Got Dreams to Remember”
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. In late 1964, Steve Cropper was driving … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Near Misses — “Mr. Pitiful” and “I’ve Got Dreams to Remember”
College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #107 to #105
107. Big Audio Dynamite, Tighten Up Vol. 88 (1988) Mick Jones believed Tighten Up Vol. 88 was an album made to vault Big Audio Dynamite to next level of commercial popularity. The band’s first two albums, This Is Big Audio … Continue reading College Countdown: CMJ Top 1000, 1979 – 1989 — #107 to #105
Outside Reading — Do You Have Some Cute Things? edition
The White Lotus’s Portia Is TV’s Best-Dressed Character by Rachel Tashjian Writing for Harper’s Bazaar, Rachel Tashian heaps praise on Alex Bovaird, the costumer designer for the HBO series The White Lotus. In particular, Tashian goes deep on how the … Continue reading Outside Reading — Do You Have Some Cute Things? edition
This Week’s Model — SZA, “Ghost in the Machine (ft. Phoebe Bridgers)”
Whatever else can be said about Phoebe Bridgers, she’s pretty damned impressive as a collaborator. In the shooting-star ascendancy of her past few years, it seems Bridgers has eagerly responded in the affirmative to just about every cool opportunity that … Continue reading This Week’s Model — SZA, “Ghost in the Machine (ft. Phoebe Bridgers)”
Coffee for Two 