When I started working in commercial radio, it was at a “new rock alternative station.” For the first sixteen weeks I was gainfully employed there, a mere two songs moved through the top spot of the Billboard chart relevant to … Continue reading One for Friday — The Cranberries, “Twenty One”

Amy Rigby was one of those performers whose name I regularly heard and read attached to eager praise of her songwriting, yet for ages, I never heard a not of her music. As the varied streaming options make mere memories … Continue reading One for Friday — Amy Rigby, “I Don’t Wanna Talk About Love No More”

Thirty years ago this month, the Pogues released their third full-length album, If I Should Fall from Grace with God. A personal favorite, that’s probably something I should have casually been aware of, but instead I was alerted to that … Continue reading One for Friday — The Pogues, “The Broad Majestic Shannon”

I think New Year’s Eve is a dandy night to be on the radio. Perhaps influenced by one of my cohorts at the college radio, a seasoned drinker, who referred to the last night of the calendar year as “amateur … Continue reading One for Friday — Jesus Jones, “Right Here, Right Now”

When the Canadian band Stars recorded their cover of “Fairytale in New York,” just in time for Christmas 2005, I don’t think the Pogues song was yet considered an unavoidable holiday classic. It certainly wasn’t prominent enough in the cultural … Continue reading One for Friday — Stars, “Fairytale of New York”

I landed in college radio in the fall of 1988. By that point in time, there were already loads of artist who were cemented as the signature acts of the left side of the dial: the Cure, the Smiths, R.E.M., … Continue reading One for Friday — The Smithereens, “Crazy Mixed Up Kid”

I’ve alluded to the following before: Being immersed in a college radio station is a little like living in an alternative cultural dimension. This is especially true back in the pre-internet era, where there wasn’t a towering wall of external … Continue reading One for Friday — Will and the Bushmen, “It’s Gonna Be Alright”

One of the great pleasures of working in college radio is discovering monumentally talented songwriters and artists, and then claiming some sliver of their coolness by playing their songs on the radio. This was especially true in my personal era, … Continue reading One for Friday — Tommy Keene, “In Our Lives”

The countdown currently occupying our Sundays around here is pulled from the March 16, 1990 issue of CMJ New Music Report, the trade publication that served college radio for a few happy decades before imploding the last couple of years. … Continue reading One for Friday — Blue Aeroplanes, “Jacket Hangs”

Based on the albums Annie Clark released under the name St. Vincent, I thought she was an incredibly impressive and intricately inventive musician. Then I saw her play live — during the tour to support the utterly magnificent St. Vincent … Continue reading One for Friday: NirVincent, “Lithium”