I want music to be complex and surprising. I want intricacies and subversions, devilishly clever reinvention and bursts of inspiration that upend the very foundations of pop. But sometimes — often, really — what I want more than anything is … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Sheer Mag, “Blood From a Stone”
Bob Mould writes about the impact of the Buzzcocks in his memoir, See a Little Light: The Trail of Rage and Memory. As a college sophomore, Mould saw the Buzzcocks opening for Gang of Four. Enamored by what was before him, Mould intently studied the guitar work of frontman Pete Shelley. The scrutiny was obvious enough that Shelley supplemented Mould’s studies by shouting out chord changes as he made them. Elsewhere in the book, Mould recounts meeting Steve Garvey, bassist for the Buzzcocks, enthusing about the long-past show that shaped him. “I was again reminded that I’m simply part of the … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Bob Mould, “I Don’t Mind”
The press release connected to “Superbike,” the new single by Jay Som, states her goal was to sound like Cocteau Twins and Alanis Morissette. I can’t say I hear everyone’s favorite jagged little Canadian on the track, but the honey-soaked … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Jay Som, “Superbike”
I have my doubts as to whether the picture-to-words exchange rate still operates at a multiplier of one thousand, but I am sure that a photo can make a mighty promise. The arrival, through social media channels, of a studio-snapped … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Sleater-Kinney, “Hurry On Home”
I’ve noticed that a lot of the music I’ve clung to like a life preserver these past couple years has been animated by a sense of enduring hope and camaraderie, seeking out the remaining shafts of light while storm clouds … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Ezra Furman,”Calm Down aka I Should Not Be Alone”
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”
“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”
Although it’s been many, many (many, many, many) years since I set my internal clock by the schedule of a college radio station, some vestiges remain. For example, as the calendar page flips and the thirty-one squares of May are … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Bleached, “Hard to Kill”
When I write about music, I do so as a fan and a novice. In contrast to how some artists would likely characterize my typed-out ruminations, I do this not to pompously pontificate about what is right and wrong in … Continue reading This Week’s Model — FKA twigs, “Cellophane”
This weekly feature is intended to share a song that made its debut into the cultural conversation within the previous week, but as we stand on the cusp of the fiftieth staging of the event now known as the The World’s Largest Trivia ContestTM, there’s really one track I’d like to highlight. My Trivia team has an official song, and I have a very talented friend who’s a splendid songwriter with a true gift for evocative cover songs. A few years ago, I asked her to record a track just for me and my crew. And that’s how a digital music … Continue reading This Week’s Model — Mollie Donihe, “Come On Eileen”
Coffee for Two 