January 2012
19 posts
“Jimmy Castor generally balanced…groovy anthropology lessons with heaping...”
– from Chuck Eddy’s Stairway To Hell, where Castor’s Phase Two notoriously took the #10 spot on his Best Metal Albums Of All Time, between Teena Marie and Kix. Chasing his albums down in used stores was always a rewarding treat. RIP Jimmy.
2011: The Year I Kept My Mouth Shut (by Rider... →
I never watched Boy Meets World (a micro-generational difference between people in their early 30s and people in their late 20s, in my experience), but after reading this article, I am totally down with my wife’s attempts to get Rider Strong to come to her shows at UCB (he’s name-checked in The Bachelor: Romance, Roses And Romance, which she co-wrote and will be performed next on...
A Question Inspired By The Phoenix-Like Return Of...
Can you think of any indie-turned-major ’80s-to-’90s cusp-of-the-alterna-boom bands that haven’t indulged in any “reunion” activities, be it shows to support a reissue (like Big Dipper) or new songs to support a hits compilation (like the Replacements and Afghan Whigs)? Husker Du is gray area, considering that Hart/Mould performance a while back.
Every 2011 Movie I Saw In 2011, From Favorite To...
With unintentional neatness, the top ten consists of movies I would definitely go to bat for in a conversation, the next ten were entertaining but more for genre enthusiasts, and the last eight were either intriguingly despicable or honorably mediocre. Nothing I saw had me pounding my arm-rest in frustration, though I may just be better about avoiding those kinds of films.
1. Terri 2....
Pop Chart Trivia I Just Discovered That Means...
Tommy Page and Kevin Paige had two top 40 singles each. Both had their first in 1989, and their follow-up singles both hit the chart the week of February 24, 1990.
Donovan, “Riki Tiki Tavi”
I...
December 2011
15 posts
frankhejl:
Brian Eno - Baby’s On Fire
It is my...
Critic-Approved Archetypes It Takes Effort For Me...
Post-hardcore E Street Bands.
Female vocalists who sound like they’re auditioning for a Bond theme until they either swear or reference modern conveniences.
Theoretical dance-pop vocalists who apparently abstain from not just auto-tune, but second takes.
Rappers who drop hate speech before I’ve become hooked to their flow, or the beat they’re rapping over.
Bands that force...
My Belated Two Cents On "Call Your Girlfriend"
Came across the Singles Jukebox thread on this enduring number while in a post-Taran Killam ponder, and was amazed how many different emotions and scenarios people pull out of the song. How I hear it: a woman in the early stages of love with a spoken-for guy, soberly - but excitedly - walking through the cliches that have to be expressed before they can get on with their business. She’s...
It's Pitchfork "Top 100 Tracks" Day!
The outcome is usually me listening to a ton by a Christmas tree, thinking about how What The College Kids Like has every right to be as baffling as What The Teenagers Like, and how these fools are listening to fools who sound like fools from about 20 years ago, but in an earlier time, my insufferable archetype had to go out and BUY crit-picks for the experience, and probably got a lot angrier....
“I thought it went into areas where a biographer has no business going, which is...”
– Greil Marcus on the new Pauline Kael bio by Brian Kellow. I’m still appreciating the biographical data (there is some!), but I knew the road was getting rougher when I got to this, re: The Way We Were, which I have not seen: “In the end, Pauline seriously overestimated Streisand’s...
“Saturday afternoons won’t be the same for games
I just found out what...”
– The DeFranco Family Featuring Tony DeFranco, “Love Is Bigger Than Baseball”
November 2011
10 posts
“The Detroit Lions Thanksgiving Day game is a tradition that has captivated the...”
– From Dick Valentine’s change.org petition. Currently at more than 500 signatures, with about 999,999,500 to go.
Space Jam Was Released 15 Years Ago Today (and the... →
Please compare the official Space Jam website above to the official website for The Wipers. Thank you.
my mortifying month
agrammar:
It starts like this. At the beginning of the month, I was working on a piece for New York about new albums from Wilco and Feist. As I was listening to and reading about them, I came across a quote from Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, in which he said he was sure plenty of people would react to his band’s album with a knee-jerk “meh.” And I thought: He’s probably right about that! Anyone who’s...
“…State College, a small college town so quaint that it is referred to as...”
– From the NYT’s coverage of the Jerry Sandusky arrest. Apparently someone didn’t catch that This American Life episode.
Sentiments From The Top Pitchfork Reviews Of The...
It’s a rite of passage for students of pop music history: At some point, you learn that the Beach Boys weren’t just a fun 1960s surf band with a run of singles that later came to be used in commercials; at their best, they were making capital-A Art. Mark Richardson, The Smile Sessions
Welch is a more convincing Artist than even the best “Idol” has to offer… Ryan...
October 2011
10 posts
One Week One Band: Fugazi →
Scheduled to feature new interviews with all four members. How’d they know I’d need this this week? (via PGWP)
Some Bands Who Done Never Broke Up, And Haven't...
In case Sonic Youth drops out:
They Might Be Giants, Public Enemy, Ween, Depeche Mode, Flaming Lips, Goo Goo Dolls, Yo La Tengo, U2, Cypress Hill, Pet Shop Boys, Teenage Fanclub, Beastie Boys, The Cure, Sloan, Radiohead, De La Soul (if you count mixtapes and Nike tie-ins), Green Day, Magnetic Fields, Built To Spill, Low, Weezer, Bettie Serveert, Rancid
Two of these feature married couples, too!
