Tag Archives: review

#655: C is for Costello, Elvis (79/98/18)

79: Armed Forces My first Elvis Costelloand the Attractions album, Armed Forces ruled my 16 year-old world, so much so, that I can still sing alongword for word to every songon this album, except for thewords I couldn’t understand, because there were no lyricsin the liner notes, and becausesometimes, Elvis Costello mumbles. I know IContinue reading “#655: C is for Costello, Elvis (79/98/18)”

#644: C is for Chicano Batman and Childish Gambino

Preface: I thought I had posted this entry before the Cheap Trick entry. Apparently, I had not. So, even though the listening experience and the writing experience (for me) was out of alphabetical order, for you (dear reader) it appears to be accurate. My entry on The Cars, however, is still to come! C isContinue reading “#644: C is for Chicano Batman and Childish Gambino”

#643: C is for Cheap Trick

In yet another unfortunatecase of an alphabetizing mishap, Chicano and Childish inadvertently show up in the stacks before Cheapand before Cars. I may need to hire a new alphabetizer, as this one keepsmaking these unforgivable mistakes. I’ll cut my guy a little slack for neglecting The Cars altogether,filed as they are, in a box setonContinue reading “#643: C is for Cheap Trick”

#642: C is for Case, Neko

I heard Neko Casesing for the first timeon an early album from the Canadiansupergroup, the un-fortunately named New Pornographers. I had no idea at the time shehad her own solothing going as a country singer, a country singer,according to her memoir,whose musical instructionwas mostly punk rock. She evolved quickly into somethingentirely different, so when IContinue reading “#642: C is for Case, Neko”

#637: B is for Bush, Kate

Memory is unreliable. I’m trying to remember the first time I heard The Dreaming by Kate Bush. It comes out in 1982. I’m eighteen. But I have a sense it was years laterwhen I was 21 or 22 years old, after years of only a vague notionabout who she was, a foggy understanding that sheContinue reading “#637: B is for Bush, Kate”

We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Program to Talk About Geese

I just don’t want to like them. Everybody loves Geese. Everybody loves their new album, Getting Killed. Everybody seems to be falling down stupid-in-love with their singer and principal songwriter, Cameron Winter. Even people whose opinions I trust and whose art I respect or love, St. Vincent and Marc Maron, as examples, are falling overContinue reading “We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Program to Talk About Geese”

On the Thirtieth Day of 2025…

…I’m thinking about having watched the Björk concert last night on Apple TV. Filmed, I think, within the last year, it was a live performance of mostly material from her Utopia album, the album preceding her most recent project, Fossora. It was a fascinating experience, and while it was not entirely pleasant, I could notContinue reading “On the Thirtieth Day of 2025…”

On the Fourth Day of 2025. . .

. . . the proposed morning routine went to hell in a hand basket. Last night’s gig was brutal on the body and I slept in until 9. I’ve had zero alcohol in two days, but all night the body was complaining and the sleep was mediocre. Get up. Dogs and coffee, breakfast. The stupidContinue reading “On the Fourth Day of 2025. . .”

With Just a Tinge of Shame, I Present My Guiltiest Musical Pleasure: Taylor Swift

I have been as surprised as anyone might be who knows anything about my musical tastes to discover that I like Taylor Swift. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not hard core. I own only two of her records on vinyl, the pandemic era mega-hit Folklore, and the 2024 record store day release of The Tortured Poets Department: TheContinue reading “With Just a Tinge of Shame, I Present My Guiltiest Musical Pleasure: Taylor Swift”