1. Toni Braxton & Babyface, Love, Marriage, and Divorce – Not adding the word “Sex” to the title is one of the only false notes here — not that they fuck anywhere near as often as they fight, not that they fight as often as they simply try to figure things out. And that is the record’s sensuously-expressed triumph, the way, for instance, Babyface’s quiet, … Continue reading Friday 6 (2/21/14)
1. Broadcast, The Future Crayon – Best heard through earbuds at low volume on public transit, supplemented by randomly overheard chatter of other passengers (further maximized if you’re in the early stages of an oncoming flu). 2. Miley Cyrus, “Party in the U.S.A.” – Best heard on the deck of a Disney Cruise on a sunny day with dozens of kids going apeshit (not to … Continue reading Friday 7, Valentine’s Day Edition (2/14/14)
1. Wham!, “Everything She Wants” – Paranoid paternity pop. The missing link between “Billie Jean” and Ace of Base’s “All That She Wants,” the former of which I haven’t been able to hear in years, the latter of which holds up better than you probably hoped — though this holds up better than either. 2. “Dream Baby Dream” – Both the Suicide original (which I’d … Continue reading Friday 6 (1/24/14)
Stuff I managed to remember from this week’s (extremely scattershot) play- and watch-lists. 1. “American Pickers” episode with Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick, selling off old guitar cases and a band t-shirt from Budokan (sometimes on a Sunday morning you stumble upon the oddest things). 2. Eminem, “Lose Yourself” – Mea Culpa: this song did little for me at the time, but persistent radio re-play … Continue reading Friday Six (1/17/14)
A selective inventory of the past week — good, bad, indifferent, etc. 1. Moby, “Move (You Make Me Feel So Good)” + parts of his Best Of (“Go,” Anthem,” “Feeling So Real”) — All the uptempo, ravey, transcendence-as-a-cosmic-joke stuff. 2. Brandy Clark, “Pray to Jesus” – But none of the fast stuff from her album, I don’t think. 3. Prince, “Something in the Water Does … Continue reading Friday Eleven (1/10/14)
Happy new year. And welcome to the first segment of “Friday [insert number between one and 10],” my new weekly roundup of stuff I’ve been listening to, watching, thinking about, etc. It is by no means limited to stuff I actually enjoy (it’s an inventory as much as a hit list), and I will try to include at least one new, or recent, piece of … Continue reading Friday Five (1/3/14)
