“Summer of 4 ft 2" has to be the definitive “summer” episode of The Simpsons. As a kid who absolutely hated the neighborhood he grew up in and the school he attended, that very notion of totally reinventing yourself in an area where no one knows you (ala Lisa and her friends) stuck with me, and remains a Top 10 All…

So, my previous post, I ranked them for what I thought new initiates should purchase (in order). But overall, my opinion would be:

Mark Sandman formed Morphine when he was about 37, so I always have hope for late career bloomers. That said, I’m 43...

Whitechocolatespaceegg deserves to be in the running for “best album with the worst title.” I honestly think if the title was more ‘critic friendly,’ it would have placed higher in critics Top 10 lists for 1998 (even though that was an incredibly solid year for music). “Polyester Bride” is one of the best barfly songs…

I have to admit, this one particularly sucks to hear. About seven years ago, I had the pleasure of having lunch with a former city editor of the New York Times. I booked a flight from Omaha to New York specifically for that honor. I had 2 goals for that trip: to have lunch with Arthur Gelb, and to eat at Les Halles.…

True - only reason I put Furnace Room Lullaby at last - definitely wasn’t because of the lack of quality. It was primarily my list of ‘what’s Neko Case’s sound...overall.’ As much as I love Furnace Room, I think she’s moved to a different sound in the past decade.

Eagle Eye Cherry - Save Tonight

I will say, after the immediacy of Blacklisted (think of it as an alt-country version of Little Earthquakes), it took a few listens for me to warm up to the extra musical arrangements of Fox Confessor, so I’m leaning toward this album being a grower.

True. My skin is still sensitive from setting myself on fire after reading the unduly harsh grade (B- sure, but c’mon a ‘C’?!).

Right now, I’m putting this in the “easier to admire than love” category. There are some incredible songs here, and there some others that just sort of go nowhere. I don’t know if it’s because of the collaborators, or the experimental structure.

She’s really underwent some evolutions as a songwriter and singer. My recommendation for initiation: 1. Middle Cyclone, 2. Blacklisted, 3. Fox Confessor, 4. Hell On, 5. Furnace Room Lullaby

So loved the over-the-top cheese that was Bionic Commando.

June 1st will likely be my ‘Super Friday’ event of the year - 3 purchase-worthy records:

Yeah. I’m sort of torn. I still like them to be a bit under the radar. Each new release, I sort of await with cautious optimism, hoping they continue their artistic development, but secretly afraid they’ll go full on uber-polished commercialized-sounding heavy metal.

As much as I love Chvrches, I think I’m going to save my money for June 1st’s budget-breaking trifecta of a Neko Case, Ghost, and Father John Misty.

Yeah - in almost every other universe, this would have triggered outrage by the fan community (OK, other than Cable). “It’s lazy.” “It means the last two hours had virtually no impact, so technically, you spent all that time and money on nothing.”

I will put Tom Petty on the B+ list - it’s one reason his work was one of the best candidates for a fantastic “greatest hits” collection.

Another week where there’s at least 2 albums that are worthy of purchase. Steven Malkmus and Parquet Courts (I love Courtney Barnett, so I may end up buying hers, even though I’m sort of bummed it’s been getting such ‘meh’ responses). I think June 1st will be the ‘Triple Purchase’ day (a rarity, but it happens 1-2…

This is awesome. Now, the disabled can get mercilessly berated by obnoxious online Overwatch players like everyone else.

For the record, I’m not outraged. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion. I don’t agree with some of Anthony Fantano’s takes, but if you lay your argument out intelligently, I can’t fault one’s logic for their grade. I was just poking fun at how much that review cut for a lot of readers.