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Infatueighties #71: “Rumors” by Timex Social Club
Gossip. We love it and we hate it. No song has ever laid that out more clearly than Timex Social Club’s 1986 smash Rumors. Produced on a shoestring budget by a guy named Jay King and released on a tiny independent label, the song struck enough of a chord that it became a Top 10 pop hit and landed Top 5 R&B as well. You couldn’t sneeze in New York City that summer without hearing […]
Dear Jermaine: STFU, Love Michael.
I originally posted this on The Round Table.
So, the blogosphere has been abuzz since Jermaine Jackson announced that his entire family would be embarking on a national tour in 2009. Down Under to announce the launch of a video channel, the Jacksons’ unofficial spokesman said that the whole family “including Michael and Randy and all the brothers” would be reuniting for an album and shows. In addition, Jermaine mentioned that sister Janet would be opening […]
FORTY-FIVE REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE #10: Halste Whilste
VARNALINE “The Hammer Goes Down” b/w “Hear The Birds Cry” (Zero Hour Records ZHS7-11 white-label promo, 1996)
The “Lo-Fi Explosion” that seemed to take over the U.S. after the first few Ween, Pavement and Guided By Voices records was short-lived. Much to my dismay, actually. I mean, for all that I may kvetch about the sound-quality of certain discs, or that some recordings leave me with “listener’s fatigue” (fancy studio-lingo for an earache), I found so many diamonds-in-the-rough during that period that I secretly wish it never ended. Maybe it’s still going on somewhere, wherever there’s disenfranchised suburban kids with guitars and tape-recorders in their bedrooms. But ultimately, home-studio equipment has become too advanced, and too ubiquitous. Anyone can make an Aja-quality recording in his or her own kitchen these days with Pro-Tools and a decent computer. But back in the ’90’s, that stuff wasn’t as readily available. Talented songwriters like Varnaline’s Anders Parker had to use a 4-track and lots of elbow-grease to get their point across, and that gave the songs an extra power, an almost subterranean quality, that made them stand out from the pack.
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