Alby's Latest Posts
DL Open Thread Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022
Turns out that business of moving migrants from border states to northern cities might not be as cute as Trump and his orc-governors thought. Turns out it might be illegal. Turns out the stunt isn’t even original. The racist White Citizens Council first pulled the stunt in 1962 as a “Reverse Freedom Ride.” The whole […]
Song of the Day 9/16: King Harvest, “Dancing in the Moonlight”
Connoisseurs of yacht rock trace the roots of the retroactively-defined genre to the Southern California soft-rock boom of the mid-’70s, so this song is technically a precursor. No matter. One-hit wonder King Harvest released it in 1971, and though it only reached No. 13 on the Hot 100, it’s had a long afterlife on soundtracks. […]
DL Open Thread Friday, Sept. 16, 2022
Our Criminal Ex-President is spewing threats about violence again if he’s arrested. The irony is that we know Trump will be hiding in the basement if any violence actually occurs. The unqualified judge he shopped for is still paving the way for his lawlessness to continue. Voting by mail was struck down by Chancery Court, […]
Song of the Day 9/15: World Party, “Way Down Now”
The TV watching public (which is everybody but me, basically) is in a tizzy. The streaming services that have replaced cable TV, which replaced broadcast TV, are slashing programming, removing archived shows and pulling the plug on green-lighted productions, all because subscriber growth has slowed. Yeah, that’s the ticket — raise prices and reduce product, […]
DL Open Thread Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022
Media scolds yesterday chided Joe Biden for flying Air Force One to Delaware to — sit down now — vote in Tuesday’s primaries. “But, but, but he could have voted absentee!” Well, yes, but remember, he’s accustomed to Delaware election rules, and until Covid Delaware had the tightest restrictions in the country on who could […]
Song of the Day 9/14: Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, “The Tears of a Clown”
Colin Bonini always reminded me of a clown. Not figuratively, literally. He’s a large man — his everyday shoes are clown-sized — but his smile isn’t painted on, it’s real. All he lacks is a squirting flower in his lapel. Bonini is an old-fashioned conservative who believes that taxes are too high because government spends […]
Song of the Day 9/13: Chase, “Get It On”
The early ’70s were great times for horn players who wanted to be rock ‘n’ rollers. Jazz was shrinking, and though soul revues often featured horn sections, guitars ruled rock, pretty much to the exclusion of everything else but keyboards and other rhythm instruments. That started to change in 1967, when Al Kooper and Steve […]
Song of the Day 9/12: Midlake, “Roscoe”
Guest post by Nathan Arizona Is Roscoe a productive name, as the Texas band Midlake would have it? And what the heck is an occupanther? Was “Roscoe” one of the 100 best songs of the 2000s, as Rolling Stone says? One of the best of 2006, as Pitchfork calls it? Or does it sound like […]
Song of the Day 9/11: Rage Against the Machine, “Killing in the Name”
This will be debated by future historians, but for my money the United States’ embrace of fascism can be traced to Sept. 11, 2001. Fascistic movements thrive on defense of blood and soil, and in that regard the attack by Middle Eastern extremists operated like the Reichstag Fire. Consider: In the immediate aftermath, polls recorded […]
Song of the Day 9/10: The Three Degrees, “Givin’ Up, Givin’ In”
King Charles might be new to the throne, but he’s been living under Fleet Street’s microscope for a long time, and seldom given much respect. At best he’s treated as an eccentric, the kind of guy who embraced crackpot causes like sustainable farming, global warming and classical architecture back when doing so made one a […]
Song of the Day 9/9: Chumbawamba, “Her Majesty”
The death of Queen Elizabeth II is guaranteed to reignite debates about the future of the British monarchy. Not right away, of course. Lots of people who hate the institution loved, or at least respected, a sovereign who earned her popularity by taking her ceremonial job seriously, so critics will hold their fire for 10 […]
Song of the Day 9/8: The B-52’s, “Deadbeat Club”
Some bands go on forever, the Rolling Stones being rock’s premier example. Others keep a name alive even after all the original members have departed. But most call it quits at some point. If they’re popular enough, they stage a farewell tour as a last hurrah. That’s what the B-52s are doing. The ultimate ’80s […]
Song of the Day 9/7: Maxwell, “Radiation Funk”
The invasion of Ukraine has mostly faded from the news, but one aspect threatens to put it back at the top of the broadcasts. Russia, demonstrating the ineptitude that has distinguished its war effort thus far, again shelled the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, the largest in Europe, putting if off the power grid and bringing it […]
Recent Comments