Alby's Latest Posts
Song of the Day 7/8: Redbone, “Maggie”
Redbone is now remembered for its biggest hit, 1974’s “Come and Get Your Love,” but the band was not a one-hit wonder. Before turned to soft rock, the all-Native American group, formed by brothers Pat and Candido “Lolly” Vegas, was one of the funkiest bands in Los Angeles. The Vegas brothers started playing together in […]
DL Open Thread Thursday, July 8, 2021
Most people who want Donald Trump prosecuted for his life of crime felt disappointed when Trump Org CFO Allen Weisselberg was indicted for tax crimes over what were characterized as “fringe benefits.” Trump’s laywers certainly were thrilled when the media parroted their spin, but the truth is that it’s a lot more serious than the […]
Song of the Day 7/7: Elton John, “Philadelphia Freedom”
I think Philadelphia ought to adopt as its civic motto Pedicabo Circa et Invenire, which is online-translator-Latin for “Fuck Around and Find Out.” That’s what happened when a bunch of Texas-based white supremacists/fascists tried to stage a flash-mob march in Philadelphia on July 4. “They started engaging with citizens of Philadelphia, who were none too […]
Song of the Day 7/6: The Floaters, “Float On”
This out-of-left-field hit was one of the songs of the summer in 1977, mostly because of its slow-jam groove, not its silly lyrical conceit. I can’t be sure, but this song could have inspired Tim Meadows’ SNL sketches as Leon Phelps, the Ladies’ Man. It hit No. 2 on the Hot 100 and spent six […]
Song of the Day 7/5: Hippo Campus, “Way It Goes”
Guest post by Nathan Arizona Indie pop-rock tends to get overshadowed these days, but the dudes abide. In this case in a band called Hippo Campus. They make brisk, melodic, bright and tight songs, leading with guitars and some sublime vocals. “Way It Goes” is a perfect example. In fact, it makes a good song […]
Song of the Day 7/4: Bruce Springsteen, “Independence Day”
No, the song doesn’t have anything to do with the holiday, but it is one of Bruce Springsteen’s most personal songs, the one that most directly addresses the tension with his father that led him to stay behind in New Jersey when the rest of his family decamped for California. It was released on 1980’s […]
DL Open Thread Sunday, July 4, 2021
Today is worthy of celebration — it’s been a full week since Chris Coons last sold out his constituents. It’s pretty clear to anyone paying attention that the Jan. 6 insurrection was a two-pronged attack — 90% or so delusional goobers with lots more time and money than common sense, providing cover for a core […]
Song of the Day 7/3: The Doors, “Break On Through (to the Other Side)”
Fifty years ago today, Jim Morrison’s common-law wife found him dead in the bathtub of their Paris apartment, bringing to a close the singer’s years-long campaign of self-destruction and pretty much ending the career of one of the most popular American bands of the ’60s. Though frequent attempts have been made over the years to […]
Song of the Day 7/2: Chicago Transit Authority, “Poem 58”
For the past 40 years, people have thought of Chicago as an easy-listening band that played lots of mushy ballads, because that’s how they wasted the bulk of their existence — raking in the bucks by pumping out gruel. The public mostly has forgotten that the band, known as the Big Thing when it formed […]
Song of the Day 7/1: Counting Crows, “Einstein on the Beach (For an Eggman)”
Before Counting Crows became famous, the band circulated a demo tape that set off a bidding war among record companies. Most of the songs were rerecorded with T-Bone Burnett at the controls and appeared on their breakout 1993 LP “August and Everything After,” but this one was left out, apparently because upbeat jangle-pop didn’t fit […]
DL Open Thread Thursday, July 1, 2021
The Biden presidency has been a crisis for the media — without a daily Fresh New Hell, ratings and readership are in the tank. Everybody’s web traffic is down, but it’s been especially bad for the most partisan sites on both the left and right. Remember this when you read of this week’s newest threat […]
Top Lobbyist for ExxonMobil Says Coons Is in Their Pocket
Channel 4 in the UK carried an investigative report from the British branch of Greenpeace based on a sting interview with Keith McCoy, a top lobbyist for ExxonMobil. McCoy spoke frankly to people he thought were headhunters searching for a D.C. lobbyist for a client. He said a lot of things he would never say […]
Song of the Day 6/30: Todd Snider, “Can’t Complain”
Like his onetime mentor John Prine, Todd Snider’s songs, built from simple chords and clever lyrics, fall into a category between folk and country that the label “Americana” doesn’t quite capture. He’s been recording since 1994, but I only learned about him because Spotify informed me that, given my love for Prine, I’d probably like […]
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