Alby's Latest Posts
DL Open Thread Monday, Sept. 9, 2024
John Carney wasn’t alone in trying to force people into Medicare Advantage. Among the horrors of Project 2025 is a scheme to make Medicare Advantage rather than traditional Medicare the default plan for enrollees. That’s not just bad for enrollees, who have worse outcomes on Medicare Advantage, it’s bad for Medicare’s solvency. In theory, the […]
Song of the Day 9/8: English Teacher, “The World’s Biggest Paving Slab”
The Mercury Prize, awarded for the best album by a British or Irish act, had an upset winner last week. English Teacher, a fledgling post-punk band from Leeds, took home the £25,000 first prize for their debut album, “This Could Be Texas,” beating out the heavily favored Charli xcx’s “Brat.” Even the band seem surprised; […]
Bethany Hall-Long Copies Trump, Slings Mud in Desperation
Today marks the fourth day in a row I’ve received a mailer from Ms. Creant and the sleazy unions backing her that compares Matt Meyer to Donald Trump. You’d think they were running against a Republican, but no, all they have is that he once contributed to some Republicans – while you contributed to the […]
Song of the Day 6/6: unknown artist, “Walk on Back”
If you want to encounter soul music you’ve never heard before, the seven-CD set “Written in Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos,” released last summer, represents a treasure trove. Archivist and producer Cheryl Pawelski spent 17 years combing through unlabeled demo tapes to unearth songs that had been recorded by the Memphis label’s songwriters and […]
Song of the Day 9/5: Ween, “Ocean Man”
One reason rock is fading away: Gen X bands just don’t have the staying power of, say, the Rolling Stones. For example Ween, the oddball alternative duo from New Hope, Pa., just disappointed its small but dedicated fan base by cancelling a short tour, including a sold-out show at the Mann Music Center, celebrating the […]
DL Open Thread Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024
“Trump has yet to find an attack on Harris that will stick.” This is, no joke, how the media is treating his campaign’s All Insults, All The Time strategy, along with dutifully repeating every insult every time. That they consider this part of their mission is good evidence that they are part of the problem. […]
Song of the Day 9/3: James Darren (as Vic Fontaine), “Come Fly With Me”
To people of a certain age – say, 80 – James Darren, who died yesterday at age 88, will always be Moondoggie, the handsome male lead in “Gidget.” That now-ignored 1959 film made Sandra Dee a star, introduced the country to the surfing scene that would sweep teen culture, and made Darren a dual-threat teen […]
DL Open Thread Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024
Trump did and said some dumb shit yesterday, I don’t even know what and I don’t much care. He’ll do and say some dumb shit today that they’ll report tomorrow, too, because they just can’t quit saying “You won’t believe what he said now.” Yes, yes I would. He obviously will say anything, and it’s […]
Song of the Day 9/2: Adele, “Chasing Pavements”
Is Adele pulling a Greta Garbo? The British pop icon announced during her concert in Munich the other night that once her Las Vegas residency ends in November, “I will not see you for an incredibly long time. … I’ve spent the last seven years building a new life for myself, and I want to […]
DL Open Thread Monday, Sept. 2, 2024
The New York Times’ mollycoddling of Trump has gotten especially egregious lately, and you’re not the only one who noticed. Margaret Sullivan, the Times’ former public editor, calls them out for their recent whopper comparing Kamala Harris’ affordable housing plan to Trump’s, which is no better thought out than “we’ll deport millions of people.” I […]
Song of the Day 9/30: Abba, “Money, Money, Money”
As El Som noted in today’s Open Thread, Jack White has joined the veritable seven-nation army of musicians who’ve demanded Trump’s campaign stop using their music for rallies and online videos. The songs and artists who don’t want to be associated with Trump would make a long and varied playlist. Some of the artists have […]
Song of the Day 8/29: Dire Straits, “Money for Nothing”
Whatever else he does, Donald Trump remains committed to the Art of the Grift. Amid his soporific campaigning and military cemetery lawbreaking, he found time to peddle a new line of so-called digital trading cards. This is as close as one can come to paying money for nothing, but Trump fans can be counted on […]
Song of the Day 8/28: Panda Bear and Sonic Boom, “Gettin’ to the Point”
Maybe it’s the weather, maybe it’s the Kamala afterglow – today calls for some sunshine pop. Panda Bear (Noah Lennox) is part of the Animal Collective, a group of songwriter/producers who work together, separately and in various combinations on projects that usually bring an electronic/techno sensibility to pop, or vice versa. Sonic Boom (Peter Kember) […]
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