“I never travel far without a little Big Star.” When I first heard Paul Westerberg of The Replacements sing those words back in 1987, in the bridge to a tribute song called “Alex Chilton,” I took them at face value. They seemed like a boast, a call to arms, even. I didn’t know what Big… Continue reading It’s a ’70s Thing: Learning to Fall in Love Again With the Songs of Alex Chilton
Tag: Big Star
A Playlist of New Tunes for Quiet Moods (with a Touch of Attitude)
I’ve always liked the word quietude. I like the way it sounds. I like the way it feels when you say it, the way your mouth makes a series of quick shapes, from a pucker to a smile and back again. I like the way the word sounds like it means — it’s a grander,… Continue reading A Playlist of New Tunes for Quiet Moods (with a Touch of Attitude)
Indie Summer Songs
Port O’Brien, Throw Me the Statue, and Fleet Foxes. Three unlikely names for rock bands that are making some of the most promising, interesting, and enjoyable music I’ve heard in awhile. It’s great laid-back, loose, wild, indie rock for a warm summer afternoon. Port O’Brien, who hail from San Francisco, serve up a world-music-influenced sound that shares an aural… Continue reading Indie Summer Songs