Kate Bush Created a Winter Wonderland on ’50 Words For Snow’ 10 Years Ago
Kate Bush’s 50 Words For Snow is a jazzy wonderland of mystical creatures and fleeting romance with nuanced themes of impermanence and ephemeral love.
Cheryl Graham
I am a writer, artist, and musician who has been published in the New York Times, Pigeon Pages, and Sierra magazine. I've also written about music for Little Village magazine here in Iowa City, and pop culture for the yearly "March Xness" series. I live in Iowa City.
Japan’s Timeless ‘Tin Drum’ Turns 40
Japan’s Tin Drum serves as a lasting document of a band ahead of their time and one that rises far above the pretensions of their contemporaries.
R.E.M.’s ‘New Adventures in Hi-Fi’ Looks Back While Always Moving Forward
R.E.M.’s New Adventures in Hi-Fi was released 25 years ago and was a deviation for the band. By writing and recording during an arduous tour, they rose to the occasion.
40 Years Ago ‘Pretenders II’ Avoided the Dreaded Sophomore Slump
The hits on Pretenders II outweigh misses, and as the last recording of the Pretenders’ original lineup, the LP documents them at the height of their powers.
Patti Smith Rebuilt the World on 1996’s ‘Gone Again’
Patti Smith’s Gone Again, released 25 years ago, is imbued with grief, but the album’s themes are renewal, resilience, and perseverance in the face of loss.
Mia Doi Todd’s Passion for Global Music Informs Her ‘Music Life’
Instead of going to the ends of the earth in pursuit of the muse, singer-songwriter Mia Doi Todd finds balance in letting inspiration come to her.
10 Christmas Albums You Won’t Hear at the Mall
Although most shopping has moved online this year, those of us still going to stores find the retail soundtrack particularly menacing in the time of COVID-19. These 10 albums (plus a little extra stocking stuffer) from unexpected artists offer some respite for at-home listening.
Kamala Harris’ 2020 VP Run Evokes Rod Lurie’s 2000 ‘The Contender’
Like The Contender's Laine Hanson 20 years prior, US Democratic Party Vice-President choice, Kamala Harris, cuts the oxygen feeding the US political climate's raging sexism.
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Kate Bush’s Splendidly Transitional ‘Never For Ever’ at 40
Kate Bush's Never for Ever served as the stepping stone for the artist to reach her full potential as a bona fide musical genius.
Laura Nyro’s “Save the Country” Calls Out from the Past
Laura Nyro, a witchy, queer, ethnic Russian Jew, died young, but her non-conformist anthem, "Save the Country", carries forth to these troubled times.