By Karen Glauber
I finally took today off—I will do nothing but stare at the ocean and finish the Alan Vega biography I started in August. But no, I volunteered to write a year-end column. Well, at least the view is spectacular. Ten years ago today, I was in Portland, Oregon, with Spoon and KNRK’s Mark Hamilton, on the occasion of the station’s “December to Remember.” Mark still books these shows every year, and we applaud him for that.
He also added Mk.gee’s “ROCKMAN” this week. I give Christine Malovetz at Audacy NYC full credit for talking the record to her peers, even before Mk.gee’s SNL appearance. Audacy is definitely leading the way, with KITS, KNDD, KKDO, KNRK and KVIL on board, with KBZT, WRXL and ALT98.7 testing it this week. I’m obsessed with this record—some people say it reminds them of The Police and Peter Gabriel. I love how unique “ROCKMAN” is—it sounds like nothing else but has that indescribable “magic” that makes you want to hear it again. I listened to nothing else last Tuesday—hit “repeat” on Spotify and let it play for hours. Andy Hawk at KKDO said that the texting response has been huge. Here’s what I know about Mk.gee: “Mike is from New Jersey.” Also, we both love The Blue Nile, so that’s a shared point of interest.
Excited to be working this record in January—and MOST EXCITED that there will be a new Lumineers record very soon. Many of you have heard the single and love it (except for Jeremy Pritchard, which surprises no one). I’m always happiest when I have a Lumineers record to work.
Until this week, only ONE female has had a Top 10 record this year—Billie Eilish, with “LUNCH”—but beabadoobee has finally joined this select club with “Beaches.” Seriously, the BEST MUSIC ALL YEAR was from female artists! The majority of this year’s Spotify Wrapped included Taylor, Charli, Sabrina, Billie and, of course, Chappell. The smartest programmers at Alternative radio are women. They just understand that there are many dynamics to a hit song, including the need to establish artists for the next generation. While I’m incredibly happy that certain heritage bands had some of their biggest career records this year, I am always looking forward to what’s next.
Thinking about the Grammys early next year, I’m obsessively focused on the Best Alternative Music Album category, which includes Nick Cave’s Wild God, one of the best albums of the year; Clairo’s Charm, another favorite, especially “Juna”; St. Vincent’s All Born Screaming, another epic masterpiece; Brittany Howard’s What Now; and Kim Gordon’s The Collective, which reminds everyone that age doesn’t fucking matter.
Nominees for Best Alternative Music Performance repeated three of the above: Nick Cave for “Song of the Lake,” St. Vincent for “Flea” and Kim Gordon for “Bye Bye,” plus “Neon Pill” by Cage the Elephant and “Starburster” by U.K. wonders Fontaines D.C. I loved Fontaines until they accepted the Rolling Stone U.K. award for Album of the Year with a decidedly antisemitic speech. Brittany and St. Vincent have won Alternative Grammys in prior years—does that give them the advantage? Or will voters give either Nick or Kim a “lifetime achievement” award for their decades of impactful music and spectacular fashion campaigns (Kim’s latest for H&M is iconic). OR will the voters award a younger artist—Clairo—as they did the past few years with boygenius and Wet Leg?
I’ve loved Nick Cave and Kim Gordon for decades, and I’ll never forget the first time I saw Alabama Shakes at the Troubadour, falling madly in love with Brittany Howard. St. Vincent’s show at the Hollywood Bowl also proved why she is one of the all-time great performers and deserves every accolade. Clairo has carved a space for artists who are the future, including beabadoobee, Magdalena Bay, Gigi Perez, Wallice, Lola Young and Orla Gartland—all among my favorites on the Lorem playlist.
FAVORITE SONG OF THE YEAR: “Tiny Moves” by Bleachers. Happiest of holidays to those who celebrate. Bah, humbug.
By Karen Glauber
I’ve done my best to stay busy/distracted leading up to the election. My friends Nada Surf were in town, and I loaned singer Matthew Caws my Harris/Walz hat, which he wore onstage. As Trump becomes more divisive and extreme (insane), my stomach clenches into knots and I’m literally nauseous 24/7. His pledge about protecting women “whether they like it or not” was spectacularly offensive to all women.
When I was a kid, I was told I tested in the 99th percentile, although I’m by no means brilliant. Watching Trump and his followers, it’s become quite clear what that means. I know a few Trump supporters in the business, and I hope you all have a miserable Nov. 5.
I think it’s fantastic that Chappell Roan was on SNL over the weekend—this is what a pop star looks like!
The women are ruling the Pop charts, but in the world of Alternative radio, beabadoobee’s “Beaches” is the highest-charting female at #20. Gigi Perez’s “Sailor Song” is also on the upswing, ruling the chart with an incredible streaming story. Amanda Dobbins and Ayelet Schiffman will break this record. Also making their mark are St. Vincent’s “Flea” and Bishop Briggs’ “My Serotonin,” both on Virgin, spearheaded by Marisa DiFrisco and Marlee Erlich, two women I absolutely adore.
Ted Volk and I are also both obsessed with Suki Waterhouse’s “Supersad,” which sounds like a perfect Alt record. Suki is on Sub Pop, a label near and dear to me, which also has the new single from Tunde Adebimpe, the frontman for TV on the Radio, whose reunion tour in December is certain to be a big thrill for me. The single is called “Magnetic,” and it will make you seem infinitely hipper to say you like it. I worked Young Liars and the single “Staring at the Sun” for Touch & Go Records in 2003. It was a much more productive time—far fewer “shenanigans,” as Ted puts it.
While on the topic of Sub Pop, Father John Misty’s “She Cleans Up” should be his first big hit for Alternative. I’ve been a fan forever.
For comfort, Jimmy Kimmel’s nightly monologue has helped me stay relatively sane, and last night I was treated to Magdalena Bay’s appearance on the show, performing “Image.” Also, the new Cure album, Songs of a Lost World, is the perfect background music to help drown out the noise in my head.
I’ve spoken about “The Sons of The Lumineers” artists all year, like Noah Kahan, Zach Bryan, Michael Marcagi, etc. In 2025, we’ll have music from The Lumineers, Mumford & Sons and the continuation of the Head and the Heart, whose new single “Arrow” is phenomenal. I’ll be very happy to be back in that orbit again.
Props to Jack White for his touring this quarter—the date and city are announced 48 hours before the show, and the fervor is frenetic as people try to get tickets. It’s a fantastic lesson on how to get a city excited about a rock show.
Congrats to Lisa Worden on her January AlterEgo show. This is the first big 2025 event to look forward to, with a bill including The Lumineers, Glass Animals, Incubus, Cage the Elephant, The Offspring, Fontaines D.C., St. Vincent and The Head and the Heart, plus a special performance from Damiano David, whose single “Born With a Broken Heart” slays me more than anything he’s done with Måneskin. Damiano is all swagger, which I greatly appreciate.
Start to familiarize yourself with Mk.gee. Another Jersey boy like my beloved Jack Antonoff, he’s been selling out shows worldwide for the past few years (he is also every artist’s favorite artist) and will now be the musical guest on SNL on Nov. 9! Hopefully, we’ll all have a reason to celebrate that day. I’ll be servicing Mk.gee’s single on Nov. 11.
SONG TO HEAR: Patti Smith’s “People Have the Power.” Just play on repeat until the election is over, and please VOTE!
By Karen Glauber
It’s been a whirlwind of shows these past few weeks—two sold-out Bleachers concerts (where I saw Little Steven, Sabrina Carpenter and Jimmy Jam!), two sold-out beabadoobee shows, also at the Greek, and several others that reminded me why I do what I do. Two onstage mentions from The Hoodoo Gurus meant everything, especially when singer Dave Faulkner later told me, “I owe you my life.” Whether or not he meant it, it was nice to hear.
Watching soundcheck for Tuesday’s Big Star show, which featured founding member Jody Stephens, Mike Mills (R.E.M.), Jon Auer (Posies), Pat Sansone (Wilco) and Chris Stamey (dB’s), it occurred to me that my generation—those of us who worked at college radio and came of age with R.E.M., could realistically be called Generation Big Star, because what we have in common began with Big Star and continued with the musicians who preached the brilliance of the band in subsequent decades.
After watching Ted go through the stress of buying Oasis tickets, maybe that’s another generational distinction, encompassing nearly every programmer in Modern Rock. There are only two Oasis songs in the rolling format playlist for the year: “Wonderwall” at #76 and “Champagne Supernova” at #148. Given the ensuing frenzy—the U.S. dates sold out in less than 15 minutes—perhaps your audience might want to hear these songs a bit more frequently.
I’m looking for any distraction from trolling Trump on IG. I don’t know how to get through the next month (or longer) of him and Vance. Also, none of his followers can spell.
When I’m not doomscrolling, I’m going through the Alternative chart, marveling at the success of Sum 41, whose “Dopamine” is now Top 5, as “Landmines” looks to be the biggest Alternative song of the year. This is the most elegant swan song a band could have—quitting while on top.
Dave Barbis has done a spectacular job at Big Loud in a short time! He’s already Top 10 with brand-new band Dexter and the Moonrocks’ “Sad in Carolina.” Their T-shirt proceeds will benefit those in North Carolina needing assistance after Hurricane Helene. Dave is also doing a wonderful job with HARDY’s “Psycho.”
I will maintain my stance that a woman should be 1) President of the United States, and 2) programming Alternative radio. There are so many phenomenal female artists who are streaming better than 90% of your playlist that deserve attention. beabadoobee’s “Beaches” is the highest-charting of this group, now Top 25. I snuck away from my office on Rosh Hashanah to visit bea’s pop-up store on Fairfax Avenue. Thousands of fans were waiting in line to buy her merch and get a photo with her. I’ll be wearing my hoodie to tonight’s Weezer show, which my kid is very excited about (the show, not my hoodie).
Hopefully, you’re aware of Suki Waterhouse; her “Supersad” sounds like a Modern Rock smash. You fell in love with her when she was in Daisy Jones & the Six, or during last year’s Coachella. Currently on Sub Pop, she’s also Top 10 at Triple A.
Gigi Perez’ “Sailor Song,” which is now on Island, is a streaming juggernaut. The label recently showcased her in L.A. and NYC, and I’ve been hearing the song all over SiriusXM. This is a one-listen, spectacular record. Another favorite is Magdalena Bay’s “Image,” which is streaming over 1 million PER DAY. David Jacobs will absolutely get this record. Also, do not forget about the brilliant Clairo, who is playing two nights at the Salt Shed in Chicago!
On Monday, I’m going to see PJ Harvey—one of the best performers in the history of music—at the Greek. Tuesday, I’m finally seeing Royel Otis, one of the biggest success stories of the year!... Going to shows is a better use of my time than watching The Golden Bachelorette. I’m two years older than the current bachelorette. Kill me now.
I haven’t been to Cleveland since I left Oberlin in 1984, but I’ll be back next weekend for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, which includes Peter Frampton, an artist whose nomination I’ve championed for years. It should be a blast!
Big Star photo by Chris Morris
Rising Brit duo Good Neighbours have notched the first platinum cert for a single released by an alternative band in the calendar year.
The Capitol/Polydor offering “Home,” which dropped 1/17, was teased on TikTok for several months prior to its official release. Bandmates Oli Fox and Scott Verrill also struck platinum in Australia and gold in New Zealand with the single.
“Home," which has gone Top 10 at Rock and Top 20 at Alternative in the U.S., is also the most-streamed debut single globally from a new artist in 2024.
HITS can’t help wondering why the folks next door keep reminding us that good fences make good neighbours.
