Just Growing Old? Steely Dan’s ‘Countdown to Ecstasy’ at 50
Steely Dan’s Countdown to Ecstasy reveals a progression toward ever more sheen and polish on a smooth shell, the source of the “yacht rock” label that defined them.
All Things Reconsidered
Liz Phair Knew Pop Was a Cultural Construct Before You Did
Liz Phair turned away from indie rock and toward teen-influenced pop-rock 20 years ago on her self-titled album. Critics were harsh, but the LP now seems prescient.
Violent Femmes’ 40-Year-Old Debut Is a Work of Singular Vision
Violent Femmes’ heart, sound, and aesthetics belong to an earlier, acoustic, analog, atomized rather than the Internet-connected world. It’s like a musical Catcher in the Rye.
Lou Reed on Illness and Death: Revisiting ‘Magic and Loss’
Lou Reed most dramatically stepped off rock’s beaten path when he recorded an entire record about death by illness, Magic and Loss, 31 years ago.
The Cure’s ‘Wild Mood Swings’ Indulges the Glories of Genre-Jumping
The Cure’s ebulliently eclectic masterpiece ‘Wild Mood Swings’ is misguidedly maligned. What is more tantalizing than music that exalts eclecticism to such stupefying heights?
Slow Burn: Bob Marley’s ‘Catch a Fire’ 50 Years Later
Bob Marley’s Catch a Fire is when the Wailers transformed into the vehicle of his ascent to superstardom and reggae’s assimilation into the global pop music melting pot.
The Optimist Died Inside of Me: Death Cab for Cutie’s ‘Narrow Stairs’
Fifteen years ago, Death Cab for Cutie’s Narrow Stairs tackled the malaise of early 30s careers and marriages, and what happens when those don’t pan out.
30 Years of Slowdive’s ‘Souvlaki’
Slowdive’s seminal 30-year-old album, Souvlaki, transcends the negativity that followed its release and carries strength through emotional relatability.
Jeff Buckley’s ‘Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk’ at 25
Anyone who wants to hear the truest Jeff Buckley—the artist he was on the way to becoming when he died young—should make sure to find ‘My Sweetheart the Drunk’.
That Stank Attitude: Steely Dan’s Final Albums Two Decades Later
The last album by the rock/jazz phenoms Steely Dan was released 20 years ago. This is a look back at why their last two records deserve reconsideration.
Paula Abdul Found Artistic Growth and Maturity with ‘Spellbound’
Paula Abdul confounded her critics with Spellbound, looking to expand pop hooks and catchy melodies with more esoteric sounds to festoon her state-of-the-art dance-pop.
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Bob Dylan’s Art Is Best Served Naked
As Bob Dylan learned, only through baring of one’s soul does one show the way forward, providing both a glimpse into the other and perhaps the shape of things to come.