Finding Their Way: Rush’s Debut Album at 50
Fifty years after its release, progressive rockers Rush’s debut album remains an important stepping stone in the Canadian trio’s long journey to success.
Pop Past
25 Years of Tom Waits’ ‘Mule Variations’
With Mule Variations, Tom Waits tamed his vaudevillian guises and showed that he was aging gracefully, while retaining his integrity towards his artistry.
The 100 Best Alternative Songs of the 1980s
The best alternative songs of the 1980s span punk, post-punk, new wave, college rock, underground, goth, new romantic, ska, power pop, hardcore, and indie rock.
The Fiery Furnaces’ Songs on ‘Widow City’ Are Multiverse 45s
The songs on the Fiery Furnaces’ Widow City are like a multiverse 45; they’ll never be hits on this Earth but might sell millions in a world slightly tweaked.
The Eagles Were ‘On the Border’ of Greatness 50 Years Ago
The Eagles’ On the Border (1974) signified the crossing of a musical boundary, as they progressed from country to rock, ensuring future mainstream success.
Built to Spill’s ‘Keep It Like a Secret’ Still Surprises at 25
Has any songwriter used the words “things” and “sounds” and made small matters seem more significant and full of possibility as much as Built to Spill’s Doug Martsch?
Elvis Costello’s ‘Armed Forces’ Remains a Potent Critique of Power
Forty-five years after Elvis Costello’s Armed Forces first arrived in record stores, its commentary on fascism is extremely relevant to today’s politics.
Kings Will Be Crowned: Queen’s ‘Queen II’ at 50
Queen’s 1974 sophomore album, Queen II is an overlooked progressive rock masterpiece that predicted so much of their later work. It’s also still enormous fun.
Those Days Are Gone Forever: Steely Dan’s ‘Pretzel Logic’ at 50
Steely Dan’s 50-year-old third album, Pretzel Logic, conceals its dark satirical vision of modern society beneath immaculate studio production.
Miles Davis’ ‘Filles de Kilimanjaro’ Makes a Jazz Noise
Miles Davis was a shapeshifter, and in his restlessness, he urged and created the groundwork for protean music that reflected shapes and shifts.
This Is Your Life: XTC’s ‘Oranges & Lemons’ at 35
In 1989, XTC released Oranges & Lemons, one of their finest. There are nods to trippy 1960s touchstones, but it’s more of a lush, power-pop celebration.
60 Years On: The Animals, the Hollies, and British Beat
As these 1964 albums from the Animals and the Hollies show, the music of the beat boom was characterized by excitement, reverence, and sound.