Soundgarden Were Popular Heroes of the Video Game Age
Screaming Life was the authentic sound of grunge and set Soundgarden on course to become the Led Zeppelin of the video game age.
All Things Reconsidered
40 Years of the Cure’s First True Surrealist Pop Album
Forty-year-old The Head on the Door propelled the Cure toward arena stature with its musical cohesion and a collection of hallucinatory yet accessible songs.
Remembering For Against’s Brilliant Post-Punk Classic
Coalesced is For Against’s masterpiece, creating cinematic sonic spaces to function as containers for insular expressions of self-doubt, regret, and victory.
Bloc Party Discovered Lightning in a Bottle 20 Years Ago
Bloc Party’s first and best record, championed by Franz Ferdinand, still captivates with its youthful energy, political commentary, and emotional center.
Aimee Mann Launched Brilliant Second Act with ‘Bachelor No. 2’
Aimee Mann is a survivor, wizened by experience but willing to keep going with a bit of hope, and Bachelor No. 2 is the peak of her powers.
30 Years of Alison Krauss’ Country Music Breakthrough
Even if the world only knew Alison Krauss from ‘Now That I’ve Found You: A Collection’, her place in country music history would be assured.
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Dark Comedy ‘Patriot’ Illuminates Neoliberalism’s Dark Reality
The dark comedy Patriot illuminates how neoliberalism makes choices for us disguisedly, using entrepreneurial agency as a fig leaf to obscure manipulation.
Belly’s 1995 Album ‘King’ Surprised with Its Rock Sound
Belly’s rock-oriented follow-up, King, to their dream pop debut, Star, didn’t deserve its fate. It showcases a talented group stretching their sound.
Bright Eyes’ 2005 Albums Speak to Our Individual and Collective Discontent
Bright Eyes brought their expansive and messy vision to life 20 years ago with two albums that captivated listeners then as they surely will now.
Poster Children Discuss 1995’s Brilliant LP ‘Junior Citizen’ at 30
Poster Children‘s Junior Citizen remains a refreshing, barely-polished masterpiece, like garish, late-night anime on steroids. The group discuss the album.
Hüsker Dü’s ‘New Day Rising’ Still Sparkles at 40
Hüsker Dü’s New Day Rising provided equal parts muscular intensity and melody as the band laid the groundwork for the future of alternative music.
Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’ Subverts Being Trapped in a Glass Castle
For her 1989 album, Taylor Swift wrote breakup songs that cleverly conveyed to fans she had personal freedom even from within her glass castle.