The Conceptual Depths of Mastodon’s ‘Leviathan’
Mastodon’s Leviathan is a concept LP inspired by American novelist Herman Melville’s Moby Dick. Think of it as sludge metal’s answer to Dark Side of the Moon.
All Things Reconsidered
Liza Minnelli and Pet Shop Boys United on the Camp Classic ‘Results’
Results is an incredible union of two seemingly disparate acts, yet the musical marriage of Liza Minnelli and the Pet Shop Boys is brilliant dance pop.
Frank Zappa’s Serious Transformation: ‘The Perfect Stranger’ at 40
A prolific conductor and a sophisticated synthesizer make for an under-appreciated but vastly important album in Frank Zappa’s prodigious catalog.
Oasis’ ‘Definitely Maybe’ Still Sounds Fresh After 30 Years
Definitely Maybe is the definitive statement in the Oasis catalog, an album of its time but also transformative in what was yet to come.
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Jawbox Discuss ‘For Your Own Special Sweetheart’ at 30
Jawbox’s major label debut is their most beloved album, a perfect marriage of songwriting and production that sounds as thrilling today as it did 30 years ago.
Mr. Bungle’s ‘California’ Still Feels Fresh 25 Years Later
Despite not being strictly metal, Mr. Bungle’s unhinged musical adventurousness showed heavy metal could get weird and silly without losing the heaviness.
Leonard Cohen’s ‘New Skin for the Old Ceremony’ Remains Its Divided Self at 50
Leonard Cohen courted the light as much as the dark—a duality at the heart of his existence and his 50-year-old album ‘New Skin for the Old Ceremony’.
Minnie Riperton’s ‘Perfect Angel’ at 50: Imperfectly Angelic
Soul singer Minnie Riperton made full use of her multi-octave voice and songwriting talent on 1974’s Perfect Angel, with her still-beloved hit, “Lovin’ You”.
Metallica’s ‘Ride the Lightning’ Turns 40, But the Memory Remains
Yes, Metallica were singing about death—the cartoon skulls and swords I doodled in my notebooks rendered sonically. But they were also singing about life.
Robert Fripp and Gary Numan’s Journeys into Post-Punk
In the post-punk era, progressive rock figurehead Robert Fripp and synth pop pioneer Gary Numan would shape the future sound of alternative rock and metal.
Patti Smith’s “Piss Factory” and “Hey Joe” Remain Prophetic 50 Years On
Patti Smith’s “Hey Joe” and “Piss Factory” expresses her unremitting fight for freedom: when she went from a factory girl to a poète maudit.
Hüsker Dü’s ‘Zen Arcade’ at 40: Do You Remember?
In the early 1980s, Hüsker Dü paved the way for alternative rock, adding the power, anger, and pain of hardcore punk to a mix of 1960s and 1970s pop-rock styles.