We’re supposed to be living in the age of infinite, unimpeded access to the entire…
The Best Indie-Rock/-Pop/-Whatever Songs of 2018
Elvis Costello famously opined that once rock ‘n’ roll dropped the “‘n’ roll” part of…
Alphaville: “Forever Young” Forever
For a song proclaiming its desire for eternal youth, Alphaville’s 1984 signature single “Forever Young”…
The quiet/LOUD Effect: From the Pixies to Better Than Ezra
Whenever you come across a list of the most influential rock bands of the ‘90s,…
The Incremental Evolution of Indie Rock
Like R&B, indie rock is a genre whose current iteration bears zero aesthetic relation to…
A Brief History of Soul-Punk
Unlike most hyphenated sub-genres, soul-punk isn’t really a collision of two different musical forms. It’s…
The Chillwave Effect
While the internet has hurtled us light-speed into the future, its most pervasive effect (as…
’90s Alt-Pop Revisited
You read that right: This is ’90s “alt-pop,” not “alt-rock.” If alt-rock represented the commercialization…
Blog Rock Revisited
Typing the words “mp3 blog” in 2018 feels a lot like typing the words “eight-track…
The Most Punk Proto-Punk
Punk’s various origin stories have been documented ad infinitum, and through them, the movement’s myriad…
The Best Britpop Deep Cuts and Forgotten Faves
“Everybody hates a tourist,” a wise, skinny man once sang. So let’s leave “Wonderwall” at…
Electroclash Forever
Remind us of why we were supposed to hate electroclash? Because it was cheap and…
A Brief History of Honky-Glam
Of the infinite subgenres crammed under the rock ‘n’ roll umbrella, no two feel as…
The Sunny Side of Mark E. Smith
In his 40-plus years fronting The Fall, Mark E. Smith did little to dispel his…
KISS: The World’s Most Underrated Power-Pop Band?
Sure, at this point, KISS are less a band than an automated merchandise factory, with…
Something in the Air: The Oxygenic Influence of Moon Safari
When we think of the truly transformative albums in pop history—those rare records that clearly…
Whatever Happened to My (Early 2000s) Rock ‘n’ Roll?
When Black Rebel Motorcycle Club sang, “Whatever Happened to My Rock ‘n’ Roll” on their…
Putting the X in Xmas
Even if you don’t take part in Christmas (whether it’s because of religious reasons, a…
The Top 50 Indie-Rock Songs of 2017
Note: This playlist follows a loose chronological structure reflecting when these songs were released during…
Kurt Cobain’s 50 Favorite Records
Before we had RIYL algorithms and Spotify discovery playlists, we had Kurt Cobain. The Nirvana…
David Bowie’s 1979 BBC DJ Set Replayed
“I am a DJ, I am what I play,” David Bowie sang on his 1979…
The Most Disturbing Songs Ever
For my sixth birthday, my parents gave me a copy of The Beatles’ White Album,…