Photo Credit: Kurt Iswarienko When Taylor Swift decided to re-record some of her earlier albums (most recently, Red), she was a woman on a mission. “I do want my music to live on,” she told Billboard in 2019. “I do want it to be in movies, I do want it to be in commercials. But… Read more
Photo Credit: Anton Corbijn In music journalism, there’s a concept known as the five-album-test: any band that has released five consecutively great albums passes. The test is imperfect and controversial – rewarding consistency over irregular bursts of excellence – but the bands who pass it, undeniably, belong to the very highest echelons of music. Most would… Read more
Photo Credit: Zackery Michael On their seventh studio album The Car, the Arctic Monkeys continue the musical road trip that they set out on with their previous release, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino (2018). The Sheffield, England quartet which became known (and renowned) for their brand of fast, kinetic, mile-a-minute Britpop delivered with a punk… Read more
Photo Credit: Jimmy Fontaine / Courtesy of Atlantic Records Since their 1998 debut album Something About Airplanes Bellingham, Washington alternative rockers Death Cab for Cutie at least outwardly appear to have missed out on mainstream success, even though four of their albums went Top 10 in the U.S. between 2005 and 2015. The band’s tenth… Read more
Photo Credit: Vulture Culture Photography Sometimes a band’s sound gets inextricably linked to where they hail from, whether they wish it to or not. X made the soundtrack for any down-and-outer in Los Angeles county. Outkast is Atlanta to the core, and despite the fake English accent, the Ramones always sounded like you just crossed… Read more
Photo Credit: Fredrik Bengtsson For those of you who don’t know, and running somewhat contrary to the image of Sweden we collectively hold in our minds, the Swedes have been hard into punk rock. From day one. From Ebba Gron to Anti Cimex, the land of Ikea has quite a bit of violent discontent bubbling… Read more
Photo Credit: Filmawi The deer has always had a peculiar position within Celtic mythology and is often associated with spirituality and the supernatural. In Ireland, the ghost of the now-extinct Irish giant deer still gallops across the barren landscape and continues to transfer its mythical symbolism to new generations. Therefore, it is not surprising that… Read more
Photo Credit: Oliver Halfin Few bands have mastered the art of still being exciting after 30 years together as a band without beginning to tread water. While there might be flashier, more original, and more forward-thinking groups, Spoon has remained a reliable source of swaggering, Southern-influenced blues-rock. 2007’s Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, featuring the hit… Read more
Photo Credit: Paige Sara Back in 1999, as we were just on the brink of the new millennium, Jack White seemingly came out of nowhere (actually Detroit) to save rock ‘n’ roll. Or at the very least, strip it down to its basics, as in his band the White Stripes he used only an electric… Read more
Photo Credit: Hollie Fernando Only the most hardened of cynics could resist the charm of Wet Leg’s breakout single “Chaise Longue” – filled with euphemisms, deadpan put-downs, and Mean Girls quotes. The band’s rapid rise – with just a handful of songs to their name, they managed to sell-out shows across the world and appeared on multiple… Read more