For me, at least, Morrissey has always walked a fine line. His mopey crooning can be incredibly affecting, or it can veer toward maudlin. The two keys to success seem...
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A white boy’s relation to rap music is a precarious thing. Sure, white folks had previously infiltrated jazz and almost completely conquered rock and roll, African Americans’ previous musical inventions...
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Sometimes it’s best to keep things simple and direct, prune the excess and get down to basics. Many an out-there band has found success by taking a step back toward...
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Early in its career, the Wedding Present was a band that did one thing incredibly well. They had a specific sound, a kind of frantic jangle-pop—featuring skittery, brittle rhythm guitar...
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What is there to say about U2? They emerged from Ireland inspired by the UK post-punk scene, and soon developed their own voice, one that spoke of political and personal...
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It is a true testament to the decency of my college roommate during the 1988-1989 school year that he never burned my Sonic Youth Sister album, which I played fairly...
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I have a joke I think to myself (it’s not good enough to tell others out loud, really) whenever I listen to Yo La Tengo: that my first Yo La...
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I first heard Public Enemy in the summer of 1987. I’d read a record review of their debut album, Yo! Bum Rush the Show somewhere and picked it up. (I...
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It baffles me that many people seem to consider the Stone Roses’ self-titled debut one of the greatest albums of all time. I didn’t know the album when it came...
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I’m not a big fan of most ‘80s synthesizer-influenced music. Too many artists of the time only used synths to smooth out and fill up their music, taking the edge...
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