The 10 Most Eclectic English Albums Ever
With St George flags currently lining the streets of England, it must be time to celebrate the country’s most stylistically diverse and cosmopolitan records.
Adam Mason
Adam Mason has a PhD in Literature from the University of Bristol. He has written for the Journal for Eighteenth Century Studies and for his own music blog, Ad's Vinyl Adventures. He is a firm believer in drinking real ale and listening to vinyl, which he does as often as his two small daughters will let him.
James Yorkston Impresses with Brilliant Swedish Singers
James Yorkston hits new heights of organic wistfulness and melancholy with the aid of ex-Cardigans singer Nina Persson and First Aid Kit’s Johanna Söderberg.
New Order’s ‘Substance 1987’ Is Even More Essential on Re-issue
This is the complete story of how New Order assimilated US underground dance sounds and determined the direction of indie music for many years to come.
You Will Learn to Love the Beatles’ Movies
Steve Matteo’s meticulously researched and infectiously enthusiastic dive into the Beatles’ movies, Act Naturally, will make you love those silly films.
The 10 Best Peter Buck Collaborations in Song
Peter Buck is revered for his work with R.E.M., but he’s made brilliant music with Billy Bragg, the Decemberists, First Aid Kit, and Eyelids. We pick ten of the best.
Gorillaz Push Boundaries on the Wildly Inventive ‘Cracker Island’
Gorillaz’s Cracker Island includes Stevie Nicks and reggaeton star Bad Bunny on an unrestrained set of dystopian songs with Damon Albarn’s melodic gift.
Hot Chip Hone Their Electronic Songcraft on Anxiety-ridden ‘Freakout/Release’
Hot Chip’s Freakout/Release is an extraordinary display of synthpop versatility and invention, born of collaboration, improvisation, and the psychological mess of lockdown.
The 10 Best Neil Finn Songs
Neil Finn has been writing and co-writing songs ever since his first band in 1976, most recently for a rejuvenated Crowded House. Here are ten of his finest.
The 15 Best Indie Rock Albums of 2021
In 2021 indie rock was a guitar-led extravaganza with artists drawing from an ever-widening musical well. These are the 15 best indie rock albums of the year.
Pulp’s Swansong ‘We Love Life’ Turns 20
Pulp’s We Love Life exists in the shadow of Different Class and This Is Hardcore, with no iconic singles. Yet it’s the Sheffield band’s most cohesive and heartfelt work, which has the distinction of being, well, a sort of folk album.
The Effect of the Beatles’ White Album on 1988-1995’s US Alt-Rock Explosion
The Beatles’ White Album was the single biggest influence on US alternative rock as it burst into the mainstream in the late ’80s and early ’90s.
The Beths’ ‘Auckland, New Zealand, 2020’ Documents a Liberating Concert
The Beths’ new live album, Auckland, New Zealand, 2020, features possibly the most exhilarating music to yet come out of the COVID darkness.