25 Years of Tom Waits’ ‘Mule Variations’
With Mule Variations, Tom Waits tamed his vaudevillian guises and showed that he was aging gracefully, while retaining his integrity towards his artistry.
Andrew Spiess
Andrew Spiess's work has appeared in Lingerpost, Permafrost, Prairie Margins, The Miscreant, Gravel, The Hamilton Stone Review, and Punch Drunk Press. He received a Louise C. Cooper Book Award from Bowling Green State University, where he studied, and a poem of his has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. He works and lives in Atlanta, Georgia. Follow him on Twitter: @andrewspiesss.
Chastity Belt Ruminate on Insecurities on ‘Live Laugh Love’
Chastity Belt are dovish and disarming on Live Laugh Love, which explores the self. It’s unadulterated self-expression in its purest form.
20 Years of Madvillain’s Endlessly Creative ‘Madvillainy’
Madvillain’s Madvillainy remains an unforgettable underground hip-hop album, combining Madlib’s distinctive beats with MF DOOM’s precisely designed rhymes.
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The 10 Best Punk and Hardcore Albums of 2023
The best punk and hardcore artists fold and knead in other musical styles, diversifying and extending the possibilities of what these genres can sound like.
Riot Grrrl Classic Bikini Kill’s ‘Pussy Whipped’ at 30
Bikini Kill’s biting 1993 opus Pussy Whipped was the centerpiece of the riot grrrl movement, an uninhibited, game-changing punk album by dissident young women.
15 Years of Mogwai’s ‘The Hawk Is Howling’
The Hawk Is Howling is full of signature moments when Mogwai explore complex combinations of moods from bright to dark, soft to heavy, and sensual to horrific.
Explosions in the Sky’s ‘The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place’ at 20
The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place is Explosions in the Sky’s most acclaimed album, establishing themselves as figureheads of epic, instrumental post-rock.
‘In Times New Roman…’ Is Queens of the Stone Age’s Most Introspective Record
Queens of the Stone Age’s …In Times New Roman is classic in all its grit and posture, revealing a pensive Josh Homme writing about his life and tribulations.
New Twenty Saints’ Self-Titled LP Is Heartland Rock at Its Core
Restless and powerful, Detroit band New Twenty Saints’ new self-titled sophomore LP takes influences from its Rust Belt environment to deliver heartland rock.
30 Years of Slowdive’s ‘Souvlaki’
Slowdive’s seminal 30-year-old album, Souvlaki, transcends the negativity that followed its release and carries strength through emotional relatability.
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The 10 Best Progressive Rock/Metal Albums of 2022
The best progressive rock albums are profoundly ambitious and forward-thinking, music that’s immense, expansive, and mind-blowing, with dramatic elements.
Show Me the Body’s ‘Trouble the Water’ Is an Empowering Proclamation for Truth and Action
Brooklyn-based hardcore band Show Me the Body strive to escape banality and preach for the sake of the outcasts on Trouble the Water.
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