‘Rock of Pages’ Argues for the High of Literature in the Low of Heavy Metal
Rock of Pages makes a lively case that the theatricality of 1980s heavy metal concealed a more literate imagination than its critics would admit.
Jeremy McDonagh
I live in the UK and particularly enjoy listening to and writing about British rock, 1960s jazz, and 1980s hip hop. I've written about the golden age of British rock music between the first and second British Invasion, choosing to write about and compare albums which I think are representative of a time and/or a place, even when the artists have quite separate fandoms.
Alice Coltrane Knew No Boundaries
Rather than rescuing a forgotten figure, Cosmic Music enlarges the frame through which Alice Coltrane is seen.
Jon Hopkins Goes Back to Nature with ‘Wilding’
Jon Hopkins and Biggi Hilmars’ soundtrack, Wilding, achieves something modest but meaningful — music that makes space for the land to breathe.
Take a Trip Through the US Psychedelic Underground 1977-88
A Trip Through the US Psychedelic Underground showcases the richness of 1980s pop music and, by extension, the 1960s pop music that inspired it.
Jill Scott’s New Music Is As Vibrant As Ever
Jill Scott’s new album fits seamlessly with pop’s retro-futuristic fascination with the 1980s. Her signature mix of poetry, hip-hop, jazz, and soul is as vibrant as ever.
Music/All Things Reconsidered/Feature Sub Head/Featured: Top of Home Page/Features/Music Features/Pop Past
Talk Talk’s Lost Chapter: ‘The Colour of Spring’ at 40
With its organic instrumentation and ecological visual and lyrical sensibility, Talk Talk’s third album was a holistic concept rooted in the natural world.
The Beatles Transformed with a Little Help From Their Friends
This music is a testament to the pleasures of pop, where the Beatles’ peerless melodies shine through in every number, making for very entertaining listening.
Grunge, the US Underground, and Beyond 1984-1994
Underground rockers slowed things down, opened them up, and used raw power. Gravelly and grimy, grunge was the sound of big guitars recorded on small budgets.
10 of the Best Grunge Era Deep Cuts
Despite a characterization of grunge as “complaining set to a drop-D tuning”, the musicians from the Seattle scene covered a lot of ground. Here are ten highlights.
Ray Brown Was an Elder Statesman of Jazz
Bassist Ray Brown navigated changing trends in jazz while upholding high standards, creating some of the finest music in the jazz repertoire.
Soundgarden Were Popular Heroes of the Video Game Age
Screaming Life was the authentic sound of grunge and set Soundgarden on course to become the Led Zeppelin of the video game age.
The Style Council’s Café Bleu and David Sylvian’s Brilliant Trees at 40
With Café Bleu and Brilliant Trees, Paul Weller and David Sylvian looked forward to jazz as a renewed source of inspiration; but was their pop music still pop?