It was thrilling to think of where SOPHIE was going to take us next after having deconstructed both club music and pop. But even without her here to lead us, the tenacity and impactfulness of her bold body of work can guide us.
Part social commentary and part fictional narrative, Green Day's American Idiot came out of nowhere and impressed with its biting political subversion, exploration of teenage angst, love, and uncertainty, and perhaps most importantly, brilliant structures, transitions, and overall cohesion.
The Band were one of the original country-rock groups and they helped invent the Americana genre as we know it. Here are 10 of their best songs.
Like M83, electropop's Douglas creates big universes of sound, as one hears on her new single "Cigarettes".
Green Day's Dookie was the best rock album of 1994. Scores of critics admitted that, yes, this 14-track album full of speedy pop-punk tunes about panic attacks, boredom, and masturbation was quite catchy, but no one would've held it against them if they doubted that Dookie would have had staying power.
Divide and Dissolve do a great job of releasing the demons—not the ones of dreams we've just left but the nightmare that begins in the morning living in a world governed by economic racism and the daily grind.
The nostalgic, feel-good documentary, ‘Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President’, explores Carter’s connections to the music world but misses a lot about this not-so-simple man.
As cool as Marlon Brando, James Dean, Jack Kerouac or Dalton Trumbo, rebel Max "Flaco" Greenbaum grows up in Watts Riots-Vietnam-draft-era L.A. Too smart (and smart-mouthed) for school, the violence of this world is drawn in deep and lingers like the long, slow, life-saving drag of a cigarette.
The Future Bites objectively deserves applause for perpetuating Steven Wilson's integrity and creativity, even if it's a markedly—and perhaps intentionally—divisive collection, too.
A recent compilation of rare covers by Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings only highlights what we've long known. Soul music is of a rare and special breed capable of uniting people across many societal lines.
Wardruna investigate Scandinavian folk dimensions, the Body forge an assault of extravagant noise and distortion, and Portrayal of Guilt eloquently cross over between hardcore and extreme metal.
One of the crowning achievements of City So Real is that it shows that the fight for racial justice in Chicago became adopted by people of all identities thanks to the tireless work of organizers.
