The Passion of Garth Brooks
Stephen Deusner’s entry in the 33 1/3 series about the wreckage of Garth Brooks’ ‘The Life of Chris Gains project makes for a mightily entertaining read.
1990s
Women in 1990s Rock Music Are Far from Dead
Tanya Pearson’s Pretend We’re Dead is both hopeful and challenging, and proves that the spirit of 1990s women in rock music is still alive and fighting.
Alanis Morissette and the Division and Commodification of Women in 1990s Rock (excerpt)
This excerpt from the forthcoming book, Why Alanis Morissette Matters leaves a most righteous “trail of carnage” in its wake.
Goya Dress’ Dramatic Music Evokes Vivid Classic Imagery
Three-piece UK band Goya Dress specialized in stylishly baroque Sturm und Drang rock; dizzying Märchens sated with the drama of a Francisco Goya painting.
How Going Underground Kept Punk From “Breaking” in 1991
From pivotal, iconic venues in New York and California and the ubiquity of the house show, to the dramatic, intentional divorce from the highly lucrative hardcore/metal crossover scene, 1991 saw numerous DIY punk rock groups reinterpret a 14-year-old subculture with new and urgent relevance.
Bass is Loaded: Kid Sensation on His Bass Music Classic, ‘Rollin’ With Number One’
Electricity and simplicity are the two prime characteristics which drive Kid Sensation's debut.
‘Hype!: Collector’s Edition’ Revels in the Weirdos of the Grunge Scene
The 20th anniversary release of Doug Pray’s 1990s Seattle music scene, Hype!, confirms its place in the pantheon of great music documentaries.
From Garden to Higher Truth: The Legacy of Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell
No matter what Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell did, there was always the sense that he was doing what he wanted.
smallgang: San
The main discriminant between a bluff and the worthwhile is quality, and smallgang have plenty of it.
‘Console Wars’ Is a Deeply Flawed Telling of a Great Story about Videogames
Console Wars prose is often cripplingly simplistic, and its hard to trust in its interpretation of primary material.
A Minor Forest: Flemish Altruism / Inindependence
A Minor Forest didn’t live long enough to see their craft surpass their inspiration, and for this reason their legacy is safer now than it was 20 years ago.