All Things Reconsidered

What the Wonder Years’ ‘The Greatest Generation’ Means to the Rest of Us

What the Wonder Years’ ‘The Greatest Generation’ Means to the Rest of Us

The Wonder Years’ The Greatest Generation is a vulnerable document of the struggle of living with pain and suffering and the desire to overcome it through loving relationships and empathetic communities.

Camp and the Hyperreal Telenovela in Almodóvar’s ‘All About My Mother’

Camp and the Hyperreal Telenovela in Almodóvar’s ‘All About My Mother’

In All About My Mother, Pedro Almodóvar leverages hyperreality through a camp lens to narrate a story that is as rich in theatricality as it is in the nuanced emotionality of the dream.

The Menacing, Grimy Weirdness of Melvins’ ‘Houdini’ at 30

The Menacing, Grimy Weirdness of Melvins’ ‘Houdini’ at 30

Once Houdini dropped, all the agonizing over whether Melvins would debase themselves and compromise their sound petered out before we were halfway into “Hooch”.

Girls Against Boys on Their Criticized ’90s Album, ‘Freak*on*Ica’

Girls Against Boys on Their Criticized ’90s Album, ‘Freak*on*Ica’

Girls Against Boys are the crucial and criminally under-appreciated link between ’90s alternative rock and the 2000s post-punk boom. Freak*on*Ica plays well in these times.

Between the Grooves of Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’

Between the Grooves of Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’

In 1984, funk rock legend Prince combined music and film into a major extravaganza called Purple Rain, and it went to the top of the charts for 24 weeks in a row.

Is Lo Fidelity Allstars Style Big Beat Back After 25 Years?

Is Lo Fidelity Allstars Style Big Beat Back After 25 Years?

The current resurgence of Britpop could trigger nostalgia for late 1990s big beat like Lo Fidelity Allstars, while trip-hop remains a vital influence.

Call for Papers: All Things Reconsidered – FILM Autumn 2023

Call for Papers: All Things Reconsidered – FILM Autumn 2023

We are seeking essays for our Autumn 2023 All Things Reconsidered film series. These essays analyze and contextualize classic movies in history.

Everything’s a Dollar in This Box: Tom Waits’ ‘Swordfishtrombones’ at 40

Everything’s a Dollar in This Box: Tom Waits’ ‘Swordfishtrombones’ at 40

Tom Waits’ 1983 album Swordfishtrombones signified a seismic shift in the singer-songwriter’s sound. His music would never be the same again.

Call for Papers: All Things Reconsidered – MUSIC Autumn 2023

Call for Papers: All Things Reconsidered – MUSIC Autumn 2023

We are seeking essays for our Autumn 2023 All Things Reconsidered music series. These essays analyze and contextualize classic albums in music history.

‘Judgment Night’ Soundtrack Merged Rock and Hip-Hop 30 Years Ago

‘Judgment Night’ Soundtrack Merged Rock and Hip-Hop 30 Years Ago

The Judgment Night soundtrack blazed the path that led the evolution of rock and roll into nu-metal of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Jim Morrison’s Spoken-Word Effect

Jim Morrison’s Spoken-Word Effect

Jim Morrison, a startlingly seductive figure, was at once impish and grandiose, the sly trickster enemy of all the straight moralists and self-righteous prigs, a confident voice ready to be summoned to your side of the argument.

Keepin’ the Faith: Billy Joel’s ‘An Innocent Man’ at 40

Keepin’ the Faith: Billy Joel’s ‘An Innocent Man’ at 40

Billy Joel’s An Innocent Man laid the foundation for him to become a vessel for nostalgia that would far outlast the album’s 1950s references.