Jay-Z’s 1999 Album ‘Vol. 3’ Is His Most Aggressive
In Jay-Z’s Vol. 3… Life & Times of S. Carter, the ever-undeterred MC sounds anything but as he fulminates on one end and tightens his durag on the other.
All Things Reconsidered
Gorillaz at 25 Are a Cultural Force for the Good
Assuming personal stability is necessary for collective betterment, it’s high time that Gorillaz share their newest, loving, bizarre journey with the rest of the world.
Massive Attack’s ‘Blue Lines’ Changed Everything
Massive Attack provided the first truly viable British response to the then-rising—and stubbornly indigenous—sensibilities of American hip-hop culture.
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.
Dead Kennedys’ ‘Frankenchrist’ Is Sadly Relevant at 40
Dead Kennedys’ Frankenchrist is a full-scale assault on Reagan’s America–the hypocrisy, seedy undercurrent beneath the slogans, and institutional racism.
Tom Waits’ Perfect Performance 50 Years Later
Nighthawks at the Diner has received a 50th anniversary reissue. It remains a jazzy, captivating portrait of a young Tom Waits deep in character.
OutKast’s ‘Stankonia’ Uses Mirrors and Oppositions
OutKast’s Stankonia is a diptych that opposes and mirrors the duo; creating a stylistic reverence for an inimitable vision.
Naked Eyes’ 1983 Debut Delivers Sincerity in an Ironic World
Naked Eyes’ 1983 debut, Burning Bridges, is a good album for reflecting on our ironic modern world, as it can’t help but wax nostalgic for the sincerity of the past.
Wolf Parade’s 2005 Debut Is Still a Revelation
Montreal band Wolf Parade’s haphazard formation and instant momentum yielded their most captivating work, including what would become their defining anthem.
The Brilliant Eartha Kitt Is “Miss Kitt” to You
Eartha Kitt’s best recordings from the 1950s represent the bedrock of her career and deliver a charming respite from a world in turmoil. Miss Kitt, to You is a revelation.
Music/All Things Reconsidered/Feature Sub Head/Featured: Top of Home Page/Features/Music Features/Pop Past
“Only Dogs Have Their Day”: Son Volt’s ‘Trace’ at 30
Thirty years later, we can finally hear the songs that Son Volt’s Jay Farrar wrote without the alt-country baggage critics perpetuated to the point of cliché.
Michael Jackson’s ‘HIStory’ Still Defies History
Thirty years on, Michael Jackson’s HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I is among the most ambitious and personal pop statements of the 1990s, born from pressure, transformed into autobiography, and forever in our History.