Dexys Midnight Runners Marry Disparate Cultures on ‘LOVE’
LOVE is the first album credited to Dexys Midnight Runners since 1985, an apposite gesture since the themes and undertones link back to Don’t Stand Me Down.
new wave
Sex, Violence, and Politics Soak Nagisa Ōshima’s ‘Cruel Story of Youth’
Nagisa Ōshima’s Cruel Story of Youth prefers to understand its protagonists rather than evaluate them, reserving its verdicts for the social structures that define them.
The 10 Most Important British Synthpop Songs of 1980
It’s been 46 years since the first explosion of synthpop songs revitalised the UK charts. These are the Moog-infused tracks of 1980 that had the biggest impact.
The Strokes’ ‘Reality Awaits’ Feels Quite Impersonal
The Strokes’ Reality Awaits doesn’t deliver the same charm or hit with the same immediacy fans have come to expect from them.
The Earliest Days of Talking Heads Are a Revelation
A new Talking Heads compilation acts like a scrapbook, looking at their early years as a trio before they exploded onto the New York scene and around the world.
A New Compilation Celebrates CBGB’s Big Bang
The CBGB club was the Big Bang birthing center for a revolution in rock, and this four-CD set reproduces what shot out of that dark, dank space.
Britpop Pioneers Squeeze Bring Out the Fun on ‘Trixies’
Squeeze were always ambitious, although never at the expense of fun. Trixies is imaginative, impressive, and most importantly, fun.
Depeche Mode’s “Stripped” Encapsulates Analog to Algorithmic Longing
In future generations, it is easy to see Depeche Mode’s “Stripped” inspiring the same sensual viscerality as humans being penetrated by their AI sex dolls.
Leisure Process Deliver Treasure From the Vaults
Skittering post-disco rhythms, slap-bass riffs, synth-lines, the ebbs and flows of sax, and declamatory soaring vocals make up the sound of post-punk’s Leisure Process.
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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.
Blondie Went Genre Crazy on Their Comeback ‘No Exit’
Fueled by the international hit “Maria”, 1999’s No Exit brought Blondie back to life. The record has an admirable sense of adventure.
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.