The 10 Most Memorable Non-Smash Hit Singles of 1984
A singular confluence of classic rock, New Wave, and indie rock experimentation made 1984 a captivating musical brew. All but two cracked the Billboard Top 40.
A singular confluence of classic rock, New Wave, and indie rock experimentation made 1984 a captivating musical brew. All but two cracked the Billboard Top 40.
Speaking in Tongues captures Talking Heads at the zenith of their funk freakout and just before a big gray suit would change everything. It’s an art-pop funk masterpiece.
In Scritti Politti’s Songs to Remember, Green Gartside comically challenges hegemonic structures in a perfect harmony of philosophy and pop.
Who knew the music of mullets, wrap-around shades, and bodysuits could be so compelling? Nuovo Testamento’s Love Lines succeeds and transports the listener.
Norwegian synthpop trio a-ha’s not-quite-classic 1985 debut Hunting High and Low is once again reissued in expanded form, this time on vinyl.
New Order’s danceable rhythms and quick, clean melodies inspired a slew of paler imitators then and a new onslaught of dance-punk bands in the past few decades.
New Order’s Low-Life is a masterstroke of synthpop glory, but keep your expectations of the word “definitive” nice and low for this set.
Hard to find and largely overlooked, Mary Jean & 9 Others‘ romantic pop innocence outshines some of Marshall Crenshaw’s best-known work. Crenshaw discusses the record.
In Dawn FM, the Weeknd carries the weight of party hauntology, which explores how our cultural past haunts the present and future and mourns what never comes.
We dance this mess around, get out our lava lamps, and explore why the B-52’s 1979 debut album is one of the best pop records ever made.
Talking Heads: 77‘s power-pop short song format sounded familiar, but those herky-jerky rhythms, eccentric melodies, and strained yelping vocals led to New Wave.
As this vinyl reissue of Roxy Music’s 2001 compilation makes clear, the only thing cooler than Roxy Mark II was Roxy Mark I.