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.
sophisti-pop
This Is Supposedly the Best of Everything But the Girl
As Everything But the Girl, Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt were one of the most unique British acts of the 1980s and 1990s.
Svetlana Highlights Female Artists with Cinematic Classics
With Reel to Remix, Svetlana takes the chance to use her talents and the power of nostalgia to uplift other women in music, and that’s admirable.
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Roxy Music and the Birth of Sophisti-Pop: ‘Flesh + Blood’ at 45
While their penultimate studio album never garnered significant acclaim, Roxy Music’s Flesh + Blood is a moody, influential gem and vastly underrated.
DJ Nontoya Presents Tokyo Bliss, Japanese Funk and More
Tokyo’s DJ Nontoya takes you on a guided tour through the fascinating worlds of city pop and Japanese funk on his third mix for WeWantSounds.
The Style Council’s Café Bleu and David Sylvian’s Brilliant Trees at 40
With Café Bleu and Brilliant Trees, Paul Weller and David Sylvian looked forward to jazz as a renewed source of inspiration; but was their pop music still pop?
Memories of Basia’s ‘The Sweetest Illusion’ 29 Years Later
Basia’s The Sweetest Illusion speaks to my family’s migration from Poland to France, the US, and the UK. Like Basia, I’ve picked up various cultural ephemera along the way.
Philosophy and Pop Harmonize on Scritti Politti’s ‘Songs to Remember’
In Scritti Politti’s Songs to Remember, Green Gartside comically challenges hegemonic structures in a perfect harmony of philosophy and pop.
‘The Best of Roxy Music’ Gets a Vinyl Re-Issue
As this vinyl reissue of Roxy Music’s 2001 compilation makes clear, the only thing cooler than Roxy Mark II was Roxy Mark I.
Roxy Music Invented the 1980s with Their Swan Song ‘Avalon’
Forty years ago, Roxy Music stepped away from the recording studio, but not before leaving behind an album that defined the 1980s. It’s the ultimate marriage of high concept, high art, and high-quality popular music.
Level 42 Deliver a Masterclass of Aspirational 1980s Pop
Level 42 started off wanting to be Return to Forever and ended up next to Culture Club and Spandau Ballet in the top 40. How did that happen?
“Coast” Is the Dark Shed’s Hip-Swaying Art-Pop Summer Jam (premiere)
The latest collaboration between Winston Cook-Wilson and Ryan Weiner, “Coast” mixes pandemic-era dread with funky, irresistible beats.