Sometimes the ability to triangulate a song into its particular time and place is a feature, not a bug.
Win Butler and the Wise Blood Roadshow
Neon Bible isn’t as universally loved as other Arcade Fire albums - is this a product of artistic overreach, or of a public less willing to invest in its message?
Anything Else But Emo
The Honorary Title’s story is a parable of how not to market a band. Their career was cut off at the knees before it truly began, but their accomplished debut album is worth your time.
The People Vs. Daft Punk
Over a decade later, it might finally be time to reckon with the fact that Human After All is actually a pretty fantastic piece of work.
New Feature: Pressing Concerns
The vinyl boom has left some great albums behind without a fair shake. Re-Critic’s new page is dedicated to making a case for them to exist, or to just be more available.
The Unsexy Centerpiece of an Iconic Soundtrack
Blur’s “Sing” provides both the sequential and emotional heart of Trainspotting’s iconic soundtrack album, a perfect case study in how an unflashy selection can bring dynamic range to a compilation.
Conversations with My Collection : A Vinyl Odyssey
Building a virtual mirror of my collection taught me some things about my stacks of wax, but also about myself.
On Texas Time : Looking Back at Sha Sha
We try to define why Ben Kweller’s solo debut has stood the test of time…and fail spectacularly in the attempt
There and Back Again: The Wonder Years Find Themselves on the Road
The Philly outfit’s follow-up to No Closer To Heaven is one that follows them all around the world but always feels like home
Young Lovers: Building Worlds
Catching up with one of the LA area's rising guitar acts to discuss their new work and what it means to be a young lover.
That Was It : A Band of Bros and a Definitively American Record
The best thing that Is This It has going for it is that it's not the best album of its time.
#Adulting: The Jicks get "Shiggy"
Stephen Malkmus and his band are cornering the market on indie dad-rock for the ages, and the aged.
RIP Jack White
Boarding House Reach is a bridge too far, but not for the reasons you might think.
Our Anthems Weigh a Ton
Two Montreal-based bands face off in a battle of who could care more. Who comes out on top?
What we talk about when we talk about recording.
Recording is a kind of alchemy. While anyone can turn flour into bread, it takes a lot of skill and patience to turn lead into gold.
Kill Your Darlings
In era of unprecedented, unparalleled, unfettered access and availability, are we selling ourselves short by buying into a "news cycle" mentality?
Splash After Death: The Breeders' Reunion Actually Means Something
In a climate where reunions are a dime a dozen, every once in a while one comes along that seems more significant.
The Punk of Tomorrow, Today
Twenty years on, "New Noise" remains a powder keg of righteous brutality that continues to take on new levels of meaning in a world hungry for change.
Is Everything Recorded? : The Debut Work of an Icon
XL Recordings mogul Richard Russell gives a showcase for his label's talent and concocts a moodily intellectual treatise on the effect of memory.
Twinning Fantastically: Will Toledo Gambles on LP3
Car Seat Headrest borrows from old blues to make something new on Twin Fantasy.