It’s a little known fact that indie icon Stephen Malkmus, who pioneered a particularly Southern strain of the off-kilter alt rock aesthetic with the legendary Pavement, once lived…
There are select artists whose work always bears a stamp so novel and distinctive as to guarantee virtually unanimous agreement regarding their being leaps and bounds above their peers. Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman…
Many Americans were first introduced to English singer-songwriter Dido by her feature on Eminem’s 2000 hit “Stan.” Across the pond, however, she was already an astronomical force, with her two first albums, 1999’s…
Maren Morris is seriously shaking things up in the world of country. All eyes are on female talent in the genre as of late, with artists like Kacey Musgraves and…
It’s one thing to stage elaborate routines and concoct convoluted song structures, and if done well, it can work well enough. But then, there are performers who exhibit an unmistakable spontaneity — a…
2 Chainz’s latest album, the star-studded “Rap or Go to the League,” arrived amid plenty fanfare and anticipation, with such stunts as a blimp flying…
Solange is the perfect example of a shared musical heritage and proclivity taking a markedly distinct trajectory. Her sister, the larger-than-life Beyonce, seemed clearly groomed to be a mainstream sensation…
Irish singer-songwriter Hozier started off on a strong note, beginning with worldwide success of his single “Take Me to Church,” then reaching number one in his homeland with his…
Weezer emerged in the early nineties with an idiosyncratic humor all of their own, and a sound that would become the template of countless later bands. Somewhere down the line,…
As music evolves over time, certain artists drift in and out of the spotlight, and at any given time, there are usually a select few who seem to embody a given genre more…
Over the decades, Rock music has grown steadily estranged from its Rock ‘n’ roll roots, and vestigial R&B elements are today recognizable more in hip-hop than in any subgenre of the increasingly meaningless…
Is it possible to be too pop — so much so that it somehow makes you ultimately not very pop, in the true sense of the word? If there…