Apr 21, 2014 | Last Updated: 04:53 AM EDT
Latest News, Analysis, Opinions and Charts from Music
Apr 21, 2014 | Last Updated: 04:53 AM EDT
Latest News, Analysis, Opinions and Charts from Music
Apr 2014 21:19PM EDT
Rolling Stone recently wrote a list of the 40 best alternative albums of 1994, and while they included a ton of excellent albums (Parklife, Weezer’s Blue Album, Dookie), I also noticed that a ton of classics were missing as well (and replaced by Korn and Bush, for some reason). Here are eight great albums from 1994 that Rolling Stone must have simply forgotten to add to their list.READ MORE
Apr 2014 19:06PM EDT
When a musician is kicked out of a high-profile band, or if that band breaks up, they can usually be expected to start another band soon afterwards. While these bands are rarely better than the old ones (see: Wings, Big Audio Dynamite), sometimes the new band is actually better. Here are six artists whose second band was better than their first.READ MORE
Apr 2014 19:03PM EDT
Unless they're singing folk songs like Bob Dylan, solo artists are rarely "solo" in the most literal sense of the word, typically employing a backing band to play along with them on record and during concerts. However, just as some artists leave their bands in pursuit of a solo career, some solo artists feel more comfortable playing music within a band environment. Here are six great bands that began as solo projects for one of the members.READ MORE
Apr 2014 19:34PM EDT
I've written some reviews of basement shows for Music Times, and the more often I go to them, the more I'm convinced that they're superior to big venue shows in almost every way. Here are some reasons why.READ MORE
Apr 2014 19:31PM EDT
Artists who tend to repeat their own work over and over again usually aren’t worth following (see: Oasis), but there are some artists who have shifted their sounds so radically that they’ve become virtually unrecognizable to their former selves. Here are six artists who sound totally different from when they started.READ MORE
Apr 2014 19:26PM EDT
I hold the very uncontroversial opinion that Illmatic, the debut album by Queens rapper Nas, is the greatest rap album ever made. In celebration of Illmatic’s 20th birthday today, here a couple of reasons why it’s truly the greatest ever, just in case you’re unconvinced (or if you’ve never heard it before).READ MORE
Apr 2014 21:47PM EDT
Gabriel García Márquez, 87, died yesterday (April 17, 2014) from lymphatic cancer at his home in Mexico City. The worlds and characters he created have also spawned musical works. In a testament to his legacy, here are 10 songs that were inspired by Garcia Marquez's life and works.READ MORE
Apr 2014 20:14PM EDT
The most renowned guitar solos in rock history are soaring and highly melodic, like David Gilmour’s ethereal passages in “Comfortably Numb,” or the epic guitar duel between Don Felder and Joe Walsh at the end of “Hotel California”. These eight solos listed here are way too strange to ever get such recognition, but they’re definitely worth checking out anyway.READ MORE
Apr 2014 15:30PM EDT
Musicians have a very unusual relationship with the songs they write. Just like an actor doesn't sit around watching his or her own movies all day (hopefully), a musician doesn't listen to their own albums very often, for various reasons. They could simply be tired of hearing the songs, or maybe they're self-conscious, but sometimes an artist genuinely dislikes their own work. Here are seven albums aren't very well liked by the people who made them.READ MORE
Apr 2014 13:16PM EDT
In an era where My Bloody Valentine takes 20 years to record an album, it’s easy to forget that recording a good album doesn’t need to take a very long time. In fact, some of the greatest albums of all time were recorded in no time at all. Here are seven classic albums that were recorded extremely quickly.READ MORE
Apr 2014 17:52PM EDT
A drummer can either make or break a band. If they can't keep a beat, or if they play in a style that doesn't suit the songs, then the band as a whole will suffer. These six bands understood the importance of percussion, and dared to experiment with what unusual percussion could bring out in their music.READ MORE
Apr 2014 16:26PM EDT
Despite what Courtney Love may think, saxophones do, in fact, belong in rock music. Of course they can be used poorly, just like anything else really, but these seven songs prove that saxophone can be integrated brilliantly into rock music.READ MORE
Apr 2014 13:33PM EDT
There are plenty of good reasons for an artist to release a solo album. Maybe their band broke up, or maybe they want to write some songs in a different style. However, sometimes musicians go ahead and release solo music that could have been easily been released with their band. Here are five musicians who didn't need to go solo.READ MORE
Apr 2014 18:53PM EDT
Though each musical era has its own peculiar trends, no decade can compete with the ‘80s when it comes to bizarre, distinctive record production. Anyone can identify a ‘80s song immediately: chorus on the guitars, reverb on the drums, cheesy synths, and a cold atmosphere. Virtually every album released during the decade succumbed to this style, with these notable exceptions…READ MORE
Apr 2014 15:56PM EDT
Happy tax day! If you feel stressed out and miserable that you waited until the last minute to do your taxes (if that's the case, stop reading this and get back to your taxes), don't feel so bad; even the rich and famous are awful at paying the IRS. Here are seven musicians that have run into trouble with Uncle Sam.READ MORE
