Who Put the Pop in Gen Z’s Pop Punk?
Although beloved by millions, Gen Z’s pop punk may also be punk’s most hated form, yet its roots are deep in “pure punk” soil.
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The Noise of the World, Turning on Itself: Dälek’s ‘From Filthy Tongue of Gods and Griots’
From Filthy Tongue of Gods and Griots established Dälek as the finest underground, deconstructive hip-hop outfit that ever toured with heavy-metal heavyweights and held their own.
Call for Papers: All Things Reconsidered – Nov/Dec 2022
We are seeking essays for our November/December 2022 All Things Reconsidered series. These essays analyze classic albums in music history.
The Early November Ask What It Means to Turn ‘Twenty’
The Early November’s Twenty is an innovative retrospective album exploring memory, nostalgia, and aging. Ace Enders and drummer Jeff Kummers talk about its creation.
Barbra Streisand Wanted Her MTV in 1984 and Created ‘Emotion’
More than any other record in her discography, Emotion was a way to make Barbra Streisand a competing presence on pop radio and MTV as pop turned new wave.
‘Devil in a Blue Dress’ Is Among Neo-Noir’s Finest Films
Denzel Washington’s voiceover in neo-noir Devil in a Blue Dress is an equal mix of deadpan charm and wide-eyed innocence, which textures and nuances his performance.
The Promise Ring’s ‘Nothing Feels Good’ Built the Bridge Between Emo and Indie Rock
The Promise Ring’s Nothing Feels Good became one of the first emo records to break through on college radio, paving the way for the next wave of 2000s emo.
Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Tunnel of Love’ Dug Deep Into Rocky Soil
With 1987’s Tunnel of Love, Bruce Springsteen left the highway and E-Street Band to make “married music” and found himself reckoning with time and mortality.
Why Do Voters Want Women Candidates to Be Like Parks and Recreation’s Leslie Knope?
Ten years after Parks and Recreation’s campaign-focused season 4, real-world female political candidates still liken themselves to Leslie Knope. Is that the kind of candidate 2022 needs?
Soul Asylum’s ‘Grave Dancers Union’ at 30
Could the cynicism associated with grunge, Gen X, and early 1990s rock have instead been replaced with sincerity if Soul Asylum’s Grave Dancers Union had been the hit rather than Nirvana’s Nevermind?
Vanessa Daou’s Galactic Dance Gem, ‘Plutonium Glow’
The retro-electro feel of Vanessa Daou’s 1998 ‘Plutonium Glow’ is influenced by ‘90s rave culture, which pushes Daou’s usual bedroom listeners onto the dance floor.
Janet Jackson Created a Queer Pop Classic with ‘The Velvet Rope’ 25 Years ago
By evoking disco and queer dance culture, Janet Jackson subverted her grief over AIDS deaths by turning it into pop joy on The Velvet Rope 25 years ago.
