I published the first of my year-end best-albums lists in early March of 2022, and sheepishly titled it “A belated list.” The next one was a little less late, landing in late February, and so that one was “A (somewhat less) belated list.” Well, the third edition is later than ever. It’s mid-March, 2023 has … Continue reading A belated (as usual) list of the best albums of 2023
This essay is divided into two sections: an introduction, with a brief overview of the album’s history and a defense of its greatness; followed by a longer (and quite obsessive) track-by-track breakdown of all 13 songs. Just so what you know what you’re getting into going in. And by the way, if you like the … Continue reading The greatness of Everything, the Bangles’ melancholy, masterful breakup album
Wednesday’s fifth album, Rat Saw God, contains an unreasonable amount of awesomeness. The Asheville, North Carolina quintet does so many things so well on their breakout LP it’s almost not fair. I’ve heard their sound referred to as “country shoegaze” or “if Sonic Youth were from the South,” and those are apt descriptions. They play … Continue reading Wednesday’s Rat Saw God: Southern Gothic country shoegaze played with exhilarating intensity
Quick note about the music in this post: I have several classic rave tracks and mixtapes from the 1992–94 era embedded throughout, and others linked in the text. I also made a Spotify playlist of the records I played in that era, embedded at the bottom of this article, but here’s the link if you … Continue reading On the 30th anniversary of my marginal DJ career
I learned of Sinéad O’Connor’s death at four in the morning here in Sydney, in the midst of a bout of insomnia, a common occurrence for me. It struck me like a blow, knocking the wind out of me. I scrolled in shock through the headlines and posts for a bit, then sat on the … Continue reading “Remember what I told you”: Sinéad O’Connor’s incomparable life of rebellion
If you follow Susanna Hoffs for any length of time, the overriding impression is one of restlessness. The singer, guitarist and co-founding Bangle is someone who can never be still or do just one thing for very long. She’s constantly in motion in her wonderfully charming TikTok and Instagram videos. She shows off her dance … Continue reading With a new covers LP and a delightful debut novel out at the same time, Susanna Hoffs is thriving
There were two things I noticed about the reactions to Tina Turner’s death last month. First, there was a general agreement that even though she was 83, it still felt tragically early, way too soon for her to go. She was one of those artists who seem so filled with life and energy and passion, … Continue reading Let’s talk about Tina Turner’s pivotal contributions to the Mad Max saga
This is a revised and expanded version of an article I wrote for Tone Deaf in 2018 (and which was later republished by Classic Album Sundays) Boards of Canada’s Music Has the Right to Children is without question the album I’ve listened to the most in the past 21 years. I can’t think of what … Continue reading Boards of Canada’s Music Has the Right to Children: Cinematic psychedelia, dope beats and audio therapy
This defense of Meg White is something I’ve had in mind for ages, long before I started this blog. The White Stripes have been one of my favorite bands for 20 years. From the start I’ve always loved Meg’s drumming, always found her to be absolutely indispensable to their sound. And I’ve always been deeply … Continue reading Meg White’s greatness is not up for debate
It’s frustrating how long it takes me to get these best-of lists out. My best of 2021 was published in March of last year. I wanted this one up a lot earlier but my epic piece about Andor ended up taking a lot of time and energy at the start of the year (and no … Continue reading A (somewhat less) belated list of the best albums of 2022
Under the Paving Stones 