Queens of the Stone Age Played Long Game with ‘Lullabies to Paralyze’
Circumstances surrounding Queens of the Stone Age’s ‘Lullabies to Paralyze’ forced the band to transition and double down on their iconic brand of alternative rock.
Pop Past
The 100 Best Alternative Songs of the 1990s
The best alternative songs of the 1990s highlight the “golden age” of indie/alternative rock. Britpop, grunge, art rock, shoegaze, and more came to the fore.
Music/Featured: Top of Home Page/Features/Lists/Music Features/Pop Past/PopMatters Picks/The Best Music of 2005
The 10 Best Electronic Albums of 2005
Jump back 20 years, listen to the best electronic albums of 2005, and hear the era’s state of the genre’s art. It was a highly innovative and influential time.
How One Innovative LP Carved a Dusty Trail to Alternative Country
Don’t Shoot collected country tracks by Los Angeles rockers in the mid-1980s. Cutting edge then, it presents a blueprint for today’s alternative country.
Soundgarden Were Popular Heroes of the Video Game Age
Screaming Life was the authentic sound of grunge and set Soundgarden on course to become the Led Zeppelin of the video game age.
40 Years of the Cure’s First True Surrealist Pop Album
Forty-year-old The Head on the Door propelled the Cure toward arena stature with its musical cohesion and a collection of hallucinatory yet accessible songs.
Remembering For Against’s Brilliant Post-Punk Classic
Coalesced is For Against’s masterpiece, creating cinematic sonic spaces to function as containers for insular expressions of self-doubt, regret, and victory.
Bloc Party Discovered Lightning in a Bottle 20 Years Ago
Bloc Party’s first and best record, championed by Franz Ferdinand, still captivates with its youthful energy, political commentary, and emotional center.
Aimee Mann Launched Brilliant Second Act with ‘Bachelor No. 2’
Aimee Mann is a survivor, wizened by experience but willing to keep going with a bit of hope, and Bachelor No. 2 is the peak of her powers.
30 Years of Alison Krauss’ Country Music Breakthrough
Even if the world only knew Alison Krauss from ‘Now That I’ve Found You: A Collection’, her place in country music history would be assured.
Belly’s 1995 Album ‘King’ Surprised with Its Rock Sound
Belly’s rock-oriented follow-up, King, to their dream pop debut, Star, didn’t deserve its fate. It showcases a talented group stretching their sound.
Bright Eyes’ 2005 Albums Speak to Our Individual and Collective Discontent
Bright Eyes brought their expansive and messy vision to life 20 years ago with two albums that captivated listeners then as they surely will now.