To those who know her work, Sarah Jarosz is a multi-talented singer-songwriter and instrumentalist who has captivated audiences with her unique blend of contemporary folk, Americana, and bluegrass music for the better part of fifteen years (and counting). Born and raised in Texas, Sarah started playing music at an early age and quickly developed a … More SARAH JAROSZ: Albums Ranked
Some 30 years (and counting) removed from the commercial success of their major-label debut, Dream Theater has managed to sustain and maintain their position as one of the premier names in prog-metal. With each new release, the immensely talented five-piece firmly re-establishes what longtime fans have known for years: Dream Theater is still creating relevant … More DREAM THEATER: Albums Ranked
Released: October 7, 2022 It’s an all too common tale: a young band bursts onto the scene, makes a ton of noise, and soon crumbles under the weight of critical acclaim-fueled expectation. Occasionally, a mercurial artist manages to emerge from the wreckage and sets out in a bold new direction. This list isn’t as long … More Wunderhorse: Singer/Songwriter in Spirit, Amps-to-Eleven in Execution
Released: December 3, 2021 Wild Type Droid, Failure’s sixth overall full-length, just might be the band’s most focused, artistically-potent release to date. Hot take? Maybe, but trust me, I took notes, and I’m more than happy to show my work. First, some context: there was a period following their late-’90s hiatus where ‘Failure’ seemed destined … More Failure: Wild Type Droid
Released: May 5, 2017 When the Afghan Whigs released Congregation back in 1992, they immediately sounded like a throw-back alternative to alt-rock. Combining elements of soul and funk with a sexually-charged lyrical perspective, frontman Greg Dulli and his cohorts were clearly marching to their own beat. The band subsequently courted mainstream success with a pair of decade-defining releases … More The Afghan Whigs: In Spades
Released: March 22, 2019 It’s hard to believe that Andrew Bird has been making records for over twenty years. Only yesterday, it seemed the violin-wielding songsmith was destined to be the ‘next big thing.’ While he saw measured success with releases like 2009’s Noble Beast and 2012’s Break It Yourself, Bird never quite reaped the benefits of the post-Millenium indie-folk … More Andrew Bird – My Finest Work Yet
Released: March 30, 1970 Miles Davis famously said, “do not fear mistakes—there are none.” He’s also the man who reinvented jazz “four or five times.” He played his trumpet for decades, weathering one cultural revolution after another. He was an innovator, originator, and visionary. His audience spans a handful of generations at this point, and … More Run the Voodoo Down: Miles Davis – Bitches Brew
Released: October 1, 2007 If you could listen to any record again for the first time, which one would you choose? It’s the sort of question that makes for a perfect icebreaker in a crowded room (remember those?) because of the variety of answers it’s sure to inspire. After all, few things evoke shades of … More Frames: A Look Back at the Oceansize Masterpiece
Released: March 12, 1991 It’s nearly impossible to discuss R.E.M.’s ascent from enigmatic indie-rockers to stadium-filling pop stars without mentioning the band’s seventh album, Out Of Time, and the brooding, minor-key anthem “Losing My Religion.” The band had long conquered the college-rock landscape, but everything changed in 1991. Thanks to the universal embracing of the unconventional … More That’s Me In The Spotlight: R.E.M. – Out Of Time
Released: August 13, 1996 History is filled with countless examples of unsung bands whose efforts proved crucial to a movement or scene that would ultimately pass them by. While the ’90s saw an alt-rock revival teeming with countless sound-alikes, Failure was a few years too early to the party. Still, while they only briefly flirted … More Failure’s Fantastic Planet
Released: September 24, 1991 For better or worse, Blood Sugar Sex Magik changed everything. Not only did the record provide the Red Hot Chili Peppers their immutable mark of permanence on the pop-culture landscape (satellite radio is still eating up “Under The Bridge”), but the Rick Rubin-produced album also found Anthony Kiedis and the boys complete the transition … More The Sound of Stars Aligning: The Red Hot Chili Peppers – Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Released: July 27, 1993 One of alt-rock’s most polarizing bands, Chicago’s Smashing Pumpkins successfully managed to ride the early-90s grunge wave to unparalleled success, all the while maintaining a unique sense of identity. Eschewing many of the genre’s aesthetic trappings, the band’s sound and image were more in line with the pomp and circumstance-excess of … More At The Peak of Their Powers: Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream
Released: March 8, 1994 While hard to imagine now, there was a brief point in time when Nine Inch Nails (Trent Reznor’s musical brainchild/alias/moniker) was one of alt-rock’s most prominent bands. And in terms of cultural relevance, the outfit’s apex occurred with their second full-length album, the appropriately titled The Downward Spiral. The Downward Spiral … More Step Right Up: Nine Inch Nails – The Downward Spiral
Released: April 1, 1998 Documenting Portishead’s July 24, 1997 concert at New York City’s Roseland Ballroom (which sadly closed in 2014), Roseland, Live NYC was released (on both CD and DVD) back in late 1998. Not only is Portishead’s one and only official live release one of the best sounding concert records of all time, … More A Defining Statement: PORTISHEAD – ROSELAND NYC LIVE
Adam Steiner’s ‘Into The Never’ offers readers an in-depth, track-by-track overview of the seminal Nine Inch Nails release, ‘The Downward Spiral.’ Regardless of where ‘Downward Spiral’ sits within your personal rankings—I’d start my list with its follow-up, ‘The Fragile’—the cultural impact of the 1994 release is undeniable. But it’s nearly impossible to tell the story … More Chronicling ‘The End of All Your Dreams’
Generation Mixtape 