The most famous album in history has no cover art. When The Beatles, better known as The White Album, was released in 1968, it was unlike anything the band had done before. No psychedelic swirls. No unified aesthetic. No concept. Just 30 songs sprawling across two LPs, bending the genres of rock, folk, blues, avant-garde, lullabies, and more. By every …
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Depeche Mode‘s Violator was released in 1990 and, 36 years later, it still sounds like something being built, not something simply remembered. I’ve been listening to this record again this week, and what keeps striking me isn’t the songs, it’s the architecture (although “Personal Jesus,” “Policy of Truth,” and “Enjoy the Silence” are some of the best pop songs ever …
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It was a gloomy Monday night in the spring of 2007, and I was opening up The Red Door, getting the room ready for another evening in our weekly live music series, Hush Hush Sweet Harlot. I had just put on Sky Blue Sky, the brand new Wilco album, mostly for company. I was recently divorced, and honestly, I needed …
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R.E.M.’s debut LP, Murmur, was released on April 12, 1983. IRS Records quietly released it, with no mainstream radio support. It was pretty much all college radio. The production was a little dim, Michael Stipe’s lyrics were sometimes unclear, but some music critics loved it. I loved it! Even without mainstream support, the band’s debut full-length album was powerful. R.E.M. …
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