Growing up a small area of Michigan, it’s easy to feel like you’re cut off from culture. Personally, I lived in the Upper Peninsula for 11 years, rarely seeing concerts and feeling isolated from music and art. Once my interest in…
Album Review: The Beatles – “Live at the Hollywood Bowl”
The live recording, an intersection between studio work and live performances, is a precious yet difficult to appreciate commodity. The most iconic live albums often come from bands known for particularly intense live performances (The Who’s Live at Leeds, James…
Album Review: M.I.A. – AIM
There’s something a bit too perfect about M.I.A.’s pattern of releasing new music. Every three years this decade, she’s put out a new album months before or after the latest Kanye West album. Each of them have put out a…
From the Record Crate: Beyoncé – B’Day (2006)
First off, Happy 35th Birthday to Beyoncé. Secondly, Happy 10th Birthday to album artist Beyoncé. Many who agree that Beyoncé is a great artist will conclude that Destiny’s Child was the beginning of that artistry. “Bills, Bills, Bills,” “Say My…
From the Record Crate: The Beatles – Revolver (1966)
One of the more interesting recent takes on The Beatles’ Revolver came from a 2012 episode of Mad Men. Don Draper, wanting to understand the Beatles craze, puts the album on, listens to a bit of album closer “Tomorrow Never…
Album Review: The Paranoid Style – Rolling Disclosure
If any job prepares you to write and perform pop music well, it’s writing about it. From Patti Smith to Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys, there’s a history of critics stepping into the role of performer and killing…
Album Review: The Julie Ruin – “Hit Reset”
Kathleen Hanna’s career has flowed and evolved seamlessly. The line from the heavy punk of Bikini Kill to Le Tigre’s electro-clash to The Julie Ruin, in which she neatly combined the two styles, is fairly straightforward, but also fitting. With each…
