Out of Arm’s Way
Lyrics in music rarely get the scrutiny and attention they deserve. With an ear for meaning, Orr Shtuhl dives deep into the unsettling content of Islands’ latest album.
Music
A collection of 237 issues
Jello Biafra and the Politics of Punk
Having spent a quarter-century pushing Americans to face the music, the former Dead Kennedys vocalist sits down to tell his thoughts on Obama, political parties, and participatory democracy.
The Top 10 Albums of 1988
Because album lists shouldn't happen only once a year. Now arriving within two decades of the present day.
Two Minutes and 42 Seconds in Heaven
How many horn solos does it take to kill a perfect pop song? Applying science and taste to determine the exact best length—down to the second—for the platonic song.
And Great Lyrics Quiz Rock Roll The
You may rock the karaoke, you may even have impressed the judges on American Idol, but you don't know lyrics until you've seen them in alphabetical order.
Six-Word Reviews of 763 SXSW Mp3s
The South by Southwest music festival begins in Austin, Texas, today. Of the hundreds of acts hoping to break big, 763 have offered an mp3 of their still-unknown sound. We listen to them all, all the way through.
Alla Bayanova on the Arbat
Wandering along the Arbat in Moscow, Elizabeth Kiem finds the residence of a Russian singer who spent a year in a concentration camp during World War II, and who claims never to have known her true home.
The Top 10 Albums of 1987
Because year-end album lists shouldn't happen just once a year. In this installment: The lists and timeline converge.
Please Spool to End of Tape Before Playing Other Side
For music listeners of every era, our audio formats define us—until we grow up and upgrade. Remembering the sweet squeak of cassettes.
The Top 10 Albums of 2007
In the past 12 months thousands of albums were released, but there are only 10 you'll need to remember.