Features » Columns

• Overtones

  Beyond the Yellow Brick Road

  Jayson Greene; March 28, 2014

  With Elton John's 1973 opus Goodbye Yellow Brick Road getting an expanded reissue this week, Jayson Greene looks back on the gloriously haunting title track, decoding the musical secrets it employs to evoke endless surprise and obsession.

• Ordinary Machines

  The #Art of the Hashtag

  Lindsay Zoladz; March 12, 2014

  The hashtag has become an important linguistic shortcut—a way to say "I mean this and I don't at the same time." But in the world of music, only a few artists have truly taken advantage of the symbol's culture-jamming possibilities. By Lindsay Zoladz.

• Overtones

  Word Is Bond: Black Hippy and the Power of Repetition

  Jayson Greene; February 26, 2014

  Jayson Greene discusses how the loops and mantras of rap trigger obsessive listening—a phenomenon currently typified by Kendrick Lamar's Black Hippy crew—in his latest column.

• Starter

  Todd Terje: 15 Essential Rarities

  Andy Beta; February 19, 2014

  Along with his own productions, Norway's Todd Terje has amassed a treasure trove of disco edits and remixes of tracks by Michael Jackson, Paul Simon, and more over the last 10 years. Andy Beta breaks down the best of the bunch.

• Rolling on Dubs

  Blind Date: Odd Squad's Fadanuf Fa Erybody

  Jeff Weiss; February 13, 2014

  In 1989, a B-boy stoner met a blind wunderkind at a talent show. Five years later, Devin the Dude, Rob Quest, and Jugg Mugg released a rap classic. Jeff Weiss recounts the Houston trio's unlikely story.

• The Out Door

  Genres of One

  Marc Masters and Grayson Haver Currin; February 7, 2014

  Marc Masters and Grayson Haver Currin focus on artists whose work becomes its own genre, including L.A. multi-instrumentalist Steven R. Smith, Irish guitarist Cian Nugent, and New Orleans-based cellist Lelya McCalla.

• Show No Mercy

  Slough Feg

  Brandon Stosuy; February 6, 2014

  As the leader of heroic metal band Slough Feg, Mike Scalzi has been churning out lighter-lifting anthems for nearly 25 years. Brandon Stosuy talks with him about why technology is making us dumb and his new album, Digital Resistance.

• Starter

  John Fahey

  Jason Heller; January 27, 2014

  Jason Heller breaks down the career of this guitar master who combined folk, blues, jazz, avant-garde, and ambient music into an otherworldly sound all his own, inspiring everyone from Sonic Youth to Sufjan Stevens along the way.

• Secondhands

  Anything But Quiet: New Age Now

  Mike Powell; January 23, 2014

  Forget the crystals, forget the hippies, forget the inner sanctum: In 2014, the much-maligned genre known as new age appeals to many who once may have identified as punks. By Mike Powell.

• Show No Mercy

  The Top 40 Metal Albums of 2013

  Brandon Stosuy; December 26, 2013

  Brandon Stosuy breaks down his favorite releases of the year, including Grave Miasma, Vattnet Viskar, Deafheaven, Noisem, Oranssi Pazuzu, KEN mode, Carcass, Skeletonwitch, Nails, Darkthrone, the Ruins of Beverast, and more.

• The Out Door

  Long Careers, Busy Years

  Marc Masters and Grayson Haver Currin; December 20, 2013

  In their last column of 2013, Marc Masters and Grayson Haver Currin reflect on some of the best experimental sounds of the year, including the sound-world of Félicia Atkinson and the "continuous music" of composer Lubomyr Melnyk.

• Ordinary Machines

  Ghost Riding

  Lindsay Zoladz; November 21, 2013

  Following the mixed success of hologram "performances" by 2Pac, Ol' Dirty Bastard, and Eazy-E, Lindsay Zoladz talks with those leading the way in this uncanny new realm, and considers what it means to be immortal in the 21st century.

• Starter

  Todd Rundgren

  Evan Minsker; November 20, 2013

  From garage rocker, to moon-eyed balladeer, to classic-rock hitmaker, to prog maestro, to experimental producer, to technical innovator, Todd Rundgren has lived many musical lives—Evan Minsker breaks down his 45-year career.

• Rolling on Dubs

  Last Words: Eazy-E's It's on (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa

  Jeff Weiss; November 15, 2013

  Jeff Weiss re-evaluates the gangsta-rap originator's vicious final proper album as part of his Rolling on Dubs column, which looks back on some of hip-hop's greatest LPs upon their 20th anniversary.

• The Out Door

  However Long It Takes

  Marc Masters and Grayson Haver Currin; November 14, 2013

  In their latest column, Marc Masters and Grayson Haver Currin explore the experimental sides of Lou Reed, the long journey of artist and musician Lonnie Holley, the selected work of James Plotkin, and some recent extra-longform releases.