An evolution in indie music — Peng! — Stereolab Too Pure; Released on May 26, 1992 In 1986, NME gave away a free cassette that would shake the world of indie. That cassette was titled C86 and contained some of the most exciting alternative artists in Britain at the time. Or, it was a bunch of shambling, self-indulgent jangle-pop…

This thing was on — The wave of “Emo” music that began to dominate the airwaves in the late 90s wasn’t really for me. As I was heading closer to being 30 years old I found it tricky to latch onto a slew of neo-punks colorfully shouting, “Life sucks, let’s rock!” And eventually, this pervasive…

A Collection of My Favorite Singers — I don’t hide that Cherry Coke and reality TV are my vices. I haven’t watched every season of American Idol, but I’ve watched most of them, including the very first season (as well as the current season). I’m way too introverted and lacking in any singing capabilities (and too old)…

The songs and the musicians from where I’ve lived — Music is often an artistic representation of the culture of your hometown area. Just listen to anything by Bruce Springsteen or to Penny Lane or Strawberry Fields. David Acaster’s excellent recent article on musicians and songs from Hull, his hometown in northeast England, reminded me of this. …

But selecting the “Worst” Best album proves easy — One day Ms. Swift will release her version of 1989, and people like me, or unlike me, will swoon. I refuse to pay three figures for the original, as much as I adore it. I’m a hopelessly impatient person. “Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day.” So…

Bela Lugosi may be dead, but goth subculture is alive and well — The ’80s were a wonderfully weird time. The same decade that gave us synth-pop, stonewashed denim, high-top sneakers, and badly teased-up, sky-high hair, also birthed the polar opposite of those things, namely, goth subculture which has come to be officially celebrated annually on May 22, known worldwide as World Goth…

Everything is connected — Grangemouth If you’ve seen Ridley Scott’s Bladerunner, then you’ve a pretty good idea of what Grangemouth looks like at night. Or at least how it did in the 80s. …

Another mixed bunch of songs from the past 100 years — Here we are — back with another six songs from the decades of popular music, as we continue through 1001 songs you must hear before you die Don’t forget that it’s easy to catch up with any parts you might have missed. …

Composing your idiosyncrasies — Writing music-centric pieces for a year now, I learned about different song structures and signatures. I've learned what an artist does to get a particular sound that sounds chromatic to the ears. A single note isn't sufficient to produce a specific sound in a composition. The entire piece of music…