February 11th, 2026 | by Stephen Slaybaugh | published in Best of the Year | Leave A Comment »
No matter the context, it’s hard not to look back at 2025 as the year that orange asshole returned to the presidency and started making everything awful. We can only hope that he will eventually be made to answer for the atrocities we all know he has committed. In the meantime, music has been more important than ever as a place of solace and as …
January 21st, 2025 | by Stephen Slaybaugh | published in Best of the Year | Leave A Comment »
Here’s our annual look back at the best album from the past year, albeit in a less in-depth form than past years. In general, 2024 was a particularly strong year for music, with outstanding releases from both longtime veterans and newcomers.
January 19th, 2024 | by Stephen Slaybaugh | published in Best of the Year | Leave A Comment »
It never ceases to surprise me when I come across someone with the notion that there isn't new music worth hearing these days. As much as I can appreciate the cynicism January 5th, 2023 | by Stephen Slaybaugh | published in Best of the Year | Leave A Comment »
If 2021 largely felt like a repeat of 2020, then 2022 by contrast was when we returned to some semblance of normalcy. Sure, COVID didn't go away, but workers returned to offices February 3rd, 2022 | by Stephen Slaybaugh | published in Best of the Year | Leave A Comment »
A year ago, when looking back on 2020, it seemed like things could only get better. Hell, they couldn’t get any worse, right? And for a while, things did get better in 2021. Optimism spilled forth as COVID-19 vaccines become available. For a moment, it seemed like things might return to “normal.” Public gatherings — most importantly, shows — returned. But with Trumpian anti-vaxxers in …
January 4th, 2021 | by Stephen Slaybaugh | published in Best of the Year | Leave A Comment »
To put it bluntly, 2020 can suck it. There have been few years that have been so catastrophic to so many people as this past year. If the coronavirus pandemic and the hell that it wrought weren’t enough, we also had to endure police brutality of an unprecedented level and the trashfire that occupied the White House and threatened to undermine our democratic process this …
February 6th, 2020 | by Staff | published in Best of the Year | Leave A Comment »
1. Oso Oso, Basking in the Glow (Triple Crown Records)
2. Prince Daddy & the Hyena, Cosmic Thrill Seekers (Counter Intuitive Records)
3. Mannequin Pussy, Patience (Epitaph Records)
4. Pup, Morbid Stuff (Rise Records)
5. Big Thief, Two Hands (4AD)
6. Glass Beach, The First Glass Beach Album (Run for Cover Records)
7. (Sandy) Alex G, House of Sugar (Domino Records)
8. Westkust, …
February 4th, 2020 | by Staff | published in Best of the Year | Leave A Comment »
#10I find myself spellbound when taking in Komachi, Meitei’s delicately crafted mix of nostalgia and loop-making science. It rewards unbroken attention, wrought as it is with quiet details, gentle moods, and subtle changes. The simple act of listening carefully will reward you, even if, like most of us, you have no reference point for what the artist is trying …
January 18th, 2019 | by Staff | published in Best of the Year | Leave A Comment »
1. Parquet Courts, Wide Awake! (Rough Trade Records)
2. Beach House, 7 (Sub Pop)
3. Snail Mail, Lush (Matador Records)
4. Soccer Mommy, Clean (Fat Possum Records)
5. Joyce Manor, Million Dollars to Kill Me (Epitaph Records)
6. The Armed, Only Love (Throatruiner Records)
7. Infant Island, Infant Island (Middle-Man Records)
8. The Beths, Future Me Hates Me (Carpark Records)
9. Gulfer, Dog …
January 15th, 2019 | by Staff | published in Best of the Year | 1 Comment »
#10It started out as a gimmick prompted by a politically incorrect dare. Manuel Gagneux, a musician of mixed race and Swiss-American citizenship, asked the notorious 4chan message board what genres he should mash up. He took the uncouth suggestion of black metal and “n*gger music” as a challenge and under the moniker of Zeal & Ardor became …