I was too young to see my favourite band when they were my favourite band. I look back with fondness on that youthful obsession, but will I ever be that invested in a band again?
idols
Category: Features
Three words, three albums.
Their music will do far more than my words ever will.
Lyric of the Week: The Rolling Stones – Wild Horses
Released nearly two years after its initial recording, "Wild Horses" emerged as a magical moment in The Rolling Stones' vast catalog.
Ten seconds of song
Thanks to the advent of Zoom pub quizzes, I hear most of my music nowadays in ten-second snippets, tiny baited hooks for the fish who work in my brain’s sound archives.
Lyric of the Week: Johnny Cash – Ring of Fire
Perhaps Johnny Cash’s most famous song, “Ring of Fire” was first released by the Man in Black on his 1963 record 'Ring Of Fire: The Best Of Johnny Cash.'
On festivals
This week, writing a music column is an unwelcome reminder of things I enjoyed doing before the world went into lockdown. And yet, people are finding ingenious ways of getting by.
Lyric of the Week: Marianne Faithfull – Rich Kid Blues
Recorded in 1971, Marianne Faithfull's long sought-after Stones-era album didn't come to full fruition until nearly a decade and a half later.
Top 10 Turnpike Troubadours Songs
Turnpike Troubadours are dearly missed in country music. We rank the cherished red dirt band's best songs.
Record Talk Episode 2: Angel Olsen – MY WOMAN
We examine Angel Olsen's 2016 indie rock masterpiece, an album that served as a rock and roll counterpart to her early folk recordings and featured lengthy garage jams while flirting with classic psychedelia.
driftwood
On Thursday 12th March, Cat Empire played at Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was to be my last gig before live events were dropped from social calendars en masse. There’s nothing quite like the sound of an excited crowd, and waiting for the show to start, certain words and phrases rose to the surface like driftwood at the foot of a waterfall.
Lyric of the Week: Loretta Lynn – I’m A Honky Tonk Girl
Lynn’s classic 1960 debut single prompted her immediate success, largely due to the independent promotion by herself and her husband.
10 Music Podcasts to Listen to During Quarantine
Looking for new music-related content to dive into during social distancing? These 10 podcasts offer a fun and immersive way to learn about your favorite artists, songs and music history.
Lyric of the Week – Father John Misty – Leaving LA
Eight years ago, Josh Tillman bid farewell to his music career as J Tillman and Father John Misty was born.
the gap
Head hunched over desk, hand cramping, my pen decides where it’ll go next. I start writing with no direction and build a map as I go. I’ll know when I’ve got to where I need to be, if I’m lucky, but not how I’ve got there.
Lyric of the Week: Post Malone – Candy Paint
A look back at one of the lead track's from Post Malone's blockbuster 2018 record "beerbongs & bentleys."
Record Talk Episode 1: Danny Brown – XXX
We break down the ambitious 2011 project that catapulted Danny Brown from a local riser to an underground phenom.
the thing after the thing
There’s nothing to see, just like there wasn’t really much to see when the band were playing, or when the poet was performing. But there is something. Perhaps if we had other senses we wouldn’t dismiss all that is unquantifiable.
Album Book Club’s Top 100 Albums of the 2010s: A Statistical Breakdown
A statistical breakdown of Album Book Club's top 100 albums of the 2010s.
Album Book Club’s Top 100 Albums of the 2010s
Online music chat and forum Album Book Club details their top 100 albums of the 2010s by way of an extensive poll and weighting system.
Lyric of the Week: Angel Olsen – Never Be Mine
Few singer-songwriters tackle the unknown abyss above quite like Angel Olsen.
in celebration of silence
It takes an artist not to play every note.
Lyric of the Week: Frank Ocean – Wither
Frank Ocean's "Endless" was a moment fans dreaded might never happen.
The Most Anticipated Albums of 2020
Riffs & Rhymes staff members chime in on their most anticipated albums of the year.
Radiohead in Lisbon
We dipped into the archives for the latest installment of CableWrites. Relive the magical experience of Radiohead live in Portugal, just a few years ago.
Lyric of the Week: Mac Miller – 2009
Mac Miller's music and personality impacted countless lives, and his absence still lingers in the hearts of many. "Circles," the posthumous companion project to 2018's "Swimming," was released last Friday.
back home
The festival shortlists were out. None came out a clear winner: not the right music, poor headliners, no acts announced yet. None, that was, until we looked in our back garden. We were going back to Pinkpop.
Lyric of the Week: David Bowie – Moonage Daydream
Out of all the artistic touchstones in David Bowie's mercurial career, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars remains one of his most celebrated and accessible bodies of work.
ode to vinyl
An endearing ode to the physical LP and all that it stands for.
The Best Songs of 2019
A comprehensive playlist including over 100 of the most compelling songs we heard in 2019.
Lyric of the Week: Bruce Springsteen – Tougher Than the Rest
Few rock icons have experienced the monumental success that Bruce Springsteen did in the 1980s. The second track of the The Boss' 1987 album, Tunnel Of Love, tells the tale of a man's passing fascination.
Riffs & Rhymes 