Music

Approximately halfway through his concert at Baltimore’s Camden Yards on Friday evening, Bruce Springsteen paused the continuous flow of music that had been playing for an hour and a half to share one of the few stories of the night. He spoke about when he was fifteen and his neighborhood friend George Theiss asked him to join his band, the Castiles. “We managed to last three years,” Bruce said, “which is quite good for teenagers.” With a hint of mischief in his eyes, he added, “But us old guys… we’ve been going strong for fifty years! And we’re not planning on stopping anytime soon!

Among my favorite albums is “Making Movies” by Dire Straits. Whenever there’s talk about a limited edition re-release of this classic, I pay close attention. Released in 1980, it was their third studio album. Coming after their sensational debut from 1978 that catapulted the band to fame, and preceding the somewhat underappreciated but still brilliant “Communique” from 1979, “Making Movies” holds a special place in my music collection.

Even though they’ve been preserved in cultural lore, cassette tapes have become less frequent with the passage of time. Surprisingly, as reported by NPR, there has been a modest comeback for cassettes in recent years, largely due to a small, family-owned company based in southern Missouri. It’s clear that this revival wouldn’t be possible without a hint of interest from the public.

The key to a good list is focus. If the list is too broad, it can be rendered meaningless. I know that. I have been writing lists for a long time. But I’m throwing all that gathered experience right out the window on this one. Instead of narrowing in on the best metal or post-punk songs of a given time period, I’m just proclaiming the following to be the best songs… period… of the 1980s.

On March 31, 2019, when Nipsey Hussle was fatally shot in Los Angeles, people started reflecting deeply on the significant contributions he made towards his South L.A. neighborhood.

As a dedicated fan, I can certainly vouch for Kendrick Lamar being a voice of the people, unafraid to challenge hip-hop culture when it’s needed. His latest track, “Watch the Party Die,” is a testament to this fearlessness as he calls out various figures in the music industry, from rappers to radio personalities, and even social media influencers for their questionable actions.

On Thursday, the 12th of September, Rick Ross’ extensive discussion on Yung Miami’s podcast titled “Caresha Please” was released, where Ross delved deeply into his ongoing feud with Drake.

2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony witnessed a stir when French heavy metal band Gojira performed, sparking accusations of satanic undertones in their act. However, frontman Joe Duplantier refuted these claims, stating during an interview with Rolling Stone that the performance was not intended to be sinister or satanic in nature.

Roger Keith “Syd” Barrett, a founding member and early leader of Pink Floyd, is often recognized as both the embodiment of an enigmatic-yet-brilliant persona in rock music and a pioneer of the psychological rock genre that we recognize today.

Look, we all have to start somewhere before finding our true passion, and for Pharrell that somewhere was McDonald’s.