Music Lists
Dave Shim’s Critical Albums of 2011
By Dave ShimIt comes with no small amount of embarrassment that my… >>
Chris Payne’s Critical Albums Of 2011
By Chris PayneWhen I look back on my listening habits in 2011,… >>
T. Cole Rachel’s Critical Albums Of 2011
By T. Cole RachelI love lists. I love making them and I love… >>
Stewart Mason’s Critical Albums Of 2011
By Stewart MasonI can understand not having any interest in what's currently… >>
Paul Parreira’s Critical Albums Of 2011
By Paul ParreiraI spent the first half of 2011 digesting Destroyer's Kaputt,… >>
The 60 Critical Songs Of 2011
By Stewart MasonTo my mind, the single has always been pop music… >>
The 30 Critical Albums of 2011
By Stewart MasonThe phrase that kept popping up as I was editing… >>
Fall 2011 Album Preview
By Stewart MasonAfter the traditional late-summer lull, the fall new release schedule… >>
Guest List: Her Space Holiday Says Goodbye
By Stewart MasonIn early 2011, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Marc Bianchi announced… >>
Guest List: The Inspirations Of MMOSS
By Stewart MasonMMOSS (pronounced "moss") is a five-piece psychedelic-pop group from the… >>
Self-Referential Songs
By Stewart MasonJoin Us, the 2011 album by They Might Be Giants,… >>
Guest List: Amor de Dias
By Stewart MasonAmor de Dias is the duo of Alasdair MacLean, frontman… >>
Guest List: Bill Callahan’s Influences
By Stewart MasonOn his 14th studio album Apocalypse, Bill Callahan (The Artist… >>
Critical Influences: The Pains of Being Pure At Heart
By Stewart MasonIn an exclusive interview with Critical Mob's Chris Payne, Kip… >>
Critical Connections: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart
By Stewart MasonIn an exclusive interview with Critical Mob's Chris Payne, Kip… >>
Chris Payne’s Top 10 Albums of 2010
By Chris PayneThe newest member of the Critical Mob music staff, Chris… >>
Stewart Mason’s Top 10 Albums of 2010
By Stewart MasonFrom the self-assured full-length debuts of Janelle Monae, Tame Impala… >>
Jim Allen’s Top 10 Albums of 2010
By Jim AllenFrom the '70s stomp of Wolf People's first proper album… >>
Matador at 21: Matador Records’ 21 Best Albums
By Stewart MasonIn celebration of Matador Records' 21st anniversary and their October… >>
It’s the Same Old Song: Tributes to the Motown Sound
By Stewart MasonAlmost as soon as there was an identifiable Motown sound,… >>
Stereolab: Friends and Relations
By Stewart MasonOne of the most influential bands of the 1990s, Stereolab… >>
Building Bubblegum Castles in the Sky: Critical Ambient Pop
By Jim AllenYou're soaking in it: the dreamy, drifting-in-the-stratosphere sound of ambient… >>
Industrial Revolution
By T. Cole RachelAs electronic music continued to stretch out in weird new… >>
The New Pornographers: Friends and Relations
By Stewart MasonOver the course of five albums including the new Together,… >>
Swan Songs
By T. Cole RachelRock and roll ain't never easy. Sometimes bands just run… >>
21st-Century Concept Albums
By Laura LeeboveEven with MP3s serving as many listeners' first-choice music format,… >>
Like…Wow: Spacy Chicks
By Stewart MasonOften strangely alluring, occasionally a bit unsettling, but always endearing,… >>
Late Night Jazz
By Stewart MasonWhether it's coming from a stage or a turntable, jazz… >>
Can You Feel It?: Essential House
By T. Cole RachelDepending on who you ask, house music either started in… >>
Critical Wu-Tang Clan Releases
By Jason LipshutzThe Wu-Tang Clan has provided lyrical artistry and head-knocking beats… >>
One Is Not The Loneliest Number: One-Man Bands
By Jim AllenIt's not enough to be a control freak with unshakeable… >>
Critical Roots and Branches: The Magnetic Fields
By Stewart MasonStephin Merritt's latter-day persona as indie rock's answer to Irving… >>
Critical Influences: Patti Smith
By Stewart MasonMore than any other poet turned rocker, Patti Smith fused… >>
Summer Songs For Winter Nights
By Stewart MasonNothing warms the chill of a midwinter night like thoughts… >>
Critical Urban Romantics
By Jim AllenThe sounds of the street become a heart-swelling symphony in… >>
Neko Case and her Canadian Friends
By Laura LeeboveNeko Case was born in Virginia and raised in Tacoma,… >>
Critical Owen Pallett
By Laura LeeboveFormerly known as the one-man-band Final Fantasy, Owen Pallett has… >>
Critical New Zealand Indie
By T. Cole RachelMany will always view New Zealand as the land that… >>
Critical Lone Star Indie Rock
By T. Cole RachelTexas might not immediately spring to mind as the most… >>
Critical 4AD
By T. Cole RachelBack when “alternative rock” still really sounded like an alternative,… >>
Critical Nerd Rock
By T. Cole RachelEveryone knows that eventually the geeks will inherent the earth… >>
Critical ‘90s Indie Rock
By T. Cole RachelAs the underground college rock of the late '80s morphed… >>
Critical New Romantics: All the Young Dudes
By Jim AllenIn the early '80s, a flamboyant, fashion-conscious crop of bands… >>
Critical Athens: Songs of the South
By Jim AllenThere must have been something in the Southern air that… >>
10 Critical Breakout Artists Of SXSW 2010
By Laura LeeboveIt's a daunting task, trying to choose which of the… >>
A Critical List of 21st-Century Concept Albums
By Laura LeeboveEven with MP3s serving as many listeners' first-choice music format,… >>
Critical ‘60s Country
By T. Cole RachelWhile pop was undergoing its psychedelic makeover, down in Nashville,… >>
Cover Lovers: 10 Great Covers Albums
By Jim AllenAnyone devoid of original ideas can knock off new versions… >>
Before Hip-Hop: 10 Proto-Rappers
By Jim AllenLong before even the likes of Kool Herc and Kurtis… >>
Movie Soundtracks That Rocked the World
By T. Cole RachelThere was a time when movie soundtracks were not simply… >>
Laura Leebove’s Top 10 Albums of 2009
By Laura LeeboveMost of the music I loved in 2009 can be… >>
T. Cole Rachel’s Top 10 Albums of 2009
By T. Cole RachelPersonally, I hated much of 2009. Too many cool people… >>
Stewart Mason’s Top 10 Albums of 2009
By Stewart MasonWhat I liked about 2009 musically was that it seemed… >>
Critical Mob’s Top 25 Albums of 2009
By Critical MobMan, what a weird year. Somebody we loved seemed to… >>
Classic Manchester
By T. Cole RachelWhether it be the iconic post-punk of Joy Division, the… >>
The 10 Worst Leonard Cohen Covers
By Jim AllenFor every worthy interpreter who ever tackled Leonard Cohen's legendary… >>
The 10 Best Leonard Cohen Covers
By Jim AllenWhen you're covering Cohen, you either hit it out of… >>
Forever Forward: 10 Classic 4AD Albums
By T. Cole RachelBack when "alternative rock" still meant something, there was no… >>
Lost Krautrock Classics: 10 Under-Appreciated German Gems
By Jim AllenEver since the mid-'90s Krautrock revival made it cool to… >>
Top 25 College Radio Albums Of 1984
By Stewart MasonAs we all know, Top 40 radio achieved perfection in… >>
Moonlighting Musicians: Pop/Rock Artists as Score Composers
By Eric SchneiderIt's not uncommon for alternative/indie-pop/rock acts to be featured in… >>
