Sparta: My Top 10 Songs
Probably the lesser-known scion of the El Paso art punkers At the Drive-In (the other being The Mars Volta), Sparta has claimed its own territory within the alternative rock space. Shedding some of the punk […]
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Baroness: My Top 10 Songs
From their sludge metal origins to their recents forays into lush alternative rock, this Savannah-spawning band has practically reinvented their sound on every album. But unlike some of their contemporary Southern metal acts, they’ve found […]
Gojira: My Top 10 Songs
That’s right, they’re the first metal band to feature in an Olympic opening ceremony, and their sheer novelty in the metal community as a French, straight-edge, and environmentally conscious act could paint them as a […]
Gentle Giant: My Top 10 Songs
Never quite rising to the fame of their progressive rock contemporaries like Yes and Genesis, this 70s band nonetheless deserves mention with those groups for their virtuosity, eclecticism, and compositional sensibilites. While their sound meanders […]
Portishead: My Top 10 Songs
These English pioneers of trip-hop are determined not to repeat themselves, with each album a distinct achievement from the last. Evoking classic films and probing the deepest recesses of the heart and mind, they keep […]
Opeth: My Top 10 Songs
Few groups have combined distorted and guttural cacophony with disarmingly melodic passages like this Swedish progressive metal group. Drawing as much from the likes of 70s progressive rock as the dregs of death and black […]
Godspeed You! Black Emperor: My Top 10 Songs
This Canadian music collective distinguishes itself emphatically in the swirl of popular music. They don’t write songs as much as soundscapes, making use of extended orchestral arrangements, spoken word, and novel production techniques, as if […]
Symphony X: My Top 10 Songs
Jersey’s own progressive metal band have made it their mission (seemingly) to write about anything apart from New Jersey, but if you can get on their fantasy/science fiction/mythological wavelength, you’ll gladly reap the rewards. Here […]
The Police: My Top 10 Songs
Having delved deep into their discography for my podcast Every Pod You Cast, I feel I’m properly educated on all things The Police. In their brief time together, the tension may have been palpable but […]
Queens of the Stone Age: My Top 10 Songs
Gotta give these guys their due. Their riff-driven “robot rock” has blossomed into many a radio classic and many an oddball gem. Here are my favorite songs from this long-running band of brothers. *This list […]