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in MusicThe Velvet Rope: The Queen of R&B’s Magnum Opus
The arc of history has done unfortunate things to Janet Jackson and her legacy. For one of the most relevant artists of the ‘80s and ‘90s, her career suffered a nearly fatal blow when the CBS corporation blacklisted her and her relevance precipitously waned. But at her height, Jackson was a megastar, setting records and […] More
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in Music
In Defence of Blur’s Self-titled Album
Blur aren’t best remembered for their self-titled album.The Britpop pioneers that dominated UK tabloids in the 1990s are better remembered today for their jaunty, spirited, and heavily London-accented songs like “Parklife” and “Girls And Boys”, as well as for their feud with fellow indie-rock juggernauts, Oasis. Despite acquiring critical acclaim at the time and breaking […] More
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in Music
Primal Scream’s Vanishing Point: How to Not Disappear
By 1995 Primal Scream were a joke. The poor reaction to the retro 70s rock of 1994’s Give Up But Don’t Give Out gave credence to the running gag that the Scream were just chancers.The theory went that the success of Screamadelica was due to the production by cutting edge DJs like Andrew Weatherall and mixing […] More
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Coming Back Around the Fur: A Look at the Deftones’ Second Album 25 Years Later
Evolution is never more apparent than on Around the Fur by the Deftones. It could be called a coming-of-age album as the Sacramento, California quartet grew into the sound that would define their career. In addition, the music they created elevated the heavy metal genre in ways that can’t be overstated. On Around the Fur […] More
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in Music
Sizzle for the Season with the Spice Girls “2 Become 1”
When the Spice Girls served up the single “2 Become 1” 25 years ago, it arrived in time to get its hooks in the holidays. The smooth ballad delivered a dose of sonic sensuality perfect for fueling fireside romance on long winter nights. The fact it connects to Christmas may seem a slender thread, but […] More
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in Music
Tori Amos’s Boys for Pele 25 Years Later
When Tori Amos’s 1996 album Boys for Pele was first released, she explained that after she broke up with her partner, Eric Rosse, she started “stealing fire” from the men in her life. The fire she described was a kind of energy, primarily in the form of admiration. When Amos recognized she was vampirically feeding […] More
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in Music
Still Praying for Rain: Tool’s Ænima 25 Years Later
It is the fall of 1996. I am in high school. Bill Clinton is President, and running for a reelection he will handily win against Bob Dole. I don’t recall anyone particularly caring all that much…about anything, really. Tool’s Ænima felt like a perfect palliative at that time for the cultural malaise of the mid-90s […] More
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in Music
Jimmy Eat World’s Static Prevails Holds Up 25 Years Later
I remember being 16 when I heard Jimmy Eat World’s third full length album, Clarity for the first time and thinking that it was the record I had been searching for my whole life. It spoke to me, not just lyrically, but also the unique sound that seemed to live between these margins, resulting in […] More
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in Music
Reflecting on Fiona Apple’s Tidal (1996) 25 Years Later
Tidal is the 1996 album from Fiona Apple, and her first studio album. Apple is an American music artist with five studio albums to her name—the most recent, Fetch The Bolt Cutters, was released last year. I was first introduced to Fiona Apple in the early 2010s, when I read that she was an inspiration to […] More
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in Music
Coming from Pantera’s The Great Southern Trendkill
Many won’t make it far beyond the opening scream of The Great Southern Trendkill. Still, those who endure, let alone enjoy that ear drum eradicating intro will never be the same. It opens with a primal cry which seems defiant, but as the record progresses, songs reveal a terrible sadness beneath the rage. A lyrical […] More
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Favorite Albums of 1996 — 25 Years Ago Feels Like Yesterday
The first six months of 1996 was my senior year of high school, the next six months were my freshman year of college. What a year it was, and the memories I made are those forever thoughts that flood your brain constantly saying, “Remember those days?” Music was electric in 1996. So many new artists, […] More
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in Music
Return to The Time of the Oath with Helloween
There’s still power in The Time of the Oath. 25 years since its release, Helloween’s seventh studio album possesses a biting strength and refreshing sincerity. Powered by a lyrical depth and fun too often missing from modern metal, The Time of the Oath belongs to a different era, but one sadly lost when juxtaposed against […] More
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