Sound Off

10 Essential Andrew McMahon Songs

By Emily Roberts
May 2, 2017

According to a totally unrepentant fangirl.
Did Green Day Kill Punk Rock?

By Tom Reardon
Feb 24, 2017

Worse than death, Green Day make punk rock safe.
I'm Getting Real Tired of This Crap, Grammy Awards

By David Accomazzo
Feb 14, 2017

The Grammys snubbed the the best album of the year — again.
Why U2's The Joshua Tree Is Overrated

By Jason Keil
Jan 9, 2017

Fans of U2, The Joshua Tree is overrated. To clarify, the quartet's best-selling album not a weak record. It's far from their worst. Despite it's enduring popularity since its release 28 years, it simply doesn't hold up when compared to the rest of the band's catalog. The 11 tracks on...
Jingle Cats Is The Worst Thing To Happen To Christmas Music

By Ashley Naftule
Dec 19, 2016

I was once like you. An innocent soul who believed that he lived in a good world, a world without Jingle Cats. That changed when I started working retail.
After the Ghost Ship Fire, We Need to Nurture Artistic Communities, Not Destroy Them

By Maggie Spear
Dec 8, 2016

There's a very important reason why artists flock to unpermitted DIY venues like Ghost Ship in Oakland, California.
Detroit vs. Phoenix: Which City Owns Alice Cooper?

By Adam Woodhead
Dec 29, 2015

In the realm of popular music, Detroit has always been a cultural powerhouse, churning out some of the most memorable tunes of the 20th century. Detroit can point to everyone from Bob Seger to Big Sean , and artists frequently integrate this identity into their music and brand. The idea...
Leave Blink-182 Alone and Stop Listening to Green Day

By Nicholas Pell
Nov 10, 2015

I’ll never for the life of me understand how Blink-182 are considered a guilty pleasure band while people who are supposedly grownups listen to Green Day. Every time I see a picture of Green Day I’m so embarrassed for them. They look like the kind of teenagers I’m glad get...
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Is a Scam

By Nicholas Pell
Oct 8, 2015

It never fails. I write something, someone doesn’t like it, and they feel the need to seek me out and tell me about it. It’s never really surprising, even if I don’t understand it. I can barely muster the energy to tell people I know personally how much I disagree...
Modest Proposal: It's Time to Rethink Nü-Metal

By Nicholas Pell
Jul 7, 2015

I have a modest proposal that I doubt many of you will cotton to: It’s time to critically re-evaluate nu metal. You remember nu metal, right? Chugging riffs. Grunted vocals. Big pants. Soul patches. It’s one of the last remaining mutations of rock that no one has bothered to pick...
Surprise! How Unannounced Album Drops Lead to Hits

By Jason Keil
May 29, 2015

For being thrown together at the last minute, A$AP Rocky’s listening party for his latest album A.L.L.A. sure looked like a good time. The festivities, which were held in New York City on Monday, came a week earlier than planned. The rapper tweeted that his second album, whose title is...
When the Goldfinger Soundtrack Dominated the Album Charts

By Serene Dominic
May 7, 2015

Editor's note: Ever since the 50th anniversary of the release of the Beatles' debut single "Love Me Do") we've been on a half-century celebration cycle in which we are scheduled to relive every Beatles innovation, every release of the Beatles' landmark career in real time, right until the inevitable 50th...
If "Blurred Lines" Ripped Off Marvin Gaye, Kelly Clarkson Absolutely Ripped Off Jimmy Eat World

By David Accomazzo
Mar 12, 2015

On Tuesday, a California federal jury ordered Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke to pay $7.4 million to the estate of Marvin Gaye, finding that the duo ripped off Gaye's classic "Got to Give It Up" for their 2013 song of the summer "Blurred Lines." The two songs share a similar...
Are Gimmick-Free CDs Poised for Comeback in the Music Industry?

By Jason Keil
Mar 3, 2015

It must have seemed like such a good idea at the time. Sub Pop had released I Love You, Honeybear, the latest from Father John Misty, in the usual formats (digital, vinyl, and compact disc). Those looking to enhance their listening experience for an extra cost could purchase a copy...
How Social Media is Ruining the Music Festival Experience

By Jason Keil
Oct 24, 2014

I had been waiting more than 20 years to see Pearl Jam live, and the time had finally come: I was going to see Seattle's finest at the final weekend of the Austin City Limits Music Festival. It was worth the wait. Eddie Vedder drank a bottle of wine onstage...
In Defense of Tribute Bands

By Jason Keil
Sep 18, 2014

  They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but in the world of music no one appreciates a copycat, especially those working for months and years to bring something new and original into the world. Tribute bands -- that is, bands whose sole purpose is to cover...
In Defense of Liking Music for No Good Reason

By Phoenix New Times Staff
Aug 28, 2014

By Luke Winkie Why did you like Yeezus? Did you find it anarchic? Did you like how it challenged racial norms in a confrontational, blacked-out way? Did you like its minimalism? Or its maximalism? Did you find the songs to speak to a larger narrative of where Kanye West is...
A Handy Guide to How Long a Set Your Band Should Play

By Jason Keil
Aug 26, 2014

Despite putting on a fantastic show at the Marquee Theatre last Wednesday, the New York kids collectively known as Interpol put on a set that clocked in at just under 60 minutes. It wasn't exactly the Rolling Stones at Altamont, but there were many in the crowd who were vocal...
Ryan Adams' Love Is Hell Turned 10 and No One Noticed

By K.C. Libman
May 21, 2014

With hardly a whisper from the collective music community in the past two weeks, the 10th anniversary of a defining record for one of this generation's most prolific musicians came and went. Ryan Adams' Love Is Hell, his fifth solo record and what may be his darkest offering to date,...
Record Store Reminiscing: Arguing About Music

By Steve Wiley
Apr 7, 2014

I don't even know you, and I want to argue with you. About music. That's right. It's been almost two years since the record store I used to own, Hoodlums Music, closed -- and that's the main thing I miss about it. Arguing about music. Seriously, Geek? You owned your...