PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateSoundField ↓ More info below ↓ K-Pop has become a global phenomenon. BTS was the first K-Pop group to perform on Saturday Night Live and Blackpink was the first K-Pop girl group to perform at […]
Even amongst the ragamuffins and likely lads of the UK Punk scene, Ian Dury stood out. In his late 30s, with his left arm and leg withered from Polio, and in love with Stax, Motown and free jazz – But that is also what made him transcend. Aided by the […]
PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateSoundField ↓ More info below ↓ Dubstep became a viral sensation a decade ago, but at the height of its popularity it vanished. Dubstep came from UK garage music in the 90’s, influenced by the […]
Björk never wanted the spotlight. Fame was never the goal, she just wanted to be able to defy the boundaries of pop on her own terms. Debut was where she would burst her way onto MTV and Radio, but with her 1995 album Post she became the innovative and unflinchingly […]
👉 Subscribe for weekly music history videos: https://youtube.com/c/AndyFenstermaker/?sub_confirmation=1 It’s time to go deep into the history and story of Misery is a Butterfly, the 2004 album by Blonde Redhead. We’ll go deep, exploring the band’s noise pop origins and their move from Smells Like to Touch & Go. For Misery, […]
If 2004 was the year of Franz Ferdinand for the NME crowd, then 2005 was all about Bloc Party. With razor sharp guitarwork, disco beats and Kele Okereke’s anguished yelp, they brought the indie set heartache you could dance to. In spite of studio issues, Gang of Four comparisons and […]
Despite its name, Power Pop as a genre has often failed to accrue the popularity necessary to set the charts ablaze. Fountains of Wayne’s brand of detail-rich storytelling and bittersweet character study twinned with a sugary 90s alt rock crunch did little to change that. They were the bizarro Weezer, […]
For most of the 90s, Aphex Twin ran counter to what was happening in mainstream dance music. He was messing with low-key ambience during the forceful Eurodance of “Rhythm is a Dancer.” Moved to harsh industrial noise as Europe was smitten by the dreamy trance of Robert Miles’ “Children.” And […]
Smile was meant to be the follow-up album to Pet Sounds from The Beach Boys. It was highly anticipated to be the greatest album of all time, better than Revolver and Sgt. Pepper. However, the album was never completed until nearly 40 years later, when Brian Wilson finally presented Smile […]
In November 1989, two bands from Manchester appeared together on Top of the Pops and it changed indie music forever. The Madchester sound was the unity of jangly guitars and thumping dance music: big, psychedelic, even funky and a perfect companion to taking Ecstasy. Artists like The Stone Roses, Happy […]
