Like all quickly-emergent trends, the myriad blaxploitation soundtracks that arrived on the heels of ‘Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song’ and ‘Shaft’ yielded both gems and bombs. In some cases, lackluster movies produced transcendent music. In others, excellent tracks were hidden behind hackneyed theme songs. We separate some of the wheat from the chaff in this introduction.
From the beginning of electrified sound recording in 1925, to the recording ban ushered in by World War II, a wealth of remarkable music was captured by artists working in the so-called “country blues” style. This feature collects highlights from this rich era of American music.
Though the frequent characterization as a “Pavement side project” is both misleading and reductive, Silver Jews’ connection to Pavement is central to both band’s legacies. Discover the work of Silver Jews’ leader, David Berman, in this introductory article/playlist.
Garage bands from the Deep South often created their music while facing great resistance from figures of authority. Discover some of the best of what they had to offer.
Launched in 2004, the Numero Group’s flagship “Eccentric Soul” series captures some of the great lost gems of the sixties and seventies. Now at twenty-seven volumes, it provides an absolute treasure trove of soul deep cuts. Discover over two-dozen highlights of the series with our introductory playlist and article.
Arriving at the peak of post-war affluence, exotica was an often-fascinating blend of high concept and low – or at least questionable – taste. While its main practitioners were undoubtedly gifted songwriters, arrangers, and performers, even the genre’s finest exemplars mixed inspired soundscapes with a worldview that was short-sighted at best, and exploitive at worst.
Florida garage bands of the sixties refused to be pigeonholed; instead, they represented a wildly diverse state through sounds that were alternately rustic, cosmopolitan, spontaneous, and refined. Check out some of the best of them in this introductory feature.
While the American garage rock landscape of the sixties was undoubtedly male-dominated, a handful of excellent all-female groups provided some of the scene’s peak moments. Check out twenty-six of them in this feature.
Lee “Scratch” Perry was a musical giant – a producer, singer, songwriter, and general embodiment of human creativity. From his emergence in the mid-sixties, up until the point of his death, “Scratch” was the mind behind many of reggae music’s most beloved recordings. Discover the most rewarding period of his career with our introductory article and playlist.
Los Angeles and the surrounding area housed one of the most vibrant garage rock scenes of the mid-sixties. Get acquainted with help from our introductory article and playlist.
Garage bands from Chicago and the rest of the Lower Midwest carved out a unique style that reflected the region’s reputation as the crossroads of America. Explore their sound in this introductory feature.
The final stop on our cross-country tour of American garage rock scenes takes us through the Wolverine State. Kick out the jams, as we celebrate Michigan proto-punk.
Like the rest of the nation, the Mid-Atlantic region was consumed with Beatlemania in the mid-sixties. See what its aspiring young musicians crafted in this feature.
There’s no single style that defines the garage rock of the Mountain States, but the expansive region houses a wealth of unearthed gems. Check out some of the best of them here.
Like the rest of the world, Holland was awash with Beatlemania throughout the sixties. Get a glimpse of the “Nederbeat” scene with our introductory article and playlist.
Garage bands from New England forged their own unique sound during the sixties: one that often mixed jangly guitars, strong melodies, and melancholic lyrics to create miniature masterpieces. Explore the best that the scene had to offer in this introductory article and playlist.
New York garage bands of the sixties reflected the diversity of the Big Apple and the surrounding Empire State. Acquaint yourself with the best of the bunch with this introductory feature.
The Bay Area garage scene was home to folkies, psych-crazed rockers, and embryonic iterations of soon-to-be iconic bands. Check out the best of what it had to offer in this introductory feature.
With a potent combination of hooks, grittiness, and volume, bands of the Pacific Northwest created their own unique brand of garage rock in the sixties. Check out our crash course on this exciting scene.
Pennsylvania – and especially Philadelphia – was a bustling haven of garage rock activity throughout the sixties. We uncover some of the best that the scene had to offer right here.
Film, literature, television, advertising, and fashion of the mid-twentieth century all reflected an American fascination with space exploration. The popularity of “Space Age Pop” proved that music was no different.
One of the most influential American indie labels of all-time, Southern California’s SST Records amassed an impressive catalog over the course of its whirlwind first six years. Get to know the best of it in this introductory feature.
All Stephen Malkmus has done since the dissolution of Pavement over twenty years ago is craft nine albums of generally-excellent quality. If you’ve missed out on his solo career, this playlist/article will help get you up to speed.
Like all musical genres and movements, surf rock was the result of a gradual evolution rather than a singular “big bang” moment. Track that evolution in this expanded introductory feature.
Texas bands of the mid-sixties frequently pushed beyond the generally-accepted boundaries of rock music, and what they created collectively was virtually unprecedented. Get acquainted with Texas Punk in this introductory article and playlist.
Split between outposts in Denver, Colorado and Athens, Georgia, the Elephant 6 collective combined sixties-inspired pop craftsmanship, freewheeling artistic experimentation, and homespun production techniques into an often-thrilling package. Discover the best of what the E6 scene had to offer with our introductory playlist and article.
Few musical scenes have ever burned as briefly, brightly, or brilliantly as Brazil’s Tropicalismo movement. Emerging in the spring of 1968, Tropicália would be effectively dead within a year. Discover the rise and fall of this most rewarding of scenes with our introductory article and playlist.
Garage bands from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and the Dakotas may have stood in the shadow of those from Chicago and Detroit, but they forged an exciting scene nonetheless. Check out thirty garage classics from those states on this feature.
The Upper South states produced a plethora of great garage singles, though few that actually achieved national attention. We pick thirty of the best in this introductory feature.
Initially appearing as a more youthful update on the sophisticated chanson stylings of the previous generation, the yé-yé scene eventually incorporated the livelier motifs of garage rock and psychedelia. Discover the best of what the yé-yé girls have to offer with our introductory playlist and article.
Like all quickly-emergent trends, the myriad blaxploitation soundtracks that arrived on the heels of ‘Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song’ and ‘Shaft’ yielded both gems and bombs. In some cases, lackluster movies produced transcendent music. In others, excellent tracks were hidden behind hackneyed theme songs. We separate some of the wheat from the chaff in this introduction.
From the beginning of electrified sound recording in 1925, to the recording ban ushered in by World War II, a wealth of remarkable music was captured by artists working in the so-called “country blues” style. This feature collects highlights from this rich era of American music.
Though the frequent characterization as a “Pavement side project” is both misleading and reductive, Silver Jews’ connection to Pavement is central to both band’s legacies. Discover the work of Silver Jews’ leader, David Berman, in this introductory article/playlist.
Garage bands from the Deep South often created their music while facing great resistance from figures of authority. Discover some of the best of what they had to offer.
Launched in 2004, the Numero Group’s flagship “Eccentric Soul” series captures some of the great lost gems of the sixties and seventies. Now at twenty-seven volumes, it provides an absolute treasure trove of soul deep cuts. Discover over two-dozen highlights of the series with our introductory playlist and article.
Arriving at the peak of post-war affluence, exotica was an often-fascinating blend of high concept and low – or at least questionable – taste. While its main practitioners were undoubtedly gifted songwriters, arrangers, and performers, even the genre’s finest exemplars mixed inspired soundscapes with a worldview that was short-sighted at best, and exploitive at worst.
Florida garage bands of the sixties refused to be pigeonholed; instead, they represented a wildly diverse state through sounds that were alternately rustic, cosmopolitan, spontaneous, and refined. Check out some of the best of them in this introductory feature.
While the American garage rock landscape of the sixties was undoubtedly male-dominated, a handful of excellent all-female groups provided some of the scene’s peak moments. Check out twenty-six of them in this feature.
Lee “Scratch” Perry was a musical giant – a producer, singer, songwriter, and general embodiment of human creativity. From his emergence in the mid-sixties, up until the point of his death, “Scratch” was the mind behind many of reggae music’s most beloved recordings. Discover the most rewarding period of his career with our introductory article and playlist.
Los Angeles and the surrounding area housed one of the most vibrant garage rock scenes of the mid-sixties. Get acquainted with help from our introductory article and playlist.
Garage bands from Chicago and the rest of the Lower Midwest carved out a unique style that reflected the region’s reputation as the crossroads of America. Explore their sound in this introductory feature.
The final stop on our cross-country tour of American garage rock scenes takes us through the Wolverine State. Kick out the jams, as we celebrate Michigan proto-punk.
Like the rest of the nation, the Mid-Atlantic region was consumed with Beatlemania in the mid-sixties. See what its aspiring young musicians crafted in this feature.
There’s no single style that defines the garage rock of the Mountain States, but the expansive region houses a wealth of unearthed gems. Check out some of the best of them here.
Like the rest of the world, Holland was awash with Beatlemania throughout the sixties. Get a glimpse of the “Nederbeat” scene with our introductory article and playlist.
Garage bands from New England forged their own unique sound during the sixties: one that often mixed jangly guitars, strong melodies, and melancholic lyrics to create miniature masterpieces. Explore the best that the scene had to offer in this introductory article and playlist.
New York garage bands of the sixties reflected the diversity of the Big Apple and the surrounding Empire State. Acquaint yourself with the best of the bunch with this introductory feature.
The Bay Area garage scene was home to folkies, psych-crazed rockers, and embryonic iterations of soon-to-be iconic bands. Check out the best of what it had to offer in this introductory feature.
With a potent combination of hooks, grittiness, and volume, bands of the Pacific Northwest created their own unique brand of garage rock in the sixties. Check out our crash course on this exciting scene.
Pennsylvania – and especially Philadelphia – was a bustling haven of garage rock activity throughout the sixties. We uncover some of the best that the scene had to offer right here.
Film, literature, television, advertising, and fashion of the mid-twentieth century all reflected an American fascination with space exploration. The popularity of “Space Age Pop” proved that music was no different.
One of the most influential American indie labels of all-time, Southern California’s SST Records amassed an impressive catalog over the course of its whirlwind first six years. Get to know the best of it in this introductory feature.
All Stephen Malkmus has done since the dissolution of Pavement over twenty years ago is craft nine albums of generally-excellent quality. If you’ve missed out on his solo career, this playlist/article will help get you up to speed.
Like all musical genres and movements, surf rock was the result of a gradual evolution rather than a singular “big bang” moment. Track that evolution in this expanded introductory feature.
Texas bands of the mid-sixties frequently pushed beyond the generally-accepted boundaries of rock music, and what they created collectively was virtually unprecedented. Get acquainted with Texas Punk in this introductory article and playlist.
Split between outposts in Denver, Colorado and Athens, Georgia, the Elephant 6 collective combined sixties-inspired pop craftsmanship, freewheeling artistic experimentation, and homespun production techniques into an often-thrilling package. Discover the best of what the E6 scene had to offer with our introductory playlist and article.
Few musical scenes have ever burned as briefly, brightly, or brilliantly as Brazil’s Tropicalismo movement. Emerging in the spring of 1968, Tropicália would be effectively dead within a year. Discover the rise and fall of this most rewarding of scenes with our introductory article and playlist.
Garage bands from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and the Dakotas may have stood in the shadow of those from Chicago and Detroit, but they forged an exciting scene nonetheless. Check out thirty garage classics from those states on this feature.
The Upper South states produced a plethora of great garage singles, though few that actually achieved national attention. We pick thirty of the best in this introductory feature.
Initially appearing as a more youthful update on the sophisticated chanson stylings of the previous generation, the yé-yé scene eventually incorporated the livelier motifs of garage rock and psychedelia. Discover the best of what the yé-yé girls have to offer with our introductory playlist and article.