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Basement ‘Colourmeinkindness’ (2012)
One of my favorite moments each week is my Saturday morning run. It’s a time for self reflection and “me” time after a hectic week of work and family, alongside a much-needed shot of exercise-induced adrenaline. It’s also a really great time for me to listen to some new music. Today’s album was Basement’s Colourmeinkindness,…
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Bruce Hornsby and The Range ‘Scenes From The Southside’ (1988)
Unlike many folks who identify New Years Eve as the beginning of the year, for me that process starts during Thanksgiving. It’s a day of identifying the things you’re thankful for certainly, but it’s also a moment for reflecting on the journey you took over the past year and a reminder that another year awaits…
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Zach Bryan ‘The Great American Bar Scene’ (2024)
Zach Bryan’s The Great American Bar Scene feels like a natural step forward for a songwriter who’s always worn his heart right on the surface, even as his world has grown from lo-fi Navy barracks recordings to stadium crowds and big-name collaborations. What makes this record stand out is how Bryan widens the frame, folding…
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Hannes ‘When The City Sleeps’ (2021)
When The City Sleeps settles in with the easy charm of late-night bedroom pop, the kind of handmade sentimentality that comes along with lo-fi and heavily autotuned vocals. Hannes has a knack for making even the simplest melodies feeling honest and lived-in. There’s no big showmanship on display here, just a natural voice carrying songs…
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Donald Byrd ‘A New Perspective’ (1964)
A New Perspective gently rewrites what you think jazz can sound like, partly because Byrd himself was always pushing at the edges of the art form. Known for his warm trumpet tone and an instinct for blending styles without losing the heart of the music, Byrd approached this album with a sense of exploration. Take…
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The Hives ‘The Hives Forever Forever The Hives’ (2025)
The Hives have always been one of those bands that never quite got the full credit they deserved. Back in high school I absolutely devoured Veni Vidi Vicious—it was loud, brash, and somehow sharper than most of what came out of that early 2000s garage rock revival. The Hives were one of the main reasons…
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The Suicide Machines ‘Destruction By Definition’ (1996)
Today we have somewhat of a deep cut with The Suicide Machines 1996 debut album Destruction by Definition, one of those mid-90’s records that perfectly nails the mix of piss and vinegar punk rock and sing-a-long hooks. It’s a damn hard line to walk consistently but this album has always stood out to me as…
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The Edgar Winter Group ‘They Only Come Out At Night’ (1972)
The Edgar Winter Group’s debut album is a solid slice of classic rock that shows off just how much muscle and melody the band had right from the start. With tracks like “Free Ride” and the instrumental powerhouse “Frankenstein,” they blended big riffs, tight grooves, and a sense of fun into their vintage 70’s sound.…
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Voodoo Glow Skulls ‘Firme’ (1995)
Voodoo Glow Skulls mix the high energy of punk rock with the bounce and brass of ska, creating a sound that’s fast, loud, and full of attitude. Their music leans hard on driving guitar riffs, tight horn lines, and rapid-fire vocals, all coming together with the rawness that mid-90’s punk rock ska is known for.…
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Roy Orbison ‘In Dreams’ (1963)
One thing I’ve always loved about Roy Orbison is how he completely cut against the grain for traditional country-pop music of the 1960’s. The man didn’t have a publicist nor did he have the traditional arrangements that defined the era. While his peers leaned on swagger and raw energy, Orbison carved out a space defined…
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Sway ‘The Millia Pink And Green’ (2003)
Sway’s The Millia Pink and Green EP is one of those quietly brilliant records that has never got the recognition it truly deserves. It’s pretty much completely unknown outside of a cadre of hardcore shoegaze fans. You have all the typical shoegaze tropes, layered guitars that shimmer and dissolve, while vocals float like whispers in…
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Soul Blind ‘Feel It All Around’ (2022)
The shoegaze offshoot run continues this week, with Soul Blind’s debut album Feel It All Around our next stop on the dreamscape journey. Soul Blind is definitely on the heavier side, more oriented on modern metal, but incorporates just the right blend of shoegaze haziness and a surprising little dash of mid-aughts post-hardcore emo energy…
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Narrow Head ‘Satisfaction’ (2016)
I’ve been on a bit of a shoegaze and all of its offshoots kick lately and I stumbled upon Narrow Head during my exploration of that genre. The band draws plenty of inspiration from Siamese Dream-era Smashing Pumpkins with those fuzzy, layered guitars and a warm wall of sound that walks that fine line between…
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The Runaways ‘The Runaways’ (1976)
The Runaways’ 1976 self-titled debut was loud, raw, and about as unapologetic as a record could get at the time. Formed by a group of teenage girls who barely had their driver’s licenses, the band—featuring future rock icons like Joan Jett and Lita Ford—was put together under the guidance of manager Kim Fowley who saw…
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Slowdive ‘Souvlaki’ (1994)
Souvlaki was marked by some pretty unfortunate circumstances from the outset. Recorded after the band scrapped an entire batch of recording sessions (40 full and completed songs that they simply discarded) it came out in 1993 right as the British press decided that they had enough of shoegaze. The label troubles didn’t make things easier…
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Echo & the Bunnymen ‘Ocean Rain’ (1984)
Like any good cultural steward of teens who came of age in the mid-aughts I watched Donnie Darko on Halloween evening this past Friday after taking the kids trick or treating. It’s a fantastic film with a world-class soundtrack that adds so much depth to the film. At any rate, the movie opens up with…
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Arm’s Length ‘Never Before Seen, Never Again Found’ (2022)
Never Before Seen, Never Again Found feels like a breath of fresh air for anyone who grew up loving emo but got a little tired of all the self-importance that came with it. The band pulls together the best parts of that elder emo energy—heart-on-sleeve lyrics, crashing guitars, and melodies that actually stick—with none of…
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Norma Jean ‘Bless The Martyr And Kiss…’ (2002)
There was a point in my life during high school where unrelenting heavy guitars and throaty intense vocals were all the rage. Couldn’t get enough of it. It usually played out with more pop-oriented post hardcore bands like Underoath or more metal-tinged acts like Killswitch Engage, but there was definitely some space left for bands…
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Beach House ‘Depression Cherry’ (2015)
Depression Cherry is music made for quiet, misty mornings when the world hasn’t quite decided what mood it’s in yet. The album found the duo drifting back to their earlier, simpler dream pop sound, crafting lullabies for millennials who enjoy spending their evenings past the stroke of midnight. The band purposefully scaled back the big…
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Ben E. King ‘Don’t Play That Song’ (1962)
Before striking out on his own, King cut his teeth with the legendary doo-wop group The Drifters, lending his smooth tone to classics like “There Goes My Baby” and “Save the Last Dance for Me.” Don’t Play That Song is a cornerstone of early soul, built on the warmth and sincerity that made that era…
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The Academy Is… ‘Almost Here’ (2005)
The Academy Is… hit their stride in the mid-2000s with Almost Here, an album that perfectly captured the stylish energy of that era’s pop-punk boom. They were one of the hottest names around when I was a junior in high school and mixed polished hooks with a flair for drama that clearly drew from the…
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Charmer ‘Downpour’ (2025)
It’s relatively rare nowadays that I listen to an album from a band that is 1) Completely brand new to me 2) Was found organically and not recommended by a friend 3) Impresses me so much that I listen to it for a week plus before writing an article about it. Charmer’s Downpour is the…
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Eddie Cochran ‘Singin’ To My Baby’ (1957)
Eddie Cochran’s Singin’ To My Baby captures the restless creativity of one of early rock and roll’s true pioneers. More than just a singer, Cochran was a studio innovator who experimented with multitrack recording, distortion, and overdubbing at a time when those techniques were still new. He played nearly everything himself—guitar, piano, bass, and drums—giving…
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Sheryl Crow ‘Tuesday Night Music Club’ (1993)
Tuesday Night Music Club has a lot of simple charms to it. Take the music itself— it’s unpolished and throws a lot of different genres together, like alternative rock, country, pop, and more. This was Crow’s debut album and introduced her knack for blending pop hooks with a laidback country twang and a touch of…
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Queensrÿche ‘Empire’ (1990)
By the time Empire came out in 1990 Queensrÿche had already earned serious respect in the prog metal world for their precision, ambition, and sharp musicianship. What made this album stand out was how smoothly they blended those progressive roots with a more radio-friendly, melodic sound. Songs like “Jet City Woman” and “Silent Lucidity” showed…
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Bob Dylan ‘Highway 61 Revisited’ (1965)
By 1965 Bob Dylan had already become one of the most important voices in American music. His poetic lyrics and sharp social commentary had elevated folk beyond simple protest songs, making it something more literary and deeply personal. In a decade filled with civil unrest and cultural change, Dylan’s words gave people a sense of…
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Bill Evans ‘Everybody Digs Bill Evans’ (1959)
The cover of Everybody Digs Bills Evans says it all– glowing quotes from jazz legends like Miles Davis, George Shearing, and Ahmad Jamal stretch across the album cover, underscoring the bold title of this jazz pianist’s solo album. Evans plays with a sense of space and touch that made him one of the most revered…
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Bob Seger ‘Stranger In Town’ (1978)
Bob Seger’s Stranger In Town is one of those records that just feels like America on vinyl. You’ve got the highway dust, heartbreak, and pure heartland grit all in spades. Everyone of course knows “Old Time Rock and Roll” and its piano riff that whose iconic scene with Tom Cruise in Risky Business cemented its…
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Black Pumas ‘Black Pumas’ (2019)
Eric Burton’s rich smoky vocals and Adrian Quesada’s warm analog production shape a vintage sound on Black Pumas debut self-titled album. When it was released in 2019 it immediately turned heads for a handful of reasons. The two-man operation channeled the spirit of classic R&B, psychedelic grooves, and slow-burn funk into a gorgeous sounding record…
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Steel Panther ‘Feel the Steel’ (2009)
Feel the Steel is the kind of record that feels like it was made by a bunch of drunk frat guys who raided a time capsule from 1987, bought a U-Haul worth of spandex, and decided to turn every glam-metal cliché up to 11 just for the hell of it. The jokes come at you…
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David McCallum ‘Music: A Bit More of Me’ (1967)
Before most folks knew him as the cool, unflappable Ducky on NCIS (which was probably your mom’s favorite show for a brief run there), David McCallum was quietly crafting some surprisingly smooth grooves of his own. His 1967 album Music: A Bit More of Me shows the Scottish actor’s deep affection for lush orchestration and…
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Velvet Revolver ‘Contraband’ (2004)
The early 2000’s were an incredible time for hard rock supergroups. You had Audioslave, which combined the musical talents of Rage Against the Machine and the vocal prowess of Chris Cornell (Soundgarden) who is easily my favorite rock vocalist of all-time and it’s not even close. So it was probably no coincidence that their debut…
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Rage Against The Machine ‘Rage Against The Machine’ (1992)
Rage Against the Machine is synonymous with my experience of becoming politically aware during my early teen years. I’ll never forget borrowing their album Evil Empire from my friend Ryan Polk in seventh grade, sneaking it into my house to avoid the peering eyes of my mom (who definitely wouldn’t be happy with the rabble…
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Waterparks ‘FANDOM’ (2019)
FANDOM by Waterparks is one of the more unique albums I’ve lsitened to in a minute. It’s basically an explosion of neon-tinged pop-punk energy, electronic gloss, and candy-coated hooks. Lead singer Awsten Knight and company turn heartbreak, internet fame, and fan culture into a hyperactive sugar rush of sound that is equal parts confession on…
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Plain White T’s ‘All That We Needed’ (2005)
Despite the fact that I binge listened to “Hey There Delilah” in high school (along with 99.6% of my graduating class), saw Plain White T’s live at an L3 when they opened for The Matches, and consider Jimmy Eat World one of my favorite bands of all-time (more on that in a second), I never…
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MC5 ‘Kick Out The Jams’ (1969)
Released in 1969 Kick Out the Jams by MC5 is one of the most controversial debut albums in rock history, and one of the rare cases where a band introduced itself to the world with a debut album that was also a live record. Captured at Detroit’s Grande Ballroom the album distills the chaos, energy,…
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About the Author
Jason Matthew Plank listens to copious amounts of music and writes about one album each day. He is currently active in the bands Related to Strangers (post-hardcore) and Kindergarten Cartel (punk covers of children’s nursery rhymes).
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