Tag: Pop Rock
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The All-American Rejects ‘The All-American Rejects’ (2002)
The year was 2003 and I was a newly minted Middle School graduate entering high school. I was getting heavily into music, compulsively buying records at a fervid clip, and the local radio station Live 105 was putting on their annual summer concert festival BFD (short for Big F***ing Day) during the halcyon summer months.…
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Simply Red ‘Picture Book’ (1985)
As far as debut albums go, Picture Book is an absolute beauty. Fusing the classic sounds of 1960’s Motown with the reverb and synth-driven hooks of 80’s soft rock, Simply Red turned in a soulful take on R&B that has stood the test of time as an 80’s classic. Lead singer Mick Hucknall’s vocal lines…
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Motion City Soundtrack ‘Commit This To Memory’ (2005)
Motion City Soundtrack was a perennial favorite of mine during high school. This was the era of my life when pop punk reigned supreme and I immediately found connection with Motion City Soundtrack for a variety of reasons– our shared Midwest roots (we both hail from the Twin Cities in Minnesota), their unique blend of…
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Bruce Springsteen ‘Born To Run’ (1975)
For anyone who has had a conversation with me about music over the past 15 years can attest to, Bruce Springsteen is my favorite musician of all-time. The Boss has become the de-facto orator of American history over the past 50 years due to his prolific career longevity and his willingness to tackle subject matter…
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The Police ‘Synchronicity’ (1983)
By the time The Police released their fifth (and what would turn out to be their final) album Synchronicity in 1983, the band was arguably the most popular and well-regarded band in the entire world. The trio of Sting (vocals/bass), Andy Summers (guitar/keys), and Stewart Copeland (drums) were fresh off recording 1981’s Ghost in the…
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Tom Petty ‘Full Moon Fever’ (1989)
Full Moon Fever was Tom Petty’s debut solo album after taking a hiatus from his longtime backing band The Heartbreakers, a similar career path that Bruce Springsteen took when he released Tunnel of Love in 1987 without the official backing of the E Street Band. My love for Petty has been well chronicled (you can…
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All Time Low ‘Wake Up, Sunshine’ (2020)
Veteran pop punkers All Time Low returned to their roots on 2020’s Wake Up, Sunshine and in the process scored the biggest chart-topping song of their career with “Monsters”. Despite the fact the band has been around since the early aughts and been a mainstay in the pop punk scene for over 20 years (which…
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The Jimi Hendrix Experience ‘Axis: Bold As Love’ (1967)
Jimi Hendrix’s contributions to the world of guitar players is unparalleled– as perhaps the most celebrated guitarist in the history of rock and roll, he pioneered the use of overdriven high-gain amplifiers, used guitar feedback as a tool (not an undesired element), and altered his tone with fuzz distortion, Uni-Vibe, and wah-wah pedals. These contributions…
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Blondie ‘Parallel Lines’ (1978)
Blondie’s Parallel Lines is a study in evolution. Originally a punk rock band with their self-titled debut in 1976, Blondie managed to break out of the underground in the US and make the jump into the Top 40 with the release of Parallel Lines. Adopting elements of New Wave and dance pop, while still retaining…
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Duran Duran ‘Rio’ (1982)
Duran Duran’s second studio album Rio is somewhat of an amalgamation of what made the 80’s so insane. There is samples of crackling ice cubes, cigarettes being lit, background vocals of people yelling, saxophone solos, synthesizer leads, disco beats aplenty, and utterly bizarre lyrics– lead vocalist Simon Le Bon gushes over a woman who is…
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Crowded House ‘Crowded House’ (1986)
Australian pop rock band Crowded House’s self-titled debut features one of the best New Wave songs of all-time “Don’t Dream It’s Over”, which has been featured in a wide variety of 80’s media. The song is a wonderful little treatise on nostalgic longing that can be applied to a variety of life events– for me…
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Hanson ‘Snowed In’ (1997)
If you grew up in the 90’s there’s an absolute guarantee that you know exactly who Hanson is. Their smash single “MMMBop” off their debut album Middle of Nowhere was an absolute cultural revelation at the time, dominating the commercial airwaves and sending the three brothers on to worldwide fame. Part of that was due…
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Toto ‘Toto IV’ (1982)
Toto is one of those yacht rock bands from the 70’s that seemingly tried everything under the sun sonically. They rolled up their favorite components of genres ranging from funk, pop, rock, soul, prog-rock, jazz, and the blues, stitched them together with expert musicianship, and slapped a sweet sheen of production prowess on top that…
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Def Leppard ‘Hysteria’ (1987)
The history behind Def Leppard’s Hysteria is a wonderful story about persistence in the face of adversity. After releasing their breakthrough hit Pyromania in 1983, Def Leppard went on a world tour that put them on the path to becoming one of the largest glam metal bands of their era. They initially entered the studio…
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Phoenix ‘Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix’ (2009)
If you went to college in the late 2000’s there was no escaping Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. This was one of those glittery boppy Indie rock albums that was custom-made for the coming-of-age college demographic, fun and carefree and subtly sophisticated in the sort of way that made you feel like a child and adult all…
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Sam Fender ‘Seventeen Going Under’ (2021)
The very first time I heard “Seventeen Going Under” I cried like a baby. There was something about Sam Fender’s voice and the musical arrangement accompanying him that moved me in that moment, a gravitas that held a meaning I didn’t quite understand but was committed to figure out. It’s the languished longing of his…
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Harry Styles ‘Harry’s House’ (2022)
Members of boy-bands going on to illustrious solo careers is somewhat of a rare bird. You have some standout examples like Michael Jackson (Jackson 5), Justin Timberlake (*N Sync), and George Michael (Wham!) who went on to be megastars that made people forget they were ever anything but a solo artist, but in general it’s…
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Lou Reed ‘Transformer’ (1972)
Few artists have embodied the essence of New York cool in the way Lou Reed did. With a deadpan delivery espoused subject matter which challenged society’s conventions at every turn, Reed’s brand of sex, drugs, and rock n roll always felt like a bit of an art project put on by a neurotic socially awkward…
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Måneskin ‘RUSH!’ (2023)
Måneskin makes me feel old and out of touch. Even more than I usually feel. The best way I can describe them is an Italian glam rock version of Royal Blood whose sole goal is to make songs that sound as massive and as danceable as possible. And since all the band members are in…
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Smash Mouth ‘Astro Lounge’ (1999)
With the sad news that Smash Mouth lead singer Steve Harwell is in the final days of his life due to liver failure, it only felt right to listen to their highly acclaimed 1999 album Astro Lounge this week. The lead single “All Star” has been a mainstay on any mix tape or playlist created…
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Billy Joel ‘The Stranger’ (1977)
Leading up to The Stranger Billy Joel’s career was on the rocks. After the massive success of 1973’s Piano Man (whose title track is Joel’s most famous song, and for good reason considering it’s a brilliant piece of storytelling), he was on the verge of being dropped by his record label Columbia Records due to…
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Sinéad O’Connor ‘Lion and the Cobra’ (1987)
Yesterday’s tragic passing of Sinéad O’Connor at the age of 58 has rocked the music world. O’Connor’s advocacy for mental health, human rights, and victims of child abuse has made her a protest rock icon over the years, traits that ultimately transcended her artistic endeavors. Her own longtime personal struggles with trauma certainly influenced this…
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Cyndi Lauper ‘She’s So Unusual’ (1983)
Cyndi Lauper is an icon in nearly every sense of the world. Her wild hairstyles, feverishly flamboyant in all their neon glory, is a distinct calling card she’s continued to this day ever since introducing punk fashion into the pop mainstream. Her work as an advocate for the LGBTQ community during a time when it…
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Matchbox 20 ‘Yourself or Someone Like You’ (1996)
As a 90’s kid Yourself or Someone Like You is one of those albums you knew was big when you were growing up but never fully completely grasped just how popular it was until you do a quick review on Wikipedia two decades later. To this day it stands as one of the Top 100…
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Dire Straits ‘Brothers In Arms’ (1985)
Dire Straits magnum opus’ Brothers In Arms is a landmark achievement in sound that has been one of my favorite albums of since I first heard it as a teenager. To this day I still get chills when I hear the stinging precision of Mark Knopfler’s incredible guitar riff that kicks off “Money For Nothing”…
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Huey Lewis & The News ‘Fore!’ (1986)
Huey Lewis & The News occupy a spot in music history as one of the quintessential 80’s power pop bands. They had this folksy charm that was undeniable– from the classic rhythm & blues and doo wop influences, to the gorgeous soft rock chord progressions, to the full band sound. Everything about Huey Lewis was…
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Bruce Springsteen ‘Tunnel Of Love’ (1987)
On Tunnel Of Love Springsteen traded in arena-rock anthems for an intimate look inward, taking bold proclamations with big ideas drenched in massive soundscapes and turning them into tidy vignettes of the challenges of mature adult relationships. Whereas Springsteen’s career had at that point largely focused on making massive statements about both the promise and…
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Rick Springfield ‘Working Class Dog’ (1981)
Ed. Note: Welcome to Sound City week here at Music of Matthew dot com! This week we’ll be covering some notable albums recorded at the legendary Sound City studio in Los Angeles, which was covered in great detail in Dave Grohl’s excellent 2013 documentary “Sound City”. Rick Springfield has been somewhat of a punch-line for…
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Phil Collins ‘…But Seriously’ (1989)
For a lot of people Phil Collins is known for two things— being the “Lion King guy” and for his absolutely thunderously epic drum fill on his most popular song “In The Air Tonight.” For others, it’s the duet “Easy Lover” that he did with Philip Bailey of Earth Wind and Fire (a song that…
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Everclear ‘So Much For The Afterglow’ (1997)
90’s alternative rock holds a special place in my heart for a variety of reasons— it’s the almost comically distorted guitars, the undeniable influence of pop music, and the punk-like aggressiveness of the drums that make everything sound big and heavy, and lyrical themes that frankly pull no punches in the story they’re trying to…
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Sugar Ray ’14:59′ (1998)
Maybe it’s Mark McGrath’s frosted tips. Maybe it’s the tight and boxy drum production. Maybe it’s the smooth acoustic guitar. Hell, maybe it’s just simply the album cover art. But no matter what it is, there is no escaping that Sugar Ray’s 14:59 sounds exactly like a wet hot summer afternoon in the late 90’s.…
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Taylor Swift ‘Red (Taylor’s Version)’ (2021)
Paul Simon. Bob Dylan. Prince. Joni Mitchell. Paul McCartney. Bruce Springsteen. Taylor Swift. This collection of names? Some of the best songwriters of all-time. Swift’s 30 track epic Red (Taylor’s Version) underscores that statement with an exclamation point. I’m not usually one for extended releases and double albums as they tend to be filled with…
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Michael Bolton ‘Time, Love & Tenderness’ (1991)
It’s not necessarily en vogue to love the music of Michael Bolton but I seriously can’t get enough of the guy. Every other vocal line he delivers is completely over the top and it’s absolutely great. The dude has tone for days and a gritty high end to his voice that makes every song he…
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John Mayer ‘Continuum’ (2006)
At one point in his career John Mayer was a great dichotomy. He soared to incredible mainstream popularity with a rogue smile, a holier-than-thou intellectual superiority, and catchy pop tunes. His virtuouso guitar playing was alluded to, but never really focused on, the press focus instead covering his lurid dating history. In other words, one…
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Orleans ‘Waking and Dreaming’ (1976)
Orleans is one of those “your favorite band’s, band” kinda, well, band. Their eclectic blend of pop, yacht rock, blues, and Dixieland jazz led to some pretty massive hits in the 1970’s, the most prominent being “Still The One” which is featured on this record and at one point was actual the damn theme song…
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The Bangles ‘Different Light’ (1986)
There’s effectively no middle ground when it comes to 80’s pop music– it’s either heartwarmingly cheesy, or just plain cheesy. The Bangles 1986 sophomore effort Different Light is filled with a lot more of the latter unfortunately, a saccharin sweet concoction of jangly guitars and reverb that feel empty despite taking up so much space.…
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