The ten biggest tropes in rap music

Rap is not the homogeneous radio-whoring genre that people make it out to be…most of the time. But the rest of the time, you have to admit that rap can be just as formulaic and predictable as its detractors claim. If you’re looking to find a new appreciation for one…

Cage the Elephant moved to England to make it big in the States

Cage the Elephant formed in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in 2006. And while the group’s 2008 self-titled, debut full-length was met with a great deal of acclaim in this country, it wasn’t until after the band lived in England for a spell that it gained notice. Influenced by alt-rock, the outfit…

The ten best jazz guitarists of all time

In jazz discussions, the saxophonists and the trumpeters generally dominate the conversation, and rightly so. Equally as integral to the music, though, is the rest of the band. While we’ve already listed the pianists, and we’ll soon be taking a look at bassists and drummers, today we focus on the…

Aaron Dessner on the National’s new record

After finishing their tour in support of 2010’s High Violet, the members of the National didn’t have any immediate plans to record again. But guitarist Aaron Dessner, whose daughter had just been born, ended up with a lot of time on his hands. He began writing songs in his backyard…

The ten best Norwegian metal bands

Sweden is to death metal what Norway is to black metal. Norway’s sixth sense for finding black metal with the right amount of heavy guitar distortion, banshee shrieking vocals and an unrefined recording quality gives them a black flame kick that fuels the fire of many metal fans. Keep reading…

The ten biggest tropes in country music

What makes a great country song? Well, if David Allan Coe is to be believed, the songs require a few things: mama, trains, trucks, prison or gettin’ drunk. There’s got to be more to it than that, though, right? Like, at least five more things. Country music draws on the…

The ten best mixtape rappers of all time

Supposedly, albums are where it’s at. That’s when the artist is supposed to bring their A-game, convert the doubters, all that good stuff. So why is it that a lot of the time it’s the mixtapes that are the most enjoyable? Maybe it’s because so many mixtapes are when artists…