Executive Overview With credits spanning more than 700 records, two Grammy Awards, and an appointment as an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California (USC), Peter Erskine occupies a rare tier in modern music history. To state that he knows the drum kit inside and out is an understatement; he is a living master … Read more
Executive Overview Marking a milestone anniversary of punk rock prompts a reflection not merely on the safety-pinned leather jackets and three-chord anthems that defined the movement, but on the rigid sociological and aesthetic boundaries erected during its mid-1970s ascent. The arrival of punk was heralded as "Year Zero"—a cultural cleansing designed to completely decouple contemporary … Read more
By the Editorial Desk Published in collaboration with Record Collector Executive Overview For nearly eight decades, the 12-inch, 33⅓ rpm long-playing record (LP) has reigned as the gold standard of serious musical consumption. Born in the late 1940s when Columbia Records systematically dismantled the heavy, brittle 10-inch, 78 rpm format, the LP evolved from a … Read more
Executive Overview Some concerts begin the moment the houselights drop. Others—the rare, mythic occurrences forged in the crucible of endless anticipation—begin months, or in this case, over a decade and a half prior. For reviewer Bruno Irace, the journey to witness System of a Down live at Milan’s sprawling Ippodromo SNAI La Maura on Monday, … Read more
Executive Overview For decades, the pantheon of mid-century American rhythm and blues has been dominated by a familiar triad of titan voices: Aretha Franklin, Etta James, and Gladys Knight. Yet, lingering just outside the blinding lights of mainstream global superstardom sits an artist whose technical mastery, emotional resonance, and cultural footprint are equally profound. Irma … Read more
Executive Overview For nearly three decades, singer-songwriter Michael Weston King has navigated the shifting landscapes of British and American roots music. From his early pop iterations in the wake of the late-1970s post-punk explosion to spearheading the cult country-rock outfit The Good Sons, and later forming the acclaimed country-soul duo My Darling Clementine with his … Read more
In the storied landscape of British popular music, few figures possess a lineage as richly interwoven with the fabric of 20th-century audio culture as singer-songwriter Claire Hamill. From humble beginnings in Teesside—where her parents ran the region’s sole oasis of youth culture out of a coffee bar—to rubbing shoulders with music royalty in London, Los … Read more
LONDON — Nearly two decades after they first soundtracked the existential dread of a generation, My Chemical Romance did not merely stage a legacy reunion; they erected an entire totalitarian regime inside the hallowed grounds of Wembley Stadium. For reviewer Bruno Irace, the journey to the London Noughties pilgrimage was almost skipped entirely—a casual postponement … Read more
By Ieuan Holland | Reviewed & Expanded for Record Collector Executive Overview “It’s just karaoke without Rotten.” It is a refrain hurled with predictable frequency by purists lucky enough to catch the Sex Pistols during their volatile, paradigm-shifting explosion in the late 1970s. Yet, half a century after the release of their seminal, culture-shaking debut … Read more
Executive Overview Formed in London in 1986, Bark Psychosis emerged as one of the founding architects of the post-rock movement, charting a visionary path that blurred the lines between ambient introspection, jazz-inflected soundscapes, and intricately detailed power. Their 1994 debut LP, Hex, remains a landmark achievement of the genre—a gloomy yet glimmering masterwork that cast … Read more
