Anniversary

Thriller in England: Steve McQueen by Prefab Sprout at 40

Fergal Kinney traces Steve McQueen's two very different masterminds, its influence on Arthur Russell and Caroline Polachek, and the path not taken to a British indie both sensual and modern

Auto-Invention: The Soft Boys’ Underwater Moonlight Revisited

Nobody wanted what The Soft Boys were selling in 1980, but as David Bennun recounts, their superb swan song, Underwater Moonlight, made them a Velvet Underground for new generations of jangle and psych bands. This feature was first published on 29/06/20

The Chameleons’ What Does Anything Mean? Basically, at 40

This relatively obscure, nihilistic and resigned second album by a near forgotten Mancunian post punk group was released decades before the birth of writer Lina Adams in the early 00s; so why does it speak so clearly to her life today?

35 Years On: X-Clan’s To The East Blackwards Revisited

Angus Batey looks back at an album which has as much resonance today as it did when it came out. Article originally published 17/05/2015

The Ultimate Fuck You: McAlmont & Butler’s ‘Yes’ Revisited

50 Years On: Hawkwind’s Warrior On The Edge Of Time Revisited

Danny Riley traverses the space time continuum to find Hawkwind in 1975 at a galactic crossroads. This feature was first published 26/07/15

Ooooh Betty! Nasty Gal By Betty Davis Turns 50

Major label flop it may have been, but Betty Davis’ Nasty Gal, showcased an artist raging against the dying of the funk light, says Patrick Corcoran. This article was first published in May 2015

Brooklyn Bass Music: Masta Ace Incorporated’s Sittin’ On Chrome turns 30

Masta Ace’s best-selling LP led to his withdrawal from hip hop at its commercial peak. Cian Traynor charts the rapper’s extraordinary career... and the industry forces that held him back

From Death Race 2000 to GTA: Celebrating Half a Century of Violent Future Sports

To celebrate the 50th birthday of Death Race 2000, Mat Colegate charts a multimedia genre which would spawn Mad Max, Alita: Battle Angel and Grand Theft Auto, and makes more sense today than it did in 1975

I Can See You Still: Richard Thompson’s Across A Crowded Room at 40

40 years on from its release, Wayne Gooderham revisits the second album Richard Thompson recorded in the wake of his split from wife Linda, and finds a subtle, off-kilter – and unfairly overlooked – mid-career masterpiece (and an utterly essential live sister album)

In Through the Out Door: Prince’s Around The World In A Day at 40

Four decades since its release, Toby Manning revisits how Prince's oft-overlooked seventh album dared to draw on 60s psychedelia at the height of 80s hippyphobia – producing the most countercultural sounding work of his career

Morning Glory: Fugazi’s Repeater Revisited

Angus Batey celebrates Fugazi's debut full-length LP - a record that still sounds urgent and vital 40 years on. This feature was originally published in 2015

To Chop And Change: Pavement’s Wowee Zowee 30 Years On

Lesley Chow dissects the (semi-) serious intent behind Stephen Malkmus' nonsensical rhymes on Pavement's 3rd album which was positioned as the "logical end-point of rock". This feature was originally published in 2020 to mark the album's 25th anniversary

40 Years On: Terminal Cheesecake’s Angels in Pigtails Revisited

Russell Cuzner talks to Russell Smith about the weirdest album in the very weird career of Terminal Cheesecake. This feature was originally published in 2015

Keepin’ It Dirty: A celebration of ODB’s Return To The 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version

Cian Traynor celebrates the 30th birthday of a unique and brilliant album and re-appraises a hip hop anomaly by speaking to some of those who knew its creator, Ol' Dirty Bastard, the best. This feature was originally published on 30 March 2015

Coke & Wet: The Power Station Versus Arcadia By Simon Price

40 years on, Simon Price revisits the undeclared war between Arcadia, who made "the most pretentious album ever", and The Power Station, who made "the most cocainey album ever"; and asks who, if anyone, was the winner

The Rest is Noise: M.I.A.’s Arular at 20

Twenty years on from her debut, Skye Butchard maps the ways M.I.A.’s art has aligned with and often predicted internet culture - in both the bad and the brilliant

Tangerine Dream’s Rubycon Half A Century On

Jeremy Allen considers the special plight of the brilliant album which commits the crime of only refining a sound when the previous album originated it

Broadcast’s The Noise Made By People Turns 25

Anna Doble recalls a youthful encounter with Trish Keenan and James Cargill in Leeds, and their debut album which is now a quarter of a century old

30 Years On: Me Against The World By 2Pac Revisited

Angus Batey looks behind the enshrined myth of Tupac Shakur and finds an album which is more compromise than triumph. This feature was initially published on 03/04/2015

World Class: How Radiohead Gave Us The Bends

Though The Bends has since been overshadowed by what followed, its release 30 years ago found Radiohead on the cusp of stardom. Wyndham Wallace joins them on a journey from their early days to their inevitable worldwide breakthrough. This article was first published on 3 March 2015

40 Years On: The Sisters Of Mercy’s First And Last And Always Revisited

Julian Marszalek looks back four decades to the hit album that shouldn't have been and nearly wasn't. This feature was first published 16/03/2015

Fear Factory’s Demanufacture And The Strange Rebirth Of Industrial Metal

Alex Deller explores the life, death and rebirth of industrial metal, and tries to assess whether its futurist potential died in 1995. This feature was first published 17/11/2020

Then And Now: An Interview With The Feelies

Feelies fanatic Sean Kitching celebrates the 45th anniversary of their debut, Crazy Rhythms, by talking to Glenn Mercer and Bill Million. This article was originally published on 01/04/2020

Like a Human Flood: Attempting to Uncover the Real Sleng Teng Story

Wrongtom celebrates the 40th birthday of the culture-changing Sleng Teng riddim, while admitting that everyone, including us, has the date wrong

30 Years On: Tricky’s Maxinquaye Revisited

David Bennun interviewed Tricky several times for Melody Maker in the 1990s and reviewed Maxinquaye on its release. He assesses how his relationship to this landmark album has changed over the intervening decades. This article was first published on 20 February 2015

40 Years On: The Smiths’ Meat Is Murder Revisited

Angus Batey looks back at The Smiths' second album and how this record changed his life. This piece was originally published in 2015

A Retreat Into Silence: Slowdive’s Pygmalion At 30

Ridiculed and written off, Slowdive produced a meditative post rock masterpiece before quietly splitting up. Joe Banks reflects on why no one was listening at the time, and why we all need to listen now. This article was originally published in 2020

Taking a Left Turn: Leftism Turns 30

Commonly viewed through the lens of progressive house, Julian Marszalek looks at Leftfield's towering 1995 debut through the prism of dub reggae

The Story of ‘Too Much Too Young’: How The Specials got Their First Number One Single

On the 45th anniversary of one of The Special A.K.A.'s best 45rpms getting all the way to the top of the charts, Wrong Tom charts the long lead up and the trail they blazed in getting there

The Absolute Shit: Coil’s Scatology Revisited

Darran Anderson listen's to Coil's first album proper and finds an alchemist's mixture of rage, humour and provocation; of synth pop, industrial and the avant garde

Music, Magic and Mystery: 25 Years of D’Angelo’s Voodoo

A quarter of a century ago, a constellation of stellar artists performed a kind of musical alchemy in a fabled New York studio. Voodoo has lost none of its allure and retains all of its impact 25 years on. How did they do this, a still dumbfounded Angus Batey asks