In their 21-year history, Belle and Sebastian have become one of music’s most respected bands. Their quirky alt-pop and vividly imaginative concept albums – such as The Boy with the Arab Strap (1998) and Dear Catastrophe Waitress (2003) – made them celebrities in the UK and legends within indie circles. Fans flock to see their creative stories put into action […]

As the world breathes a collective sigh in the wake of the U.S. elections, we turn to music to help us process our spectrum of emotions. Whether you’re in the heartland of America, a bustling European capitol, or on a tranquil beach in New Zealand, you probably share the world’s “WTF?!?” feelings of surprise, dismay, or relief. This playlist features […]

Today we focus on the Class of 1980, and there are some great albums. This is part of our monthly series that looks at some of music’s great albums celebrating a milestone this year. You can find the previous lists by clicking on the “Class” below: Class of 1965 Class of 1970 Class of 1975 ———————————————— “Do you remember rock […]

The UK’s Sugarmen are about to blow up. The punk-rock four-piece released their music video for their first single “Dirt” today. Listening to the single, you can hear why The Clash’s Mick Jones fell in love with their demos and decided he wanted to produce ten tracks for them.  There’s a definite Clash influence, but they fit in with contemporary […]

A couple of days ago, a documentary focusing on the rock and reggae scenes in England in 1977 popped up on Youtube. The documentary mostly focuses on The Clash and other British culture and counter-culture, and the growth of Punk culture in 1977.  Today’s Hidden Gem is based on the fact that this documentary seems to have some of the […]