Each Sunday, Pitchfork takes an in-depth look at a significant album from the past, and any record not in our archives is eligible. Today we revisit the 1980 album from the shapeshifting UK prog band, a pivotal moment in their journey to pop-rock stardom.
The fourth volume in the endlessly innovative group’s long-running series reminds us that they often dropped their best work away from their full-lengths.
On her third album, Julien Baker’s self-lacerating storytelling gets a more expansive canvas to work with. The big, full-band sound makes all the small moments of pain surreptitiously devastating.
Rooted in authenticity but still layered in artifice, the rising pop singer’s debut is ambitious yet shallow, seemingly intent on proving its own seriousness.
Boosted by the YouTube recommendations algorithm, and now TikTok memes, an American-influenced strain of vintage Japanese music has become a perennial cult hit online. The trend says more about Western perceptions of the East than the other way around.
The rule-breaking pop experimentalist talks about the differences between major and independent labels, and how she ended up signing with indie rock stalwart Merge for her new album.
Neneh Cherry talks about the one song she wishes she wrote, “Across 110th Street” by Bobby Womack.
Departing from the high-impact electro of his Galaxian alias, Scottish producer Mark Kastner explores more contemplative strains of ambient and IDM.
The Brooklyn-based rock quartet’s mild, uptempo debut coasts on good vibes but won’t convince anyone they’re living dangerously.
The appealingly unpredictable debut from the Norwegian duo thrives off the dueling forces of unease and temptation.
The 23-year-old rapper shows the most promise on his sophomore album when he dials down the menacing grit and focuses on how his emotions have shaped his current reality.