The year: 1995

Pusha T came out of the gate fully evolved. He kicks off the intro to Clipse’s Lord Willin’, released in 2002, talking shit and pushing weight—“Playas we ain’t the same, I’m into ’caine and guns”—a statement of purpose from which he never wavered. He was 25. Over Clipse’s ensuing mixtapes and albums, he and brother…

In the midst of touring the country, Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino and Bobb Bruno took time off to talk to us about their favorite 5 pieces of pop culture set in L.A., from The Hills to Adventures in Hollywood.

Chvrches get a production boost on the overlong Love Is Dead, while fifth full-length V. erodes Wooden Shjips’ edge away for good, and post-punks Numb.er debut with all style and little substance.

Listen to these songs and more on The A.V. Club’s Spotify playlist, updated weekly with what we’re listening to.

The various mass-extinction events in pop music history are greatly overstated. Hair metal wasn’t wiped from the face of the earth the moment “Smells Like Teen Spirit” roared to life; the pre-rock ’n’ roll crooners eked out a decent living in casinos and on TV after the teenyboppers turned their attentions to guitars.…

Brooklyn quartet Parquet Courts harness their collective voice on Wide Awake!, while Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks reveal a little more of themselves on Sparkle Hard, and OOOOO & Islamiq Grrrls join forces for the intoxicating Faminine Mystique. These, plus GAS and Low Cut Connie in this week’s notable new releases.

Listen to these songs and more on The A.V. Club’s Spotify playlist, updated weekly with what we’re listening to.

The standard narrative goes like this: Bruce Springsteen without the E Street band is like a painter missing a color from their palette—there’s just something incomplete. His years with the band on hiatus, in this reading, were those of a musician lost in the creative wilderness. But the new remasters collection Bruce…

Arctic Monkeys’ sixth album feels unmoored, while Tee Grizzley’s Activated sounds like the work of a budding superstar, and La Luz explores the textures of its tiki-bar sound on Floating Features. These, plus The Body and Mark Kozelek in this week’s notable new releases.

When The A.V. Club put together an Inventory of George W. Bush-era political works that still hold up, we couldn’t have known just how applicable they would be in a Trump presidency. Likewise, when The Thermals released the career-best album The Body, The Blood, The Machine in 2006, they weren’t banking on their…

1. The Mamas & The Papas, “California Dreamin”
2. Question Mark And The Mysterians, “96 Tears”
3. Jimmy Ruffin, “What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted”
4. The Monkees, “Last Train To Clarksville”
5. Four Tops, “Reach Out I’ll Be There”
6. Nancy Sinatra, “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’”
7. The Association, “Cherish”
8. Frank…

Six albums and 14 years in, Baltimore duo Beach House has well-established itself as masters of dream pop, with each release gradually refining and evolving its unmistakable sound: a transportive pulse of organs and swooning melodies drawing from psych pop, shoegaze, and more. Singer-keyboardist Victoria Legrand and…

Dave Hill is a comedian, musician, occasional guest star on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, host of WFMU’s The Goddamn Dave Hill Show, and Dick Cavett’s best friend. He also maintains a pretty great Instagram account, filled with selfies, tour hijinks, and pictures of his adorable dog, Luci. In our new game, “Gram Slam,”…

Listen to these songs and more on The A.V. Club’s Spotify playlist, updated weekly with what we’re listening to.

A triple LP always says something. If you’re George Harrison, whose 23-track debut All Things Must Pass set a gold standard for Beatles solo records, it says, “Those fuckers should’ve let me write more.” If you’re The Clash, whose 1980 triple-set Sandinista! came just a year after its breakout double-LP London Calling,…

Welcome back to AVC Sessions, our series where we bring in an artist, band, musician, singer, rapper, etc. to perform three of their tracks. This week, we’re sharing songs by Scottish indie-rock band Frightened Rabbit. Earlier this year, the five-piece embarked on The Midnight Organ Fight 10th Anniversary Tour in…

Ambient techno master Jon Hopkins balances dance-floor euphoria with armchair contemplation on Singularity, while German producer DJ Koze’s excellent Knock Knock feels like a day spent in paradise, and the Fiery Furnaces sound creeps back in on Eleanor Friedberger’s fourth solo LP, Rebound. These, plus Belly, Iceage,…

Listen to these songs and more on The A.V. Club’s Spotify playlist, updated weekly with what we’re listening to.

Welcome back to AVC Sessions, our series where we bring in an artist, band, musician, singer, rapper, etc. to perform three of their tracks. This week, we’re sharing songs by Scottish indie-rock band Frightened Rabbit. Earlier this year, the five-piece embarked on The Midnight Organ Fight 10th Anniversary Tour in…