*The truth was there all along, he was an infant, an unborn, only shedding light and never receiving, so that he could never climb to the top of his plateau. . America really isn’t a literary place. It’s like Martha Stewart trying to preach on kickboxing. I even detest black writers, as a general rule. … Read more“Dolby’s Choice 10 Hip-Hop Tracks”
“Here’s a band Seaweed,” articulates Sub Pop record engineer Jack Endino in the grunge documentary Hype!, “that wasn’t really doing anything at the time, they hadn’t played a show in over a year or so, yet Rolling Stone is interviewing them.” Such was the state of the music business in the ’90’s. A prize hog, … Read more“Dolby’s Top 10 Indie-Singles-from-the-’80’s-or-’00’s-That-Would-Have-Been-Mainstream-Singles-Had-They-Been-Released-in-the-’90’s”
It all started with a baseball bat. I mean, that’s why we listen to music in the first place, isn’t it? It’s a siphoning from a place that is different from our own, so that we can BE in a place different from our own. If I learned anything from reading R.E.M.: A Perfect Circle … Read more“Dolby’s Top 10 R.E.M. Songs of All Time”
Ryan Adams put an album out this year. What was it supposed to be? Making albums is what Ryan Adams does with his life, and he’s passed another year around the sun, but what is his reservoir, what is his celestial elixir, what is his muse? Albums come in a package. Music, though, exists at … Read more“Dolby’s Top 20 Albums of 2014”
* “I walk through the hallways inside my mind.” – Phish 214 Aloha – Here Comes Everyone “We Belong Here” is rudimentary pop for the ages, and “Boys in the Bathtub” is a trippy glass of eggnog with extra sugar. These boys, or Tony Cavallario, were really gettin’ their hands sticky all over … Read more“Dolby’s Top 214 Albums of All Time”
The skit/interlude in the Beastie Boys’ “B-Boys Makin’ wit’ the Freak Freak” It’s a black dude going, “Sh**, if it’s gonna be that kinda party I’m-a stick my di** in the mashed potatoes!” Nobody, NOBODY, I’ve ever been around listening to Ill Communication with, has ever failed to laugh at this one, and you … Read more“Dolby’s Top 10 All-Time Funniest Moments in Entertainment (In No Particular Order)”
10 The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses I put this one 10th, because it’s actually a punk album, if you listen to it, the drum beats juxtaposed with enough closeness and meaningful presence so as to carry the music’s kinetic energy such as would be the case with a Clash or Buzzcocks. But … Read more“Dolby’s 10 POPPY Pop Albums of All Time”
Michael Jackson – “Man in the Mirror” Goodwill is pretty sweet. I mean, it kinda smells bad. But you know. We can forgive it for that. “Man in the Mirror” is the best song to hear in a Goodwill, and it is one of my favorite songs at large. This can’t help but bode well … Read more“Dolby’s Five Favorite Songs”
Honorable Mention: . London Grammar – If You Wait Dessa – Parts of Speech Foxygen – We are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace and Magic Barn Owl – V Drowner – You’re Beautiful, I Forgive You Gold Panda – Half of Where You Live My Bloody Valentine – mbv Vinnie Paz – Carry on Tradition Hubble – Hubble Eagle Deafheaven – Sunbather . Top 20: … Read more“Top 20 Albums of 2013”
25 Band of Skulls – Sweet Sour Admittedly, I was a pretty big Band of Skulls fan before I heard Sweet Sour; I’d let people know about them, heralding “Death By Diamonds and Pearls” as the new revitalizing rock anthem. And I guess it’s a sad fact, but anger is really a prerequisite for making … Read more“Top 25 Albums of 2012”