It’s been 25 years since alt-rock legends R.E.M. released their tenth album, New Adventures in Hi-Fi. To celebrate, the band is reissuing the album, featuring b-sides, rarities, previously unreleased video footage, archival photos and more via Craft Recordings. New Adventures is the tenth studio record by R.E.M. and is widely accepted by fans and the band […]
Music videos are the perfect bastard child of art and commerce, even more than pop music itself. A promotional visual accompaniment to a popular song doesn’t need a coherent narrative (although on rare occasions, they do). It just needs to suit the song, sell the record, and possibly make the artist look cool. But since […]
While we wait for the upcoming first-ever reissue of R.E.M.‘s rare 1981 release “Radio Free Europe (Original Hib-Tone Single),” the b-side, the original Hib-Tone mix of “Sitting Still,” is available digitally today for the very first time. Listen to “Sitting Still” below. [embedded content] This track will be available on the upcoming “Radio Free Europe” seven-inch record, presented in […]
It was a banner year for producers. The Neptunes — a major commercial force since Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s “Got Your Money” — helmed more great songs than we could fit on this list. (Shout out to NSYNC’s “Girlfriend,” an all-time classic boy band single.) Timbaland, Kanye West and Dr. Dre were similarly on fire. It […]
An anniversary can be celebrated with champagne or a vacation but Michael Stipe and Mike Mills from R.E.M. decided to honor the 30th anniversary of Out of Time by looking back. The duo joined Matt Wilkinson on Apple Music Hits to reminisce about the writing, legacy and everything in between. Mills and Stipe spoke about the mega-hit “Losing […]
Not all love songs are romantic. Not all love songs are even happy. It all depends on your definition of the term. For every “My Girl” or “Your Song,” there’s at least one track with a nuanced take on the darker, more complicated sides of love — the drama of a long-term relationship, the fear […]
Let’s face it: With most “Best Albums” lists, you know the broad strokes of the ranking before you even click. Part of that predictability is understandable: Most iconic records earn their reputation. But these rankings shouldn’t be fossilized, and a shit-ton of amazing LPs have been shoved aside in the pursuit of maintaining the status […]
Ever wanted to hear Ben Gibbard sing “Waterfalls” by TLC for a good cause? If so, you have some weird desires, but you’re also in luck. Death Cab for Cutie has just announced The Georgia E.P., a five-song release through Bandcamp that will support Stacey Abrams’ Fair Fight organization in the upcoming Georgia runoff elections. It […]
As part of our 35th anniversary, we’re naming the most influential artists of the past 35 years. Today, we’re at #8. From Athens, Georgia, here is R.E.M. CREDIT: Paul Natkin/Getty Images It started not with an earthquake, but a conversation. Michael Stipe and Peter Buck first met in 1980, at a record shop just off […]
SPIN launched in the peak MTV era, when an innovative — or even just salacious — music video could make or break an artist. Thirty five years later, YouTube is an obligatory part of any promotional push, but no one’s counting on a mind-blowing clip to sell a record. (The views do often matter — just […]