Email Author Ryan Foley

2012 Stories by Ryan Foley

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  FEATURED STORY

  Rock Music Is Too Serious, Or Why We Still Need the Vaselines

  published Aug 29, 2012

  If the U.S. was an emoticon, it would be that frowning, teary-eyed yellow face. If it was a meme, it would be "Sad Keanu." According to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which measures overall ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Blur Hates America: Damon Albarn's Five Biggest Lyrical Digs at U.S. Culture

  published Jul 31, 2012

  Today, Blur frontman Damon Albarn concerns himself with 16th-century alchemists, playing music in the aisles of speeding commuter trains, and how obnoxious those 2012 Olympic bed linen sets and pictog... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  After 20 Years, Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back" Is Still Huge Because America Loves Asses

  published Jul 18, 2012

  There are songs that mention hands, touching numbers that express feelings of giddy togetherness and devilish desire: "Put Your Hands Together" by Eric B. & Rakim, "I'm Throwin' up My Hands" by Rev. G... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Sigur Ros' Valtari: We Imagine What Scenes the Soundtrack Kings' New Album Will Set

  published May 29, 2012

  We've read interviews with music supervisors -- those folks responsible for selecting, negotiating, and placing music in television programs, movies, and commercials -- where the questions centered o... More >>

• Spiritualized

  published March 21, 2012

  It's not entirely rare to find a music artist who is defined by a particular concept. However, there may not be one as rigidly and as hysterically... More >>

• Five Music Muses: The Women Who Inspired Jason Pierce, Lou Barlow, Eric Clapton, and More

  published May 23, 2012

  According to Greek mythology, the muses were the genius-sparking goddesses of song, poetry, and the sciences. Recently, the muse has more earthly origins; male recording artists often indicate that a ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  published May 15, 2012

  Today, the Antichrist heads up a company that charters private jets. The standard rental features a plush, zebra-striped interior. He also operates a chain of bar-and-grill restaurants that specialize... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Why My Bloody Valentine's Loveless Isn't as Good as You Think

  published May 08, 2012

  In the two decades since its release, My Bloody Valentine's Loveless has become a Teflon-coated favorite; sharp criticism of the album never sticks. So in honor of the '91 classic officially getting ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Fifteen Years Later, Hanson's "MMMBop" Is Still the Greatest Single Ever

  published Apr 12, 2012

  Music critics are misleading you. Their lists are cataloged lies. The greatest single of all time is not "Fight the Power," or "Love Will Tear Us Apart," or "Johnny B. Goode," or "Anarchy in the U... More >>

• Galactic: Show Preview

  published March 28, 2012

  Galactic is delightfully overwhelming, both in substance and style. The New Orleans jazz-funk fivesome cops from infectious genres:... More >>

• Spiritualized's Five Best Lyrics About Drugs

  published Mar 20, 2012

  It's not entirely rare to find a music artist who is defined by a particular concept. However, there may not be one as rigidly and as hysterically defined as Jason Pierce. For the Spiritualized frontm... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Irish Song Lyrics Rule: 10 Great Lines From Irish Musicians

  published Mar 16, 2012

  We'll leave the debates over why the Irish are such champions of the written word -- Is it the island's strong oral traditions surrounding the seanchai, or storytellerr The rich vein of Celtic folklor... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Valentine's Day Warning: These Five Love Songs Are Not About Loving People

  published Feb 14, 2012

  Rob Sheffield's book, Love Is a Mix Tape, meticulously details the many categories of the medium: The Party Tape; The Walking Tape; You Broke My Heart and Made Me Cry and Here Are Twenty or Thirty So... More >>

• What Happens When Children Start a Band

  published Jan 17, 2012

  On wikiHow, there are instructions on how to properly start up a band. The entry splendidly reduces the whole tortuous process to a series of simply phrased steps -- "Don't have people in the band who... More >>

• On Hair Metal, Siberia, and Learning to Love Terrible Things

  published Jan 03, 2012

  Lately, I've been listening to a lot of '80s hair metal, and when I listen to said hair metal, I frequently find myself thinking about Siberia. Okay, let me explain. Deviating from my comfy-cozy p... More >>