A few years ago, Spectrum Culture debuted a new type of feature called PLAYLIST. The idea is simple enough: make a playlist (with mix tapes and CDs becoming so unfortunately passé) centered around one artist or band with a deep catalog. There is only one parameter, however. Our charge is to limit our playlist to just one song per album …

In 1994, the night before I took the SAT, my friends and I drove down to Veterans Stadium on the outskirts of Philadelphia. Pink Floyd was in town to promote The Division Bell, the band’s second studio album since mastermind Roger Waters split roughly a decade prior. To a 17-year-old boy, it didn’t matter that Waters was long gone, this …

Welcome to PLAYLIST, a re-occurring feature where our staff creates a playlist (with mix tapes and CDs becoming so unfortunately passé) centered around one artist or band with a deep catalog. For each LP we choose one song and pick a writer to rhapsodize its virtue. This feature is especially challenging when facing the discography of Jay-Z. In a career …

Our last entry was in July with the eccentric country collective Lambchop, so this time we went in a completely different direction and chose a true icon of electronica: Depeche Mode. Between the band’s massive commercial successes and equally innovative use of synthesizers in the world of pop music, choosing Depeche Mode’s most essential songs was no easy task. Once …

  This time around we decided to pick the best of the legendary David Bowie. It wasn’t easy. Many of Bowie’s songs could easily be the best song. Classics such as “Ziggy Stardust” and “Station to Station” fought valiantly, but didn’t make the cut. So once again, we got together, butted heads and hashed out this list. We hope it …

This year, the Beatles’ catalog will appear on remastered 180-gram vinyl, making their stereo vinyl debut on November 13th. It’s hard to believe that the Beatles’ earliest recordings are soldiering on towards their 50th birthday. The songs remain viable, powerful and exciting today. I am also proud to welcome you back to a series titled PLAYLIST. The idea is simple …

“Fire in Cairo” from Three Imaginary Boys (1979) No, “Fire in Cairo” is not a political song, though its explosive refrain of “F-I-R-E-I-N-C-A-I-R-O” is received like the rallying cry of an enraptured true believer, shouted from the platform of a falling statue. Instead, this track, featured on the Cure’s 1979 debut Three Imaginary Boys and again on the 1980 U.S. …

Welcome to PLAYLIST, a reoccurring feature on Spectrum Culture where our staff creates a playlist (with mix tapes and CDs becoming so unfortunately passé) centered around one artist or band with a deep catalog. For each LP we choose one song and pick a writer to rhapsodize its virtue. This feature is an especially challenging endeavor when facing the dense …

Welcome to PLAYLIST. The idea is simple enough: make a playlist (with mix tapes and CDs becoming so unfortunately passé) centered around one artist or band with a deep catalog. There is only one parameter, however. Our charge is to limit our playlist to just one song per album per discography. This time around we decided to pick the best …

To mark R.E.M.’s recent retirement, we selected the group as our next PLAYLIST band. The idea is simple enough: make a playlist centered around one artist or band with a deep catalog, but with a catch: only one track from each album can be included. We’d be lying if we said compiling this list was easy. Indeed, no album had …