Editor’s Notes: Consequence has been around long enough that so many of the new albums that originally turned us on to music are now celebrating their first milestone anniversaries. As we begin to reflect on these records, you can catch our updated assessments here. “I just wanted to be one of The Strokes,” Arctic Monkeys’ vocalist Alex Turner sings on the opening line of Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino. It’s a somewhat ironic statement. The Sheffield indie rockers’ most recent album sounds nothing like The Strokes, especially the opening track “Star Treatment”. The 2018 record is infused with a lounge-jazz, yacht-rock persona with songs that follow Odyssean orbits rather than traditional verse-chorus patterns. With the Arctic Monkeys that fans are familiar with now, going back to their 20...
Earlier this year, Hop Along frontwoman Frances Quinlan issued her excellent debut under her own name, Likewise. The album quickly became one of our favorite of the year — though technically speaking it wasn’t her first solo release. She initially launched Hop Along as a solo project, dropping the freshman year LP back in 2005. Today, in celebration of that record’s 15th anniversary, Quinlan has released it to streaming services for the very first time, in addition to sharing a brand new EP of tracks from that era called more songs from 2005. The sessions that led to freshman year and (eventually) more songs from 2005 were as DIY as can be. Quinlan recorded in her parents basement in the Pennsylvania suburbs, with additional backing vocals and field sounds picked up everywhere from a house...
This year marks the 15th anniversary of The Office, so what better way to celebrate than with a new podcast that explores the entire history of the beloved show? Enter An Oral History of The Office, a 12-episode series hosted by Brian Baumgartner, a.k.a. Kevin Malone, Dundler Mifflin’s resident chili expert (and klutz). Exclusive to Spotify, the podcast promises to cover everything an Office diehard could possibly dream of — from the first meetings held by co-creator Ben Silverman and UK Office creator Ricky Gervais and the unique search for cast members to the best bits and most memorable cold opens. Sweetening the chili pot for fans is Baumgartner’s list of special guests, some of whom might just be familiar: Steve Carell (Michael Scott), John Krasinski (Jim Halpert), Rainn Wilson (Dwigh...