Other
This section holds album stories, birthdays, and anniversaries that don't sit neatly inside the twelve genres above: cabaret, reggae, blues, country, and similar corners of recorded music that deserve the same attention as anything else on the site. There's no single shared history to point to here, and that's the point: each story stands on its own, tied to a specific artist, record, or scene rather than a genre narrative. Expect the same kind of coverage as elsewhere — people and sessions behind a record, plus vinyl reissue news — gathered from wherever the story happens to be.
135 STORIES
76 Points and a Bedroom: Clairo’s Immunity at 7
Clairo’s debut album Immunity arrived on August 2, 2019, co-produced by Rostam Batmanglij. Seven years later, it still feels suspended between bedroom pop intimacy and a sharper, stranger light.
· 4 min read
Jan Axel Blomberg: From Duran Duran Fan to Black Metal's Pulse
He grew up on a diet of football, wrestling, and synth-pop. Depeche Mode and Duran Duran were on heavy rotation, not the infernal noise of the Norwegian undergr…
· 5 min read
Robert Wyatt’s Rock Bottom: The Fall That Built a Cosmos
The fourth-floor window gave way during a party, and Robert Wyatt fell. It was June 1, 1973, and the former Soft Machine drummer and vocalist plunged into a new…
· 5 min read
Slash at 61: The Guns N' Roses Icon's Enduring Guitar Legacy
From a black top hat to blues-inflected solos, Slash built a six-decade career that redefined hard rock guitar. His Gibson Les Paul became one of the most recognisable sounds in music.
· 3 min read
A Cigarette, a Nickname, and 61 Years of Slash
Born Saul Hudson in London’s Hampstead on July 23, 1965, the guitarist known as Slash turned a childhood nickname into a 61-year career. His work reshaped hard rock with Guns N’ Roses and beyond.
· 5 min read
Gentle Giant: The Experimental Debut That Defied Borders
In 1970, Gentle Giant recorded their self-titled debut in London. The album blended classical influences with rock instrumentation and defied genre constraints.
· 3 min read
Mike Oldfield's Exposed: The Live Album That Broke His Stage Fright
In April 1979, Mike Oldfield released Exposed, his first live album. It captured the moment the reclusive multi-instrumentalist conquered his stage fright at Wembley Conference Centre.
· 3 min read
Laurel Aitken: From Cuban Harbors to Ska's Birth in London
Born in Cuba in 1927, Lorenzo 'Laurel' Aitken carried Caribbean sounds from Kingston's ports to London's Brixton, becoming the accidental architect of ska.
· 3 min read
Émilie Simon: The French Electronic Alchemist Turning 48
Conservatory-trained opera singer Émilie Simon, who shattered expectations with glitchy electronic pop, turns 48 this year.
· 3 min read
Pyotr Mamonov: The Explosive Poet of Soviet Underground Rock
Pyotr Mamonov, who died five years ago today, was a street brawler with a poet's soul. As the frontman of Zvuki Mu, he became the voice of Soviet underground rock.
· 4 min read
Valentina Tolkunova’s Voice Beyond Pop
Valentina Tolkunova, born in 1946, worked as a dub actor and actor as well as a singer, bringing a rare versatility to Soviet music and film. She would have turned 80 this year.
· 1 min read
Igor Khoroshev: From Moscow Churches to Yes' Keyboards
Born in Moscow in 1965, Igor Khoroshev traded Soviet conservatories for Yes' synthesizers. The classically trained pianist carved a path from church organs to prog-rock arenas.
· 3 min read
Pelageya: From Child Prodigy to Russia's Folk-Rock Icon
A four-year-old girl steps onto a Siberian stage, unaware she's beginning one of Russia's most unconventional musical journeys. Pelageya Khanova, born Polina Sm…
· 3 min read
When the Grateful Dead Told Their Own Story on Vinyl
In 1973, the Grateful Dead broke from their studio albums to release a live compilation, 'History of the Grateful Dead, Volume One.' 53 years later, it stands as a time capsule of a band in flux.
· 1 min read
Jethro Tull's most divisive album turns 53
Jethro Tull released 'A Passion Play' in 1973 on Chrysalis Records, trading conventional songs for one continuous 53-minute suite. Rolling Stone called it a disaster, but prog fans never let it go.
· 1 min read