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Music

The 50 Albums Everyone Needs to Own, 1963-2013

By Tom Hawking on

No one buys albums anymore, goes the music industry truism. And yet, for all that the format’s commercial viability may or may not be on the wane, sitting and listening to a great album from start to finish is one of the greatest pleasures that music can bring. Flavorwire recently got to thinking about how one might build a record collection if you really only did buy one record a year. So here’s the result of our thought exercise: 50 albums you really should own, one a year from 1963 until the present… Read More

Music

Deconstructing the Christian Imagery in David Bowie’s “The Next Day” Video

By Tom Hawking on

Given that it’s very heavy on Catholic imagery, and also on the idea of subverting and questioning such imagery, the new video for David Bowie’s “The Next Day” was always going to be controversial. It’s proven too much so for YouTube, which pulled it down this morning. Happily, you can still see it on Vevo, which has given us plenty of time to deconstruct all the iconography on show. If you’ve watched the video and wondered what it all means, then wonder no longer. (Or, at least, wonder a bit less.) … Read More

Pop Culture

What’s On at Flavorwire: The Links That Made the Rounds at Our Office

By Lillian Ruiz on

Recognizing that there’s an overabundance of stuff on the Internet (and it’s not everyone’s job to keep up with it all), Flavorwire is curating the best of what we come across — and share with our coworkers — in our daily meanderings around the web. Below, check out both the big and the obscure stories you might have missed during your long day at the office. … Read More

Music

Exclusive: David Bowie-Themed Animations to Celebrate 40 Years of ‘Aladdin Sane’

By Jennifer Lewis on

Break out the red-and-blue face paint, Bowie kids, because Aladdin Sane turns 40 this month. The iconic album was released on April 13, 1973, and quickly surpassed Bowie’s five previous albums in popularity in both the UK and the US. To honor this special anniversary, we’ve created an animated illustration for each of the ten songs on Aladdin Sane. Click through to check ‘em out, then mix yourself a celebratory David Bowie cocktail and dance around like the man… Read More

Fashion

“Angles Are Attitudes”: Men’s Style Tips From Pop Culture’s Greatest Fashion Icons

By Alison Nastasi on

Brooks Brothers has unveiled its new limited-edition men’s clothing line, created in collaboration with The Great Gatsby costume designer Catherine Martin. Gatsby isn’t the first pop culture project to reinvigorate interest in the distinctive and discerning man of the Roaring Twenties. The gentlemen of Boardwalk Empire and Downton Abbey have recently donned wingtip shoes, white waistcoats, and straw boaters. With the “dreamlike world of pristine green laws and lavish parties” in mind, we gathered great fashion tips from ten cultural icons to learn the secrets of sharp-dressed… Read More

Pop Culture

What Your Favorite Pop Culture Idols Were Wearing as Teens

By Alison Nastasi on

Our favorite photo of the week belongs to Star Trek: The Next Generation actor Wil Wheaton who shared an uber nerdy image of himself wearing ankle watches (with friendship bracelets!), acid-washed jeans, and a ratty Depeche Mode tee. We’ve featured the image of the Stand by Me star after the jump, along with photos of other pop culture idols and their (mostly) regrettable teen fashions. It’s a snapshot of simpler times, before the stylists and PR managers thoroughly preened them. See what a few of your favorite, famous teen heroes were wearing back in the day, below. … Read More

Music

Music’s Greatest Gender-Defying Fashion Statements

By Tom Hawking on

Earlier this week we did some serious thinking about the role of gender in Shaking the Habitual, the fantastic new album by The Knife. Today, we thought we’d revisit the same topic in a rather more lighthearted way: by looking at some of music’s most memorable gender-defying fashion statements over the years. Androgyny and ambiguity have long been part of popular music, after all, and they’ve been responsible for some of its most iconic imagery. From The Knife to Grace Jones and a certain remarkable German countertenor, here are some of the best… Read More

Music

Great Bands That Made (Relatively) Forgettable Debut Records

By Tom Hawking on

In an interesting cosmic coincidence, this week marks notable anniversaries for two of the more significant debut albums in the world of rock ‘n’ roll: 25 years ago yesterday, the Pixies released Surfer Rosa, while 50 years ago today, the Beatles released Please Please Me. Perhaps the most interesting thing about this is the contrast between the quality of the records — Surfer Rosa was a fully realized artistic vision, while Please Please Me only hinted at what the Beatles would go on to achieve. Still, the Fab Four are in pretty good company as far as bands who overcame relatively unimpressive debut albums go. As these ten records prove, there’s hope for everyone! … Read More

Pop Culture

12 Celebrities on Their First Crushes

By Jennifer Lewis on

If we remember anything from elementary school, it’s that there’s nothing quite like a first crush. It’s a truly inexplicable and unforgettable feeling… and who has more feelings than celebrities? Click through to find 12 actors and musicians discussing the somewhat bizarre apples of their childhoods’ eyes. Julia loved Abraham (yes, that one)? Janet loved Barry? Scarlett loved Jareth?! (Okay, we’re secretly with her on that… Read More

Music

Fascinating Photos of Great Musicians’ Earliest Musical Endeavors

By Tom Hawking on

Everyone has to start somewhere, and all that. We’re always fascinated by the idea of looking into the history of our favorite artists, be they musicians, writers, filmmakers or whatever else, and as such we found ourselves seeking out the earliest musical endeavors of some of our favorite musicians. We thought we’d share some of the fruits of our searching with you — fascinating photographs of famous musicians in the earliest stages of their artistic… Read More