talking heads

The dawning of our new normal — a world of postponement, rescheduling and uncertainty — showed us just how sacred live shows can be. Whether they’re experienced in person or at home in front of a screen, the collective energy fostered between an artist and their audience is the driving essence of live music. While we may hav...

Demos are a great way for listeners to peer into the creative process of their favorite musicians. As an artist’s vision comes to fruition, demos serve as the solidified rough draft of a song. They can show us the painstaking mental labor that comes with writing new music. They...

When Leeds, U.K. post-punks Gang Of Four first appeared on American shores in 1980, they were simultaneously startling, exciting, fierce, warm, familiar and yet shockingly new. They were clearly unthinkable without punk, yet they didn't play standard-issue Ramones-isms in a leather jacket...

The 1980s were the big bang of music videos—a cosmic explosion of creativity, technology and straight-up weirdness.  With the launch of MTV in 1981, some artists used the visual art form to sell sex, youth and anything eye-catching, while others used it to visually define themselves within the music business.  Read mo...

A greasy R&B riff rips from the speakers, coated in more fuzz than a peach orchard wearing a 50-year-old wool sweater. A singer with a sneer that could wilt Elvis’ upper lip indicates he’s gonna tell you a story about his town. He snarls abou...

Lester Bangs, the greatest rock journalist ever, felt eternal Lower East Side musical royals the Velvet Underground were “our Beatles and Bob Dylan combined” and that “modern music begins” with them. He wasn’t wrong. They existed only for a hand...

Television is a great way to find new music and rediscover old songs. When artists are featured on TV show soundtracks, they are able to dive into a different medium. This grants them access to a whole new audience. With shows ranging from flirty rom-coms to haunting thrillers and everything in between, there are many places for alternative songs to fit into the world of TV...

Though all but forgotten by this point—save for documentary films like excellent Vancouver overview Bloodied But Unbowed and recent Teenage Head retrospective Picture My Face—Canada once boasted one of the world’s best punk scenes. The quality/quan...

When life gets hectic, it's important to take a minute for yourself to reset and clear your mind. Music is always a go-to way to destress, whether it's validating our feelings or mellowing us out. Read more: 11 rising alternative artists who fine-tuned their sound this past year Meditation is a practice of mindfulness and breathing that helps you take a moment for yourself...

It seems like every few years there is a debate, often caused by KISS vocalist Gene Simmons, about whether or not rock music is dead.  Simmons particularly has pointed the finger at many factors that he believes “killed” rock music, such as record companies in 2014. More recently, ...

Many bands take maintaining the same lineup quite seriously, even if it's one of the most difficult things to pull off. Especially if longevity is also high up on their list of priorities.  Those who have accomplished it wear it as a badge of honor, such as U2. Fro...

Sweden may be best known for exporting its world-famous meatballs, the band Ghost and the puzzle games known as IKEA furniture, but they have many more treasures that everyone should know about. The seventh happiest country in the world is home to many artists who are redefining what it means to be alternative...

Welcome to Alternative Press’ pick of the 15 best punk guitarists of the ’90s. One notable difference between this list and the other two we’ve compiled is the inclusion of several women. Punk did much to democratize rock ’n’ roll in the ’70s, with many pioneering all-female (the Runaways, the Slits) or mixed-gender lineups (X-Ray Spex, Talking Heads). But only one ’70s female punk guit... Read Mo

We're all guilty of singing the wrong lyrics to a favorite song. (Seriously, there have been entire books compiled about this very subject.) But occasionally, you'll see a band play and you're stoked to hear your favorite song. You're singing along at the top of your lungs, and the lead singer decides to go rogue and adds, subtracts or replaces lines entirely...

There’s nothing better than cracking the spine on a new story on Book Lovers day. OK, maybe listening to your favorite artist or band. What if you could combine the two? You can. Look no further than this list of 10 books written by your favorite musicians to merge your love of melodic lyrics with the written word. Rea...

For lots of bands, songwriting means working their way through multiple drafts of lyrics before settling on the right ones. Sometimes, even the album versions of lyrics aren’t entirely finalized. Musicians toy around with their lyrics at live performances all the time, changing the original words to prove a point, or just to switch things up a bit. Beca...