Music That Moves Me: Episode 8 — Louise Attaque’s J’t’emmène au vent, or How One Farewell Gift Changed My Musical Taste
My boss handed me one album as I left Paris. One violin, one chorus, and my musical taste was never going to…
Music
Music That Moves Me: Episode 7 — Noir Désir’s Tostaky, or How One Guitar Riff Reopened a Paris Student Party
One guitar riff drops me back into a Paris student party in the 1990s, when the room shook and everything felt possible until…
Music That Moves Me: Episode 6 — Radiohead’s Creep, or the Anthem for Everyone Who Has Ever Felt Like the Wrong Puzzle Piece
Radiohead’s Creep became an anthem for anyone who ever felt out of place, but the story behind its emotional explosion…
Music That Moves Me: Episode 5 — Nirvana — Smells Like Teen Spirit, or How College Got a Distortion Pedal
One song hit college like a cracked-open window, and suddenly the room, the year, and the volume knob…
Music That Moves Me Episode 4: Fleetwood Mac — Landslide, or How One Acoustic Guitar Turns Into Inner Weather
One acoustic song, one quiet moment, and suddenly your whole life starts looking back at you like…
Music That Moves Me: Episode 3 — CMAT — EURO-COUNTRY, or How I Accidentally Fell Into a Hypnotic Irish Pop Vortex
I had never heard of CMAT before, then EURO-COUNTRY walked in, rearranged the furniture, and somehow…
Music That Moves Me: Episode 2 — Fine Young Cannibals — She Drives Me Crazy
One song, one drum hit, and suddenly high school comes marching back like it never packed its locker…
Music That Moves Me: Episode 1 — Coeur de Pirate — Comme des enfants
A French piano-pop song comes on, and suddenly memory, happiness, and old versions of yourself start walking back into the room…
The Ultimate Guide to Rock and Roll Music (Turn It Up, Don’t Overthink It)
Rock and roll is not just music. It is attitude with a guitar problem. It is three chords, a questionable haircut, and the confidence to believe that this song will absolutely change the world, or at least the mood of the room. If you have ever air-guitared in traffic, yelled “this is my jam” unironically, … Read more