Unfortified Castle

It's hard to pull off an energetic downward tempo shift, but that's exactly what Franz Ferdinand did, and I love it.

As Don McLean captured, "The Day the Music Died" was only the beginning of a period of sweeping cultural change in the United States.

Foreigner put lyrics first en route to creating one of the greatest love anthems in all of popular music.

Soundgarden's mainstream breakthrough served as a personal eye- (and ear-) opener, allowing me to appreciate a sound that defined the 90s.

Between its sampling dispute, its distinctive vocal elements, and its point of view, the Verve's enduring anthem leaves a unique impression.

The Temper Trap's indie anthem soundtracks a nostalgia-driven afternoon walk in the aftermath of classes restarting.

I got hooked on Yves Tumor's sound from this track alone and the complex internal war it captures.

Kelly Jones and Stereophonics call back to the generation before them with their R&B influenced post-Britpop.

Dire Straits don't directly echo the music implied by their story, but they embody it just enough to tell a convincing and memorable tale.

A J.S. Bach-inspired structure yields a unique and iconic recording.

Cameo unload a widespread critique of those in power over the lies they tell with their signature, hard-hitting funk.

Blondie's Moroder-produced movie soundtrack anthem presents the state of pop at a sonic inflection point — a sound people still love today.

Little changes go a long way for Eric Carmen and the Raspberries.

A "darksynth" retooling of a 1980s movie soundtrack classic gives the lyrics and title a much more fitting treatment.

Why? It just kind of happened once, and I've kept it up since... but I try to read into it anyway.

Move over, "Imagine" — Oasis provide the perfect soundtrack to changing calendars.

Bread's hit celebrates the music maker while also reminding listeners that fame is so often temporary.

In Olivia Rodrigo's smash summer hit, I hear what may be an inflection point for pop music in terms of sound and the business of crediting.

Steve Winwood struck a balance between older R&B and soul and his own era's pop rock on one of his biggest songs.

The song doesn't even have the word "rain" in it, but its presence is undoubted, as is that of Jim Morrison's most personal character.