The Usurper Noteworthy Metal – June 2019 By Astrid Budgor • June 26th, 2019 A little summer heat never stopped anyone from moshing.
Feature Excerpt Lo-Fi Hip Hop Beats To Have a Nervous Breakdown To By Ana Diaz • June 25th, 2019 At least an entire generation working themselves to death can listen to some cozy beats while they do it.
Ferocious Spells, Winding Sigils By Levi Rubeck • June 13th, 2019 Building off similar grunge and noise-rock vibes as Made Out of Babies, Elizabeth Colour Wheel builds out from that frame.
The Beat Box Noteworthy Hip Hop – May 2019 By Noah Springer • May 31st, 2019 May was an eclectic month for hip hop. All sorts of flavors here, but mostly: Lizzo!
Downtown DIY By Steph Knarr • May 24th, 2019 The musicians of Pittsburgh’s DIY community are well-aware of their music’s past, but also keenly attuned to what’s currently popular.
The Usurper Noteworthy Metal – May 2019 By Astrid Budgor • May 24th, 2019 This month’s top contenders include two DBSM records because Astrid is a self-described predictable goth.
Breakups, Dear You, and Jawbreaker By Blake Hester • May 17th, 2019 The history and legacy of Jawbreaker almost seem at odds with each other.
Navigating Through Grief in La Dispute’s Panorama By Khee Hoon Chan • May 16th, 2019 As an creative extension of their latest record Panorama, the post-hardcore outfit La Dispute released an ephemeral but evocative game that accompanies their music
The 5+1 Best Songs Played on World Cups By Nicole • May 7th, 2019 Soccer and music have the power to bring people together, and when combined they are even more powerful.
Exploits Feature A Seven-Year-Old’s Taste in Music By Ed Coleman • May 1st, 2019 “Having all the music in the world readily available has not stopped kids from obsessively playing their favorite songs over and over. And over. And over. And three more times.”
The Beat Box Noteworthy Hip Hop – April 2019 By Noah Springer • April 30th, 2019 Noah’s got new hip-hop for April!
Let Jawbreaker Live By Levi Rubeck • April 4th, 2019 They were young, money and booze and tour life made things shitty, then it all fell apart, it’s nothing really new or altogether special.
The Burnt Offering Metal is My Church By Stu Horvath • April 4th, 2019 Stu Horvath ponders the alchemy behind taste as he reconsiders a “cheeseball” artist from his nascent metal education.
The Usurper Noteworthy Metal – March By Astrid Budgor • April 3rd, 2019 Astrid Budgor’s got a whole slew of albums for fans this month, including an oldie but a goodie you can still find on vinyl.
The Beat Box Noteworthy Hip Hop – March 2019 By Noah Springer • March 26th, 2019 Fresh hip hop selections for March!
The Usurper Noteworthy Metal – February By Astrid Budgor • March 8th, 2019 Astrid casts a wide net this month and catches an eclectic mix of metal to melt your face off.
The Slither and the Bop By Levi Rubeck • February 28th, 2019 While there are many bands I love that I feel don’t get their due, I’m particularly chapped that I can hardly find mention of Just a Fire online
The Might of Keiki Kobayashi’s Ace Combat 7 Soundtrack By David Shimomura • February 19th, 2019 Keiki Kobayashi might not be Hans Zimmer but in terms of effect achieved he’s damn close.
Best of 2018 Unwinnable Listens to the Best Music of 2018 By Team Unwinnable • January 31st, 2019 Unwinnable reflects on this year’s Can You Hang Challenge.
This Mortal Coyle Rochelle By Deirdre Coyle • January 30th, 2019 If the outbreak happened outside my window, I’d be digging through drawers for my most metal band shirts and cursing my lack of foresight in not purchasing a black Violator babydoll.
The Usurper Noteworthy Metal – December By Astrid Budgor • January 11th, 2019 In the spirit of List Season, Astrid made a roundup of metal records she missed over the course of the 2018.
Rookie of the Year 2018 and Everything After By Matt Marrone • December 28th, 2018 Matt Marrone’s picks his favorite album of 2018 and celebrates 25 years of friendship.
Best of 2018 The Best Music of 2018 By Team Unwinnable • December 28th, 2018 Our soundtrack for 2018 was as weird and wide-ranging as ever.
The Gentle Furor of GDJYB’s Math-Folk By Khee Hoon Chan • December 13th, 2018 Asian math rock band GDJYB has all the intricate musical structures of regular math rock, but centers soft, politically charged vocals.
The Usurper Noteworthy Metal – November By Astrid Budgor • November 30th, 2018 Astrid’s on a K-pop kick right now, so you know this month’s metal has to be good if it pulled her away.
Restorative Hardcore By Levi Rubeck • November 23rd, 2018 Hardcore has always struggled with this idea of restoration. As a sound it implodes buildings, razes the ground, acts as a cleansing flame.
The Unstable Sexuality of Joji By Amanda Hudgins • November 19th, 2018 He’s got a dangerous sort of attraction, a wild romanticism that calls out for attention in ways that the standard Asian male stereotype isn’t necessarily ready to handle.
Gwent for One By Levi Rubeck • November 15th, 2018 Believe it or not, Carly Rae Jepsen’s new single sets the tone for Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales.
Exploits Feature The Draw of “Live” By David Shimomura • November 1st, 2018 Despite access to all the content in the world via broadband streaming, live performance will never lose its allure.
Call Dad By Levi Rubeck • November 1st, 2018 Make noise, refuse to settle, share the heat with somebody, check in with your loved ones.
The Usurper Noteworthy Metal – October By Astrid Budgor • October 29th, 2018 Astrid Budgor may be sick, but so is NECRONOMIDOL’s newest album.
The Usurper Noteworthy Metal – September 2018 By Astrid Budgor • October 12th, 2018 It’s all love this time around in a month full of new metal favorites.
The Lifelong Labor of a Working Musician By Levi Rubeck • October 4th, 2018 For every post-Nirvana success story, there are cemeteries choked with the tombstones of failed major label alternative and grunge bands.
Exploits Feature “This is America” Parodies By Amanda Hudgins • October 1st, 2018 “This is America” has been made into a dire warning for more than just the United States.
Don’t Feel Bad if You’re Not as Good as Brockhampton By 2 Mello • September 18th, 2018 There are 14 members of Brockhampton and just one of you.
Rookie of the Year Cheap Wine By Matt Marrone • September 14th, 2018 A hootenanny revival becomes a gothic short story after a song about booze and memories best forgotten.
Aretha Franklin and the Price of Excellence By Malindy Hetfeld • September 10th, 2018 I was punished for telling my high school music teacher to take Aretha Franklin’s name out of his undeserving mouth.
The Usurper Noteworthy Metal – August 2018 By Astrid Budgor • September 4th, 2018 It’s hard to argue against the rise of antifa black metal bands. But then, it’s hard to extricate current stylings from black metal’s past too.