Between the Grooves

Between the Grooves of Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’

Between the Grooves of Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’

In 1984, funk rock legend Prince combined music and film into a major extravaganza called Purple Rain, and it went to the top of the charts for 24 weeks in a row.

Between the Grooves of Liz Phair’s ‘Exile in Guyville’

Between the Grooves of Liz Phair’s ‘Exile in Guyville’

Liz Phair’s indie rock landmark Exile in Guyville is truly sui generis, a one-of-a-kind moment in history where everything aligned at just the right time and place.

The B-52’s and Their Unique First Album (Between the Grooves)

The B-52’s and Their Unique First Album (Between the Grooves)

We dance this mess around, get out our lava lamps, and explore why the B-52’s 1979 debut album is one of the best pop records ever made.

Between the Grooves of Modest Mouse’s ‘The Lonesome Crowded West’

Between the Grooves of Modest Mouse’s ‘The Lonesome Crowded West’

Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock is a blue-collar poet in the best American tradition, and The Lonesome Crowded West is his opus. Our track-by-track analysis of the classic indie rock album shows its brilliance.

Between the Grooves of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Houses of the Holy’ (1973)

Between the Grooves of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Houses of the Holy’ (1973)

Between the Grooves celebrates Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy by examining how the band were at their best on the underrated post-Zoso masterwork.

Between the Grooves: Elvis Costello – ‘This Year’s Model’

Between the Grooves: Elvis Costello – ‘This Year’s Model’

The latest Between the Grooves is a track-by-track deconstruction of Elvis Costello's malicious 1978 masterpiece, This Year's Model.

Between the Grooves: lowercase – ‘Kill the Lights’

Between the Grooves: lowercase – ‘Kill the Lights’

Between the Grooves examines lowercase's Kill the Lights, a great marriage of slowcore and post-punk: raw, angry, sullen, and very much alive almost all these years later.

Between the Grooves: Green Day – ‘American Idiot’

Between the Grooves: Green Day – ‘American Idiot’

Part social commentary and part fictional narrative, Green Day's American Idiot came out of nowhere and impressed with its biting political subversion, exploration of teenage angst, love, and uncertainty, and perhaps most importantly, brilliant structures, transitions, and overall cohesion.