Medium's premier music publicationhttps://bsky.app/profile/theriffmedia.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/theriffmedia.bsky.social/post/3mi77uzgtp22a⏰Announcement: #BrunoMars Album Discussion- Join us! We’ve got a great host and a killer record, all set to go. All we need now is you! Meeting is at 6 PM Eastern today (3/29). Here’s how to join the fun: https://medium.com/the-riff/its-time-for-album-club-1f0fe052a773?sk=fe7aa191999f9d5abd7a0a980aa27f0329 Mar 2026 13:10 +0000at://did:plc:manjpfslag5h3bsea2yyteff/app.bsky.feed.post/3mi77uzgtp22ahttps://bsky.app/profile/theriffmedia.bsky.social/post/3lztqs35s2s26🚨 Captain Beyond Album Discussion — Join Our Meetup tomorrow! We’ve got a great host and a killer record, all set to go. All we need now is you! Meeting is at 4 PM eastern. Here’s how to join the fun: https://medium.com/the-riff/announcement-captain-beyond-album-discussion-join-our-meetup-22283077342e27 Sep 2025 19:48 +0000at://did:plc:manjpfslag5h3bsea2yyteff/app.bsky.feed.post/3lztqs35s2s26https://bsky.app/profile/theriffmedia.bsky.social/post/3lu3s6j7mck2g👀 [contains quote post or other embedded content]16 Jul 2025 16:03 +0000at://did:plc:manjpfslag5h3bsea2yyteff/app.bsky.feed.post/3lu3s6j7mck2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/theriffmedia.bsky.social/post/3lts6rh32k22fThis is gonna be awesome, but it's be even better with you there. Join us! [contains quote post or other embedded content]12 Jul 2025 20:22 +0000at://did:plc:manjpfslag5h3bsea2yyteff/app.bsky.feed.post/3lts6rh32k22fhttps://bsky.app/profile/theriffmedia.bsky.social/post/3lphcvkbf3c2y"As majestic strings give way to a lush mid-tempo bounce, the track doesn’t so much command the dance floor as lure partygoers off the wall like a stylishly attired pied piper." @jthepisodes.bsky.social https://medium.com/the-riff/soulspin-2000-lucy-pearl-lucy-pearl-ec09831ffb6418 May 2025 14:56 +0000at://did:plc:manjpfslag5h3bsea2yyteff/app.bsky.feed.post/3lphcvkbf3c2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/theriffmedia.bsky.social/post/3lnuvbmtsjs2h"Kurt hasn’t been with us for a while, and I had already bid on his Cardigan sweater from the Nirvana MTV Unplugged performance and wound up as the second highest bidder. " #Music #Writing https://medium.com/the-riff/the-man-who-bought-the-jeans-dbd6008f9eaa28 Apr 2025 13:39 +0000at://did:plc:manjpfslag5h3bsea2yyteff/app.bsky.feed.post/3lnuvbmtsjs2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/theriffmedia.bsky.social/post/3lnb2mmhu722c"At its core, Reasonable Doubt is both an origin story and a use case for the ethos that defines its through line. Jay-Z’s worldview is best summed up in the opening verse of the album’s centerpiece, “Can I Live”: “I’d rather die enormous than live dormant.” @jthepisodes.bsky.social #music #hiphop https://medium.com/the-riff/backspin-jay-z-reasonable-doubt-1996-f06327630c8720 Apr 2025 16:21 +0000at://did:plc:manjpfslag5h3bsea2yyteff/app.bsky.feed.post/3lnb2mmhu722chttps://bsky.app/profile/theriffmedia.bsky.social/post/3ln74g5yxf225"It’s not colour or shading, it’s the centrepiece that gives the song a feeling of perpetual movement that matches the frantic nature of the vocal. " https://medium.com/the-riff/you-need-to-listen-to-this-song-right-now-74-b1f7dbd3159519 Apr 2025 21:48 +0000at://did:plc:manjpfslag5h3bsea2yyteff/app.bsky.feed.post/3ln74g5yxf225https://bsky.app/profile/theriffmedia.bsky.social/post/3ln73rjtti225“American Doll” sees Rebecca sending a pointed message to all who wish women would play their roles like the titular doll brand churns out. Instead of something bright and sarcastic, Black opts for the oppressive crunch of thick synths and metallic beats." #music #albumreview https://medium.com/the-riff/album-review-salvation-by-rebecca-black-2bd796561c2119 Apr 2025 21:36 +0000at://did:plc:manjpfslag5h3bsea2yyteff/app.bsky.feed.post/3ln73rjtti225https://bsky.app/profile/theriffmedia.bsky.social/post/3ln3o5m4ws22f"Instead, she invites us to join her in the messy, wonderful, painful process of being human. Whether she’s singing about the heartache of youth or the quiet acceptance of adulthood, Lorde’s music gives us space to feel everything we might otherwise try to ignore." #Lorde #Music https://medium.com/the-riff/this-is-what-feeling-everything-all-at-once-sounds-like-c4faab1db92418 Apr 2025 12:55 +0000at://did:plc:manjpfslag5h3bsea2yyteff/app.bsky.feed.post/3ln3o5m4ws22fhttps://bsky.app/profile/theriffmedia.bsky.social/post/3lkwh67ze6k2a"I couldn’t place a label on it or even an easy reference point, and this scared and exhilarated me." Want to share your thoughts about this record? Join us on Sunday! It's free, and all are welcome. Meeting links are in the article. #music #ViolentFemmes https://medium.com/the-riff/an-album-of-the-month-event-you-should-check-out-433bcc4001cf22 Mar 2025 00:16 +0000at://did:plc:manjpfslag5h3bsea2yyteff/app.bsky.feed.post/3lkwh67ze6k2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/theriffmedia.bsky.social/post/3lkpuyrdhbc2g📅 SAVE THE DATE: On Sunday, we'll be talking about "Hallowed Ground" by The Violent Femmes. Have some thoughts on the LP? Wanna just listen in? Join us! All are welcome. Meeting details are in the article. #music #ViolentFemmes https://medium.com/the-riff/the-riffs-album-of-the-month-club-march-23-2025-a1839be07b6c19 Mar 2025 09:35 +0000at://did:plc:manjpfslag5h3bsea2yyteff/app.bsky.feed.post/3lkpuyrdhbc2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/theriffmedia.bsky.social/post/3liu7bzrpns2x“By the song’s end, even the greenest newcomer would be hard-pressed not to understand the roles of rapper and DJ and how they work together to make musical magic.” @jthepisodes.bsky.social #music https://medium.com/the-riff/backspin-dj-jazzy-jeff-the-fresh-prince-hes-the-dj-i-m-the-rapper-1988-dae63e5cd6c823 Feb 2025 15:59 +0000at://did:plc:manjpfslag5h3bsea2yyteff/app.bsky.feed.post/3liu7bzrpns2xhttps://bsky.app/profile/theriffmedia.bsky.social/post/3licju5a6gk2i"Construção is a stunning achievement of musical arrangements and haunting melodies carried by Buarque’s brilliant wordplay and syllabic rhythms...that transcend the language barrier." Cool people talking about a cool record? You bet. Change your plans & join us! Details in link. 4 PM EST/9 PM GMT https://medium.com/the-riff/the-brazilian-sisyphus-0f55d2f5e87716 Feb 2025 15:20 +0000at://did:plc:manjpfslag5h3bsea2yyteff/app.bsky.feed.post/3licju5a6gk2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/theriffmedia.bsky.social/post/3licjcos2ok2i"Perhaps Larrieux’s sound was a touch too ethereal for a genre characterized by earthiness. Maybe she conveyed more uptown cocktail lounge than downtown coffee house. Certainly, her musical DNA is more Sade Adu than Chaka Khan." @jthepisodes.bsky.social #music #writing #Medium https://medium.com/the-riff/soulspin-2000-amel-larrieux-infinite-possibilities-0d39b13f2a7816 Feb 2025 15:11 +0000at://did:plc:manjpfslag5h3bsea2yyteff/app.bsky.feed.post/3licjcos2ok2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/theriffmedia.bsky.social/post/3licj5nvfts2i"I like the little injection of soul the Wurlitzer keys bring to his country diddy. Dylan’s voice holds tightly to the beauty of his surroundings to keep the lonesome blues from consuming him completely..." #Music #Writing #Medium https://medium.com/the-riff/album-review-i-saw-the-arkansas-by-dylan-earl-0574bb15bba416 Feb 2025 15:08 +0000at://did:plc:manjpfslag5h3bsea2yyteff/app.bsky.feed.post/3licj5nvfts2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/theriffmedia.bsky.social/post/3lhxzt4lohs2n"Despite its rather gristly subject matter, the song, featuring Levon Helm and Rick Danko from The Band and David Crosby of Crosby, Stills, and Nash, is a fan favorite. Neil fans, you see, like it dark. Oh, yeah. And it rocks." #music #writing https://medium.com/the-riff/how-neil-youngs-relationship-with-charles-manson-produced-his-darkest-song-653908c7741112 Feb 2025 11:07 +0000at://did:plc:manjpfslag5h3bsea2yyteff/app.bsky.feed.post/3lhxzt4lohs2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/theriffmedia.bsky.social/post/3lhxzrlibcs2nICYMI: [contains quote post or other embedded content]12 Feb 2025 11:06 +0000at://did:plc:manjpfslag5h3bsea2yyteff/app.bsky.feed.post/3lhxzrlibcs2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/theriffmedia.bsky.social/post/3lgo2eegjwc2v"He croons and belts, strums and tickles, taps and pounds in resistance to industry demands and audience expectations, pushing him toward the performance of soul as he grapples to connect with his soul, our collective soul, through sound." @jthepisodes.bsky.social https://medium.com/the-riff/soulspin-2000-dangelo-voodoo-03174eb5ff8a26 Jan 2025 18:25 +0000at://did:plc:manjpfslag5h3bsea2yyteff/app.bsky.feed.post/3lgo2eegjwc2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/theriffmedia.bsky.social/post/3lgijupz67k2v"The iconic photograph of Elvis Presley sitting at the piano flanked by Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash has been written about countless times...but I’m also always surprised how many times it goes unmentioned what was being recorded that day." https://medium.com/the-riff/the-recording-session-that-led-to-a-famous-photo-8c9ae4daa8bd24 Jan 2025 13:46 +0000at://did:plc:manjpfslag5h3bsea2yyteff/app.bsky.feed.post/3lgijupz67k2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/theriffmedia.bsky.social/post/3lg4mq5t2ws22Today's roundtable will cover everyone's top tracks of 2024. Bring your list and join us! https://medium.com/the-riff/starting-soon-the-riffs-top-songs-of-2024-discussion-3e4c06fae4c919 Jan 2025 20:06 +0000at://did:plc:manjpfslag5h3bsea2yyteff/app.bsky.feed.post/3lg4mq5t2ws22https://bsky.app/profile/theriffmedia.bsky.social/post/3lfkinpnxpc26Our friend @stevewlauden.bsky.social with a moving story about loss, recovery, and resilience. [contains quote post or other embedded content]12 Jan 2025 15:05 +0000at://did:plc:manjpfslag5h3bsea2yyteff/app.bsky.feed.post/3lfkinpnxpc26https://bsky.app/profile/theriffmedia.bsky.social/post/3lfkijwbxmk26"But Wu-Tang Forever is nothing if not bold and sprawling. If Wu-Tang Clan is the closest thing hip-hop has seen to the Avengers, the nearly 2-hour double disc set is their Infinity War. " Join @jthepisodes.bsky.social as he takes a deep dive into an underrated classic. #music #albumreview #hiphop https://medium.com/the-riff/backspin-wu-tang-clan-wu-tang-forever-1997-784c81dae8e612 Jan 2025 15:03 +0000at://did:plc:manjpfslag5h3bsea2yyteff/app.bsky.feed.post/3lfkijwbxmk26