Ever think sometimes that your Spotify algorithm just isn't quite doing the job today, and you feel like getting a real, flesh-and-blood human's opinion on what to check out next? Fear not, for there's an entire universe of fantastic music blogs awaiting your discovery, beyond the confines of your Pitchforks and Stereogums. If you're looking for exposure to new music from past and present, and the phenomenally talented writers who write about them, here are four must-read music blogs for your perusal.
1. Then Play Long
A chronological look at every number-one album in the history of the British music charts by the husband-and-wife team of writers Marcello Carlin and Lena Friesen, Then Play Long is an ambitious, insightful, and phenomenally written undertaking. By turns autobiography, account of the process of writing, reevaluation of albums both forgotten and well remembered (for better and worse), and close reading, Carlin and Friesen will make you question everything you thought you knew about pop music and how to listen to it. With a scope that encompasses the entirety of post-war pop music and every conceivable genre, starting with Frank Sinatra in 1956 and having reached all the way to the summer of 1990 as of this writing, this blog is both an invaluable research and a fascinating read. It is best read in chronological order, but highlights include their entries on every album by The Beatles, the "NOW That's What I Call Music!" series, Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours," "The Official BBC Album of the Royal Wedding" (no, really!), and David Bowie's "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)." Do yourself a favor and binge-read on some of the best music writing around.
2. Popular
On a similar track over at UK pop culture site FreakyTrigger is music writer Tom Ewing's Popular series, an historical overview of the history of the singles chart, a field quicker to change and less conservative than the album charts. Each song is ranked with a score from one to 10, with registered commenters able to leave their own scores as well, which are then tallied at the end of each decade for a definitive ranked list. Ewing, a sometime contributor to Pitchfork and other publications, is one of the best writers about popular music around, and Popular boasts both his own excellent insights and an excellent commenter community as well. Take a look back on songs you loved (and tons you missed) for a great read.
3. The Singles Jukebox
If you're looking for something a little more "now," The Singles Jukebox is the place to be for the best in writing about all the latest and hottest tracks. Updated multiple times a day each day (with an upcoming break for the holidays), TSJ is both an excellent means of discovering new songs from across a broad range of genres and countries, accompanied with writing insightful, scathing, and always on point. The blog is currently in the midst of its readers' choice week, an end-of-year period wherein readers can submit singles not covered on the blog from the past year, and even do some writing on them themselves. Take a look, and by this time next year you may have a chance of appearing there yourself!
4. One Week One Band
As the title suggests, OWOB is a blog featuring a new writer (or writers) writing about the musical act of their choice over the course of a week. Contributors range from professionally published critics to amateur bloggers, with ages ranging from the middle aged to the teenaged. The forms each week's coverage can take are as unique as the author wishes to make them: autobiographical reflection on the role the music has played in their lives, lyrical close-reading, cultural analysis, you name it! The structure, scope, and number of songs and posts each day are entirely up to the author, and the results are routinely dazzling. Unlike the aforementioned blogs, OWOB is open submission year-round; if you have an idea for a band you'd like to write about that hasn't already been covered, you can send them a pitch and maybe find yourself headlining a week-long look at your favorite artist(s)! If you're looking for a "best of" OWOB to give you an idea of the sheer breadth of possible approaches and artists, check out the following: Katherine St. Asaph on Kate Bush, Tom Ewing on The KLF, Luisa Lopez on Carly Rae Jepsen, Daniella Joseph on Radiohead, and Tess McGeer on Taylor Swift.
