Features / Music

Sometimes the originals just don’t cut it, and sometimes someone just simply makes it better. After some consideration, we’ve come up with what we believe are the top 5 covers better than the originals. Some might cause a little upset, but it wouldn’t be much fun if we didn’t. Unfortunately, … Read more

When trying to pick out some of the most depressing songs from an artist that has been considered to be one of the most troubled songwriters in history, it can get difficult narrowing it down. Not to mention, different people will relate differently to certain songs. We present to you … Read more

5 Battles -- Mirrored (2007) Battles' sound is incredibly difficult to define. While they are firmly rooted in math rock, their incredibly unorthodox and lighthearted style of composition defy easy description. Even now, there are dozens of aspects of their music I can't find the words to properly convey. That's … Read more

It's E3 season. A time when new games get debuted and companies embarrass themselves with a dance-off to demonstrate their newest product. We thought we'd take the time to appreciate the tunes that danced their way into our hearts and our minds from some of video gaming's biggest franchises. Despite … Read more

Here at SPB we're big fans of pointing out poor cover art, but we're less good at highlighting the classics of the medium. In this new feature we're examining some of the greatest album artwork ever commited to record, and breaking it down by genre. First up: prog rock. Prepare … Read more

After early stints in the British pub rock band Brinsley Schwartz, and then with Dave Edmunds and Rockpile, Nick Lowe has maintained a long career as a solo artist, producer, and songwriter. Married to Johnny Cash’s stepdaughter Carlene for a while, Nick wrote The Beast In Me for Johnny which … Read more

Punk has always set out to be ungovernable, unruly and unapologetic. Kill your idols, destroy society, rip up the rulebook – of course. But that doesn't mean that every act of protest, musical expression or headline-grabbing incident has improved things for the punk scene without discrimination. Quite the opposite, in … Read more

It's the 21st century. The one thing we all seem to lack these days is time. Luckily for us with our busy lives, several bands have taken it upon themselves to record music that barely tickles the half-minute mark. We at SPB have assembled a list of half a dozen … Read more

We've all had them - songs where the lyrics passed you by in a blaze of blissful ignorance, until one day you stopped and suddenly heard, as if for the first time, the surprisingly different words that the singer was singing all along. Here, in no particular order, SPB documents … Read more

Let me do this in my best vintage Dan Aykroyd from SNL voice. Do YOU need more excitement in your life? A little PICK ME UP in these weird times? The "WEIRD AND DIRTY MUSIC" you never knew you needed? Look no further than Wet Cassette’s new compilation album THE … Read more

TV theme songs are their own art form: they aren’t singles and they aren’t cinematic scores. Instead, they have to be memorable while predominantly setting the tone for the upcoming program. There’s a reason few pop songs are successfully regurgitated into the form and there’s another reason why, thirty years … Read more

Whoa-oh is both a pop-punk staple and a songwriting trick that finds its way across many genres. Is it a gimmick to create an easy anthem; a cheap way to fill in syllables; or does it not matter at all because, in the end, the songs that use it have … Read more

Now, we at SPB love the Beatles. But we're not blinded by indie rock credentials to their flaws. In this, the first of a new series of features called The Set List, we run through the 5 (or 6) tracks that make up some of the worst things the Fab … Read more

TOP FIVE ALBUMS STILL TO COME: 1. Radiohead- Hail to the Thief It's Radiohead, do you really need to ask? Well, fine then. By the time this feature is up this album may already be in stores, or at least have a day or two to go, so you probably … Read more

Pitchfork Music Festival returns to Union Park in Chicago for it's twelfth year (except 2005's "Intonation Music Festival" tag) July 14-16. As usual, it's three full days diverse acts, food, shopping and pre-and-post events. Here's five of the must-see artists at the 2017 installment. 1 LCD Soundsystem This is the … Read more

Multi-day music festival Riot Fest returns to Douglas Park in Chicago for its twelfth year, September 15-17th. The independent music festival specializes in punk, rock, alternative, metal, and hip-hop. Not to mention, there will be carnival rides, sideshow performers, and top-notch food vendors added to the mix of performers. If … Read more

Founded in 1993 by Aaron Turner (of Isis and Mammifer, among more), Hydrahead made a very big impact on the underground music scene of the ‘90s and ‘00s. Their releases ranged from experimental and noise to sludge and stoner and were some of the most interesting and invigorating albums we … Read more

Pittsburgh was once a bustling city booming with economic success. But over the years the city has slowly slipped into a depression that has filled the streets with pessimistic and bitter individuals. This sentiment of despair is showcased in the music of Unreal City and their debut full-length, Ephemeral Subsistence, … Read more

Welcome to the first of what SPB hopes will become a regular feature on the site - a photo diary feature! This month we have some amazing shots courtesy of our resident photographer Katie Burnett, along with some interviews with a few of the bands gracing the tour, and some … Read more

SPB is excited to bring you an exclusive free album stream of Chicago punk band Wide Angles, signed to Dead Broke Rekerds and released jointly with Dirt Cult Records. Smile More is rough round the edges, melodic and urgent with hints of Naked Raygun and Pegboy. A vinyl release is … Read more