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Nas’s Illmatic was released on April 19, 1994. In honor of its 25th anniversary, we’ve digitized and republished our original review, which ran in the August 1994 issue of Spin.

On Kurt Wagner’s latest Lambchop album, This (Is What I Wanted to Tell You), there are a lot of lyrics about light, and how it…

All three American Football records are self-titled, and all sound like their covers: The first one is dusky and wistful, the second pleasant enough but…

Blur's 13 was released March 15, 1999. In honor of its 20th anniversary, we’ve digitized and republished our original review, which ran in the May 1999 issue of Spin.

Kehlani Parrish is very good at what she does: hazy, deceptively ethereal R&B tracks from which hooks bubble up as clear and plentiful…

Solange Knowles has worked for this moment. For a period of her career, the singer was simply "Beyoncé’s sister," trying to…

placeholder, the title of the new album by Hand Habits, may at first scan as a wry joke, à la the Breeders’ Title TK: We…

In the 19 years since their reunion, Weezer’s most memorable songs have been jokes. Recall "Beverly Hills," in which Rivers Cuomo explains why he wants…

In order to understand the themes driving Avril Lavigne's long-awaited new album Head Above Water, we must first take into account one of the most…

Whether you are charmed or irritated by Ariana Grande’s ebullient persona and impulsive gaffes, thrilled or exhausted by her popular ascendance, there’s no denying that…

For a famously chill guy known for bemoaning the importance of material things, Noah Lennox has allowed some unusually demanding promotional materials. "We…

At the end of the title track of 2013's Monomania, the record's protagonist—presumably a thinly wigged Bradford Cox—speeds off down the highway on…

Sharon Van Etten releases Remind Me Tomorrow in a very different world than her previous album, 2014’s Are We There. Indisputably,…

Before he trusted his own heart-quivering voice, James Blake deftly made taffy out of those of others. He stretched out shape-note singing on his very…

"There are no big bands doing anything as interesting as us." This Matt Healy heat check was plastered on the cover of Billboard…