Other People's Stuff
Popular Music
Popular music is awesome. Basically, anything that's been performed or recorded since the early 20th Century is of interest to me -- scratch that, it's an addiction. I spend far too much time surrendering to "Acute LinerNotesomania," and now you can, too.
The Breaks, aka The Sample Faq
Ever wonder who first laid down the funk underneath Ice Cube's "Today Was a Good Day"? Do you ever doubt that James Brown is truly the progenitor of every hip-hop artist out there? Then Blaine's awesome searchable database -- and consistently interesting blog -- is for you. When it's actually up and running properly, it's an astounding wealth of information on jackin' for beats.
Ink Blot Magazine
This site writes about music like few others do: with passion, with knowledge, with wit. One of those sites where you go in to read a single album review, and one hour later, you find out that many consider Marvin Gaye's Here, My Dear his best album, with good reason. Seems to specialize in just-below-the-radar rock and hip-hop.
All Music Guide
Ever since Amazon.com bought out CDNOW, and in the process eliminated all the awesome detail and inter-linking they offered ("Hmm, I wonder what other albums Richard "Groove" Holmes played the B-3 on?"), this has been my source of musical data/trivia. The layout is kind of ugly, I sometimes which team of monkeys they have writing the reviews, and the "Artist Browser" comparison box is entirely useless. But for when you absolutely must know what label the Misfits' "Static Age" EP came out on, it's the best place to start.
The Onion's AV Club
An arts review site that is about as critical, insightful and well-written as its parent parody-newspaper is funny. They cover the gamut, from Britney to the latest Stones' Throw release, and, while not exactly written for those without some knowledge on their subjects, they make a clear argument for or against the album -- something you can't always say about the intelligentsia that ply this trade at mainstream pubs.
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