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You can just imagine the meeting: A Canadian producer looks at the US version of K-tel’s “Music Express,” and politely and quietly built a better (and occasionally cheesier) pop time capsule. Contributing Author Chuck Small rides the rails of 1975 chart logic, regional pride, and the fine art of calling a Top 10 hit what it very clearly was not.
Contributing Author DJ Professor Dan steps away from his usual chart archaeology to take aim at the Internet’s favorite pastime: blaming Spotify for everything but the weather. It’s surgical dissection of the booming cottage industry of gloomy headlines, playlist paranoia, and contradictory claims about “passive listening”—all somehow proven by the same songs, including the ever-abused “Sound & Vision.”
Join DJPD as he checks in on “ghost artists,” the moral panic over background music, and the heroic labor of critics determined to turn algorithmic recommendations into a cultural crisis.
Contributing Author Music Historian returns with the surprisingly dramatic tale of a chart system that once tried to out-Billboard Billboard. It’s a story featuring jukebox math, disputed No. 1s, and an extremely determined crooner who broke the algorithm – before algorithms existed.
Late Career Beach Boys, Vol. II
Contributing Author Stobgopper chronicles the final hurrah in this review of late-stage Beach Boys. Some songs try, most coast, and Pacific Coast Highway closes the set with polite inevitability.
Musician Cara Richard
Catch up with 12-year-old Cara Richard in a TNOCS interview, where every note she plays bubbles with purpose and joy.
Proof positive that passion and talent can’t be measured by years.
The Popular Mix
He knows his way around a pop chart rabbit hole, and this volume lands us right in the middle of a trove of unforgettable duets. The handoffs are smooth, the commentary sharp, and the listening pure pleasure — exactly what we’ve come to expect from Contributing Author Chuck Small .
It’s The Hits Of September 1955!
This week’s time-capsule tour of September 1955 reminds us that pop history is equal parts brilliance, bravado, and beans. Returning after a short sabbatical is Contributing Author DJ Professor Dan, proving that (other than Pat Boone) the mid-50s were anything but dull.
The English Beat’s Accidental DADAAD Classic
What happens when a teenage tuning mistake becomes a rock classic? Contributing Author and Music Historian Bill Bois tells the story with wit, history, and a ringing chord or two.
A piece that hits like “Save It For Later” itself: unexpected, melodic, and unforgettable.
Charting the Highest Notes Ever Sung by Male Singers in Popular Music
Hypoxia never sounded so good: This soaring playlist rockets into the musical stratosphere, leaving you dizzy with delight.
Contributing Author Rollerboogie delivers a note-by-note adventure through the highest male vocals ever caught on record.
(That Will Make You Think You’re Listening to Eight Different Bands)
Musical identity crises can be messy. Luckily, this can also make for a very entertaining and eclectic playlist.
Late Career Beach Boys (1970 – 2012)
New Series! This time out: It’s a safari trough the less-charted jungles of Beach Boys history. Equal parts harmony, oddity, and unexpected delight, courtesy of tour guide and Contributing Author Stobgopper It’s a mix of humor, deep listening, and brave song choices, proving that even the “mud balls” of music deserve their moment.
It’s The Hits Of September-ish 2005!
What happens when Kanye West, Fall Out Boy, and Mylo all crash in the same September? Among other things, we get history, hype, and some highly provocative lyrics, 2005 style.
Contributing Author
DJ Professor Dan digs into the bling, the mash-ups, and the emo antlers that made 2005 unforgettable.
A Pink Pony Dad’s Concert Diary
Heroes come in many forms: some wield guitars, others wrangle teenagers through festival toilets.
Contributing Author JJ Live At Leeds chronicles the Leeds Festival 2025 with equal parts awe, humor, and churro dust.