The 2010s are glorified by gen Z. But the ‘indie music’ of that era was unoriginal
Jamie Peck
So much of early 2000s ‘indie’ music was nothing but a backward-looking rerun of movements past
September 2024
‘We don’t care whether it’s cool or not’: inside the weaponised weirdness of Mermaid Chunky
How did an oddball Stroud duo, who once played the wedding of two ceramic dogs, come to get signed by LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy? Nothing is ordinary in the world of Mermaid Chunky
March 2024
Dua Lipa, Coldplay and SZA to headline 2024 Glastonbury festival
Coldplay become act to headline most times with their fifth top slot, while Shania Twain is booked for the Sunday teatime ‘legend’ set as the lineup is announced
January 2023
The perfect song
Georgia Maq: All My Friends by LCD Soundsystem is the most perfect song of all time
The Camp Cope singer was adrift and alone in LA when a synth-heavy song anchored her to home – and a sense of hope
December 2022
Move in and rock out: why bands love a residency
Santa Claus is coming to frown! Why the best Christmas songs are sad and slow
June 2022
LCD Soundsystem review – revenant dance-rockers play the hits
Down the rabbit hole
What links Queer as Folk to the Strokes and LCD Soundsystem?
June 2020
From the Band to Beyoncé: concert films to fill the live music black hole
Ahead of what would have been Glastonbury weekend, we pick the documentaries that best recreate the magic of gigs and festivals
September 2019
Best culture of the 21st century
The 100 best albums of the 21st century
We polled 45 music writers to rank the definitive LPs of the 21st century so far. Read our countdown of passionate pop, electrifying rock and anthemic rap – and see if you agree
August 2019
The music essay
Chillwave: a momentary microgenre that ushered in the age of nostalgia
In a summer riven by financial meltdown, a niche trend for lo-fi retro pop couldn’t have seemed more trivial. Yet it was the first sign of a generation fleeing to the past to escape a bleak future
November 2018
The five stages of a rock reunion - from Shiiine On to supporting Hard-Fi
The band are back together! But what happens next? Whether it’s the Streets, the Libertines or the Sex Pistols, there are predictable chapters to the comeback
May 2018
All Points East review – Björk brings life to corporate festival newcomer
The world's best parties
‘DJ culture became weaponised elevator-music’: how Despacio is fighting EDM
December 2017
Best music of 2017
The best albums of 2017, No 6: LCD Soundsystem – American Dream
Plot twist! James Murphy and co returned with an exquisite ode to love, musical heroes and middle-age
Observer critics' review of 2017
Kitty Empire’s best pop of 2017
From Jay-Z to Taylor Swift, it’s been a year of high political and personal drama in the worlds of rap, pop and rock
Best music of 2017
The best albums of 2017: the full list
St Vincent tops our countdown of this year’s most outstanding sounds, from complex rap to moody rock, alt-R&B, inventive grime and more
November 2017
Why the indie band never dies: fake breakups, permanent adolescence and cash comebacks
Do bands such as LCD Soundsystem ever split up – or is ‘quitting’ just the first stage of a long, tactical manoeuvre?
September 2017
LCD Soundsystem review – dream band back from the dead
LCD Soundsystem review – euphoric dancefloor pop reignited
