Anthony Fantano

“Bands such as LiLiPUT and Essential Logic were just as unorthodox as Gang of Four or Wire, even taking their sounds a step further with shrieking vocals and saxophone.”

“Girls' strength lies in its diversity, and its members have walked in a lot of borrowed shoes to make it that way. 'Solitude' is a bold and sweet example of inspiration trumping originality.”

“With its distinctly rural feel, the New York band Woods makes an ideal soundtrack for balmy walks amidst mammoth trees and crunchy beds of dead leaves.”

“Gonjasufi may sound at first like a rambling hip-hop crackpot, but there's more to the California rapper and singer than mere eccentricity: What appears messy and thrown together is anything but.”

“On its fifth full-length album, 'Cervantine,' A Hawk and a Hacksaw's love of the Balkans continues unabated, but with new songs and collaborators. In 'Uskudar,' the music finds an equal balance of sweet, sour and earthy sounds with nimble string melodies and a grunting tuba.”

“Anybody could put their thoughts on a record out there. I think the world of reviews and opinions is now very much a meritocracy.”

“A formidable game of 'Name That Influence' could be based on the music of the seductive rock duo Girls: The band's first single, 'Hellhole Ratrace,' would barely reach its opening words before screams of 'Elvis Costello!' and 'Wreckless Eric!' drown out the music.”

“Of Montreal's early releases were loaded with playful but confessional acoustic tunes, but the band soon embraced glam-rock's freakier side on albums like 'Hissing Fauna Are You the Destroyer?' and 'Skeletal Lamping.' It was a shift fans might not have tolerated if it weren't for frontman Kevin Barnes' catchy, personality-driven songs.”

“The only thing I get more than Anthony Fantano hate is Anthony Fantano memes.”

“Let's Wrestle would rather poke fun than point fingers, even if there's a problem that needs fixing.”

“I'm not that famous.”

“If you want to truly take in the subtleties and detail of your favorite records, then enjoy them the same way you would a movie. Make music an event, not a side dish.”

“Holy Ghost! wears its influences proudly: Look no further than the duo's video for 'I Will Come Back,' a shot-for-shot remake of the music video for New Order's 1983 single, 'Confusion.'”

“Ab-Souls Outro' serves as a jazzy, spoken summation of 'Section.80's themes. Guest cohort Ab-Soul opens the song with one urgent verse after another: Flowing freely like the saxophone behind him, his words advocate veering outside life's most predictable pathways.”

“For artists, looking back in time for ideas is commonplace, but there's an overwhelming sense of '70s and '80s nostalgia in California musician Ariel Pink's music. It's impossible to separate 'Round and Round' from the anachronism, and there's no loving one without loving the other.”

“In music, trends are always rising and fading in popularity, but nostalgia never dies.”

“If music ever needs FDA approval in the future, bands like this will be the reason why; Magic Kids' sugar-coated songs paint a mental picture of smiling clouds and double rainbows, with a unicorn or two tossed in for good measure.”

“Outside of Peruvian rap-rock, few genre tags raise eyebrows quite like the words 'Nigerian disco.'”

“With heavy hitters like 'Who's in Control' and 'Stunde Null,' it's easy to imagine British Sea Power wailing on Flying Vs in front of a packed arena of screaming fans.”

“The Italian duo Dumbo Gets Mad specializes in psychedelics for the sober, bringing experimentation together with detailed pop songwriting.”