Genres

Kevin Parker told The Guardian last year that he didn’t think there was such a thing as an Australian psych scene. It seemed an oddly Trumpian (i.e., easily disproven) thing for the Tame Impala mastermind to say, given the amount of evidence to the contrary oozing out of Oz in recent years.Then again, musicians are always wary of convenient labels from the media; being lumped together with a bunch of other bands whom they may not know personally, and who play music that may only be tangentially related to their own bag. From Parker’s perspective, the only community that he can see the links in is the one he helped foster in Perth, which eventually yielded a series of bands and projects with overlapping memberships, who all share a taste for brain-melting acid rock, florid Syd Barrett songcraft, headphone-ready atmospheres, and the hard, Angus Young-like edge that’s fundamental to Aussie rock.Though Tame Impala and Pond have risen the highest in terms of international profiles, they keep close ties to the likes of Mink Mussel Creek, The Growl, and GUM. Over in Melbourne, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have their own posse of like-minded travelers, such as The Murlocs, Pipe-eye, and The Babe Rainbow. Elsewhere on the continent, there are more clusters of eager young freaks, as well as institutions that support their activities, like the Sydney Psych Fest.Whether all this glorious Technicolor weirdness constitutes a scene is up for debate, but it most definitely is a “thing.” What matters is the abundance of inventive music that transforms the gnarliest of ‘60s/’70s psych-pop and rock elements into something vivid and vital—that’s certainly the case for Pond’s giddy new album, The Weather. Here’s a selection of songs by young Australian bands who may not constitute a scene per se, but who share an eagerness to take you on a trip.

Few television shows in recent memory have managed to blend poignant social commentary with a delicate treatment of everyday lived experiences quite like Master of None, the brilliant Netflix comedy-drama created by Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang. For their second season, the creators have developed another 10 episodes that easily stand alone as individual vignettes. But in each instalment, music always takes center stage. Ansari and music supervisor Zach Cowies 69-song compendium mirrors this seasons emotional arc and sharp sense of humor, looking beyond the expected indie soundtrack choices for an eclectic array that includes John Fahey, Dorothy Ashby, and even the Vengaboys.Even if you havent watched this season, you can sense the extreme contrasts between episodes through this playlist—the neo-classical film scores of Ennio Morricone (which accompany the season’s black-and-white premiere) give way to the pristine Italo-disco of Ken Laszlo and Mr. Flagio that accompanies the technicolor vibrancy of the second episode. However, the playlists most sublime selections benefit from onscreen recontextualization. When Dev (Ansari) and Navid (Harris Gani) skip Ramadan prayer to attend a pork-filled barbecue to the tune of Poison’s “Nothin’ But A Good Time,” the track instantly morphs into their personal elegy for religious obedience. Strangely enough, it’s a very smart choice. Master of None has done much to rewrite the narrative surrounding the onscreen representation of people of colour, and Ansari and Cowie have discovered that mission extends to musical choices as well—regardless of how cringe-worthy they may seem. Click here to follow this playlist on Spotify.

Growing up in the Bay Area throughout the 80s and early 90s was quite a special thing for a metalhead. Having the option to see bands like Exodus, Vio-lence, or Death Angel (to name just a few) on an almost weekly basis... not to mention all the thrash bands from around the world playing week in and week out... it seemed the norm. It was the norm. I was surrounded by one of the biggest movements in metal history, and Bay Area Thrash (BAT) was truly as fun as it sounds. Here are 20 songs that I think are not only each bands best, but also the songs that best represent the time, the era, the scene, the parties, and the RAGING! Enjoy...1. Metallica, "Fight Fire With Fire"The song that truly sent me down the thrash-metal rabbit hole. It opens Metallicas greatest opus and arguably the greatest thrash-metal album of all time: Ride The Lightning. That opening riff, that brutal guitar tone... it rips your fucking face off and sets the tone for the rest of the album. And, at the time, that was the fastest double-bass Id ever heard. I know its hard to imagine now, but its true.2. Exodus, "Fabulous Disaster"After the now-legendary debut Bonded by Blood, the firing of Paul Baloff, the hiring of Steve "Zetro" Souza, and the not-so-legendary release of Pleasures of the Flesh, Exodus were kind of on shaky ground. Then they released a little album called Fabulous Disaster and BOOM!—theyre on MTV. Theyre touring the world multiple times over. Theyre HUGE! And thats because this record is FUCKING AWESOME!!! It rivals their debut for best Exodus album. With crystal-clean production, souped-up tempos, and razor-sharp guitar tones, this album shows the Slay Team at the top of their game.3. Death Angel, "Mistress of Pain"I grew up in the San Francisco suburb of Daly City, which, by chance, is home to three of the original members of Death Angel. They used to sometimes rehearse in DC as well, which kind of made them legends around town. So when The Ultra-Violence came out, it was like, "someone from this shit town put out a record?" It was quite inspiring to say the least. Not to mention every member was related, Filipino, and under the age of 18. This is the stuff of legends...4. Ulysses Siren, "No Trace Of Shame6"Another band with Daly City ties, Ulysses Siren were plagued by drugs, booze, and infighting. These are the only reasons I can possibly think of why they never got signed, because the two demos they put out are the best Bay Area Thrash demos ever, period. Listen for yourself.5. Vio-lence, "Bodies on Bodies"*My personal favorite BAT band, Vio-lence lived up to their name. Their shows were a true test of endurance. More times than not, Id walk out of a Vio-lence gig with my face in pain. Their not-so-secret weapon is vocalist Sean Killian. Love or hate his manic vocal stylings, he was the most unique in the scene. With demented lyrics to match, its a perfect combination. Youre definitely taking your thrash-metal training wheels off when listening to an album like Eternal Nightmare.* Note: this song isnt available on Spotify; listen to it here.6. Possessed, "Pentagram"So in the mid-80s, the metal world was focused on the Bay Area Thrash scene. But all the while, there was a death-metal scene a-brewin before death metal was really a thing. Since there were only a few other death-metal bands to play with (Insanity, for example), Possessed would usually be on thrash bills. Because of their guttural vocals and overtly satanic lyrical themes, they would usually be the odd band out.7. Testament, "Over the Wall"This song definitely is the best representation of Testament. It showcases all of their strengths and its a perfect opener to their debut, The Legacy. Alex Skolnicks solo is practically its own song. Its brilliant. Very cool video, too.8. Blind Illusion, "Blood Shower"In the ashes of Possessed comes Blind Illusion. Musically, there is no connection whatsoever—though future Primus guitarist Larry Lalonde was in both bands. And the bassist for Blind Illusion was Les Claypool, also of Primus fame. These guys didnt make too much of a splash in the scene. Their music is very avant garde and sometimes a tough sell. The Sane Asylum, their only full-length record, is something you need to let grow on you. But once you do, youll realize its a masterpiece.9. Forbidden, "Chalice of Blood"Of all the thrash bands I saw live, none of them made as huge an impression on me as the first time I saw Forbidden. I cant remember being more excited than when I rushed home from the Record Vault with my copy of Forbidden Evil. After hearing it, I started practicing a whole lot more. This is next-level thrash for sure.10. D.R.I., "Five Year Plan"While there was an embryonic death-metal scene going on in the 80s, the Bay Area had a huge hardcore scene that crossbred with the thrash scene frequently. D.R.I. were and are the kings of the Crossover Thrash scene. This song starts off the album Crossover, which was considered an album with a more metal approach. They both lost and gained fans by this move. I was on board with this record.11. Epidemic, "Circle of Fools"These guys were the top dogs of the third wave of BAT. If there was a big thrash or death-metal show rolling through The Bay, theyd be opening, guaranteed. In fact, playing all these high-profile shows (along with selling thousands of copies of their Demo 89 worldwide) is what got them signed to Metal Blade Records. Unfortunately, their debut for the label, Decameron, came out in 1992, during thrashs death knell. The scene was shifting to death-metal rapidly, and Epidemic followed suit. Their second album, Exit Paradise, sounded like a completely different band. They broke up shortly thereafter.12. Heathen, "Death By Hanging"These guys had the potential to be one of the top bands in the scene but, for some reason, couldnt keep the ball rolling consistently. Having huge gaps between albums (three full-lengths in the span of 22 years) and an ever-changing lineup definitely didnt help. These guys have a very unique, almost melodic approach to the Bay Area Thrash sound.13. Defiance, "Inside Looking Out"Many people in the scene would unfairly compare Defiance to Testament—to the point where folks would call them "Little Testament" or "Testament Jr." You get the idea. But quite frankly, that couldnt be further from the truth. The vocals do bear some similarity to Chuck Billy but musically theres no comparison. Defiance are a much more technical band and the drumming smokes! Dave White from Heathen does guest backing vocals on this track.14. Hexx, "Watery Graves"You would be more likely to see Hexx playing with Autopsy or Sadus than Vio-lence or Forbidden. They blurred the line between thrash and death and did it very well. Unfortunately, they never really got past the opening-slot stage.15. Laaz Rockit, "Last Breath"These dudes are definitely a product of their surroundings. Not many bands morph from an almost-glam band to an almost-thrash band, but Laaz did. By the time they released their third record, 1987s ripping Know Your Enemy, they had toughened up their sound and image. But their music never fully went all the way with the BAT sound, so they were always on the outside looking in.16. Sacrilege BC, "Fun With Napalm"Sacrilege BC are on the more obscure side of Bay Area Thrash. (The BC stands for Berkely, California.) Equal parts metal, hardcore, and just plain weird, they put out two records and abruptly called it quits.17. Sadus, "Certain Death"The fastest thrash band in the Bay. Sometimes, at Sadus gigs, theyd be playing so fast, it became hard to figure out what the hell was going on. And on top of these insane tempos, youd have the bass wizardry of Steve Di Giorgio throwing fuel on the fire. Another band that could easily fit on a death-metal bill as well as a thrash one. A severely underrated band that I feel never truly got their due.18. Mordred, "Sever And Splice"*Like Laaz Rockit, Mordred morphed over the years—but Mordreds changes were much, much more drastic. They went from a standard thrash band with a sword-wielding lead singer to a hip-hop-influenced funk-thrash band with a DJ. This tune is off their debut, Fools Game, which was when they were fully realizing their funky potential—but its an older song dating back to their heavier days.Note: This song isnt available on Spotify; listen to it here.19. Dekapitator, "Toxic Sanctuary"80s thrash all down the West Coast. In the Bay, we had bands like Hatchet, Fog of War, and Scarecrow. But the best of the bunch was Dekapitator. This is a side project of Matt Harvey from Bay Area gore gods Exhumed. They actually formed in the late-90s and put out two records. This is off their second album, 2007s The Storm Before The Calm. Definite Anthrax mosh vibe here.20. Exodus, "Deliver Us to Evil"Its impossible to make a list of BAT songs without including the late Paul Baloff—and thats why Exodus is on here twice. I have never met someone in my life who so many people in so many different circles, scenes, and places in the world have stories about. Hell, I have multiple stories about him. He was a one-of-a-kind vocalist and character. Some singers are heavy-metal heroes; he was a heavy-metal villain in the best way. Bonded By Blood is an album youll see on lists for greatest thrash albums ever.This feature is part of our Thrash 101 online course that was produced in partnership with the good rocking folks at GimmeRadio, a free 24/7 metal radio station hosted by heavy-music experts like Megadeths Dave Mustaine, Lamb of Gods Randy Blythe, and Death Angels Will Carroll. Check them out here and sign up for the Thrash 101 course here.

Thank you for checking out the fourth installment of Thrash 101, produced in conjunction with GimmeRadio, your free 24/7 radio station hosted by heavy-music experts and artists such as The Dillinger Escape Plans Ben Weinman and Death Angels Will Carroll, who brings us this history of Bay Area Thrash. Check out his GimmeRadio show here.Growing up in the Bay Area throughout the 80s and early 90s was quite a special thing for a metalhead. Having the option to see bands like Exodus, Vio-lence, or Death Angel (to name just a few) on an almost weekly basis... not to mention all the thrash bands from around the world playing week in and week out... it seemed the norm. It was the norm. I was surrounded by one of the biggest movements in metal history, and Bay Area Thrash (BAT) was truly as fun as it sounds. Here are 20 songs that I think are not only each bands best, but also the songs that best represent the time, the era, the scene, the parties, and the RAGING! Enjoy...1. Metallica, "Fight Fire With Fire"The song that truly sent me down the thrash-metal rabbit hole. It opens Metallicas greatest opus and arguably the greatest thrash-metal album of all time: Ride The Lightning. That opening riff, that brutal guitar tone... it rips your fucking face off and sets the tone for the rest of the album. And, at the time, that was the fastest double-bass Id ever heard. I know its hard to imagine now, but its true.2. Exodus, "Fabulous Disaster"After the now-legendary debut Bonded by Blood, the firing of Paul Baloff, the hiring of Steve "Zetro" Souza, and the not-so-legendary release of Pleasures of the Flesh, Exodus were kind of on shaky ground. Then they released a little album called Fabulous Disaster and BOOM!—theyre on MTV. Theyre touring the world multiple times over. Theyre HUGE! And thats because this record is FUCKING AWESOME!!! It rivals their debut for best Exodus album. With crystal-clean production, souped-up tempos, and razor-sharp guitar tones, this album shows the Slay Team at the top of their game.3. Death Angel, "Mistress of Pain"I grew up in the San Francisco suburb of Daly City, which, by chance, is home to three of the original members of Death Angel. They used to sometimes rehearse in DC as well, which kind of made them legends around town. So when The Ultra-Violence came out, it was like, "someone from this shit town put out a record?" It was quite inspiring to say the least. Not to mention every member was related, Filipino, and under the age of 18. This is the stuff of legends...4. Ulysses Siren, "No Trace Of Shame6"Another band with Daly City ties, Ulysses Siren were plagued by drugs, booze, and infighting. These are the only reasons I can possibly think of why they never got signed, because the two demos they put out are the best Bay Area Thrash demos ever, period. Listen for yourself.5. Vio-lence, "Bodies on Bodies"*My personal favorite BAT band, Vio-lence lived up to their name. Their shows were a true test of endurance. More times than not, Id walk out of a Vio-lence gig with my face in pain. Their not-so-secret weapon is vocalist Sean Killian. Love or hate his manic vocal stylings, he was the most unique in the scene. With demented lyrics to match, its a perfect combination. Youre definitely taking your thrash-metal training wheels off when listening to an album like Eternal Nightmare.* Note: this song isnt available on Spotify; listen to it here.6. Possessed, "Pentagram"So in the mid-80s, the metal world was focused on the Bay Area Thrash scene. But all the while, there was a death-metal scene a-brewin before death metal was really a thing. Since there were only a few other death-metal bands to play with (Insanity, for example), Possessed would usually be on thrash bills. Because of their guttural vocals and overtly satanic lyrical themes, they would usually be the odd band out.7. Testament, "Over the Wall"This song definitely is the best representation of Testament. It showcases all of their strengths and its a perfect opener to their debut, The Legacy. Alex Skolnicks solo is practically its own song. Its brilliant. Very cool video, too.8. Blind Illusion, "Blood Shower"In the ashes of Possessed comes Blind Illusion. Musically, there is no connection whatsoever—though future Primus guitarist Larry Lalonde was in both bands. And the bassist for Blind Illusion was Les Claypool, also of Primus fame. These guys didnt make too much of a splash in the scene. Their music is very avant garde and sometimes a tough sell. The Sane Asylum, their only full-length record, is something you need to let grow on you. But once you do, youll realize its a masterpiece.9. Forbidden, "Chalice of Blood"Of all the thrash bands I saw live, none of them made as huge an impression on me as the first time I saw Forbidden. I cant remember being more excited than when I rushed home from the Record Vault with my copy of Forbidden Evil. After hearing it, I started practicing a whole lot more. This is next-level thrash for sure.10. D.R.I., "Five Year Plan"While there was an embryonic death-metal scene going on in the 80s, the Bay Area had a huge hardcore scene that crossbred with the thrash scene frequently. D.R.I. were and are the kings of the Crossover Thrash scene. This song starts off the album Crossover, which was considered an album with a more metal approach. They both lost and gained fans by this move. I was on board with this record.11. Epidemic, "Circle of Fools"These guys were the top dogs of the third wave of BAT. If there was a big thrash or death-metal show rolling through The Bay, theyd be opening, guaranteed. In fact, playing all these high-profile shows (along with selling thousands of copies of their Demo 89 worldwide) is what got them signed to Metal Blade Records. Unfortunately, their debut for the label, Decameron, came out in 1992, during thrashs death knell. The scene was shifting to death-metal rapidly, and Epidemic followed suit. Their second album, Exit Paradise, sounded like a completely different band. They broke up shortly thereafter.12. Heathen, "Death By Hanging"These guys had the potential to be one of the top bands in the scene but, for some reason, couldnt keep the ball rolling consistently. Having huge gaps between albums (three full-lengths in the span of 22 years) and an ever-changing lineup definitely didnt help. These guys have a very unique, almost melodic approach to the Bay Area Thrash sound.13. Defiance, "Inside Looking Out"Many people in the scene would unfairly compare Defiance to Testament—to the point where folks would call them "Little Testament" or "Testament Jr." You get the idea. But quite frankly, that couldnt be further from the truth. The vocals do bear some similarity to Chuck Billy but musically theres no comparison. Defiance are a much more technical band and the drumming smokes! Dave White from Heathen does guest backing vocals on this track.14. Hexx, "Watery Graves"You would be more likely to see Hexx playing with Autopsy or Sadus than Vio-lence or Forbidden. They blurred the line between thrash and death and did it very well. Unfortunately, they never really got past the opening-slot stage.15. Laaz Rockit, "Last Breath"These dudes are definitely a product of their surroundings. Not many bands morph from an almost-glam band to an almost-thrash band, but Laaz did. By the time they released their third record, 1987s ripping Know Your Enemy, they had toughened up their sound and image. But their music never fully went all the way with the BAT sound, so they were always on the outside looking in.16. Sacrilege BC, "Fun With Napalm"Sacrilege BC are on the more obscure side of Bay Area Thrash. (The BC stands for Berkely, California.) Equal parts metal, hardcore, and just plain weird, they put out two records and abruptly called it quits.17. Sadus, "Certain Death"The fastest thrash band in the Bay. Sometimes, at Sadus gigs, theyd be playing so fast, it became hard to figure out what the hell was going on. And on top of these insane tempos, youd have the bass wizardry of Steve Di Giorgio throwing fuel on the fire. Another band that could easily fit on a death-metal bill as well as a thrash one. A severely underrated band that I feel never truly got their due.18. Mordred, "Sever And Splice"*Like Laaz Rockit, Mordred morphed over the years—but Mordreds changes were much, much more drastic. They went from a standard thrash band with a sword-wielding lead singer to a hip-hop-influenced funk-thrash band with a DJ. This tune is off their debut, Fools Game, which was when they were fully realizing their funky potential—but its an older song dating back to their heavier days.Note: This song isnt available on Spotify; listen to it here.19. Dekapitator, "Toxic Sanctuary"80s thrash all down the West Coast. In the Bay, we had bands like Hatchet, Fog of War, and Scarecrow. But the best of the bunch was Dekapitator. This is a side project of Matt Harvey from Bay Area gore gods Exhumed. They actually formed in the late-90s and put out two records. This is off their second album, 2007s The Storm Before The Calm. Definite Anthrax mosh vibe here.20. Exodus, "Deliver Us to Evil"Its impossible to make a list of BAT songs without including the late Paul Baloff—and thats why Exodus is on here twice. I have never met someone in my life who so many people in so many different circles, scenes, and places in the world have stories about. Hell, I have multiple stories about him. He was a one-of-a-kind vocalist and character. Some singers are heavy-metal heroes; he was a heavy-metal villain in the best way. Bonded By Blood is an album youll see on lists for greatest thrash albums ever.Listen to Will Carrolls show, Fool Metal Jacket, on GimmeRadio.com.

This post is part of our program, The Story of Kendrick, an in-depth, 10-part look at the life and music of Kendrick Lamar. Sound cool and want to receive the other installments in your inbox? Go here. Already signed up and enjoying it? Help us get the word out and share on Facebook, Twitter, or with this link. Your friends will thank you.Terrace Martin is best known to most hip-hop fans as one of the architects of Kendrick’s seminal album, To Pimp a Butterfly, but the multi-instrumentalist producer, and son of a jazz pianist, has been carving out a signature sound for the past decade on tracks from Snoop, YG, Raphael Saadiq as well as on his own full length albums. His best work integrates multiple decades of West Coast black music -- from the baroque jazz funk of David Axelrod through the whizzing harmonics of DJ Quik’s G-Funk. It’s woozy, bobbing funk, and his solo tracks, in particular, are breezy summer jams that is perfect white owl BBQ music.

On their latest release, Philly indie-rock rebels Beach Slang adopt a new sound—and a new name. The self-titled EP from “Quiet Slang” sees frontman James Alex stripping down a couple of Beach Slang’s raucous anthems into acoustic elegies, alongside faithfully hushed covers of Big Star’s “Thirteen” and The Replacements’ “Androgynous.” For his Dowsers playlist, he extends the quiet-is-the-new-loud concept to spotlight other mellow favorites.

Unpacked is a playlist analysis of new and classic albums where we highlight key tracks alongside their influences, collaborators, and sample sources to encourage a deeper understanding and appreciation of the record. After loading up 1989’s cult classic Paul’s Boutique with a dizzying array of samples, the Beastie Boys refocused on live instrumentation in the more litigious ‘90s, drafting keyboardist Money Mark as one of the group’s many honorary “fourth” Beastie Boys. But while Check Your Head, which turns 25 this week, contains fewer samples than Paul’s Boutique, it still features dozens of them, drawing on the crates full of punk, classic rock, funk, and comedy records that informed the bratty white rappers’ revolutionary fusion of styles. Check Your Head’s opening track “Jimmy James” sets the densely referential tone: It features no fewer than three Jimi Hendrix Experience samples from three different albums. (The title itself is a nod to Hendrix’s early stage name.) But first, you hear “this next one is the first song on our new album,” as spoken by Robin Zander on Cheap Trick’s 1978 live album At Budokan in his introduction to the future classic “Surrender.” And then, the beat that kicks in is taken primarily from The Turtles’ novelty track “I’m Chief Kamanawanalea.” More than perhaps any album in history, Check Your Head blurs the line between samples and original recordings. Some of the blasts of distorted guitar are played live by Ad-Rock, while others are taken from Thin Lizzy and Bad Brains. On “Finger Lickin’ Good,” MCA and Mike D begin a sentence in 1992 that is finished by Bob Dylan in 1965. One of the most straightforward punk songs on the album, “Time For Livin’,” is actually a revved up Sly & The Family Stone cover. And while “The Biz Vs. The Nuge” features Biz Markie riffing in the Beasties’ studio over a Ted Nugent sample, “So What’cha Want” samples Biz vocals from both his 1988 Big Daddy Kane collaboration “Just Rhymin’ With Biz” and the Check Your Head outtake “Drunken Praying Mantis Style.”

In 2009, a viral video made the YouTube rounds called “Beatles 3000,” a short mockumentary that imagined how The Beatles would be remembered in the next millennium. Its answer was: not very well. But more than just playfully prodding a sacred cow, the video serves as a cogent commentary on how significant historical details are compacted and distorted over time, and how much of what we consider fact today is likely the product of a prolonged game of broken telephone. In “Beatles 3000,” various talking heads from the future make the authoritative claims that Scottie Pippen was a member of the group, that their list of hits included “Don’t Stop Believin’” and “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” and that they won the Super Bowl at Shea Stadium in 1965. But as absurd as that all sounds, we’re arguably witnessing the earliest stages of The Beatles’ legacy being slowly dismantled.

Sure, 50 years on from their breakup, The Beatles are arguably as popular as ever—they generate billions of streams, have their own dedicated satellite-radio station, and provide inspirational fodder for Netflix cartoon shows and Hollywood rom-coms. And their influence can still be heard in countless rock acts, from The Flaming Lips and Foo Fighters to Tame Impala and Ty Segall. However, when you look at the field they once dominated so thoroughly—the top of the pop charts—it can seem as if they never existed. Not only is the Billboard Hot 100 bereft of any bands that sound like The Beatles, it’s largely bereft of any bands, period. The dominant sounds of popular music today—trap, R&B, Latin pop—bear none of The Beatles’ DNA and speak to vastly different cultural experiences; in fact, the only time you really see The Beatles mentioned in relation to modern pop is when an artist like Drake eclipses their chart records (or gets a tattoo to celebrate such a feat), or in Migos memes. And lest we forget, the unanimously violent reaction to Gal Gadot’s recent quarantined-celebrity sing-along of John Lennon’s “Imagine” strongly suggested that the utopian peace-and-love platitudes of the Beatles generation provide little assurance to a more anxious younger generation that is worried more about how they’re going to pay for their next meal.

And yet: If you look and listen closely, you can still sense The Beatles’ lingering presence in contemporary pop. Beyond singers like Dua Lipa and Miley Cyrus taking a crack at covers, there are myriad rap and R&B artists who have paid their respects through subtle melodic lifts (see: the echoes of “Here, There and Everywhere” on Frank Ocean’s “White Ferrari”), shout-outs (Kehlani’s “All You Need Is Love”-referencing “Honey”), and tributes both direct (Rae Sremmurd’s “Black Beatles”) and indirect (Post Malone’s “Stay,” which he originally planned to name “George” in honor of its Harrison-esque guitar solo). What we’re hearing now is The Beatles being held up less as a direct musical influence than as a more abstract aspirational emblem of artistic freedom, pop-cultural ubiquity, and us-against-the-world camaraderie. In other words, the biggest pop stars of today may not sound like The Beatles, but they still want to be The Beatles.

It’s been one of music’s longstanding dichotomies: the Beatles were formalistically experimental pop musicians disguised as zeitgeist-teasing idealist, while the Stones were barroom bluesman who fetishized apocalypse and Malboros. Never the twain shall meet, or so the narrative went. Which means that a certain type music critic -- the ones tilting towards counter-narratives -- have spent the past six decades explaining that, yeah, they’re not really that different -- it’s a narcissism of small differences, or a talisman against the idea of monoculture, take your pick. Consequence of Sound, as part of their video series that highlights the five best things of a given subject, weighs in on this with their five best Beatles tracks that sound like Rolling Stones songs. It’s not a great list. They stick to the hits -- “Helter Skelter,” “Come Together,” “Hey Jude,” etc -- it’s fun to imagine “Come Together” as a Stones song (though it’s hard to imagine Jagger singing “Hey Jude”), but that’s about it.

Arca’s profile is strange and eclectic: Although featured on albums by Kanye West and Björk, the Venezuelan producer’s solo work lives mostly in the shadows, existing as cult favorites of electronic musicians and intellectuals. His expressionist, synth-based tracks stream into the headphones of people in cafés and living rooms, studied like Johnny Marr studied Marc Bolan; a frequent thought of listeners might be: “How does he do it?”“Vanity,” from 2015’s Mutant, opens with the sounds of profoundly distorted mallet percussions echoing into magnetic eternity, which are quickly usurped by a bassline so smooth and boundless it spills beautifully into the rest of the mix. “Anoche,” which will appear on his self-titled record due April 7, brilliantly doubles detuned synth notes on top of one another as meticulous percussion enters and exists with free will. The lyrics are pure romantic splendor and despair.Of course, Kanye West’s Yeezus, from 2013, must be mentioned here, as the record benefits from not one but four tracks produced by Arca. “Hold My Liquor” and “Blood on the Leaves” are arguably the two most reflective and emotionally explosive tracks on the album: The former centers around a pristine, slow-burning synth pulse, while the latter features spectacularly placed samples and monolithic bass. Arca’s work on “Meditation” by Babyfather (a.k.a. Dean Blunt) feels more vintage and laidback, like a modern Ghostface Killah beat, while FKA twigs’ “Lights On” is a dissonant, palpitating seduction.If the trajectory of his previous works are any indication, Arca’s self-titled record could go down as his masterpiece. Brace yourself for it with this playlist of tracks spanning his luminous career.