Steven Hyden

Culture Critic at UPROXX

The Ween Of American Rock Critics. Author of six books. New book on BORN IN THE USA out now. @uproxx culture critic. Host of podcasts living and Dead.

Articles

Indiecast On The New Car Seat Headrest Album

1 month ago | uproxx.com | Steven Hyden

Steven and Ian open this week with a conversation about financial woes at the LP subscription service Vinyl Me Please, and what this says about the “Big Vinyl” industry. They also talk about Steven’s recent column on the most “CD album” albums, and why certain records work better on compact disc. In the Fantasy Album Draft update, they talk about new records by Model/Actriz and Jenny Hval. Then they review The Scholars, the latest album by Car Seat Headrest, along with discussing the band’s career.
Car Seat Headrest’s New Rock Opera Doesn’t Quite Work

1 month ago | uproxx.com | Steven Hyden

Not long before he died, Kurt Cobain gave an interview to Rolling Stone in which he lamented, among other things, that Nevermind was packed with too many great songs. “What I’ve realized is that you only need a couple of catchy songs on an album, and the rest can be bullshit Bad Company rip-offs, and it doesn’t matter,” he said.
Steven Hyden's Favorite Music Of April 2025

1 month ago | uproxx.com | Steven Hyden

Every month, Uproxx cultural critic Steven Hyden makes an unranked list of his favorite music-related items released during this period — songs, albums, books, films, you name it. 1. Bon Iver — SABLE, fABLEThe song titles are a tip-off. With a Bon Iver album, they can be a difficult proposition. Ever since 2016’s 22, A Million, the tracklist for a Justin Vernon LP reads more like a menacing letter from a Zodiac-inspired serial killer than a rundown of songs.
The Most 'CD Album' Albums Ever, Ranked

1 month ago | uproxx.com | Steven Hyden

In September of 1992, I bought my first two CDs. One was Check Your Head by The Beastie Boys, and the other was the Singles soundtrack. I was 14 years old. Yesterday, I bought six more CDs — mostly off-peak Van Morrison albums — adding to a collection that I have never counted, for the number would induce an untold mix of emotions. Buying CDs, aside from eating and sleeping, is the one thing I have done consistently for the past 33 years.
Indiecast Inducts Six New Albums Into Their Hall Of Fame

1 month ago | uproxx.com | Steven Hyden

Steven and Ian start off by looking at the recently announced lineup for the annual Chicago punk festival Riot Fest, which includes a surprising addition: The Beach Boys. Then they talk about deeply divided opinions in the mailbag about the semi-regular Sportscast segment — some of you hate it, some of you love it. Either way, Sportscast will continue. For the Fantasy Albums Draft update, they check back with Tunde Adebimpe and look at the latest LP by guitarist William Tyler.
Paul Simon Is Back On The Road And Searching For God

1 month ago | uproxx.com | Steven Hyden

Two years ago, Paul Simon released his 15th album. And the public greeted it as one might expect the 15th album by a singer-songwriter in his 80s to be received. Reviews were respectful. Interviews dutifully noted Simon’s iconic status. A two-part career retrospective documentary directed by Alex Gibney was concurrently released on a prominent streaming platform. And, after that, the album gently drifted to that place where all pop culture artifacts go after their brief window of exposure has closed.
Indiecast On The Charli XCX Vs. Green Day Feud

1 month ago | uproxx.com | Steven Hyden

Steven and Ian begin this week’s episode with a correction about Ian’s claim about a “last” Bon Iver concert, and a conversation about the current state of the Indiecast mailbag. There’s also a quick Sportscast on the NBA playoffs, and whether the NBA is the most indie-rock league. In the Fantasy Album Draft update, we look at recent reviews for Bon Iver and Tunde Adebimpe and check out the new single from Lana Del Rey.
Fust’s Aaron Dowdy Made One Of 2025’s Best Indie Albums So Far

1 month ago | uproxx.com | Steven Hyden

Aaron Dowdy started writing songs because of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. It started at age 11, when his parents took him to a music festival in their hometown of Bristol, Virginia. The musical duo had recently released their seminal album Time (The Revelator), which young Aaron loved. But it was the song at the end of the set — performed with another famous Americana act, Old Crow Medicine Show — that left the most lasting impression.
Bill Fox Is The Greatest Cult Hero Songwriter You Haven’t Heard Yet

1 month ago | uproxx.com | Steven Hyden

I want to tell you about a song I have been playing a lot lately. It’s the kind of song you swear you already know by heart, even as you are hearing it for the first time. It’s like a Paul McCartney tune from the late 1960s that didn’t end up on a Beatles album and should have. (Is the song I’m talking about a cover of a possibly forgotten outtake from one of the Anthology albums? No, it’s not. I checked.) The singer is from Ohio, but his voice bears the faintest trace of a feigned British accent.
Indiecast Reviews The New Bon Iver Album

1 month ago | uproxx.com | Steven Hyden

Steven and Ian begin this week’s episode with some exciting news: Ian is writing a book! Incredibly, it’s an in-depth look at Childish Gambino’s Camp. (Actually, it’s about emo in the ’90s.) Steven also presses Ian for his opinion on the new Black Country, New Road album, which he didn’t bring up last week. From there, they do an extended lightning round on new singles from newly announced albums by Arcade Fire, Turnstile, Stereolab, and Pulp.