ALT-COUNTRY has always given the polished twang of mainstream country a roughened edge, drawing from the countercultural snarl of punk, the kooky charms of indie pop, rockabilly, bluegrass or Southern rock. READ OUR RANKING: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com/the-greatest... #altcountry

The era-defining songs of the 1960s tended to focus on the counterculture. But the Kinks’ miniature pop symphony Shangri-La did so much more. David Rea celebrates one of Ray Davies’ masterpieces. READ HERE: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com/the-alternat... #TheKinks #1960s #1960smusic

“Occupying the ever-growing music/mental health space, these beautiful reimaginings succeed on their own terms. John Lennon would have approved”. John Lennon Love (Meditation Mixes) | Review. READ HERE: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com/john-lennon-...

Balloon’s Ian Bickerton on being compared to Kate Bush, how Iggy Pop and James Williamson soundtracked his youth and Van Morrison scored his life. READ: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com/7-albums-tha... @ianfromballoon.bsky.social

After the cameras left the bed-in, John and Yoko recorded a now forgotten song. READ THE STORY HERE: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com/john-and-yok...

Introducing State of Sound’s new series. Come on over! www.stateofsoundmagazine.com

‘It began when Candi Staton’s partner threatened to shoot her and ended with a rallying cry for women everywhere.’ The story behind Young Hearts Run Free | READ HERE: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com/candi-staton... #candistaton #disco #soul

The Bookshop Band’s Ben Please on listening to Bob Marley as a kid on his father's farm, searching for baroque metal albums as a teenager and being stopped in his tracks by Sufjan Stevens. READ HERE: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com/7-albums-tha... @bookshopband.bsky.social

Happy Saturday, music lovers! Come on over! READ HERE: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com

“This is an enjoyable and at points captivating album, but sometimes it sounds like a band beaten down by the world.” The Former Site of The New Pornographers | READ OUR REVIEW: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com/the-new-porn... #thenewpornographers

BREAKING: Britain’s first museum of youth culture to open. READ HERE: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com/weve-poured-...

BREAKING: Britain’s first museum of youth culture to open. READ HERE: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com/weve-poured-...

NEW: Paul Simon, Emma Swift, interviews, essays, reviews & more! READ HERE: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com

NEW ISSUE: Wilco, The Smiths, The Golden Dregs, Shapes Like People, interviews, features & more! READ HERE: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com

Great talking to you, Carl!

NEW: Was U2’s biggest failure actually the band fearlessly blazing their own trail? PLUS reviews, essays, interviews, playlists & more! READ: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com

READ HERE: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com/how-an-obsce...

NEW: The Beatles could only break America by conforming to its prudish sexual attitudes. But did Lennon and McCartney have the last laugh? READ: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com

Replica: The February Collection. This month…the melodic indie pop of the Reds, Pinks and Purples, two songs from Cory Hanson, which channel a number of 1970s singer-songwriters, and four from the Golden Dregs’ sample-y alt-rock. LISTEN HERE: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com/playlist-rep...

NEW! The Bookshop Band and Pete Townshend, a Bob Dylan ranking, PLUS reviews, interviews, playlists & more! READ HERE: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com

NEW! Bob Dylan‘s greatest love songs ranked! The madness of touring with Oasis in the 1990s! PLUS: interviews, reviews, essays, playlists and more! READ: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com

NEW: Punk at 50, The British Elvis Presley Cliff Richard’s role in the story of punk, plus reviews, interviews, essays, features & more! READ: stateofsoundmagazine.com #Punk #PunkRock

NEW ISSUE NOW LIVE! www.stateofsoundmagazine.com #TheJam

NEW REVIEW! The sibling duo might not wear their influences lightly, but their debut album is an adrenaline shot of youthful optimism. READ HERE: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com/wasted-on-yo...

Thanks so much, Jamie!

Springsteen just dropped this new song! LISTEN HERE: youtu.be/wWKSoxG1K7w?... #brucespringsteen #ICE

It was fab to collaborate with you on this, Simon @unspunheroes.com! What you do is genuinely inspiring!

NEW! As streaming and major labels threaten to push out human creativity, a small band of micro record labels are fighting back, channelling the DIY ethos of punk. READ OUR EXCLUSIVE FEATURE HERE: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com/an-outpourin...

Our January playlist is live! Come on over and give it a listen: stateofsoundmagazine.com/playlist-soul-…

NEW ISSUE! Bob Dylan’s defiant voice in heartbroken America. PLUS reviews, features, interviews, essays and more! READ: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com #BobDylan

Sleaford Mods’ The Demise of Planet X is their best yet; out today. OUR REVIEW: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com/the-demise-o...

CALLING ALL RECORD COLLECTORS! Chris Campbell on the record his mother left on his bed when he was a child, the record which always reminds him of his late brother and how his dog got on the cover of one of his favourites. READ: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com/7-records-id... #RecordCollectors #Vinyl

Sleaford Mods’ ‘The Demise of Planet X’ is not only their most ambitious album to date, it is their best! REVIEW HERE: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com/the-demise-o... #SleafordMods

Read our interview with Sleaford Mods’ @sleafordmods.bsky.social Jason Williamson. READ HERE: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com/sleaford-mod... #SleafordMods

NEW ISSUE! On the eve of their new album release, read our interview with Sleaford Mods’ Jason Williamson! Plus reviews, essays, features and more! READ HERE: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com #SleafordMods

‘Tangled’ The December Collection is an album-length playlist for intentional listening, which evokes the atmosphere, weather and flavours of the final month of the year. CLICK HERE: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com/playlist-tan...

NEW ISSUE! Live Aid at 40, interviews, reviews, essays features and more! READ HERE: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com

ISSUE #16 is live! READ HERE: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com

We are delighted to announce that the State of Sound best album of 2025 is Emma Swift’s The Resurrection Game. Check out the rest of the albums in our top 10 HERE: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com/best-albums-...

Where did Pulp’s ‘More’ land on our BEST ALBUMS OF 2025? READ HERE: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com/best-albums-... #Pulp

NEW ISSUE: The Best Albums of 2025 plus news , reviews, interviews, features and more! READ HERE: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com

NEW! Sleaford Mods: 7 songs that changed my life. READ HERE: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com/sleaford-mod... #SleafordMods

NEWS: Aphex Twin releases new music. READ HERE: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com/news-aphex-t...

NEW ISSUE: Sleaford Mods’ Jason Williamson on the 7 songs that changed his life; new music from Aphex Twin; PLUS features, reviews, interviews and more! READ HERE: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com #SleafordMods #AphexTwin

One of YouTube’s most popular record collectors, Norman Maslov explains the thrill of collecting in the 1960s, how it felt to grow up with the Beatles and why the Kinks always remind him of cheerleaders. READ HERE: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com/7-records-id... #RecordCollectors

NEW ISSUE: an in-depth interview with baroque poppers Hungrytown, news from The Lemon Twigs, PLUS features, reviews, interviews and more! READ HERE: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s The Lemon Twigs and they have NEWS! READ HERE: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com/news-the-lem...

Dylan's new Bootleg Series instalment traces his arc from teenage rock 'n' roller to folk star. But had his first single ‘Mixed-Up Confusion’ been a hit, things could have been very different. Here’s the story of what might have been. READ HERE: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com/dylan-at-the... #BobDylan

NEW ISSUE: BOB DYLAN AT THE CROSSROADS IN 1962 + in-depth interviews, essays, reviews, news and more! READ HERE: stateofsoundmagazine.com #BobDylan #FolkMusic #Americana #GreenwichVillageFolkScene

NEW INTERVIEW: The Red Tack on dancing to the rhythm of the washing machine, infiltrating the Boston scene during the time of Dinosaur Jr. and Throwing Muses, and how Diamond Dogs changed his life. READ: www.stateofsoundmagazine.com/the-one-to-w... #indiemusic #BostonMusicScene