Kenneth Partridge

Kenneth Partridge's work has appeared in such publications as USA Today, the Village Voice and the Hartford Courant, as well as online at MTV Hive and HowAboutWe, among other sites. He's helped to edit two encyclopedias -- one on Latin music, the other on reggae -- and penned biographies about Louis Armstrong and the opera singer Marian Anderson. He lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., with his beloved wife and slightly less beloved record collection.

Your Semi-Comprehensive Guide to What’s Eating Lorde

Lorde makes headlines once or twice a week, and it's almost always because she's pissed about something. This is understandable. She's a super smart, sorta awkward 17-year-old who comes from a weird country (New Zealand), rocks old-lady shoes and Cramps T-shirts and sings startlingly self-aware electro-pop songs about being young and terrified but also kind of hopeful and invigorated.

Batwings Catwings, ‘Energy’ – Exclusive Video Premiere

The concept behind Batwings Catwings' new 'Energy' video was as simple as the production process. There were no storyboards or even cameras necessary -- just a bunch of Internet memes compiled by guitarist RaySan3rd on his smartphone.

Painted Palms Discuss Poppy Debut Album ‘Forever’

In the original psychedelic era, it was all about community: a bunch of blissfully doped-out, barefooted hippies sharing houses and jamming on guitars and bongos. At least that's the portrait of '60s San Francisco that persists in modern culture, and to whatever extent it's accurate, it's antithetical to how Painted Palms approach their modern psych-pop.

25 Artists Who Surprisingly Haven’t Won a Grammy

For as long as they've existed, the Grammys have been called safe, predictable and out of touch, and the list of amazing artists that haven't won a single award certainly lends credence to such arguments. True, the Grammys sometimes get it right, but for every win by a worthy band -- Nirvana taking Best Alternative Album for 'MTV Unplugged in New York,' say -- there are dozens of inexcusable sligh

Skream Ups the Drama With Remix of the Smiths’ ‘This Charming Man’

As great as it is, the spring-loaded Johnny Marr guitar riff that propels the Smiths' 'This Charming Man' can distract from the true heart of the song: Morrissey's aching vocals.

Potpourri of Pearls Discuss Beyonce, John Waters, Heaven’s Gate and Finding the Right Level of Freakiness

If Potpourri of Pearls get to be as big as Erasure or the Pet Shop Boys or one of the '90s crossover dance acts they reference with their glowing '80s-style synth-pop, they'll do so on their own terms.

Wooden Shjips, ‘Ruins (Live In Brooklyn)’ – Exclusive Video Premiere

On their latest album, 'Back to Land,' Wooden Shjips wrap up 'Ruins' in a neat and tidy 5:14. Onstage, it tends to run a bit longer, and in this exclusive live video -- shot on Nov. 14 by the All Axis production studio at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn -- the San Francisco psych-rock voyagers go for 7:02, letting singer and guitarist Ripley Johnson heap torrents of freaky, fuzzy noise atop a rep

10 Best Bob Dylan Albums

No matter who you are, where you're from, how old you are or what you dig, there's a Bob Dylan for you.

What Do Daft Punk Look Like Without Helmets?

What's a world without heroes? As the great Gene Simmons once explained, it's "like a world without sun," a place so dark and sad not even Kiss' 'Music from the Elder' makes people chuckle. In a sense, asking, "What do Daft Punk look like without their helmets?" is akin to willingly visiting this dreary world.

10 Best Albums of 2013

It either makes complete and total or absolutely zero sense to compile a Best Albums of 2013 list. These days, few people bother to even download music, let alone buy physical product, and the 10 records we've selected can all be streamed in full, free of charge, via services like Spotify and YouTube.