The Genre Starter Guides series explores musical styles through a handful of essential albums. Each guide introduces listeners to a genre’s core sound and history while suggesting albums that make the best entry points.
If you’re curious about exploring new sounds, these music genre guides introduce the essential albums that define each style.
And if you’d rather explore other genres through a favorite artist, check out our If You Like This Artist series.
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Beginner’s Guide to Psychedelic Folk
Hazy, warm, and surreal. Folk music that wandered into a dream. Psychedelic folk is what happens when artists take acoustic guitars into the woods and return with something… Continue Reading
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Beginner’s Guide to New Wave
Sharp guitars, brighter synths, the stylish pulse of the 80s. New wave is impossible to mistake. It’s the moment punk’s nervous energy got dressed up, grabbed a synth,… Continue Reading
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Beginner’s Guide to Experimental Hip-Hop: The Essential Albums
Experimental hip-hop isn’t a genre so much as an attitude. These records sound like someone breaking hip-hop apart and putting it back together in unexpected ways. Noise, avant-garde… Continue Reading
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Beginner’s Guide to 20th-Century Classical
A century when composers stopped asking permission and rewrote the rules. If classical music intimidates you, the 20th century might change your mind. It’s messy, bold, experimental, gorgeous,… Continue Reading
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Beginner’s Guide to Alternative R&B
Late-night feelings, experimental edges, and R&B that glows in the dark. Some genres grab you by volume. Alternative R&B grabs you by atmosphere. These albums feel like floating… Continue Reading
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Best Outlaw Country Albums: 5 Essential Records to Start With
Where country music loosened its collar and found its wild side. Outlaw country is one of those genres that feels bigger than the music itself. It’s a mood,… Continue Reading