Email Author Ryan Wasoba

2013 Stories by Ryan Wasoba

• FEATURED STORY

  The Six Sweetest Riffs of All Time

  published May 21, 2013

  I, Ryan James Wasoba, hereby announce that, after over a year and a half of weekly contributions, the end of my Nitpick Six column is upon us. As such, it's bucket list time. This space is usually res... More >>

• FEATURED STORY

  Here is the Difference Between "Good" Music and "Cool" Music

  published May 16, 2013

  The comment that a band is "good at what it does" is a polite attempt to acknowledge the talents of a group outside of one's wheelhouse. But the phrase tends to come off as a dismissive, backhanded c... More >>

• FEATURED STORY

  The Six Worst Hybrids Of Country Music and Rap

  published May 14, 2013

  There is absolutely nothing wrong with cross-genre collaboration. Anything that widens an artist or listener's musical scope is encouraged. Rap and country, as disparate as they can seem, can coexist ... More >>

• FEATURED STORY

  The Six Best Wilco Guitar Solos

  published May 07, 2013

  The LouFest lineup announcement has inspired excitement and criticism in equal parts, but the one undeniable act on the bill is Wilco. The Chicago via Belleville band means many things to many people,... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Better Living: What is the Real Value of Physical Mediar

  published May 02, 2013

  Art and life cohabitate, informing, imitating and enriching each other constantly. Each week in Better Living Through Music, RFT Music writer Ryan Wasoba explores this symbiotic relationship. When th... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  The Six Most Uncomfortable Lyrics In Songs Kids Like

  published Apr 30, 2013

  Since the dawn of pop music, there has always been a dissonance between the music kids listen to and the content of the lyrics within. This can make an adult cringe when a child enjoys a song with an ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  The Six Best NPR Theme Songs (In Honor of Talk of the Nation's Cancelation)

  published Apr 24, 2013

  If you are like me, you drive a car with a broken cd player. So you have to listen to the radio while driving, and you end up on NPR most of the time because you are sick of Adele on the commercial st... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  In St. Louis Music, Life Is a Never-Ending Conflict of Interests

  published Apr 18, 2013

  Art and life cohabitate, informing, imitating and enriching each other constantly. Each week in Better Living Through Music, RFT Music writer Ryan Wasoba explores this symbiotic relationship. Two mon... More >>

• The Six Indie Rock Songs That Sound Most Like Ska Songs

  published Apr 16, 2013

  Indie rock is the vaguest of all genres, sort of the "none of the above" of rock and roll. There are no hard and fast rules. In rare cases, the result sounds an awful lot like ska. Here are the six in... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  The Six Best Namedrops In Song

  published Apr 09, 2013

  Musicians frequently reference each other, consciously or otherwise. Usually the reference is something subtle, like a chord progression or a melodic phrase. For those less subtle moments, here are th... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  A Plea For The Separation of Music And Music Culture

  published Apr 04, 2013

  Art and life co-habitate, informing, imitating, and enriching each other constantly. Each week in Better Living Through Music, RFT Music writer Ryan Wasoba explores this symbiotic relationship. As... More >>

• The Six Best Phil Ramone Productions

  published Apr 02, 2013

  Phil Ramone was not a member of the Ramones. He was also not Phil Spector. He was something in between, a musician who handled the controls for many legendary recordings beginning in the 1960s. Ramone... More >>

• The Six Most Factually Inaccurate Lyrics In Songs

  published Mar 26, 2013

  Songs exist in a general realm of fiction, even when they are theoretically true. Still, every once in a while a lyric comes along that makes you tilt your head and say, "Wait a second..." Here are th... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Better Living: When Music Doesn't Fit

  published Mar 21, 2013

  Art and life co-habitate, informing, imitating, and enriching each other constantly. Each week in Better Living Through Music, RFT Music writer Ryan Wasoba explores this symbiotic relationship. Last... More >>

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  The Six Best Shitty-Sounding Records

  published Mar 19, 2013

  Before we begin, let us clarify that "shitty" and "bad" are not the same. Bad-sounding records aim for a certain result and fall short. Shitty-sounding records result from conscious decisions consciou... More >>

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  Reich Rewrites Radiohead: A twenty-piece Chamber Ensemble Plays Steve Reich’s Radiohead-inspired opus at the Sheldon

  published March 14, 2013

  The significance of Radio Rewrite cannot be overstated. The greatest living composer structured the piece on the music of the greatest... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  The Six Best Jazz Records For People Who Hate Jazz

  published Mar 12, 2013

  I love jazz but completely understand why somebody would not. Roughly 95 percent of music in the genre is self-indulgent, regressive crap, but that other 5 percent rules hard enough to possibly conver... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  The Great MP3 Compromise: Credits Where Credits Are Due

  published Mar 07, 2013

  Art and life co-habitate, informing, imitating, and enriching each other constantly. Each week in Better Living Through Music, RFT Music writer Ryan Wasoba explores this symbiotic relationship. For ... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  The Six Most Uncool Members Of Cool Bands

  published Mar 05, 2013

  Last week in this very column, we counted down the six coolest members of uncool bands. This week, we flip the script. Here are the six most uncool members of cool bands, and they're all probably real... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Undead Format: Dissecting The Cassette Revival

  published Feb 28, 2013

  Art and life co-habitate, informing, imitating, and enriching each other constantly. Each week in Better Living Through Music, RFT Music writer Ryan Wasoba explores this symbiotic relationship. My f... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  The Six Coolest Members of Otherwise Uncool Bands

  published Feb 26, 2013

  Bands are collections of people. In any such group, some people will be cooler than others. Even in an uncool rock band, there will be cool people. Here are the six coolest members of uncool bands. Co... More >>

• The Illusion Of Volume: Understanding Compression

  published Feb 21, 2013

  Art and life co-habitate, informing, imitating, and enriching each other constantly. Each week in Better Living Through Music, RFT Music writer Ryan Wasoba explores this symbiotic relationship. The C... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  The Six Best References To Cannibalism In Song

  published Feb 19, 2013

  On this day in 1847, the Donner Party was rescued from a disastrous trek to the West Coast that caused the survivors to eat their fallen pioneers. In honor of this legendary tale, here are the six be... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  A Pilgrimage to the Church Of Steve Albini: Is He a Dickr

  published Feb 14, 2013

  Art and life co-habitate, informing, imitating, and enriching each other constantly. Each week in Better Living Through Music, RFT Music writer Ryan Wasoba explores this symbiotic relationship. Almo... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  The Six Best Songs About Murdering A Significant Other

  published Feb 12, 2013

  Valentine's Day is upon us, a time to celebrate relationships or hate those celebrating. But for those relationships that don't end well, here are the six best songs about murdering a significant othe... More >>