In the days before an artists life story and discography were a double-click away, Michael Azerrad had a proclivity for piquing our musical curiosities. An informant for so many of us who came of age in the twilight of the 20th century, his work was a gateway drug to the cultural underground, inspiring countless young listeners at pivotal times in their development to open their minds and reach just a little bit further out of their comfort zone. Over time, a lot of those very same young listeners grew to become young musicians and subsequently started bands of their own. Though pretty difficult to prove statistically, we have a sneaking suspicion that many of those same bands years later now populate a large percentage of our archives.

Though he is perhaps best known for penning one of punk's greatest primers Our Band Could Be Your Life, it is his new vehicle for discourse The Talkhouse that has currently endeared him to us. Essentially a well-curated safe house for musicians to engage in intelligent discussions about the work of their peers, it exists as a refreshing anomaly amongst the World Wide Wasteland of music criticism.

A true scholar and DIY lifer, this playlist demonstrates that while he may have educated many of us on the "glory days" of the underground, his appreciation for all things under the radar is as fervent as ever.
-Adam Reich