The Six Sweetest Riffs of All Time

Categories: Nitpick Six

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This is what happens when you search "lightning guitar" on the internet.
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 reserved for microscopic aspects of music, but now let's go big.

These are the six sweetest riffs of all time.

See Also:
- The Nitpick Six Archives


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The Six Worst Hybrids Of Country Music and Rap

Categories: Nitpick Six

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Press Photo
Why yes, Mr. Rock is on this list.
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 peacefully within a single track (ie. most of Odelay). But when it's bad, good God almighty it's bad. Here are the six worst hybrids of country music and rap.

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The Six Best Wilco Guitar Solos

Categories: Nitpick Six

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Press Photo
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, but in the festival headliner context, the group is one of the best live rock & roll bands in the universe. To look forward to the potential high fives of its LouFest set, here are the six best Wilco guitar solos.

See Also:
- LouFest 2013: The Full Lineup is Here


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The Six Most Uncomfortable Lyrics In Songs Kids Like

Categories: Nitpick Six

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Earmuffs, children.
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 inappropriate lyric, especially one he or she does not understand. Here are the six most uncomfortable lyrics in songs that kids like.

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

Categories: Nitpick Six

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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 stations and your favorite independent music channel always seems to have a zydeco show on when you're in the car. (Ahem, KDHX.)

But just because you're listening to NPR talk shows doesn't mean you won't hear some great music. In fact, some of the most wonkish news programs on public radio feature some truly groovy theme songs. Take for example, these six shows:


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The Six Indie Rock Songs That Sound Most Like Ska Songs

Categories: Nitpick Six

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Annie Zaleski
Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig. VW clocks in at number two on our list.
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 indie rock songs that sound most like ska songs. Let us know your favorites in the comments. Oi.

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The Six Best Namedrops In Song

Categories: Nitpick Six

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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 the six best name-drops in song. Let us know your favorites in the comments, but make sure that your pick is something super-obscure that will make you sound hip by mentioning it.

See Also:
-The Six Most Factually Inaccurate Lyrics In Songs
-The Six Coolest Members of Otherwise Uncool Bands
-The Six Most Uncool Members Of Cool Bands


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The Six Best Phil Ramone Productions

Categories: Nitpick Six

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Press Photo
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 died Saturday of a brain aneurysm at the age of 79. In his honor, here are the six best Phil Ramone productions.

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The Six Most Factually Inaccurate Lyrics In Songs

Categories: Nitpick Six

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Image via
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 the six most factually inaccurate lyrics in songs. Let us know your favorites in the comments, and please cite your sources.

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The Six Best Shitty-Sounding Records

Categories: Nitpick Six

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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 consciously executed. Here are the six best shitty-sounding records. If your favorite entry is missing from the list, leave us a shitty comment.

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