There will be entire chapters in future history books about 2016. Look, it was just a just a couple years ago. You lived through 2016. It was revealed on Monday that Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey sent his beard hair to Azalea Banks to make an amulet to protect him…

Lil Wayne, learning about writing in triplets at a young age. Good news, everyone! Metallica is back on the list. I know, I know. You were worried they’d be stuck at a mere seven appearances in the top five. But fortunately after the regrettable detour that was St. Anger, they turned it…

The White Stripes trying to remember if they are spouses or siblings. Regular readers of this column may have noticed that I’ve included a song off every single Metallica studio album in the top five, and a song from every non-studio Metallica album in the Honorable Mentions. You may…

Original art: Vivian Shih Chelsea’s 33rd birthday was going to be one she’d never forget. U2, her favorite band, was performing for two nights in Toronto, Canada, and the California native would be there to see both performances. “That is my happy place. That’s my church,” she said. “I go…

“Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” Every relationship goes through phases. After the intense infatuation, it can lead to either a happy marriage, or a trek back to the starting line. Every phase also has a perfect song for the occasion. Here are my picks for every moment in a relationship. Love at…

  Illustration: Vivian Shih It’s “love and hate” week at RIFF. We’ve taken on the theme of Valentine’s Day to talk about both sides of love. We’re starting off with my favorite love songs, but there are some caveats: These are only since 1980. There’s a whole bunch of really…

Let’s admit that 2016 was a rough year. But one of the bright spots was great music. Here’s our top 5 music moments of 2016. 1. Hip-hop artists dropped surprise albums The year was full of surprise, especially politically, socially and globally. Music, on the other hand, had some of the best surprises, particularly in…

Photo: Matt De Mello The other day I wrote an column on where we, not just as a country, but as a world, go from here. That piece was unique for RIFF. Ours is not a political publication. However, some events transcend politics. Many of us are nervous, some are petrified…

The year may only be halfway through, but it’s already had a number of quality albums worth a spin. RIFF Magazine‘s Nick DeCicco counts down 10 of his favorite of the year to date: Beyoncé Lemonade April 23 | Columbia 10. The Queen’s sixth studio album stands as her most powerful…

Photos: Roman Gokhman Check out my review in the SF Examiner.