Music

A Soundtrack for the American Subconscious

A Soundtrack for the American Subconscious A Soundtrack for the American Subconscious

Oneohtrix Point Never’s latest album is not unlike a radio broadcast from another reality.

Jan 13, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Bijan Stephen

The Legend of MF DOOM

The Legend of MF DOOM The Legend of MF DOOM

On the legacy of a rap music auteur. 

Jan 7, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Stephen Kearse

The Ethical Commitment to Be a Punk

The Ethical Commitment to Be a Punk The Ethical Commitment to Be a Punk

How 1980s punk music birthed its own kind of radical politics. 

Jan 6, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Samuel Zipp

Open Mike Eagle’s Songs of Redemption

Open Mike Eagle’s Songs of Redemption Open Mike Eagle’s Songs of Redemption

His new album—Anime, Trauma and Divorce—uses rap as a vehicle for self-examination and restoration.

Dec 30, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Stephen Kearse

‘Christmas in My Soul’

‘Christmas in My Soul’ ‘Christmas in My Soul’

Fifty years ago this season, Laura Nyro delivered a timeless rebuke to racism, militarism, and “the sins of politics.”

Dec 25, 2020 / John Nichols

Jon Batiste plays a rainbow-colored piano outdoors as people in surgical masks walk by

Modern Hollywood Discovers Its Jazz ‘Soul’ Modern Hollywood Discovers Its Jazz ‘Soul’

Pixar’s Christmas release is the best jazz film in a long time. But then, there isn’t a lot of competition.

Dec 24, 2020 / Ethan Iverson

The Best Albums of 2020

The Best Albums of 2020 The Best Albums of 2020

Our music critic’s 11 favorite pieces of music from this year.

Dec 18, 2020 / Books & the Arts / David Hajdu

Bob Dylan at Montfort Hall, Leicester (U.K.) in 1965.

How Bob Dylan Wrote the Second Great American Songbook How Bob Dylan Wrote the Second Great American Songbook

The sale of the singer-songwriter’s catalogue is a reminder of his massive cultural legacy.

Dec 11, 2020 / Jeet Heer

‘You Have to Listen to the Streets’: Rebel Diaz on Hip Hop and the Chilean Constitution

‘You Have to Listen to the Streets’: Rebel Diaz on Hip Hop and the Chilean Constitution ‘You Have to Listen to the Streets’: Rebel Diaz on Hip Hop and the Chilean Constitution

Brothers Rodrigo “RodStarz” and Gonzalo “G1” Venegas, who make up Rebel Diaz, discuss the role of art and music in Chilean activism.

Nov 5, 2020 / Q&A / Jack Delaney

When Raving Was Radical

When Raving Was Radical When Raving Was Radical

Rainald Goetz’s 1998 novel captures both the complicated politics of the German electronic music scene and the chaotic experience of a night lost to dancing.

Nov 5, 2020 / Rachel Hahn

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