Music

Top Ten Back-to-School Songs

Top Ten Back-to-School Songs Top Ten Back-to-School Songs

An incomplete list of some of the best songs ever written about school.

Sep 8, 2015 / Books & the Arts / Peter Rothberg

Black Panthers on parade at a Free Huey rally in Defermery Park in West Oakland, July 28, 1968.

White Hands and Black Skulls: From the Panthers to ‘Straight Outta Compton’ White Hands and Black Skulls: From the Panthers to ‘Straight Outta Compton’

Two new films prove the urgency, and inadequacy, of outrage.

Aug 27, 2015 / Books & the Arts / Stuart Klawans

Spotify

Next to Nothing: The Economics and Aesthetics of Streaming Music Next to Nothing: The Economics and Aesthetics of Streaming Music

Apps like Spotify and Apple Music haven’t just changed the way we purchase music—they've changed the way we listen.

Aug 24, 2015 / David Hajdu

August 16, 1977: Elvis Presley Dies

August 16, 1977: Elvis Presley Dies August 16, 1977: Elvis Presley Dies

The myth of the King “allows us to cling to the notion that art is pure and society is corrupt and corrupting.”

Aug 16, 2015 / Richard Kreitner

U2 concert

U2 and the Art of Digital Compromise U2 and the Art of Digital Compromise

How social media brought its own set of troubles to U2’s latest tour.

Aug 7, 2015 / David Hajdu

Violette Verdy in George Balanchine's Jewels, 1967.

Elements of Style Elements of Style

The legendary Balanchine dancer Violette Verdy embodies the alchemy that turns music into meaning.

Jul 30, 2015 / Books & the Arts / Marina Harss

The Fierce Urgency of Nina Simone Now

The Fierce Urgency of Nina Simone Now The Fierce Urgency of Nina Simone Now

Perhaps her real audience was not her contemporaries in the civil rights generation, but their grandchildren.

Jul 2, 2015 / Syreeta McFadden

Patti Smith

Patti Smith’s Summer of Rebellion Patti Smith’s Summer of Rebellion

The veteran rocker is giving Europe “a masterclass in focused protest rock that puts younger artists to shame.”

Jul 2, 2015 / John Nichols

Dylann Roof

A History of Hate Rock From Johnny Rebel to Dylann Roof A History of Hate Rock From Johnny Rebel to Dylann Roof

One of the most powerful tools white power groups use to spread their ideology to young people is music.

Jun 23, 2015 / Zoë Carpenter

Bruce Springsteen

Cover Me Cover Me

Today's Altercation features interesting and relatively obscure cover songs.

Jun 19, 2015 / Eric Alterman

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