music feature

Kelley Mickwee’s Soulful, Spirit-Driven Affection

Kelley Mickwee’s Soulful, Spirit-Driven Affection

From the first song on Kelley Mickwee’s Everything Beautiful, you hear her expressive joy and feel her desire to create a cohesive and provocative piece of art.

Nick Cave’s ‘Wild God’ Benevolently Sweeps Through Berlin

Nick Cave’s ‘Wild God’ Benevolently Sweeps Through Berlin

The start of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ world tour brings transcendence to the German capital and shows there is no taming the Great Bard.

How Underground FM Radio Saved Rock

How Underground FM Radio Saved Rock

This is what happened when college-age music enthusiasts raided empty FM radio studios and played whatever turned them on.

Moses Sumney’s Self-Aware Icarus

Moses Sumney’s Self-Aware Icarus

With 2017’s Aromanticism, Moses Sumney negotiates the self as body and spirit and attempts to reconcile his emotions and sexuality with his religion.

Skank’s Postmodern ‘Calango’ Keeps Trippin’ at 30

Skank’s Postmodern ‘Calango’ Keeps Trippin’ at 30

Skank’s Calango mixes Jamaican reggae, Latin percussion, keyboards, and guitars into a blend that sounds very much from Brazil and yet completely alien.

The Far-Reaching Legacy of Tonny Brasil’s Tecnobrega Song “Lana”

The Far-Reaching Legacy of Tonny Brasil’s Tecnobrega Song “Lana”

There are debates about technobrega’s origins, but tracking its history leads us to one artist and one song: “Lana” by Tonny Brasil.

Jukebox Gallery: A Michael Goldberg Rock Photo Essay

Jukebox Gallery: A Michael Goldberg Rock Photo Essay

Michael Goldberg shot his first photo of the Doors’ Jim Morrison at the first US rock fest in 1967. Enjoy this photo essay spanning his career as a photographer and critic.

‘The Beach Boys’ Documentary Brings the Sun and Surf to the New Kids

‘The Beach Boys’ Documentary Brings the Sun and Surf to the New Kids

The Beach Boys documentary appeals to Gen Z and Gen Alpha via Disney Plus with a breezy, linear, appreciation of the band’s sunny legacy.

Sziget 2024 Puts Party First

Sziget 2024 Puts Party First

The 30th edition of Sziget – one of the world’s biggest music festivals – sees another bombastic six-day celebration with fewer indie acts than before.

Dog-Whistling Dixie and Racial Politics in 1960s Country Music

Dog-Whistling Dixie and Racial Politics in 1960s Country Music

Trump’s recent co-option of Lee Greenwood and his song “God Bless the U.S.A.” isn’t the first time the far right has used country music for its purposes.

Patti Smith’s “Piss Factory” and “Hey Joe” Remain Prophetic 50 Years On

Patti Smith’s “Piss Factory” and “Hey Joe” Remain Prophetic 50 Years On

Patti Smith’s “Hey Joe” and “Piss Factory” expresses her unremitting fight for freedom: when she went from a factory girl to a poète maudit.

Summer 2024 European Music Festivals Light Up Major Cities

Summer 2024 European Music Festivals Light Up Major Cities

Sure, Glastonbury and Rock Werchter dazzle with pastoral grandeur, but if you’re more of a city-dweller, check out the best European music festivals this summer.