James Brown and Prince Were Uptight As Funk
James Brown and Prince’s music was loose, wild, and emotional. Yet they knew that you’ve got to be uptight if you want to do funk right.
music feature
How Shinedown Went from Drugs and Angst to Inspirational Advocacy
Hard rock band Shinedown are never quiet about their struggles and never will be as they assure fans that being “slightly awkward, kinda weird” is perfectly normal.
Finding a Home with Tom Waits
When the light hits the music just right, Tom Waits’ body of work unlocks and reveals itself: to be at home anywhere is to be at home nowhere at all.
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’ 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
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
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 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”
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
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 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
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.