Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’ Subverts Being Trapped in a Glass Castle
For her 1989 album, Taylor Swift wrote breakup songs that cleverly conveyed to fans she had personal freedom even from within her glass castle.
pop
Carminho Expresses Her Passion for Life Through Song
For Portuguese singer Carminho, fado is more than a genre of music; it’s a language through which she expresses her spiritual growth.
Rob Sheffield on Taylor Swift and the Power of the Fangirl
Rob Sheffield, Taylor Swift, and Swifties understand intimately that we owe it to ourselves to pay homage to the music that lights our hearts on fire.
20 Music Videos of the 1980s That Have Aged Terribly
These 1980s music videos have not aged well, bearing a distinctive look instantly tagging them as a product of their time
Lady Gaga Falls For Her Own Mythology on ‘Harlequin’
On Harlequin, a companion album to The Joker: Folie a Deux, Lady Gaga uses “vintage pop” to strengthen the mythology around her persona.
Kylie Minogue’s Sequel to ‘Tension’ Is a Worthy Follow-Up
On her 17th studio album, Kylie Minogue once again proves that few of her peers or followers understand the art of light dance-pop as well as she does.
‘How Women Made Music’ Paints a Large, Colorful Canvas
From the contributors of NPR’s Turning the Tables series, How Women Made Music paints a large, colorful canvas from years of research and dialogue.
Halsey Reveals Her Truest Self Through Impersonation
Halsey’s The Great Impersonator reimagines her career throughout the decades, displaying a conceptual artist at the top of her game. A masterclass in honesty.
Alison Moyet Gives Her Greatest Hits a Winning Makeover
Alison Moyet’s approach to her oeuvre is to treat her old songs like a new batch of tunes, divorced from any baggage or expectations.
Paul McCartney’s Beautiful Tribute to Lovely Linda McCartney
When Paul McCartney lost Linda McCartney in 1998, he described his grief as all-consuming, grief that haunts her sole solo studio album, ‘Wide Prairie’.
Katy Perry Stumbles on Her Latest Album ‘143’
Katy Perry’s 143 sounds out of step with current pop, and there isn’t much here that is so eccentric and creative to justify the album’s relative mediocrity.
Ionnalee’s Bilingual Gambit to Hear the End of Every Song
Ionnalee has electronic LPs under multiple monikers, but she uncovers her full songwriting prowess by dropping a double-album split between English and Swedish.