Kehlani’s ‘Crash’ Plays to Their Strengths
Crash finds Kehlani playing to their strengths, establishing themselves as the reigning monarch of sultry, seductive, hot R&B.
pop
Maya Hawke Gently Kicks Open Another Door With Her Foot
Stranger Things‘ Maya Hawke admits on Chaos Angel she “was born with my foot in the door” and delivers one of the best LPs in the history of singing Hollywooders.
Taylor Swift: The Great American Poet?
It’s not literary devices that make something poetry or the analysis we perform, but the emotion it elicits through them, which is why Taylor Swift is a poet.
Charli XCX Is Everything on ‘Brat’
Brat is next-level Charli XCX, a miracle and an instant classic. It’s the kind of album that makes you feel lucky to be alive at the same time as it.
Baroque Pop Songstress Margo Guryan Immortalized in New Boxed Set
With her keen feel for tone, phrasings, tension, presence, and lyrics that cut, Margo Guryan is synonymous with the most sophisticated 1960s songcraft.
Alec Benjamin Hits the Right Note on ’12 Notes’
Alec Benjamin writes anthologies, and his fourth album, 12 Notes, is no different. This style of writing suits Benjamin’s propensity for parables.
Dark-Pop Queen CXLOE and Her ‘Shiny New Thing’
CXLOE’s Shiny New Thing is hook-forward pop music, an unrelenting collection of emoto-bangers, and an arch response to a clueless music executive.
‘Voulez Vous’: ABBA’s Poptimist Manifesto at 45
On Voulez Vous, ABBA went disco and created a turbo-charged version of their music. The raucous choruses of Voulez Vouz preview a decade of pop.
The Beatles Shake Britain: The Beginning of Beatlemania
Shake It Up, Baby! breaks down the Beatles’ concerts, business deals, sleepless nights, and bloody fights month by month during the transitional year of 1963.
Dua Lipa Sets a Major Breakthrough for Indie and Pop Music
With the help of Kevin Parker and Danny L. Harle, Dua Lipa’s new album Radical Optimism sounds like Tame Impala meets PC Music and goes to headline Glastonbury.
Pabllo Vittar’s ‘Batidão Tropical Vol. 2’ Is Brazilian History You Can Dance To
Pabllo Vittar’s music echoes cultural movements and carries layers of Brazilian history in a package that requires no explanation to enjoy listening and dancing to.
Taylor Swift’s ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ Is Ambitious and Experimental
The Tortured Poets Department‘s songs are calculated, complete, and the most experimental and ambitious of Taylor Swift’s work to date.