“The trills in his notes sputter and lift. He sounds like an animal in trouble. Like a lounge singer who’s lost his mind.”
music
Posted inArts & Culture
The Athletes Who Felt Seen by Kendrick Lamar’s “good kid, m.A.A.d city”
The modern hip-hop classic reflects growing up in Compton “one thousand percent.”
Posted inArts & Culture, Quotes, Unapologetic Women
Sade’s Eternal Cool
How the soul singer Sade Adu has maintained her pop cultural relevance for more than 30 years.
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
The Opera Lover Who Composed “Bat Out of Hell”
On the origins of the quintessential rock aria, and the powerhouse singer that served as its muse.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Man Behind Meat Loaf
Retracing the career of Jim Steinman, the songwriter responsible for some of the most operatic hits of the past 40 years.
Posted inArts & Culture, Nonfiction, Quotes
Can Detroit’s Legendary Techno Scene Survive Gentrification?
On the growing tension between techno’s gritty origins and its current velvet-rope tendencies.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The New Old Sound of Motor City
How Detroit techno was born — and continued to thrive — amid financial and social strife.
Posted inArts & Culture, Nonfiction, Quotes
Reflections of a Lifelong Metalhead
One aging Sabbath fan assesses the power and necessity of loud, dark music.
Posted inNonfiction, Quotes
Elvis Has Left the Makeup Trailer
What set Tom Petty on the path to music stardom? A childhood encounter with Elvis.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Southern Gallery: Tom Petty
Goodbye, Tom Petty. Revisit this chatty, informal, fun interview with the rock legend from Oxford American’s 2000 Southern music issue.