When the pop singer went avant garde, he traded narrative meaning for emotional truth to explore those things that lay beyond language.
pop music
Posted inArts & Culture, Commentary, Culture, Feature, Story
‘Play Another Slow Jam, This Time Make It Sweet’
The term “slow jam” became widely popular when a song performed by Midnight Star debuted in 1983.
Posted inArts & Culture, Nonfiction, Story
Remembering Mark Hollis of Talk Talk
The singer of “It’s My Life” left us a brilliant solo album, then chose to be a family man.
Posted inArts & Culture, Feature, Nonfiction, Story
Shelved: Fiona Apple’s Extraordinary Machine
How the songwriter’s abandoned third album became two albums.
Posted inArts & Culture, Commentary, Culture, Current Events, Essays & Criticism, Highlight, Quotes
Lady Gaga, Celeb Profiles, and the Third Remake of “A Star is Born”
Rachel Syme profiles Lady Gaga and dives deep into the mystique and mythology of “A Star is Born.”
Posted inArts & Culture, Nonfiction, Quote Posts, Quotes
Auto-Tune: The Music Fad That Keeps on Giving
Cultural critic Simon Reynolds looks at 20 years of Auto-Tune.
Posted inArts & Culture, Essays & Criticism, Story
We Stand on Guard for Bieber
How Canadian is Justin Bieber? His hometown’s “Steps to Stardom” exhibit provides some answers.
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 inNonfiction, Quotes
Why the “Black Grateful Dead” Thrives Outside of Top 40 Radio
For the Undefeated, music writer and essayist Bruce Britt offers a compelling history of soul band Maze.
Posted inNonfiction, Story
The Broken Pop of James Bond Songs
What can the endurance of the messy, campy canon of James Bond theme songs tell us about contemporary popular music?