Aly & AJ occupy a space on the hazy fringe of the pop mainstream. As survivors of the Radio Disney machine of the 2000s, they’re showbiz lifers, entertainers who are eager to try on new […]
Latest Posts
RXK Nephew: Till I’m Dead
Few artists have maximized the direct-to-consumer possibilities of YouTube like RXK Nephew. Where other artists are bound by contractual obligations and release schedules, the Rochester, New York rapper took an accelerationist approach, delivering an erratic stream of […]
Dancers Sue 7M Films Claiming Owner Runs a ‘Cult’
Three dancers who previously worked with the controversial church-aligned company 7M Films are suing their previous talent manager and pastor. Aubrey Fisher-Greene, Kylie Douglas, and Kevin “Konkrete” Davis have joined four other complainants in accusing […]
U2: Songs of Surrender
After 50 years as one of the biggest bands in the world, there’s something charming in the way that U2 keeps acting like they have something to prove. We all watched how actors, artists, and […]
Tei Shi: Bad Premonition EP
Tei Shi’s first two albums wore their love for 1980s and ’90s pop and R&B on their sleeves. Moving from sugary, Britney-inflected pop to glistening ballads, the artist born Valerie Teicher synthesized her influences into […]
Ali Farka Touré: Voyageur
Ali Farka Touré lived life on his own terms. Hailing from a noble lineage, he overcame his family’s disapproval to become a musician, and as a young boy taught himself to play the njerkle (single-string guitar), njarka […]
Joe Ely: Joe Ely / Honky Tonk Masquerade / Down on the Drag
Driving across West Texas can feel a little like piloting a Mars rover: life signs minimal save for the stray prairie dog, an endless sky suffocating overhead. The cities of Amarillo and Lubbock appear like […]
He Told Black Hillary Supporters They Could Vote By Text. Now He’s On Trial
Attorneys gave their opening arguments Monday in the federal trial of a right-wing troll accused of using memes to trick Democrats into trying to vote by text in the 2016 election. Douglass Mackey, once known […]
Online Accounts Have Monetized a Misogyny Playbook. Evan Rachel Wood Is Next
In a February 2021 statement on Instagram, actress Evan Rachel Wood said she was done being silent. “The name of my abuser is Brian Warner, also known to the world as Marilyn Manson,” Wood said. […]
M83: Fantasy
Many people have a defining moment of their childhood; for M83’s Anthony Gonzalez, childhood seems like the defining moment of his life. Each album since 2008’s John Hughes-inspired Saturdays=Youth has communed with a specific set of nostalgic […]
Doug Paisley: Say What You Like
Doug Paisley’s records have always evoked big, broad rivers, drifting across the Earth without hurry. His smooth country songs are doing ancient work, asking questions of love and death and doubt; these are not fleeting […]
Bryozone: Eye of Delirious
Some artists require a certain measure of distance to thrive. That’s the case for Ukraine’s Ganna Bryzhata, aka Bryozone. She’s best known as the bassist of Chillera, a trio of dub aficionados who developed a gently psychedelic […]