Music & Culture

Johnny Clegg co-founded two important, interracial bands, and became an essential voice in South Africa. Now, he's embarking on a farewell tour after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Music & Culture

A South African Superstar Says Farewell

12:12am October 30, 2017

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

Singer and dancer Johnny Clegg — the co-founder of two groundbreaking, racially mixed bands during the apartheid era — is battling pancreatic cancer. He's saying goodbye to his fans on a U.S. tour.

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Mark Korven plays the Apprehension Engine, a frankenmachine that's designed to make spooky sounds.

Music & Culture

The Scary Sound Machine That Is 'Trying To Set People A Little Bit Off-Kilter'

6:36am October 29, 2017

Film composer Mark Korven, known for his soundtrack to The Witch, commissioned an instrument called the Apprehension Engine to create scary soundscapes.

Brian May performs with Queen earlier in 2017.

Not My Job: Queen's Brian May Gets Quizzed About Dairy Queen

12:44pm October 28, 2017

The astrophysicist, 3D photography enthusiast and, yes, hall-of-fame rock star answers our questions about DQ — the ice cream and fast food franchise.

Music & Culture

Playlist: The Roots, And The Reach, Of Fats Domino

10:15am October 28, 2017

by Alison Fensterstock

Hear essential songs by the late architect of rock and roll, plus recordings by artists who influenced him, and those who covered and took inspiration from him.

Michael and Brian D'Addario, the brothers who make up The Lemon Twigs, channel sounds from decades past.

Music & Culture

'We Just Get Out Of Each Others' Faces': The Lemon Twigs On Being Brothers In A Band

8:09am October 28, 2017

Brothers Michael and Brian D'Addario are just 18 and 20 years old, but their retro, lush sound goes back decades. Their music has echoes of The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Bowie and more.

Music & Culture

Rapsody Flexes 'Power,' Minus Hip-Hop's Hypermasculine Clichés

5:26pm October 27, 2017

by Rodney Carmichael

Her first visual from a strong contender among the year's best rap LP's is equally stunning.

Fever Ray's first album in eight years, Plunge, is out now.

Music & Culture

Fever Ray's First Album In Eight Years, 'Plunge,' Is A Righteous Reclamation Of Kink

4:54pm October 27, 2017

by Lars Gotrich

Across 11 tracks of coquettish synth-pop cut with neon, Karin Dreijer is not just frank about her sexual desires, but how she desires them.

Music & Culture

Across the Blue Ridge #97 - Blue Ridge Music Trails and the Music of North Carolina

4:30pm October 27, 2017

by Paul Brown

This week, we kick off a series on North Carolina's Blue Ridge Music Trails. Listen for a story or segment at least once a month, with some shorter pieces in between. The music trails a

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Big K.R.I.T. leaves no stone unturned in the soulful exploration of 4EVA Is A Mighty Long Time.

Music & Culture

Big K.R.I.T. Breaks Down '4eva Is A Mighty Long Time,' Track By Track

4:27pm October 27, 2017

by Rodney Carmichael

In his biggest artistic statement yet, the Mississippi native reconciles his own dichotomy in a double LP steeped in trunk-rattling bass, soul-searching blues and gospel uplift.

Rakta's Oculto Pelos Seres 7" is out now.

Music & Culture

Songs We Love: Rakta, 'Rodeados Pela Beleza'

2:16pm October 27, 2017

by Maria Sherman

With spitting synths and vocals drenched in reverb, the Brazilian trio's variegated take on deathrock, post-punk and psych challenges the confines of each genre.