Music Features

The '80s VHS-style art for Gotye's "Somebody That I Used To Know" as reimagined by YouTube user TRONICBOX.

Music & Culture

The Strange Magic Of YouTube's '80s Remix Culture

12:26pm July 17, 2018

by Annie Zaleski

Search the phrase "80s version" and you'll find dozens of present-day hits reworked with vintage synths and sax solos. Embedded in them is an emotional lesson on what's missing from the streaming era.

Sertanejo singer Marília Mendonça, 22, sings to a crowd of thousands at Expo Londrina, an agricultural fair in the southern Brazilian city of Londrina.

In 'Macho' Brazil, Fast-Rising Star Marília Mendonça Is Inspiring Women To Push Back

10:14am July 17, 2018

by Philip Reeves

Marília Mendonça has reclaimed Brazil's traditional genre sertanejo and created "feminejo," providing women with a voice in a traditionally macho society.

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Insects have been an inspiration in music for centuries, from classical composers to tough-as-nails metal bands.

Music & Culture

What's The Buzz? Insects Have Invaded My Music

9:28am July 16, 2018

Insects have been an inspiration in music for centuries, starring in pieces from "Flight of the Bumblebee" to Mastodon's "March of the Fire Ants."

Rodney Crowell, whose new album Acoustic Classics has the Nashville legend reinterpreting some of his catalog from a new vantage point.

Music & Culture

For Rodney Crowell, A Godfather Of Americana, The Work Is Never Finished

8:29am July 13, 2018

by Jewly Hight

At age 67, Rodney Crowell has become the literarily inclined elder statesman of the Americana scene. His new album, Acoustic Classics, is a look back at the songs of his career's many seasons.

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Iraqi-born, New Mexico-based composer and oud player Rahim Alhaj.

Music & Culture

Stories Of Wartime, Transformed Through Music

8:55pm July 10, 2018

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

Tortured and imprisoned under Saddam Hussein's regime, composer and oud player Rahim Alhaj — who resettled as a refugee in New Mexico — uses his work to tell true stories of Iraqis living through war.

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Music & Culture

'You've Got To Risk It': How Tragedy Inspired St. Louis Singer Tonina's Artistry

4:27pm July 09, 2018

by Allison Woodworth

Truly a rose grown out of the concrete, Tonina's artistry is a glaring reflection of her tumultuous journey told through unblemished vocal range and the sounds of intermingling cultures.

Officers of the 5th U.S. Cavalry near Washington, D.C., in 1865. Julia Ward Howe was inspired to write "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" after a visit with Union troops in the thick of the Civil War.

Music & Culture

One Song Glory

12:10pm July 04, 2018

by Andrew Limbong

The refrain — "Glory, glory, hallelujah" — shows up at labor protests, conservative rallies, church services and football games. It turns out the song, originally a war march, is flexible by design.

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Richard Swift worked with everyone from The Shins to The Black Keys, but his earliest single signaled something special.

Music & Culture

Richard Swift Was A Sonic Revelation, Right From His First Single

3:26pm July 03, 2018

by Lars Gotrich

The singer-songwriter and producer's retro-the-to-future sound never felt old, but lived in and lived through. One fan recalls hearing Richard Swift's debut 7-inch.

After much searching, we found the perfect spot right outside their window. Or did it find us? Levon and Rick's yard. Woodstock, NY, '68

Music & Culture

50 Years On, The Band's 'Music From Big Pink' Haunts Us Still

11:55am July 01, 2018

by Tom Moon

Nobody witnessing the turmoil of 1968 was waiting around for a salve like "The Weight" — or could have predicted how fundamental those songs would become.

As hip-hop has become the most listened-to genre, Drake is perhaps its last true crossover artist: at home in pop and rap, radio and streaming. He will release his latest album, Scorpion, on June 29.

Music & Culture

Drake Is Too Big To Fail. He Should Risk It All On 'Scorpion' Anyway

6:03pm June 28, 2018

by Rodney Carmichael

If Drake truly wants to take his career to the next level, he might try something unprecedented: conceding defeat.