Recently, a few musical alchemists have been tweaking popular songs, converting minor keys to major ones and raising questions about how the human brain processes music.
The Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters founder says he wouldn't be the musician he is today if not for one piece of equipment in a now-shuttered L.A. studio. Rediscovering it, and connecting with other musicians who shared the honor, is the subject of his new documentary, Sound City: Reel to Real.
The legendary music that makes up Broadway's upcoming Motown: The Musical offers audible proof that Berry Gordy's Detroit R&B label is the soundtrack of an American generation. But for Gordy, the new project is just the story of that label as he lived through it.
The icon's new album plays like a collection of discreet singles, with each performed in a different style, genre and mood. In this way, the album isn't a return to form, in part because David Bowie never took one form to begin with.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, nearly every coal mine in the U.K. had a brass band. They were intended to keep workers out of trouble, and were a matter of civic pride for local communities. Today, some say that without funding, the bands could become a thing of the past.
Recruiting the likes of Guy Clark and Vince Gill, the country singer and member of The Pistol Annies works within a tradition that extends back well beyond her twentysomething years. Monroe avoids the pitfalls of cliche, with sentiments on her new album that are nothing if not nicely ambivalent.
Some lush and sexy music videos were all listeners knew of the the soulful pop duo — until recently. NPR's Celeste Headlee speaks withMike Milosh and Robin Hannibal as they prepare to release their debut album as Rhye.