Music

"We wanted to do a record for the people who don't know the band as well," says Spoon singer Britt Daniel (center) of the reasoning behind its new greatest hits album, Everything Hits At Once.

Music & Culture

Everything Hits: Spoon Releases An Old School Greatest Hits Album Into A Digital Age

1:28pm July 24, 2019

by Matthew Perpetua

After nine albums, the veteran indie rock band Spoon is doing something that's become a rarity in the age of playlists: releasing a hand-picked collection of a dozen of its best-loved songs.

Music & Culture

Buddy And Julie Miller Create Their Own Genre On 'Breakdown On 20th Ave. South'

1:25pm July 24, 2019

by Ken Tucker

The married musicians offer their own synthesis of folk, country, rock and the blues on their new album. The music that results is unsettling, with a beauty that's both comforting and soothing.

Queue Listen Now

I can dig it / He can dig it / She can dig it / We can dig it / They can dig it / You can dig it / Oh, let's dig it / Can you dig it, baby?

Music & Culture

Can You Dig It? 25 Golden Jams From A 1969 Vintage

12:41pm July 24, 2019

by Lauren Onkey

A sweet mélange of soul, proto-funk, jazz, rock and Latin music that makes for an old-school roséwave soundtrack.

The cassette tape was the first mass-produced and widely adopted, portable and recordable audio format — and because of that, became foundational to the stories of many music fans... like the critic and author Ben Ratliff.

Music & Culture

The Language I Learned From Cassettes

12:38pm July 24, 2019

by Ben Ratliff

The author and critic Ben Ratliff came up in the halcyon days of cassette tapes, when they were as close to a streaming service as you could get.

Music & Culture

The Thistle & Shamrock: Chansons

11:35am July 24, 2019

For this week's episode of The Thistle & Shamrock, immerse yourself in Celtic music from around the world.

One of Madonna's "stage-worn" bras is featured in an auction of her personal items, which the pop singer has failed to stop.

Music & Culture

Madonna's 'Like A Prayer' Demo Leaked On YouTube To Thwart Auction

10:10am July 24, 2019

by Lars Gotrich

A demo of "Cherish" and the unreleased song "Angels with Dirty Faces" have also been uploaded to YouTube.

Tumblr billed itself as a "microblogging platform," and due to its ease of use and broad range of users, became a communal space for a disparate group of music fans (and budding music writers), writes Mark Richardson.

Music & Culture

Remembering The Bottled Lightning Of 'Music Tumblr'

8:02am July 24, 2019

by Mark Richardson

For a brief moment, Tumblr played host to a tight-knit, but open-minded, community of music lovers who were thinking and writing deeply about music and its place in the world.

(Left to right) Joseph Lattanzi, Sankara Harouna, Terrence Chin-Loy and Miles Wilson-Toliverstar star in Blind Injustice, presented through the Cincinnati Opera.

'Blind Injustice' Opera Sets Out To Open Eyes About Wrongful Conviction Rates

5:34pm July 23, 2019

by Elizabeth Kramer

Based on former federal prosecutor Mark Godsey's book of the same title, the new opera Blind Injustice draws on detailed interviews with exonerees to put America's criminal justice system on trial.

The Fort Stage during the Newport Folk Festival, 2018 at Fort Adams State Park in Newport, Rhode Island.

Music & Culture

Newport Folk Festival Preview 2019

2:35pm July 23, 2019

by Bob Boilen

The festival's executive producer, Jay Sweet explains how he picked this year's lineup and why the festival continues to resonate with people 60 years after it started.

Queue Listen Now

Crypt Sermon's sophomore album, The Ruins of Fading Light, is featured on this week's list.

Music & Culture

Viking's Choice: Grandiose Doom Metal, Italian Garage-Pop, Proggy Post-Punk

12:58pm July 23, 2019

by Lars Gotrich

This week's mix features thundering doom metal, a stargazing lullaby from an oh-so-chic Italian duo and a D.C. post-punk band featuring Mary Timony and Alec MacKaye.