Where Do Songs Come From?
Thinking of songwriting as labor versus divine inspiration can be helpful in resisting the endless churn of big streaming.
36 articles
A 100-Year-Old Man's Debut Record
Plus two seriously good rock albums from artists barely into their 20s, scorching live-band R&B, and more
Musicians Deserve Healthcare—Just Like Everyone Else
Chappell Roan’s Grammy acceptance speech applies to me and you, too.
Five Albums: Ren-Faire Eurodance, Exquisite Pain Rap, Mortal Kombat Samples
Plus shroomy Detroit hip-hop and a wonderfully handmade-feeling ambient album
How Drunk Do You Need to Be to Enjoy Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra”?
A Waste or Taste debate on the state of millennial pop girlies and Doechii’s post-Grammys victory lap
Ted Cruz Wants to Screw Up Concert Ticketing Too
Yes, the Texas senator's cartoon villainy extends to the music industry.
Five Albums: a New Recommendations Newsletter for Paid Subscribers
The first dispatch includes replicant raves, RPG-soundtrack ambient jazz, communist trap music, and more.
A Gorgeous Dispatch From the Extended SML-iverse
Gregory Uhlmann, Josh Johnson, and Sam Wilkes make the most of negative space on “Frica.”
The Weather Station Is Opting Out of the Algorithm
“Right now, it feels like we’re at this peak of disposability in all art.”
Finding Infinity in SML’s Cyborg Jazz
In the L.A. band’s music, the human and the machine are often indistinguishable.
A Horny SZA Hit, a Questionable Bob Dylan Impression, and a New Aphex Twin Classic
Waste or Taste is back to discuss late December’s tastiest leftovers, from SZA’s ‘Lana’ to Timothée Chalamet’s Dylan
An Alternate-Universe Aphex Twin Album Curated From His Massive New Rarities Compilation
Somewhere within the imposing two-and-a-half-hour sprawl of ‘Music From the Merch Desk,’ there’s an Aphex Twin album that stands up to the best of his work.