South African Dispatch
During the Apartheid years, I remember watching a black guitarist play with a white band dressed in overalls. He had a bucket and mop standing near his amplifier—strict laws prevented musicians of different ethnic backgrounds from playing together, and if the police had raided... read more
The Reign of the Profane
Though CSS has shed the overt pop of its 2006 debut (which spawned the highest ever Billboard charting single for a Brazilian artist, “Music Is My Hot, Hot Sex”), the true nation of origin for the electro-punks’ Sub Pop follow-up, Donkey, is still the dancefloor... read more
Lost (and found) in Translation
A statistic to consider: About 50 percent of world literature derives from English, but less than 3 percent of English-language publications are translations into English from the rest of the world. And that figure is closer to 0.3 percent if you consider only adult literature and poetry... read more
DAM and Sheva
The first time that brothers Suhell and Tamer Nafar witnessed a Tupac Shakur video, they saw their own lives—growing up as young boys in the Palestinian city of Lod—reflected back at them from the TV screen. The American ghetto mirrored their neighborhood... read more
Poetry Above the Clouds
A group of foreigners sneaks into the World Trade Center. Some are dressed in suits, others disguised as construction workers. They’ve got some bulky equipment with them—ominous and ambiguous—and they bring it to the top of the building, evading the security... read more
Kathleen Edwards: A Songwriter's Progress
When Kathleen Edwards released her first CD Failer in 2003, her quavering, countrified Canadian, love-child-of-Lucinda-and-Neil sound created a rabid band of new fans. read more
Jicks-Saw Puzzle: Stephen Malkmus' Band Puts the Pieces
At nearly half-past two on a rainy Portland afternoon, Stephen Malkmus is running late. read more
The Wrights: Married to Country Tradition
Once upon a time, amorous couples ruled country music. George and Tammy, Loretta and Conway, Johnny and June—romantically linked or not, their passion dripped from every word. Husband-and-wife duo Adam and Shannon Wright remember that time, and they’re injecting that sensual fervor back into country music. The friction between their voices ignites a spark that’s been missing from so many country duets in recent decades. “Since the day we met,” Shannon says, “Adam and I have been playing music together. We’ve been writing together, touring together, now living together. That’s how we had to do it.” The Wrights met in... read more
American Heretic: The Vast Legacy of Disco's Unsung Hero
Flamboyant and urban, socially promiscuous and sexually deviant, anonymous and androgynous: Disco had to go. read more
Glossed in Translation: Be Kind Rewind
“It comes back to what ‘Sweding’ is: even if your resources are really limited, you don’t let your limitations limitate you,” says Michel Gondry in his endearing French-limitated English, expressing both his love of the handmade and the raison d’être for his new comedy... read more
Honeydripper: The Birth of the Blues
In addition to marking the midpoint of the 21st century, the year 1950 stood as the doorway to a paradigm shift in music, politics and technology that would significantly revolutionize American culture for decades to come... read more
Filmmaker to Watch: Cristian Mungiu
Whenever abortion is a major plot point in a film, it’s natural for viewers to try to immediately suss out the perspective of the filmmaker... read more
Hip-Hop Through the Lens of Portraiture
Hip-hop, by nature, is autobiographical. MCs tend to identify themselves strongly—even existentially—with a particular place and time, detailing their often humble beginnings and remaining the primary subjects of their own songs. In this way, hip-hop is a form of... read more
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The Blind Boys of Alabama: Marching into New Orleans
In September, The Blind Boys of Alabama gathered at St. Augustine’s Church in the New Orleans neighborhood of Treme... read more
Working Vacation
In-ground heated pools and outdoor tennis courts. Entertainment rooms with pinball machines and vintage coin-operated video games. On-staff chefs and breakfasts served at suitably late “rock ’n’ roll hours.” Jacuzzi baths, wi-fi access and horseback-riding lessons. With all of these distractions, who could be bothered with making a record? For all the live-off-the-land attitude of the indie era, a surprising number of recording studios are doing a booming business by emphasizing the residential side of the equation. Whether an ocean view or pastoral country vibe is the primary attraction [see sidebar], studios the world over have pumped up the amenities... read more
Bobb Trimble
A generation ago, long before blogs and MP3s made discovering music an instantaneous act, a young Massachusetts musician named Bobb Trimble issued two obscure psychedelic pop opuses—1980’s deeply troubled Iron Curtain Innocence and 1982’s fantastical Harvest of Dreams—then promptly disappeared into years of odd jobs and isolation. read more
Youssou N'Dour
Youssou N’Dour wears his mantle as Afropop superstar and international music icon lightly, but throughout his career the 48-year-old Senegalese singer with the soaring voice has proven a bellwether of global pop tendencies. read more
Joe Chiccarelli: A Veteran's Commitment to Quality Pays Off
He’s never had a blockbuster. Then again, he’s never needed one. Over his quarter-century career as a producer, engineer and mixer, Los Angeles-based Boston native Joe Chiccarelli has followed his tastes rather than the dollar sign, contributing to memorable recordings from the likes of Frank Zappa, Oingo Boingo, The Bangles, Lone Justice, Tori Amos, American Music Club, Beck, U2, Rufus Wainwright, Elton John, Pink Martini and Morrissey. read more
The 20 Best Gadgets of the Decade…
The 17 Best Romantic Comedies This Decade
The 20 Best Live Acts of the…
The 25 Best Movie Performances of the…
B.O.B. - Put Me On
Kim Taylor - Days Like this
Blind Pilot - The Story I Heard
Punch Brothers - Punch Brothers at CMJ
David Bazan - Hard To Be
Anya Marina - Whatever You Like
