The Best Jazz of 2019
Our jazz critics create four quartets of great creative music, demonstrating four trends that keep "jazz" relevant in a new century.
16h
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The Power of Looking Compels 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire'
Set in 18th century France, Céline Sciamma's Portrait of a Lady on Fire applies ravishing historical details to the timeless poetry of forbidden love.
8h
Sharon Marcus Challenges Current Cultural Theories in 'The Drama of Celebrity'
Who decides who gets to be famous? What does it mean to be famous? Sharon Marcus offers insight.
9h
Music History, the Conspiracy Theory: On Ted Gioia's Music: A Subversive History
Although enjoyable in that sweeping big picture kind of way, there is nothing subversive to be found in Ted Gioia's Music: A Subversive History.
11h
The Best Jazz of 2019
Our jazz critics create four quartets of great creative music, demonstrating four trends that keep "jazz" relevant in a new century.
16h
MetalMatters: November 2019 - Winter Is Coming
Filled with everything from extreme doom/death and progressive death to experimental avant-garde jazz induced visions and screamo dreams, November does not disappoint.
18h
Venus as a Boy in Silent Film 'Little Old New York'
Sidney Olcott's silent film Little Old New York falls into a tradition of men who find themselves strangely attracted to boys that turn out to be girls in disguise.
09 December
Jami Attenberg Explores Patriarchal Fallout in 'All This Could Be Yours'
Through a familial lens, Jami Attenberg offers a thoughtful and often darkly funny exploration of Trumpian patriarchy in All This Could Be Yours.
09 December
Yeezus vs Jesus: Kanye West's Faith in 5 Songs
Kanye West's rap is rooted in gospel right from The College Dropout days. These five songs, which explore the relationship between Yeezus and Jesus, show that his recent album, Jesus Is King, isn't an aberration.
09 December
The 70 Best Albums of 2019
From forward-looking electronic and experimental to new approaches in the ever-evolving R&B scene, from hip-hop and punk to rock and pop, 2019 bestowed an embarrassment of musical riches upon us.
09 December
The Best Progressive Rock/Metal of 2019
This year in progressive rock and metal found genre mainstays continuing to impress while relative underdogs and newcomers finally seized some of the spotlight.
Jordan Blum
Music
06 December
Friend Within Brings Sunshine to the Dancefloor on "Space Jam" (premiere)
Liverpool producer Friend Within's "Space Jam" is the kind of deliciously fun, deep house tune made for detonating those winter blues.
06 December
A Pact to Be Tender When the World Is Coarse: Stewart Lupton and Jonathan Fire*Eater
With the release of the expanded edition of Tremble Under Boom Lights, the 45-page chapbook of the poetry of Stewart Lupton, and the re-release of Wolf Songs for Lambs, Jonathan Fire*Eater are ripe for reappraisal.
06 December
The 20 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2019
Following Stormzy's run up the charts, 2019 proved to be a banner year for British hip-hop with a trio of masterpieces. America's myriad hip-hop scenes delivered the goods, and African rap gave us many stellar releases.
06 December
'Shapeshifters' and Other Trans-forming Humans
Supernatural Historian John Kachuba deftly demonstrates in Shapeshifters: A History that change is the only constant in life.
06 December
With "Santa Baby", Emergency Tiara Updates a Classic Just in Time for the Holidays (premiere)
J-pop meets vintage girl group in Emergency Tiara's smart, sassy cover of the Eartha Kitt Christmas standard, "Santa Baby".
05 December
Ambient Producer Steve Hauschildt Gets Glitchy on 'Nonlin'
Electronic artist Steve Hauschildt has made one of his most challenging records with Nonlin, but that makes it one of the most rewarding.
05 December
The Book Every American Needs to Read: 'Open Season: Legalized Genocide of Colored People'
Award-winning lawyer Ben Crump's Open Season irrefutably documents how America's treatment of Black Americans and other minorities is indistinguishable from genocide.
05 December
Pan American Expresse Powerful Emotions Through Guitar Instrumentals on 'A Son'
As Pan American, Mark Nelson sings for the first time since his magnum opus Quiet City, but his emotions are most powerfully expressed through his instrumental guitar compositions.
05 December
The 10 Best Ambient Albums of 2019
Ambient music has grown with the birth of streaming, ushering in big audiences to sounds both challenging and relaxing. Here are ten best records of the year that say so much without saying a word.
05 December
Tyler Boone Dodges Cliches With "Jealousy" (premiere + interview)
Americana rocker Tyler Boone wraps up a successful year with a video for "Jealousy" while growing his second career in the bourbon business.
05 December
The 10 Best Electropop Albums of 2019
From bubbly, perky synthpop to the deepest of darkwave, electropop in 2019 reflected the general malaise by forging the brightest of pop to forget the bad times on the one hand, and embracing downtempo textures and moods on the other.
04 December
Walking the Tightrope Between History and Memory in Japan: On Harootunian's 'Uneven Moments'
Harry Harootunian's essays on modern Japanese history, collected in Uneven Moments from Columbia University Press, reflect a lifetime of intellectual contributions and span a wide range of topics in Japanese history. The tension between the historical and the everyday is a recurrent and vital theme in his work.
04 December
The 15 Best R&B/Soul Albums of 2019
The year in R&B and soul brought brilliant returns from music legends alongside artists pushing the boundaries of R&B past any limits. It's a genre where retro and futurism nestle cozily side by side. Here are the 15 best.
04 December
Morris Day Gives the Reader a Funky Take on a Life in Funk with 'On Time'
Day built his everything on top of Prince's everything, and it's no secret. In his memoir, On Time, he channels the superstar to enjoyable effect.
03 December
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