Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark are the most important and influential group of the late 1970s/early 1980s birth of electropop. OMD's classic, clever, arty synthpop single "Enola Gay" is 40 years old, and Andy McCluskey takes us through their history.
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From the rich archives of Chicago's Gerber Hart Library, John D'Emilio's Queer Legacies offers an inspiring overview of individual perseverance; poignant losses, and stirring collective gains.
Leeds' the F Club, Ace of Clubs, and the Warehouse are just a few of the clubs that ushered in goth. Ethan Stewart talks with musicians and fans who were there.
Christian Petzold's Undine is a deeply romantic work that taps into our fascination with metamorphosis. Only the audience is able to take his intent and open it up to ideas that transcend gender.
Post-rock legends Jesu return after seven years, chameleonic rockers Boris collaborate once more with noise fiend Merzbow, and Dan Barrett unleashes Black Wing's sophomore record.
In Megan Rapinoe's memoir One Life, her training, hard work, and competitive spirit are coupled with an impassioned account of her political awakening.
Fran Lebowitz's ubiquitous little smirk is still going as strong as it ever did because—and this is why she is sexier now than she was 50 years ago—there is really just no way whatsoever to make her feel bad about herself.
Many punk hybrids have come and gone since their heydays, but the punk-rockabilly one, psychobilly, has endured and is still thriving around the world today.
New COVID-era recordings from saxophonists Chris Potter and Ben Wendel recall pioneering work by the brilliant composer Wayne Shorter.
In contrast to the pervasive attitude of cynicism that declares the world fixed and existing power structures unbeatable, Small Axe narrates how Black Power has been and remains a viable force that shapes British and world history.
Nine US-based musicians discuss surviving and adapting to the changing music industry in our extraordinarily challenging time of pandemic shutdown.
The best new artists are pushing boundaries as popular music becomes less genre-focused. New artists are forging new identities, rather than occupying the convenient marketing categories of the past.
The electropop universe was vast in 2020 with brilliant newish acts emerging, and experimentalists pushing the music forward. Meanwhile, a few legends returned to show us all how it's really done.
It's time Christmas rom-coms move beyond the twin swaps, the dead spouse who comes back as an angel, the bad blind date, etc., and instead, turn to real-life stories for healthy models of lasting love forged in the fires of the holiday.
In 2020, the music world saw spectacular reissues spanning rock legends to foundational electronic artists, jazz to pop of all stripes.
In this time of political unrest, racial strife, and pandemic, soul and R&B walked tall and carried a big stick, while also being a much needed balm and source of warmth in 2020.
In a year beset by the most horrid and unusual circumstances, leave it to the hip-hop community to challenge our beliefs and voice our activism. The best records of the year served as rallying cries and made us reconsider the very genre itself.
With Juvenile Universe, Blinker the Star's Jordon Zadorozny has once again crafted some of today's most vibrant, dynamic rock.
Under Norman Jewison's direction and John Patrick Shanley's writing, Moonstruck -- now available from Criterion -- fully embodies the '80s special character of classically-minded, well-made romantic films.
In Dennis E. Staples' remarkable debut, This Town Sleeps, flawed mothers and sons must pacify vengeful ghosts and family curses. As if loving each other wasn't hard enough.
Although most shopping has moved online this year, those of us still going to stores find the retail soundtrack particularly menacing in the time of COVID-19. These 10 albums (plus a little extra stocking stuffer) from unexpected artists offer some respite for at-home listening.
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