‘Oh, You Pretty Thing’: David Bowie’s Glam Masterpiece ‘Hunky Dory’ Turns 50
David Bowie’s Hunky Dory is self-conscious about artifice and image. It maintains a resounding undercurrent of human longing for connection and recognition.
art pop
The Devil Is in the Details: The Pepe Deluxé Interview
Pepe Deluxé make intricate songs with some of the world’s rarest instruments. James Spectrum says his band’s music is meant to be explored again and again.
Elbow’s ‘Flying Dream 1’ Soars Quietly
Elbow’s Flying Dream 1 trusts its listeners, asking us to hold a quiet space for the music and let it reveal itself over time.
Kate Bush Created a Winter Wonderland on ’50 Words For Snow’ 10 Years Ago
Kate Bush’s 50 Words For Snow is a jazzy wonderland of mystical creatures and fleeting romance with nuanced themes of impermanence and ephemeral love.
Japan’s Timeless ‘Tin Drum’ Turns 40
Japan’s Tin Drum serves as a lasting document of a band ahead of their time and one that rises far above the pretensions of their contemporaries.
Pepe Deluxé Are in Exquisitely Eccentric Form on ‘Phantom Cabinet Vol. 1’
When you open Pepe Deluxé’s Phantom Cabinet, you have to jump in with both feet. Even setting wacky instrument antics aside, it’s a musical baptism worth total immersion.
Lorde Misses the Mark with the Highly-Anticipated ‘Solar Power’
Lorde’s Solar Power is a disorganized, hackneyed collection that doesn’t deepen her existing body of work but introduces a woman riddled with white privilege.
“Coast” Is the Dark Shed’s Hip-Swaying Art-Pop Summer Jam (premiere)
The latest collaboration between Winston Cook-Wilson and Ryan Weiner, “Coast” mixes pandemic-era dread with funky, irresistible beats.
Dean Blunt Crafts Another Confounding Work of Avant-Indie Weirdness on ‘Black Metal 2’
Slight but rich in tonal complexities, Dean Blunt’s Black Metal 2 is another musical puzzle box from the enigmatic London musician.
Lorde’s “Solar Power” Is Fresh and Nostalgic at the Same Time
Even if “Solar Power” might be Lorde’s happiest song to date, the track isn’t as vibrant as the name suggests. And that’s exactly why it’s perfect.
Ya Tseen Makes Socially Vital Indie Pop on ‘Indian Yard’
Ya Tseen’s vision on Indian Yard is expansive and yet feels fully realized. It’s hard to imagine an album covering more ground and still striking such a precise balance of cohesion and variety.