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The 80 Best Albums of 2015

Travel back five years ago when the release calendar was rife with stellar albums. 2015 offered such an embarrassment of musical riches, that we selected 80 albums as best of the year.
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Music

Lollapalooza Berlin Day 1: The Weeknd Gives a Phenomenal Performance, David Guetta Conquers an Entire Stadium

The fourth installment of what is now Germany's biggest music festival, Lollapalooza Berlin, kicks off with fireworks and in great spirits, with loads of great pop performances.

Music

Lollapalooza Berlin Is Ready for the Big Leagues

In its fourth year since inception, the first festival to mark Lollapalooza's expansion in Europe is big enough to be placed among the greatest events on the Old continent.

Music

'My Dear Melancholy' Exposes Two Problematic Paths for the Weeknd's Music

With this brief six-song EP, the Weeknd returns to the aesthetic of his breakthrough Trilogy but ends up retreading classic material rather than revivifying it.

Music

The Weeknd: Starboy

Starboy has something for each individual, without a doubt, but it has nothing for everybody as a collective, a balance he managed on his first three releases.

Music

The Weeknd - "False Alarm" (Singles Going Steady)

"False Alarm", like "Starboy" before it, is a continuation of the Weeknd's union of cleanly produced R&B with lyrics straight out of a Bret Easton Ellis nightmare.

Music

PartyNextDoor: PartyNextDoor 3

PartyNextDoor 3 finds the artist easing up on the emulation and indulging in musical eccentricities unique to him

Music

Future - "Low Life" feat. the Weeknd (Singles Going Steady)

Riding over a wave of nocturnal, ether-addled synth textures, "Low Life" showcases standout performances from both Future and the Weekend.

Music

The 58th Grammy Awards: Authenticity Is the Hardest Thing to Fake

Amidst the numerous deaths of pop music icons, we thought the Grammys might do something soulful this year. Lamar and Howard, at least, gave us what we needed.

Television

Guessing the Grammys 2016: Expect Weirdness

Speculating on the nominees' odds in a dozen big categories.

Music

Made in America Festival 2015

Even though it is on Labor Day and it is called “Made in America", this fest has nothing to do with manufacturing jobs. Instead, this is Jay Z’s vision of a new – or renewed – sense of patriotism.

Music

The Weeknd: Beauty Behind the Madness

Beauty swaps the Weeknd's black light laments for humming neon fluorescents, the party line kept intact though the guests are having much more fun.

Music

PartyNextDoor: PartyNextDoor Two

PartyNextDoor may remind you of another former friend of Drake's, but he's a LOT less talented.

Music

Ariana Grande: My Everything

In trying to sound like everything else on the charts, Ariana Grande continues to have one of pop music's most distinctive voices that has very little to say.

Music

Jungle: Jungle

This British retro-funk duo has created something unpretentious enough to energize a dance floor at 2 a.m., yet curious enough to suggest there’s something just a tad thornier under the surface.

Music

The Weeknd: Kiss Land

The Weeknd's major label debut finds the young artist faltering in the face of quick success and critical acclaim.

Music

The Weeknd – BBC Live Session (stream)

A much anticipated BBC Live Session aired this weekend as progressive R&B artist the Weeknd played a four-tune performance on Radio 1.

Music

The Weeknd: Trilogy

The Weeknd's major-label debut compiles the three mixtapes that perked ears in 2011, plus three tracks from 2012, into a sprawling spectacle of ambient neo-soul nihilism.

Reviews

The Weeknd: 26 April 2012 - Washington D.C.

The Weeknd finally debuts as a live band, affirming our greatest hopes for the R&B heroes.

Corey Beasley
Music

Coachella 2012: The Weeknd + A$AP Rocky + Azealia Banks

Coachella streamed live this past weekend and here you can catch entire sets sets from the Weeknd, A$AP Rocky, and Azealia Banks.

Music

The Weeknd: Echoes of Silence

While Echoes of Silence shows flashes of excellence, Tesfaye is caught looking backward and forward at the same time.

Music

2011: Music’s Most Electronic Year Yet

Vestigial organs like industrial music and the radio dial proved vital in 2011, while house and dubstep were invaded by hordes of uninvited outsiders, proving once again that electronic and plugged-in music is at the vanguard of change throughout the world.

Music

The Best Hopes to Break Out in 2012

The year ahead looks to be an exciting one with the emergence of wealth of great new music waiting in the wings. Will Alabama Shakes be the toast of 2012? Will 2012 be a banner year for forward-thinking hip-hop and R&B? And let's not forget all the great new bands expected to break big in 2012.

Music

The Best New and Emerging Artists of 2011

The year's best new and emerging artists range across the musical spectrum from forward thinking R&B to classic soul, from a bevy of exciting new hip-hop talent to great new hopes for indie rock and Americana. 2011 shows that music is always pushing forward even as it dips into the past.

Music

The 2011 Artists of the Year

This year's top artists are a diverse lot represented by two of the world's biggest pop divas, a plethora of critically adored indie faves, some new talents emerging from the hip-hop underground, a couple of veteran Americana acts, and a few alt-rock legends among many more.

Music

The Best Producers of 2011

Noah "40" Shebib, Doc McKinney, and Illangelo provide a welcome reminder that a talented rapper or a gifted singer isn’t all it takes to create memorable, moving hip-hop or R&B.

Corey Beasley
Music

The R&B Renaissance

A clutch of new artists are bringing the rhythm, the blues, and, perhaps most importantly, the soul back to R&B. And they're doing it without rehashing sounds of bygones eras.

Dean Van Nguyen
Music

The Weeknd: House of Balloons

Mysterious R&B mixtape blows up into the stratosphere, sparking controversy and spontaneous house parties in equal measure. What's the line on the hottest record of the summer?


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