Now THAT was music
One grim day (when youth is over) you find that new music gets on your nerves. But why do our musical tastes freeze over?
More people have heard of James through Drake than anything else
The artist got attention from a new audience thanks to Drake’s Hotline Bling video – but his long career deals with art and life’s most fundamental substance The works of artist James Turrell have been described as mind-altering experiences that [...]
As a writer-musician, Leonard Cohen was a one-off
As a writer-musician, Cohen was a one-off. And in songs such as Chelsea Hotel # 2, The Stranger Song, First We Take Manhattan, and countless others, he has left a remarkable legacy The man. The legend. | source: Valentin Flauraud/Reuters [...]
Why Bob Dylan deserves his Nobel prize in literature
How does it feel for Dylan to win the Nobel? Let’s hope he tells us in the acceptance speech – or in song. Bob Dylan | source: PA/PA Archive Richard Brown, University of Leeds To the surprise of many, Bob Dylan [...]
Under the influence of … working class rocker Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen, progressive musician, The Boss, a hugely influential figure in rock music, will soon release his long-awaited autobiography "Born To Run". Richard Pithouse, Rhodes University Bruce Springsteen was signed by Columbia Records at the age of 24. He was [...]
In another newly discovered song, Woody Guthrie continues his assault on ‘Old Man Trump’
Guthrie dubbed Fred C. Trump, landlord of Beach Haven apartment complex where the Guthrie family lived from 1950 to 1952, his “worst enemy.” Will Kaufman, University of Central Lancashire Earlier this year, I wrote about a cache of bitter writings [...]
From Bowie to Bieber – the under-appreciated art of the music video
As music videos continue to evolve they are influenced by, and influence, other visual art forms. For many people they're inseparable from the very experience of music. Catherine Strong, RMIT University and Phoebe Macrossan, UNSW Australia The spectacular release of [...]
It’s only rock ‘n’ roll – and sometimes it’s better in mono
Banished during the second half of the 20th century by the advent of stereo, single-channel monophonic audio is making a reappearance in rock 'n' roll. Jez Wells, University of York While music lovers continue to argue about the relative merits [...]