We’ve come a long way from the “Disco Sucks” movement of the 1970s. Back then that reactionary position was pretty commonplace, amongst white music consumers anyway. Now we can easily see the ugliness of the phrase’s implications: it implies straight-up…
‘Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers’ review: Kendrick Lamar returns with messy introspection
The cat is out of the bag: Kendrick’s favorite subject is himself. Anyone who’d been paying attention to his music already knew this, of course. Even in To Pimp a Butterfly, his ostensibly “political” album, he was equally drawn to…
‘Palomino’ review: Miranda Lambert takes us on a journey on her latest album
In Spielberg’s Minority Report, there’s a moment where Tom Cruise as John Anderton says to a police officer “Everybody runs, Fletch.” It’s so casual a movie moment that it’s not often commented on, but for me, it sums up America, a…
‘Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You’ review: Big Thief maintain their consistency on latest album
Big Thief are the kind of band who inspire grandiose natural-world metaphors in reviews of their music. Let me add one more to the pantheon: listening to their latest, a loosely structured yet tightly wound double album, reminded me of…
“30” review: Adele’s best album to date fufills her powerhouse potential
When Adele unleashed her latest single, and the first from her new album, “Easy on Me”, upon the pandemic-stricken world in October this year, it was easy to roll your eyes and be cynical, to shrug it off as just…
Album review: Lorde – ‘Solar Power’
Lorde’s long-awaited third album, ‘Solar Power,’ is enervating and disposable, with few songs to match any of their past hits.
‘Happier Than Ever’ review: Billie Eilish’s second album is autobiographical and enigmatic
The second album from growing star Billie Eilish, ‘Happier Than Ever,’ is both autobiographical and enigmatic.
