Music

Music & Culture

'The Gentrification Song' Is The Inner-City Blues America Deserves From Rap

10:50am June 29, 2017

by Rodney Carmichael

"The city lost its soul and gained a lot of hipsters, but does that really make it better or a little weirder?" Bay Area rapper Gift of Gab asks in new video.

Tristen's new album, Sneaker Waves, is out July 7.

Music & Culture

First Listen: Tristen, 'Sneaker Waves'

9:31am June 29, 2017

by Jewly Hight

Nashville indie-rock star Tristen Gaspadarek bears quietly lacerating witness to vulnerability on her infectious third album.

Music & Culture

Songs We Love: Matthew Dear, 'Modafinil Blues'

9:24am June 29, 2017

by Megan Buerger

Matthew Dear's first release since 2012's Beams is a pulsing goth-pop jewel that pulls the best elements of new wave — all the sex, melancholy and sly humor — and saunters off into the darkness.

Sarah Jaffe's new album, Bad Baby, is out July 7.

Music & Culture

First Listen: Sarah Jaffe, 'Bad Baby'

9:19am June 29, 2017

by Stephen Thompson

The versatile Texas singer-songwriter mixes spiky synth-pop with softer, slower-burning reflections on the way human beings interact.

Public Service Broadcasting's new album, Every Valley, is out July 7.

Music & Culture

First Listen: Public Service Broadcasting, 'Every Valley'

9:16am June 29, 2017

by Stephen Thompson

The U.K. band uses interviews, newsreels, propaganda films and its own stormy instrumental music to craft a fun-but-powerful statement about industry and automation.

The National's new album, Sleep Well Beast, comes out Sept. 8.

Music & Culture

The National Reflects On Hopelessness And Defeat With New Song, 'Guilty Party'

9:05am June 29, 2017

by Robin Hilton

The band's upcoming full-length, Sleep Well Beast is shaping up to be the best album the band has done.

Music & Culture

Guest DJ Raul Midón's Eclectic Influences Make Perfect Sense

9:00am June 29, 2017

by Felix Contreras

The multi-instrumentalist and vocalist blends jazz, Latin music and soul seamlessly on his new album, Bad Ass And Blind. His musical touchpoints range from Paco de Lucía to Mercedes Sosa.

Karen Matheson is a featured artist in this week's episode of The Thistle & Shamrock.

Music & Culture

The Thistle & Shamrock: Dream Time

5:42pm June 28, 2017

There's more to this roots-music business than high-energy dance tunes. Kick back with some soothing voices and some free-spirited instrumentals.

Elvis Presley, in the studio in 1956 — Presley's success was undoubtedly driven by the material he appropriated from black musicians.

Cultural Appropriation Is, In Fact, Indefensible

5:18pm June 28, 2017

by K. Tempest Bradford

Recently, the New York Times published an essay defending cultural appropriation as necessary engagement. But that's a simplistic, misguided way of looking at appropriation, which causes real harm.

Kevin Morby performs on stage at World Cafe Live during a WXPN Free At Noon Concert.

Music & Culture

Kevin Morby On World Cafe

5:04pm June 28, 2017

by Talia Schlanger

While making City Music, Morby looked to Lou Reed's legacy for the confidence to experiment. He tells World Cafe about the album and the role New York has played in his story.