Every genre, every era, every week emailed direct to you
Music news, bold reviews and unexpected extras emailed direct to you
Music
-
Artist discusses reworking famous 60s images, and why he ‘couldn’t do the kind of things’ Rocket Man does -
‘I’m a messenger. That’s my calling’80s hitmaker Billy Valentine on his socially conscious comebackMoney’s Too Tight (To Mention) made him a star, but his success faltered and he went behind the scenes. He explains why Black Lives Matter helped galvanise him again -
With festivals attempting to clean up their shocking environmental record, we pick the best planet-friendly events, all accessible without flying
-
Cult film-maker Vivienne Dick on New York’s post-punk explosion‘A tough time – but so exciting’Cult film-maker Vivienne Dick on New York’s post-punk explosionShe fled rural Ireland and hit the Big Apple just in time to capture Lydia Lunch, James Chance and the post-punk scene take off. Now back in her home country, she relives those turbulent years -
3 out of 5 stars.
3 out of 5 stars.Kitty Empire's artist of the weekSnoop Dogg – highs and lows from the D-O-double-GThe rapper drawls his way through his greatest hits and some cheesy near-misses in this long-delayed show. Shame about the unreconstructed objectification
-
In an epic feat of improvisation, 12 players over three days reimagined the jazz great’s magnum opus
-
Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker are three of the best – and most obsessed-over – songwriters today. Ahead of a debut album together, they explain why they go to group therapy -
The writer, actor and legendary punk musician answers your questions on working with William Shatner and Al Pacino, the joy of lifting weights and Leeds’ best onion bhajis -
I Wanna Be Yours, a love poem that rhymes Ford Cortina with vacuum cleaner, has been a school text and a wedding staple. But now, thanks to TikTok and Arctic Monkeys, it has gone spectacularly global. So who was it written for? -
He was a wounded Army veteran, she was a failed R&B star. Together they’ve transmuted trauma into powerfully uplifting gospel and country music – and John Legend is set to film their love story
-
4 out of 5 stars.
4 out of 5 stars.Alexis Petridis's album of the weekJpegmafia x Danny Brown: Scaring the Hoes – mind-melting maelstrom from rap’s outer limitsNew York’s Jpegmafia and Detroit’s Danny Brown transmit from hip-hop’s hinterland, in a bacchanal of inspired noise and topical chat that’s the definition of ‘not for everybody’ -
4 out of 5 stars.
4 out of 5 stars.Jazz album of the monthSissoko/Segal/Parisien/Peirani: Les Égarés – genre-hoppers stray towards surpriseÉmile Parisien’s soprano sax is the standout on this diverse and inventive set, which blends kora with Anatolian shindigs, klezmer with agile accordion -
-
5 out of 5 stars.
5 out of 5 stars.Taylor Swift reviewPop’s hardest-working star gives Eras tour her allThe electrifying start of the singer-songwriter’s first tour in five years saw a mammoth, fan-pleasing 44-song set and extravagant staging -
4 out of 5 stars.
4 out of 5 stars.Devonté HynesAlt-rocker makes an exhilarating classical debutPerformed by the London Symphony Orchestra, Hynes’ new compositions had a gravitas absent from his pop music – and plenty of discordant energy -
-
4 out of 5 stars.
-
3 out of 5 stars.
3 out of 5 stars.Tom GrennanLad-next-door pop star shows off depth and nuance -
4 out of 5 stars.
-
Add to playlist
-
3 out of 5 stars.
3 out of 5 stars.Ed Sheeran: Eyes Closed reviewThe most unradical of reinventions -
-
Obituaries
-
The soulful singer known for his 1978 hit What You Won’t Do for Love died after a long illness, according to a statement from his wife -
The band’s former bass player, who collaborated with the late Pulp musician on 2017 album Everything Now, pays homage to his generous, engaged friend -
Saxophonist and master improviser with artists ranging from Miles Davis to Joni Mitchell, and with lineups including Weather Report -
While the group will always be defined by 3 Feet High and Rising, Trugoy and his fellow bandmates were constantly pushing the boundaries of rap throughout their stellar career
-
As her song Wise Up – from the Magnolia OST – finds new life on screen in Hirokazu Kore-eda's Broker and Fleishman Is in Trouble, revisit our 2021 profile of the US songwriter
sleevenotesemail
You may have missed
-
The debate about cultural appropriation is fractious and gets muddled. But then I think about a man who makes it all clear, says author Nels Abbey -
Héloïse Werner’s new piece, for mira, is in memory of the experimental musician who was her friend and collaborator. It is meditative and yet full of life, she writes -
As a disabled war veteran, Waters’ busking drew crowds and was portrayed in books, plays and paintings. But he died in wretched poverty and only 200 years on is his legacy being recognised
-
Two dembow progenitors are suing superstars including Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee – in a case that also names Justin Bieber – claiming that they deserve credit for birthing the genre -
With cash-strapped fans eager for epic setlists, Swift isn’t the only artist doing extra-long gigs – but performers and fans alike will need to toughen up -
Barely 8% of its inductees are female. The canon-making doesn’t just reek of sexist gatekeeping, but also purposeful ignorance and hostility
Most viewed