I’ve never been particularly strategic about listening to new music; I tend to pursue it in arbitrary bursts or to let it float into my life in whichever way it can. I’m not even sure I could impose order over my music consumption if I tried, though, given how discombobulated things are out there. Albums … Read more
In the closing credits of Sony’s new biopic Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody, a series of summaries are used to wrap up the film, with the late star described on screen as the “greatest voice of her generation”. Houston had a voice like no other. So, it’s fitting then that 22 songs in … Read more
Hitmaking has always been an inscrutable racket—who or what might resonate for a large audience at any given moment isn’t particularly easy to predict—but the emergence of TikTok as a star-making force has made the pop charts feel especially anarchic. TikTok relies on feeding its users an endless torrent of decontextualized, punchy videos; its capacity … Read more
Not the queen of Christmas Mariah Carey and friendsPhoto: James Devaney (CBS via Getty Images) As The Ramones once sang, “Merry Christmas, I don’t want to fight tonight.” If they couldn’t take their own advice, what hope is there for the rest of us? This holiday season, the queens of Christmas are turning the Yuletide … Read more
Photo: Lia Toby/Getty Images (Getty Images) A title like Living is hard to, well, live up to. Simple as the concept may be, its narrative heft can sometimes be taken for granted. More so, if, as in the case of Oliver Hermanus’ latest film, the title aims to translate (and adapt) one of Akira Kurosawa’s … Read more
Gwen StefaniPhoto: Scott Dudelson (Getty Images) Although Gwen Stefani may no longer be “Just a Girl”, that doesn’t mean she never plans to recapture the carefree ska energy of No Doubt’s glory days. In a new interview with The Wall Street Journal, the singer hints that a reunion tour for the beloved ‘90s rock group … Read more
Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images (Getty Images) Hit me (with a series of strange shower videos) baby, (at least) one more time! Because Britney Spears appears to be alive, says TMZ, and back to filming half-nude erotica for the public again. All is right in the world. Britney Spears’ fans—the ones who, like, #Freed Britney, but also … Read more
Clockwork from top left: Greatest Love of All, I’m Your Baby Tonight, I Will Always Love You, I Wanna Dance with SomebodyImage: The A.V. Club, Screenshot: Whitney Houston/OWN/YouTube No one before and no one since has quite captured Whitney Houston’s kind of stardom. Nicknamed “The Voice,” Houston ascended by swift leaps and bounds after entering … Read more
ICYMI, the polls for triple j’s Hottest 100 of 2022 are now open. That means you can… Still haven’t nailed your picks? In need of some vote-spiration? Don’t sweat it, we’ve hit up nearly 40 of your favourites artists to share their Hottest 100 picks with you. You’ll find all of ‘em in the ‘Get … Read more
Happy holidays—the final great pop album of the year is all about loathing and misery! “Everything disgusting, conversation is so boring,” SZA sings on her long-awaited second album. She later adds, “I hate everybody, I hate everyone.” SZA’s music is often described as R&B, a style in which anger and sadness tend to flow from … Read more