Spencer Kornhaber
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Apple TV+ The Rock Band That Redefined Counterculture
Todd Haynes’s documentary about the Velvet Underground spotlights how sound can challenge—and change—society.
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FOX Fox’s Alter Ego Is Weird—But Not Weird Enough
How could a singing competition show that features holographic contestants be this dull?
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Scott Olson / Getty What Finally Brought R. Kelly Down
To convict the R&B singer, prosecutors focused on his network of enablers.
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Frazer Harrison / Getty; Valerie Chiang It May Soon Be Time to Leave Britney Spears Alone Again
“I hope she does whatever she wants to do—even if that is going to the gas station without shoes on.”
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Charlotte Rutherford/Sony Lil Nas X Isn’t a Fad. He’s the Future of Pop.
He understands better than almost anyone how to turn angst into a hit.
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OVO / Republic Records / UMG; The Atlantic Drake’s Tedious Descent Into Villainy
The rapper embraces his caricature on his new album, but being in on the joke turns out to be pretty boring.
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Kevin Mazur / Universal Music Group / Getty God May Forgive Kanye West, but You Don’t Have To
On Donda, the rapper conveys all the imagery of surrender, but little of the weight.
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Illustration by Katie Martin; images by Universal Images … Confessions of a Sid Meier’s Civilization Addict
How the classic strategy game drew me back in
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NME ; Interscope ; Universal Music New Zealand … The Atlantic Daily: 5 Summer Albums to Keep on Repeat
Big-name musicians are finally making albums again. We reviewed them, plus some indie records that are worth a listen.
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Getty ; Adam Maida / The Atlantic The Pop Star Who’s Redefining the Word Basic
On Solar Power, Lorde surrenders to normalcy—and finds transcendence.
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Photograph by Luke Liberia Moore Frank Ocean Fans Are Mad About a Million-Dollar Necklace
Why are so many pop stars doing everything but releasing new music?
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Getty ; Adam Maida / The Atlantic Pop Is Making Happiness Sound Pretty Dreary Lately
Lorde heads to the beach. Lana Del Rey sings of peace. Billie Eilish is happier than ever. But it doesn’t quite sound like a celebration.
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Constantine Manos / Magnum Hot Vax Summer Crumbled Before My Eyes
Over the course of one week in Provincetown, a new reality set in: Post-vaccine life wasn’t going to be as simple as it had seemed.
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Paras Griffin / Getty Lil Nas X, DaBaby, and the Incoherence of Homophobia
Anti-gay bigotry is on the defensive in hip-hop right now.
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Catherine Lash / HBO HBO’s Woodstock ’99 Documentary Is a Dark Warning
Just as concerts return, a new film reveals the cynicism and cultural rot that led to one of the most notorious shows ever.
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Leon Neal / AFP / Getty The Haunting, Ambivalent Olympics Opening Ceremony
The proceedings did anything but distract from the distressing reality surrounding this year’s Tokyo Games.
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Kevin Mazur / Getty; Tommaso Boddi / WireImage … The Pop Music You Listen to Really Does Matter
The story of Dr. Luke and Doja Cat shows how the industry relies on consumer passivity. But audiences can still stand against alleged abusers.
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Rich Fury / Getty We’ve Never Heard Britney Spears Like This
The pop star wants to live on her own terms. To do that, she had to give one more brutal performance.
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Illustration by Oliver Munday; images from François Duhamel … How Disney Mismanaged the Star Wars Universe
And how The Mandalorian can restore the true power of George Lucas’s galaxy
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Jade Derosa The Internet Mocked Her as a Teenager. It’s Embracing Her Now.
The generation that grew up with Rebecca Black’s “Friday” isn’t just nostalgic for that novelty tune—it’s making music inspired by it.
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