Spencer Kornhaber
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Amanda Charchian James Blake’s Ether Becomes Mush
The influential electronic musician’s fourth album, Assume Form, embraces pop sentimentality with mixed results.
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Ryan Pfluger Sharon Van Etten’s Synth-Pop Celebration of Vulnerability
Remind Me Tomorrow, the Brooklyn singer’s fifth album, bustles with the feeling of disconnection conquered.
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Lucy Nicholson / Reuters Lady Gaga’s R. Kelly Apology Is a Reminder That Abuse Isn’t Provocative
The artists’ 2013 duet, “Do What U Want,” was made because of, not in spite of, its creepy subtext—as are more and more works in the wake of #MeToo.
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Fox / Warner Bros. Bohemian Rhapsody, A Star Is Born, and the Myth of Authenticity
The upset Golden Globes victory of one music drama over another hints at which is the more comforting retelling of the same rock-and-roll narrative.
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Charles Sykes / AP Kevin Hart Is Not a Martyr
During an appearance on Ellen, the abortive Oscars host cited phantom apologies for his homophobic remarks while DeGeneres pleaded with him to ignore the haters: a spectacle of missing the point.
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Reuters / YouTube The Disturbing Truth About Kevin Spacey’s ‘Let Me Be Frank’ Video
The actor, accused of misconduct by more than 30 men, may believe that talent and fame can save him from public disgrace. It’s not a crazy notion.
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Katie Martin / The Atlantic The 27 Best Music Moments of 2018
The cultural effects of Nicki Minaj’s “Chun-Li,” Ariana Grande’s “No Tears Left to Cry,” Mitski’s “Nobody,” and more
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Vantage News / AP Offset Has Trapped Cardi B
In a plea for his estranged wife’s forgiveness at her own concert, the Migos rapper is taking advantage of the cultural weight that’s on his side.
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Kevin Mazur / Netflix Bruce Springsteen Explains It All
As his wildly successful one-man Broadway show comes to Netflix, one thing is clear: Under his tutelage, everything makes sense.
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Allison Joyce / Reuters The Rap War in Calabasas
Kanye West’s ugly feud with Drake touches on important topics—but it mostly started as neighborhood drama.
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Jeenah Moon / Reuters Janet Jackson’s Overdue Inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The pop idol is part of a refreshingly forward-thinking class that includes Radiohead, Roxy Music, Stevie Nicks, The Cure, and Def Leppard.
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Mike Blake / Reuters The Grammy Nominations: A New Generation Arrives
The hip-hop boom and the talent of women are finally being recognized with more nods. But will the trophies follow?
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Kevin Mazu / Getty The Deeper Meaning Behind Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé’s Clothing Clash
Sure, they’re pop stars playing parts. Yes, sexism allows him to dress down. But isn’t his schlumpy outfit also saying something about her spectacular one?
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Steven Taylor Listening in Between Earl Sweatshirt’s Words
Revealing its meaning in fragments, the album Some Rap Songs asks when to speak and when to be silent.
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Whitten Sabbatani Jeff Tweedy Says It’s Okay to Be Okay
In a new memoir and solo album, the Wilco bandleader supplants the “tortured artist” trope with the universality of suffering.
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Ints Kalnins / Reuters The Tragedy of Electronic Music
Future Sounds, a new book on the history of machine-made pop and classical songs, suggests that the radical power of the synthetic has largely been forgotten.
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Steve Molina Contreras / NBC SNL’s New Rap Parodies Tell the Same Old Joke
The show’s been linking trending topics in the news with trending songs in hip-hop. Why do the results feel staler than Weird Al?
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Mario Anzuoni / Reuters Mariah Carey on the Warpath
Caution, the singer’s first album in four years, is both silky and sharp.
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Courtesy of Neon The Unsettled Place of the Gay Teen in Film History
Prior to the recent boom in movies about queer kids, their struggles played out in boundary-pushing indie films and entertaining sidekick roles.
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Angelica Alzona The Queer Coming-of-Age Movie Arrives
Movies like Boy Erased and Love, Simon show gay teens undergoing rites of passages that upend the classic Breakfast Club script.
