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Jim Henson Company The (Occasional, Restrained, Soulful) Glory of Drum Solos
With a dose of humility, a symbol of rock-music pretension becomes a humane, powerful thing.
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Doug McLean The Brilliant Nonsense of Elvis Lyrics
Songwriting lessons from the King, as told by indie-rock singer Hamilton Leithauser
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Flickr / Sheana Craigslist Is My Music Scene
When people with no shared history make music together, it's both exhilarating and awkward.
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Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP Miranda Lambert: Evangelizing for Country Music While Subverting It
Both fans and skeptics of Nashville need to hear her excellent new album, Platinum.
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Interscope / NEET The Crazy Design Future of M.I.A.'s New Video
Finally, hip-hop for a 3D-printed, post-Snowden world.
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AP Ghost Stories: The Most Forgettable Coldplay Album Ever
The band’s sixth album is beautiful, soothing, and relentlessly uninspiring.
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AP 4 Ways of Looking at the Solange/Jay Z Fight Footage
Why it's ok, maybe, to obsess over the scandalous video of Beyoncé's sister at the Met Gala
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Parkwood Entertainment Beyoncé, Sex Terrorist: A Menace for Conservatives and Liberals Alike
By condemning the pop star, both Bill O'Reilly and bell hooks profit off her body while ignoring her art.
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Sheezus: Lily Allen’s Grumpy, Halfhearted Comeback
On her first album since 2009, the English pop singer sounds more cynical than ever about making music.
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Eric Ryan Anderson Listen: The Old 97's' Most Messed Up
The band's new album, streaming below, is a hilarious and hard-rocking look at how to survive two decades in rock.
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Cascine Track of the Day (Premiere): Jensen Sportag’s 'Let the Queen Be the Boss'
Experimental pop with a sneakily feminist message
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Courtesy of Cyndi Lauper The Feisty Feminism of 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun,' 30 Years Later
The track was originally a man's account of bedding women—until Cyndi Lauper transformed it into a rallying cry for sexual equality.
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Columbia; Legacy Johnny Cash, Trend Chaser
He was a musical genius and icon of authenticity, yes. But, as his new posthumous album shows, he was also a slick, shameless pop star.
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Flickr user Libertinus The Sly, Shocking Soul of GWAR
Dave Brockie, a.k.a. Oderus Urungus, dead at 50, defied the self-seriousness of heavy metal and of the mainstream alike.
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Hampton Stevens 18 Bands to Check Out From South by Southwest 2014
From punk screamers to electronic pranksters, these acts justified their buzz—or sparked some.
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AP/Jay Janner Why Lady Gaga Belongs at South by Southwest
Her vomit-soaked performance's message: Pop stars work hard, too.
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YouTube What J. Lo's Naked Men Reveal About Pop Music's Naked Women
Jennifer Lopez's new video tries to critique music videos' rampant objectification of women by getting guys to undress instead. Is she successful?
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Columbia Records Revisiting Beyoncé: Could 'Jealous' Be Its Most Important Song?
Three months after its release, it's clear that Beyoncé's latest album contains one of her most startling messages yet: Maybe she's wrong.
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Kaki King Transforming Your Guitar Into a Glowing, Shape-Shifting Work of Art
Kaki King talks about the successful Kickstarter campaign she launched to use the guitar like it's never been used before.
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Katy B Katy B's Little Red: An Album That Shows the 'Album' Isn't Dead Yet
The British singer's ultimate '90s dance party works best when experienced as a whole.
