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Why a Memoirist Can Be a Songwriter but Snooki Can't Be a Novelist
How Mary Karr, acclaimed author of "The Liar's Club" and "Cherry," made a country record without irritating critics or her fans
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When Black Metal's Anti-Religious Message Gets Turned on Islam
An underground scene of bands in Iraq and elsewhere in the Middle East are finding new use for heavy music's blasphemous potential.
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Why Woody Guthrie Endures
In this summer of discontent, a century after his birth, the great folk singer's message still matters.
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25 Great Songwriters on the Art of Songwriting
Words of wisdom for aspiring songsmiths
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Buy the Hype: Why Electronic Dance Music Really Could Be the New Rock
The emergence of EDM resembles the arrivals of jazz, rock, and hip-hop in a few key ways.
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R.I.P. to the Best Music Magazine of the 21st Century
'The Word' bucked trends, let writers write what they wanted, and now, like so many other rock publications these days, is meeting its end.
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Track of the Day: 'Ill Manors'
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Matt Sayles / AP The Love Letter That Shook Hip-Hop
Even as rap has grown more tolerant, it’s shied away from talking directly about same-sex relationships—and love in general. That’s why Frank Ocean’s coming-out note is important.
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Why Are Olympic Theme Songs Always So Bad?
As Muse's tune for the London games shows, pop music rarely pairs well with the pancontinental pomp.
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How Washington, D.C., Turned Its Back on Go-Go, the Music It Invented
Chuck Brown's brand of party-starting funk has been pushed to the margins of the nation's capital.
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Track of the Day: 'Jump Up'
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Track of the Day: 'Ruin'
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Listen: Antibalas's Party-Starting Afrobeat Anthem 'Dirty Money'
An exclusive premiere of the first track off the acclaimed, Fela-Kuti-influenced band's new album
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'Gone Too Soon': The Many Lives of Michael Jackson's Elegy
Revisiting the ballad on the third anniversary of the King of Pop's death
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'The Voice': Leroy Neiman on Frank Sinatra
One of the last works of a quintessential American artist
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How Humans Conquered Echo
A brief history of artificial reverb in music
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Justin Bieber Aside, It Isn't Easy to Leap From YouTube Star to Superstar
What happened to the other viral-video singers discovered by major labels last decade?
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Is the Rage Behind Ice Cube's Rodney-King Rap Still Burning?
A lot has changed since the L.A. riots and 'The Predator.' But not everything.
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What the World's Listening to This Summer, From Angola to South Korea
A Bieber, Katy Perry, and Gotye-free playlist for barbecues and beach parties.
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How J-Pop Stars Gain From the West's Obsession With 'Weird' Japan
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's colorful content get giggled at overseas while resonating in a realer way at home.
