Pop Culture

When US television shows in the 1960s turned their attention to LSD, the most notorious drug of the turbulent era, they often did so from the viewpoint of the preceding decade: the culturally conservative 1950s. Such is the case for each of the episodes discussed here. One of these, the earliest to focus on LSD,
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Therefore, the term kosmische Musik more narrowly relates to the specific direction of musicians who, as a medium, realize life’s molecular processes directly through their instrument of electronic vibrations. The music of cells is a song of flashes organically superimposed over each other, whose moments are eternities and whose eternities are moments. – Rolf-Ulrich Kaiser,
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Back in April 2024, with King Crimson on another hiatus and founder/visionary Robert Fripp focusing on other projects, fans of the progressive rock progenitors/innovators were ecstatic when it was announced that an all-star “tribute band” of sorts would be revisiting King Crimson’s three classic 1980s albums in concert halls across North America. With Fripp’s blessing
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Greil Marcus, the esteemed cultural critic, laconically and simply pens, “Writers write. They can’t help it.” Marcus knows better than most: in 1968, at 23, he began sending reviews to Rolling Stone before becoming its editor and, thereafter, wrote for the Detroit-based no-holds-barred magazine Creem. Furthermore, he has written critically acclaimed books, such as Mystery
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Surya Botofasina has been busy. In 2022, he released his critically acclaimed debut album, Everyone’s Children. The following year, he was one of the primary instrumentalists featured on André 3000’s debut solo album, New Blue Sun. At the top of 2024, he released the thrilling collaborative album Subtle Movements with Nate Mercereau and Carlos Niño.
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The long-promised, highly-anticipated album, Songs of a Lost World by legendary Gothic rockers the Cure, has finally arrived, their first studio album since 2008’s 4:13 Dream. It took 16 years for them to release new studio material, but what’s a decade-and-a-half between friends? A few weeks ago, the Cure unleashed a new single, “Alone”, and
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Kishi Bashi‘s new album, Kantos, is a thought-provoking examination of philosophy, identity, and the human condition. Where his previous records offered specific historical and social commentary, Kantos is more meditative and philosophical. The opener, “Violin Akai“, is dynamic, emblematic of Kishi Bashi’s virtuosity. Yet the minimalist lyrics highlight the artist’s shift from external to internal
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The end of the year is approaching, and October is stacked with heavyweight works. The return of Kevin Martin under the Bug moniker is a highlight, and listening to The Machine next to Master Boot Record’s Hardwarez reveals the influence of the legendary artist on the scene today. On the fringes with noise rock, the Eugene Robinsion-fronted
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NPR’s anthology How Women Made Music: A Revolutionary History is both a celebration and a reckoning—a rich, meticulously curated collection of writings addressing women’s underrepresentation across all facets of the music industry. Compiled from NPR’s Turning the Tables series (2017-2023), the book doesn’t offer any new material but instead distills some of the most powerful
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With Tension II, pop diva Kylie Minogue extends her startingly long run of great-to-brilliant studio albums that started with 2018’s country-flecked Golden. Last year’s Tension is arguably one of the singer’s best efforts, and even if its sequel doesn’t match up, it’s still a fabulous collection of high-energy electropop tunes. It fails to reach the emotional highs of
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Sophie Allison, who records under the moniker Soccer Mommy, rose to prominence during a fortuitous time; however, depending upon how one looks at things, the timing of that ascent might have stymied her individuality. Her visibility immediately followed that of—or coincided with—Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus, Hand Habits, Snail Mail, Phoebe Bridgers, and Tomberlin, amongst others.
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Teri Garr was arguably one of the most beloved comediennes of American cinema. She seemed born in the wrong era, her style of witty, effervescent comedy better suited for the screwball genre of the 1930s, and yet, she flourished in the 1970s and 1980s, bringing an innate likability and charm to her roles. Though some
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“I believe in communism,” says Ted Lasso, coach of the London-based soccer team AFC Richmond and hero of the eponymous hit show on Apple TV+, in the 2021 episode “Rainbow”. His team sits in rows in front of a television, slumped and dejected, reviewing their mistakes from a recent match. Some seem confused that their
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​10. “Andy’s Chest” (Transformer, 1972) Lou Reed helped define a subgenre with this seminal glam rock record, which yielded some of the most memorable hits of his career, such as “Perfect Day” and “Walk on the Wild Side.” Yet early in the tracklisting, he managed to weave a bizarre and often ludicrous narrative of transmogrification that falls
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Kris Kristofferson, who died September 28, might be my favorite country songwriter. He understood the beauty of language like perhaps no other lyricist in popular music, including Bob Dylan. His classic songs were filled with verbosely flowing lines that nonetheless made sense to millions of listeners, including awestruck fellow musicians. His storied life included stints
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In pagan times, Halloween or “Samhain”, meaning “summer’s end” in Gaelic, marked the time of year when people believed the boundaries between the physical and supernatural worlds were at their thinnest. They built bonfires and wore masks to communicate with spirits and prepare for the coming winter. These days, while Halloween often means getting a
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