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You Are Having Fun
Will Gottsegen considers what is lost in Spotify’s era of pandering recommendation.
Music
"I don't care much about music. What I like is sounds." — Dizzy Gillespie
The Young Dead
Tim Riley considers Preston Lauterbach’s “Before Elvis: The African American Musicians Who Made the King.”
Bad Mood Rising
Arielle Gordon interviews Liz Pelly about her new book “Mood Machine” and Spotify’s impact on the music industry ecosystem.
More Than Life Itself
Tim Riley reviews a new 27-disc box set of live recordings by Bob Dylan and the Band.
The Only Girl in the World: On Madonna and “Desperately Seeking Susan”
Brontez Purnell pays tribute to Madonna through a close reading of her performance in “Desperately Seeking Susan,” in an essay from the LARB Quarterly issue no. 43, “Fixation.”
All the Honky-Tonk Babies Have Broken Hearts
Drew Bratcher considers the career of Hank Williams Jr. and the anxiety of his father’s influence.
Can Opera Be Reborn?
Peter Kazaras reviews Yuval Sharon’s “A New Philosophy of Opera.”
You’ve Got to Let This Razor Blade into Your Life
Tim Riley reviews Robert Hilburn’s “A Few Words In Defense of Our Country: The Biography of Randy Newman.”
Bringing People Together in a State of Joy
Peter Catapano interviews Alvin Curran about his long career as an avant-garde composer.
The More You Write, the Less You’ll Know
Gregg LaGambina interviews PJ Harvey about her most recent book, album, and international tour.
When Art Evolves, We Evolve
Brendan Riley reviews Cisco Bradley’s “The Williamsburg Avant-Garde: Experimental Music and Sound on the Brooklyn Waterfront.”
True Believer
Sadie Sartini Garner recalls a Nine Inch Nails concert from the year 2000 and wonders where those she stood shoulder to shoulder with have gone.
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