Suffice to say it’s not been a good year for best-laid plans. On the brighter…
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It was 2010, and ghosts were everywhere. The previous decade’s electronic innovations were staring down…
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The storied songwriting team of Elton John and Bernie Taupin won their first joint Oscar…
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Welcome to a history of the Grammys’ greatest misses. The first Grammy Awards were given…
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In the songs that bookend this playlist, which are separated by a decade, Prince cheekily…
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Fifty years ago, in a true-life science-fiction story wilder than anything concocted by an Area…
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The Bobby Lees’ Alive Playlist
The Bobby Lees’ lo-fi, high-powered punk evokes classic DIY noise while sounding urgent and vital. For their 2020 sophomore album, SKIN SUIT, the Woodstock, NY, band recruited underground punk hero Jon Spencer…
Welcome Back: 2020’s Returning Class
Suffice to say it’s not been a good year for best-laid plans. On the brighter side, 2020 has seen a welcome abundance of acts and artists who spent years (sometimes decades) underneath…
I Wish I Was a Spy: A Bond Movie Music Spectacular
Like everyone else in the world, Billie Eilish may be wishing that 2020 had gone a lot differently. Back in February, she entered the grand pantheon of performers enlisted to sing a…
Sly and the Family Stone: They Still Want to Take You Higher
Fifty years ago this summer, Sly and the Family Stone were melting down amid a mess of missed shows, internal frictions, and bad PCP. Yet the funky utopia they briefly represented remains…
Caipirinha Time: Cool Brazilian Sounds for Summer
If you’re mixing up a cool Brazilian cocktail to keep you from overheating this summer, here are a few essentials you’ll need to have on hand. Start with a little cachaça, some…
Unplugged & Immortal: The Best Live Acoustic Performances
The great irony about the MTV Unplugged phenomenon of the…
Out of the Stacks: ’90s College Radio Staples Still At It
Taking a look at the playlists for my show on…
Concrete and Snare Drums: DJ Premier’s 25 Best Beats
There’s an amazing story that DJ Premier relates near the…
The Best Britpop Deep Cuts and Forgotten Faves
“Everybody hates a tourist,” a wise, skinny man once sang.…
Lin-Manuel Miranda and Anil Dash Teach You a Thing About New Jack Swing
On January 4, famed technologist Anil Dash and playwright Lin-Manuel…
Questlove’s Top 50 Hip-Hop Songs of All Time
On Questlove’s list of his favorite 50 hip-hop songs, he…
Artist-Curated Playlists SEE ALL
Amyl And the Sniffers Playlist
Amyl and The Sniffers rage on stage as if the…
