Culture
Music
I was never supposed to hear this album. It changed how I think about art
In 2015, Wu-Tang Clan released a single-copy album. This year, a handful of listening parties meant the public could hear it for the first time.
- by Elizabeth Flux
Latest
Empire of the Sun’s new album is four years late. Blame the spirit
Luke Steele and Nick Littlemore had to wait for the cosmic delivery of their latest album.
- by Michael Dwyer
Missy Higgins review: Quips, raw emotion and an immaculate album run-through
The Melbourne singer-songwriter gave two concerts for the price of one.
- by James Jennings
Just in
Review
Triveni review: Masterful Indian trio sends spirits soaring
This Sydney Opera House concert was complex and sophisticated but full of childlike joy.
- by John Shand
The case for Justin Timberlake, the celebrity we deserve
JT has once again proven that he is there to meet the moment, to show us who we are.
- by Mali Waugh
How Australia’s music cartels are driving up the cost of live shows
The ACCC has told a parliamentary inquiry that “vertical integration” adds as much as 20 per cent to the cost of live music events in Australia.
- by Karl Quinn
Her pop career became soul-destroying. So she torched it and rebuilt it on her own terms
With Burnt Tapes, Eves Karydas shows young female musicians a path beyond sexist industry expectations.
- by Robert Moran
His metal band was huge, his rock memoir tackles something bigger
Serj Tankian was frontman for System of a Down and his new memoir is already a bestseller. Don’t expect to read about the parties though: “I’m telling real stories here,” he says.
- by JP O'Malley
Meet the breakthrough artists defining a new generation of pop
Pop music seems to have lost a lot of its energy recently, but a new generation of artists are filling the void by releasing songs that are both catchy and candid.
- by Nell Geraets
Country pop has taken over the charts – good god, why?
Genuine musical superstars – exceptional voices, charismatic presences, excellent lyricists – have been dulled and flattened, their voices muted and their lyrics uninspired.
- by Tom W. Clarke
Michael J Fox joins Coldplay, and other things you missed from Glastonbury
From Banksy protests to lip-synching accusations, here are some of the buzziest moments from the UK’s biggest music festival.
- by Nell Geraets