Fresh food for thought – handpicked by our followers! Browse our archives for even more reading/book recommendations.
A sentimental, indulgent wallow in my personal history with the music of @philipglass, who celebrates his 83rd birthday today.
via The Night After Night Files / Steve Smith
I aspire to be described as terrible and lovely
Rachel Charlene / Autostraddle via Peg Aloi
Musician Ballaké Sissoko Says His Custom-Made Instrument Was Broken by TSA Security
In Mali, the jihadists threaten to destroy musical instruments, cut the tongues out of singers, & silence Mali’s great musical heritage,” said Sissoko. “And yet, ironically, it is the USA customs that have in their own way managed to do this.
Monica Castillo / Hyperallergic via Celeste Headlee / Andrea Feldman
Who’s Afraid of the IRS? Not Facebook
The social media behemoth is about to face off with the IRS in a rare trial to capture billions that the tax agency thinks Facebook owes.
But budget cuts have hamstrung the agency’s ability to bring the case.
Paul Kiel / Propublica via Matt DeMello
Pone: the paralyzed producer making music with his eyes
Motor neurone disease has left the French hip-hop artist totally immobile – yet he still found the means to compose a remarkable album inspired by Kate Bush
Anais Bremond / The Guardian via Ipek Gorgun / Mira Calix
Truck driver pulled over for speeding was using his semi as a recording studio
Wonder if the driver was haulin’ oats?
A Washington State trooper was surprised to find a semi-truck he pulled over this week was being used by its driver as a recording studio — complete with party supplies.
Brian Niemietz / NY Daily News via Inzane Johnny
Telefon Tel Aviv: Sound design, sine waves, and why ‘wrong’ is often right
We sit down with Josh Eustis to dissect the sounds and techniques behind Dreams Are Not Enough
Sam Taylor / Native Instruments via Claude Young
We’re Losing Another Rap Generation Right Before Our Eyes
this shouldn’t be evergreen and yet here we are again
Craig Jenkins / Vulture via Dee Lockett / Tara Joshi
‘It Feels Like An Extra Limb’ – Musicians On The Bond With Their Instruments
I spoke to @EspeSpalding, @blkfootwhtfoot, @TheonCross, @orbitalband and Natalie Clein about the bond between musician and instrument.
Bootleg Podcasts Are a New Frontier for Unlicensed Music on Spotify
for my first Pitch piece, I wrote about teen pop stans and TikTok freaks disseminating bootlegged music on Spotify via podcasts.
How a 90s Cult Rock Band Flourishes Despite Industry Odds
I interviewed @_GuidedByVoices (as well as their management, crew and inner circle) for this @FortuneMagazine deep dive into their surprisingly lean, savvy bottom line. Register for free and read/speed on. Many thanks to @RadTV!
Morgan Enos via Fortune
Why Iceland Seems To Punch Above Its Weight On The International Musical Scene
Gyda Valtysdóttir attributes Icelandic music to a lack of formal musical education: “When I started out in Múm at 16, I really was a beginner and it was just for the joy of playing; there wasn’t any thought that somehow you weren’t capable.” #iceland
Irish Examiner via Icelandic Music / remotevoices
How William S. Burroughs Influenced Rock and Roll, from the 1960s to Today
He wrote bleakly comic tales which were subject to obscenity trials in the States thanks to their dwelling on sodomy and drugs but which later saw him elected to the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Open Culture via ONO1980-P Michael Ono
Can High Fidelity Survive the End of Taste?
The new High Fidelity is pretty likable, but this is a very smart breakdown of the ways it feels off in the moment.
Carl Wilson / Slate via Jeff Klingman
Music-Streaming Services Are Losing Their Brand Identity. Here’s The Visual Evidence
The Mazzy Star, Opal and Rain Parade songwriter, who has died aged 61, had a subtle but profound influence, paving the way for the hazy sound of Lana Del Rey
Cherie Hu / Water & Music via Ted Goia
David Roback: Hallucinatory Guitarist Still Sending Pop Into A Dream
David Roback: hallucinatory guitarist still sending pop into a dream
Alexis Petridis / The Guardian via Ken Sweeney
Also in the new issue of @LondonInStereo, I argue that sometimes it actually IS okay for journalists to listen to music on laptop speakers.
A Woman Accidentally Took 550 Times The Normal LSD Dose, Case Report Details
via Erowid Center / Arise
William Gibson On The Apocalypse: “It’s Been Happening For At Least 100 Years”
New interview with @GreatDismal in the New Statesman in which we learn that his initial recognition of what future shock felt like was the result of his first encounter with… glam rock.
Will Dunn / New Statesman via Chris Harris
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