What does James Bond sound like in 2020? Judging by “No Time to Die,” Billie Eilish’s new theme song for the 25th Bond film, he’s a little exhausted. And doesn’t that make a strange kind of sense? How does a martini-swilling, womanizing International Man of Mystery come out unscathed by …
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Love is war in “Medusa,” the latest single from the Dominican rapper Jaudy and the Puerto Rican MC Brray. Medusa, an infamous character in Greek mythology, is a monster with snakes for hair; anyone who caught a glimpse of her face was instantly turned to stone. Jaudy and Brray seem …
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Climate change activism reached an apex over the last half-decade, and its urgency can be felt all over music, from the damning last words in ANOHNI’s “4 Degrees” to the apocalyptic queen’s wave of Lana Del Rey’s “The Greatest,” bidding adieu to Los Angeles as it turns to ash in …
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“Lightskin Lil Wayne” should be blasphemous. 2019 Tyga is a streaming titan, an entertaining maker of booty jams and an adept deployer of an innocuous sample, but he’s no Weezy F. Baby. In terms of lyrical dexterity or formal innovation, Tyga has yet to match the artistic heights of his …
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Jazz pianist Dan Tepfer is known for forging deep musical relationships. The 2018 album Decade featured highly attuned duets between the 37-year-old and legendary 91-year-old alto saxophonist Lee Konitz, his collaborator for 10 years. Tepfer’s new album features a similar kind of intense communication — the only difference is that …
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Palehound’s Ellen Kempner has spent the past four years building up one of the most distinct styles in indie rock. Her songs often present a low-key front, but there’s a lot going on underneath her dreamy guitar parts and soft-edged vocals. Listen closely to “Cinnamon,” from 2015’s Dry Food, or …
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