You cannot separate politics from art. Part of this is from just the definition of what politics is: It's the interrelation of things to each other and to themselves and what we do about it, everything from how you split household tasks to how you prioritize your free time to how you govern a nation. Politics is not life itself, but it emerges so fluidly and perpetually from it that its better thought of as an organ to the organism rather than something entirely separate. Art is exactly the same. If life is a body, then politics is the liver and art is the flora and fauna of the intestines. They are interlinked and inextricable, eradicatible only at the cost of the life of the organism.
Will Toledo loves to tinker. Even in the early days of his project Car Seat Headrest-back before he became widely recognized as an indie-rock wunderkind-he occasionally re-worked old songs until they felt right. (Take, for example, "Oh! Starving," originally recorded in 2010, then rerecorded it in 2012 and again in 2015.) But after signing to Matador Records, Toledo took things up a notch, releasing Teens of Style, a compilation of remakes picked from his greatest non-hits scattered across his Bandcamp recordings.
Long before he was commanding the stage as the leader of POW or preparing to unveil his first solo single, YORCH spent sleepless nights in trainee practice rooms chasing a dream he refused to abandon. The Thai star, once affectionately dubbed Thailand's Nation's Younger Brother for his beloved child-acting career, remembers staying up until dawn preparing for monthly trainee evaluations after moving to Korea. Exhausted but determined, he pushed himself through endless rehearsals, knowing every sacrifice was part of something bigger.
Fully self-produced, Valeria masterfully merges the rich musical heritage of her hometown with the underground beats of London. After years of collaborating with different producers, she leapt to shape her own sonic narratives, igniting a passion to craft music that speaks to the heart. “I wanted to produce my own music after seeing the powerful impact production can have on storytelling,” she reflects.
UMG stated the agreement "extends TikTok and UMG's groundbreaking commitment to AI protections that promote human artistry and ensure platform economics effectively flow through to artists and songwriters. TikTok and UMG will work together to remove unauthorized AI-generated music from the platform, while further improving artist and songwriter attribution."
Each Monday, with our Pitchfork Selects playlist, we're sharing what our writers are playing obsessively and highlighting some of the Pitchfork staff's favorite new music. The playlist is a grab-bag of tracks: Its only guiding principle is that these are the songs you'd gladly send to a friend.
Blod may seem unbearably esoteric. But a little context helps; Dicksson is a spiritual descendant of Swedish Progg movement of the 1960s and '70s-not to be confused with prog rock, it was a left-wing, anti-commercial music movement that encompassed a wide range of styles, from psych-rock bands to nationally beloved singer-songwriters. Blod is indebted to the mossier, more experimental ends of the movement, including bands like Träd, Gräs & Stenar. This is the anti-capitalist, DIY heritage which Discreet Music-the record store and label run by Dicksson-is keeping alive.
Walk into almost any modern office, and you will see it: earbuds in, playlists on, and heads down. For many employees, music is an essential tool for focusing, mood regulation, and stamina. For most managers, it is a non-issue as long as performance stays strong.
Make Them Pay to me is actually kind of the most vitriolic, even if it is kind of the most sensual song on the record. Clipse are catching heat here. DJ Khaled, on the receiving end of some really savage lines. And also Rick Ross, who is the victim of a very, very charged bit of wordplay. The sample is Free by Deniece Williams. Now I'm old enough to remember when Free by Deniece Williams was a real go-to sample in '90s rap.
You can follow your favorite artists as well as entire record labels. That makes it easy to stay on top of new artists on labels like 4AD, AD 93, Fire Talk, and Warp. Record Club pulls all of its data from the open-source music encyclopedia MusicBrainz.
Hamilton has been one of the hottest Broadway musicals for over a decade, and while the movie has yet to be adapted into a feature film, you can catch it on Blu-ray. The musical historical drama is getting a new Collector's Edition on 4K Blu-ray, and you can preorder it now through Amazon and Walmart for $80 ahead of its June 16 release.
Roger Linn is a legend in the world of musical instruments. He's been at the cutting edge of music technology for decades. He created the LM-1, the first drum machine to use samples, and its successor, the LinnDrum, is one of the most iconic drum machines of all time. They were used on countless records in the 1980s, including hits by Tom Petty, Queen, and Tears for Fears.
Aike 3000 creates raw, reduced pop music that blends indie, RnB, and electronic influences. The songs revolve around themes of failure, loss, and emotional fractures, all while maintaining a sense of beauty. From broken images, intimacy, and clear melodies, a unique form of Broken Pop emerges.
When you first press play on Álvaro Díaz's "Omakase," you are immediately transported into the kitchen. A stove flickers on. A knife hits the cutting board. Chants of "¡Sí, chef!" ring out like a dubbed episode of "The Bear." Then, before the listener can fully settle in, the Puerto Rican rapper and singer fires off bars claiming that Grammys were stolen from him and details his many nights spent sleeping on the floor to his new normal of earning $500,000 per show.
