music essay
Dave Depper (Death Cab for Cutie) Talks the Unbearable Weirdness of Returning from Tour
After five weeks on tour, our hero wonders two things: how to re-enter civilian life and how to get the smell of koala bear out of his jean jacket.
Sondre Lerche Talks Christmas Music Fatigue
A musician who wrote a new Christmas song talks about how there are too many Christmas songs.
Brian Trenchard-Smith (Turkey Shoot) Talks the Challenges of Making Movies with Animals (Part 1)
The story of the Director, the Actor, the Guest Star Who Has Seen It All, and a very large, very hungry African lion called Sudan.
Tommy Wallach Talks the Immense Difficulty of Writing About Fictional Bands
The only thing that this novelist-musician knows for sure is that writing fiction about music is fucking hard.
Taraka Larson (Prince Rama) Talks Her Most Terrifying Tour Horror Story
Read on for a hair-raising tale of raining frogs, taxidermy and the Vortex.
Ryan Kattner (Man Man) Talks the Joy of Losing Your Mind on Tour
During the madness that is tour, you can enter a unique and enchanted headspace. That's when it becomes surreal, magical and, above all else, fun.
Jeffrey Lewis Talks His 19 Years of Yo La Tengo Fandom
Our cartoonist recounts how his obsession with the band started — and the greatest advice he never gave.
Sondre Lerche Talks Why We Can’t Stop Staring at Lana Del Rey
A great performer plays with the audience's idea of who the human being behind the character is. Lana Del Rey is a great performer.
Boots Talks Time Travel, Inspiration, and Going All In
Part II of the artist-producer's fungally inspired adventures into his creative process and his upcoming album, with FKA twigs, El-P and Frank Ocean.
Ed Rodriguez (Deerhoof) Talks the Whole Illegal Downloading Thing
We have to break the habit of not paying for art. Because there's something important at stake: supporting the kind of world you want to live in.
Hether Fortune (Wax Idols) Talks Being A Control Freak
On the creative need to be a control freak — an empowering, exhausting balancing act that requires constant awareness, consideration and nurturing.
Sadie Dupuis Talks Finding Hope Through Nicki Minaj’s Pinkprint Tour
At a recent arena show, Nicki Minaj performed with flawless sweat, exorcised her sensitive side and offered her audience something precious: hope.











