-
![]()
Linda McCartney / Apple Corps Ltd. / Disney+ Like Watching Six Different Marriages Fall Apart
What Peter Jackson’s Get Back reveals about the Beatles breakup
-
![]()
Katrien De Blauwer The Miraculous Sound of Forgiveness
In his thrillingly transgressive opera The Marriage of Figaro, Mozart pulled off his most amazing musical feat.
-
-
![]()
Cliff Lipson / CBS / Getty Adele’s Shocking Attack on Complacency
The pop star’s new album, 30, is a work of dazzling ambition.
-
![]()
Justin P. Goodhart I Performed a Career-Highlight Show. Then Delta Hit.
A touring musician reflects on the crumbling, momentary resurgence, and near-instantaneous re-crumbling of live music.
-
![]()
Will Heath / NBCU / Getty On SNL, Taylor Swift Stopped Time
The singer’s 10-minute performance of “All Too Well” was a dazzling reminder of how far she has come as an artist.
-
![]()
Jamaal Ellis / Houston Chronicle / AP The Bleak Lessons of the Astroworld Nightmare
Concert catastrophes aren’t an inevitable side effect of mass gatherings, but the result of specific and often avoidable failures.
-
![]()
Getty; The Atlantic Lana Del Rey Is Still Searching for Happiness
In her new album, big themes—trauma, gender, social collapse—are just details of her inner life.
-
-
![]()
Apple TV+ The Rock Band That Redefined Counterculture
Todd Haynes’s documentary about the Velvet Underground spotlights how sound can challenge—and change—society.
-
![]()
Adam Ritchie / Redferns / Getty You’ve Never Heard John Coltrane Like This Before
A rare live performance of the jazz legend’s masterpiece, A Love Supreme, was thought to be lost to history. But it wasn’t.
-
![]()
Kelsey Dake Spotify Has Made All Music Into Background Music
Is the collapse of genre boundaries and the erosion of fervent musical loyalties a good thing?
-
![]()
FOX Fox’s Alter Ego Is Weird—But Not Weird Enough
How could a singing competition show that features holographic contestants be this dull?
-
![]()
Scott Olson / Getty What Finally Brought R. Kelly Down
To convict the R&B singer, prosecutors focused on his network of enablers.
-
-
![]()
Frazer Harrison / Getty; Valerie Chiang Let’s Make Sure Britney Is Able to Enjoy Her Freedom This Time
“I hope she does whatever she wants to do—even if that is going to the gas station without shoes on.”
-
![]()
Charlotte Rutherford/Sony Lil Nas X Isn’t a Fad. He’s the Future of Pop.
He understands better than almost anyone how to turn angst into a hit.
-
![]()
OVO / Republic Records / UMG; The Atlantic Drake’s Tedious Descent Into Villainy
The rapper embraces his caricature on his new album, but being in on the joke turns out to be pretty boring.
-
![]()
Kevin Mazur / Universal Music Group / Getty God May Forgive Kanye West, but You Don’t Have To
On Donda, the rapper conveys all the imagery of surrender, but little of the weight.
-
![]()
Getty ; Adam Maida / The Atlantic The Pop Star Who’s Redefining the Word Basic
On Solar Power, Lorde surrenders to normalcy—and finds transcendence.
-
-
![]()
Photograph by Luke Liberia Moore Frank Ocean Fans Are Mad About a Million-Dollar Necklace
Why are so many pop stars doing everything but releasing new music?
-
![]()
Getty ; Adam Maida / The Atlantic Pop Is Making Happiness Sound Pretty Dreary Lately
Lorde heads to the beach. Lana Del Rey sings of peace. Billie Eilish is happier than ever. But it doesn’t quite sound like a celebration.
-
![]()
Paras Griffin / Getty Lil Nas X, DaBaby, and the Incoherence of Homophobia
Anti-gay bigotry is on the defensive in hip-hop right now.
