BooksSept. 10 2014 12:56 PMSecret ChordsThe brilliance—and the blind spots—of one of the world’s great rock critics.Carl Wilson
MusicJuly 21 2014 11:43 AMA Different Kind of Summer SongGaze wistfully into the past, and hopefully into the future with Reigning Sound’s Shattered. Carl Wilson
MusicJuly 3 2014 11:58 AMProudly Hailed“The Star-Spangled Banner” is militaristic, syntactically garbled, and impossible to sing. It’s perfect.Carl Wilson
MusicJune 5 2014 8:44 AMCountry Music’s Bro ProblemCan Miranda Lambert take the country charts back for female artists?Carl Wilson
CultureboxMay 23 2014 9:36 AMMacklemore and Masquerade“Jewface,” umbrage, and pop music’s original sin.Carl Wilson
MusicApril 2 2014 10:22 AMIt Ain’t Me, Babe
Was Dylan really terrible in the ’80s—or had we just forgotten how to listen to him?Carl Wilson
MusicFeb. 24 2014 12:06 PMYoung Women, Old MusicOn their new albums, Angel Olsen, Lydia Loveless, and Alynda Lee Segarra use history to change the present.Carl Wilson
MusicFeb. 3 2014 4:34 PMPunk Is AliveWith songs of terror and longing, Against Me returns punk to its origins as a refuge for sexual outsiders.Carl Wilson
MusicJan. 15 2014 6:47 PMThe River & the ThreadRosanne Cash's thrilling new album about the road, the South, and history—hers and ours.Carl Wilson
The Music ClubDec. 18 2013 9:45 AMThe Music Club, 2013Entry 5: Lorde and Macklemore are not racist for critiquing the aspirational materialism of black pop.Carl Wilson
How We Watch NowNov. 26 2013 11:41 AM“Got Me Knocked Up in ’ 84”What you can learn about music—and humanity—from the YouTube comments on Bob Seger’s “Night Moves.”Carl Wilson
MusicNov. 1 2013 1:14 PMThirteen Ways of Looking at Arcade FireThe frustrations of Reflektor.Carl Wilson
MusicOct. 24 2013 11:47 PMListening Between the LinesHow much of musicians' lives should we read into their songs? How much of their lives should they put into them?Carl Wilson
MusicOct. 3 2013 4:09 PMCall Me, DefinitelyThe brash, swaggering girls of Lorde and Haim.Carl Wilson
MusicSept. 12 2013 2:44 PMCan Mumford and Sons Get Better?The band’s hey-nonny-nonsense can grate, but past revival movements have nurtured great acts—like Neko Case. Carl Wilson
MusicAug. 4 2014 10:21 AMNot Gonna Break for YouCalifornia songs about American mistakes from Jenny Lewis.Carl Wilson
MusicJuly 16 2014 4:47 PMHis BolognaA mostly fond farewell to pop music’s longest-running—sometimes only running—comedy act, Weird Al.Carl Wilson
CultureboxJune 16 2014 3:47 PMCrying ShameWe don’t look down on movies designed to make us laugh—why do we look down on ones designed to make us cry?Carl Wilson
CultureboxMay 30 2014 11:57 AMMy Voyage With MimiHow a Mariah Carey skeptic finally fell for the elusive chanteuse.Carl Wilson
MusicMay 8 2014 4:26 PMBones Banging Out BeatsTune-Yards’ Nikki Nack and the dangers of appropriation.Carl Wilson
MusicMarch 20 2014 7:08 PMSurprisingly Enjoyable New Albums From George Michael and Boy GeorgeCarl Wilson
MusicFeb. 14 2014 12:18 PMWhat Is “Achy Breaky 2”?A remix? A sequel? An answer record? (And what is Larry King doing here?)Carl Wilson
MusicJan. 27 2014 1:13 PMThe Same LovesWhite people win again at the Grammys.Carl Wilson
The Music ClubDec. 20 2013 3:12 PMThe Music Club, 2013Entry 9: In defense of Brad Paisley’s “Accidental Racist.”Carl Wilson
The Music ClubDec. 16 2013 12:16 PMThe Music Club, 2013Entry 1: Beyoncé broke the Internet. (So did Bowie.)Carl Wilson
Brow BeatNov. 8 2013 9:06 AMWhere Do I Start With Céline Dion?Carl Wilson
MusicOct. 28 2013 12:30 PMLou ReedWhy the music, and even the man himself, will always be with us.Carl Wilson
Brow BeatOct. 4 2013 9:06 AMStop Dismissing Young Female Musicians as “Inauthentic”Carl Wilson
Cool StorySept. 30 2013 11:55 PMCool StoryWhat does "cool" even mean in 2013?Carl Wilson
MusicAug. 27 2013 6:21 PMShould You Go See Your Favorite Band’s Reunion Tour?Yes, you should.Carl Wilson