From Collegium, a special issue on World Music. David Cope’s software creates beautiful, original music — why are people so angry about that? (and more on how artificial intelligence will change music). From Vice, an essay on Transcendental Black Metal. How we describe pop music proves that we find moral significance in music (and more). From ABBA to ZZ Top, all the good band names are taken. Greg Milner on The Beatles: Some titles to consider when you feel like getting back to where you once belonged. Does a new anthology devoted to a hip-hop classic elevate the genre to its rightful place as a literary form? Alex Ross on why it's time to show our appreciation for classical music: Let our applause be heard. A review of I Am Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne (and more and more and more and more and more). A look at 6 albums by rock legends that were thinly veiled "F#@k You"s. A review of Ted Gioia's The Birth (and Death) of the Cool. Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon eclipses concept album classics. Audiences hate modern classical music because their brains cannot cope. The first chapter from Elvis for Dummies. A review of Sells Like Teen Spirit: Music, Youth Culture, and Social Crisis by Ryan Moore. A review of The Music Instinct: How Music Works and Why We Can’t Do Without It by Philip Ball (and more and more and more and more and more and more). How Britain is using classical music as a form of social control. Techno lives: A review of Lost and Sound: Berlin, Techno und der Easyjetset by Tobias Rapp. Was Jimi Hendrix's ambidexterity the key to his virtuosity? From Splice Today, how search engines and blogs have changed the way we discover music; and more on the challenges of finding new music, 2.0. Symphony in J flat: An article on the curious quest to re-invent music. Hip-hop can, and should, promote the historical and cultural ideals that underscore the value of historical awareness. The inside scoop on the indie-rock scandal that’s rocking the world of indie-rock.
