archive

Tales of music and the brain

Gospel Truth: An article on the evolution of an American musical tradition. A review of Coltrane: The Story of a Sound by Ben Ratliff. Fats Domino's relentless left hand helped invent rock and roll. Andrew Perry met him in New Orleans. A review of It Ain't Easy: Long John Baldry and the Birth of the British Blues by Paul Myers. A review of The Autobiography by Eric Clapton (and more). A review of White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s by Joe Boyd. From Blender, a look at the 40 worst lyricists in rock. "Girl Power", once just a slogan, now dominates the pop charts. So what happened to the boys? From The New Yorker, a paler shade of white: How indie rock lost its soul. From Slate, an article on the trouble with indie rock: It's not just race—it's class. An article on the conservative legacy of punk rock. From PopMatters, the Bull of Phalaris, or the Ambiguity of Musical Violence: By working directly on the body, music as a whole has access to a form of violence that far outstrips the petty accusations foisted upon certain of its constituent parts, such as hard rock and rap. A look at what neuroscience can't tell us about music: A review of Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks and This is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession by Daniel Levitin (and more and more and more and more and an interview). Melodic medication: New research is unlocking the electro-chemical secrets of how our brains respond to music – from self-medication to the tyranny of the "brainworm". From Science News, a look at why your headphone cords are always in a tangle.