Music
Built to Spill: There Is No Enemy 
Built to Spill’s Doug Martsch is “alt-rock’s Thomas Pynchon, holed up in a remote studio and issuing immaculate artworks when he damn well pleases,” said Will Hermes in Rolling Stone.
The Very Best: Warm Heart of Africa
In Very Best's debut album, old and new African genres are blended with hip-hop beats, ’80s-style synths, and dub riddim grooves.
Carly Simon vs. Starbucks
Why the singer-songwriter is suing the coffee giant
'This Is It': Michael Jackson's first posthumous single
How the song compares to the pop icon's other work, and how it could reflect on his legacy
Volcano Choir: Unmap
Justin Vernon has paired up with fellow Wisconsinites, Collections of Colonies of Bees, to create a 35-minute mood piece.
Girls: Album
Despite their dark pasts, Christopher Owens and Chet White try to channel good vibrations through hazy Californian surf pop.
Plastic Ono Band: Between My Head and the Sky
With the help of son Sean, Yoko Ono has revived the Plastic Ono Band, which she and Lennon began in the late 1960s and put to rest in 1975.
The plagiarism lawsuit against Guns N' Roses
Why "electronic shoegaze" artist Ulrich Schnauss is suing Axl Rose's band
A Spice Girls reunion minus Victoria Beckham
Can the group's comeback tour be successful without Posh Spice?
Why Kanye West and Lady Gaga's tour was cancelled
Was it poor ticket sales, creative differences, a trip to rehab, or none of the above?
The xx: xx
There is “something seductively special” about xx's simple sound.
Monsters of Folk: Monsters of Folk
What started as a casual 2004 tour for My Morning Jacket’s Jim James, Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis, and folkster M. Ward has evolved into a supergroup.
Raekwon: Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…Pt. II
It’s been five years since Raekwon first mentioned making a sequel to his solo debut, but the result is definitely “worth the wait.”
Beyoncé's Malaysia decision
Why the R&B superstar is performing in the Muslim country despite its 'strict dress code'
Dodos: Time to Die
Technically, the new sound in Time to Die is “brilliant,” said Maddy Costa in the London Guardian.
Pearl Jam: Backspacer
On its ninth album, Pearl Jam recaptures the roisterous energy that characterized its music in the mid-1990s.
Christopher O’Riley: Out of My Hands
Unlike other classical piano soloists, Christopher O’Riley doesn’t shy away from rock; his most recent collection of transcriptions is a feat.
Kiss: Worthy of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
Why the band has been eligible for 10 years, but never nominated until now
The Beatles' digital revolution: Are video games the future of music?
Forty years after John, Paul, George, and Ringo last recorded an album together, their music has received a new lease on life.
Jay-Z: The Blueprint 3
It might be time for Jay-Z to retire again, as he did briefly in 2003, said Chris Richards in The Washington Post.
