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Thursday January 29, 2015

Pop's New Old Sound: Retro Without Rules

Bruno Mars (left) and Mark Ronson, whose song, "Uptown Funk!," has been the No. 1 song in the country for four weeks in a row. Vevo/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Vevo/Courtesy of the artist

The Record

Pop's New Old Sound: Retro Without Rules

January 29, 2015 • From Sam Smith to Meghan Trainor, to Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars, many of the biggest hits on today's charts pilfer from the past, but not all borrowing works the same way.

Pop's New Old Sound: Retro Without Rules

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Wednesday January 28, 2015

Some of A$AP Mob at BET's 106 & Park Studios in July 2013. Standing, from left to right, ASAP Bari, ASAP Yams and ASAP Illz. In front, from left to right, ASAP Ferg, ASAP Twelvyy and ASAP Rocky. John Ricard/Getty Images hide caption

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John Ricard/Getty Images

The Record

A Rational Conversation With ASAP Yams

January 28, 2015 • A posthumously published interview reveals the New York rap impresario's insights, directness and humor that made him so beloved in the music community.

Tuesday January 27, 2015

From The Isleys To Aaliyah To Frank Ocean, The Evolution Of 'Love'

Frank Ocean released an Aaliyah tribute, "At Your Best (You Are Love)," on the late R&B singer's birthday. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

The Record

From The Isleys To Aaliyah To Frank Ocean, The Evolution Of 'Love'

January 27, 2015 • Frank Ocean's cover of The Isley Brothers' "At Your Best (You Are Love)" shows how the singer is re-imagining R&B for the future by exploding stereotypes about gender.

Monday January 26, 2015

From Prog-Rock Pioneer To Kitsch King: Remembering Demis Roussos

International pop star Demis Roussos hams it up for the camera at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1975. Roussos died in Athens Sunday at age 68. Ralph Gatti/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Ralph Gatti/AFP/Getty Images

The Record

From Prog-Rock Pioneer To Kitsch King: Remembering Demis Roussos

January 26, 2015 • Greek songman Demis Roussos lived an enormously colorful life, from his start as a prog-rock pioneer to being held captive by Hezbollah terrorists. He died Sunday at age 68 in Athens.

Wednesday January 21, 2015

Bjork's 'Vulnicura': An Inquiry Into Melodrama

Bjork. Courtesy of Sacks and Co. hide caption

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Courtesy of Sacks and Co.

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The Record

Bjork's 'Vulnicura': An Inquiry Into Melodrama

January 21, 2015 • If its songs demand that the listener get uncomfortably close to the viscera of romantic experience, they do so the better to expose how humans move through pain and finally justify leaving it behind.

Friday January 9, 2015

Andraé Crouch, Who Moved Gospel Into The 21st Century, Has Died

Andraé Crouch in an undated press photo, circa 1970. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images hide caption

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Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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Andraé Crouch, Who Moved Gospel Into The 21st Century, Has Died

January 9, 2015 • The singer and songwriter played a major role in creating a contemporary, conservative gospel sound.

Andraé Crouch, Who Moved Gospel Into The 21st Century, Has Died

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Tuesday January 6, 2015

With Downloads In Decline, Can iTunes Adapt?

Former Apple CEO Steve Jobs stands in front of a projection of iTunes at a presentation in 2004. Ian Waldie/Getty Images hide caption

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Ian Waldie/Getty Images

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With Downloads In Decline, Can iTunes Adapt?

January 6, 2015 • Digital downloads of iTunes fell sharply in 2014, as consumers abandoned Apple's music store in favor of cheap, easy-to-use subscription services.

With Downloads In Decline, Can iTunes Adapt?

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Tuesday December 30, 2014

Neal Brennan On What The Hell Happened This Year

Neal Brennan. Courtesy of Neal Brennan hide caption

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Courtesy of Neal Brennan

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Neal Brennan On What The Hell Happened This Year

December 30, 2014 • "A lot of women would say Taylor Swift has the album of the year. I don't think they'd be wrong. Taylor Swift, like Drake — I don't want to like her, but yet, here I am."

Tuesday December 23, 2014

2014 In Music Through The Eyes Of A Choreographer

Ryan Heffington. Jean-Baptiste Huong/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Jean-Baptiste Huong/Courtesy of the artist

The Record

2014 In Music Through The Eyes Of A Choreographer

December 23, 2014 • "This is what I like to create with art, to take care of the viewer — to gain trust — then take them on a journey that might be unfamiliar to them."

Monday December 22, 2014

Just The Hits: A Top 10 Of Top 40 For 2014

Tinashe, whose hit "2 On" was produced by DJ Mustard, performs on stage in December. Emmerson/Corbis hide caption

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Emmerson/Corbis

The Record

Just The Hits: A Top 10 Of Top 40 For 2014

December 22, 2014 • Dig below the strata of pop songs so ubiquitous you can't stand to hear them anymore, and you'll find plenty of riches in the Top 40, from country crossover to innovative R&B and classic pop.

Just The Hits: A Top 10 Of Top 40 For 2014

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Thursday December 18, 2014

On 'The Pinkprint,' Nicki Minaj Speaks The Language Of Love

Nicki Minaj, in a still from her video for "Only." Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

Review

The Record

On 'The Pinkprint,' Nicki Minaj Speaks The Language Of Love

December 18, 2014 • When she's at her most vulnerable as a woman, she's at her best creatively. The same way Mary J. Blige's pain drove My Life, Nicki's believable heartache steals the show on The Pinkprint.

Tuesday December 16, 2014

Redman On Music And Marijuana: Now Is The Time For Some Action

Redman onstage at the Best Buy Theater in New York City on November 26th, 2014. Polina Yamshchikov for NPR hide caption

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Polina Yamshchikov for NPR

The Record

Redman On Music And Marijuana: Now Is The Time For Some Action

December 16, 2014 • "I think the audience is becoming more aware," he said backstage at the last date of his fall tour with Method Man. "Smarter."

Songs We Love: Brandi Carlile, 'The Eye'

Brandi Carlile's fifth studio album, The Firewatcher's Daughter, will be out on March 3. David McClister/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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David McClister/Courtesy of the artist

The Record

Songs We Love: Brandi Carlile, 'The Eye'

December 16, 2014 • Brandi Carlile will put out her fifth album, The Firewatcher's Daughter, in March. She talks with Ann Powers about family, her new album and the necessary recklessness of first-take rock and roll.

Songs We Love: Brandi Carlile, 'The Eye'

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Friday December 12, 2014

Beyonce's performance during the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards in August included clips of a speech about feminism by author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Kevin Winter/MTV1415/Getty Images for MTV hide caption

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Kevin Winter/MTV1415/Getty Images for MTV

The Record

In 2014, Pop Followed Beyonce's Lead

December 12, 2014 • Beyonce's 2013 self-titled album explicitly connected feminism to sexual confidence; it cast a long shadow over the female-led pop singles that dominated Top 40 this year.

In 2014, Pop Followed Beyonce's Lead

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Thursday December 11, 2014

Alynda Lee Segarra of Hurray for the Riff Raff. Joshua Shoemaker/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Joshua Shoemaker/Courtesy of the artist

The Record

The Political Folk Song Of The Year

December 11, 2014 • A brand new video for Hurray for the Riff Raff's "The Body Electric," which questions the long history of the murder ballad and gender-based violence, brings the song's activism to searing life.