Abba are back – with the old magic intact
Nostalgic, luxurious and mind-bogglingly complicated, Abba’s new music maintains its legacy of stadium hooks and pop song intelligence.
ByMusic reviews
Read about the best live performances, contemporary music and classic records here.
How composer Kevin MacLeod became the king of royalty-free music
If you've ever spent time on YouTube or TikTok, you would have probably heard MacLeod’s work.
By
I was a teenage Taylor Swift fan – before Fearless, she was our little secret
The success of Swift’s breakthrough record was a bittersweet moment for us, her earliest British superfans.
By
Katy Kirby’s Cool Dry Place: soft but subversive folk-pop
Kirby’s sharp lyrics, layered melodies and complex manipulation of rhythm mark her out as an exciting and sophisticated songwriter.
By
Virginia Wing’s Private Life: chaotic, dream-like pop
The brilliant, daring new album from the Manchester alt-pop outfit throbs with a contemporary sonic anxiety.
By
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard’s KG: sensitive microtonal psych-rock
The 16th studio album by the Australian six-piece, who have experimented in surfer rock, jazz and metal, reflects an entirely different way of…
By
Nick Cave’s Idiot Prayer: stately hymns for the age of the solitude
The musician’s isolated Alexandra Palace show resembled a private rehearsal or a post-apocalyptic performance.
By
Frances Quinlan leans into uncertainty on her debut solo record, Likewise
The Hop Along frontwoman's album is a masterful example of songwriting as a mode of enquiry.
By
How the Blurred Lines scandal changed pop
Despite denying it at the time, Pharrell says he now realises “Blurred Lines” was sexist. So why was the song…
By
Both familiar and strange: Elton John’s “Your Song” and the elusive art of hit-making
I had dismissed it as too obvious, but then, the interesting thing about “Your Song” is how far from obvious…
By
A line-by-line lyric analysis of Taylor Swift’s song Call It What You Want
Warning: this is very, very detailed.
By
Kesha’s “Rainbow” insists that life’s traumas can’t kick the fun out of you
Perhaps the greatest surprise is how much like the old Kesha Rainbow sounds.
By