August 1, 2021
Tip of the pops: ‘This Is Pop’ and ‘Song Exploder’
Culture
Two Netflix documentary series only manage to skim the surface of pop music history
Anwen Crawford
By this author
May 1, 2021
Always tomorrow: ‘Promises’
Culture
Legendary saxophonist Pharoah Sanders joins electronic musician Floating Points and the London Symphony Orchestra for a compositionally minimalist album
June 1, 2021
More than a feeling: ‘New Long Leg’
Culture
The deadpan spoken-word vocals of British post-punk band Dry Cleaning are the mesmeric expression of online consciousness
April 1, 2021
Girls don’t cry: Arlo Parks and Phoebe Bridgers
Culture
Two young musicians spark the old double standard of judging female artists who demonstrate their pain
March 1, 2021
‘For the first time’ by Black Country, New Road
Culture
The debut from the latest British Art School Band delivers perfect pop with arch lyrics that owe a debt to Jarvis Cocker
March 1, 2021
Listening to country: ‘Fractures & Frequencies’ and ‘Infractions’
Culture
Elegiac installations from Megan Cope and Rachel O’Reilly at UNSW Galleries call for an understanding of the land as a living entity under threat
December 8, 2020
Trite Christmas: ‘Happiest Season’
Culture
Despite appearances, this queer romcom is straighter than it seems
November 26, 2020
Song sisters
Culture
The soundtrack to documentary ‘Brazen Hussies’ shows a breadth of feeling about women’s liberation in Australia
December 1, 2020
Ready steady gone
Culture
The passing of its figureheads underscores pop music’s waning influence on personal identity
October 28, 2020
Quiet desperation: ‘Never Rarely Sometimes Always’
Culture
Eliza Hittman’s abortion drama is marked by the emotional solidarity of its teen protagonists
September 24, 2020
Bunkered down: ‘The Translators’
Culture
With a confusing plot and a reliance on clichés, the French thriller fails to excite
October 1, 2020
Listening to Roberta Flack
Culture
‘First Take’, released 50 years ago, still echoes through the present
September 1, 2020
Audio tapestry
Culture
A tangle of red tape is robbing us of music podcasts in Australia