Jacob Ganz
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Whether you use it as a balm or an echo chamber for your despair, Ware's second album is a celebration of gloriously messy feelings, each tamed by her soft touch.
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After two solid albums, Too Bright is something shockingly new for Perfume Genius: a set of muscular, magnificently controlled songs that explore darkness inside and out.
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The mastermind behind the band Boston isn't just a songwriter — he's also an engineer. Scholz opens his studio to demonstrate how his self-made gear helped create the group's unique sound.
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Highly emotional rock that reads as low-stakes at first, Lost in the Dream is evocative and pleasant if you let it float by in the background. But it's made with hooks that sink in deep.
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A pinch of melody, a dash of groove. Pop music is built on making a song sound just new enough to be intriguing. So what happens when one song sounds a little too familiar?
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Call it diversity or a lack of consensus, but no single act dominated this year's awards. Instead, the Grammys spread the love, though rock bands — including The Black Keys and fun. — fared well.
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We're still in the final stages of making our list, but we agree enough on a few albums to share this preview of NPR Music's favorite albums of the year. Audie Cornish talks to Frannie Kelley, Stephen Thompson and Tom Huizenga.
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Or: Why Justin Bieber didn't really sell 40,000 tickets in 30 seconds.
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Weedon's guide to the basics of guitar playing was used by the young musicians who would become members of The Who and The Beatles.
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Known as the Father of Loud, Jim Marshall helped a generation that included Pete Townsend and Jimi Hendrix redefine popular music by turning up the volume.