Daily Newsletter, December 14, 2024

It’s been another banner year for new, weird, British music, certainly from my vantage point, and I hope the five bimonthly columns I’ve filed during 2024 have introduced someone reading to something good. In addition to all the bands, projects etc getting their NWB due for the first time, a wealth of previous reviewees have […]

By Ljubinko Zivkovic, Rock At Night Amsterdam Review: Black Tish – Industrial Tribute – Release date, July 1, 2024  Those following more closely the heavier side of rock – any form of metal and industrial [...]

Not all of these songs did so well the first time around in the 1970s, so maybe they need to be re-released now.

Toy Dolls' ex-bass player remembers how their Nellie the Elephant cover became a smash hit in 1984.

Our weekly playlist highlights songs that our writers, editors, and contributors are listening to on repeat

If you think about it a certain way, one of the defining qualities of jazz is earnestness. This is one of the reasons why jazz and metal have so much in common, and so often appeal to the same listeners. Both forms can be totally absurd. Think of the most lurid, squiggly fusion, or the blare of a thoroughly unsubtle big band record; aren’t they the equivalent of, say, DragonForce? But metal’s awareness of its own absurdity does not translate into ironic distance from what they’re doing. And the same is true of jazz. People will play the most ridiculous, over-the-top shit with a totally straight face. Even when a jazz group exhibits a certain amount of wit — think of the Bad Plus in their original incarnation, the version that covered “Smells Like Teen Spirit”; or Mostly Other People Do The Killing, and the way their sleeve designs imitated famous jazz album covers — it’s done out of love, not mockery.

These are the ten books that made the most lasting impression on our expert reviewers

The best mysteries, thrillers, and true crime of 2024, from must-read series to knockout standalones in multiple subgenres, tropes, and vibes.

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