WorkTape

WorkTape's retrospective trip through 1996 reaches hip-hop, and there's a pretty strong case that this was the year the genre's map truly started expanding. OutKast's ATLiens and UGK's Ridin' Dirty showed the South becoming impossible to overlook, while The Fugees' The Score and The Roots' Illadelph Halflife offered their own blends of hip-hop, live instrumentation, reggae, and soul. Then there's...

WorkTape continues its look back with 1996, a year that might be remembered for what was taking over just as much as what was beginning to fade. Jamiroquai’s Travelling Without Moving somehow feels even more at home today than it did then, while the arrival of the Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys signals a pop-group boom that would soon become impossible to escape. Elsewhere, Aaliyah’s One in a Mil...

Concluding 1986, WorkTape looks at a year caught between what was still ruling the charts and what was beginning to bubble underneath. Anita Baker's Rapture , Madonna's True Blue , Prince's Parade , and Van Halen's 5150 capture just how much star power was still driving the decade, while records from R.E.M., Sonic Youth, Bad Brains, and Hüsker Dü offer an early glimpse of where rock would head nex...

Kicking off our look at 1986, this WorkTape retrospective lands on a year that felt less like a peak and more like a turning point. As hair metal pushed further into the mainstream, hip-hop continued finding its footing, post-punk kept evolving, and artists across rock, R&B, and pop began experimenting with where music could go next. We revisit landmark releases like Licensed to Ill , Gracelan...

Bookending 1976, this WorkTape retrospective shifts toward the records that helped shape progressive rock, punk, arena rock, singer-songwriter music, and everything in between. From Rush's 2112 , Genesis' A Trick of the Tail , and Led Zeppelin's Presence to the rise of punk, arena rock, and the next wave of classic rock staples, we revisit the records that captured where popular music was headed b...

Today’s episode continues WorkTape’s retrospective series by revisiting the landmark albums of 1976, a year that helped define mainstream rock, reggae, funk, R&B, disco, and singer-songwriter music for generations to come. From Boston's groundbreaking debut, The Eagles’ Hotel California , and Stevie Wonder’s Songs in the Key of Life to classics by all three original Wailers Bob Marley, Peter T...

This WorkTape edition kicks off our annual retrospective series by revisiting 1966, one of the most influential years in music history. From The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds , The Beatles' Revolver , and Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde to the explosion of soul, folk, psychedelic rock, and British invasion classics, we explore why this remarkable year continues to shape artists six decades later. Along the...

WorkTape lands in the middle of one of music's biggest debates as artists push back against AI companies like Suno over the use of copyrighted music to train generative models without permission. Rather than asking whether AI belongs in music at all, we explore where the line should be drawn between creative assistance and creative replacement, and whether artistry loses something when technology...

This time around, WorkTape takes an attempt at Olivia Rodrigo’s latest you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love , asking whether the singer-songwriter has finally delivered the record that moves her beyond the success of SOUR and GUTS into truly defining territory. From its new wave influences and emotionally richer songwriting to its balance of nostalgia and modern pop, we explore why this relea...

Landing in the middle of two very different conversations connected by the same underlying question, WorkTape asks: how do we measure an artist’s value? Following the tragic death of Oliver Tree, we reflect on the career of one of modern alternative’s most distinctive personalities, discussing the role of image, authenticity, and why certain artists leave an outsized cultural footprint regardless...

WorkTape turns its attention toward Olivia Rodrigo’s latest singles, “Drop Dead” and “The Cure,” two songs that suggest an artist beginning to move beyond the sound that made her famous. What starts as a conversation about synth-pop influences, Smashing Pumpkins comparisons, and Rodrigo’s growing partnership with producer Dan Nigro quickly expands into a larger discussion about artistic maturity,...

WorkTape welcomes you this episode to a discussion on this year's American Music Awards, where a fan-driven voting process produced more than a few head-scratching results. From BTS taking Artist of the Year after years away from releasing music to debates surrounding Sabrina Carpenter, Benson Boone, Sombr, and Bruno Mars, our conversation quickly expands beyond the winners themselves and into the...

Turning our attention toward Chris Brown’s latest Brown , WorkTape picks apart a record that quickly opens up bigger conversations around artistic stagnation, AI-sounding production, and whether some of today’s biggest artists are coasting on familiarity rather than pushing themselves creatively. Elsewhere, Drake’s Iceman , Habibti , and Made of Honor spark debate over artistic redundancy and post...

It seems that everyone is cashing out these days, now with the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ massive $300 million catalog sale, sparking a larger conversation around legacy artists cashing out, long-term relevance, and which acts have truly maintained their value across multiple generations. It's a WorkTape talk touching on Frusciante and Flea’s chemistry, as well as the strange staying power of ’90s alt...

WorkTape turns its attention toward M.I.A.’s latest controversy, the awkward political spiral surrounding her recent tour appearances, and why the conversation around authenticity in music keeps getting messier. With her opening slot on Kid Cudi’s tour, the backlash over inflammatory onstage comments and the release of her "spiritually-themed" MI7 , our chat circles around what happens when artist...

It’s been a “thrilling” season, as WorkTape turns its attention toward Michael , the latest attempt at translating one of music’s most mythologized lives onto the big screen. From the performances and casting choices to the omissions already sparking debate, the film opens up larger conversations around historical accuracy, legacy protection, and whether music biopics have become more concerned wi...

Getting into the long-awaited ruling against Live Nation and Ticketmaster, WorkTape extrapolates what it means for a ticketing system that has shaped (and frustrated) live music for over a decade. From the hidden fees to the bot-driven resale markets, it’s all on the table as we break down how the system reached this point and whether this moment actually signals meaningful change or just a tempor...

WorkTape lands in the middle of Coachella’s latest run, unpacking a festival that feels increasingly split between spectacle and substance. From Sabrina Carpenter’s viral onstage moment to Justin Bieber’s polarizing, stripped-down laptop set, the discussion gets into what audiences actually expect when they’re paying premium prices for live music. Along the way, we question whether Coachella’s lin...

This week finds WorkTape getting into Thundercat’s latest album Distracted , an LP that lives somewhere between tight musicianship and uneven execution. We break down the standout production, the strong run of features from names like Tame Impala and Mac Miller, and the clear ’70s-inspired influences that have always served Thundercat well. We have things to say on cohesion, track selection, and w...

WorkTape turns its focus to Ye’s long-awaited Bully , a record that’s been building for years and finally lands somewhere between familiar and uncertain. We get into the standout tracks, the return of chipmunk soul and synth-driven eras, and whether the album actually signals a real comeback or is just a safe rehash of past ideas. There's a lot to talk about, centering around inconsistency, creati...

Have Foo Fighters rediscovered their stride? On the point of their latest single “Caught in the Echo,” WorkTape breaks down its clear callbacks to the band’s 2000s-era sound and why it feels like a genuine return to form. We talk about what’s working, from Dave Grohl’s enduring vocal presence to the band’s renewed energy, and why this direction might feel more aligned with what made them great in...

Nowadays, it seems as though it has become harder and harder for us all to distance ourself from AI. This is especially the case for the audio world, as, on WorkTape, our discussion dives into the growing tension around AI in music, focusing on Charlie Puth’s involvement with Moises AI and what it might mean for where production tools are heading. We get into the potentially practical side of AI a...

Turning our attention to Harry Styles’ new album Kiss All the Time, Dance Occasionally , we examine its electronic textures, indie influences, and how it compares to the sounds that defined his earlier records. We pick apart the standout tracks, the more divisive ballads, and discover where this album might land between homage and derivation. Brief comparisons are drawn between Harry’s modern thro...

WorkTape gets into the long gaps artists sometimes take between albums, and whether those extended waits ultimately help or hurt their music. The conversation starts with Bruno Mars finally returning after a decade with The Romantic , and whether his throwback-driven style still works in today’s landscape. From there, we look at Rihanna’s long-awaited return to the studio following the success of...

WorkTape opens with a closer look at the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic, including the casting of Jafar Jackson, the involvement of the Jackson estate, and why the film could become one of the most ambitious music biopics ever attempted. But that's not all for pop’s spotlight, as we break down Bruno Mars’ first solo album in over a decade, The Romantic , its Latin influences, and why Bruno contin...