Music Popcast

Music EN ↓ 500 episodes

New York Times music critics Jon Pareles, Ben Ratliff, Jon Caramanica and Nate Chinen talk each week about the latest pop music news, the top songs, the best albums, the biggest stars — and the up and coming stars you haven't heard of yet.

Author

Music Popcast

Episodes

Kanye West’s ‘Jesus Is King,’ From the Gospel Perspective 30.10.2019 1:06:37

Gospel music insiders on the rapper’s turn to religious music and how his album relates to contemporary holy hip-hop. Guests: Root's Hasan James and The Journal of Gospel Music's Robert Marovich.

The Rise of DaBaby, From Memes to the Mosh Pit 19.10.2019 1:15:53

The year’s most consistent new hip-hop star combines intense rhymes with online savvy. Guest: Joe Coscarelli.

The Highwomen, Miranda Lambert and the Women Invigorating Country Music 11.10.2019 1:04:54

Nashville has long marginalized female performers, songwriters and producers. But a wave of artists is fighting back. Guests: Jada Watson and Natalie Weiner.

Is 100 gecs the End of Pop, or a New Beginning? 05.10.2019 1:06:36

One of the year’s most unlikely breakthroughs is a duo that makes disorienting, genre-jumbling music. Guests: Eli Enis and The Fader's Larry Fitzmaurice.

A New Flood of English-Spanish Pop Is Here. Is It Opportunism or Progress? 29.09.2019 1:05:55

Collaborations have flourished in the wake of “Despacito,” some sounding natural, some sounding forced. Guest: Remezcla's Eduardo Cepeda.

How Does Post Malone Sound Like Everything and Nothing? 22.09.2019 1:00:20

A conversation about his rapid rise and the questions — about genre and race — glossed over along the way. Guests: Pitchfork's Jayson Greene and The New York Times Magazine's Jonah Weiner.

Young Thug Gets His Due, But Is It Too Late? 07.09.2019 1:01:23

One of the decade’s most copied rappers finally reached No. 1 on the album chart, years after his aesthetic rubbed off on hip-hop. Guest: Andrew Nosnitsky.

What’s the Point of Album Covers in the Post-Album Era? 29.08.2019 55:37

What was once a large canvas for grand statements is now a tiny digital mark. Guest: Chips's Teddy Blanks.

Is Taylor Swift’s ‘Lover’ the Beginning or the End of an Era? 27.08.2019 1:16:11

Breaking down the sounds, the themes, the obscure (and not-so-hidden) messages and more on her seventh album. Guests: Joe Coscarelli, Caryn Ganz and Jon Pareles.

A Tribute to David Berman, Who Never Hid His Truth 16.08.2019 1:15:18

Conversations about his songwriting, his struggles and his striking sweetness outside of music. Guests: Jeff Johnson; The New Yorker's Amanda Petrusich; and Nick Wiedenfeld.

Funkmaster Flex and Tyler, the Creator’s Unlikely Buddy Comedy 02.08.2019 1:09:32

The Hot 97 D.J. and the hip-hop disrupter shared the wildest interview of the year. Guests: Rolling Stone's Charles Holmes and Pitchfork's Alphonse Pierre.

How Many Streams Is a T-Shirt Worth? Breaking Down Chart Dilemmas. 26.07.2019 1:00:32

There’s more data about music consumption than ever before. That doesn’t mean we understand who’s the most popular. Guests: The New York Times's Joe Coscarelli and Ben Sisario.

The Loudness of João Gilberto, Bossa Nova’s King of Quiet 19.07.2019 55:50

A look back at the Brazilian musician’s innovations as one of the genre’s primary architects. Guest: Ben Ratliff

How Hootie & the Blowfish Inspired Both Love and Hate 08.07.2019 53:54

Critics who were writing about the band at the peak of its fame look back at how the group became so bitterly divisive. Guests: Jim DeRogatis and Danyel Smith.

Taylor vs. Scooter: The Pop Music Civil War of 2019 03.07.2019 1:04:48

The superstar complained that the powerful manager acquired her master recordings, setting off a debate that divided the industry. Guest: The New York Times's Joe Coscarelli

The Unexpectedly Deep Musical Roots of Hootie & the Blowfish 01.07.2019 59:42

“Cracked Rear View” catapulted the band to superstardom. But the group made great music long before — and after — anyone paid attention. Guest: former A&R representative Tim Sommer

Why Are the Movies So Obsessed With Pop Stars? 21.06.2019 1:16:49

From “Rocketman” to “Her Smell,” “Blaze” to “Vox Lux,” the film industry seems to think all musicians have the same ups and downs. Guests: The New York Times's A.O. Scott; Vanity Fair's K. Austin Collins; Kristen Yoonsoo Kim.

Can Record Labels Be Trusted to Preserve Music History? 13.06.2019 1:15:24

A 2008 fire destroyed master recordings for a who’s who of popular music. A new investigation explores the damage done. Guest: The New York Times Magazine's Jody Rosen

Bob Dylan’s Excellent Adventure 11.06.2019 43:42

The Rolling Thunder Revue was more than a tour: It was a chance for the songwriter to play with the truth. Guest: The New York Times's Jon Pareles

Megan Thee Stallion and Rap’s Rising Generation of Women 25.05.2019 30:09

Hip-hop has historically been inhospitable to female performers. A new class is finding fresh paths to break through. Guests: The Atlantic's Hannah Giorgis and Vulture's Hunter Harris.

Are AirPods Worth the Costs? 20.05.2019 1:03:08

Apple’s wireless earbuds have led to questions about personal tech as environmental scourge and punch line. Guests: The New York Times's Brian X. Chen and Motherboard's Caroline Haskins.

Vampire Weekend, Indie Rock Heretics Turned Anxious Jam Band 13.05.2019 52:44

Ezra Koenig’s literate group has returned, sparking questions about how it was received in the past, and where it stands in the current climate. Guests: The New York Times's Jon Pareles; The Ringer's Rob Harvilla

The Return of Bikini Kill and the Long Tail of Riot Grrrl 05.05.2019 41:49

A movement of punk-powered feminism that began in the early 1990s has a fresh urgency in 2019. Guests: Evelyn McDonnell, Elisabeth Vincentelli and Caryn Ganz

How Gospel and Pop Learn From Each Other 30.04.2019 1:12:03

From Kanye West to serpentwithfeet to the Stellar Awards returning to BET, the genres’ dialogue has been evolving. Guest: The New Yorker's Briana Younger

Is Billie Eilish the Future of Pop? 19.04.2019 1:06:53

The 17-year-old musician has been revising the rules of young stardom. But she may be more of a classicist than her aesthetic would suggest. Guests: The New York Times's Joe Coscarelli; Meaghan Garvey