New on MusicRadar, I take a mostly sympathetic look at Paul McCartney’s omnipresent and divisive earworm. I don’t generally like Christmas music, but this song is so goofy and odd that I can’t help but find it endearing. The main problem with it is that the tempo is too fast and the feel is too …
Tag Archives: MusicRadar
A general theory of pop smashes
My latest MusicRadar column advances the theory that to be a truly generation-spanning pop colossus, a song has to be at least a little bit weird and annoying. This was a tricky thing to write, because I wasn’t looking for “popular songs that I personally find annoying.” That would be easy, I find most popular …
Anyway, here’s Wonderwall
When MusicRadar assigned me to write about Oasis, I was not overjoyed. I figured I would start with the Wonderwall meme and go from there. Once you move past the joke, though, it becomes an interesting question: why did this seemingly unremarkable song become such a standard for amateur guitarists?
MusicRadar column on “Lilac Wine” by Jeff Buckley
My latest MusicRadar assignment was to pick something from Jeff Buckley’s Grace to write about. I chose the weird old showtune. The column was mainly an excuse to meditate on the difference between classical timekeeping (expressive, rubato) and pop/rock timekeeping (metronomic and steady). I also got into Buckley’s complex gender presentation.
MusicRadar column on three songs from Brat by Charli XCX
I have now written three MusicRadar columns in a row on current pop smashes by women. This wasn’t planned; it’s just the way the songs of the summer have played out. I didn’t know much about Charli XCX before I wrote this, beyond the fact that she sang some hooks on some radio hits. I’m …
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New MusicRadar column about Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!”
This one was assigned by my editor, and I went into the song more or less cold. I ended up liking the song, though maybe that’s because so many of my students adore Chappell Roan and I was inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt. Or maybe she’s just good! Anyway, as the …
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New MusicRadar column on Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso”
I had fun with this one. I love Tom Breihan’s Stereogum column The Number Ones, in which he is reviewing every number one Billboard hit in chronological order. His best columns are often about the most insubstantial or annoying songs, because then he can apply a cool objectivity to the processes of the pop machine. …
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Back to Black
For my latest column, MusicRadar assigned me to write about “Back to Black” by Amy Winehouse, since the movie of the same name is about to come out. I didn’t have a relationship with the song or with Winehouse generally before starting on the research, but my students are very attached to her. The column …
New monthly column for MusicRadar
My newest side hustle is a writing gig for MusicRadar, in which I will be analyzing well-known songs in terms of music theory, production and larger cultural context. The first one went live today, a study of “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish from the Barbie movie. The next one is going to …