Plus: the power and pain of R&B’s ‘new jill swing’ era
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Picks of the week
Chris Stapleton on patriotism, politics and being country’s great crossover star
‘Who am I voting for? America!’  
Chris Stapleton on patriotism, politics and being country’s great crossover star
With southern-gothic storytelling and a soulfully diverse sound, the Kentucky singer revolutionised the double-denim country scene. But as the US election hots up, he’s staying out of the culture wars
‘Maybe I am bizarre to some people …’  
The unique, underrated mind of 70s singer Dory Previn
‘Young women from the ghetto were taken advantage of’  
The power and pain of R&B’s ‘new jill swing’ era
‘I was playing with fire’  
One True Pairing’s Tom Fleming on Wild Beasts, breakdown – and his brilliant comeback
Composer Oliver Coates on the cello, chaos and connection  
The best music is out there in nature
Reviews
Alexis Petridis's album of the week  
Amyl and the Sniffers: Cartoon Darkness – Aussie punks still spit, but add a bit more polish
Amyl and the Sniffers: Cartoon Darkness – Aussie punks still spit, but add a bit more polish
Jazz album of the month  
Keith Jarrett/Gary Peacock/Paul Motian: The Old Country – a delightful return to a cherished jazz venue
Underworld  
Strawberry Hotel – sweet bangers and sad laments
Laura Marling  
Patterns in Repeat – a tender love letter to motherhood
Pixies  
The Night the Zombies Came – like an echo of an echo of past glories
Fievel Is Glauque  
Rong Weicknes – teetering song-towers that never quite topple
Spotlight
Composer Max Richter: ‘I’m a low-key raver! I love all kinds of music’
Observer New Review Q&A  
Composer Max Richter: ‘I’m a low-key raver! I love all kinds of music’
The creator of the most streamed classical album of all time on working with Margaret Atwood, enjoying Eurovision, and uniting people through music
Classical
Album review  
Handel in Rome – Nardus Williams sounds heart-stoppingly lovely
Handel in Rome – Nardus Williams sounds heart-stoppingly lovely
Live review  
LSO/Tilson Thomas – emotional depth as Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony gleams
LSO/Tilson Thomas – emotional depth as Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony gleams
Live review  
London Sinfonietta/Berman – Schoenberg celebrations fail to get the party started
London Sinfonietta/Berman – Schoenberg celebrations fail to get the party started
Add to playlist
‘I have plenty of rhythm when I rap, but not so much when I have sex’  
Professor Green’s honest playlist
Professor Green’s honest playlist
You may have missed
There will be no tantrums. I’m a grown man now
The return of Hope of the States  
There will be no tantrums. I’m a grown man now
Tim Jonze
The artful square pegs of the early-00s indie scene saw their careers upturned by the death of a band member. Now 18 years later they’ve reunited, finding their youthful spark still intact
The Prodigy’s Leeroy Thornhill on fame, raves and his late best mate Keith Flint  
I love him and I always will
He and Flint joined the band as teenagers, leaving Essex to travel the world and mix with royalty. As Thornhill publishes a book of photographs from that era, he talks about the fun, friendship, chaos – and sorrow
‘Every recording carries the air of a seance’  
Remembering my father the music archivist
Researching a novel about forgotten blues musicians led me to revisit the life’s work of my late dad: disinterring decades of dusty recordings that will outlive us all
‘It romanticised my night!’  
The R&B slow jam events making Black British clubbers swoon
No pounding beats, no strobes – just sensual tracks, singalongs and nostalgic vibes. Black club-goers explain how this craze gives them a space to call their own
‘Bob Dylan was an endearing young scallywag!’  
Barbara Dane, the singer who burned a path through folk, blues and activism
The US singer-songwriter, who has died aged 97, encountered Louis Armstrong and more as she championed civil rights as much as music. In her final interview conducted last week, she explained why she was still angry
‘We were banging our heads against a wall – the wall won’  
The genius pop and tragic demise of Boys Wonder
They swaggered into the late 1980s, a potent brew of punk, glam and classic rock. But they went nowhere, then had to watch as their recipe conquered the charts. Now they’ve returned – so are they looking back in anger?
Live music this week
Joni Mitchell  
A triumphant star-studded Hollywood show
A triumphant star-studded Hollywood show
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