To wish for bands to reunite is like wishing your divorced parents get back together: You'll be happy, but they'll be having a really bad time. | | | | It's a Marshmello world: DJ Marshmello at the Budweiser Made in America festival, Philadelphia, Sept. 3, 2017.
(Kevin Mazur/Getty Images) | | | | |  | “To wish for bands to reunite is like wishing your divorced parents get back together: You'll be happy, but they'll be having a really bad time.”
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| | rantnrave:// BROADWAY musicals that have brought me to tears in the past week and a half: DAVID YAZBEK and ITAMAR MOSES' THE BAND'S VISIT, a romantic drama, small in scope, about an Egyptian police band stuck for a night in a tiny village in the Israeli desert, which by not being about Arab-Israeli relations, per se, ends up saying more about Arab-Israeli relations than any mere politician or diplomat ever could, and which also has a thing or two or three to say about love, and did I mention the tears? (Thank you, my NEW YORK sister.) And BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN's SPRINGSTEEN ON BROADWAY, a one-man show, enormous in scope, about a dude from Jersey coming of age in rock and roll, which has a few things to say about mothers, fathers, wives, AMERICA, VIETNAM, cars, guitars and saxophone players. Legit tears for Springsteen's realization of how much his difficult father lives on in himself, right down to the clothes he wears onstage; for the saxophone player, who Springsteen reminisces about in the middle of a soul-stirring solo piano rendition of "TENTH AVEVUE FREEZE-OUT"; and for an acoustic guitar take of "THE RISING," the one song in the Springsteen catalog that sounds like it wasn't written so much as it was received, a moment of spirituality and grace that gains an unexpected edge of, almost, defiance when stripped down to its core like this. He is—this is not breaking news—a fantastic storyteller and a helluva performer, blessed with a carnival barker's soul and good comic timing. He's here to tell you he is a great American fraud and to share with you the magic trick that has allowed him to perpetuate that fraud for several decades, and if you walk out realizing he never in fact told you what the trick is, you will remember that, hey, he did mention he was a fraud. The novelistic, autobiographical detail of the first two-thirds of the show gives way, in the last 40 or so minutes, to something closer to a solo-acoustic concert dotted with the collected wisdom of Bruce Springsteen. An encore where the third act should be. I wanted the story to go on further, and I wanted more resolution. Then again, I've listened to enough Springsteen music to know not every story has a happy ending, or any ending at all. Tickets for Feb. 28 through June 30 go on sale Dec. 19, and only those who pre-registered for tickets the last time around are eligible. If you did pre-register, I wish you all the magic in the world... Department of deals-that-make-total-sense: TECHCRUNCH says APPLE could announce as early as today that it's buying SHAZAM... Men who suck at apologizing in 2017, part 174: "While in a state of being lost in performance, I kicked over various lighting and equipment on our stage. Today it was brought to my attention that this included a camera held by photographer CHELSEA LAUREN." Here's what JOSH HOMME actually did to Chelsea Lauren... This square-dance-conspiracy TWITTER thread is amazing... RIP SUNNY MURRAY and LEON RHODES. | | | - Matty Karas, curator |
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| | | gonna boogaloo down broadway |
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 | The Baffler |
| Spotify’s obsession with mood and activity-based playlists has contributed to all music becoming more like Muzak. In the 1930s, Muzak prioritized workplace soundtracks that were meant to heighten productivity, using research to evaluate what listeners responded to most. | | |
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 | March SHREDNESS |
| Like a follower returning to the flock, I’ve been abandoning and circling back around to Christian rock my whole life. And within that sacred corner of the industry, littered liberally with frosted tips and swaying “Lift Him Up” singalongs, is a brave band of disciples pushing onward through a genre diametrically opposed to their very core purpose. These are the Christian metalheads. | | |
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 | Noisey |
| From starting one of the most popular music websites of the 2000s to struggling to keep the lights on, Hype Machine’s founder explains what the f*** happened. | | |
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 | NPR Music |
| The two singers, songwriters and guitarists bring out the adolescence in each other, poking jabs, goofing around and having fun at the Tiny Desk. | | |
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 | Los Angeles Times |
| In this excerpt from “Parental Discretion Is Advised: The Rise of N.W.A and the Dawn of Gangsta Rap,” Gerrick D. Kennedy details the birth of the first major disruption of hip-hop. | | |
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 | The Guardian |
| As ‘the musical of the Obama era’ opens in London, its creator explains how the hip-hop life of an immigrant founding father can offer hope in the age of Trump. | | |
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 | The New Yorker |
| A decades-long love affair with the punk band Jawbreaker. | | |
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 | Dazed Digital |
| Meet the sound engineer working with Gucci Mane, Lil Uzi Vert, Young Thug and helping create the world’s biggest tracks. | | |
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 | The Atlantic |
| The quiet, revolutionary power of one of the soul-music legend’s biggest hits, 50 years after his death. | | |
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 | Billboard |
| All of her success as an actress and comedian, and the engagement her loyal fan base consistently provides, has her becoming a major player elsewhere, including the music industry. But Pons has been connected to the music industry long before now. | | |
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| | | and come back home with the loot |
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 | Salon |
| Why are white conservatives so triggered by black athletes taking a knee? | | |
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 | Trench |
| At present, the dialogue surrounding drug use in hip-hop is elementary at best, lacking nuance and understanding as to why twenty-somethings are using both prescription drugs with little regard for the effects. | | |
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| Dazed Digital |
| We trace the enduring influence of the Quins, fearlessly bringing queer visibility, activist outreach and a DIY heart to indie, electronica, pop and beyond | | |
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 | Genius |
| From 21 Savage’s “Numb” to Migos’ “Bad and Boujee,” the St. Louis producer ruled the Billboard charts. | | |
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| The Guardian |
| Small labels report lengthy production delays as big stars monopolise Europe’s two main pressing plants. | | |
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 | The Outline |
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| The New Yorker |
| Used objects can feel intimate and revelatory as we behold them, as if there were ghosts to be coaxed from these machines. | | |
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| Noisey |
| On her latest EP, this 22-year-old rising talent blends indie and soul in a singular and dynamic way. | | |
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 | SPIN |
| Consider this list a sort of sanity-preserving meta-commentary on a seasonal affliction. If anything here provides some small solace, do yourself a favor and don’t put in on repeat. | | |
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 | Decider |
| Now streaming on Netflix, “Long Time Running” offers American audiences a window into the last ride of the defining Canadian band of its era. | | |
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 | YouTube |
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