The hottest Music Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Music Topics

Over and over, all born into great pain

The Golden Notebooks • 19 implied HN points • 26 Jul 23
🎶 Music Artists Songs Albums Abuse
  1. Sinead O'Connor was a sincere and real artist who faced backlash for speaking out against abuse and corruption in the Catholic Church.
  2. She created powerful music and openly addressed personal struggles, motherhood, and societal issues in her work.
  3. Her bravery in challenging authority and advocating for change left a lasting impact, inspiring others to stand up against injustice.

A Leader Worth Following

Critic at Large • 19 implied HN points • 04 Aug 23
🎶 Music Hip-hop Influence
  1. Hip-hop's golden era in the late 1980s and early 1990s shifted focus to addressing issues of race, culture, and philosophy, with Rakim being seen as a significant figure in the genre's evolution.
  2. Rakim, through his album 'Follow the Leader,' showcased complex lyrical forms and addressed themes of culture, identity, history, and race with revolutionary approaches, leaving a lasting impact on hip-hop.
  3. Rakim's influence, along with his peers', played a pivotal role in elevating hip-hop from a form of entertainment to a platform for addressing social and intellectual issues, shaping it into a globally influential musical genre.

An Inspired World

Critic at Large • 19 implied HN points • 08 Jul 23
🎶 Music Jazz Album
  1. Stan Getz and Eddie Sauter collaborated in 1961 to create an album where Getz improvised melodies over pre-composed orchestral arrangements, a unique approach in jazz history.
  2. The album 'Focus' is considered the finest work of both Getz and Sauter's careers, showcasing Getz's unmatched tone and brilliance in saxophone playing.
  3. Despite Stan Getz's troubled personal life, his music in 'Focus' remains untainted by his struggles, highlighting the transformative power of art to separate the artist from their creations.

Racism and Reckoning in Classical Music

Variations on a Theme • 19 implied HN points • 31 Aug 23
🎶 Music Classical Racism Art Culture History
  1. Classical music industry faces financial challenges and struggles post COVID-19 shutdowns, impacting organizations nationwide.
  2. Issues of racism in classical music industry raised by scholars and media, impacting musicology programs and leading to controversial discussions on composers' legacies.
  3. Classical music institutions are grappling with maintaining tradition while adapting to popular culture demands, facing challenges in attracting audiences and dealing with internal controversies.
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Wander the Night Japan

SJF • 19 implied HN points • 23 Jun 23
🎶 Music Album Collaboration Photography Vinyl
  1. The album 'Wander the Night Japan' is now available on streaming services.
  2. It is a collaboration between sound artist Simon James French and photographer Cody Ellingham.
  3. The music and images aim to inspire a journey and convey emotions through stillness.

I Saw Taylor Swift and Tori Amos in One Week, And I Have Some Thoughts.

The Reclamation Era • 19 implied HN points • 21 Aug 23
🎶 Music Concerts Artists Feminism Songwriting Cultural influence
  1. Attending concerts can have a huge emotional impact, offering a sense of renewal and connection, especially when shared with loved ones. Going to the Taylor Swift concert was a transformative experience for a mother and her daughters.
  2. Music can deeply influence our lives and relationships, helping us feel understood during tough times. The connection between a fan's experience of one artist can be just as meaningful as another's, regardless of mainstream popularity.
  3. Both Taylor Swift and Tori Amos are important artists who have made significant contributions to music in their own ways. It's essential to appreciate and respect different musical journeys and not dismiss what someone else loves.

Summertime

The Leftovers • 39 implied HN points • 26 Jul 22
🎶 Music Playlist Songs
  1. The author is taking a summer break for a couple of weeks, leaving a playlist of music they've been enjoying for readers to discover new tunes.
  2. The summer playlist shared does not include typical mojito-sipping songs, but instead has a heat-high mood.
  3. Readers can start a 7-day free trial to access the full post archives of The Leftovers.

Best Music 4

GOOD INTERNET • 13 implied HN points • 14 Jan 24
🎶 Music New releases Indie Punk Hip-hop
  1. The post shares the best music from the past month, featuring various artists and genres.
  2. It emphasizes quality content with 'All Killers No Fillers' approach.
  3. Readers are encouraged to support the online magazine through subscription upgrades or other support options.

The Unfinished Quest

I. Ron Leach's Facelifted Gaming • 1 HN point • 19 Jun 24
🎶 Music
  1. FM Synthesis played a significant role in the evolution of music in video games, with Yamaha's DX7 synthesizer being a game-changer in shaping the sounds of the 1980s rock and pop music.
  2. The Yamaha OPL2 and OPL3 chips were instrumental in producing the iconic chirpy sounds in arcade machines, gaming platforms, and personal computers, offering a wide range of sonic capabilities.
  3. Converting and manipulating data formats related to FM synthesis from retro video game music poses challenges, but utilities like VOPM/VOPMex and DXConvert/TXConvert offer solutions for compatible conversions.

This Week the French Revolution!

The False Consensus Effect • 59 implied HN points • 10 Nov 20
🎶 Music
  1. The post discusses the French Revolution and hints at delving into its complexities.
  2. The author mentions having French heritage through his wife and their band's music.
  3. There is a mention of recording a song in a French garage with France scenery in the video.

Youtube's original sin-g

escape the algorithm • 39 implied HN points • 24 Aug 21
🎶 Music Discovery YouTube Creativity Community
  1. The internet often presents a limited subset of human creativity that is tailored to algorithms for consumption.
  2. Exploring original music on platforms like YouTube through unconventional means can unearth hidden gems despite low view counts.
  3. Discovering music through personal exploration can offer a more meaningful and unique experience compared to algorithm-curated content.

The Base Determines The Superstructure

The Seat of Loss • 12 implied HN points • 14 Apr 23
🎶 Music Evolution Technology Industry Artists Trends
  1. The history of music and the music industry is influenced by economic factors and technology advancements.
  2. Artists throughout history have adapted to changing conditions, from Chuck Berry's use of new recording technology to modern producers working on digital audio workstations.
  3. The traditional music industry model has shifted, with artists like Drake and Tame Impala showcasing self-sufficiency and adaptability in the face of evolving industry trends.

Ross Simonini: Say No

Do Not Research • 19 implied HN points • 15 Sep 21
🎶 Music Song Artist Collaborations Video
  1. Ross Simonini's "Say No" challenges traditional notions of success through music.
  2. The EP Standards volume 2 questions conventional genres like pop, country, and jazz tunes.
  3. The music video for "Say No" reflects on animals in a human world, disinterested in human pursuits.

GOOD MUSIC 02/2024

GOOD INTERNET • 3 implied HN points • 29 Feb 24
🎶 Music Indie Punk Pop Electronic
  1. The post highlights a diverse selection of music genres and artists, from indie to punk to electronic and more.
  2. Various well-known artists are featured such as Norah Jones, Little Simz, and Burial, offering a mix of new tracks and cover songs.
  3. Readers are encouraged to support the online magazine through paid subscriptions or other support options listed at the end of the post.

The Last Recording Artist

The Seat of Loss • 8 HN points • 16 May 23
🎶 Music Recording Artists History Industry Innovation
  1. Vocaloid technology has the potential to revolutionize the music industry by creating 'new' performances using existing recordings of singers.
  2. Hatsune Miku showcases a successful model of a virtual pop star, serving as a platform for secondary creativity and fan engagement.
  3. The traditional concept of recording artists is evolving, with the rise of AI-generated music, shifting focus from recording income to other revenue streams like touring and merchandise.

Songwriting in Nowhere

The False Consensus Effect • 19 implied HN points • 29 Jan 21
🎶 Music Songwriting Artists Creativity Lyrics Performing
  1. Writing what you know doesn't guarantee success in creative pursuits, as demonstrated by examples like Stephen King. People often prefer stories of magic and fantasy over reality.
  2. Creative expression in various forms like painting, sculpture, and music requires a deep connection to the subject matter, but success and financial reward aren't guaranteed.
  3. Songwriting is a personal and cathartic process, and it's essential to engage in it for personal fulfillment rather than for public performance or external validation.

Robot Nirvana

The Jolly Contrarian • 19 implied HN points • 23 Apr 21
🎶 Music Technology Art Creativity Industry History
  1. Robot Nirvana explores the use of artificial intelligence to recreate music by deceased artists like Kurt Cobain, showcasing the limitations of technology in replicating human creativity.
  2. Music technology has made remarkable advancements, allowing for incredible sound recreation and studio expertise at a fraction of the cost, revolutionizing music production.
  3. Recreating past artistic works using AI raises questions about the redundancy of human creativity and the importance of artists in pushing artistic boundaries forward.

I Searched For Empirical Proof that the '80s Were a Bucket Full of Ass, Artistically

I Might Be Wrong • 2 implied HN points • 23 Feb 24
🎶 Music Analysis
  1. The author explored the idea of 'golden ages' in art and whether specific times and places foster more creativity.
  2. The study compared the music popularity of the late '60s/early '70s with the '80s, showcasing a clear difference in lasting impact.
  3. The '80s were seen as a nadir of musical creativity, with the raw energy of rock '60s/'70s music giving way to a commercially different sound.

Did Bach Improvise?

Curiosity Sink__ • 2 HN points • 20 Feb 24
🎶 Music Classical Improvisation Education Artistry History
  1. Classical composers like Bach and Beethoven were known to heavily improvise, showcasing a skill akin to jazz improvisation, indicating a long history of improvisation in music.
  2. The invention of written notation wasn't to restrict music to rigid interpretations, but to preserve and transmit musical ideas when recordings were unavailable, highlighting the evolution of music preservation.
  3. Encouraging improvisation over classical compositions can bring new life to old melodies, allowing for personal expression, creativity, and the creation of unique musical interpretations.

Best otherwise unreleased B-side ever?

Matt’s Five Points • 0 implied HN points • 08 Sep 11
🎶 Music Genres Artists Albums
  1. Some famous B-sides might be better than the A-sides they were paired with. For example, "Strawberry Fields Forever" by The Beatles was a double A-side but left off their album.
  2. B-sides can sometimes surprise fans who only know the hits. Songs like Pearl Jam's "Yellow Ledbetter" started as B-sides, showing a different side of the band.
  3. Many classic bands have hidden gems among their B-sides, like Madonna’s "Into the Groove" and U2's "Sweetest Thing," which fans might not realize weren't on the main albums.

Mother 93

Matt’s Five Points • 0 implied HN points • 13 Sep 10
🎶 Music Rock Pop History Culture Events
  1. The song 'Mother 93' by Danzig became a huge hit in early 1994, marking an exciting moment in music history. People everywhere, even those who had never heard of Danzig before, were suddenly talking about it.
  2. At that time, many other major music releases were still to come, which made 'Mother 93' feel like it appeared out of nowhere and filled a gap in popular music.
  3. The impact of Kurt Cobain's death shortly after the song's rise likely changed the music scene and Danzig's future, showing how quickly everything can shift in pop culture.

Sometimes Music Is Just Better Than Words

The Reclamation Era • 0 implied HN points • 13 Oct 23
🎶 Music Playlists Emotions Memories Curation Personal Stories
  1. Music often expresses feelings that words cannot. Sometimes, when we struggle to find the right words, a song can say everything we need to convey.
  2. Letting go can be tough, whether it's memories, beautiful moments, or the seasons changing. It's important to appreciate what we have rather than hold on too tightly.
  3. Creating playlists for different moods can help us connect with our emotions. Curating music is a way to remember and feel, making tough times a little easier.

Consumer Guide: June, 2023

And It Don't Stop • 0 implied HN points • 14 Jun 23
🎶 Music Critique Genres Reviews
  1. Consumer Guide for June 2023 by Robert Christgau includes different music genres like semba, merengue, kompas, and soukouss.
  2. Paid subscription is needed for access to the full content of the post.
  3. The post features Lovestruck avowals, stealth-ethical jokers, Black pop standards, and smart lovers who understand worse scenarios.

Xgau Sez: June, 2023

And It Don't Stop • 0 implied HN points • 21 Jun 23
🎶 Music
  1. Loretta Lynn's artistic vitality in her eighties with great albums and an undiminished voice are worth noting.
  2. Tina Turner's passing raises questions about her legacy and impact, with varying views on her artistry compared to other iconic musicians.
  3. The discussion on underrated hard rock albums from the '80s highlights emotional power in music without a sense of arrogance.

Xgau Sez: May, 2023

And It Don't Stop • 0 implied HN points • 24 May 23
🎶 Music Editing
  1. Good editors respect writer's intentions, suggest stronger language, and double-check facts.
  2. Music from different cultures all have unique grooves that can be enjoyed and appreciated.
  3. Staying engaged while reviewing albums is key to providing worthwhile critiques and enjoying the process.