Bijan Stephen
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MusicJanuary 13, 2021
A Soundtrack for the American Subconscious
Oneohtrix Point Never’s latest album is not unlike a radio broadcast from another reality.
Bijan Stephen
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MusicOctober 1, 2020
Sufjan Stevens’s Lullabies for the Apocalypse
His new album’s gentle pessimism about our state of affairs makes for a weirdly soothing musical experience.
Bijan Stephen
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MusicFebruary 4, 2020
Kaytranada Captures an Entire Party’s Worth of Sound on ‘Bubba’
The electronic producer’s new album feels like the full flowering of a major talent.
Bijan Stephen
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MusicAugust 27, 2019
The Magic of Megan Thee Stallion and Jai Paul
Two distinct artists defined the sound of this summer.
Bijan Stephen
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MusicMay 6, 2019
Vampire Weekend Grows Up
Over a decade since its debut, the band that soundtracked the Great Recession returns with one of its most ambitious albums.
Bijan Stephen
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Autobiography and MemoirFebruary 7, 2019
The Weight and Power of Kiese Laymon’s ‘Heavy’
His memoir is an affecting chronicle of both hope and despair in the American South.
Bijan Stephen
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MusicOctober 10, 2018
SOPHIE and Blood Orange’s Thrilling Transformations
SOPHIE’s Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides and Blood Orange’s Negro Swan capture two high-wire acts of musical reinvention.
Bijan Stephen
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July 19, 2018
The Rise and Fall of Kanye and Drake
The genres that West and Drake once defined are now the domain of a new generation of musicians.
Bijan Stephen
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May 3, 2018
Moby’s Relentless Pursuit of Authenticity
His new album, Everything Was Beautiful, and Nothing Hurt, sounds teleported directly from 1999.
Bijan Stephen
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MusicApril 24, 2018
The Lamentations of Mount Eerie and David Byrne
Mount Eerie’s Now Only and David Byrne’s American Utopia both try to find meaning in a world of loss and death.
Bijan Stephen