Bijan Stephen

Bijan Stephen is a music critic for The Nation. He lives in New York and his other work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New Republic, Esquire, and elsewhere.  

The Rise and Fall of Kanye and Drake

The Rise and Fall of Kanye and Drake 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.

Jul 19, 2018 / Books & the Arts / Bijan Stephen

Moby’s Relentless Pursuit of Authenticity

Moby’s Relentless Pursuit of Authenticity Moby’s Relentless Pursuit of Authenticity

His new album, Everything Was Beautiful, and Nothing Hurt, sounds teleported directly from 1999.

May 3, 2018 / Books & the Arts / Bijan Stephen

The Lamentations of Mount Eerie and David Byrne

The Lamentations of Mount Eerie and David Byrne 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.

Apr 24, 2018 / Books & the Arts / Bijan Stephen

MGMT Andrew VanWyndarden performing at Coachella 2014

Music for Dark Times Music for Dark Times

MGMT and Poliça’s new albums offer songs of solace and alarm.

Mar 8, 2018 / Books & the Arts / Bijan Stephen

Rhye's Mike Milosh

The alt-R&B of Rhye The alt-R&B of Rhye

Despite all of the sex baked into Blood, the album is striking for the sense of solitude that lurks beneath its surface.

Feb 15, 2018 / Bijan Stephen

CupcakKe’s Undeniable Joy

CupcakKe’s Undeniable Joy CupcakKe’s Undeniable Joy

The exhilarating freedom and daring of Ephorize.

Jan 30, 2018 / Books & the Arts / Bijan Stephen

awl

What ‘The Awl’ Gave Us What ‘The Awl’ Gave Us

The Awl showed many of us that diving into the weird and marginal could be fun and meaningful—and still produce great writing.

Jan 17, 2018 / Bijan Stephen

Lil-Peep

Lil Peep’s Optimist Love Songs Lil Peep’s Optimist Love Songs

Gustav Åhr was emo-rap’s most visible representative and the genre’s most mainstream success, but what set his music apart was not its despair but its deep sense of hope.

Dec 15, 2017 / Books & the Arts / Bijan Stephen

Shamir’s Reinvention

Shamir’s Reinvention Shamir’s Reinvention

On Revelations, he trades the glitz and brashness of his early work for a more ruminative and uncertain sound.

Nov 17, 2017 / Books & the Arts / Bijan Stephen

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