Jason Heller

Jason Heller appears in the following:

Searching For Disco's Cro-Magnon

Tuesday, June 04, 2019

A writer thinks he's found disco's progenitor, but none of the experts agree with him, or each other — and the end result is beside the point.

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We're Gonna Miss Him: Roky Erickson Brought Soulfulness To Psychedelia

Sunday, June 02, 2019

Through a career that spanned six decades, the psychedelic pioneer captivated the rock establishment while remaining at an arm's length from the mainstream.

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First Listen: Pelican, 'Nighttime Stories'

Thursday, May 30, 2019

On its first album in six years, the instrumental metal band has produced its most vulnerable yet overwhelming work to date.

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First Listen: Justin Townes Earle, 'The Saint Of Lost Causes'

Thursday, May 16, 2019

Cradled in his homespun warmth, Justin Townes Earle's husky drawl feels like the darkness before the dawn.

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First Listen: Bruce Hornsby, 'Absolute Zero'

Monday, April 08, 2019

Hornsby's new album is as melodic as his past oeuvre, but it's also an absorbing peek into the veteran musician's love of avant-garde classical, jazz and progressive rock.

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First Listen: Weyes Blood, 'Titanic Rising'

Thursday, March 28, 2019

A torch-song singer whose indie roots only add to the vastness of her voice and feeling, Natalie Mering keeps her head in the clouds.

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'You Know Me': Buzzcocks' Pete Shelley Gave Punk A Heart

Friday, December 07, 2018

Pete Shelley, the Mancunian co-founder and singer of Buzzcocks, embedded a vulnerability and honesty into early punk's genetic code, forever changing the genre.

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Getting 'The Band' Together: Questions For Nicholas Eames

Monday, October 15, 2018

Author Nicholas Eames's series The Band is a joyous mashup of classic rock and fantasy tropes — because if there were monsters, why wouldn't there be bands of celebrity mercenaries to slay them?

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First Listen: YOB, 'Our Raw Heart'

Thursday, May 31, 2018

After a near-death experience, the doom metal trio's sprawling gravity and thunderous majesty takes an introspective turn.

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First Listen: Bombino, 'Deran'

Thursday, May 10, 2018

The wildly talented Tuareg guitarist returns to his North African roots on his latest album.

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First Listen: The Messthetics, 'The Messthetics'

Thursday, March 15, 2018

The debut from guitarist Anthony Pirog and Fugazi's rhythm section pushes and pulls through a compelling conversation between aggression and meditation.

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First Listen: Downtown Boys, 'Cost of Living'

Thursday, August 03, 2017

The songs on Cost Of Living are a big leap forward in the evolution of one of punk's most revolutionary groups.

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Our Critic Doesn't Entirely <3 'The Emoji Code'

Thursday, August 03, 2017

Vyvyan Evans' new book about the rise of emojis casts the little icons as part of human language's long-running struggle to evolve — but too often it reads like a textbook, didactic and dry.

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Corporate Bungling And Political Scandal Abound In Jesse Eisinger's New Book

Sunday, July 30, 2017

Why don't crooked corporate CEO's go to jail anymore? Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jesse Eisinger uncovers culture of cowardice, incompetence, and corruption in both government and finance.

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3 Supernatural Noir Tales That Reflect The Inhuman Condition

Thursday, July 27, 2017

Some great noir fiction has been written about Los Angeles, but what happens when a different genre bleeds through? We've got three tales of murder, magic and robot detectives to cool your summer.

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'Caesar's Last Breath' Is A Breezy History Of Our Atmosphere

Sunday, July 23, 2017

Sam Kean's funny, conversational new book reminds us not to take the air we breathe for granted — our atmosphere can tell stories about everything from dinosaurs and Julius Caesar to space flight.

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First Listen: Offa Rex, 'The Queen of Hearts'

Thursday, July 06, 2017

The Decemberists team up with English singer Olivia Chaney to perform gorgeous British folk ballads.

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'Woolly' Breathes New Life Into A Scientific Saga

Wednesday, July 05, 2017

Ben Mezrich's taut, entertaining new book follows the men and women who have dedicated themselves to cloning the woolly mammoth, and maybe reversing some of the damage humans have done to the planet.

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First Listen: Broken Social Scene, 'Hug Of Thunder'

Monday, July 03, 2017

The Toronto-based collective returns after seven years with a collection of ethereal anthems.

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In 'Amatka,' A Warped And Chilling Portrait Of Post-Truth Reality

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Karin Tidbeck's new novel is set in the mysterious city of Amatka, an agricultural colony ruled by a totalitarian government — but this is no standard dystopia. In Amatka, language has strange power.

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