It’s the summer of the superhero. Batman returns in “The Dark Knight,” and we have eponymous films from Hancock, The Incredible Hulk, and Iron Man (wow – just had to type that three times because I kept writing “Iran Man” – what superhero was I thinking of?). It’s the Hans Zimmer/James Newton Howard […]
It’s tempting to look down on all those people standing in lines around the block at the various Apple stores, waiting to buy yet another Apple gizmo. Tempting to say, “look at them; they’re like addicts. Apple hooks them, and then reels them in, and they simply can’t get away.” But then my blackberry […]
Abba is on the big screen (Mamma Mia was the #3 movie in the country this past weekend). Abba is on the Billboard charts (the Mamma Mia soundtrack is #3 there too). And Abba is on Broadway (Mamma Mia has been playing to full houses for 7 years). What year is this […]
Last year we polled our Soundcheck listeners for their pick of the Summer Song of 2007… now, my recollection was that the listeners correctly picked Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” which of course did go on to become the de facto anthem of last summer. But in checking the actual results, it seems that the Soundcheck audience […]
Is anybody REALLY surprised to find that babies respond to music? I don’t mean the so-called “Mozart effect,” which has been pretty well debunked at this point – even though lots of unscrupulous producers continue to market Classical Lite recordings to gullible parents. I mean the recent studies that show, through the use […]
As longtime listeners will know, I am a huge fan of new music. My nightly “New Sounds” program here at WNYC has celebrated many types of new music since (gulp) 1982. So when I read Joe Queenan’s article, “Admit It, You’re As Bored As I Am,” my first inclination was to smack him. […]
Sarfraz Manzoor’s book, “Greetings From Bury Park,” would seem to be pretty specific at first glance: the surprising story of how a young Pakistani immigrant to Britain deals with his strict Muslim father and the very different society around him – through the intermediary of Bruce Springsteen’s music.
The thing is, his story is […]
Every summer, one song seems to blast from every beach radio, car stereo, and block-party boombox around the city. This Friday, Blender editor at large Lizzy Goodman joins us to help crown this summer’s biggest jam.
But first — we need your help! Cast your vote for this year’s summer song. Tune in to Soundcheck […]
Soundcheck wants you to make an informed decision before you cast your vote in our Summer Song 2008 Poll. Sample each song below and weigh your options.
Rihanna, “Disturbia”
Lil’ Wayne feat. Static Major, “Lollipop”
Katy Perry, “I Kissed a Girl”
The Hold […]
So hip-hop is in trouble? Sales are down? The music’s lost its edge? Sorry, but weren’t we just saying those exact same things about rock a few years ago? And it turned out that rock wasn’t dead at all - you just had to know where to look for it. […]