Percussive elements can often be the driving force behind a piece of music, encompassing its energy and guiding the direction of the song. But they are often limited or underexplored in popular music, as the melody tends to dominate the listener’s attention. Read more...

After announcing himself in the third person on a loudspeaker backstage at his April 5 show, Bill Bailey energetically strode out to his microphone, settled amid an array of unlikely musical instruments, and concisely informed the audience that “there are three jokes in this show.” He promptly began the first with, “Three blokes walk into a pub” trailing off midway through, unapologetically explaining that he always seems to lose faith in his jokes halfway through. Read more...

The Flaming Lips “At War with the Mystics” Warner Brothers Records Back before the career-making opus that was “The Soft Bulletin,” The Flaming Lips were kind of a gimmick band. Read more...

Sondre Lerche and the Faces Down Quartet “Duper Sessions” Astralwerks Records A lot of pop music flirts with the influences that inspired its artist. It catches a seventh chord here and there and people can call it jazzy, or the lyrics tell a story and automatically it becomes folk. Read more...

Yeah Yeah Yeahs “Show Your Bones” Interscope In “Fever To Tell,” Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman Karen O sang about love ““ and she was pissed about it. Read more...

Most moviegoers decide whether to see a new film in the span of one to three minutes. As a marketing device, movie trailers are highly effective tools that can determine the next blockbuster or flop at the box office. Read more...

Aside from the Ying Yang Twins’ “Wait (The Whisper Song),” Asian-Americans have been conspicuously absent from the hip-hop scene. Meet fourth-year Asian American studies and economics student David “FD” Nguyen. Read more...