An album dropped by such a universally acclaimed, pop history altering group as A Tribe Called Quest after 18 years' hiatus would already have carried enough significance to be a bombshell. When you add the fact that core member and lead champion of the project, Phife Dawg, died of complications from diabetes at age 45 … Continue reading Best of 2016 III: A Tribe Called Quest
As the year draws to a close, what better way to use Modern Monday than to work through the best albums of 2016. Despite its disastrous reputation 2016 has given us some damn good albums (including last week's Big Baby D.R.A.M.), and many of them draw heavily on pop history for their sound and vibe. … Continue reading Modern Monday: Best of 2016 countdown – Anderson .Paak
Ahh, Christmas music. As a former retail employee, one might think it would be a scourge to my ears. The truth is, I love it, because I am hopelessly sentimental and addicted to nostalgia: both defining features of holiday music. The other day I put on an Ella Fitzgerald record and the friend listening with … Continue reading 5 *Golden* Xmas Songs You Might Not Have Heard 5000 Times Already
The detriment of technology's involvement in our love lives used to be limited to a missed phone call. Ah, a simpler time... As anyone who's ever used a dating app will tell you, there are certainly drawbacks to some of the advancements technology has had on the dating scene. Continuing on last week's theme, the … Continue reading Technological Difficulty II: The 10 best songs & love and technology
Today on Popilogue I'll be debuting a new feature: Modern Monday! The title in inspired by Instagrammer @vintage_daily but the concept is a little more Popilogue style. I hope to use Modern Monday to explore the ways that pop history shows up in the music of current artists I love in really unique and … Continue reading Technological Difficulty: Love & Technology in D.R.A.M.’s “WiFi.” feat. Erykah Badu
Okay okay...I know it's not Saturday. But, as this is the time I had to post my inaugural Saturday Smash feature, just humour me and pretend it's Saturday. In my Saturday Smash posts, I will talk about a song of the week that I'm really digging, and trace a few roots back from that style. … Continue reading Saturday Smash – Davido
Well, it's been a wild week in the world. I'm not going to comment on You Know Who - I think we've all read enough articles. (Although I do recommend this one if you're not sick of the commentary. It's an interesting take to consider). What I am interested in reflecting on is the connection … Continue reading Pop & Politics
If you pay attention to the threads of music history, music and politics have a complicated interwoven pattern. The political thread comes and goes, particularly in certain trends of pop music. But in 2016, the thread of politics is inextricably intertwined with pop music innovation, and it is perhaps more visible than ever. Kendrick Lamar … Continue reading Still Saying It Loud: Kendrick Lamar and James Brown
I have written a LOT about Lester Young. Seriously - if you love testing your patience and want to give yourself a particularly gruelling challenge, go check out my 85 page wanderings through his fascinating life. For anyone who -shockingly - doesn't want to invest the time, here's a brief synopsis: Born just outside of New … Continue reading Lester & Billie: BFFS
Most of us are familiar with this poster of Rosie the Riveter. I myself have dressed as her for Halloween, both as a way of creating a very last minute costume out of things I already owned, and as an homage to this key figure in the societal changes resulting from World War II. But … Continue reading Rosie the Trumpeter
