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Music Features

Saturday July 30, 2011

Courtesy of the artist

'London Calling,' Repurposed As A Tourism Jingle

July 30, 2011 • The apocalyptic punk song is Britain's unlikely soundtrack for early coverage of the 2012 Olympics.

'London Calling,' Repurposed As A Tourism Jingle

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Thursday July 28, 2011

Getting A Fake Phone Number Never Sounded So Good

Metronomy, from left to right, Oscar Cash, Anna Prior, Gbenga Adelekan and Joseph Mount. Phil Sharp/Courtesy of Because Music hide caption

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Phil Sharp/Courtesy of Because Music

Getting A Fake Phone Number Never Sounded So Good

July 28, 2011 • Metronomy, recently nominated for the Mercury Prize, calls its song "Some Written" "a bit weird."

"Some Written" by Metronomy from 'The English Riviera'

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Tuesday July 26, 2011

Labelle in the early 1970s. From left to right, Nona Hendryx, Sarah Dash and Patti Labelle. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images hide caption

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Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

10 Soul Songs That Let The Light In

July 26, 2011 • The music that inspired Amy Winehouse is made of laughter and freedom as much as blood and tears.

Joe Arroyo at the Latin Grammys in 2008. Michael Buckner/Getty Images hide caption

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Michael Buckner/Getty Images

Joe Arroyo, Salsa Icon, Has Died At 55

July 26, 2011 • The President of Colombia mourned his death, calling it "a great loss for music and for Colombia."

Saturday July 23, 2011

Remembering Retro-Soul Singer Amy Winehouse

Amy Winehouse onstage in London in 2007. Hayley Madden/Redferns hide caption

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Hayley Madden/Redferns

Remembering Retro-Soul Singer Amy Winehouse

July 23, 2011 • Ann Powers met the singer in 2007, just as she was becoming a star in the U.S.

Friday July 22, 2011

The Feelies: Finding Joy In The Same Old Sounds

The Feelies in a press photo from 1988, and standing in front of the same diner this year. Photos courtesy of A&M Records and The Feelies hide caption

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Photos courtesy of A&M Records and The Feelies

The Feelies: Finding Joy In The Same Old Sounds

July 22, 2011 • How a 35-year-old band uses repetition to turn our current obsession with "retro" into a revelation.

Thursday July 21, 2011

A Tribe Called Quest: The Rise And Fall Of A Legend

A Tribe Called Quest in the early days. From left to right, Jarobi White, Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Phife Dawg. Ernie Paniccioli/Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics hide caption

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Ernie Paniccioli/Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

A Tribe Called Quest: The Rise And Fall Of A Legend

July 21, 2011 • They were one of the most successful and influential groups of all time. They came up with an original style which stood apart in their time, the early '90s — and somehow, they managed to do it together. They are no longer together. A new film tries to explain why.

A Tribe Called Quest: The Rise And Fall Of A Legend

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Wednesday July 20, 2011

James Taylor Is Not The 'Whitest' Guy You Know

James Taylor onstage at the Mariposa Folk Festival in July of 1970 in Orillia, Ontario. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images hide caption

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Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

James Taylor Is Not The 'Whitest' Guy You Know

July 20, 2011 • The singer's influences aren't always apparent, which has made him easy to caricature as bland.

Monday July 18, 2011

Courtesy of EMI France

France Is Sweet On Magic System's 'Cherie Coco'

July 18, 2011 • The number four song on France's pop charts, by Ivory Coast's Magic System, nods to the long road West African musicians have taken to commercial acceptance in countries that were once colonial powers.

Friday July 15, 2011

Reflections On A Summer Of Driving And Listening

Holiday road: It's a quest for fun. And memorable tunes. Warner Bros./Warner Bros./Getty Images hide caption

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Warner Bros./Warner Bros./Getty Images

Reflections On A Summer Of Driving And Listening

July 15, 2011 • The songs that define road trips aren't necessarily the catchiest things to come out of the car stereo. They're small pleasures that mean something specific in the moment.

Thursday July 14, 2011

Spotify Arrives Stateside: What You Need To Know

After a long negotation with the major labels, the streaming music service Spotify has launched in the U.S. via Spotify hide caption

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via Spotify

Spotify Arrives Stateside: What You Need To Know

July 14, 2011 • The service has won over users in Europe and generated interested in the U.S. by offering a simple service. It has a huge catalog of music that can be streamed, combined into playlists and accessed from any computer with an Internet connection, for free.

Spotify Arrives Stateside: What You Need To Know

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Wednesday July 13, 2011

Pop's Punching Bag: Hating The Black Eyed Peas

The Black Eyed Peas, from left to right: will.i.am, Fergie, Apl.de.ap and Taboo, onstage during Nickelodeon's 24th Annual Kids' Choice Awards in April Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images hide caption

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Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

The Record

Pop's Punching Bag: Hating The Black Eyed Peas

July 13, 2011 • A look at how one of the world's most successful pop groups manages to engender so much animosity.

Monday July 11, 2011

How The Internet Transformed The American Rave Scene

Phil Dent/Redferns

The Record

How The Internet Transformed The American Rave Scene

July 11, 2011 • Rave — created by kids, for kids in the 1990s — flourished on the Internet and mirrored its rise.

Saturday July 9, 2011

A Dour De Niro Inspires A Megahit, And Other Stories

Robert De Niro performs in the 1977 Martin Scorsese film New York, New York. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images hide caption

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Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

The Record

A Dour De Niro Inspires A Megahit, And Other Stories

July 9, 2011 • A new book explains how an angry confrontation with the actor birthed a legendary song.

A Dour De Niro Inspires A Megahit, And Other Stories

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Friday July 8, 2011

Manuel Galban, Cuban Guitarist, Has Died

Manuel Galban. Alejandro Perez/Courtesy of Big Hassle hide caption

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Alejandro Perez/Courtesy of Big Hassle

The Record

Manuel Galban, Cuban Guitarist, Has Died

July 8, 2011 • Galban, part of the Buena Vista Social Club, was popular in Cuba long before that album.