Who Is Boots?
Ben Ratliff and Jon Pareles discuss the 28-year-old singer, songwriter and producer.
23m Feb 20, 2015
23m
Grammys Post-Mortem
Jon Caramanica and Ben Ratliff discuss Kanye West, Beck, Iggy Azalea, Papa John’s and other stars of the show.
30m Feb 10, 2015
30m
Björk Gets Personal
Jon Pareles tells Ben Ratliff about club-hopping with Björk in Iceland and listening to her new album, “Vulnerica,” which was released last week.
27m Jan 30, 2015
27m
Departed Tastemakers: ASAP Yams and Kim Fowley
Jon Caramanica and Ben Ratliff discuss two connectors with keen ears, who died last week.
21m Jan 23, 2015
21m
Sleater-Kinney Returns
Ben Ratliff and Jon Pareles are joined by Caryn Ganz, of RollingStone.com, to discuss “No Cities to Love,” the new album by Sleater-Kinney.
23m Jan 16, 2015
23m
All About Meghan Trainor
Ben Ratliff and Joe Coscarelli discuss Ms. Trainor as surprise, as a formula, as contrivance and as a product of Nantucket, hip-hop and Nashville.
23m Jan 09, 2015
23m
The Year in Jazz 2014
Jon Pareles, Nate Chinen and Ben Ratliff discuss the movements of jazz in 2014.
37m Jan 02, 2015
37m
The Year in Pop 2014
Ben Ratliff, Jon Pareles, Jon Caramanica and Nate Chinen discuss pop music’s dominant themes, lessons and preoccupations in 2014.
29m Dec 19, 2014
29m
The Best Albums of 2014
The pop critics of The New York Times discuss their lists of the Top 10 albums of the year.
43m Dec 12, 2014
43m
The Pop Savvy of ‘Beyond the Lights’
Jon Caramanica and A.O. Scott discuss what this modern update of “The Bodyguard” gets right about the music business.
27m Dec 05, 2014
27m
London Calls Mary J. Blige
Jon Caramanica and Ben Ratliff discuss Mary J. Blige and her new album, “The London Sessions.”
32m Nov 21, 2014
32m
How Bobby Shmurda Danced Into the Hot 100
The 20-year-old East Flatbush rapper Bobby Shmurda has just jumped from No. 8 to No. 6 on the Billboard chart.
28m Nov 14, 2014
28m
Dave Grohl’s ‘Sonic Highways’
Ben Ratliff and Jon Caramanica discuss “Sonic Highways,” the new album and HBO mini-series by Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters.
33m Nov 07, 2014
33m
Listening to Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’
Jon Caramanica and Ben Ratliff discuss Taylor Swift’s poppy new album.
38m Oct 27, 2014
38m
The Myth of Scott Walker
Jon Caramanica and Ben Ratliff discuss Scott Walker and “Soused,” his new album with the drone-metal band Sunn O))).
30m Oct 17, 2014
30m
Tinashe, FKA Twigs and the Semantics of R&B
Ben Ratliff and Jon Caramanica discuss the singers Tinashe and FKA twigs, and whether they point toward a new conception of R&B.
29m Oct 10, 2014
29m
Parsing Steve Coleman’s Genius
Ben Ratliff and Nate Chinen discuss the jazz saxophonist, a recent winner of a MacArthur “genius” grant.
20m Sep 26, 2014
20m
What We Talk About When We Talk About Chris Brown
Jon Caramanica and Ben Ratliff discuss the challenges of appraising Chris Brown.
30m Sep 19, 2014
30m
U2’s ‘Songs of Innocence’: Gift or Spam?
Ben Ratliff and Jon Pareles discuss the new U2 album, released this week for free in iTunes.
23m Sep 12, 2014
23m
Our Vacations with Ariana Grande and Kate Bush
Ben Ratliff and Jon Caramanica discuss new projects by Ms. Grande and Ms. Bush.
31m Sep 05, 2014
31m
The Alchemist
Ben Ratliff talks to Jennifer Herrema of the band Black Bananas.
32m Aug 08, 2014
32m
Songs of the Summer
Jon Caramanica and Ben Ratliff discuss some of the most popular songs of the summer.
29m Aug 01, 2014
29m
Arto Lindsay’s Ecstatic Procession
The singer and guitarist Arto Lindsay discusses his work and career, including a new album, “Encyclopedia of Arto.”
31m Jul 25, 2014
31m
Can Hip-Hop Thrive on Broadway?
Jon Caramanica and Charles Isherwood discuss the failure of “Holler if Ya Hear Me,” the musical based on the work of Tupac Shakur.
25m Jul 18, 2014
25m
Sia’s Path from Victim to Victory
Jon Pareles and Ben Ratliff discuss Sia Furler, the Australian singer-songwriter, and her new album, “1000 Forms of Fear.”
23m Jul 11, 2014
23m
Metal, Poetry and Satan
Ben Ratliff and the poet Michael Robbins discuss the current state of metal and the music’s perhaps surprising similarities with poetry.
34m Jul 04, 2014
34m
Lana Del Rey, Downcast Superstar
Jon Pareles and Ben Ratliff discuss Lana Del Rey and her new record, “Ultraviolence.”
27m Jun 27, 2014
27m
Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith, British Pop Imports
Jon Caramanica and Ben Ratliff discuss the young English singers.
30m Jun 20, 2014
30m