Joan Of Arc’s new album opens with three words that could just as easily serve as its tagline: “What the fuck?”

This week’s question pays tribute to the end of the Obama era, by asking the question many of us have pondered at one time or another:

After bands have established career security, their albums tend to feel more labored-over. Part of this phenomenon stems from internal pressures and expectations: Groups feel compelled to one-up (or at least equal) the quality of previous records, or decide to indulge in experiments that by nature are more complex.…

Ambient music, like any form of abstract art, relies on context. In the absence of lyrics—and often rhythm or melody—something has to give form to the formless, a title card explaining that those fuzzy black rectangles are actually Nude Woman Lamenting A Dying Earth. It’s why so many ambient albums, beginning with…

Frequently compared to rock icons such as The Rolling Stones and David Bowie, which have been warranted in the past, Foxygen goes a decidedly different route on its fourth LP, Hang. Here, the L.A. act, composed of the duo Sam France and Jonathan Rado, emulates the Day-Glo ebullience of producer Dave Fridmann’s Flaming…

The recent PBS docuseries Soundbreaking is a must-see for any music buff, primarily because of the way it challenges conventional notions of “authenticity” when it comes to pop, rock, folk, and R&B. The whole process of recording and distributing songs is inherently artificial, requiring machines and electronics to…

Obsessive music fans are a strange ilk. Not only will they fill their homes with every deluxe reissue of a record, but they’ll take on some barely functional curiosities, too. Here’s a look at the releases that stretch the definition of “album,” often requiring so much effort that it begs the question if it’s worth…

There’s something perfect about Brian Eno’s new album, Reflection, coming out on New Year’s Day—a time of symbolic page-turning, when reflection leads to action. Eno’s ambient works are not easy listening, but they are generally quite calming, so a long stretch of gentle chimes and cooing electronics seems a perfect…

Perhaps it’s the vicarious thrill, perhaps I’m a masochist for stomach-churning sights, but I’m really into watching young Russians illegally scale buildings and other tall structures on YouTube. They’re modern-day daredevils, like the Flying Wallendas, only more foolish. These teens strap on a GoPro, then break into…

The complex web that is Soulja Boy and Chris Brown’s social media feud now involves a celebrity boxing match, a Mike Tyson diss track, and our own valiant attempts to untangle it.

In Hear This, The A.V. Club writers sing the praises of songs they know well. This week, we’re picking songs from 2016 that we discovered too late in the year to include on our year-end ballots.

Deservingly heralded as one of today’s most forward-thinking hardcore acts, Code Orange also projects a hyper-seriousness that’s easy to mock. But the band’s lack of self-awareness with lyrics and demeanor is overshadowed by its music. Although the lyrics of Forever sometimes seem like something from an angry…

For The xx’s existence, co-leads Romy Madley Croft and Oliver Sim have shared the spotlight, no matter how smoky and dim that spotlight has been. The band’s third member, Jamie Smith, occupied the background, offering the textures, beats, and occasional steel drums as a canvas. But both live and on record, it’s the…

In Hear This, The A.V. Club writers sing the praises of songs they know well. This week, we’re picking songs from 2016 that we discovered too late in the year to include on our year-end ballots.

Silly Little Show-Biz Book Club is Nathan Rabin’s ongoing exploration of books involving show business, with a special emphasis on the very bad and the very sleazy.

In Hear This, The A.V. Club writers sing the praises of songs they know well. This week, we’re picking songs from 2016 that we discovered too late in the year to include on our year-end ballots.

Senior Editor Marah Eakin and Music Editor David Anthony took to A.V. Club Live to discuss our piece on the most anticipated music of 2017, chatting about some of the records we’re most looking forward to. Will Drake release his playlist? Will Haim be the next pop sensation? Do kids care about LCD Soundsystem? Tune in…

In Hear This, The A.V. Club writers sing the praises of songs they know well. This week, we’re picking songs from 2016 that we discovered too late in the year to include on our year-end ballots.

A.V. Club Live is our daily chat show, broadcasting live via Facebook every weekday at 10:30 a.m. Central.

While it’d be nice if music releases fit nicely into a year-by-year narrative, the end of 2016 proved that wasn’t the case. Even after we published our feature highlighting some of the best music of 2016, there was still more to be released for the year. In those last couple weeks before 2017 was rung in, we saw new…