World music

Until recently – under the name “Final Fantasy” – Owen Pallett created a lush symphonic sound by layering his solo violin many times over with looping pedals. Pallet performs live in the studio and tells Kurt why he wanted to feature an actual full symphony orchestra on his new record Heartland.

With the rough weather this winter, writer Henry Alford has been cooped up inside more than he’d like. He’s been listening to the radiator clanging, banging, and hissing so long that it sounds like music. So he created his own composition for radiators, and he got a professional opinion from classical music critic Fred Plotkin. […]

As part of our summer redesign challenge, we’ve asked illustrator-designer Kate Bingaman-Burt to makeover Uncle Sam. She enlisted her graphic design students at Portland State University to come up with ideas for replacing the stern white-haired man with the top hat.

It wasn’t sold or played on the radio, but Woody Guthrie’s song became an American classic. It was also attacked as anti-American. The history behind “This Land Is Your Land,” from our series “American Icons.” Check out the feature page on our new American Icons website, with video, slideshows, bonus audio, and more.

In 1969, Jimi Hendrix‘s performance of the national anthem at Woodstock hit like a shock wave; with its distortion and chaos, it sounded like a rupture in something sacred. Two music scholars and two rock guitarists put together the pieces. Produced by David Krasnow. Check out the feature page on our new American Icons website, […]