333SOUND - Short books about albums. Published by Bloomsbury

Announcing the newest 33 1/3s

January 27, 2023February 1, 2023 333admin

We are so excited to finally be able to announce our selections from the 2022 33 1/3 open call. We know that it feels like a long time since the submission window closed, but we’ve been hard at work reading through proposals, sending them on to external advisors*, discussing internally, getting in touch with authors, and making the projects official. So without further delay, here is the list of new titles: Bright Eyes’ I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning by Hannah Seidlitz Café Tacvba’s Re by Carmelo Esterrich Cocteau Twins’ Blue…

Our top 5 favorite Halloween music videos

October 31, 2022October 31, 2022 333admin

Guest post by Liz Morris, marketing assistant with Bloomsbury Academic Happy Halloween! In this spookiest of seasons, we have pulled together a list of some of our favorite unsettling music videos for your enjoyment—or terror. Let’s kick off the round-up with Radiohead’s “Just.” If this music video had a genre, it would be suspense. No, there aren’t any jump scares, butchered animals, or monstrous faces, but this video will leave you with an eerie mix of confusion and dread. The video has a two-part structure: your standard jam session with…

OPEN CALL FOR PROPOSALS 2022

September 2, 2022September 2, 2022 333admin

It’s here! The 2022 33 1/3 open call for proposals starts… NOW! If you’re a 33 1/3 fan, music writer, or music lover now is your chance to submit to the series. All guidelines can be found here. The deadline for proposals is October 20th at 11:59 PM EST. We can’t wait to see what you’ve got!

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES: GEORGE MICHAEL AND FREEDOM UNCUT

June 23, 2022June 23, 2022 333admin

Guest Post by Matthew Horton It’s a big month in the George Michael Expanded Universe, as not only has my 33 1/3 book on Faith been released in the US (it’s coming your way on 8 September, Europe), but 22 June also sees the global theatrical release of George Michael: Freedom Uncut, the George Michael documentary feature that – according to the official press material – ‘serves as his final work’. ‘Final work’ revisited, that is, because it first appeared in 2017. Back then, it was just called George Michael:…

Duet with the Dead

March 31, 2022March 31, 2022 333admin

“When AI does the labor that had traditionally been performed by a living artist, it is not limited to the body. There is no reason, for example, why any AI must be restricted to reproducing the affect of one particular artist. The possibility for the ultimate transmogrification is endless.”

A guest post by Ginger Dellenbaugh.

The Track not Taken: “Mercè, dilette amiche”

March 24, 2022March 24, 2022 333admin

“In a live concert program, an aria like “Mercè, dilette amiche” is appropriate as an encore—a sprightly digestif for the ears as reward for a round of enthusiastic applause. On an album it seems superfluous after the vocal labors of a behemoth like The Bell Song.”

A guest post by Ginger Dellenbaugh

Strike a Pose

March 23, 2022March 23, 2022 333admin

“One hand, clenched in a fist, in the middle of a puffed chest and the other outstretched as if the voice were launched like a frisbee. If one could distill a genre to a gesture, this would be the posture that portrays opera.”

A guest post by Ginger Dellenbaugh.

The Music of Sports and the Sports of Music: Get Your Sporty Groove On!

March 17, 2022March 17, 2022 333admin

“I’m often amused when people roar about something they don’t like—as if said roaring attests to some value or characteristic they wish to have—when what it is they’re roaring about actually has a lot in common with what they’re more than happy to tell you they’re into.”

A guest post by Colin Fleming.

Track 3: Ondas (Na Óhlos de Petronila)

February 7, 2022February 7, 2022 333admin

“I came to hear the wordless, cinematic Track 3 “Ondas (Na Óhlos de Petronila)” as a devastating protest of 1979 Brazil from afar.”

A guest post by Dan Sharp.

Naná’s time illuminates everything around it

February 3, 2022February 7, 2022 333admin

“Naná Vasconcelos’s superb time surfaced several times when I talked to the producers, engineers, and musicians that knew him best … Naná could easily work without a click track, or dance around the pulse of a click track, producing parts that don’t feel pinned down by its tyranny.”

A guest post by Dan B. Sharp