33 1/3 Author Q&A: A Closer Look at South African Popular Music

33 1/3 Author Q&A: South African Popular Music

Welcome to our latest author Q&A, where we chat to the writers behind new and upcoming 33 1/3 books! Today Lior Phillips talks to us about her addition to the Genre series: South African Popular Music. She tells us more about what it was like writing this book and recommends the best songs ‘to help soundtrack your quest through South African pop music history’.

5 books to get you in the mood for Eurovision

5 Books to get you in the mood for Eurovision

The 2023 Eurovision final is live from Liverpool on Saturday night and to celebrate, we’ve put together a curated list of books inspired by iconic Eurovision moments, songs and artists. ABBA historically secured a victory for Sweden in 1974 with Waterloo – now widely considered one of the best Eurovision songs of all time. This book, devoted to their Greatest Hits compilation, looks at the impact it had on the music world, and tells the stories behind some of the greatest pop songs ever recorded. Order your copy >> 2022…

33 1/3 Author Q&A: A Closer Look at Living Colour’s Time’s Up

Author Q&A for Living Colour's Time's Up

Welcome to our latest author Q&A, where we chat to the writers behind new and upcoming 33 1/3 books! Today Kimberly Mack talks to us about her addition to the series: Living Colour’s Time’s Up. She tells us more about why she chose this album, her experience writing across multiple genres and the impact Living Colour had on Black rockers. How would you describe your book in one sentence? Time’s Up explores the production and reception of this important album, while considering the personal stories and legacy of this ground-breaking…

33 1/3 Author Q&A: A closer look at Babes in Toyland’s Fontanelle

Selena Chambers on Babes in Toyland Fontanelle

Welcome to our latest author Q&A, where we chat to the writers behind new and upcoming 33 1/3 books! Today Selena Chambers talks to us about her addition to the series: Babes in Toyland’s Fontanelle. She tells us more about the fun and challenging parts of writing her first 33 1/3, what content didn’t make it into the finished book, and why Fontanelle is such a captivating album. How would you describe your book in one sentence? A critical celebration of Babes in Toyland’s overlooked contributions to the feminist aesthetics…

Announcing the newest 33 1/3s

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

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…

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES: GEORGE MICHAEL AND FREEDOM UNCUT

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

“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.