Short books about albums. Published by Bloomsbury
Articles written by authors, guests and the 33 1/3 team.
Next month we’re adding two new books to our Genre series: ’70s Teen Pop and Krautrock. If you’re not yet familiar with this series, think of Genre as your guide through musical sub-genres that have intrigued, perplexed, or provoked listeners. Much like the original 33 1/3 series, each book offers new perspectives, song recommendations, little-known tidbits, personal stories, and above all, ways of thinking about music.
Joanna McNaney Stein reveals how k.d. lang’s Ingénue went from life-changing album to the topic of her 33 1/3 volume, out November 2nd 2023. She talks about how she came to pitch her 33 1/3 idea to us, as well as the experience of writing about an album that had such a significant impact on her.
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…
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…
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!
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:…
“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.
“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
“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.
“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.