Sunday 29th June 2025

Music

In More, Pulp aren’t just trading on nostalgia – they’re fresh

In a year where many are talking about one Britpop band in particular – cough, cough, Oasis – the often-forgotten band of the same era, Pulp, have stolen the...

Bonding, identities, and connections through music

The feeling is both shared and unique to that moment

The cantatas of Bach with New Chamber Opera

Recently, students from the University of Oxford have blessed the city with several performances...

Review: Bush! The Musical – ‘Is our actors singing?’

While the genre of historical musical theatre centred around US politicians may be dominated...

Review: Arlo Parks’ ‘Collapsed in Sunbeams’

"Collapsed in Sunbeams is a tender portrait of her microcosm of the world that feels universal."

“Here Comes Your” Alt-Rock

"Alt-rock is characterised by experimentation with texture, timbre, and structure, especially drawing on the raw, distorted punk rock sounds and new wave’s energetic appeal." Jimmy Brewer takes a look back at five bands who defined the sound of the genre.

Bodleian Bangers: Dame Helen Ghosh

"If you asked me “what am I proud of?”. I did Couch to 5k. Okay, so going with that for a running song I would say Tears for Fears “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” (1985). Definitely one of my pandemic songs."

Review: Playboi Carti’s ‘Whole Lotta Red’

The most interesting thing about Playboi Carti is that despite the immense attention and hype he draws, he remains a relative mystery. Past projects...

Bodleian Bangers: Alan Rusbridger

"If you want 45 minutes of music to die to, surely it's last bit of Act I of Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro - as good as any 45 minutes of music." Alan Rusbridger, LMH Principal and former Guardian Editor-In-Chief, is the first to feature in Music's new series, Bodleian Bangers.

Six of the best: winter albums

"Sit back and relax by the fireplace with a mince pie in one hand and a glass of mulled wine in the other, and let Bing Crosby’s ‘White Christmas’ soothe your soul."

Review: Taylor Swift’s ‘evermore’

‘In the disbelief I can’t face reinvention. I haven’t met the new me yet.’ So sings Taylor Swift in her ninth and most recent...

Review: Phoebe Bridgers’ ‘If We Make It Through December’ EP

Coming off the post-apocalyptic scream that concluded Punisher, Phoebe Bridgers’ 2020 album (my favourite album this year, and possibly ever), the muted buzz of...

Christmas Songs: The Hidden Treasures and Epic Failures

If you’re anything like me, you’ve been listening to Christmas songs since the beginning of November. Oxmas is without doubt one of the very...

Review: Adrianne Lenker’s ‘songs / instrumentals’

Big Thief’s album covers — hazy, warm-eyed snapshots of earthy nostalgia — are a fitting prelude to their deeply intimate folk music gnarled among...

Review: Future Islands’ ‘As Long As You Are’

Originating from Baltimore, Future Islands were three albums into their acclaimed discography when they hit the mainstream in 2014 with their iconic Letterman performance...

Cherwell’s end of year music recommendations

It's been a testing year, but the music hasn't stopped. From impressive debuts to lockdown albums from well-established favourites, 2020 has seen its fair...

Review: Bring Me the Horizon’s ‘Post Humans: Survival Horror’ EP

In November 2019, frontman of Bring Me The Horizon, Oli Sykes, boldly claimed that the band were “not going to do an album again,...

Review: Kali Uchis’ ‘Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios) ∞’

As any even casual listener of Kali Uchis (born Karly-Marina Loaiza) will know, she has simply never dropped a bad song. And I’m not...

I like what you like: lockdown albums and decision fatigue

"Lockdown has heightened our collective experience of album drops. In a time of physical separation, bonding over a shared auditory experience is a privilege we haven’t taken for granted."

Review: Gorillaz’ ‘Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez’

2020 sees the release of the third Gorillaz album in four years. With previous efforts Humanz and The Now Now being somewhat lacklustre affairs,...

Review: Sufjan Stevens’ ‘The Ascension’

With access only to a drum machine and a computer, the rest of his instruments being in storage after moving, Sufjan Stevens’ September album...

Oxford artist spotlight: in conversation with LZYBY

Emerging from the depths of lockdown, Oxford-based singer LZYBY (George Cobb) has made light work of spelling ‘Lazy Boy’, and even lighter work of...

Mercury Prize 2020: an apt event for a tumultuous year

It goes without saying that the music industry has faced more than its fair share of hardship this year. With gigs cancelled, arena tours...

‘Change Is Your Responsibility’ – more than just a song

"When Paddy hit me up, I was like: this is 100% something I want to be the voice on."

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