Written by Livy Li After the phenomenal success of the film Kim Ji-young: Born 1982, I went to read the novel. On Japanese Goodreads, many people gave it four stars. One highly upvoted review said: “A thin book, just over a hundred pages, sparsely printed and written like a diary without any literary flair. Hardly… Continue reading Why are Korean women such good writers?
Month: November 2025
Gatekeeping, or the art of being tasteful
Written by Maria Francesca Ficarra “We need gatekeepers again – new, more diverse ones. Editors, experts. Taste isn’t a democracy, nor should it be populist. It comes from experience and exposure… Just because you eat doesn’t make you a restaurant critic.” This extract from a Substack post written by Emily Sandberg sparked a lot of… Continue reading Gatekeeping, or the art of being tasteful
The (dead) art of music criticism
Written by Bouchra Haddani In the time of vinyl and cassettes, a music critic was someone an artist would fear. Musicians, especially in pop music, sought their approval because they knew that by winning them over to his side, listeners would follow. Fans tended to feel as though their opinion was inferior to the one… Continue reading The (dead) art of music criticism
The category is ethical billionaires
And no, your favorite pop star is not on the list. Written by Elif Idil Uluçay The Wall Street Journal recently named Billie Eilish as the winner of the Music Innovator of the Year award. During her acceptance speech the singer urged others in the room to donate more, pointing the finger specifically at the… Continue reading The category is ethical billionaires
Crossing over to nowhere
On modern musical imperialism and the West’s problem with labeling non-white music Written by Stambekova Aida Perhaps you remember the hot statement Tyler, The Creator made at the 2020 Grammy Awards right after winning the Best Rap Album for his debut record, IGOR. “It sucks that whenever we — and I mean guys that look… Continue reading Crossing over to nowhere
Thus Spoke the DJ
Reflections on the Modern Dionysus Written by Maria Cairoli “Art is the production of objects for consumption, to be used and discarded while waiting for a new world in which man will have succeeded in freeing himself of everything, even of his own consciousness. This example I cite could be extended to the exclusively noisy… Continue reading Thus Spoke the DJ