Sophia Deboick
26 April 2023
Ryuichi Sakamoto: Sayonara to a great outernationalist
The Japanese composer’s work was imbued with a healthy disregard for musical and national boundaries
Read the full article19 April 2023
God only knows why they went: The Beach Boys’ Dutch disaster
In the early 70s, the band decamped to the rural Netherlands to make a ‘comeback’ album that nearly finished them
Read the full article08 April 2023
Cologne Cathedral: An inspiring place to make an album
Grandbrothers’ new release Late Reflections matches the landmark’s emotional heft
Read the full article30 March 2023
The sound of genius: The musical legacy of Picasso
It is apparent that Picasso’s name comes to the lips of singers with the same ease as “Jesus” or “Elvis”
Read the full article23 March 2023
Chaim Topol: Forever Tevye
The late Israeli actor and singer performed If I Were a Rich Man more than 3,500 times in multiple productions of Fiddler on the Roof
Read the full article16 March 2023
In praise of Kylian Mbappé, the young god
Arguably the greatest footballer in the world has inspired a plethora of songs across Europe
Read the full article09 March 2023
Iceland’s dark daughters
Kælan Mikla bring their witchy synth-punk to the UK for the first time since the pandemic
Read the full article09 March 2023
Monica Zetterlund: The musical expressionist
How Sweden’s Eurovision loser became perhaps Europe’s greatest-ever jazz singer
Read the full article02 March 2023
Rocking the classics
From The Rolling Stones and The Cure to Jean-Louis Murat: How musicians excel at melding literature and song
Read the full article23 February 2023
Snow Ghosts: a deep sense of unease
The British trio are back with more of their despairing, sinister sounds on new album The Fell
Read the full article16 February 2023
The best days of our lives
Music has long tried to solve the riddle of childhood and recapture the point of view of the child that we all once were
Read the full article09 February 2023
The jukebox of delights
25 years since Mamma Mia! first premiered the jukebox musical is unlikely to go away any time soon
Read the full article02 February 2023
Soldiers of fortune: Sweden’s most controversial historians
An award for Swedish power metallers Sabaton quickly turned sour when a concert in Crimea emerged
Read the full article26 January 2023
Sacha, savvy stereotype
Nearly 20 years after his death Sacha Distel is enjoying an afterlife through his music
Read the full article19 January 2023
The sound of sadness
Europe has long provided the soundtrack to despair and desolation
Read the full article12 January 2023
A teary mascara marathon
Over two decades since he sent shockwaves through the world’s sullen youth, Ville Valo is back with his debut solo album
Read the full article05 January 2023
Turning it up to 11 in 2023
Europe will continue to show it is a musical powerhouse this year
Read the full article30 December 2022
Sturgeon’s secret weapon in 2023: Music
This will be the year Scottish artists put IndyRef2 on their setlists
Read the full article25 December 2022
Europe’s 50 greatest albums
Welcome to your new, continental playlist
Read the full article22 December 2022
Tracks in the snow: how Scandinavians hear Christmas
We have to go far north, to the lands most closely identified with snowy festiveness, to find nations truly invested in Christmas music and embracing songs in their own language
Read the full article15 December 2022
Judaism’s ray of light
As Hanukkah songs are sung throughout next week, they will forge a link to a difficult past even as they celebrate a living culture
Read the full article08 December 2022
Poland’s bachelor boy
Jerzy Połomski, one of the most-loved entertainers in Polish history, has died at the age of 89
Read the full article01 December 2022
Amberian Dawn, Finland’s super troupers
ABBA’s back catalogue has found a new iteration thanks to a symphonic metal outfit from Finland
Read the full article24 November 2022
Priya Ragu, the Tamil trailblazer
While influenced by American R&B, the emerging superstar’s eponymous “Raguwavy” is virtually unique
Read the full article17 November 2022
A whole new World Cup?
Another World Cup means another official song of the tournament
Read the full article10 November 2022
The UK’s uncharted territory
The birth of the singles chart signalled the future direction of British pop
Read the full article03 November 2022
Adriano Celentano: A king across the water
Italy's answer to Elvis has proven that it's often the most unlikely of experiments that make for a successful career
Read the full article27 October 2022
North country boy: Ásgeir provides a pinpoint of clarity
Ásgeir, as he is mononymously known, is a household name in Iceland for his warm soundscapes
Read the full article20 October 2022
Uninhibited and unsung: Tove Lo is still breaking new ground
The Swedish star surely claims the crown as the most uninhibited woman in pop
Read the full article13 October 2022
Ukraine’s scouse party: Eurovision’s Mersey mission
Liverpool has a long history with Eurovision, and not always a successful one
Read the full article06 October 2022
Courting the limelight: Poland’s unlikely freedom fighter
How an ex-WAG popstar brought and won a case at the European Court of Human Rights
Read the full article29 September 2022
Russia’s voice of dissent
Having spoken out against the war in Ukraine, Alla Pugacheva could influence the next chapter in Russian history
Read the full article