(1) A shout out for dogged music journalism and a reminder that those who call themselves music journalists should actually do more than review new releases or docile Q&A interviews with pop stars. Superb profile of Chicago writer Jim De Rogatis, the man who made it his business to dig into the R. Kelly story and investigate allegations of sexual abuse against the r’n’b performer. Real music journalism work.
(2) “A Porky Prime Cut”: the secret history of messages etched into records.
(3) Monday morning sounds: Anne Briggs “The Time Has Come”
(4) One for those running the Dublin marathon next weekend: inside the strange, weird and downright bizarre world of social media marathon cheating
(5) If you’re one of those people who walk through airports and wonder about the amount of people rocking those travel pillows with them, this is for you. TL:DR? Yep, they’re useless
(6) Banter podcast: an encounter with the one and only Fachtna O Ceallaigh, the straight-shooting music manager. There’s lots to dig into here, from his days writing about music for The Evening Press to managing acts like Clannad, the Boomtown Rats, Bananarama, the Bothy Band, Donal Lunny, Morrissey (for seven eventful weeks), Eamon, Ricky Gervais (when he was in Seona Dancing), Dread Broadcasting Corporation and, currently, Hare Squead.
(7) John Jeremiah Sullivan is one of our favourite writers because his work is also so detailed and colourful. In new essay The Curses, he writes about the history of what may be the first blues song ever written, an 1887 sheet-music hit titled “The Curse” by composer Paul Dresser.
(8) 30 new songs every Monday: the science behind Spotify’s Discover Weekly.
(9) Time to go back to Detroit: the story of how techno was born, developed and continues to thrive amidst the city’s financial and social strife.
(10) Tune