SleevelessNotes

More than sounds

[SleevelessNotes @SleevelessNotes]

This year’s FIFA soccer World Cup was a bit special. First off, of course, it was taking place in the US, smack in the middle of the Trump era. Which had a few consequences…
#WorldCup #Halftime #soccer https://t.co/JmpCMLJqko

[SleevelessNotes @SleevelessNotes]

I was playing #Spotify in the living room and a cover started playing. As I was scrambling to remember who the original performer was, I went to check the credits and found a section entitled #SongDNA…https://t.co/F63SJLNiNF

[SleevelessNotes @SleevelessNotes]

When Madonna showed up at Coachella during Sabrina Carpenter’s set earlier this year to debut their new single, I was somewhat underwhelmed. Turns out I was mistaken…
#Madonna #ConfessionsII
https://t.co/Ilg4QWbPLF

[SleevelessNotes @SleevelessNotes]

Lizzo was capable of crafting downright infectious pop music, on par with the best artists of her time, or any era for that matter. Now, and for a number of reasons, it seams she’s having a hard time replicating the formula…
#Lizzo #album #flop
https://t.co/Sh48jltlgz

[SleevelessNotes @SleevelessNotes]

#CliveDavis passed away at the grand old age of 94. Although he may not be a bona fide star, he did appear on talk shows enough for people to get a general idea of who he was. Which is rather unusual for a music business executive…
#musicman #rip
https://t.co/TjZ0OHGoTO

[SleevelessNotes @SleevelessNotes]

For the better part of my time observing the music industry, 4 major labels effectively split the proverbial cake. Then, in 2012, EMI got swallowed up by Universal, creating a veritable monster. And then there were three… until now.
#BMG #major #merger
https://t.co/W1PaCUH09N

[SleevelessNotes @SleevelessNotes]

Ariana Grande is hard to qualify for a bitter middle-aged white guy like me. Her vocals are technically incredible. She looks amazing. She’s funny. She can act. She’s the full package. And her music can be good.
#ArianaGrand #hatethatimadeyouloveme #single
https://t.co/2xNytFMsaX

[SleevelessNotes @SleevelessNotes]

For years, Jay-Z has been fairly discreet when it came to his detractors. He kept his mouth largely shut as Nicki Minaj, Damon Dash or Kanye West tarnished his name in very public ways. Until a few days ago…
#JayZ #RootsPicnic #Freestyle https://t.co/AXuWUdM8Oh

[SleevelessNotes @SleevelessNotes]

From the rise of streaming to the polarization of listeners between niche work and the ultra-mainstream, things are happening in music that would have been inconceivable in the old era…
#Drake #PaulMcCartney #TheRollingStones https://t.co/g4J6ROhZzQ

[SleevelessNotes @SleevelessNotes]

I’ve been meaning to do this for years: a list of my music-related favorites. What are yours?
#music #favorite #queen https://t.co/JooVGoK98V

[SleevelessNotes @SleevelessNotes]

Thriller, the best-selling album of all time, is currently sitting in 5th position on the Billboard 200, the main US albums chart. A full 44 years after its original release… Crazy, right?
#MichaelJackson #charts #biopic
https://t.co/rlo0lVmr4C

[SleevelessNotes @SleevelessNotes]

Whenever any publication, website or blog decides to rank the greatest of anything, expect a debate. Still, the recent New York Times “30 Greatest Living American Songwriters” piece raised more than a few eyebrows…
#NewYorkTimes #songwriters #ranking
https://t.co/LN8NrKHU2I

[SleevelessNotes @SleevelessNotes]

Back in 2023, I wrote a post about how AI was a tremendous opportunity for artists willing to cash in on their very voice. They would generate AI content with their voice — and their authorization… #TaylorSwift #AI #voice
https://t.co/To281X7KRM

[SleevelessNotes @SleevelessNotes]

A week ago, the second weekend of Coachella 2026 concluded with yet another bang. The festival has long been a mainstay for artists wanting to make a mark, and that is only becoming more true with each passing year…
#Coachella #festival #JustinBieber
https://t.co/BfV4dMhwTv

[SleevelessNotes @SleevelessNotes]

A Berlin-based funk musician friend of mine told me about this new hot band, Angine de Poitrine. For non-French speakers, that literally means angina pectoris, a fairly serious heart condition. Obvious name for a band…
#AnginedePoitrine #microtonal #music
https://t.co/Xo4FDHc21K

[SleevelessNotes @SleevelessNotes]

If you don’t know Diplo, you know of him. He is behind M.I.A.’s classic “Paper Planes”, he released the massively successful “Lean On”, he produced half of BTS’s comeback album Arirang… Yet, he comes from virtually nowhere.
#Diplo #producer #philosophy
https://t.co/laDin63WLk

[SleevelessNotes @SleevelessNotes]

I may be biased, but it seems the most exciting new releases as of late have been pretty nostalgic. Here is my personal best of…

#Flea #Raye #MileyCyrus #PaulMcCartney

https://t.co/M7wRgWs8Pa

[SleevelessNotes @SleevelessNotes]

@lorde made the news when she announced that she was a free agent. Which translates to being independent from any label. The singer had been signed since the age of 12 (!) with Universal, the biggest one the planet…
#Lorde #label #independent https://t.co/w4CyX97bmW

[SleevelessNotes @SleevelessNotes]

#Rosé & @BrunoMars' “APT.” was recently crowned the #1 selling song of 2025 by the IFPI, music’s global representative body. The one after that is KPop Demon Hunters’s “Golden”. Mars comes back at #4 with “Die With A Smile”, his duet with Lady Gaga… #APT
https://t.co/1KmXf2xYT2

[SleevelessNotes @SleevelessNotes]

A lot happened at this year’s Brit Awards. Perhaps even more than at this year’s Grammy Awards. But that is not for me to say — or is it? Either way, the 2026 Brits were something to experience. Even if only on Youtube and days later…
#BritAwards #Rosalia
https://t.co/SbBXonmHjO