L.A. Times - Entertainment — Whether it was Lorde, Halsey or even Taylor Swift, pop singers knew that presenting themselves as outsiders was a clear way to connect with listeners in a year as fractured as 2017. But when these would-be misfits are topping year-end lists (like Lor... more info

L.A. Times - Pop & Hiss — Whether it was Lorde, Halsey or even Taylor Swift, pop singers knew that presenting themselves as outsiders was a clear way to connect with listeners in a year as fractured as 2017. But when these would-be misfits are topping year-end lists (like Lor... more info

Stereogum — Our Lorde and savior is finally blessing us with a vinyl release of Melodrama, the very best album of 2017. The standard and the deluxe edition, which comes with a hand-drawn sleeve and six photo inserts, will both be out 4/8; you can pre-order them ... more info

Stereogum — Early next year, the Swedish neo-folk duo First Aid Kit will return with the new album Ruins, and we've posted their songs "It's A Shame," "Postcard," and "Fireworks." In the run-up to the new album's release, they've also recorded a session for BBC ... more info

PopSugar UK — Now that we're nearing the end of the year, it's time to crown the best songs of 2017! From sexy hits like "Wild Thoughts" and "Slow Hands" to romantic love songs like "Malibu" and "Shape of You," we were blessed with so much amazing music this year... more info

Chorus.fm — Melinda Newman, writing for Billboard: Grammy album of the year nominee Lorde, Kacey Musgraves, Bleachers, Shamir, Matt Berninger and Aaron Dessner of The National and Britt Daniel and Alex Fischel of Spoon have all signed on for The Ally Coalitionâ€... more info

Stereogum — Lorde, Kacey Musgraves, Bleachers, Shamir, Matt Berninger and Aaron Dessner of The National and Britt Daniel and Alex Fischel of Spoon have all signed on for The Ally Coalition’s 4th annual Talent Show, to take place 1/24 at New York’s Town Hall. more info

New York Times — From Lorde to Kendrick Lamar, many of the albums and songs on our critics’ best-of lists showcased the work of musicians meeting difficult circumstances with artistic fortitude. more info

New York Times — The deal is the latest sign of a frothy market for music rights, as streaming has given a boost to the valuations of music catalogs. more info

Stereogum — In 2017, Jack Antonoff obviously had a huge year as a producer, working with Lorde, St. Vincent, Pink, and, as an encore, Taylor Swift. But somewhere in there, his band Bleachers somehow found the time to release the album Gone Now, touring behind it... more info