The topics of the January issue
2024: The big annual review
Exactly 100 years after the death of the Prague insurance employee Franz Kafka, world events seemed to follow his pen, becoming eerie, threatening, absurd, almost Kafkaesque. So let’s look back at the Kafka year 2024 – at the US election and the shift to the right in Germany, at the “Brat” summer and female dominance in pop, at TV greats and concert giants, at further excitement and suggestions
By Jens Balzer, Maik Brüggemeyer, Birgit Fuß, Max Gösche, Max Florian Kühlem, Sassan Niasseri, Ralf Niemczyk, Robert Rotifer, Peter Unfried, Marc Vetter, Arne Willander and Sebastian Zabel
The albums of the year
Chosen by the critics of ROLLING STONE: the 50 records of the year. PLUS: the readers’ charts and our personal best lists for 2024
The RS Interview: Stevie Nicks
In an almost four-hour interview, the legendary singer speaks in detail about self-determination, politics, lighthouses and the end of Fleetwood Mac
By Angie Martoccio
The RS report: Georgia
Classical and techno, pop and protest, Europe and Russia: a new, diverse music scene is flourishing in Georgia. But since the election she has felt her freedom threatened. A journey through a torn country, from Tbilisi to the Caucasus
By Ralf Niemczyk
Thunderclap Newman
The short-lived band had a famous mentor in Pete Townshend, a hit – and now there is also a powerful biography
By Robert Rotifer
The Mix
Jasmine 4.t
From Bristol to Los Angeles: After her transition, the English artist Jasmine.4.t (“Jasmine for Trans”) produced her great debut under the wing of the musicians from Boygenius
By Mia Mödlhammer
The Weather Station
Repress until the doctor comes: How Tamara Lindeman recorded an album with The Weather Station that is reminiscent of Talk Talk
By Max Gösche
Q&A: Franz Ferdinand
Bandleader Alex Kapranos on new songs, old fears and the search for one’s own identity
By Max Gösche
HISTORY: Bob Dylan
50 years ago, Bob Dylan’s masterpiece, the breakup album “Blood On The Tracks” was released.
By Maik Brüggemeyer
Dwight Yoakam
Dwight Yoakam is so much country that they called it rock and roll
By Jörg Feyer
The Sheepdogs
The Canadians have refined their classic folk rock sound – sometimes in the style of John Fogerty and sometimes in the style of Crosby, Stills & Nash
By Jörn Schlüter
PLUS
Early James, Udo Jürgens, White Denim and some more
Reviews
MUSIC
News from The Coward Brothers and 70 other reviews
RS GUIDE: Tindersticks
Arne Willander on the work of the British institution
FILM, SERIES & LITERATURE
“The Seeds of the Sacred Fig Tree” and 18 other reviews
Playlist: Rare Trax in January
A small but fine selection of highlights from the exciting and very good music year 2024
1. Tinderstick’s “New World (Edit)”
The album “Soft Tissue” is a slow burner, some even consider it the best Tindersticks work in a long time. “New World” looks great as a soulful flagship.
2. Beth Gibbons “Reaching Out”
An ominously rumbling, Scott Walker-esque masterpiece from Gibbons’ first solo album, which the Portishead singer worked on for over ten years.
3. Bright Eyes “Hate”
Like John Lennon in “God”, Conor Oberst takes issue with all the prophets, charlatans and concepts that give us false hope.
4. Iron & Wine “Sweet Talk”
More light shines again in the world of Sam Beam aka Iron & Wine. “Light Verse” contains a lot of folk-pop gems like these.
5. Tom Liwa “The Old Stockholm”
Gem from Liwa’s latest album, which he recorded with the great jazz saxophonist Luise Volkmann.
6. Julia Holter “These Morning”
There are a few such somnambulistic, transcendental jazz-pop wonders on Holter’s “Something In The Room She Moves”.
7. Laura Marling “Child Of Mine”
The most beautiful song about baby happiness and the joys of parenthood: “Life is slowing down, but it’s still bitchin’.”