history and criticism

"This dynamic and wide-ranging book explores eighty key themes of [Japanese animation], from wars to natural disasters, nature to ecology, childhood to magic, dystopias to fables. It looks at more than one hundred masterpieces of Japanese animation, including Akira, Ghost in the Shell, One Piece, Princess Mononoke, Grave of the Fireflies and Howl's Moving Castle, to show how practitioners consistently balance tradition with modernity and how anime's distinct style has influenced other forms of media such as video games, comic books and live-action films"--Amazon.

"Features a range of [nineteen] short works from the past three decades of author Cixin Liu's career, putting his nonfiction essays and short stories side-by-side. This collection includes essays and interviews that shed light on Liu's experiences as a reader, writer, and lover of science fiction throughout his life, as well as short fiction that gives glimpses into the evolution of his voice over the years"--OCLC.

"[Music] critic and cultural historian Jeremy Eichler makes a passionate case for the power of music as culture's memory, an art form uniquely capable of carrying forward meaning from the past. Eichler shows how four towering composers--Richard Strauss, Arnold Schoenberg, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Benjamin Britten--lived through the era of the Second World War and the Holocaust and later transformed their experiences into deeply moving, transcendent works of music, scores that echo lost time. Summoning the supporting testimony of writers, poets, philosophers, musicians, and everyday citizens, Eichler reveals how the essence of an entire epoch has been inscribed in these sounds and stories. Along the way, he visits key locations central to the music's creation, from the ruins of Coventry Cathedral to the site of the Babi Yar ravine in Kyiv. As the living memory of the Second World War fades, [this book] proposes new ways of listening to history and learning to hear between its notes the resonances of what another era has written, heard, dreamed, hoped, and mourned"--Provided by publisher.

"Brian Fairbanks draws a line from Buddy Holly through the Outlaw stars of the 60s and 70s, all the way to the country headliners and more diverse, up-and-coming Nashville rebels of today, bringing the reader deep into the worlds of not only Cash, Nelson, Kristofferson, and Jennings but artists like Chris Stapleton, Simpson, Bingham, and Isbell, stadium-filling masters whose stories have not been told in book form, as well as new, diverse artists like the Highwomen, Brittney Spencer, and Allison Russell. Thought-provoking and meticulously researched, 'Willie, Waylon, and the Boys' ultimately shows how a twenty-one-year-old bass-playing plane crash survivor helped changed the course of American music"--Provided by publisher.

"Simon Reynolds's first book in eight years is a celebration of music that feels like a taste of tomorrow. Sounds that prefigure pop music's future--the vanguard genres and . . . innovators whose discoveries eventually get accepted by the wider mass audience. But it's also about the way music can stir anticipation for a thrillingly transformed world just around the corner: a future that might be utopian or dystopian, but at least will be radically changed and exhilaratingly other"--Back cover.

"Music leaves its mark on the world by touching the hearts and minds of its creators and listeners, 'From the Basement' . . . explores that connection in the world of emo music at the start of the twenty-first century and delves into how that music defined a generation. Through insightful interviews with some of the leasing voices of the genre, Markarian details the history of where 'emo' came from, what it did for pop culture, how it influenced the mental health landscape, and exactly what it means to be an emo kid"--Back cover.

"From pop culture critic and music journalist Miles Marshall Lewis comes a book about the power and poetry of Kendrick Lamar! Kendrick Lamar is one of the most influential rappers, songwriters and record producers of his generation. Widely known for his incredible lyrics and powerful music, he is regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time. Promise That You Will Sing About Me explores Kendrick Lamar's life, his roots, his music, his lyrics, and how he has shaped the musical landscape of this generation. With incredible graphic design, quotes, lyrics and commentary from Ta-Nehisi Coates, Alicia Garza and more, this book provides an in-depth look at how Kendrick came to be who he is today, his world, how he creates his lyrics and music, and how he revolutionizes the music industry from the inside"--Provided by publisher.

A visual history of Motown Record Corporation that features photographs and interviews with key players.

"Chicago is recognized around the world for its place in the history of jazz, gospel, and the blues. Far less known is the surprisingly important role Chicago played in country music and the folk revival. Drawing on hundreds of interviews and deep archival research, Mark Guarino tells a forgotten story of music in Chicago and reveals how the city's institutions and personalities influenced sounds we associate with regions further south"--Provided by publisher.

The cultural critic presents the life of Bob Dylan as told through seven of his most transformative songs over the last seventy years, as well as his continuing presence.