Firebird’s latest:
February 19th, 2025.
10 Years of Mac Miller’s Faces.
His mixtape magnum opus thrives with a life of its own a decade later.
by Martin Camargo.
February 17th, 2025.
How to compile your character playlist: a 10-song summary of you.
A formula for a concise playlist that represents your lore.
by Jina Jeon.
February 14th, 2025.
Even apes make love.
An ape’s coming of age musical.
by Chloe Chiles Troutman.
February 12th, 2025.
Mirages: distinguishing Ravel and Debussy.
Ravel is NOT a second-rate Debussy.
by Yixin Chen.
February 10th, 2025.
A retrospective on The Big Day: was it really that bad?
The Big Day is actually kind of gas.
by Marley Pileggi.
February 8th, 2025.
Jacques Brel: the king of the Chanson.
Brel: The Belgian Bob Dylan with a voice so powerful it doesn’t have to be translated.
by Francesco Ruggieri Fornari.
February 6th, 2025.
Is Hurry Up Tomorrow really the end of The Weeknd as we know him?
The conclusion of The Weeknd’s second trilogy is a beautiful but repetitive eulogy that brings his career full circle.
by Kristen Wallace.
February 4th, 2025.
Scoring Dune: Part Two.
How Hans Zimmer used a teenage spirit and trips to Home Depot to build the world of this epic science fiction sequel.
by Arjun Bhakoo.
February 2nd, 2025.
Predicting the 2025 GRAMMYs.
Firebird staff members take another whack at predicting music’s most infamous award.
by Joseph Mooney & Campbell Conard.
January 31st, 2025.
“Play the track fast, not slow”: faster and sweeter with hyperpop.
Hyperpop pioneer SOPHIE’s brilliant legacy and impact on Brat Culture—self expression and experimental music.
by Charlotte Mooney.
January 29th, 2025.
Firebird’s Top Albums of 2024: Staff Picks.
See our staff’s individual lists of their favorite albums of 2024!
by Firebird Magazine.
January 27th, 2025.
Firebird’s Top 20 Albums of 2024.
The top 20 albums of 2024, as voted by Firebird’s staff.
by Firebird Magazine.
January 25th, 2025.
The highs and lows of The Great Impersonator.
Halsey’s fifth studio album teeters between sounding wonderful and one-note, but its heavy themes make it worth a relisten.
by Mark Kamulegeya.
January 23rd, 2025.
The Roots’ Australian Tour at Eatons Hill Hotel.
The Roots, Talib Kweli, and Nai Palm cultivate an energetic set celebrating hip hop history.
by Will Vanman.
January 21st, 2025.
Through the revolving doors of love and sound: Fiona Apple songs in conversation with themselves.
Revisiting Fiona Apple’s old works in light of her latest album.
by Marie Wang.
January 18th, 2025.
Brigitte Calls Me Baby: Fresh rock for the romantic existentialists.
An introduction to Chicago’s very own up-and-coming alternative rockers.
by Roxane Bushofsky.
January 16th, 2025.
GNX: the return of the boogeyman.
All he ever wanted was a Black Grand National.
by Noah Crutchfield.
January 14th, 2025.
America’s heart and soul: why the blues is still king.
The blues has been around longer, rocks harder, hits deeper, and means more to America than country ever could.
by Henry Noonan.
January 12th, 2025.
Maude Latour creates poetry in new album Sugar Water.
Latour’s first album Sugar Water displays a shift in her creative philosophy.
by Julia Volpp.
January 9th, 2025.
A funk-filled frenzy: RHCP in the ‘80s.
In an era of conformity, the Red Hot Chili Peppers stood out in ways only they could.
by Jackson Driver.
January 7th, 2025.
A legacy in sound: Adam Tendler’s journey through music and memory.
In a deeply personal and experimental album, pianist Adam Tendler intricately bridges memory, family, and contemporary composition.
by Julian Moreno.
January 5th, 2025.
Meet the independent sapphic artists redefining queer music.
Sapphic music is known for its stripped-back, melancholic sound. These two independent artists are shaking up the genre.
by Jina Jeon.
January 3rd, 2025.
A new sound; The New Sound
It’s a cartoon world. The prawns are four pounds, the do’s are only one. Wake up guys, what is going on?
by Nic Restivo.
December 30th, 2024.
Melanie Charles says jazz, by definition, is in vogue.
Inspired by Nina Simone’s view that it’s “an artist’s duty to reflect the times,” multihyphenate Melanie Charles interprets the modern day with moxie.
by Celeste Alcalay.
December 28th, 2024.
The bizarre story behind Stevie Wonder’s plant album.
Unpacking the history and legacy of his most misunderstood project.
by Will Vanman.
December 26th, 2024.
Mount Eerie’s Night Palace: a birdwatcher’s poetry.
Phil Elverum, one of the most profound musical minds of the 2000s, returns with an album that exudes humanity in a reflective manner.
by Luca Bigler.
December 24th, 2024.
La Femme a conquis Chicago avec passion et panache.
Who knew theatrical chaos would create a night of pure musical magic?
by Annie Debreu.
December 22nd, 2024.
Lexa Gates’ Elite Vessel Tour made a stop at Chicago’s Subterranean.
Lexa Gates–known for her crisp, large eyeliner, her fun little dance, and recently sitting in a glass box for several hours–stopped at Subterranean for her Elite Vessel Tour.