Louder: 25 Years Later, Foo Fighters Are Still Roaring

February 5, 2021

By Caryn Ganz

Pop Music Editor

The past week in the music industry has been a whirlwind, and often quite dark. On Saturday, the innovative producer and performer Sophie died tragically at 34 from a fall. On Monday, Evan Rachel Wood accused Marilyn Manson of abuse; his current label said it would not work with him again, and he broadly denied the allegations. On Tuesday, Morgan Wallen was seen on video using a racial slur; by Wednesday morning he faced a sharp rebuke by the music industry, which pulled his songs from country radio, playlists and TV networks.

While our team reported those stories, we published profiles that explore the joy of new music — a welcome bit of light. Foo Fighters, 25 years into a major career in rock, still driven to be bigger; Celeste, a 26-year-old newcomer with a gift for channeling but not repeating the sounds of the past. And reviews: a second solo album from Hayley Williams, made in quarantine at her home studio, which Jon Pareles named a Critic’s Pick; a bubbly, relentless new Cardi B song.

Tonight, “Framing Britney Spears,” a new documentary by The New York Times, premieres on FX and will be streaming on Hulu; and on Sunday, the Weeknd plays the Super Bowl halftime show. We’ll be watching.

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Foo Fighters Wanted to Rule Rock. 25 Years Later, They’re Still Roaring.

Dave Grohl and his bandmates are called upon whenever rock music with joy and gravitas is required. Now they’re releasing an album with a twist.

By Jeremy Gordon

Adama Jalloh for The New York Times

Celeste, a Young Singer With an Old Soul, Makes Her Move

The 26-year-old British musician writes songs infused with experiences, feelings and coincidences. Her buzzy debut album arrived last week.

By Rob Tannenbaum

THE CRITICS & POPCAST

Critic’s Pick

Hayley Williams, All Alone With Her Memories

Paramore’s leader has surprise-released her second solo album, “Flowers for Vases/Descansos,” and all the music is hers.

By Jon Pareles

The Playlist

Cardi B’s Gleefully Relentless ‘Up,’ and 12 More New Songs

Hear tracks by Bomba Estéreo, SG Lewis, Flock of Dimes and others.

By Jon Pareles, Giovanni Russonello and Lindsay Zoladz

The Music Lost to Coronavirus, Part 2

Remembering Fred the Godson, Adam Schlesinger and Cristina.

Olivia Rodrigo and ‘Drivers License’ Aren’t Going Anywhere

A conversation about the year’s first genuine pop phenomenon, and the long arc of the Disney machine.

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Country Star Morgan Wallen Rebuked by Music Business After Using Racial Slur

The musician apologized in a statement to TMZ, saying, “I used an unacceptable and inappropriate racial slur that I wish I could take back.”

By Julia Jacobs and Joe Coscarelli

Randy Shropshire/Getty Images for The Art of Elysium

Evan Rachel Wood Accuses Marilyn Manson of Abuse

“He started grooming me when I was a teenager and horrifically abused me for years,” Ms. Wood, said on Instagram. Hours later Mr. Manson’s label dropped him.

By Jenny Gross and Melena Ryzik

Behind the Weeknd’s Halftime Show: Nasal Swabs and Backup Plans

Putting on a Super Bowl halftime show is always a mammoth undertaking. The pandemic introduces many more logistical puzzles.

By Julia Jacobs

The Weeknd’s Super Bowl Halftime Show Breaks With Tradition

This time, the field won’t be swarming with fans crowding the stage. In fact, the stage won’t be on the field at all, but in the stands.

By Julia Jacobs and Ken Belson

Terra Fondriest for The New York Times

In the Ozarks, the Pandemic Threatens a Fragile Musical Tradition

The older fiddlers and rhythm guitar players don’t rely on sheet music, so their weekly jam sessions — now on hiatus — are critical to passing their technique to the next generation.

By Jennifer Moore

OBITUARIES

Rich Fury/Getty Images for Coachella

Sophie, Who Pushed the Boundaries of Pop Music, Dies at 34

As a producer and performer, Sophie distilled speed, noise, melody and clarity, working simultaneously at the experimental fringes of dance music and the center of pop.

By Jon Pareles

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella

Playlist

Hear Sophie’s 12 Essential Songs

The producer and performer’s short but influential career had a profound impact on the way modern pop music sounds. She died after a fall in Athens.

By Lindsay Zoladz

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Ricky Powell, 59, Dies; Chronicled Early Hip-Hop and Downtown New York

Prolific with his point-and-shoot camera, he captured essential images of the Beastie Boys, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Run-DMC, Andy Warhol and more.

By Jon Caramanica

Duke Bootee, Whose ‘Message’ Educated Hip-Hop, Dies at 69

His 1982 hit about the “jungle” of urban poverty charted a new, grittier path for rap music in its early days.

By Alex Traub

Sibongile Khumalo, South Africa’s ‘First Lady of Song,’ Dies at 63

Proficient across a range of genres, she had the hall-filling power of an operatic mezzo-soprano and the directness of a pop singer.

By Giovanni Russonello

Those We’ve Lost

Sandie Crisp, ‘Goddess Bunny’ of the Underground Scene, Dies at 61

She became a muse among the Hollywood avant-garde, appearing in movies, music videos and photographs. She died of Covid-19.

By Clay Risen

NEWS

NMAAM/353 Media Group

Museum Exploring Music’s Black Innovators Arrives in Nashville

The National Museum of African American Music has six interactive sections covering 50 genres of music with a focus on gospel, blues, jazz, R&B and hip-hop.

By Kelundra Smith

Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The New York Times

‘Anything for Selena’ Examines a Singer’s Legacy and Latino Identity

While the podcast is a biography of the Tejano star, it also weaves in the personal story of the host and examines why the singer has had a lasting effect on culture.

By Maira Garcia

Federal Aid for Closed Cultural Venues Will Be a Race for Cash

Tens of thousands of eligible music clubs, theaters, museums and other spaces may overwhelm a $15 billion grant fund run by the Small Business Administration.

By Stacy Cowley

Jazz at Lincoln Center Focuses on Music’s Role in Social Justice

A new season of video concerts will feature a tribute to renowned jazz vocalists and include new compositions created in collaboration with Bryan Stevenson.

By Giovanni Russonello

The Charts

Morgan Wallen’s ‘Dangerous’ Earns a Third Week at No. 1

The Nashville star’s LP is the first country album since Taylor Swift’s “Red” to top the Billboard 200 for three weeks.

By Ben Sisario

Silentó, Rapper Behind Viral 2015 Hit, Is Charged With Murder

The rapper, whose real name is Ricky Hawk, caused a sensation with “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae).” The police said he fatally shot a cousin outside Atlanta last month.

By Allyson Waller