Category Archives: Music History

White Paper: The Transition of Folk Culture from Communal Tradition to Nationalist Resource to Corporate Property

Posted on August 20, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Over the past several centuries, fairy tales and folk music have undergone a profound transformation in their cultural, political, and economic significance. Once expressions of local tradition transmitted orally within small communities, these forms of folk culture became … Continue reading →

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White Paper: “Just Between Us”: The Persistent yet Elusive Desire for Private Resolution in Songwriting

Posted on August 12, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Throughout popular music, from soul ballads to country duets, one recurring lyrical plea stands out: the longing to resolve conflict or misunderstanding privately—“just between you and me,” “let’s keep this between us,” “we can work it out ourselves.” … Continue reading →

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Recompense Is My Way To Freedom

Posted on August 11, 2025 by nathanalbright

When I was a 9th grader beginning high school, a close friend of mine gave me a copy of “Jesus Freak,” the breakout album of Christian contemporary group DC Talk. I listened to that album often during that time and … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Power Dynamics and Divisions in Musical Groups—The Lead Singer vs. the Group Leader

Posted on July 29, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Musical groups, whether rock bands, pop ensembles, or R&B collectives, often face internal tensions over leadership, creative control, and public perception. A central axis of this tension is the division between the lead singer—often the most visible member—and … Continue reading →

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Sob Rock And The Limits Of Irony And Self-Awareness

Posted on July 24, 2025 by nathanalbright

John Mayer’s 2021 album Sob Rock exists at a crossroads between confession, performance, self-awareness, and irony. It is a work that simultaneously reveals and obscures, offers sincerity in the guise of sarcasm, and plays with nostalgia while knowing it may … Continue reading →

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Album Review: No Protection

Posted on July 18, 2025 by nathanalbright

No Protection, by Starship When making No Protection, the band Starship was in a strange place. The first album of this group, the third and final iteration of Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship/Starship, Knee Deep In The Hoopla, had been an immense … Continue reading →

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“How Will I Know?” and the Problem of Knowing: An Epistemological Reflection

Posted on July 16, 2025 by nathanalbright

Whitney Houston’s 1985 hit How Will I Know is, on the surface, a bright, effervescent pop song about romantic uncertainty. With its infectious melody and youthful energy, it captured the anxieties of falling in love when trust and evidence seem … Continue reading →

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Album Review: SWAG

Posted on July 11, 2025 by nathanalbright

SWAG, by Justin Beiber It has admittedly been a long time since I have listened to a Justin Beiber album, which I actually thought well of. So it happened when today, with very little announcement, a 20-track album called SWAG … Continue reading →

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Album Review: Voulez-Vous

Posted on July 10, 2025 by nathanalbright

Voulez-Vous, by ABBA This album must have been one of the favorite albums of the group ABBA by my stepfather, because on his large mixtape of ABBA songs (which I listened to often as a teenager), a lot of songs … Continue reading →

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The Bee Gees and the City: Alienation, Survival, and Critique in Their Lyrics

Posted on July 10, 2025 by nathanalbright

The Bee Gees—Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb—crafted a remarkable and diverse body of work that spanned nearly four decades, marked by stylistic reinvention and emotional depth. Beneath their signature harmonies and romantic ballads lies a persistent, nuanced engagement with the … Continue reading →

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