Louder: The Vinyl? It’s Pricey. The Sound? Otherworldly.

May 1, 2020

By Caryn Ganz

Pop Music Editor

Would you spend $500 on the best-sounding vinyl on the planet? Ben Sisario went to London (pre-virus) to see what goes on at the Electric Recording Co., where the label’s founder, Pete Hutchison, works his magic on equipment from the ’60s. (Whether or not you like vinyl, this is one fascinating piece.)

Another fantastic read: Wesley Morris on Perfume Genius, a.k.a. Mike Hadreas, whose new album “Set My Heart on Fire Immediately” is out this month. Its inspiration: a desire to shake up his life and creative processes. (One day, a regular trip to Costco felt off to him. He thought, “I don’t like Costco anymore. This isn’t doing it for me. It’s like this isn’t giving me what I want right now, energetically.”)

Plus: So much fantastic stuff from our critics. Jon Pareles picks out 15 essential Brian Eno ambient works; Lindsay Zoladz points out how pop stars born in the ’90s are pulling from the aesthetics of their youth and breaks down Post Malone’s shockingly effective set of Nirvana covers; Jon Caramanica notes a new trend in rap videos — the pandemic flex.

And I started going through my collection of cassette tapes. If you have one too, send us a pic at theplaylist@nytimes.com.

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Tom Jamieson for The New York Times

The Vinyl? It’s Pricey. The Sound? Otherworldly.

The Electric Recording Co. in London cuts albums the way they were made in the 1950s and ’60s — literally.

By Ben Sisario

Ryan Pfluger for The New York Times

The Passion of Perfume Genius

The musician Mike Hadreas wanted “new rules” for himself. After a pivotal collaboration with a dance group, he’s returning with a thrilling album, “Set My Heart on Fire Immediately.”

By Wesley Morris

PLAYLISTS

the playlist

Beyoncé Amps Up ‘Savage,’ and 12 More New Songs

Hear tracks by Oasis, Haim, Kenny Chesney and others.

By Jon Pareles, Jon Caramanica and Giovanni Russonello

playlist

Brian Eno’s 15 Essential Ambient Works

Listen to atmospheric soundtracks for uneasy times.

By Jon Pareles

THE CRITICS & POPCAST

critic’s notebook

For Pop Stars in Their 20s, It’s Totally the ’90s All Over Again

Every two decades or so, the old becomes stylishly new. And now the pop artifacts of the Y2K era — winking futurism, loads of glitter, “TRL”-style videos — are back, with an update.

By Lindsay Zoladz

critic’s notebook

Post Malone Covering Nirvana for Virus Relief? Bring on the ‘Bleach’

The woozy-singing pop superstar performed a faithful set of covers to raise money for the W.H.O.’s Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund, and won over the band’s bassist, Krist Novoselic.

By Lindsay Zoladz

The Latest Indulgence in Hip-Hop Videos? Coronavirus Protection

The pandemic has engendered new ways to flex.

By Jon Caramanica

The Triumphant Return of Fiona Apple, Pop Music Renegade

A conversation about everything “Fetch the Bolt Cutters” and beyond.

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William E. Sauro/The New York Times

How De Niro Gave Us Sinatra’s ‘New York, New York,’ Our 7 P.M. Anthem

Frank Sinatra can thank Robert De Niro and two annoyed songwriters for the song that revived his career and now is the theme music of the city’s nightly tribute.

By Michael Wilson

OBITUARIES

Barney Ales, Indispensable Motown Executive, Is Dead at 85

In the 1960s, he promoted the black-owned company’s music to the white-dominated music industry, helping to make it a ubiquitous force in American pop culture.

By Ben Sisario

Remembering Mike Huckaby, a Towering Figure in Detroit House Music

The widely beloved D.J., producer and booster championed the sounds of his hometown and served as a trusted tastemaker, in Michigan and around the globe.

By Michaelangelo Matos

Michael Cogswell, 66, Dies; Sustained Louis Armstrong’s Legacy

He turned the jazz giant’s trove of memorabilia into a scholarly archive and created a popular museum at Armstrong’s house in Queens.

By Richard Sandomir

Harold Reid, Bedrock Voice of the Statler Brothers, Dies at 80

With his resonant bass, comic timing and business acumen, he was the Statlers’ de facto leader as they climbed the country music charts for decades.

By Bill Friskics-Warren

FROM OUR CLASSICAL COLLEAGUES

5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Opera

We asked Patti Smith, John Turturro, Renée Fleming and others to pick the music that moves them. Listen to their choices.

A Composer and Her (Very) Long String Instrument

Ellen Fullman is sheltering in place with the 40-string, 45-foot-long droning instrument she created decades ago.

By Kerry O’Brien

Bec Plexus’s New Album Is a Digital Confession Booth

Listen to how four composers adapted their visions to a singer’s avant-electronica production style.

By Seth Colter Walls

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NEWS

Live Nation Closes Gap in Refund Policy After Fan Complaints

The company, which operates Ticketmaster, will now allow refunds for the thousands of concerts that have yet to be rescheduled.

By Ben Sisario and Graham Bowley

Can Street Artists Survive a City in Lockdown?

Buskers, musicians and muralists have been entertaining London for centuries. But now the capital has gone quiet and the future of their activities looks uncertain.

By Alex Marshall

the charts

DaBaby Unseats the Weeknd at No. 1

The rapper’s latest album, “Blame It on Baby,” opened at the top of the Billboard chart with the equivalent of 124,000 sales.

By Ben Sisario

Peru’s Queen of Quechua Rap Wants to Rescue Indigenous Culture With Her Music

Renata Flores, 19, is part of a generation of Peruvian musicians combining the bouncing beats of Latin trap, rap and reggaeton with the sounds, and language, of the Andean countryside.

By Julie Turkewitz