Michael Tatum

New posts, including his A Downloader's Diary column, by Michael Tatum will initially appear on his blog, so follow him there, using Facebook, Twitter, or his RSS. Eventually, his A Downloader's Diary columns will be indexed and archived here, as well as selected other writings, including some early ones.

A Downloader's Diary

Columns, most recent first, with top section feature-review artists (or titles for VA compilations) listed. For a more complete index, see artist's index, as well as the various annual index (to the left).

  • September 12, 2019: Carsie Blanton, Blarf, Car Seat Headrest, Stef Chura, GoldLink, Jambú, Kokoko!, Madonna, Purple Mountains, Spoon
  • June 29, 2019: Big Thief, The Coathangers, Control Top, Dave, Stella Donnelly, Billie Eilish, Hand Habits, Little Simz, Caroline Spence, Vampire Weekend, Jamila Woods
  • April 09, 2019: Charlotte Adigéry, Big Star, Alex Chilton, Martin Frawley, Kankyo Ongaku, Bassekou Kouyate, Malibu Ken, Sigrid, Spellling, Sunflower Bean
  • April 25, 2018: Dream Wife, The Go! Team, Hailu Mergia, Kacey Musgraves, No Age, Amy Rigby, Soccer Mommy, Superchunk, U.S. Girls, Young Fathers
  • February 20, 2017: American Honey, Car Seat Headrest
  • August 29, 2016: Aesop Rock, Chance the Rapper, Joey Purp, Konono No. 1, Paul Simon, Thao & the Get Down Stay Down, White Lung
  • May 16, 2016: Beyoncé, Bombino, Robbie Fulks, Anderson .Paak, Parquet Courts, Pet Shop Boys, Gwen Stefani, Wussy
  • March 24, 2016: Babyface, Erykah Badu, BJ the Chicago Kid, Hamilton, Archy Marshall, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, Rihanna, Rokia Traore, The Velvet Underground, Kanye West
  • December 23, 2015: Laurie Anderson, Beach House, Blackalicious, Eric Church, Leonard Cohen, Drive-by Truckers, Future, Jlin, Peaceful Solutions
  • October 29, 2015: The Chills, Deerhunter, Robert Forster, Heems, Kendrick Lamar, Jill Scott, Sleaford Mods, Omar Souleyman
  • September 10, 2015: Ezra Furman, Freedy Johnston, Bassekou Kouyaté, Nelly McKay, Ashley Monroe, Giorgio Moroder, Mountain Goats, Songhoy Blues, Tal National, Yo La Tengo
  • July 29, 2015: Africa Express, Jason Derulo, Mbongwana Star, Miguel, Boz Scaggs, Skrillex & Diplo, Sleater-Kinney, Sufjan Stevens, Veruca Salt, Young Thug
  • August 15, 2014: Calypso, Golem, Hyperdub 10.1, Miranda Lambert, Jenny Lewis, Spoon, Suburban Base, Jack White
  • July 04, 2014: Aloe Blacc, Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott, Chrissie Hynde, Kool AD, Amy LaVere, Bob Mould, Conor Oberst, Parquet Courts, The Roots, Young Thug
  • May 23, 2014: Lily Allen, Cloud Nothings, Company Freak, Deena, EMA, Freddie Gibbs/Madlib, Haiti Direct, Old 97's, Shakira, Wussy
  • April 04, 2014: Bob Dylan in the '80s, Laura Cantrell, Drive-By Truckers, Hardcore Traxx, Hold Steady, Kool and Kass, Rough Guide to the Music of Mali, Studio One Rocksteady, St. Vincent, Withered Hand
  • February 2014: Against Me!, Katy B, Tony Braxton & Babyface, Hard Working Americans, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, Modern Baseball, The New Mendicants, Bruce Springsteen, Tinariwen
  • December 2013: The Dismemberment Plan, Eminem, The Handsome Family, Jon Hopkins, Lady Gaga, Pusha T
  • November 2013: Arcade Fire, Best Coast, Chance the Rapper, Brandy Clark, Four Tet, Oneohtrix Point Never, Lee Ranaldo, Sleigh Bells, Omar Souleyman, Tal National, Tamikrest
  • October 2013: Babyshambles, Ceramic Dog, Elvis Costello and the Roots, Deer Tick, Gogol Bordello, Clay Harper, Elizabeth Morris, No Age, Young Fathers
  • August 2013: Kool and Kass, The Jeffrey Lewis and Peter Stampfel Band, Daniel Romano, Sing Me the Songs, Britney Spears, Superchunk
  • June 2013: Ethnic Minority Music of Southern China, Future Bible Heroes, The Lonely Island, Tricky, The Uncluded, Vampire Weekend, Kanye West
  • May 2013: Bombino, Chicha Libre, Deerhunter, Steve Earle, The Knife, Pistol Annies, Rainbow Arabia, The Rough Guide to African Disco, Rachid Taha, Wussy
  • April 2013: Dieuf-Dieul de Thiès, Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba, Kate Nash, Orchestra Super Mazembe, Brad Paisley, Rilo Kiley, Rokia Traoré, Wire
  • March 2013: David Greenberger/Paul Cebar, Ashley Monroe, Kacey Musgraves, The Rough Guide to Cumbia, Salva, Serengeti, They Might Be Giants, Waxahatchee
  • February 2013: Bettie Serveert, The Box Tops, Cakes Da Killa, Kitty, My Bloody Valentine, Parquet Courts, The Rough Guide to the Music of Senegal, Skrillex, Tegan and Sara, Yo La Tengo
  • January 2013: Dobie, Carolyn Mark
  • December 2012: Azealia Banks, Lana Del Rey, Iris DeMent, Donald Fagen, Flying Lotus, Homeboy Sandman, Pink, Sebadoh, Taylor Swift
  • October 2012: Zani Diabaté, Divine Fits, Bob Dylan, Kid Koala, Jens Lekman, Pet Shop Boys, A Place to Bury Strangers, Tom Zé
  • September 2012: Francis Bebey, Dabke, Death Grips, Dirty Projectors, Greenberger Greenberg Cebar, Himanshu, Elle Varner, Jack White
  • July 2012: Fiona Apple, Beach House, Clams Casino, Lotus Plaza, Frank Ocean, Plug, Patti Smith, Le Super Borgou de Parakou
  • June 2012: Amadou & Mariam, BBU!, Best Coast, Cornershop, De La Soul, Die Antwoord, Tommy Womack, Neil Young & Crazy Horse
  • May 2012: Action Bronson, Allo Darlin', Macy Gray, Madonna, Spoek Mathambo, Rusko, S/S/S, Loudon Wainwright III
  • April 2012: Air, Chiddy Bang, Karantamba, The Magnetic Fields, Nicki Minaj, Skrillex, Sleigh Bells, Todd Snider
  • March 2012: Thomas Anderson, Bhi Bhiman, Burial, Cloud Nothings, Lana Del Rey, Ani DiFranco, Imperial Teen, Prinzhorn Dance School, Standard Fare
  • December 2011: James Carter, Class Actress, Dessa, Fruit Bats, Note of Hope, Pusha T, Wire, Wussy, Neil Young
  • November 2011: James Carter, DRC Music, The Field, Givers, Matthew Herbert, Muppets, Terius Nash, Nikki Jean, Ashton Shepherd, Super Heavy, The Weeknd, Wire
  • October 2011: Battles, Clams Casino, Steve Cropper, Girls, Highlife Time Vol. 2, Rave On Buddy Holly, Teddybears, Wilco, Wild Flag
  • September 2011: Action Bronson, Bombino, Shabazz Palaces, Terakaft, Tinariwen, Kanye West/Jay-Z, Withered Hand
  • August 2011: Buck 65, Drive-By Truckers, Fountains of Wayne, PJ Harvey, Lady Gaga, The Reatards, Peter Stampfel and Jeffrey Lewis
  • July 2011: Sorry Bamba, The Book of Mormon, The Caretaker, Fucked Up, Gold Panda, Iceage, Jill Scott
  • June 2011: Adele, Bibio, Moby, Thurston Moore, Frank Ocean, Raphael Saadiq, Ebo Taylor, TV on the Radio
  • May 2011: An Horse, Beastie Boys, Generation Bass, Lupe Fiasco, Middle Brother, Paul Simon, tUnE-yArDs, The Weeknd
  • April 2011: Cartagena!, Cornershop, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Avril Lavigne, Mountain Goats, New York Dolls, Rough Guide to African Guitar Legends, Britney Spears, Streets
  • March 2011: The Baseball Project, Hayes Carll, The Go! Team, PJ Harvey, Todd Snider, Lucinda Williams, Yuck
  • February 2011: The Beets, Gang of Four, Ghostface Killah, M.I.A., OFF!, Weekend
  • January 2011: Calle 13, Care Bears on Fire, Chromeo, El DeBarge, Girl Talk, Bruno Mars, Nicki Minaj, Kanye West
  • December 2010: Das Racist, Eskmo, Girls, Gold Panda, Cee-Lo Green, Nigeria Afrobeat Special, Robyn, Roots of OK Jazz, Taylor Swift, Tom Zé
  • November 2010: Belle and Sebastian, Das Racist, Group Inerane, No Age, Old 97's, Steve Reich, Shakira, Rachid Taha, Yes We Can
  • October 2010: El Guincho, Jenny and Johnny, Khaled, Robyn, The Rough Guide to Bhangra, Shangaan Electro, Ski Beatz, Richard Thompson
  • September 2010: Arcade Fire, Best Coast, Flying Lotus, El Guincho, Los Lobos, M.I.A., D.O. Misiani & Shirati Jazz, The Roots
  • August 2010: Big Boi, The Books, V.V. Brown, Eminem, Mary Gauthier, Liz Phair, Sleigh Bells

Also available are artist-specific special guides:

Also, ranked year-end (or in-progress) lists:

You can find additional articles by Michael Tatum in the Archives.

Contact

You can use this link to send email to Michael Tatum. The link should work if your browser has javascript enabled. If not, solve this puzzle: the domain name is gmail.com and the account name is downloadersdiary. The reason for this obscurity is spam avoidance.