Stuart Berman
@stuberman.bsky.social
Producer at COMMOTION (CBC Radio 1); writer for Pitchfork, Toronto Star; author of THIS BOOK IS BROKEN: A Broken Social Scene Story + TOO MUCH TROUBLE: A Very Oral History of Danko Jones; publisher of stubermania.substack.com + hamontlive.substack.com
Pinned
A conversation with Radiohead's Phil Selway from 2000
A week before Kid A's release, we spoke about what it's like being the drummer in a band that wants to have less drumming
stubermania.substack.com
This week in the stübermania newsletter: a 2000-era chat with Radiohead's Phil Selway about the making of Kid A, and what it's like being the drummer in a band pivoting into music that doesn't really need drums: stubermania.substack.com/p/a-conversa...
Reposted by Stuart Berman
if u want to subscribe to an independent, worker-owned music and culture pub w/great criticism (and features, interviews, blogs etc) from five ppl you know and love, hearing things launched in october 2024 in the wake of conde nast's pitchfork layoffs :)
www.hearingthings.co
www.hearingthings.co
Hearing Things
Independent music journalism. No algorithms. We promise.
www.hearingthings.co
January 20, 2026 at 3:17 PM
if u want to subscribe to an independent, worker-owned music and culture pub w/great criticism (and features, interviews, blogs etc) from five ppl you know and love, hearing things launched in october 2024 in the wake of conde nast's pitchfork layoffs :)
www.hearingthings.co
www.hearingthings.co
Reposted by Stuart Berman
hello, if you want to support an independent worker-owned music publication, subscribe to see/saw: punk rock criticism, features, blogs, playlists, podcasts, radio, and more.
started by pitchfork’s former news director two months after being laid off by conde nast 💋 see-saw.fun
started by pitchfork’s former news director two months after being laid off by conde nast 💋 see-saw.fun
January 20, 2026 at 4:01 PM
hello, if you want to support an independent worker-owned music publication, subscribe to see/saw: punk rock criticism, features, blogs, playlists, podcasts, radio, and more.
started by pitchfork’s former news director two months after being laid off by conde nast 💋 see-saw.fun
started by pitchfork’s former news director two months after being laid off by conde nast 💋 see-saw.fun
Reposted by Stuart Berman
On the topic of good websites that cost $5/month...
Every week, I review music no one else is writing about, dig into genre/scene undercurrents with a degree of detail that's nearly unrivaled, and ask artists questions no one else is asking them.
Your $5 goes a long way: www.elienis.com/subscribe/
Every week, I review music no one else is writing about, dig into genre/scene undercurrents with a degree of detail that's nearly unrivaled, and ask artists questions no one else is asking them.
Your $5 goes a long way: www.elienis.com/subscribe/
Subscribe to Chasing Sundays
Real music criticism, essays, and interviews.
www.elienis.com
January 20, 2026 at 4:30 PM
On the topic of good websites that cost $5/month...
Every week, I review music no one else is writing about, dig into genre/scene undercurrents with a degree of detail that's nearly unrivaled, and ask artists questions no one else is asking them.
Your $5 goes a long way: www.elienis.com/subscribe/
Every week, I review music no one else is writing about, dig into genre/scene undercurrents with a degree of detail that's nearly unrivaled, and ask artists questions no one else is asking them.
Your $5 goes a long way: www.elienis.com/subscribe/
Reposted by Stuart Berman
Me, checking my email one last time on my death bed in 2067: "You have received a new comment on your review of 'Animal Collective: Centipede Hz.'"
October 22, 2025 at 6:02 PM
Me, checking my email one last time on my death bed in 2067: "You have received a new comment on your review of 'Animal Collective: Centipede Hz.'"
His passing only garnered 1/1000th of the coverage as Bowie's, but 10 years ago this week we lost Kevin Junior, who put out two LPs as The Chamber Strings that I put right up there in the sad-bastard-pop pantheon along w/ Big Star's Third, Elliott Smith + Girls' Album www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PJk...
I Can't Lose
YouTube video by The Chamber Strings - Topic
www.youtube.com
January 20, 2026 at 12:48 AM
His passing only garnered 1/1000th of the coverage as Bowie's, but 10 years ago this week we lost Kevin Junior, who put out two LPs as The Chamber Strings that I put right up there in the sad-bastard-pop pantheon along w/ Big Star's Third, Elliott Smith + Girls' Album www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PJk...
Reposted by Stuart Berman
This week in the stübermania newsletter: a 2000-era chat with Radiohead's Phil Selway about the making of Kid A, and what it's like being the drummer in a band pivoting into music that doesn't really need drums: stubermania.substack.com/p/a-conversa...
A conversation with Radiohead's Phil Selway from 2000
A week before Kid A's release, we spoke about what it's like being the drummer in a band that wants to have less drumming
stubermania.substack.com
January 16, 2026 at 3:42 PM
This week in the stübermania newsletter: a 2000-era chat with Radiohead's Phil Selway about the making of Kid A, and what it's like being the drummer in a band pivoting into music that doesn't really need drums: stubermania.substack.com/p/a-conversa...
This week in the stübermania newsletter: a 2000-era chat with Radiohead's Phil Selway about the making of Kid A, and what it's like being the drummer in a band pivoting into music that doesn't really need drums: stubermania.substack.com/p/a-conversa...
A conversation with Radiohead's Phil Selway from 2000
A week before Kid A's release, we spoke about what it's like being the drummer in a band that wants to have less drumming
stubermania.substack.com
January 16, 2026 at 3:42 PM
This week in the stübermania newsletter: a 2000-era chat with Radiohead's Phil Selway about the making of Kid A, and what it's like being the drummer in a band pivoting into music that doesn't really need drums: stubermania.substack.com/p/a-conversa...
Reposted by Stuart Berman
sad to hear about matt kwasniewski-kelvin. i believe it was matt's idea to use that big brother sample in 'bmbmbm', which adds to the song's wiry atmosphere, and this performance not only one of their best of this song, but he (literally) throws himself into it
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc3L...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc3L...
black midi - bmbmbm (Hyundai Mercury Prize 2019)
YouTube video by BBC Music
www.youtube.com
January 12, 2026 at 4:19 PM
sad to hear about matt kwasniewski-kelvin. i believe it was matt's idea to use that big brother sample in 'bmbmbm', which adds to the song's wiry atmosphere, and this performance not only one of their best of this song, but he (literally) throws himself into it
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc3L...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc3L...
Reposted by Stuart Berman
my Bowie coverage on his passing was pretty niche, a look at his early online music fan community. but i remember what a frantic day it was, and i'm proud of how it turned out. my penultimate Billboard piece before p4k hired me f/t. many 10th anniversaries incoming! www.billboard.com/articles/bus...
January 10, 2026 at 3:39 PM
my Bowie coverage on his passing was pretty niche, a look at his early online music fan community. but i remember what a frantic day it was, and i'm proud of how it turned out. my penultimate Billboard piece before p4k hired me f/t. many 10th anniversaries incoming! www.billboard.com/articles/bus...
Ten years ago today I woke up to a text from a friend that just said “oh man, Bowie,” and I was like, “I know! Blackstar is sooo good!” And then he clarified what he really meant, and I spent most of the day in bed writing this:
pitchfork.com/features/aft...
pitchfork.com/features/aft...
David Bowie
David Bowie was the ultimate cultural connector, envisioning pop not as a closed loop but rather an infinite network of intellectual curiosities that spanned underground music, avant-garde art, and le...
pitchfork.com
January 10, 2026 at 3:29 PM
Ten years ago today I woke up to a text from a friend that just said “oh man, Bowie,” and I was like, “I know! Blackstar is sooo good!” And then he clarified what he really meant, and I spent most of the day in bed writing this:
pitchfork.com/features/aft...
pitchfork.com/features/aft...
Reposted by Stuart Berman
This week in the stübermania newsletter: with k-os’ all-star 2011 MuchMusic concert now available to stream on Crave, Iet’s revisit my 2004 chat with him about how far a rapper can musically stray from hip-hop without being excommunicated from the genre.
A conversation with k-os from 2004
Heated Rivalry isn't the only cool new arrival on Crave—with the Toronto MC's star-studded 2011 concert special now available to stream, let's revisit the era when his rap rebellion was taking root
stubermania.substack.com
January 9, 2026 at 3:17 PM
This week in the stübermania newsletter: with k-os’ all-star 2011 MuchMusic concert now available to stream on Crave, Iet’s revisit my 2004 chat with him about how far a rapper can musically stray from hip-hop without being excommunicated from the genre.
This week in the stübermania newsletter: with k-os’ all-star 2011 MuchMusic concert now available to stream on Crave, Iet’s revisit my 2004 chat with him about how far a rapper can musically stray from hip-hop without being excommunicated from the genre.
A conversation with k-os from 2004
Heated Rivalry isn't the only cool new arrival on Crave—with the Toronto MC's star-studded 2011 concert special now available to stream, let's revisit the era when his rap rebellion was taking root
stubermania.substack.com
January 9, 2026 at 3:17 PM
This week in the stübermania newsletter: with k-os’ all-star 2011 MuchMusic concert now available to stream on Crave, Iet’s revisit my 2004 chat with him about how far a rapper can musically stray from hip-hop without being excommunicated from the genre.
Today at @pitchfork.com, I wrote about the first great record of 2026—a Dry Cleaning album you can (sometimes) sing along to: pitchfork.com/reviews/albu...
Dry Cleaning: Secret Love
Read Stuart Berman’s review of the album.
pitchfork.com
January 9, 2026 at 2:19 PM
Today at @pitchfork.com, I wrote about the first great record of 2026—a Dry Cleaning album you can (sometimes) sing along to: pitchfork.com/reviews/albu...
Reposted by Stuart Berman
This doc will be on TVO tonight - if you're not from SW Ontario it's hard to say how wildly amazing and important this radio station was.
Just hearing the letters CFNY and numbers 102.1 transports me to such amazing days. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ckpu...
Just hearing the letters CFNY and numbers 102.1 transports me to such amazing days. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ckpu...
CFNY: THE SPIRIT OF RADIO documentary trailer
YouTube video by HIGHBALLTV
www.youtube.com
January 6, 2026 at 12:03 PM
This doc will be on TVO tonight - if you're not from SW Ontario it's hard to say how wildly amazing and important this radio station was.
Just hearing the letters CFNY and numbers 102.1 transports me to such amazing days. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ckpu...
Just hearing the letters CFNY and numbers 102.1 transports me to such amazing days. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ckpu...
Reposted by Stuart Berman
"Well, he's a dictator whose people don't actually want him in charge" is an interesting precedent for this guy to set
January 3, 2026 at 3:16 PM
"Well, he's a dictator whose people don't actually want him in charge" is an interesting precedent for this guy to set
Reposted by Stuart Berman
hey i wrote a history of electronic music in canada from 1945-1985. it's called A Nation of Tinkerers and it's now available to pre-order through @invisibooks.bsky.social!
invisiblepublishing.com/product/a-na...
invisiblepublishing.com/product/a-na...
A Nation of Tinkerers: A History of Canadian Electronic Music from 1945–1985 · Invisible Publishing
From university labs to home-built studios, A Nation of Tinkerers charts the evolution of Canadian electronic music.
invisiblepublishing.com
January 2, 2026 at 7:08 PM
hey i wrote a history of electronic music in canada from 1945-1985. it's called A Nation of Tinkerers and it's now available to pre-order through @invisibooks.bsky.social!
invisiblepublishing.com/product/a-na...
invisiblepublishing.com/product/a-na...
For my final act of 2025 listmaking, here's a round-up of stuff that I really enjoyed working on this year. Thanks for reading, and a happy new year to all! stubermania.substack.com/p/stuart-ber...
Stuart Berman's favourite articles by Stuart Berman from 2025
A deep dive into Black Flag's most divisive album, an interview with Jarvis Cocker, the story behind a Gordon Lightfoot classic, and other exercises in enthusiastic typing and architectural disco
stubermania.substack.com
December 31, 2025 at 5:11 PM
For my final act of 2025 listmaking, here's a round-up of stuff that I really enjoyed working on this year. Thanks for reading, and a happy new year to all! stubermania.substack.com/p/stuart-ber...
Broken water mains
🤝
“Harness Your Hopes”
🤝
“Harness Your Hopes”
December 31, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Broken water mains
🤝
“Harness Your Hopes”
🤝
“Harness Your Hopes”
Reposted by Stuart Berman
Pulp’s premier power ballad, Water From Your Eyes’ pawn-shop disco, Cory Hanson’s rhinestone Rundgren, Geese’s drunken drum-circle jams, and 96 other heavily rotated faves from 2025: open.substack.com/pub/stuberma...
My Top 100 songs of 2025
Pulp's premier power ballad, Water From Your Eyes' pawn-shop disco, Cory Hanson's honky-tonk Rundgren, Geese's drunken drum-circle jams, and 96 other heavily rotated faves
open.substack.com
December 28, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Pulp’s premier power ballad, Water From Your Eyes’ pawn-shop disco, Cory Hanson’s rhinestone Rundgren, Geese’s drunken drum-circle jams, and 96 other heavily rotated faves from 2025: open.substack.com/pub/stuberma...
25 memorable concert moments from 2025 where I became That Guy Holding Up His Phone At The Show: open.substack.com/pub/stuberma...
25 favourite concert moments from 2025
Paul McCartney, Oasis, Neil Young, Nick Cave, and other epic concert scenes captured in slightly dodgy iPhone fidelity!
open.substack.com
December 29, 2025 at 6:23 PM
25 memorable concert moments from 2025 where I became That Guy Holding Up His Phone At The Show: open.substack.com/pub/stuberma...
Pulp’s premier power ballad, Water From Your Eyes’ pawn-shop disco, Cory Hanson’s rhinestone Rundgren, Geese’s drunken drum-circle jams, and 96 other heavily rotated faves from 2025: open.substack.com/pub/stuberma...
My Top 100 songs of 2025
Pulp's premier power ballad, Water From Your Eyes' pawn-shop disco, Cory Hanson's honky-tonk Rundgren, Geese's drunken drum-circle jams, and 96 other heavily rotated faves
open.substack.com
December 28, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Pulp’s premier power ballad, Water From Your Eyes’ pawn-shop disco, Cory Hanson’s rhinestone Rundgren, Geese’s drunken drum-circle jams, and 96 other heavily rotated faves from 2025: open.substack.com/pub/stuberma...
I feel like we’re one “Helicopter” needle drop on Heated Rivalry away from a major Deerhunter revival; until then, read @chrisdeville.bsky.social’s excellent retrospective on the band’s halcyon days: open.substack.com/pub/suchgrea...
Deerhunter Hated "Indie Rock" And Were The Greatest Indie Rock Band Of Their Generation
The latest B-side from my book SUCH GREAT HEIGHTS examines Bradford Cox and friends' formidable legacy against a backdrop of indie rock gentrification
open.substack.com
December 26, 2025 at 6:24 PM
I feel like we’re one “Helicopter” needle drop on Heated Rivalry away from a major Deerhunter revival; until then, read @chrisdeville.bsky.social’s excellent retrospective on the band’s halcyon days: open.substack.com/pub/suchgrea...
Here’s a Boxing Day deal for ya: my Top 100 Songs of 2025, absolutely free! open.substack.com/pub/stuberma...
My Top 100 songs of 2025
Pulp's premier power ballad, Water From Your Eyes' pawn-shop disco, Cory Hanson's honky-tonk Rundgren, Geese's drunken drum-circle jams, and 96 other heavily rotated faves
open.substack.com
December 26, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Here’s a Boxing Day deal for ya: my Top 100 Songs of 2025, absolutely free! open.substack.com/pub/stuberma...
Classic Jesus song youtu.be/LhLNroI4rh8?...
Mary
YouTube video by Lou Barlow - Topic
youtu.be
December 25, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Classic Jesus song youtu.be/LhLNroI4rh8?...
King's Red Hat
December 25, 2025 at 2:45 PM
King's Red Hat