Last summer, while a debate over net neutrality was on in the US, in his very funny news satire show, Last Week Tonight, the comedian John Oliver used a typically risqué example to explain what a non-neutral Internet could do to small web-based entrepreneurs and startups.
Articles by Sanjoy Narayan
Grizzly midlife reflections: Sanjoy Narayan writes on the band Animal Collective
The band’s vocalist Panda Bear has released his first solo album in five years. It’s warm, laidback, introspective, and a unique group effort.
Updated on Mar 22, 2025 09:02 PM IST
How to beat the algo-rhythm: Sanjoy Narayan writes on curated playlists
It’s easy to get hooked to streaming platforms and become overwhelmed by the largely AI-driven choices they push, but there is another way.
Updated on Mar 15, 2025 02:52 PM IST
Funk dial: Sanjoy Narayan on the return of the ’70s band Cymande
After a hiatus of 40 years, this early British funk band regrouped, when their music got a new lease on life via the turntables
Updated on Feb 22, 2025 04:43 PM IST
Early rock formations: Sanjoy Narayan picks his favourite music podcasts
Shows focused on rock history are linking places, people and phenomena in ways that are truly surprising, Narayan says.
Updated on Jan 18, 2025 07:10 PM IST
2024 wrapped: Sanjoy Narayan’s list of top 5 moments in the world of music
With so much music out there, it’s hard to tackle compilations and rankings in the old way. So here’s a list of the year’s most resounding events.
Updated on Dec 27, 2024 07:12 PM IST
The Last Poets: Sanjoy Narayan writes on the grandfathers of rap
Formed in Harlem in 1968, on the birth anniversary of Malcolm X, the group uses language and music to challenge racial injustice, celebrate Black consciousness.
Updated on Dec 21, 2024 07:08 PM IST
Long-playing records: 5 albums that got Sanjoy Narayan started
‘It’s been 50 years since I got hooked. From Wish You Were Here to Abbey Road, tracks from these albums still find their way onto my playlists,’ he says.
Published on Dec 06, 2024 08:08 PM IST
For the love of Goat: Sanjoy Narayan writes on Sweden’s cosmic folk concept band
Little is known about the members; they wear masks and costumes at gigs. Rather than wonder about it all, here’s why you should simply enjoy their music.
Updated on Nov 09, 2024 05:29 PM IST
The return of Guitar Zombie: Sanjoy Narayan writes on Sturgill Simpson
He is often pigeonholed as a country musician, but his influences extend so far beyond that genre. His body of work, meanwhile, also includes a zombie movie.
Updated on Oct 19, 2024 02:32 PM IST
Finding a deeper register: Sanjoy Narayan on rising British star Nadine Shah
The Pakistani-origin musician’s songs reflect her complex identity, and her ability to transform personal trauma into compelling art.
Updated on Oct 05, 2024 01:44 PM IST
Folk, spoken word, jazz: Give the old mix a shuffle, says Sanjoy Narayan
Don’t just let the algorithms choose for you. Check out seven intriguing voices that deserve a spot in your headphones. In this week’s Download Central.
Updated on Sep 21, 2024 01:29 PM IST
Rock’s prince of darkness: Sanjoy Narayan writes on Nick Cave
He had been using his music to find a way out of the fog after the death of his sons. His new album, Wild God, is joyful and uplifting.
Updated on Sep 07, 2024 03:06 PM IST
Sanjoy Narayan on King Gizzard, a lizard wizard and the chameleons of rock
The band’s music can't be pinned down to a genre. Experiments extend beyond music too... they once released a batch of songs for anyone to produce as vinyl LPs.
Updated on Aug 24, 2024 04:18 PM IST
Headbangers’ ball: Sanjoy Narayan on the French band Gojira
The heavy-metal band that performed at the Olympics opening ceremony are rare both for their music and their defining stand on ecological issues.
Updated on Aug 10, 2024 04:32 PM IST
What do new roots sound like?: Sanjoy Narayan on the rare sound of Ganavya
The 30-something singer melds Carnatic vocals with jazz. Her voice has been described as one that ‘could turn stoics into sobbing wrecks’.
Updated on Jul 27, 2024 06:58 PM IST
NOFX’s final act of punk-rock rebellion: Download Central by Sanjoy Narayan
The legendary band formed in the ’80s stayed true to the mission in ways that Green Day and Blink-182 did not. Now, they’re on their final tour.
Updated on Jul 12, 2024 08:58 PM IST
The larger-than-life legacy of the Pixies: Download Central with Sanjoy Narayan
The ’80s band may not have had a lot of mainstream success, but they’ve influenced generations of rock legends. And they’re still going strong.
Updated on Jun 21, 2024 07:50 PM IST
ht_print | Sanjoy Narayan
The rebel sounds of the Sahara: Sanjoy Narayan on desert blues
Tishoumaren is a genre marked by the struggles of an ethnic community’s attempts to assert its identity.
Updated on Jun 07, 2024 10:07 PM IST
Beneath Finland’s surface, a concrete maze to keep enemies out
Finland's extensive network of bomb shelters provides safety amid rising tensions with Russia, as a retired man checks on his wife's protection.
Updated on Jun 03, 2024 05:38 AM IST
Sanjoy Narayan, Helsinki
Slash and burn: The Guns N’ Roses guitarist's new album is a blues tribute
The star-studded compilation features Steven Tyler, Demi Lovato, Iggy Pop, and covers of legendary blues tracks. Plus, a bonus original by Slash.
Updated on May 24, 2024 02:14 PM IST
The opening notes of a new wave: Sanjoy Narayan writes on British jazz
Trace a story of royal courts, Caribbean immigrants, and a joyous new sound exemplified by the young Ezra Collective. In this week’s Download Central.
Updated on May 10, 2024 06:45 PM IST
Can one brand Finnish them off? Sanjoy Narayan on Valco’s cult headphones
The flagship noise-cancelling model, the VMK20, is almost half the price of anything comparable. The company has a unique approach to marketing too.
Updated on Jul 29, 2022 03:23 PM IST
The Band beyond description: How Dylan’s ensemble chorus found its voice
They dug deep into the roots of rock music and blended that with country, folk, R&B and soul, to create a sound that was exclusively theirs.
Updated on May 21, 2021 09:37 PM IST
A dip in the Arctic: Sanjoy Narayan on his love for ice-swimming
Nothing can prepare you for the shock of stripping down and descending into an ice-hole in the dead of Finland’s winter. But after the shock comes a euphoria. There’s a reason ice-swimmers are addicted, and some won’t even warm up in a sauna afterwards.
Published on Mar 19, 2021 05:15 PM IST
The Allman Brothers Band: A final closure
The Allman Brothers Band ended in 2014; but Gregg Allman’s death gives that a sad finality
Updated on Jun 11, 2017 12:05 AM IST
Hindustan Times | Sanjoy Narayan
Indulging in micro-doses of Metal in May
In Finland, the world’s capital of extreme metal, let’s take a plunge into the genre
Updated on May 28, 2017 01:26 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Sanjoy Narayan
The Insomniac’s Playlist
On a sleepless night, a podcast that spreads its magic and fills your head
Updated on Jun 02, 2017 05:37 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Sanjoy Narayan
The Bard of the Barroom
Craig Finn’s music is all in the lyrics and those always tell gritty, compelling stories
Published on Apr 29, 2017 09:51 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Sanjoy Narayan
The one-man jam band
Keller Williams is a musician who’s greater than the sum of many parts
Published on Apr 15, 2017 09:10 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Sanjoy Narayan
Many years later... Ten years after
Why the British blues rock band Ten Years After and guitarist Alvin Lee need a rediscovery
Published on Apr 01, 2017 09:36 PM IST
Hindustan Times | Sanjoy Narayan