This week, at The Nass:

Tom Markham makes a case for the poetic soul of Alex Turner (of The Arctic Monkeys):

There’s no denying that poetry is one of the oldest forms of writing that we mere mortals have fleshed out onto whatever stone tablet or papyrus leaf or iPad may have been convenient to us at the time. Whether as a form of tribute, social critique, or emotional outlet, poetry has for many eons been an impressively telling pulse check on where our minds and hearts are wandering in a certain decade or century. And yet, here we stand, in what may or may not be our last year ever, and poetry is largely regarded as a thing of the past. I wonder how many of us could name the last great American poet. Off the top of my head, maybe Frost? Or Plath? Or dare I say Billy Collins? …

Jessica Welsh dissects the popularity of “Call Me Maybe”:

A little over a month ago, the Nass ran an article titled “Who the &#@% is Lana Del Rey?” To be honest, I didn’t know either. After reading the piece, however, I now know that Lana Del Ray, “a self-styled gangsta Nancy Sinatra” according to one Guardian writer, is an Internet singing sensation whose disastrously awkward Saturday Night Live television debut made her one of January’s hottest news items. And I know that several Nass writers were convinced enough of her significance within the landscape of American popular culture that they insisted she be featured in our “Blue Ivy League” issue …

And much, much more! If you dare step outside the bounds of music commentary, that is.