The question of control for Black women is costly. For Janet Jackson, control wasn’t just about economic or creative autonomy, but about control over bodily integrity as a Black woman. Ayanna Dozier explores The Velvet Rope through Black feminist poetics: https://bit.ly/4ayc0Dl

Now in audio, read by Megan Gage, Soul-Folk by Ashawnta Jackson. Available wherever you get your audiobooks. Uncover the histories of Black soul-folk artists who, like the genre they perform, have largely been left out of folk music narratives.

Despite nearly universal acclaim, the sonic expansiveness of D'Angelo's Voodoo proved too nebulous for airplay. Voodoo was Black, definitely magic, and it was nearly overshadowed by a 4 minute music video. Find out more with Faith Pennick's deep dive: https://bit.ly/4q6TYNa

What's your Record of the Year? 🏆

What are you currently listening to? Today we're listening to a selection of Grammy Album of the Year Award winners and nominees (who also happen to feature in the 33 1/3 series). 📀Listen on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3NPSkC4

OUT NOW: Gabriel T. Saxton-Ruiz explores Interpol’s Antics, charting its influence from 2000s NYC to global acclaim - especially in Latin America. Expect deep dives into the album’s music, marketing, and cultural impact, with insights from Interpol themselves. Get your copy: https://bit.ly/49Mrr9g

We are deeply saddened by the passing of Graeme Turner (1947–2025), Professor Emeritus at the University of Queensland, a pioneer in media and cultural studies and among the first to research popular music in Australia. Our condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues.

Check out this snippet from the audiobook for Plunderphonics (available on Spotify, Audible or wherever you get your audiobooks). 🎧

🎤 What was the best album you listened to in 2025?

Just a little sneak peak at what we've got coming in the 33 1/3 series in early 2026... 👀

Our holiday sale is nearly over! 🎅 Stock up on stocking stuffers at 30% off until midnight 7th Dec (over on the Bloomsbury website).

Looking for some gift inspiration? 33 1/3 books are 30% off until Sunday 7th Dec: https://bit.ly/4pB67dk

'Tis the gifting season 🎁 With over 200 books (and counting!) in the 33 1/3 series, chances are their favorite albums are in there. Shop 33 1/3 books (30% off until Sunday 7th): https://bit.ly/4pvBAxu

It's time to celebrate the festive season the 33 1/3 way. So whether you're ready to wallow in the existential dread of the season, thrash around the Christmas tree, or enjoy some classic holiday funk, we hope yule enjoy this playlist! Listen on Spotify: https://bit.ly/43V3kU0

There's a holiday #sale running over on the Bloomsbury website until Sunday December 7th, which means up to 30% off 33 1/3 books! 🎄 Shop 33 1/3: https://bit.ly/4pkGgpO

Ambient Music can feed your soul, or just counterpoint the din of the everyday. Dusty Henry, author of 20th Century Ambient, chats to Justin Remer on the Skylight Books podcast. Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Mktk50 Apple: https://apple.co/3Ko6Zmy YouTube: https://bit.ly/47YNnyy

Check out this snippet from the audiobook for 20th Century Ambient (available on Spotify, Audible or wherever you get your audiobooks). 🎧

There's a holiday #sale running over on the Bloomsbury website until Sunday December 7th, which means up to 30% off 33 1/3 books! 🎄 Shop 33 1/3: https://bit.ly/4pkGgpO

New 33 1/3 and Genre books are here... 📚 available online and via your favorite book stores. Happy publication day to Joel Mayward, Carmelo Esterrich, Matthew Blackwell and Dusty Henry!

A sneak peak inside 20th Century Ambient... A unique addition to the 33 1/3 Genre series, through text and comics it searches through ambient music's recent history to unearth how the genre has evolved and the role it plays in our daily lives. Pre-order: https://bit.ly/3Jw3lqq

What are you doing Nov 18th @ 7pm? You should be heading over to Powell's Books for the launch of Joel Mayward's addition to the 33 1/3 series: Sufjan Stevens' Carrie & Lowell. More info: https://bit.ly/47JgyVX

We need a good cry. What songs are guaranteed tearjerkers?

A playlist of essential ambient songs plucked from the pages of Dusty Henry's book, 20th Century Ambient. Listen on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3Ja18Ru

What are you doing Nov 18th @ 7pm? You should be heading over to Powell's Books for the launch of Joel Mayward's addition to the 33 1/3 series: Sufjan Stevens' Carrie & Lowell. More info: https://bit.ly/47JgyVX

What's the best horror-inspired music video?

There's a new author Q&A, where we chat to the writers behind new and upcoming 33 1/3 books, on our blog! Pete Crighton introduces his addition to the series: Cosmic Thing, an album that solidified The B-52s as icons of pop culture and queerness. Read: https://bit.ly/3L4e6Rc

What’s the scariest album cover? 🫣

We're remembering D'Angelo today by listening to some of the artists that inspired, and took inspiration from, the late, great, trailblazer of neo-soul. https://bit.ly/4hcKrRE

Listening to the new Tame Impala album has got us very excited for this to drop in our 33 1/3 Oceania series next year. Tame Impala’s Currents is due to publish January 2026!

Krautrock is not a music genre. Krautrock is a way of life. Its sonic diversity and global reach belie the common culture from where it emerged. This is a band-by-band history. Listen to Marshall Gu's Krautrock on Spotify, Audible or wherever you get your audiobooks!

Which horror movie has the best soundtrack?

Something wicked this way comes... Celebrate the spooky season with 33 1/3’s haunted Halloween playlist. Featuring creepy classics and spine-chilling tunes 👻 Listen, if you dare... https://bit.ly/48VsQvs

What’s the one song that sends chills down your spine every time you hear it? 👻

If you could have any artist, alive or dead, teach you an instrument - who would you pick? #BackToSchool

Psst… Bloomsbury are running a #BackToSchool sale until Oct 5th! Whether or not you're shopping for a reading list we think 33 1/3 books are perfect for anyone who wants to learn more about their favorite albums. Shop 30% off the 33 1/3 series: https://bit.ly/3VrXN2z

50 of our 33 1/3 books are now available as Spotify audiobooks! Check out the full list 👇 https://bit.ly/4mmg1gQ

One of the perks of working with 33 1/3 books (apart from getting to read lots of the best music books) is 1st dibs on the free merch. These stickers will be making their way to lots of our incredible 33 1/3 stockists very soon...

What the hell is shoegaze? A scene? A movement? A sound? Find out more in this ambitious oral history of a genre that has eluded definition for three decades. Listen to Ryan Pinkard's Shoegaze on Spotify, Audible or wherever you get your audiobooks!

What song reminds you of your school days? #BackToSchool

Want to learn more about mbube harmonies, the electronic boom of kwaito and the amapiano and house explosion of the '00s? Listen to Lior Phillips' South African Popular Music on Audible, Spotify or wherever you get your audiobooks!

Induct three must-listen albums into the national curriculum. GO! 🎓 #BackToSchool

💀 Metalheads - you can now listen to Death Metal on Audible, Spotify or wherever you get your audiobooks!

The B-52s' Cosmic Thing and Erykah Badu's New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh)* are officially publishing in the 33 1/3 series today, and you are definitely going to want to add these to your collection. 📚 *Coming November 2025 for UK-based Erykah fans!

Class is back in session folks 📚 We're reliving our school days with this one... Listen on Spotify: https://bit.ly/461gleO

What are the best music videos set in high school?

Psst… Bloomsbury are running a back to school sale until Oct 5th! Whether or not you're shopping for a reading list we think 33 1/3 books are perfect for anyone who wants to learn more about their favorite albums. Shop 30% off the 33 1/3 series: bit.ly/476Idk5

Last chance to shop our sale today ⏳ Until midnight tonight get up to 33% off hundreds of books in our 33 1/3 series. Shop 33 1/3: bit.ly/3ILZRPL

Happy South Asian Heritage Month! As we build up our new 33 1/3 South Asia series, we'd love to know what albums you think we should cover. Here's what we've already published: bit.ly/458JYvL

Looking to remix your shelves? For one week only Bloomsbury are having a sale on all music books - including the 33 1/3 series! From now until midnight on Sunday August 3rd, save up to 33%. Shop 33 1/3 books: bit.ly/4kPF1w7 🌞

Looking for a new reading playlist? Check out some of our favorite summer songs, hand-picked by 33 1/3 book readers. Listen on Spotify: bit.ly/3Ut32yk