The fourth in a series of posts here at the Vine where we link to interesting and thoughtful articles and blog posts about music from all over the world.

Il Divo by Tim Murphy (New York Magazine): An affecting profile of the singer Rufus Wainwright at a pivotal point in his life, after the recent death of his mother, who he was very close to, and the ways in which he copes with savage reviews, the dubious actions of his past, and finding a new road for himself.

The Science Behind ABBA: Tunes That Burrow Into Your Mind And Press Repeat by Sarah Rodman (Bismarck Tribune): At some point, you’ve probably had ABBA’s 'Dancing Queen' involuntarily stuck in your head. Rodman’s article goes and talks to cognitive neuroscientists and musicologists to ask: why is ABBA so damn catchy?

It’s A Joni Mitchell Concert, Sans Joni by Matt Diehl (LA Times): 1970s folkie Joni Mitchell is jointly interviewed with drag artist John Kelly, whose recent show consists of him in character, performing Joni Mitchell tunes. If jointly interviewing Joni and John wasn’t strange enough in itself, during the interview Joni accuses Bob Dylan of being a "fake" (the grab that got coverage worldwide), and talks about her struggle with Morgellon’s Syndrome, a “disease which seems like it’s from outer space” that makes her scared to go out in daylight, and which the medical profession does not believe exists.

The National Agenda by Nicholas Dawidoff (New York Times): Dawidoff’s article gives a fascinating insight into the creative process and the creative tensions and push and pull of personalities inherent in any band, and how a creative work develops; it’s worth reading for its insight into that whether or not you’re a fan of the National (and if you are a fan of the National, read The Vine’s interview with them here too).

Schoolteachers Of Rock by Jude Rogers (The Guardian): The people who taught music at school to artists like Joanna Newsom, Muse, the Arctic Monkeys and the xx, tell of their experiences, both while teaching them and of seeing their former pupils go onto stardom.

Blood On The Tracks: Between The Grooves by PopMatters staff (PopMatters): A detailed, song by song, analysis of the ambiguous, fragmentary lyrics and the musical charms of Bob Dylan’s 1975 album, Blood On The Tracks, often considered his best.

Razar + Pig City by Andrew Ramadge (Mess&Noise): Ramadge looks at the intersection between punk music and repressive policing in Brisbane in the early 1970s, and how the Brisbane scene eventually turned into Powderfinger and Savage Garden.

The Wolf At Our Heels: The Centuries-Old Struggle To Play In Tune by Jan Swafford (Slate): The way our instruments are tuned these days seems natural, the only way it could be. However, Swafford’s article discusses the long history of the struggle against technology and tradition that led to musicians being able to use chords not in the mode of the song (which is so common these days you wouldn’t even notice it).

Tim Byron