Songs In The Key of MP3: The New Icons of the Internet Age

by Liam Inscoe-Jones

In a time of big data and algorithmic consumption, it's easy to buy into the myth of human passivity. Are the styles of art people enjoy really just chosen for us by the old powers of corporate capital and the new sway of the internet? In 2011's Retromania, Simon Reynolds made the case that musicians themselves had stalled creatively too. The internet had given us all unprecedented access to the past, and a new era of artists were left just repeating and regurgitating variations on old ideas. Thankfully, the decade which followed told a very different story; one of relentless innovation, creativity and broken boundaries. At the end of it, both the mainstream and the underground sounded completely different; liberated by new concepts of what is and isn't possible in song, uninteresting in the hindrances of genre, palatability and even gender. Crucially, the story of how these ideas came to be stands in direct contradiction to the kind of creeping nihilism which claims that the society we live in and the culture we interact with are already out of our hands.

With a title taken from the FKA Twigs song 'Ride the Dragon', Mysterious Beings will argue for a more deterministic point of focussing on five musicians who make the case through their careers that the creative boon of the last decade was a choice made by a pioneering wave of artists who responded in a post-modern way to the exact stagnation Reynolds diagnosed, and made music which was thrilling, open and completely new. These five artists in question are Devonté Hynes (of Blood Orange), FKA Twigs, SOPHIE, Oneohtrix Point Never and Earl Sweatshirt. Only a decade ago, each of these artists were niche true outsiders musicians who made definitively weird music and shunned typical relationships with the industry. Now, they have not only produced some of the most beloved albums of the last decade, but have also had an outsized influence on the sound of mainstream pop, electronic and rap music, where their ideas have become ubiquitous. They didn't just idly drift into the mainstream or compromise to get there they set popular music in their sights and sought to completely reshape it in their image. Sometimes they did so without even needed to partake in the typical motions of the industry, which were once absolutely essential to the success they went on to obtain.

Genres: Music, Cultural

368 pages, Paperback

Expected publication January 13, 2026

Reviews

[Chris Bookley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zeitgeisty.

[Jasmin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book in my local indie book shop and was very much drawn in by the prospect of a Caroline Polachek interview. The book takes you through the musical journeys of 5 musicians (Devonté Hynes, FKA Twigs, Oneohtrix Point Never, Earl Sweatshirt and SOPHIE) all up and coming artists with massive influence over their respective genres. When I read musical reviews/biographies, I'm sometimes put off by writers being overly elitist or critical but this wasn't the case with this book at all. It's refreshing to read a detailed and in depth analysis/background from somebody motivated by a passion and love for music.

Liam Inscoe-Jones illustrates very well the collaborative nature of music. Nothing exists in a vacuum and this is especially true for music. We wouldn't have Blood Orange without artists like Charles Mingus or Janet Jackson. And we wouldn't have songs like All That (ft queen Carly Rae Jepsen) without Devonté Hynes. The same applies to all these artists. Twigs was shaped by Arca, Oneohtrix Point Never by The Beatles, Earl Sweatshirt by his collaborators in Odd Future and SOPHIE by Autechre.

Over the past couple of years, I've really put in an effort to diversify my music taste and give myself a proper musical education. In an age of AI generated spotify playlists and algorithm echo chambers, this isn't made easy! And so this book felt like the perfect fit for me. Reading this and excitedly recognising names I already know and love has given me an appreciation for all of these musicians. So yes thanks LSJ for painting a very detailed picture of how these artists have gained notoriety! I am now making my way through all of their music.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doesn't has a clean thesis that runs throughout, despite the subtitle, but this is a class series of mini and not-so-mini biographies of artists and their respective scenes; the sort of long-form music journalism [old man whose blog was aggregated on elbo.ws and received a takedown notice from Cut Copy voice] you don't get so much of these days. Very fun to listen along with each artists as you read, and the playlists linked within are top and all.

[George · Rating 4 out of 5]

a beautiful brilliant ode to the boundary-pushing music of 2010s music. the worthy antithesis to mark fisher’s “hauntology” and “lost futures.” rip mark fisher u wouldve loved oil of every pearls un-insides REALLY WHOLESOME WELL-WRITTEN PASSIONATE BOOK ABT MUSIC !!

[Rob Noble · Rating 5 out of 5]

“In the final chapter of Retromania, one of Reynolds' concluding thoughts is a plea to leave the culture of nostalgia behind us. ‘Maybe forgetting,' he claims, 'is as essential in culture as it is existentially and emotionally necessary for individuals.' What this overlooks is that the shape of culture, the history of art itself, is defined by stubborn, active remembering.”

[Camiel Leake · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Part music criticism part response to mark fisher’s cultural pessimism part biographical all killer no filler.

Next time someone says there is no good music now you can shove this book in their mouths.

[Beth Jamieson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wouldn’t normally pick up a book like this but I’m so glad I did…eloquently written, captivating, and it has opened my eyes to a lot of new music. Thoroughly enjoyed!

[Joshua Liles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can’t wait to see who will stand as the pioneers of music in 2023-2033

[Jai · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Songs In The Key of MP3' is an incredibly well-researched and eloquent account of how the internet has changed the way in which artists can write, produce, collaborate and release music in the 21st century, all through the lens of five contemporary and cutting-edge musicians. Whereas other authors might draw upon well-worn examples, Liam Inscoe-Jones (clearly a passionate music fan himself) shines a spotlight on five exciting artists - Dev Hynes, fka twigs, Oneohtrix Point Never, Earl Sweatshirt and SOPHIE - names which may or may not be familiar to even the most diehard music fan, using each artist's backstory to show how they innovated to make sounds that were uniquely their own.

I was struck by how the author fluidly weaves traditional biography, music criticism and comment alongside elements of social history to tell a coherent and accessible story of how music has changed from 2013 onwards, and how it's positioned to change even further going forward. The gap between fringe artist and the mainstream has never been smaller, Inscoe-Jones tells us, evidencing collaborations between the likes of Dev Hynes and Carly Rae Jepsen, or Daniel Lopatin and The Weeknd. To be a music fan now is to be able to use the internet to hop seamlessly between genre, form and language like never before, moving far beyond unhelpful and outdated classification labels.

This book is essential reading for music fans who know some of the best music that has ever been created is being made right now, but also those who might be jaded and wary and need convincing that the best years of music are still ahead of us. I'd recommend wholeheartedly.

NOTE: Thank you to the author for providing an advance copy of the book.

[Jasmine D · Rating 3 out of 5]

dnf as my library loan was up but a good book so far. I'll add a proper rating if I return to it.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Introduced me to so much good music and brought back some amazing memories, absolutely devoured this

[Jim Purbrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

What happens when musicians grow up with instant access to all of recorded music ever?

Liam Inscoe-Jones explores the consequences of this new golden age of music discovery by shining a light on 5 of its glittering treasures: Devonté Hynes who now combines classical and R&B careers as Blood Orange, FKA Twigs, Oneohtrix Point Never, who switches from Superbowl productions to high concept electronica, Earl Sweatshirt's hip-hop renaissance and SOPHIE, who executed a single minded pursuit of the future of music from her laptop.

Ending with the story of SOPHIE was interesting: while the other featured artists were sponges soaking up music from everywhere, SOPHIE worked in a bubble, sealing herself away from other music which might taint her pure vision of the future. In her case access to cheap enough compute to enable real-time synthesis was more important than instant access to all of music, but all of the stories highlight the incredible possibilities afforded by a connected world which allows instant access to all recorded music, all possible sounds and every other person on the planet.

Songs In The Key of MP3 introduced me to a whole world of exciting new music I'll be checking out for months to come and left me excited to hear what the coming years will bring. Music is just getting started, but you need to know where to look to find the gold. Luckily Liam Inscoe-Jones has provided us with an excellent treasure map.