Is the Modern Rock Band the king of the concert? The answer is an obvious ‘no’, but there is ‘rock’ DNA embedded in the idea Continue Reading
Music Dose
Electronic Producer Nahash's Debut Feels Handmade for Revolution
Revolution is in the air. Unrest in 2020 has moved across the globe like a social contagion. With neo-fascism on the rise, police states run Continue Reading
The Academy of Sun Combine Goth, Musical Theater, and Prog on 'The Quiet Earth'
The Academy of Sun’s new album The Quiet Earth is an interesting mish-mash of styles. Singer-songwriter-pianist-bandleader Nick Hudson prefers to use “Gothic dystopian post-punk” to Continue Reading
Folk Pop's Treva Blomquist Stays "Strong" (premiere)
Treva Blomquist’s new album, Snakes & Saints, arrives on 31 July. The Nashville-based singer-songwriter’s latest single, “Strong” speaks strongly to the positivity heard on the Continue Reading
Sylvie Simmons Celebrates "Sweet California" (premiere + interview)
“It started with a bunch of broken bones and went down from there,” says music journalist and musician Sylvie Simmons. Speaking with PopMatters from her Continue Reading
Noah Guthrie's "That's All" Innovates on His Americana Sound (premiere + interview)
On the road traveled so far, Noah Guthrie has become a viral YouTube sensation, as well as a fresh face on Glee’s final season. He’s Continue Reading
Courtney Marie Andrews Picks Up the Pieces on 'Old Flowers'
“Old Flowers is about heartbreak,” singer-songwriter Courtney Marie Andrews wrote about her latest album. “There are a million records and songs about that, but I Continue Reading
Duende Libre Blend Jazz and African Sounds on 'The Dance She Spoke'
There are layers of meaning to the title of The Dance She Spoke, the new album from Seattle-based jazz ensemble Duende Libre, each adding to Continue Reading
Thin Lear's 'Wooden Cave' is Chamber Pop Perfection of the Highest Order
If you’re looking for a suitable blueprint for Wooden Cave, the latest album from Thin Lear, a good starting point is the single “Maniacs”. The Continue Reading
What Does Water See? On Fighting as Perception in Bruce Lee's Kung Fu Films
Bruce Lee’s most famous saying was actually written for him by one of his advocates and students, the screenwriter Stirling Silliphant. Silliphant was writing for Continue Reading
Leslie Stein's Thoughtful and Honest Memoir About Abortion
“What do I do now? What do I do? You do the same thing you always do.” – I Know You Rider I Know You Continue Reading
Talking Heads' Chris Frantz Doesn't Miss a Beat With 'Remain in Love' Story
Instead of fictionalizing a fascinating period of his life in the mid-1970s that turned into the fabulous rock ‘n’ roll film Almost Famous, director-writer Cameron Continue Reading
Seeds of Colonial Capitalism in Kelly Reichardt's 'First Cow'
Kelly Reichardt begins her 2019 film First Cow in present-day Oregon with the image of a large cargo ship traveling slowly across the frame. This Continue Reading
"I Don't Want This Sullied by These Foul-mouthed Youngsters": An Interview With Old 97's
Twelfth is the upcoming album from the much-lauded Old 97’s, a record that finds the veteran act in fine form. Arriving as frontman Rhett Miller Continue Reading
The Superficial Approach to Chicano and Pachuco Culture in 'Penny Dreadful: City of Angels'
Set in Victorian London, Showtime’s Penny Dreadful blends gothic horror and the mythologies of Frankenstein, Dorian Gray, vampires and werewolves into one campy thrilling series. Continue Reading
Isolation Resonates in Tomine's Ode to Loneliness
Adrian Tomine’s autobiographical The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist is self-aware, funny, and ultimately a poignant account of the realities of Tomine’s chosen profession. The Continue Reading
Distance Remakes the Heart in Gabriel García Márquez’s 'Love in the Time of Cholera'
It seems that now more than ever, the role of distance defines so many of our relationships. As COVID-19 outbreaks spread across the globe, we Continue Reading
Radiator King's "Madame Marie" Is a Wistful Look Back on Childhood (premiere)
If Adam Silvestri channeled elements of Springsteen as Radiator King when he first graced PopMatters with “So Long (Charlie)”, now the NYC Americana artist is Continue Reading
Danielle Ponder and Karate Boogaloo Stand in Solidarity with BIPOC on "Look Around" (premiere)
In the past, both Danielle Ponder and Karate Boogaloo alike have been celebrated for their own individual efforts. The former is a commanding soul singer Continue Reading
Counterbalance 25: Television – 'Marquee Moon'
Klinger: Now here’s a real puzzler of a record for our Counterbalance purposes. Most everything we’ve covered so far has either been an immediate game-changer Continue Reading