How 'Watchmen' and 'The Boys' Deconstruct American Fascism
“And imperfect men, possessing superhuman material power, are not a reassuring prospect.” — Marshall McLuhan, The Mechanical Bride (1951) No One Is Coming to Save Continue Reading
How Avenue Beat Went From ‘Music That Nobody Liked’ to a Massive TikTok Hit With ‘F2020′
Savana Santos, Sami Bearden, and Sam Backoff of Avenue Beat never expected one single TikTok post to change their entire career trajectory. When the Illinois-born Continue Reading
Between the Grooves of Radiohead's 'Kid A'
1. “Everything in Its Right Place” I still remember where I first listened to Kid A. There aren’t many albums I can say that about, but Continue Reading
For Don DeLillo, 'The Silence' Is Deafening
Paradoxes abound in The Silence, Don DeLillo’s latest novel. Its subject—the end of contemporary life as we know it—is huge. Its size is small, barely Continue Reading
'What a Fantastic Death Abyss': David Bowie's 'Outside' at 25
Emerging with a clatter at the beginning of the internet age and peddling millennial paranoia through a confoundingly labyrinthine cyber-noir narrative, David Bowie’s 1995 album Continue Reading
South Africa's Phelimuncasi Thrill with Their Gqom Beats on '2013-2019'
The first beats of “Ngavele Ngagaxela” are crisp and bare; the vocals atop them nimble and bold. Such straightforward musical bones are the foundation of Continue Reading
Addicted to Drug Dramas "She Shoulda Said NO!" and "The Devil's Sleep"
In cooperation with local and federal authorities, PopMatters has tirelessly worked to expose the sensational scandals documented in the Blu-ray series Forbidden Fruit: The Golden Continue Reading
"Let the Sunshine In" with Tony-Winning Legend Melba Moore
In December 1976, Melba Moore made history at the Metropolitan Opera House. An Evening with Melba Moore at the Met marked the first time a Continue Reading
Daniel Rodriguez's "Sojourn of a Burning Sun" Finds Hope in Letting Go (premiere)
Daniel Rodriguez knows loss, and perhaps more intimately than many of us. Running parallel to Elephant Revival’s breakup was the end of a 14-year romantic Continue Reading
Soul's Busty and the Bass Talk to Their Younger Selves on 'Eddie'
There’s something undeniably sexy about the Montreal-based eight-piece collective Busty and the Bass’ latest release, Eddie. The overall vibe is that of a basement make-out Continue Reading
Bruce Springsteen's 'Born to Run' Brought Elegiac Depth and Youthful Romanticism to Heartland Rock
A little over 15 months after music critic Jon Landau declared, “I have seen the future of rock and roll and his name is Bruce Continue Reading
The Band's Discontented Third LP, 1970's 'Stage Fright', Represented a World Braving Calamity
As with any new decade, 1970 ushered in both the promise of fresh prospects and the continuity of the same misfortunes. For roots rockers the Continue Reading
The Redemption of Elton John's 'Blue Moves'
“Blue Moves is an Elton John album. It is not his best.” Thus begins the latest book in Bloomsbury Academic’s 33 1/3 series, each volume Continue Reading
Hip-Hop's Raashan Ahmad Talks About His Place in 'The Sun'
An unknown entity in many hip-hop quarters (despite his prolificacy), Raashan Ahmad has been game in trying all sorts of odds and ends to get Continue Reading
Colonial Pandemics and Indigenous Futurism in Louise Erdrich and Gerald Vizenor
In 2012, Grace L Dillon (Anishinaabe), a professor in the Indigenous Nations Studies program at Portland State University, coined the genre “Indigenous futurism” to recognize Continue Reading
Performing Race in James Whale's 'Show Boat'
Whether you are discussing the 1926 Edna Ferber best-selling novel, the stage adaptation by Oscar Hammerstein II and Jerome Kern first produced in 1927 by 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
How Aaron Sorkin and U2 Can Soothe the Pandemic Mind
While sheltering in place, many of us are dining on pop-culture comfort food. Though new and edgy fare stimulates the taste buds, songs, and stories Continue Reading
Contemporary Urbanity and Blackness in 'New Jack City'
The explosion of the “hood film” genre in late 20th century African American cinema arguably doubled as an extension of the street performances of the Continue Reading
Fleetwood Dissects the European Mindset in His Moody, Disturbing Thriller, 'A Young Fair God'
Specializing in the kind of thrillers that explore the interstitial spaces that are moral dilemmas, Hugh Fleetwood has made a career out of consigning characters Continue Reading