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Music Featured: Top of Home Page Features Music Features PopMatters Picks

Tom Waits’ Perfect Performance 50 Years Later

By
Matt Mahler
/ 20 November 2025

Nighthawks at the Diner has received a 50th anniversary reissue. It remains a jazzy, captivating portrait of a young Tom Waits deep in character.

Features

‘The Brutalist’ Delivers a Bold Revision of the American Dream
Film

‘The Brutalist’ Delivers a Bold Revision of the American Dream

By
Liam Springate-Jones
/ 20 November 2025
Pantheon’s House of High-Tech Mirrors
PopMatters Picks

Pantheon’s House of High-Tech Mirrors

By
Amir Segal
/ 20 November 2025
Jesse Welles Sings Out for Truth and Justice
Music

Jesse Welles Sings Out for Truth and Justice

By
Greg M. Schwartz
/ 20 November 2025
MADA Festival’s Psychedelic Delirium
Music

MADA Festival’s Psychedelic Delirium

By
Ana Clara Ribeiro
/ 19 November 2025
Cautious Clay’s New Album Is Evening Angst Distilled
Music

Cautious Clay’s New Album Is Evening Angst Distilled

By
Colin Scanlon
/ 18 November 2025
Southside Johnny: Bluesman, Soul Shouter, Moving Balladeer
Music

Southside Johnny: Bluesman, Soul Shouter, Moving Balladeer

By
Gary Stern
/ 18 November 2025

Music Reviews

Music Music Reviews PopMatters Picks Reviews

The Howling Harmonies of the Avett Brothers and Mike Patton

By
Matthew McEver
/ 20 November 2025
Music Music Reviews PopMatters Picks Reviews

Fame Is the New Muse of 5 Seconds of Summer

By
Matthew Dwyer
/ 20 November 2025
Reviews Music Music Reviews

This Is Supposedly the Best of Everything But the Girl

By
John Bergstrom
/ 20 November 2025
The Necks Experiment with Long-Form Minimalism
Music

The Necks Experiment with Long-Form Minimalism

By
Chris Ingalls
/ 20 November 2025
The Kyle Sowashes Resist Defeat on ‘Start Making Sense’
Music

The Kyle Sowashes Resist Defeat on ‘Start Making Sense’

By
Thomas Britt
/ 20 November 2025
Sudan Archives’ ‘The BPM’ Delivers Dancefloor-Ready Anthems
Music

Sudan Archives’ ‘The BPM’ Delivers Dancefloor-Ready Anthems

By
Paul Carr
/ 19 November 2025
keiyaA Finds Strength in Stretching Out on ‘hooke’s law’
Music

keiyaA Finds Strength in Stretching Out on ‘hooke’s law’

By
Steve Horowitz
/ 19 November 2025
Amir ElSaffar Explores Microtones in a Unique Setting
Music

Amir ElSaffar Explores Microtones in a Unique Setting

By
Chris Ingalls
/ 19 November 2025
Bob Dylan Scholarship Comes in ‘Through the Open Window’
Music

Bob Dylan Scholarship Comes in ‘Through the Open Window’

By
Justin Cober-Lake
/ 19 November 2025
Tame Impala Seek Truth Through Imperfection in ‘Deadbeat’
Music

Tame Impala Seek Truth Through Imperfection in ‘Deadbeat’

By
Alyssa Charpentier
/ 18 November 2025
Blondie Went Genre Crazy on Their Comeback ‘No Exit’
Reviews

Blondie Went Genre Crazy on Their Comeback ‘No Exit’

By
Rich Wilhelm
/ 18 November 2025

Music Features

Music Featured: Top of Home Page Features Music Features PopMatters Picks

Tom Waits’ Perfect Performance 50 Years Later

By
Matt Mahler
/ 20 November 2025
Music Events Feature Sub Head Features Music Features Reviews

Jesse Welles Sings Out for Truth and Justice

By
Greg M. Schwartz
/ 20 November 2025
Books Featured: Top of Home Page Features Music Music Features

Rock of Pages: The Literary Tradition of 1980s Heavy Metal (excerpt)

By
Jesse Kavadlo
/ 19 November 2025
MADA Festival’s Psychedelic Delirium
Music

MADA Festival’s Psychedelic Delirium

By
Ana Clara Ribeiro
/ 19 November 2025
Cautious Clay’s New Album Is Evening Angst Distilled
Music

Cautious Clay’s New Album Is Evening Angst Distilled

By
Colin Scanlon
/ 18 November 2025
Southside Johnny: Bluesman, Soul Shouter, Moving Balladeer
Music

Southside Johnny: Bluesman, Soul Shouter, Moving Balladeer

By
Gary Stern
/ 18 November 2025
Why 2025 Is a Crucial Year for Post K-pop 
Music

Why 2025 Is a Crucial Year for Post K-pop 

By
Ana Clara Ribeiro
/ 17 November 2025
Gen X’s Nostalgia for 1980s Music Is a Memory Problem
Music

Gen X’s Nostalgia for 1980s Music Is a Memory Problem

By
Jay Lowrey
/ 13 November 2025
Why the New GWAR Don’t Feel Dangerous Anymore
Music

Why the New GWAR Don’t Feel Dangerous Anymore

By
Ryan Dyer
/ 13 November 2025

Singles Going Steady

Music Singles Going Steady

Oliver Ray Gets Darkly Political in “Black Budget”

By
Jack Walters
/ 18 November 2025
Music Singles Going Steady

Bill Callahan Gets Busy Living on “The Man I’m Supposed to Be”

By
Patrick Gill
/ 17 November 2025
Music Singles Going Steady

Boy Golden Finds Love in His “Cowboy Dreams”

By
Steve Horowitz
/ 17 November 2025

Film

‘The Brutalist’ Delivers a Bold Revision of the American Dream
Film

‘The Brutalist’ Delivers a Bold Revision of the American Dream

By
Liam Springate-Jones
/ 20 November 2025
Three Robert Hossein Films Evoke Harold Pinter
Reviews

Three Robert Hossein Films Evoke Harold Pinter

By
Matt Mahler
/ 17 November 2025
‘Sirius’ Casts a Glittering Eye on WWII Hungary
Film

‘Sirius’ Casts a Glittering Eye on WWII Hungary

By
Michael Barrett
/ 13 November 2025
‘He Who Gets Slapped’ Gets Its Slap-Happy Revenge
Film

‘He Who Gets Slapped’ Gets Its Slap-Happy Revenge

By
Michael Barrett
/ 11 November 2025
‘Peter Hujar’s Day’ Finds and Makes Meaning in the Mundane
Reviews

‘Peter Hujar’s Day’ Finds and Makes Meaning in the Mundane

By
Matt Mahler
/ 10 November 2025
‘Die My Love’ Is An Act of Self-Destruction
Film Review

‘Die My Love’ Is An Act of Self-Destruction

By
Paul Risker
/ 10 November 2025
‘Lighthouse’ Shines Amidst B-Movie Trappings
Film

‘Lighthouse’ Shines Amidst B-Movie Trappings

By
Imran Khan
/ 5 November 2025

Books

Books Featured: Top of Home Page Features Music Music Features

Rock of Pages: The Literary Tradition of 1980s Heavy Metal (excerpt)

By
Jesse Kavadlo
/ 19 November 2025
Reviews Books Feature Sub Head

‘Damaged People’ and the Inescapability of Intergenerational Trauma

By
Thomas Scott McKenzie
/ 11 November 2025
Books Music Reviews

Lemonheads’ Evan Dando Authors His Addictive Hooks

By
Brian Stout
/ 11 November 2025
Video Game Storytelling Is a World-Colliding Reinvention
Books

Video Game Storytelling Is a World-Colliding Reinvention

By
Jesse Kavadlo
/ 5 November 2025
The Beach Boys Sing for Peter Doggett
Music

The Beach Boys Sing for Peter Doggett

By
Eoghan Lyng
/ 5 November 2025

Television

Pantheon’s House of High-Tech Mirrors
PopMatters Picks

Pantheon’s House of High-Tech Mirrors

By
Amir Segal
/ 20 November 2025
‘The Lowdown’ Finds Hilarity in the Lowest Places
Television

‘The Lowdown’ Finds Hilarity in the Lowest Places

By
Ana Yorke
/ 11 November 2025
When Celebrity Spouses Go Off-Script
Television

When Celebrity Spouses Go Off-Script

By
Shandela Contreras
/ 22 October 2025
‘Zero Day’ Disconnects Our Worst Fears
Reviews

‘Zero Day’ Disconnects Our Worst Fears

By
Liam Springate-Jones
/ 22 October 2025

Interviews

Music Feature Sub Head Featured: Top of Home Page Features Interviews Music Features

Cautious Clay’s New Album Is Evening Angst Distilled

By
Colin Scanlon
/ 18 November 2025
Music All Things Reconsidered Feature Sub Head Features Interviews Music Features Pop Past Pop Past Music

Chubby Checker’s Unexpected Journey Into Psychedelia

By
Sal Cataldi
/ 7 November 2025
Music Feature Sub Head Features Interviews Music Features

Take a Dose of Winterpills and See ‘How We Dance’

By
Michael Bialas
/ 7 November 2025
Greet Death’s Depression Anthems Are Suited to the Times
Music

Greet Death’s Depression Anthems Are Suited to the Times

By
Brian Stout
/ 3 November 2025
The Complete Oral History of Caravan Palace’s <|°_°|>
Music

The Complete Oral History of Caravan Palace’s <|°_°|>

By
Evan Sawdey
/ 30 October 2025

Lists

10 David Gray Songs You Need to Hear (That Aren’t “Babylon”)
Music

10 David Gray Songs You Need to Hear (That Aren’t “Babylon”)

By
Brice Ezell
/ 11 November 2025
MetalMatters: The Best Metal Albums of November 2025
Feature Sub Head

MetalMatters: The Best Metal Albums of November 2025

By
Spyros Stasis
/ 10 November 2025
12 Horror Movies That Burrow Into Our Psyches
Film

12 Horror Movies That Burrow Into Our Psyches

By
PopMatters Staff
/ 30 October 2025
MetalMatters: The Best Metal Albums of October 2025
Music

MetalMatters: The Best Metal Albums of October 2025

By
Spyros Stasis
/ 27 October 2025
The Best 1970s Horror Movies for Halloween
Film

The Best 1970s Horror Movies for Halloween

By
Michael Barrett
/ 23 October 2025

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