Music Reviews
Benjamin Booker Shows How Being Non-white in the US Is Dangerous
Benjamin Booker’s new album LOWER asks how do we live in an awful world. His only answer is to keep stepping forward into the darkness.
Music Features
Bloc Party Discovered Lightning in a Bottle 20 Years Ago
Bloc Party’s first and best record, championed by Franz Ferdinand, still captivates with its youthful energy, political commentary, and emotional center.
Film
Bob Dylan Film ‘A Complete Unknown’ Is a Folk anti-Western
In wandering hero terms, Bob Dylan film A Complete Unknown is less a George Stevens’ Western like Shane and more an Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo – with guitars.
Television
The Empty Excitement of the 2025 Grammy Awards
Beyoncé may have broken her curse with fun performances, but the bright Grammy ceremony was undercut by self-aggrandizing acts that fell flat by the end.
Books
You’ve Gotta Get Satire to Get Dion DiMucci
Dion: The Rock ‘N’ Roll Philosopher is a tongue-in-cheek title that only Dion DiMucci can pull off with street panache—braggin’ is a blues tradition, after all.
Games
Scarity Is Stressed in Video Game ‘Citizen Sleeper II: Starward Vector’
I’ve never played a video game so punishing as Citizen Sleeper II: Starward Vector, which stresses scarcity by playing for scraps.
Lists
10 Brilliant Music Books on the Art & Industry
From rock to hip-hop to country to punk to emo, here’s a list of superb music books to deepen the education for you or the music lover in your life.
Interviews
The Listening Garden’s Cultivation of Audiophile Culture
Amidst the rise in hi-fi bars and resurgence of audiophile culture, pristine audio is only one component of what makes The Listening Garden’s music experience distinct.
PopMatters Picks
Benjamin Booker Shows How Being Non-white in the US Is Dangerous
Benjamin Booker’s new album LOWER asks how do we live in an awful world. His only answer is to keep stepping forward into the darkness.