Home, PopMatters

Music Reviews

Music Music Reviews PopMatters Picks Reviews

John Cale’s Orch-Pop Masterwork ‘Paris 1919’ Is Brilliant

Sal Cataldi / 8 January 2025

With his 1973 album Paris 1919, John Cale created one of his most serene and accessible works, a contrast to the frenetic style of the Velvet Underground.

‘Rome’ Captures the National’s Amazing Live Show

Sunn O))) Bring Thunderous Drone Metal to Lincoln Center

Field Medic’s Quest For Inner Peace Is Astonishing

Dave Mackay Dives Into Electronics on ‘The Looking Chamber’

Music Features

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

5 Great Books That Reinvent Music Criticism

Josh Friedberg / 8 January 2025

This is by no means a comprehensive survey of contemporary music criticism, but these five books all point a way forward for the field.

Alice Ivy’s New Music Is Gorgeous with Organic Sounds

The 15 Best Brazilian Pop Albums of 2024

Film

Featured: Top of Home Page Events Features Film Film Feature

International Film Buffs Should Pounce on MoMA’s To Save and Project Festival

Michael Barrett / 8 January 2025

From silent classics to Thai melodrama, home movies to Brazilian sambas, MoMA’s To Save and Project festival is catnip for international film buffs.

Alfred Hitchcock At the Peak of His Skill

London Film Festival 2024 Brings Mindfulness Amidst a Bustling Metropolis

‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ and the Death of Hollywood Franchises

Nazis and Racial and Sexual Subtexts in ‘Revenge of the Zombies’

Television

Featured: Top of Home Page PopMatters Picks Reviews Television

‘Slow Horses: Season Four’ Subverts the Spy Genre

Ana Yorke / 12 November 2024

The good, the bad, and the ugly dance to Slow Horses‘ strange game, which reminds viewers that solidarity is essential to fighting oppression.

Rom-Communism: ‘Ted Lasso’ and the Future of the Romantic Comedy

The10 Best Episodes of ‘Are You Afraid of the Dark?’

Books

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

5 Great Books That Reinvent Music Criticism

Josh Friedberg / 8 January 2025

This is by no means a comprehensive survey of contemporary music criticism, but these five books all point a way forward for the field.

The Vices and Virtues of Ignorance in These Times

Jazz’s Historical Agenda as Protest Music in the Stellar ‘Brassroots Democracy’

Games

Featured: Top of Home Page Features Games Lists

The 24 Best Video Games of 2024

Luis Aguasvivas, Igor Bannikov, Samantha Trzinski / 6 December 2024

PopMatters’ 24 Best Video Games of 2024 highlight achievements in game design and the risks creators take to lure gamers into the magic circle.

Phoenix Springs’ Journey to Nowhere Is Worth It

‘Silent Hill 2 Remake’ Is a Dark Gem in the Horror Game Renaissance

Neva’s Emotion-Engine Gameplay Is a Beautiful Crowd-Pleaser

Video Games Set in the 19th Century and Their Literary Allusions

Lists

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

5 Great Books That Reinvent Music Criticism

Josh Friedberg / 8 January 2025

This is by no means a comprehensive survey of contemporary music criticism, but these five books all point a way forward for the field.

Interviews

Interviews Featured: Top of Home Page Features Music Music Features

Alice Ivy’s New Music Is Gorgeous with Organic Sounds

Evan Sawdey / 7 January 2025

In trading sample-packs for organic instruments and whistles, Australia’s Alice Ivy returns after four years with an album that moves out of the clubs and into real stardom.