Music Reviews
Mdou Moctar Mourns with Sadness on ‘Tears of Injustice’
Mdou Moctar’s Tears of Injustice is cause for mourning and melancholy. It makes time for lamentation, knowing there is more to sustaining resistance than fighting with fire.
Music Features
Hallelujah for Bruce Springsteen’s Definitive “Hail Mary” Album
Bruce Springsteen wrote his Hail Mary album while in purgatory – unwilling to return to tavern gigs yet unsure how to take the next step toward the promised land.
Film
Berlinale Part 1: Bob Dylan, Trauma Drama, and Wartime Romance
The 75th edition of Europe’s preeminent film festival, Berlinale, kicks off with politics center stage, an efficient new director, and more celebrities than ever before.
Television
The Penguin’s Means, Ends, and Morality
‘The Penguin’ compels us to interrogate our morality: do we treat others in our lives only as means to an end?
Books
Tom Robbins’ Crazy Wisdom
An undercurrent of seriousness prevails in Tom Robbins’ comedic expressions, occasionally bubbling to the surface to convey profundities on the nature of the universe, the human condition, et al.
Games
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II’s Success Lies in Its Meme-Worthiness
Arguably 2025’s best RPG video game, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II‘s success stems largely from its humorous meme appeal.
Lists
15 Breakup Songs That Are Vicious, Painful, and Bitter
A friend requested a hopeful, forward-thinking breakup playlist to help soothe their pain. We send these 15 bitter breakup songs instead.
Interviews
Melodic Hardcore’s Stunning Mid-2020s Resurgence
Hardcore has experienced a meteoric rise in popularity since 2020. Subsequently, the past two years have brought a revived interest in melodic hardcore.
PopMatters Picks
Mdou Moctar Mourns with Sadness on ‘Tears of Injustice’
Mdou Moctar’s Tears of Injustice is cause for mourning and melancholy. It makes time for lamentation, knowing there is more to sustaining resistance than fighting with fire.
