Music Reviews

Brueder Selke and Midori Hirano Unite for Unique and Striking LP

Celebrated Berlin-based composers Brueder Selke and Midori Hirano form a trio for this spellbinding new collaborative release.

Boom.Diwan Use Jazz for Kuwaiti Pearl Diving Music

Lilly Hiatt Puts Love in Motion on ‘Forever’

Brother Elsey Capture the Scary Present in Their Debut LP

Jazz Singer Michael Mayo Astounds With a Stunning Voice

Délirant Produce Monsters During the Sleep of Reason (premiere)

Zzzahara Combines Thrills and Chills on ‘Spiral Your Way Out’

Heather Maloney Channels Joni and Father’s Death Into Music

Brian John McBrearty’s New Album Exudes Warmth and Mystery

Music Features

30 Years of Alison Krauss’ Country Music Breakthrough

Even if the world only knew Alison Krauss from ‘Now That I’ve Found You: A Collection’, her place in country music history would be assured.

“Record in Iceland” and the Push for Global Relevance

Bad Bunny Creates an Astonishing (Inter)cultural Moment

James Brown and Prince Were Uptight As Funk

Decoding the Rap-Comic Complex in Childish Gambino’s Final LP

Belly’s 1995 Album ‘King’ Surprised with Its Rock Sound

Bright Eyes’ 2005 Albums Speak to Our Individual and Collective Discontent

Film

Dark Comedy ‘Patriot’ Illuminates Neoliberalism’s Dark Reality

The dark comedy Patriot illuminates how neoliberalism makes choices for us disguisedly, using entrepreneurial agency as a fig leaf to obscure manipulation.

B-Movie ‘Invasion of the Bee Girls’ Pollinates a Sexual Epidemic

There Are No Accidents on David Lynch’s ‘Mulholland Drive’

MoMA’s To Save and Project Film Restoration Fest Ranges from Classics to Avant-Garde

It Ain’t Easy Being Green in Wicked’s Hollywood

MoMA’s Film Restoration Fest To Save and Project Eyes Bad Behavior

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

Television

Dark Comedy ‘Patriot’ Illuminates Neoliberalism’s Dark Reality

The dark comedy Patriot illuminates how neoliberalism makes choices for us disguisedly, using entrepreneurial agency as a fig leaf to obscure manipulation.

What If Donald Trump’s Cabinet Picks Really Were Looney Tunes?

‘Slow Horses: Season Four’ Subverts the Spy Genre

When the 1950s Met the 1960s via LSD TV

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

Books

Cataloging Punk Permutations

Iain Ellis’ engaging Punk Beyond the Music’ goes beyond the usual permutations of punk into the fascinating cultural arenas of comedy, education, and sports.

Women in 1990s Rock Music Are Far from Dead

Roger Célestin’s ‘The Delicate Beast’ Will Devour You

John Patrick Higgins’ ‘Fine’ Hangs on in Quiet Desperation

Take Video Games and Our Perilous Era Seriously

Games

‘Stimulation Clicker’ Is Nauseating by Design

I have never been more depressed playing a game than with Stimulation Clicker. This game is nauseatingly illuminating by design.

Take Video Games and Our Perilous Era Seriously

The 24 Best Video Games of 2024

Phoenix Springs’ Journey to Nowhere Is Worth It

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

Lists

MetalMatters: The Best Metal Albums of December 2024

In December’s best metal, Blackdeath explore off-kilter black metal, Misanthropy open gateways in death metal, and An Axis of Perdition make a return.

15 Awe-inspiring Rock Guitar Solos You Might Not Know

The 30 Best Polish Albums of 2024

What If Donald Trump’s Cabinet Picks Really Were Looney Tunes?

5 Great Books That Reinvent Music Criticism

Interviews

Women in 1990s Rock Music Are Far from Dead

Tanya Pearson’s Pretend We’re Dead is both hopeful and challenging, and proves that the spirit of 1990s women in rock music is still alive and fighting.

Poster Children Discuss 1995’s Brilliant LP ‘Junior Citizen’ at 30

Home and Away with Audio Author Adam Gnade

Alice Ivy’s New Music Is Gorgeous with Organic Sounds

Heather Maloney Honors Her Late Father With Divine ‘Exploding Star’

PopMatters Picks

Brueder Selke and Midori Hirano Unite for Unique and Striking LP

Celebrated Berlin-based composers Brueder Selke and Midori Hirano form a trio for this spellbinding new collaborative release.

Boom.Diwan Use Jazz for Kuwaiti Pearl Diving Music

Lilly Hiatt Puts Love in Motion on ‘Forever’

Bad Bunny Creates an Astonishing (Inter)cultural Moment

Zzzahara Combines Thrills and Chills on ‘Spiral Your Way Out’