We are seeking essays for our Autumn 2023 All Things Reconsidered series. These features analyze classic albums in music history. They are indexed in the academic ProQuest database. We are seeking pitches for articles on the albums listed below, although writers may also pitch records that are not on this list.
All Things Reconsidered articles should be at least 1,400 words, although that’s fairly short for a substantial essay, and writers are encouraged to go longer. Indeed, many of these features are in-depth, written for posterity and education, and some go over 3,000 words.
In these essays, we want to address:
- Why this album matters. How has it stood the test of time?
- How has the perception of the music changed over time (if relevant)?
- Where the album came from in the history of the artist’s music and the genres/scenes from which it emerged.
- What societal trends influenced the making of the record, and what influence has it had since being released?
Tips for essays:
- Please don’t use excessive lyric quotations unless you are doing a true literary analysis. Quotations are fine, but ideas are better.
- Please have a unique take on the album. Develop a central thesis to build your essay.
- These need to be essays with original critical thinking. We don’t want just a bunch of tracks listed with pure descriptions. There must be an analysis.
Please choose from the list below, address pitches to Sarah Zupko, and enter your pitch into our Submittable with the subject of “All Things Reconsidered“.
PITCH DEADLINE: Rolling deadline through 30 November.
ESSAY DEADLINE: Rolling deadline through 30 November, depending on the month of album release.
Note: PopMatters is a wholly independent magazine of cultural criticism, est. 1999. Our mission is to educate readers and document our period on the cultural timeline. We publish for posterity. PopMatters is a highly respected magazine because of its ideals and its fine writers and editorial staff. However, such high ideals are not monetarily rewarded in today’s publishing climate. For this reason, we can offer you an excellent publishing platform for your quality work and our social media efforts – but for now, we are unable to pay you for your articles. Even the editors are currently volunteering their time. We are presently a 100% volunteer organization, with all advertising revenue supporting our basic expenses. Writers retain ownership of their copyright on articles, so they can use them for books and other projects. Their essays are indexed in ProQuest, as PopMatters has an educational mission.
Albums – September
You may also pitch albums not on this list.
A Tribe Called Quest – The Love Movement 1998
Amanda Palmer – Who Killed Amanda Palmer 2008
Archers of Loaf – White Trash Heroes 1998
Arctic Monkeys – AM 2013
Belle and Sebastian – The Boy with the Arab Strap 1998
Black Star – Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star 1998
Blitzen Trapper – Furr 2008
Blondie – Parallel Lines 1978
Bruce Springsteen – The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Band 1973
Buckingham Nicks – Buckingham Nicks 1973
Buzzcocks – Love Bites 1978
Cat Power – Moon Pix 1998
Chairlift – Does You Inspire You 2008
Chelsea Wolfe – Pain Is Beauty 2013
CHVRCHΞS – The Bones of What You Believe 2013
Cocteau Twins – Blue Bell Knoll 1988
Daniel Johnston – Hi, How Are You: The Unfinished Album 1983
David Bowie – Reality 2003
De La Soul – Buhloone Mindstate 1993
Dead Can Dance – Into the Labyrinth 1993
Deep Purple – Shades of Deep Purple 1968
Faithless – Sunday 8pm 1998
Faust – Faust IV 1973
Friendly Fires – Friendly Fires 2008
Funkadelic – One Nation Under a Groove 1978
HAIM – Days Are Gone 2013
Hole – Celebrity Skin 1998
Icona Pop – This Is… Icona Pop 2013
Janelle Monáe – The Electric Lady 2013
Jay-Z – Vol. 2… Hard Knock Life 1998
Jenny Lewis – Acid Tongue 2008
Lorde – Pure Heroine 2013
Manic Street Preachers – This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours 1998
Melissa Etheridge – Yes I Am 1993
Mercury Rev – Deserter’s Songs 1998
Metallica – …And Justice for All 1988
Metallica – Death Magnetic 2008
Morphine – Cure for Pain 1993
Mudhoney – Tomorrow Hit Today 1998
Muse – Absolution 2003
My Morning Jacket – It Still Moves 2003
Neko Case – The Worse Things Get, The Harder I… 2013
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Tender Prey 1988
Nico – The Marble Index 1968
Nine Inch Nails – Hesitation Marks 2013
Nirvana – In Utero 1993
Okkervil River – Down the River of Golden Dreams 2003
Okkervil River – The Stand Ins 2008
OutKast – Aquemini 1998
OutKast – Speakerboxxx/The Love Below 2003
Paul Weller – Wild Wood 1993
PJ Harvey – Is This Desire? 1998
Queens of the Stone Age – Queens of the Stone Age 1998
Ramones – Road to Ruin 1978
Spiritualized – Amazing Grace 2003
Sunny Day Real Estate – How It Feels to Be Something On 1998
Swervedriver – Mezcal Head 1993
Talk Talk – Spirit of Eden 1988
The 1975 – The 1975 2013
The Beach Boys – Surfer Girl 1963
The Decemberists – Her Majesty the Decemberists 2003
The Dresden Dolls – The Dresden Dolls 2003
The Fiery Furnaces – Gallowsbird’s Bark 2003
The Mothers of Invention – Over-Nite Sensation 1973
The National – Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers 2003
Thelonious Monk – Criss-Cross 1963
They Might Be Giants – Lincoln 1988
Tom Waits – Blue Valentine 1978
Waylon Jennings – I’ve Always Been Crazy 1978
Albums – October
You may also pitch albums not on this list.
Amy Winehouse – Frank 2003
Arcade Fire – Reflektor 2013
Basement Jaxx – Kish Kash 2003
Belle and Sebastian – Dear Catastrophe Waitress 2003
Bikini Kill – Pussy Whipped 1993
Billy Idol – Rebel Yell 1983
Billy Joel – 52nd Street 1978
Bob Marley & The Wailers – Burnin’ 1973
Bonnie Raitt – Takin’ My Time 1973
Brian Eno – Music for Films 1978
Cass Elliot – Dream a Little Dream 1968
Cocteau Twins – Head Over Heels 1983
Coheed and Cambria – In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 2003
Culture Club – Colour by Numbers 1983
Cyndi Lauper – She’s So Unusual 1983
Danny Brown – Old 2013
David Bowie – Pin Ups 1973
Death Cab for Cutie – Transatlanticism 2003
Deerhunter – Weird Era Cont. 2008
Diana Ross & Marvin Gaye – Diana & Marvin 1973
Dinosaur Jr. – Bug 1988
Dire Straits – Dire Straits 1978
Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road 1973
George Strait – Right or Wrong 1983
James – Laid 1993
Jaylib – Champion Sound 2003
Jets to Brazil – Orange Rhyming Dictionary 1998
Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros – Streetcore 2003
John Lennon – Mind Games 1973
John Mellencamp – Uh-Huh 1983
John Prine – Sweet Revenge 1973
Lambchop – OH (Ohio) 2008
Los Campesinos! – We are Beautiful, We Are Doomed 2008
Lou Reed – Berlin 1973
Mazzy Star – So Tonight That I Might See 1993
Meshell Ndegeocello – Plantation Lullabies 1993
Nazz – Nazz 1968
Neil Young – Comes a Time 1978
Paul McCartney – Pipes of Peace 1983
Pearl Jam – Vs. 1993
Pusha T – My Name Is My Name 2013
R.E.M. – Up 1998
Refused – The Shape of Punk to Come 1998
Rush – Hemispheres 1978
Sam & Dave – I Thank You 1968
Silver Jews – American Water 1998
Siouxsie and the Banshees – The Scream 1978
Sonic Youth – Daydream Nation 1988
Squarepusher – Just a Souvenir 2008
Squarepusher – Music Is Rotted One Note 1998
Steve Earle – Copperhead Road 1988
Teenage Fanclub – Thirteen 1993
The Afghan Whigs – 1965 1998
The Afghan Whigs – Gentlemen 1993
The Beach Boys – Little Deuce Coupe 1963
The Fall – The Real New Fall LP 2003
The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Electric Ladyland 1968
The Lemonheads – Come on Feel the Lemonheads 1993
The Shins – Chutes Too Narrow 2003
The Strokes – Room on Fire 2003
The The – Soul Mining 1983
The Waterboys – Fisherman’s Blues 1988
The Who – Quadrophenia 1973
Tindersticks – Tindersticks 1993
Traffic – Traffic 1968
U2 – Rattle and Hum 1988
Ultramagnetic MCs – Critical Beatdown 1988
Uncle Tupelo – Anodyne 1993
Yo La Tengo – Painful 1993
Albums – November
You may also pitch albums not on this list.
A Tribe Called Quest – Midnight Marauders 1993
Alanis Morissette – Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie 1998
Amadou & Mariam – Welcome to Mali 2008
Asian Dub Foundation – Rafi’s Revenge 1998
Beck – Mutations 1998
Beyoncé – I Am… Sasha Fierce 2008
Billy Joel – Piano Man 1973
Boris – Amplifier Worship 1998
Britney Spears – In the Zone 2003
Daryl Hall & John Oates – Abandoned Luncheonette 1973
Dusty Springfield – Dusty… Definitely 1968
Eazy-E – Eazy-Duz-It 1988
Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Brain Salad Surgery 1973
Eurythmics – Touch 1983
Explosions In The Sky – The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place 2003
Fripp & Eno – (No Pussyfooting) 1973
Girl Talk – Feed The Animals 2008
Guns N’ Roses – Chinese Democracy 2008
JAY-Z – The Black Album 2003
Jody Watley – Intimacy 1993
John Lennon & Yoko Ono – Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins 1968
Jungle Brothers – Straight out the Jungle 1988
Kanye West – 808s & Heartbreak 2008
Kate Bush – Lionheart 1978
Kate Bush – The Red Shoes 1993
Missy Elliott – This Is Not a Test! 2003
Mount Eerie – Dawn 2008
my bloody valentine – Isn’t Anything 1988
Neil Young – Neil Young 1968
Paul Simon – Hearts and Bones 1983
Q-Tip – The Renaissance 2008
Queen – Jazz 1978
Queen Latifah – Black Reign 1993
R.E.M. – Green 1988
Roxy Music – Stranded 1973
Snoop Dogg – Doggystyle 1993
Taylor Swift – Fearless 2008
Texas – Ricks Road 1993
The Beatles – The Beatles 1968
The Beatles – With The Beatles 1963
The Clash – Give ‘Em Enough Rope 1978
The Coup – Steal This Album 1998
The Jam – All Mod Cons 1978
The Killers – Day & Age 2008
The Kinks – Preservation Act 1 1973
The Kinks – The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society 1968
The Police – Outlandos d’Amour 1978
The Rolling Stones – Undercover 1983
Van Morrison – Astral Weeks 1968
Wu-Tang Clan – Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) 1993
X-Ray Spex – Germ Free Adolescents 1978
Albums – December
You may also pitch albums not on this list.
Alicia Keys – The Diary of Alicia Keys 2003
Beyoncé – BEYONCÉ 2013
Blood, Sweat & Tears – Blood, Sweat & Tears 1968
James Taylor – James Taylor 1968
Kelis – Tasty 2003
Public Image Ltd. – Public Image (First Issue) 1978
The Rolling Stones – Beggars Banquet 1968
The Supremes – Love Child 1968
Wings – Band on the Run 1973