DIIV Go Deep on ‘Frog in Boiling Water’
DIIV’s Frog in Boiling Water aspires to be a statement album, reflecting our zeitgeist of right-wing extremism, global conflict, and environmental collapse.
Christopher J. Lee
Christopher J. Lee is a contributing music writer at PopMatters. He spent some of his best years as a college radio DJ during the 1990s. Follow him on Twitter at @joonhai.
‘Ghosted II’ Continues Enigmatic Project Led by Oren Ambarchi
Ghosted II is the intensely cerebral successor to 2022’s Ghosted, with Oren Ambarchi’s ensemble plumbing the depths of post-rock and avant-jazz.
Six Organs of Admittance Traverses Life’s Purgatory on ‘Time Is Glass’
Six Organs of Admittance’s Time Is Glass is ultimately about estrangement in this world with songs that inhabit the space between immanence and transcendence.
Neil Young and Crazy Horse’s ‘Fu##in’ Up’ is Fu##in’ Great
A track-by-track homage to their classic album Ragged Glory, Fu##in’ Up highlights Neil Young and Crazy Horse at their best – loose, loud, and long-lasting.
Shabazz Palaces Resist Profiling on Elusive ‘Exotic Birds of Prey’
Following Robed in Rareness from last fall, Shabazz Palaces continues a provisional series with the cryptic and digressive Exotic Birds of Prey.
Sasha Frere-Jones: Portrait of the Critic as a Young Man
Sasha Frere-Jones’ anti-memoir memoir, Earlier, moves around in time without clear logic, keeping things alive and even suspenseful, though somewhat cryptically.
Can and Damo Suzuki Shimmer Brightly on ‘Live in Paris 1973’
Part of a recent series of archival releases, Live in Paris 1973 provides an indispensable glimpse of Can and their lead vocalist, Damo Suzuki, at their peak.
Against All Odds, Laetitia Sadier Is Still ‘Rooting for Love’
Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab sees love as a solution for our contemporary ills, whether personal, political, or planetary. The stakes couldn’t be higher.
Personal Canons: Peter Coviello on Prince, Pavement, and Parenthood
Blending personal experience with popular culture, Peter Coviello seeks to democratize how criticism is understood and practiced in Is There God after Prince?
‘Walls Have Ears’ Captures Sonic Youth’s Abrasive Adolescence
Drawn from recordings of UK shows in 1985, Walls Have Ears is a wild, unvarnished listen that gets back to the difficult, defiant essence of Sonic Youth.
‘In Ribbons’ Reissue Revisits Experimentation of Pale Saints
Delayed a year due to Covid, the 30th anniversary re-release of In Ribbons by Pale Saints last October is a reminder of how expansive shoegaze can be.
J Mascis Stalls Out on ‘What Do We Do Now’
The venerable J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. drifts on this unimaginative release that takes no risks and leaves little enduring impression.