20 Questions: Alexis Taylor
Hot Chip's Alexis Taylor finally gives in to his pop instincts on his new record, working with an outside producer and then telling us why Rubbermaid bins remind him of Star Wars.
Evan Sawdey
Evan Sawdey started contributing to PopMatters in late 2005, and has also had his work featured in publications such as Entertainment Weekly, SLUG Magazine, YardBarker, The Daily Dot, and many more. He has been a guest on HuffPost Live, RevotTV's "Revolt Live!", and WNYC's Soundcheck (an NPR affiliate), was the Executive Producer for the Good With Words: A Tribute to Benjamin Durdle album ( available for free), and wrote the liner notes for the 2011 re-release of Andre Cymone's hit 1985 album A.C. (Big Break Records), the 2012 re-release of 'Til Tuesday's 1985 debut Voices Carry (Hot Shot Records), among others. He is the co-founder and host of The Chartographers, a podcast for pop music nerds, and previously hosted PopTalk for PopMatters. He currently resides in Chicago, Illinois. You can follow him @SawdEye should you be so inclined.
The Flipside #13: U2’s ‘Pop’
U2's 1997 LP Pop marked peak sell-out for a very authentic '80s band. With a new vinyl reissue, the Flipside boys revisit it and wonder if it deserves to be as maligned as it is.
Fave Five: Kwes
UK electronic producer Kwes can write his own future, but outside of pushing his sound in directions, looks back fondly on the records that inspired and taught him.
All Four of Arvo Pärt’s Symphonies Are Brought Together to Show Us a Fascinating Journey
Arvo Pärt's symphonies have sometimes been dismissed as too bracing and academic to be enjoyed on a basic appreciative level. This new set from ECM seeks to prove otherwise.
The Visual Music of Mind Over Mirrors
Jaime Fennelly of Mind over Mirrors has long incorporated color and textiles into his transcendent live shows, but for Bellowing Sun he went further out onto the spectrum with a 15-foot drum-shaped zoetrope suspended over the stage and a full band.
20 Questions: Laura Veirs
After a collaborative album with k.d. lang and Neko Case, Laura Veirs re-emerges with a delicate, deliberate collection of folk-pop wonders, as well as a love for the Pixar film Coco and all things coffee.
The Flipside #11: Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Something For Everybody’
The Flipside examines film director Baz Luhrmann's surprisingly lively bubblegum pop effort Something for Everybody, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.
20 Questions: Keys N Krates
"Use as few sounds as possible to get your point across when making music." Pretty great advice from a dance trio that's shaking up the system.
“Follow the Nightmare”: An Interview with Channel Zero’s Nick Antosca
Channel Zero is the most shocking, terrifying show on TV right now. With the meat-cult third season that was Butcher's Block now finished, creator and showrunner Nick Antosca talks about the show's development, themes, and future.
20 Questions: George Fitzgerald
George Fitzgerald's sophomore effort might be the dance album of the year. With PopMatters, he talks Josef K, OutKast, and how his career all started with a cracked copy of Ableton.
20 Questions: Alice Ivy
Can't wait for the next Avalanches album? Melbourne's Alice Ivy cites them as an influence but carves out a sample-based beatscape all her own, making for a compelling listen from one of the year's breakout stars.
The Flipside #10: The 2018 Oscar Nominations
With the Academy Awards upon us, the Flipside examines whether the world's biggest platform for movie recognition might actually get it right this year, and avoid any, let's say, giant televised mishaps.