The Timid, the Tacky, and the Talented: The 59th Annual Grammy Awards
"I thought it was her year," Adele told reporters backstage after upsetting Beyoncé. "What the fuck does she have to do to win Album of the Year?"
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.
A Minute to Breathe: Interview With Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
"The last thing I wanted to do was make a song that was preachy about climate change," says Reznor, who with Ross tackles the world's biggest issues on their own terms.
The Flaming Lips: Oczy Mlody
Oczy Mlody feels less like the group's 14th grand artistic statement and more like a minor footnote to a once-great band's recent output.
The Best Pop Albums of 2016
In a year when we lost too many music icons (and maybe even our minds in the process), the escapist power of pop music is needed more than ever.
Tove Lo: Lady Wood
The sophomore effort from Swedish pop artist Tove Lo immediately announced itself as a much darker, more sinister version of its hit 2014 predecessor Queen of the Clouds.
Lady Gaga: Joanne
Even with all her extracurricular endeavors paying off cultural dividends, Gaga's greatest achievement is yet to come, and Joanne, flaws and all, feels like the necessary step to get there.
Phantogram: Three
Phantogram's third (and best effort) hides a lot of sadness behind that swagger, and that tension helps define their most scintillating set yet.
Tycho: Epoch
Epoch may very well be a stunning and unexpected surprise release from post-rock collective Tycho, but its unexpected appearance is the least interesting thing about such an accomplished set.
20 Questions: Rachael Yamagata
After a four year break since her last album, Rachael Yamagata reveals a love of spreadsheets, a love for Streisand, and why it's totally OK to suck at playing guitar.
Andre Cymone – “Hallelujah” (premiere)
Prince's childhood friend and bassist came back with socially-conscious rock in 2014, but with his new EP, addresses America's race issues head-on.
The Marches – “Living Language Is Killing” (premiere)
The found-sound funk of the Marches returns after a six-year hiatus, premiering a complex, entertaining video ahead of the band's new release.
20 Questions: The Devil Makes Three
They're the barn-burning Americana stalwarts, and to celebrate their latest floor-stomping album, Pete Bernhard plays PopMatters 20 Questions from the comfort of his bathtub.