Fiona Apple’s Thundering ‘Fetch the Bolt Cutters’ Is Her Most Striking Album
Fiona Apple's Fetch the Bolt Cutters is bold and demanding, and it might very well go down as the finest full-length she has ever made.
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.
All Kinds of Time: Adam Schlesinger’s Pursuit of Pure, Peerless Pop
Adam Schlesinger was a poet laureate of pure pop music. There was never a melody too bright, a lyrical conceit too playfully dumb, or a vibe full of radiation that he would shy away from. His sudden passing from COVID-19 means one of the brightest stars in the power-pop universe has suddenly dimmed.
Dua Lipa’s ‘Future Nostalgia’ Is the Dance Escape We Need Right Now
Engaged, confident, and better than ever, Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia is a dancefloor fire-starter but just a shade away from being a true pop masterpiece.
Sam Sparro’s ‘Boombox Eternal’ Is the Melodic Throwback We Need Right Now
Sam Sparro's Boombox Eternal is Jam & Lewis, Nile Rodgers, and Quincy Jones all nodding in unison. It is Day-Glo colors and endless mists of hairspray.
Lemon Jelly’s Fred Deakin Aims to Make a Lasting Impression with the Lasters
Former Lemon Jelly frontman Fred Deakin uses Kickstarter to fund a pop-rock passion project, but for all its good faith efforts, it ends up an unfocused mess.
Los Campesinos! ‘Romance Is Boring’ Holds Up a Decade Later
The three albums Los Campesinos! released after their debut showed who the band really were: angrier, artier, and more thoughtful than we initially thought. Romance Is Boring holds up in its notable decade-on reissue release.
I Just Want to Make That Sad Boy Smile: An Interview with Kleerup
Former Robyn producer Kleerup dropped a lovely solo debut in 2008 then largely disappeared before deciding to come back over a decade later. What happened to him in the intervening years? "Actually, I died twice but got sent back," he tells us.
The 2020 Grammy Awards Didn’t Chase the Dark Clouds Away
In 2019, a spotlight on queer musicians and fast-paced broadcast made the Grammys have some real cultural relevance. Its 2020 edition, clouded by tragedy, scandal, and bloat, only served to remind us why award shows are so problematic.
The 12 Best Pop Albums of 2019
From "Old Town Road" to "7 Rings", from Lizzo to Lucy Spraggan, 2019 was a wild time for pop music, one where escapism was king. Now, as the year winds down, we simply can't escape how good these 12 albums are.
The 10 Best Ambient Albums of 2019
Ambient music has grown with the birth of streaming, ushering in big audiences to sounds both challenging and relaxing. Here are ten best records of the year that say so much without saying a word.
No Fear No More: An Interview with Madeon
Madeon shot to fame as a teenager as a new dance music hero, then withdrew from the world as he battled with his emotions. Now, with his thoughtful sophomore album, Madeon is back with an evolved sound and a new outlook, ready to connect with people like never before.
“It’s OK to Not Be OK”: An Unflinching Interview with Colin Dieden Formerly of the Mowgli’s
Once of the Mowgli's, Colin Dieden's new Little Hurt project is unflinching in its rawness. "I used to think that meeting sadness head-on with happy songs was how I was going to move through it, but one day that stopped feeling honest to me."