Television Personalities Unleash Their Radio Sessions 1980-1993
Television Personalities’ Tune In, Turn On, Drop Out offers a fresh opportunity to explore the band and their still-unique, seemingly contradictory pleasures.
John Bergstrom
John Bergstrom has been writing various reviews and features for PopMatters since 2004. He has been a music fanatic at least since he and a couple friends put together The Rock Group Dictionary in third grade (although he now admits that giving Pat Benatar the title of "first good female rocker" was probably a mistake). He has done freelance writing for Trouser Pressonline, Milwaukee's Shepherd Express, and the late Milk magazine and website. He currently resides in Madison, Wisconsin with his wife and two kids, both of whom are very good dancers.
Saint Etienne’s ‘The Night’ Sounds Unusually Forced
Saint Etienne’s The Night has quite a bit going for it, but it sounds uncharacteristically forced, ultimately collapsing under the weight of its pretension.
Eli & Fur’s ‘Dreamscapes’ Casts a Low-Lit Spell
Built on pulsating beats, minimalist synth touches, and immaculate sound design, British EDM duo Eli & Fur’s Dreamscapes casts a low-lit, wee-hours spell.
Broadcast’s ‘Distant Call’ Shows There Were Always Haunting
Broadcast’s music always felt mysterious with a degree of distance and isolation. Broadcast were always haunting, and Distant Call leads to that realization.
Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Mirage Tour ’82’ Features the Hits
Culled mostly from previously-released material, this triple-vinyl set catches Fleetwood Mac in the midst of their world-beating commercial phase.
Cocteau Twins and Harold Budd Visit ‘The Moon and the Melodies’
The collaboration between ethereal pop trio Cocteau Twins and avant-gardist Harold Budd, The Moon and the Melodies, hits vinyl for the first time since 1986.
The The’s ‘Ensoulment’ Is Pithy and Perceptive
Life is hard, and the world is a dangerous place. The The’s Matt Johnson has never shied away from these realities. He’s as pithy and perceptive as ever.
The Mysterines’ New LP Is Moodier, Darker, and Slower
The Mysterines’ new record is the aural equivalent of a spooky, creaky old house—at an amusement park. It gets the look and feel right, but it’s artifice.
The Church’s Companion Album to ‘The Hypnogogue’ Is Superb
The Church’s “companion piece” to The Hypnogogue is just as good. It didn’t take long for the veteran Aussie psych-rockers to break in their new lineup.
Moving Away From the Pulsebeat: Post-Punk Britain 1977-1981
This gargantuan post-punk collection has legends like Joy Division and the Cure, but it’s the lesser-knowns who provide the many unexpected thrills.
Real Estate Go Back to Basics on ‘Daniel’
Daniel‘s “brand-new old-fashioned” version of Real Estate is totally workable but is also a reminder that the old-fashioned stuff was better.
The Vaccines Get Back to Basics on ‘Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations’
The Vaccines’ new LP is a proverbial back-to-basics affair that’s all the better for it. Packed with ten punchy hook-laden songs, it’s a great-sounding record.