Mark Lanegan Lives, Contending with Death Through Music on ‘Straight Songs of Sorrow’
On Straight Songs of Sorrow, Mark Lanegan tells stories from his life and wrestles with death, his chief subject.
Thomas Britt
Thomas Britt is a Professor of Film and Video Studies at George Mason University.
Music, Drama, and Philosophy with Liturgy’s Hunter Hunt-Hendrix
Liturgy founder Hunter Hunt-Hendrix discusses religion, philosophy, history, and music from Johannes Brahms to Waka Flocka Flame.
Warming Up to Melody: An Interview with Film/TV Score Composer Cliff Martinez
Film/TV score composer Cliff Martinez talks with PopMatters about his work with Steven Soderbergh, Harmony Korine, and Nicolas Winding Refn, whose new series Too Old to Die Young features one of Martinez's most ambitious scores to date.
Lambchop Surveys the Senses on ‘This (is what I wanted to tell you)’
Lambchop's new album is the musical equivalent of that final "walk" monologue from Synecdoche, New York. It's a heavy listen, but potentially a rapturous one as well, for anyone who has ever experienced a reverie of aging and all it entails.
Cabana Wear Is Power Pop for Life’s Middle Act
At a time when some of the progenitors of this style of rock music are hitting walls creatively, a regional super-group comes along to show how relevant this sound can be.
Weezer’s ‘Black Album’ Has Already Expired
Weezer's Black Album shrinks to the low ambition of phoned-in karaoke over plastic keyboard preloads.
The Smashing Pumpkins: Shiny and Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun.
Thirty years on, the Smashing Pumpkins are (mostly) reunited and recording new music that displays the band's visionary spirit.
Smoking Popes on Faith, Politics, and Judy Garland
Josh Caterer of Smoking Popes talks with PopMatters about musical and spiritual experiences, and reflections about the legendary Judy Garland, who inspired their new album Into the Agony.
The Sound of the Shimmer: Interview with Annihilation’s Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow
Emmy-nominated composer Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow, music producer and founding member of Portishead, speak with PopMatters about their original score for Alex Garland's science-fiction film, Annihilation.
“Questions That Lead to More Questions”: An Interview with Damien Jurado
Singer/songwriter Damien Jurado talks with PopMatters about new album The Horizon Just Laughed, his complex perception of time, and avoiding cynicism.
Mount Eerie’s ‘Now Only’ Feels Like More of ‘A Crow Looked at Me’
Mount Eerie follows the remarkable A Crow Looked at Me with a similarly styled album that will be of interest to Mount Eerie devotees but feels more downbeat and less necessary than its predecessor.