Willow Avalon Isn’t a Southern Belle But She Does Raise Hell
Country artist Willow Avalon’s bluntness adds to her credibility. She’s funny and entertaining, and her feistiness highlights her honesty.
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Reviews of popular culture related areas, including music, film, TV, books, games, comics, and more.
American Jews’ and Muslims’ Conflicts and Commonalities
America’s religiously observant Jews and Muslims straddle a highway, each with one foot in religion and one in culture while worrying about being hit by traffic.
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MetalMatters: The Best Metal Albums of January 2025
In January’s best metal, Dax Riggs unexpectedly returns, Sacrifice’s thrash shows no signs of rust and Necromaniac invoke proto-death/black nightmares.
Texan Joe Ely Knows Everyone Matters on ‘Love and Freedom’
Joe Ely puts emotional content front and center, whether offering a tale of addiction or a mirthful story of his encounters with a local cop.
Scarity Is Stressed in Video Game ‘Citizen Sleeper II: Starward Vector’
I’ve never played a video game so punishing as Citizen Sleeper II: Starward Vector, which stresses scarcity by playing for scraps.
Bonnie Prince Billy Finds a Comfortable Home
Bonnie Prince Billy’s The Purple Bird reaches its highest points when Will Oldham finds the joy in life, which feels like its own form of resistance.
Rose City Band Deliver a Collection of Jam-Friendly Tunes
On Sol Y Sombra, Rose City Band offer an honest emotional reflection for our times with music that propels forward with their same carefree style.
The Greyboy Allstars Drop a ‘Grab Bag’ of Goodies
The Greyboy Allstars’ Grab Bag: (2007-23) is a vibrant collection of previously unreleased tunes showing off the mad skills of these San Diego groove masters.
Silent Film ‘The Bat’ Begat Comics Dark Superhero Batman
Murder, secret rooms, and a man in a bat suit are among the shenanigans in silent film The Bat, a seminal work that begat comics dark superhero Batman.
The Passion of Garth Brooks
Stephen Deusner’s entry in the 33 1/3 series about the wreckage of Garth Brooks’ ‘The Life of Chris Gains project makes for a mightily entertaining read.
Brueder Selke and Midori Hirano Unite for Unique and Striking LP
Celebrated Berlin-based composers Brueder Selke and Midori Hirano form a trio for this spellbinding new collaborative release.
Boom.Diwan Use Jazz for Kuwaiti Pearl Diving Music
Boom.Diwan’s new LP is gorgeous, deeply personal work that emerges from encounters between performers with diverse backgrounds and expertise.