Maggie Rogers Asks NYC Crowd to ‘Surrender’ to the Music
Creating space to honor intense feelings was the goal of Maggie Rogers’ NYC performance and she achieved it. The crowd left with a sense of “feral joy”.
folk pop
beabadoobee’s Ascent from Indie Starlet to Pop Queen on ‘Beatopia’ Is Hot and Cold
On Beatopia, beabadoobee seems to be running from the adolescence that gave us 2017’s “Coffee” while simultaneously drawing inspiration from it.
Pink Turns to Blonde: Trixie Mattel on the Dual Nature of Her New Records
Trixie Mattel discusses her new double album, the drive to stay authentic in drag, and the ways her superstar persona affects her real life.
Rachel McElhiney’s ‘I Love It Here’ Belies the Heart Beneath It All
The first thing you’ll notice about Rachel McElhiney is that deceptively powerful voice, which is a beautiful vehicle for her jazz-flecked tunes.
Best New Songs: Conal Kelly, Bailey Tomkinson, Shady Baby, Fionn
This playlist spotlights the best new songs across the varied genres PopMatters covers. Today features Conal Kelly, Bailey Tomkinson, Shady Baby, and Fionn.
‘One Day’ the Cactus Blossoms May Be Better Known Than the Everly Brothers
One can’t hear the Cactus Blossoms without being reminded of the Everly Brothers. If they continue to produce such good music, the opposite may be true soon.
Belle and Sebastian’s ‘A Bit of Previous’ Is Wrapped Up in Hooks
On Belle and Sebastian’s first album in seven years, A Bit of Previous, the cozy Glaswegians prioritize candor and retain a bit of their previous magic.
Joan Osborne Is So Much More Than “One of Us”
Joan Osborne is known for a generational hit she didn’t even write, but all these decades later, she is still finding a new audience for her folk-pop charmers.
Joan Osborne Takes a Well-Deserved Victory Lap with ‘Radio Waves’
Joan Osborne’s Radio Waves is a career retrospective inside a live album inside a rarities compilation, a turducken of a music anthology and the result is tasty.
Alec Benjamin’s Self Conscious Parables Drive ‘(Un)Commentary’
Alec Benjamin’s (Un)Commentary gets caught up in the details. Is that good or bad? He acknowledges that his cerebral qualities are a strength of his music.
May Erlewine’s “Lion Heart” Is a Warm Folk-Pop Pick-Me-Up (premiere)
Folkie May Erlewine’s “Lion Heart” is a gorgeous and sunny tune that focuses on her immovable support for her daughter amidst bullying.
The 10 Best Carly Simon Albums
Carly Simon is one of pop’s greatest chroniclers of the human heart with a song for almost every shade of feeling. These are the 10 best Carly Simon albums.