Music Reviews

Lontalius’ Fifth Album Is Successful and Strikingly Mature

Minimalistic and captivating, Lontalius’ new album shows a more concentrated sound. It reflects his growth and marks a high watermark.

The Allman Betts Band Keep Winter Solstice Flame Burning

Aboubakar Traoré and Balima Are Irresistible on ‘Sababu’

Saint Etienne’s ‘The Night’ Sounds Unusually Forced

Mogwai Find New in the Familiar with ‘The Bad Fire’

The Orb’s New Compilation Is a Carefully Curated History

Antibalas’ Amayo Debuts With Eclectic Solo Effort

Ollee Owens Protects Us When There Is ‘Nowhere to Hide’

Haunted Horses’ ‘Dweller’ Is an Intriguing Heavy Album

Music Features

Bright Eyes’ 2005 Albums Speak to Our Individual and Collective Discontent

Bright Eyes brought their expansive and messy vision to life 20 years ago with two albums that captivated listeners then as they surely will now.

MetalMatters: The Best Metal Albums of December 2024

Lambrini Girls’ “God’s Country” Rejects PJ Harvey’s Melancholic England

Poster Children Discuss 1995’s Brilliant LP ‘Junior Citizen’ at 30

Trumpism and Contemporary Christian Music’s Civil War

15 Awe-inspiring Rock Guitar Solos You Might Not Know

Hüsker Dü’s ‘New Day Rising’ Still Sparkles at 40

Film

There Are No Accidents on David Lynch’s ‘Mulholland Drive’

David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive unfolds in a series of desires and warnings often made under duress by unseen malevolent forces, or motivated by darkness within.

MoMA’s To Serve and Project Film Restoration Fest Ranges from Classics to Avant-Garde

It Ain’t Easy Being Green in Wicked’s Hollywood

MoMA’s Film Restoration Fest To Serve and Project Eyes Bad Behavior

International Film Buffs Should Pounce on MoMA’s To Save and Project Festival

Alfred Hitchcock At the Peak of His Skill

The Best Film of 2024

Television

What If Donald Trump’s Cabinet Picks Really Were Looney Tunes?

Many of Donald Trump’s 2025 cabinet picks came from Fox News. Would the nation be better served if he binged Looney Tunes instead?

‘Slow Horses: Season Four’ Subverts the Spy Genre

When the 1950s Met the 1960s via LSD TV

Rom-Communism: ‘Ted Lasso’ and the Future of the Romantic Comedy

The10 Best Episodes of ‘Are You Afraid of the Dark?’

Books

Roger Célestin’s ‘The Delicate Beast’ Will Devour You

Prolific writer Roger Célestin presents in his debut novel, The Delicate Beast a timely tale of how autocracy will devour you once the process has begun.

John Patrick Higgins’ ‘Fine’ Hangs on in Quiet Desperation

Take Video Games and Our Perilous Era Seriously

Goth Punks AFI Get Their Flowers in New Biography

Laila Lalami’s ‘The Dream Hotel’ Questions Our Concept of Freedom

Games

Take Video Games and Our Perilous Era Seriously

Marijam Dids’ book on video games and culture, Everything to Play For, is a wake-up call for those ignorant of the titanic importance gaming has in the modern world.

The 24 Best Video Games of 2024

Phoenix Springs’ Journey to Nowhere Is Worth It

‘Silent Hill 2 Remake’ Is a Dark Gem in the Horror Game Renaissance

Neva’s Emotion-Engine Gameplay Is a Beautiful Crowd-Pleaser

Lists

MetalMatters: The Best Metal Albums of December 2024

In December’s best metal, Blackdeath explore off-kilter black metal, Misanthropy open gateways in death metal, and An Axis of Perdition make a return.

15 Awe-inspiring Rock Guitar Solos You Might Not Know

The 30 Best Polish Albums of 2024

What If Donald Trump’s Cabinet Picks Really Were Looney Tunes?

5 Great Books That Reinvent Music Criticism

Interviews

Poster Children Discuss 1995’s Brilliant LP ‘Junior Citizen’ at 30

Poster Children‘s Junior Citizen remains a refreshing, barely-polished masterpiece, like garish, late-night anime on steroids. The group discuss the album.

Home and Away with Audio Author Adam Gnade

Alice Ivy’s New Music Is Gorgeous with Organic Sounds

Heather Maloney Honors Her Late Father With Divine ‘Exploding Star’

Warhaus Is the Music of Maarten Devoldere’s Subconscious

PopMatters Picks

Roger Célestin’s ‘The Delicate Beast’ Will Devour You

Prolific writer Roger Célestin presents in his debut novel, The Delicate Beast a timely tale of how autocracy will devour you once the process has begun.

Lontalius’ Fifth Album Is Successful and Strikingly Mature

Aboubakar Traoré and Balima Are Irresistible on ‘Sababu’

MetalMatters: The Best Metal Albums of December 2024

The Orb’s New Compilation Is a Carefully Curated History