Music Reviews

Rosali’s ‘Bite Down’ Sounds Classic

Rosali’s Bite Down is a deceptively smooth ride that threatens to pull you under at any moment. Its classic sound draws from Fleetwood Mac and 1970s music.

Hardcore’s Gouge Away Grow on ‘Deep Sage’

Ariana Grande Sees Heartbreak in a New Light on ‘Eternal Sunshine’

Punk Rockers CNTS Offer ‘Thoughts & Prayers’ to the Hypocrites

Chastity Belt Ruminate on Insecurities on ‘Live Laugh Love’

Phish Sacrifice Ambience For Clarity on Live ‘Spectrum’ Box Set 

Elbow Bend with the Times on ‘Audio Vertigo’

Rosie Tucker Wants ‘Utopia Now!’

Julia Holter Goes Underwater to Find Room to Move

Music Features

Say It Loud! 100 Timeless Protest Songs

PopMatters has scoured the musical spectrum for the best examples of protest songs, including anthems of great popularity and obscurity that resonate today.

JazzMatters: The Best New Jazz of Winter 2024

Ratboys Seize ‘The Window’ of Opportunity

Instigation Festival #14: Timid Flirtation and Fiery Collision

Kings Will Be Crowned: Queen’s ‘Queen II’ at 50

20 Years of Madvillain’s Endlessly Creative ‘Madvillainy’

The 10 Best Oasis Songs From the B-Sides

Film

‘Robot Dreams’ Quietly Encourages You Not to Be Afraid

Pablo Berger’s animated Robot Dreams is a near-perfect marvel of silent cinema nearly a century after talkies ended the silent era.

Backstreet Abortion Onscreen: Stories of Solitary Struggle and Solidarity

Film Noir Trio Showcases Edward G. Robinson on All Sides of the Law

Kore-eda Hirokazu’s ‘Monster’ Falls Short of Its Literary Ambitions 

Chantal Akerman’s Evolutions and Revolutions

Who Dare Portray Truman Capote?

‘Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World’ Is a Stinging Comedy of Banal Chaos

Books

Dreaming as a Radical Act: Bebop Demands We Listen Again

Dreams in Double Time explores how bebop created new possibilities for marginalised people in the early 20th Century. Bebop demands we listen again.

Disillusion and the Glimmer of Hope for American Suburbs

Transcending to Badass: That’s How Female Rockers Roll

Biography of ‘Rolling Stone’ Co-Founder Ralph J. Gleason Rocks and Swings

Colin Barrett’s Debut Novel ‘Wild Houses’ Unfolds Predictably

Television

Who Dare Portray Truman Capote?

Actors Philip Seymour Hoffman, Toby Jones, and Tom Hollander have dared to portray Truman Capote to varying effect. Capote remains a complicated challenge.

The Fine Art of Bootlegging

‘True Detective: Night Country’ Finds Comfort in Darkness

The Best TV Shows of 2023 (You May Have Missed)

The 20 Best DVDs of 2023

Interviews

Ratboys Seize ‘The Window’ of Opportunity

After breaking through with a lockdown-inspired set of songs, the Ratboys’ “post-country” stylings find a new audience, opening for the Decemberists.

Happiness in Kurdistan: An Interview with ‘Transient Happiness’ Director Sina Muhammed

Feeling “Seventeen”, Ruth Moody Goes Solo Again with ‘Wanderer’

The Repression of Truth in Michel Franco’s ‘Memory’

A Kind of Beauty: An Interview With Ben Frost

Lists

Say It Loud! 100 Timeless Protest Songs

PopMatters has scoured the musical spectrum for the best examples of protest songs, including anthems of great popularity and obscurity that resonate today.

JazzMatters: The Best New Jazz of Winter 2024

The 10 Best Oasis Songs From the B-Sides

The 10 Best John Coltrane Solos

Dancing in the Street: Our 25 Favorite Motown Songs

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Call for Papers: All Things Reconsidered – FILM Winter 2023-24

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